Alice might’ve been a girl on the shorter side - taller than Luna, yes, but that wasn’t saying much. In reality, she was somewhere between the Storm Valkyrie and the other two Valkyries, the middle ground.
As a result, normally, she was almost dwarfed when she stood next to Kaiden’s large frame, especially because not only was she short but quite thin as well, which contrasted starkly with Kaiden’s athletic body.
But right now?
She looked big.
Not physically. Not literally.
But in the eyes of the three siblings who were the targets of her hatred, she may as well have grown a meter.
Her presence towered.
Her shadow loomed.
And the way she stood in front of Kaiden, with her small body squared, shoulders tight, fingers curled like claws ready to rend, created an illusion as if she was matching his height, matching his weight, matching his animosity slumbering beneath.
Cassian felt it first. His breath caught. His throat tightened.
Calix swallowed hard before his eyes darted between Kaiden and the girl who had once been his weird but easily ignored little sister.
Selena’s lips parted in a stunned half-whisper.
Behind Kaiden, two sets of nonhuman eyes watched with interest that bordered on fascination.
Calypso and Bastet exchanged a glance.
They didn’t care about the Ashborn trio.
Why would they?
To them, familial bonds meant nothing when tainted by hostility.
In their cultures, in their instincts, a family that sought to harm you ceased being family.
These three siblings?
Already corpses walking.
The only reason they didn’t do anything yet was that they respect their man’s emotions. But as soon as he stopped having reservations, they’d be ready to tear them apart - well, once they got strong enough to do so.
Both of them had sharp instincts and, as a result, understood that in their current state, facing these slimy worms would be a tall order.
But that didn’t change the disdain they felt. Thus, instead of watching them, their gazes slid to Alice.
Calypso leaned in toward Bastet. Her voice came as a low whisper.
"... Is she taking from him to appear more imposing? Their new bond might let her do that."
Bastet tilted her head, ears flicking. "Taking...? No... If I know anything about the little sister, it’s that she would want to give, not take from Master. That’s the basic principle of their relationship and why the symbiosis happened the way it did."
Calypso nodded as intelligence shone in her eyes. "The dominant core and conduit, hmm?"
"Yes. One wants to protect and has a natural predisposition toward being dominant, while the other wants to support him on his path."
"Well, if you ask me, the little sister is quite the feisty supporter."
At that, Bastet smiled. "Who said supporters must be submissive? In a way, we’re all his supporters."
"Yeah, and you’re one submissive kitty."
"... So are you. You came into the picture as the big bad level 100 demon boss, and before I knew it, you were on your knees."
"Yeah."
Seeing the demoness’ utter lack of shame, the felinid sighed with reservation and instead refocused, narrowing her eyes, studying the aura surrounding the siblings.
Kaiden’s dark, crushing weight.
Alice’s icy, killing edge.
Two different flavors, yet...
"... Matching, maybe?" Bastet murmured. "Their auras are syncing. Like they’re rising to meet each other."
Calypso hummed thoughtfully. "Weird."
"Very," Bastet agreed.
Neither looked concerned.
If anything, they looked curious.
Selena collected herself first out of the trio.
Her spine straightened while her expression firmed back into cold, composed superiority.
But when she spoke, there was an edge of confusion threading under the ice.
"... What’s wrong with you?" she asked Alice with her brows knitting together. "What happened for you to be like this?"
Alice smiled.
A soft, pretty smile.
Sweet.
Serene.
Utterly at odds with the killing aura she emitted.
"I became whole," she answered simply.
Selena blinked.
Once.
Twice.
She opened her mouth to pry, to demand an explanation, but Alice waved a hand dismissively.
"I was having a blissful time being one with my brother," she said while her voice dripped with sheer annoyance. "So either start heading to the arena or stop bothering us. Shoo, shoo!"
Selena’s eyebrows shot up with genuine shock flickering through her eyes.
Alice had never talked to her like this.
Not with such disdain.
Not with such ease.
Not with such... confidence.
It wasn’t that their relationship had ever been good.
Far from it.
But Alice had never dared to speak like this.
Things had changed.
Cassian and Calix, recovering their courage, immediately puffed up again.
"Fine by me!" Cassian barked. "Let’s go to the arena. It seems both of you need a whooping!"
"Yeah," Calix added with a sneer. "I’ll reintroduce you to reality!"
They stepped forward...
But then, two voices cut through the air at the same time.
"No."
Perfect sync.
Perfect tone.
The three youngest siblings froze, turning toward their respective anchors.
Alice’s head snapped toward Kaiden.
The twins snapped toward Selena.
"But big brother!!" Alice protested instantly, glaring up at Kaiden with pure indignation. She was very cute right now.
Kaiden sighed and placed a hand on her lush hair, now both black and white.
Instantly, Alice’s ominous air evaporated as if it never even existed in the first place.
"I’m not having you fight my personal battles for me," he said firmly. "You can help me. You can support me. You can even outshine me on the battlefield all you want. But you’re not fighting my duels in my place."
Alice’s mouth dropped in disbelief.
Then she puffed her cheeks and formed one giant, adorable pout, even going as far as rolling her eyes. "Stupid, useless masculinity! Hmph!!!"
Behind her, Luna quietly choked on a laugh.
Aria covered her mouth.
Nyx gave Kaiden a tiny thumbs-up for resisting the demon-girl’s wrath.
Across from them, Cassian and Calix stared at Selena with furrowed brows.
"Why not?" Cassian asked.
"Yeah, we can crush her first and then deal with him," Calix added.
Selena pinched the bridge of her nose.
"For one, beating up Alice would only shame the family. She’s the youngest. The weakest. Winning proves nothing."
Alice hissed like a feral cat.
"And as for Kaiden..." Selena continued, "You’d become a laughingstock for beating someone who’s low-level, dragging down the family name with you. There’s nothing to gain."
Cassian and Calix deflated for a moment.
Until Selena’s eyes gleamed.
A scheming spark.
Calculating.
Sharp.
"We’ve already set the scene, remember?" she murmured. "You don’t need to lift a finger."
A slow, smug understanding spread across the twins’ faces.
Their grins stretched, turning smug and cocky.
These were the kind of expressions only someone raised in the Ashborn household could make.
Kaiden’s expression tightened.
Alice’s eye twitched with fresh fury.
Something else was coming.