Omniphage of Apathy

"You really want to know, huh?"

"Of course. You're learning faster than I expected, and if it's because of your Boon, it's only fair I know what we're dealing with. Besides, Mom told me to ask."

Anamorsia groaned, glaring at him. She stomped her foot lightly, frustration coloring her cheeks.

"You just had to bring up Mom. Fine!"

"..."

"My Boon is... Perfect Recall," she muttered.

"Perfect Recall?"

"Yeah, yeah, I remember everything, okay?" She waved her hands in exasperation. "Every word in every book I've read, every move I've seen someone make in a fight, every conversation, every... everything."

Vastarael whistled low, a hint of amusement in his voice. "That's impressive. Explains why you're improving so fast. You can mimic techniques after seeing them once."

"Impressive?" She huffed, her voice cracking slightly. "That's because you don't know the other side of it."

He tilted his head, sensing her hesitation. "The Bane?"

Anamorsia nodded, her shoulders slumping. Her voice dropped as she continued. "It's called Emotional Blindness."

Her brother straightened slightly, his teasing demeanor fading as he noticed the vulnerability in her voice.

"You mean..."

"Exactly," she cut in, her hands gripping the glaive so tightly her knuckles turned white. "Every embarrassing moment, every mistake I've made, every time I tripped and someone laughed... I'll remember it and affect me tenfold and be passive to it."

Vastarael frowned, taking a step closer. "That sounds... exhausting."

"You think?" She snapped, then sighed, shaking her head. "Sorry, I didn't mean that. It's just... It's like having a constant reel of memories playing in my head. Sometimes, I can't focus. And the bad stuff? It's so loud. Every failure, every fight... I can feel it all as if it's happening again."

There was a long pause before she muttered, barely audible, "I hate it."

Vastarael didn't speak for a moment, watching as his sister's usually confident demeanor cracked.

"And the good memories?" He asked gently.

"They're there too," she admitted. "But... it's like they're muted compared to the bad ones. I don't know why, but it's harder to focus on them."

Anamorsia looked up at him, embarrassment written all over her face.

"So, yeah. That's my Bane. Perfect Recall sounds amazing, but it's a nightmare half the time. You happy now?"

Vastarael gave her a small, understanding smile.

"I'm not happy about it, Anamorsia, but... it does explain a lot. Thanks for telling me."

"You're not going to make fun of me for it?"

"Why would I? Sounds like a terrible burden to carry," he replied sincerely. "It's not easy you know."

Her cheeks turned red again and she quickly turned away, pretending to inspect her glaive.

"Yeah, well... don't get all mushy on me, okay? I'm fine. It's just... annoying sometimes."

"Fair enough. Still, you're handling it better than most people would. And if it helps, you're not alone in dealing with your Bane. We all have something weighing us down."

Anamorsia glanced at him, her expression unreadable for a moment before she smirked.

"Yeah, well, your Bane's just having too many girls follow you around, right? Must be so tough."

Vastarael groaned, rolling his eyes. "Okay, spar's over. Adelasta, what's yours?"

Adelasta crossed her arms tightly, her expression cold as always. She remained silent for a moment, not meeting their gazes. The weight of the conversation felt heavier than usual and her eyes darted toward the ground, avoiding the two who were waiting for her to speak.

"I'm not discussing this."

Anamorsia, never one to let things go easily, raised an eyebrow and grinned.

"Afraid to admit you have a weakness, Adelasta? Is that it? Come on, spill it. You're always so secretive."

Her tone was teasing and it made Adelasta's skin prickle with frustration. She couldn't stand when people pushed her like that, especially Anamorsia, who seemed to think everything was a game.

Vastarael's eyes softened a little, sensing her discomfort.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, Adelasta."

But Adelasta's pride wouldn't let her back down now. She exhaled sharply, then gave both of them a sidelong glance, the flicker of reluctance still in her eyes. She didn't like revealing too much of herself, especially when it made her vulnerable.

"Fine. If you want to know so badly, I'll tell you."

She hesitated for a moment, before letting out a quiet sigh. "My Boon is... Insight and Perception."

She said it without looking up, her gaze focusing on the floor as if the words might suddenly disappear if she didn't make eye contact.

Anamorsia raised an eyebrow, clearly confused.

"So... what? You can read minds or something? That doesn't sound all that impressive."

Adelasta looked up at her.

"It's not about reading minds. It's more... intuitive. I can sense what people are feeling, even when they try to hide it. I can also understand their intent. If you're planning something, I'll know it."

Her eyes flickered briefly to Vastarael before continuing, a little more reluctantly.

"It's not just about feelings, though. I can perceive things others can't. I can tell when someone's lying, or if something's... off about them or a place. It's not always immediate, but it's there."

She fell silent for a moment and Anamorsia, sensing her discomfort, prodded again. "Sounds pretty useful. So, what's the catch?"

Adelasta stiffened, her jaw setting as she finally admitted, almost unwillingly.

"My Bane is that I must serve one master, Servitude To One. I became... betrothed to Vastarael and ever since then, I've been bound to him in that way. The powers of my Boon only function when I'm in service to him."

She glanced at Vastarael, feeling a pang in her chest that she quickly suppressed. "It's a part of my role. The insight... it only works because of him."

Vastarael looked at her with wide eyes, momentarily taken aback by the admission. His expression softened as he realized just how much Adelasta had been carrying, even if it was something she never showed.

Anamorsia scoffed, shaking her head.

"So basically, you're his shadow, huh? Always with him, always watching, always listening. You're lucky, I guess. If I had that kind of power, I'd do a lot more with it."

Adelasta didn't respond to Anamorsia's taunts. Instead, she turned away from them both, clearly unwilling to dive any deeper into the subject. She knew the situation well enough—no one could truly understand her position, not unless they were bound to someone the way she was to Vastarael.

Anamorsia's teasing expression softened slightly, and she leaned back, crossing her arms with a knowing look.

"You know, Adelasta, you've got a good thing going with him. I mean, if your Boon works when you're serving him or just about him, then it's not such a bad deal, right?"

Adelasta's gaze flickered to her, slightly surprised by the lack of mockery in Anamorsia's tone. Anamorsia wasn't the type to offer encouragement, let alone compliments, but there was something genuine behind her words this time.

Anamorsia shrugged, uncrossing her arms and taking a step closer.

"Look, it's your Boon, so it's your choice how you want to use it. But the fact that my brother is the one you serve? That's a good thing. You know him better than anyone else. He's not some random stranger. You're not just stuck in some agreement with a total unknown."

She glanced over at Vastarael, who was standing off to the side, silent as usual, but watching them both.

"You're lucky. You know how he thinks, what he feels and he knows you too. With someone else, it could be all manipulation and control. But with him? He'd never treat you like some... slave."

Adelasta felt a twist in her chest at those words, but she quickly masked it with a neutral expression.

"I never said he would."

Anamorsia gave her a knowing look, as if seeing right through the facade.

"I get it," she continued. "You don't want to be seen as some sort of... servant, or someone bound to another person. But think about it. Having Vass as your master, it's different. There's trust. You won't ever be taken advantage of. He'd never force you to do something against your will. If anything, he'll respect you more for it."

"..."

"Besides, Adelasta, the kind of power you have, combined with that insight of yours? You can do a lot more than just serve him. You're his Betrothed. You're his equal in a lot of ways. You're helping him too, whether he knows it or not."

Adelasta, who had been listening intently, let out a long breath. Her eyes softened for a moment before she spoke, her voice quieter than usual.

"I guess... I never thought of it like that."

Anamorsia gave a small, almost imperceptible smile.

"That's the thing with you, Adelasta. You always look at the negatives, the things that tie you down. But your Boon... it's not just a curse. It's an asset too. And you're not alone in this. You're not serving him blindly. You've got power, insight and the ability to influence things. And you know him better than anyone."

Adelasta stayed quiet for a moment, letting her words sink in. For the first time in a long while, she wasn't entirely focused on what she couldn't control.

Maybe Anamorsia had a point. Maybe this... being tied to Vastarael, serving him, wasn't something to resent. Maybe it was more of an opportunity than she'd realized.

She looked at Vastarael, who had remained silent throughout their exchange and for the first time, she considered what Anamorsia had said. There was trust between them. He wouldn't treat her like a servant.

Finally, she nodded, a faint, reluctant smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

"You're right," she admitted softly, more to herself than to Anamorsia. "It's not so bad... as long as I'm with him."

Anamorsia chuckled lightly, shaking her head.

"See? I told you. You're smarter than you think."

Adelasta didn't reply, but the glint in her eyes seemed a little less cold, a little less guarded. Perhaps, just maybe, she could accept this arrangement after all.