'Interesting...' Eli muttered under his breath, a subtle smile forming on his lips as his gaze absorbed the scene of his two creations.
The two Lightning birds, identical in appearance, radiated a faint, otherworldly glow as they hovered in the air.
"Hehehe... Sister Kyra, it's cute!!" Kira's voice resonated with pure delight as she played with one of the birds. The creature responded to her touch, darting through the air with nimble grace. Its ethereal glow seemed to reflect the joy shared between the two.
Meanwhile, the first Lightning bird floated nearby, its features mirroring a subtle hint of melancholy. Arlyne, drawn by the enigmatic aura of the hovering creature, extended a cautious finger towards it.
In an instant, the bird responded to the offered touch, fluttering towards Arlyne with a gentle grace. Intricately designed sparks of light danced around them, creating an almost magical ambience.
"It's cute!" Arlyne's words were accompanied by a genuine smile, her initial curiosity replaced by a newfound appreciation for the playful nature of the Lightning bird. The air buzzed with a sense of wonder and amazement.
Eli's focus remained solely on the Lightning bird perched with Kira.
'She can see it... ah' he mumbled, a subtle realization dawning on him.
Turning his attention to his hands, Eli observed as a reddish-black substance dissipated from his palm. 'It's getting weirder as if m--' his thoughts were abruptly halted by an energetic voice.
"What is the difference?" Kira inquired, gently patting the Lightning bird that rested on her hand.
"... I don't know" Eli responded with a small smile, opting to keep certain truths concealed. He couldn't risk divulging too much to them; the complexities of his abilities were best kept a secret.
Though Kira and the others sensed his evasion, they chose not to pry further.
"Then what about the song?" Eli questioned, squinting his eyes at Kira. He comprehended the visual aspect, but the mystery of her ability to perceive sound lingered in his mind. 'Does she also have hearing problems?' Eli speculated, seeking clarity.
Everyone suddenly flinched, exchanging awkward glances filled with uncertain laughter. It was evident that they had forgotten to create any side plan for handling inquiries about Kyra's hearing problem, a closely guarded secret.
Kyra, Arlyne, and Kira avoided Eli's gaze, unwilling to reveal the truth. The unspoken message was clear – they didn't trust Eli enough to divulge this sensitive information.
Eli waited patiently for their response, but it became apparent that none of them were prepared to answer. He simply shrugged, sensing their hesitation and understanding their need for secrecy.
"Anyhow... Kira" Eli said as he positioned himself in front of her.
'Snap'
The Lightning birds disappeared, drawing attention to Eli's next move. Kyra and Arlyne frowned, anticipating Eli's intention when they saw his hand rise towards Kira's face.
They were about to stop him when, Kyra's unexpected interjection startled everyone, including Eli.
"He won't hurt me!!"
Eli was intrigued by this sudden declaration, prompting him to inquire, "OH!! What do you mean by that? Kira" as his hand hovered close to Kira's cheeks.
"I have my own ways, Eli, and it seems you're starting to remember my name correctly" Kira said, sporting a sly smile.
Eli raised an eyebrow, he kind of liked this cheeky brat who acted as if she knew everything.
"Well, after yesterday's incident, I don't think I will forget who is who... but you are wrong about one thing though" Eli touched Kira's cheeks and pulled.
"Ouch, ouch...."
"Acting all mighty, you cheeky beautiful little brat...." Eli continued to pull her cheeks tightly, a playful gesture.
He observed her figure, noting that even though it was similar to Kyra's, her personality made her appear uniquely beautiful.
Arlyne and Kyra were ready to intervene, concerned about Kira's discomfort. However, Eli issued a threatening remark that caught them off guard.
"If you dare to come, I will make sure to pull cheeks beyond what you could imagine" Eli warned, leaving Arlyne and Kyra flinching. They watched helplessly as Kira's cheeks were pulled like rubber, swallowing nervously as they stood frozen in place.
"Ssstozzzzppp..."
"You know... you and your sister always get on my nerves... especially yesterday..." Eli said, playfully pulling Kira's cheeks back and forth.
"Aarrhhh!" Kira's head moved with the motion, her cry echoing with pain.
Eli leaned closer to Kira's face, a mischievous glint in his eyes as he contemplated removing her blindfold.
"P-Perv--" Kyra attempted to intervene, but Eli swiftly shifted his attention.
However, no matter how long she waited, she didn't feel anything on her lips. Opening her eyes, she saw Eli was not there; instead, he was looking at Arlyne, who was almost breaking the ground to come up.
She sighed in relief but she felt a little lost and didn't know why, 'Come to think of it, why in the hell I closed my eyes!!!' she screamed inwardly.
Eli stood before Arlyne, who was stuck in the ground up to her shoulders, intensely glaring at him.
"Hello, scary cat!" Eli waved his hand as he crouched down.
Arlyne glared at Eli with daggers in her eyes, but Eli simply scoffed and asked, "Where is your brother?"
However, Arlyne didn't answer; instead, she shouted, "You bastard, what the hell is wrong with you? Who the hell do you think you are? Do you even realise what you are doing to the princess of the Chola kingdom? If Her Majesty knew what you did, You wouldn't even die a peaceful death... Why are you acting like a psychopath? I don't understand what's wrong yo-"
"You cannot understand me, scary cat... Even I have a hard time understanding myself" Eli muttered as he gracefully pinched her cheeks.
Her face turned red when felt a warm and soft pinch unlike others, and she was about to shout when,
"Heheh... You look cute when you're embarrassed!" Eli smiled heartfully as he stood up, ignoring the frozen girl who was taken aback by Eli's sudden gentle expression.
Arlyne revealed a cute side whenever she was scared or embarrassed; her flustered face only served to enhance her beauty. Furthermore, her scared expressions were particularly adorable, especially when she screamed... she might not know it but this was the reason her brother was always with her to make her she didn't show this kind of side to others.
Eli surveyed his "art" Three girls swallowed by the ground, and nodded in satisfaction before saying,
"See, this is what will happen to beautiful girls if they were to meet a pervert"
His words caught the attention of others who were doing their best to escape.
"Ah? What the...?"
"Are you an idiot?"
"You are unbelievable!!"
Ignoring the muttering words, Eli continued seriously, "It's all fun to play around, however, be cautious next time..." Eli pointed at each of them, "Cute, beautiful, sexy... Dangerous combination who knows when someone turns into a pervert? Well, be careful... I mean, I don't need to explain everything, right?
You are old enough to understand, right?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Good, I am leaving then" Eli said as he was about to depart when he remembered something. He looked at Kyra and motioned his hand as if pulling down a flower or something.
"!!!" Kyra flinched, and seeing her reaction, Eli laughed and left the place in a hurry.
After a few seconds, everyone managed to get out of the ground and looked at each other with worried and disbelieving faces. The encounter with Eli had left them in a mix of shock, confusion, and a tinge of amusement.
"He knew" Kyra muttered in disbelief upon seeing Eli using the sign language for 'Good Night' as he indirectly indicated he found out.
".... Yes, after he caught you, he never spoke a single word except whispering your name" Arlyne added, her tone turning pale.
"What??"
"Yes, you are the only one who spoke"
"???" Kyra was shocked to hear that. 'Then he just mov--' her thoughts were interrupted.
"He must have moved his lips without sound to find the answer" Kira explained, realizing what it meant.
Kyra slapped her forehead, realizing she had fallen for that cheap trick.
"We need to be cautious around that pervert" Kyra muttered with a hateful gaze.
"I'm gonna put him under the ground!!" Arlyne also muttered with angry eyes.
"..." Kira softly rubbed her cheeks. Her thoughts swirled around the moment when Eli caught her cheeks, and she felt strange images..... screaming people, ice mountains, a black entity, and two white ethereal entities.
It was her first time seeing these images. Her curiosity grew about Eli, wanting to understand what more he could show her.
While Kyra and Arlyne were busy devising a plan, Kira was secretly preparing her own plan... how to get closer to Eli.