‘Thinking’
“Talking”
[Attack]
Act 5 (Part 9) – A Found Family and the Trial Dimension
[ Location: Blue Star System – Herta Space Station: Primary Meeting Room ]
[ POV: Kiana Kaslana ]
Following the heavy question I had laid out, a suffocating silence once again blanketed the conference table.
Stephen looked up at me, his eyes wide and trembling with deep hesitation.
“I…
I…”
“You don’t have to answer right now, Stephen,” I interrupted gently, my voice softening into a warm, reassuring tone.
“Take all the time you need.
We can discuss it whenever you feel ready, and if you ever need help, I’ll be right beside you.” A teasing, mischievous grin tugged at the corner of my lips.
“Besides…
you’re like the little brother I never had.
Who knows?
Maybe I’ll officially adopt you somewhere down the line.”
The entire room froze.
Every pair of eyes snapped back and forth between me and the youngest Genius in absolute astonishment.
Stephen blinked, staring at me before a small, quiet answer slipped out: “I wouldn’t mind that at all…”
My brain briefly short circuited.
‘Wait, really?!’
Stephen continued, his soft voice growing steadier.
“You treat me better than almost any adult ever has.
You don’t dismiss me or talk down to me just because of my age…
so I really wouldn’t mind if you adopted me.” He paused, a mischievous glint flashing across his face.
“Plus, that would officially make me the cool uncle to your and Sister Mei’s future kids, wouldn’t it?”
FLUSH–!
The moment the words ‘your and Sister Mei’s kids’ hung in the air, Mei and I accidentally locked eyes.
In a split second, our cheeks flared into a brilliant, matching shade of crimson.
Herta, Screwllum, and even Void Archives let out uncharacteristic chuckles at our synchronized meltdown.
I shook my head violently, fanning my face with my hand as I tried and utterly failed to laugh off the overwhelming embarrassment.
Clearing my throat, I looked back at Stephen, trying to regain my composure.
“Why did you agree to that so quickly, anyway?”
Seeing his expression instantly turn somber, I held up a hand.
“Hey…
if it’s uncomfortable to talk about, you don’t have to force yourself.”
“No, it’s alright,” Stephen sighed softly, shaking his head.
“I’ve come to terms with it long ago.” He took a deep, steadying breath, looking around the table at the gathered Geniuses.
“Screwllum already knows parts of this, but I’ve never shared it with the rest of you.
I was adopted when I was eleven years old.
I don’t know anything about my biological parents.”
His gaze dropped to his hands resting on his lap.
“Growing up in the orphanage, I was a complete outcast because of my intelligence.
The staff and the adults alienated me whenever I pointed out their mistakes, they couldn’t handle the fact that a child could solve their problems better than they could.
They constantly dismissed my ideas.”
A small, fond smile touched Stephen’s lips as he looked back up.
“My adoptive father ran a small neighborhood supermarket.
He didn’t have much money back then, so he couldn’t pursue higher education himself, but he visited the orphanage to donate food.
One day, he saw me sitting alone in a corner solving complex physics equations instead of playing with the other kids.
He came over, sat right next to me, and asked me to explain the theory.”
Stephen’s voice softened.
“For the first time in my life, an adult didn’t brush me off.
We talked for hours.
At the end of the day, he asked if I’d let him adopt him.
I said yes on the spot.
Since then, whenever I had free time, I helped him run the store.
That’s the real reason I slowed down my academic research.
I wanted to dedicate my time to helping the one adult who showed me genuine kindness.”
He turned his eyes toward Herta.
“And…
that’s why I initially refused to join the Simulated Universe project.”
Herta blinked, her arrogant posture softening into rare, quiet understanding.
Stephen then looked toward Screwllum.
“Later, during a personal side project, I built a Frequency Catcher as a toy, which led to me becoming Member #84 of the Genius Society.
Screwllum was the very first person to reach out to me.
For the first time, I had a friend who truly understood me someone who didn’t envy or fear my mind.” Visit g.com for the full chapter.
Screwllum raised a metal fist, and Stephen bumped his knuckles against it with a bright grin.
Turning to Mei, Stephen smiled warmly.
“Sister Mei, you always treat me like a bright kid who needs a bit of guidance.
You act like a strict older sister who pretends not to care, but you constantly shield me from messy cosmic politics.”
Mei offered him a soft, affectionate smile.
Finally, he looked toward Herta.
“And Herta…
despite your massive ego, your weird quirks, and those bizarre nicknames you keep giving me, you’ve always looked out for me in your own roundabout way.”
Herta grumbled under her breath, crossing her arms and looking away, though a tiny smirk betrayed her mood.
Stephen looked back at me, his eyes shining.
“Kiana…
we’ve only known each other for less than a week, but in these few days, you’ve made me feel completely safe.
You answer all my questions without a hint of condescension.
Even with all that overwhelming power, you don’t brag or look down on anyone.
And like me…
you don’t know your true family origins.
It made me feel connected to you.”
He grinned broadly.
“So when you said you’d adopt me, I was actually really happy.
I don’t mind calling you my big sister at all.” His eyes glinted playfully.
“Besides…
I’m going to be a fantastic uncle to my future niece or nephew.
Or both!”
A collective wave of warmth mixed with a touch of bittersweet sympathy washed over the entire room.
Leaving my seat, I walked over to Stephen and gently pinched his cheek with a bright smile.
“Who gave you permission to tease your big sister, huh?”
Stephen put on a comically exaggerated pained face.
“Ow, ow!
Sorry, Sis!”
We both burst into laughter.
I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, pulling him into a warm, protective hug.
“Welcome to our chaotic little family, Stephen.
Just like you said last time…
the galaxy’s most unhinged faction is officially a family now.”
Stepping back, I gestured toward the glowing artifacts resting on the table.
“Alright!
Let’s initiate the Soul Gem bonding protocols and test their combat enhancements.
Screwllum, I want you to attempt the bond first so you can analyze the energy matrix directly.” I turned to Herta and Stephen.
“The three of you, channel your Path energy into the unbonded gems.
Let the core scan your soul signature and anchor itself.”
All three nodded in unison.
Herta, Screwllum, and Stephen reached out, touching the raw Soul Gems and channeling their internal Path energy into the matrices.
Instantly, Herta and Stephen’s gems flared with brilliant, resonant light.
Screwllum’s gem flickered weakly for a moment before the glow faded entirely into a quiet hum.
“As anticipated,” Screwllum observed calmly, withdrawing his hand without bitterness.
“The current protocol fails to recognize artificial logic structures as a viable soul matrix.”
Meanwhile, Herta’s Soul Gem underwent a stunning physical transmutation, morphing into an exquisite necklace.
It featured a central marquise-cut tanzanite surrounded by brilliant round diamonds, casting a subtle, shifting star-glint effect whenever light hit its facets.
I smirked teasingly.
“It fits your personality perfectly, Herta.
It practically screams ‘Magical Girl’!”
Turning toward Stephen, my eyes widened slightly.
“Whoa…
now that is a unique physical manifest.”
Stephen’s Soul Gem had transformed into a striking ring forged from blackened steel.
Mounted at its center was a relief of an armored knight holding a blade of jet-black metal, framed by a background of nine vibrant, gemstone accents a deep navy stone resting at the exact center, flanked by eight smaller gems.
At the crest of the knight’s helm sat the sharp silhouette of a demonic dragon.
‘The baseline geometry looks almost identical to the Ring of the Lucii from Final Fantasy XV,’ I noted, thoroughly impressed.
As both Stephen and Herta absorbed the technical data flooding their minds from their bonded gems, Screwllum stood quietly to the side, a subtle hint of disappointment lingering in his optics.
I walked over, gently placing a hand on his shoulder.
He looked up, nodding in silent appreciation understanding my unspoken promise to complete the digital soul framework for his people.
Mei clapped her hands together, a rare, teasing smirk playing on her lips.
“Well, congratulations to both of you for obtaining early access to the Soul Gem system!” She glanced at Herta, her eyes twinkling.
“Herta, you’ve finally achieved your dream of becoming a official magical girl.”
Before Herta could even register the roast, Mei turned to Stephen with a gentle expression.
your ring reflects the heart of a true king.
Make sure you live up to the noble soul it represents.”
Stephen nodded proudly.
“I will, Sis!”
Mei’s face lit up with pure joy the moment he called her ‘Sis.’
Herta’s brain finally finished rebooting from Mei’s burn.
“Wait a minute!
If I’m a ‘magical girl,’ then what does your Soul Gem look like?!”
Without a word, Mei summoned her bonded Soul Gem, raising her left hand.
Resting gracefully on her ring finger was an elegant, glowing band indistinguishable from a high-end engagement ring.
The entire room went dead silent.
Herta, Stephen, and Screwllum stared at Mei’s hand, their jaws practically dropping to the floor.
Mechanically, their heads slowly turned toward me.
With a sheepish cough, I raised my own left hand, manifesting my bonded Soul Gem…
resting precisely on my left ring finger, perfectly matching Mei’s.
It took three full seconds for their processors to digest the sight.
Stephen narrowed his eyes, looking back and forth between us with a smirk.
“Sis…
isn’t it a bit early to be wearing matching engagement rings with Sister Mei?
Not that I’m complaining!”
“Hey!
That’s not how it happened!” I stammered, my cheeks burning up all over again.
“The Soul Gem manifests on the body part that best anchors the user’s soul resonance!
It chose our ring fingers on its own!
I didn’t put a ring on Mei!”
I mumbled under my breath, barely audible: “…Not that I’d mind putting one on her right now, though…”
Stephen’s sharp ears caught the whisper, his grin widening exponentially.
I leaned down, pinching his cheek again before letting go with a laugh.
“Alright, brat, back to business!
What kind of Path amplification are you both reading?”
Herta checked her status interface.
“Mine shows an approximate 40% increase above my baseline output.
Likely slightly lower due to my existing authority as an Emanator.”
Stephen gasped, reading his own metrics.
“Mine is showing a 48% increase!
Looks like our ragtag family is about to break every power scale in the galaxy!”
I chuckled at him using my own phrase.
“Not bad at all.”
Herta looked over at Mei.
“What about your output surge?”
Mei inspected her glowing ring, her expression serious.
“A clean 50% increase across my baseline Path manipulation.”
I stood up, walking toward the center of the room as space began to warp around my body.
“Now then…
I’m going to shift us into an isolated pocket dimension so we can test the Soul Gems’ active Combat Transformation modes.
I’ll deploy a localized time-dilation field, so no time will pass in the real world while we train.”
I looked at Mei with a sly grin.
“And yes, Mei, you’re sparring too no backing out this time!”
Mei let out a gentle sigh, a soft smile crossing her face.
“Alright, alright…
you win.”
I scanned the group.
“Is everyone ready?”
“Ready when you are,” Herta said, summoning her hammer.
“Ready, Kiana,” Mei agreed, her hand resting on her katana’s hilt.
“I am prepared to record the diagnostic data, Madam Kiana,” Screwllum bowed slightly.
“Let’s do this, Sis!” Stephen cheered, his blackened ring glowing with dark energy.
Raising my hand, I invoked [ Void ], tearing open a grand spatial gateway that instantly swallowed the entire room, transporting us into a pristine, infinite pocket cosmos.
With a snap of my fingers, I deployed [ Suspended World ], freezing the flow of cosmic time entirely.
“Welcome to the sparring grounds,” I smiled, stepping forward as my own authority flared to life.
“Let’s see what these Soul Gems can really do!”
Author notes:
To address the Stephen segment: we don’t know much about his lore, so I wanted to flush out his character and give him some development.
Since both he and Kiana lack parents, they naturally resonate with each other over that shared past.
Hope you guys enjoyed the interaction!