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After Wren released the attack, Avarice watched as the world slowed around him. The arc of condensed spirit energy Wren sent toward the human treaded slowly toward his target.
He watched closely in anticipation as it got closer and closer, hoping she'd do something interesting again, but it seemed that was unlikely. Perhaps she was too exhausted.
Before the arc got too close to the human, Avarice rose from his throne and sped to intercept it. He contemplated canceling it with his own spirit energy but decided that letting it hit him would be a better display of his power.
So, by the time he resumed normal speed, he appeared squatting before the human as the arc smashed into his back. He barely felt it; he didn't budge or flinch from the collision.
When he stood and turned around to talk to Wren, he deliberately showed his back to the human to show that not even his suit was scratched.
"Quit destroying my lab," he said patiently to Wren.
"Sorry, I got carried away," Wren said, blushing.
Avarice turned back toward the human.
"Sure, she destroys something; she gets a slap on the wrist. I destroy something; I get yelled at, have to rebuild what was destroyed – with no Holders – and I'm put on recruit duty," Trevor said, complaining from somewhere on my right. "How is that fair?"
"Trevor! Pay attention; you blasted me too," Junichiro exclaimed.
"You're fine; you blocked it," Trevor retorted.
Avarice observed the human intensely as he stepped closer.
So she can't do it on command, it seems. But what was it? He asked himself.
"It almost looked like you knew what Wren was about to do a moment ago," he pondered as he stepped into the human's disruption field.
When he entered the field, he was suddenly reminded of his creator. The energy he felt from the girl was identical to that he sensed as an infant. But how?
Avarice examined the girl with omni-vision as he quietly tried to decipher why her power wasn't like the other humans.
This human....
* * * *
I stood there frozen as Avarice peered through me with his glowing eyes. Suddenly, he reached out his hand to grab me.
Do not let him touch you! Viraa screamed. He'll absorb my cintracy.
My body suddenly released a burst of energy that repelled Avarice's hand and pushed him away from me.
Did Viraa just...
Never mind that. Whatever you do, you can't let him take my cintracy from you. Viraa said desperately.
I thought he could only hold four cintracies, I stated, confused.
That's true, but how you received my cintracy is unnatural – you weren't born with it. Remember, it's being shared with you, but it's tethered to my consciousness that I passed through generations. So, if Avarice tries to absorb any of your energy, he'll also absorb me, which will give him the ability to use Temporal Sight. Something nobody wants, Viraa explained.
Avarice rubbed his hand as visible steam came off it as if he'd just been burned.
"Interesting," he said as he examined his hand.
He looked at me straight-faced before smiling again.
"There's nowhere for you to run," he told me as he returned to his throne.
Once he was seated, he looked over at the boys.
"Trevor! Junichiro! Wrap things up," he commanded.
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