Omniphage of Apathy

"Anamorsia, I understand why you want to train but... why do I have to do this?"

"Because I have to. Now can we please start? And use your powers too. I'm pretty good at this."

"I'll use them when necessary."

The siblings were in the training arena and... Adelasta was mad for two reasons.

One, Anamorsia began training with her rival two weeks after he got better and was able to move again. Since their parents had to leave, again, they had no choice but to train themselves.

And two, she was taking a lot of Vastarael's time.

Adelasta's schedule was simple; wake up, go train with Vastarael and defeat him, have breakfast, learn from the palace teachers until lunch, train on her new fire abilities until evening, dinner, then sleep.

But now, her schedule was ruined because of Anamorsia.

Now she has to watch while sitting on the arena seats, hoping that she would train with Vastarael before breakfast.

Which... never came.

And this happened for an entire month.

She wanted to test her fire abilities with Vastarael as he used his water divinity with her but never got the chance to.

Anamorsia was nine years old and Vastarael's blood sister. Adelasta knew that he would rather train Anamorsia than spar with her.

She inherited the beauty of her parents too. Her white curly hair, golden eyes and pale skin from her mother. She knew that when she was old enough, a lot of royals would try to woo her.

Unluckily, they had to handle her brother in the future too, which... would cause a lot of problems.

Speaking of problems...

"Here I go!"

Anamorsia summoned six angel wings from her body and flew towards Vastarael at high speed. Adelasta narrowed her eyes as she saw Anamorsia summoning a double bladed glaive and began fighting Vastarael.

The clash of Anamorsia's double-bladed glaive against Vastarael's own weapon echoed across the arena. Vastarael held his ground effortlessly, blocking her strikes with a casual precision that spoke more of a teacher correcting a pupil than an opponent fighting for victory.

Anamorsia, on the other hand, was relentless. Her angelic wings flapped furiously, creating bursts of wind as she darted around, seeking openings. She swung the glaive with all her strength, the weapon glowing faintly with her essence.

"You're overextending," Vastarael said, sidestepping a wild horizontal slash with ease. "Your speed is good but your strikes are unbalanced. Power without control is wasted effort."

Anamorsia gritted her teeth, pivoting mid-air to launch another attack.

"I'm trying to balance it!" She retorted, aiming a downward slash at his head.

Vastarael raised his blade just in time, deflecting the blow with a sharp clang.

"Trying isn't enough," he said, stepping back to give her space. "You have wings now. Use them for more than speed. They're part of your body, an extension of your movement. Adjust your position."

Anamorsia frowned, her wings fluttering as she adjusted her position. She took a deep breath, focusing her energy into her next move. This time, instead of rushing forward recklessly, she hovered, circling him with cautious, calculated movements.

Adelasta watched from the stands. Despite her annoyance, she couldn't deny that Anamorsia had potential. But she was still a child and it showed in her lack of finesse. She wasn't that much of a genius as Vastarael and Adelasta were.

Anamorsia darted forward again, this time aiming a series of rapid jabs with one end of her glaive. Vastarael blocked each strike.

"Better," he said, stepping aside to dodge a particularly aggressive thrust. "But you're still relying too much on your weapon. What happens if you lose it?"

Anamorsia hesitated, her momentum faltering for a split second. Vastarael seized the opportunity, sweeping his blade in a quick arc that knocked the glaive from her hands. The weapon clattered to the ground, sliding several feet away.

"Exactly," Vastarael said, pointing his glaive at her. "You're fast, Anamorsia, but speed alone won't save you. You need to be adaptable."

Anamorsia growled in frustration, summoning her essence to retrieve her glaive, but Vastarael raised a hand to stop her.

"No. Fight without it."

Her golden eyes widened. "What? That's not fair!"

"Neither is combat," he replied coolly, his glaive disappearing into sapphire shimmers of light. "Now come at me. Use your wings, your fists, your essence, whatever you can. Show me what you've learned."

Adelasta raised an eyebrow, intrigued despite herself. Vastarael's teaching methods were harsh, but effective. He had a way of pushing others beyond their limits, whether they liked it or not.

Anamorsia hesitated for only a moment before launching herself at her brother, her wings propelling her forward with newfound agility. She aimed a punch at his chest but Vastarael sidestepped effortlessly, his hand darting out to grab her wrist.

"Good speed, poor aim," he said, twisting her arm gently but firmly to redirect her momentum.

Anamorsia gritted her teeth, spinning to use her wings as a shield. Vastarael backed off slightly, giving her just enough space to recover.

"Better," he said, nodding approvingly. "Now, use your essence. Combine it with your movement."

Anamorsia closed her eyes briefly, summoning her energy. Her wings shimmered with a golden hue as she focused her power into a burst of light.

Unlike others whose essence is blue, hers is golden, which was a rare sight. She was also the first Richinaria to have wings and have the power of a seraph.

She flapped her wings hard, creating a blinding flash that forced Vastarael to shield his eyes.

"That's more like it," he said, though his tone carried a hint of amusement.

Taking advantage of his temporary distraction, Anamorsia darted in low, aiming a kick at his legs. Vastarael sidestepped again but this time, she followed up with a quick flap of her wings, propelling herself upward and away before he could counter.

"Not bad," he admitted, brushing imaginary dust off his shirt. "You're learning."

Anamorsia landed gracefully a few feet away, her chest heaving with exertion but her expression triumphant.

"Of course I'm learning," she said, a smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. "I am your sister, after all."

Vastarael chuckled, shaking his head. "Fair enough. But don't get cocky. You've got a long way to go before you can challenge me properly."

"We'll see about that."

From her seat, Adelasta huffed, crossing her arms tighter.

"Maybe if she wasn't hogging all his time, I'd be the one learning," she muttered under her breath.

Anamorsia froze mid-hover, her golden eyes narrowing as a mischievous smile crept onto her lips.

"Oh, I heard that," she said, landing lightly on the arena floor. Her wings folded behind her as she turned to face Adelasta with an expression that was equal parts mockery and triumph.

"Jealous much? I mean, it's understandable. I am his sister. Blood always comes first, you know."

Adelasta barely moved, her cold gaze meeting Anamorsia's without so much as a flinch.

"I'm not jealous," she replied flatly, her tone devoid of emotion. "I simply think you're wasting his time."

"Wasting his time?" Anamorsia echoed, her smile widening into a grin. "Please. You're just mad because you're not the one sparring with him. Admit it, Betrothed. You want him all to yourself."

Adelasta's lips tightened slightly, the only sign of irritation she allowed to show.

"Unlike you, I don't cling to him for attention. I'm content to wait my turn. Patience is a virtue, one that you clearly lack."

Vastarael sighed from his place in the arena, rubbing the back of his neck.

Ever since he started training his sister, he realized something.

Anamorsia does not like Adelasta. In fact, Adelasta isn't liked by Anamorsia, Leones and Milliania for some reason. He didn't know why and he didn't want to find out.

"Adelasta, Anamorsia, do we really have to do this now?" He said, his tone exasperated.

But Anamorsia ignored him, her grin turning sly.

"Patience, huh? Is that what you call it? Or is it fear? Maybe you're just scared you can't keep up with him."

Adelasta leaned back in her seat.

"You're mistaken if you think your taunts will rile me up. You're a child, Anamorsia. I don't waste my energy on petty squabbles."

Anamorsia's grin faltered for a moment, a flicker of annoyance crossing her face. But she recovered quickly, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow.

"Child or not, I'm the one he's spending his time with. What does that say about you?"

Adelasta didn't respond immediately. Instead, she stood gracefully from her seat and descended the steps toward the arena. When she reached the edge of the training floor, she stopped, fixing Anamorsia with an icy stare.

"It says that I don't need constant reassurance of my worth," Adelasta said coolly. "Unlike you, I know my place in his life. And I don't need to flaunt it to feel secure."

The words hit their mark and Anamorsia's wings twitched slightly, betraying her irritation. She opened her mouth to retort but Vastarael stepped between them, raising his hands in a placating gesture.

"Enough," he said firmly, his gaze flicking between the two girls. "Adelasta, you'll get your training time. Anamorsia, stop provoking her. We're supposed to be allies, not rivals."

Anamorsia huffed, crossing her arms and muttering under her breath, "She started it."

Adelasta gave Vastarael a small nod, her cold demeanor softening just enough to show her agreement.

"I'll hold you to that promise," she said before turning back toward the stands.

Vastarael sighed again, glancing at Anamorsia.

"And you. Focus on the training, not the drama. Understand?"

Anamorsia pouted but nodded reluctantly.

"Fine," she mumbled, her wings fluttering as she prepared to take off again.

As Adelasta returned to her seat, she cast one last glance at the arena. Her expression was as composed as ever, but there was a glint in her eyes, a silent vow that she wouldn't be overlooked for long.

"Anamorsia, what is your Boon and Bane?"

Anamorsia landed lightly on the ground, folding her wings back as her brother's question hung in the air. She blinked rapidly, momentarily caught off guard.

"Why… do you ask?"

Vastarael leaned on his glaive, his piercing sapphire eyes fixed on her.

"Because I want to know if you're using it in combat. You're learning way too fast and it's… concerning," he said, his tone even but edged with curiosity. "Also, mom told me to ask you."

Anamorsia glanced away, biting her lip. She didn't expect this question from him.

"What about yours?" She countered, trying to deflect.

He smirked faintly. "I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours. Fair?"

She hesitated, golden eyes narrowing slightly. Boons and Banes were deeply personal, often guarded secrets. Sharing them meant opening yourself up to potential manipulation.

"...Fine," she said after a moment, her voice quieter. "But only if you go first."

Vastarael straightened, letting his glaive dissipate into sapphire particles as he crossed his arms.

"Alright. My Boon is… my looks."

Adelasta, sitting on the edge of the arena, raised an eyebrow.

"Your looks? That's it?"

"Yes," Vastarael said with a wry chuckle. "I know, it sounds ridiculous but it's more useful than it seems. My appearance gives me an edge in almost everything. Charisma, influence, even distracting enemies. I can gain allies faster than most and get people to trust me before I even speak. It's not exactly flashy, but it's practical."

Anamorsia tilted her head, studying him with a mixture of skepticism and intrigue. "And your Bane?"

Vastarael's smirk faded slightly, his tone dropping to a more serious note.

"Women."

Adelasta's brow furrowed as she leaned forward. "Women?"

He nodded.

"Women will always accompany me in my destiny, for better or worse. It's not something I can control and honestly, it's more of a complication than a help. Betrayal, manipulation, conflict, they all seem to revolve around it. And… well, it's tied to my fate, so it's unavoidable."

The weight of his words hung in the air for a moment, drawing a solemn silence from his sister.

"Well," Anamorsia said finally, clearing her throat. "I guess that makes sense. It's not hard to see why people… react to you the way they do."

Vastarael gave a faint, self-deprecating smile. "Your turn, Anamorsia. What's your Boon and Bane?"