Jian Rui had already changed into his casual clothes, soft black pants and a loose turtleneck shirt, and was sprawled across the couch, legs stretched out like a king in exile.
Jian Ci flopped down beside him, leaning against his shoulder, one foot dangling lazily over the armrest. "Aren't you hot?" Jian Ci asked while reaching to tug at his collar.
Jian Rui slapped his hand and said, "Too nosy."
Jian Wei's suit retracted with a soft hum, nanite threads spiralling back into the crystalline amulet on his chest. Left in his simple training gear, he walked to the kitchen alcove and returned with three bottles of water.
Without ceremony, he slapped Jian Ci's foot off the armrest.
"Respect the furniture," he muttered.
Jian Ci grinned, took the bottle, and kicked him lightly in return. Jian Rui just smiled, eyes half-closed.
"Mum, he's bullying me!" Jian Ci called out, voice half-pout, half-laugh.
The light shifted.
A shimmer bloomed in the centre of the room, delicate and deliberate. Threads of silver and rose gold spiralled upward, weaving into the shape of a woman. She was graceful and tall, cloaked in the soft elegance of silk. It was Seraphyne. She was not dead, but she wasn't alive either.
Her body lay in a sanctum chamber deep beneath the estate, suspended in a coma no Guide could breach and no medicine could mend. When the incident struck, Jian Rui and the remnants of Crown Blade had reached her just in time. They extracted her from the wreckage and destroyed the rest of her mech to make it seem like she had perished with it.
They had to use underground technology to sort of revive her. They used two forbidden technologies, which were psychic field analytics and volumetric light sculpting, to bring her not to life, but something close.
Her figure shimmered, but her movements were fluid, familiar. She turned toward Jian Ci, her expression amused.
"You want to play victim," she said, voice soft but teasing, "when I saw everything."
She sat down, her form flickering slightly at the edges. The technology was beyond its time, but it was limited. She could only stay so long.
"You kicked your brother first."
"It was a tap," Jian Ci muttered.
Jian Wei, seated nearby, smirked. "He is very good at playing the victim." He mouthed Watch this to Jian Ci and pouted dramatically, rubbing his leg. "Mum, you know an Esper's tap is like a slap. Look, it hurts."
He shot a smirk at Jian Ci, who rolled his eyes. "Let me see the bruise then," Jian Ci said, leaning in with mock concern.
Jian Rui, seated nearby, groaned and closed his water bottle with a snap. Without ceremony, he smacked Jian Ci lightly with it, then flung it at Jian Wei, who caught it with a startled laugh.
"You are all grown-ups," Jian Rui said, exasperated. "So why are you acting like kids?"
"I am a minor," Jian Ci replied, grinning.
"For a few more weeks," Jian Wei muttered.
"That's why," Jian Rui said, standing, "Jian Ci is coming with us for the raid."
Jian Ci froze, eyes wide. "Really?"
Jian Wei's smile vanished. His gaze flicked to Jian Rui, concern etched deep. Jian Ci's psychic affliction was unpredictable. A flare-up during combat could be catastrophic. Jian Rui met his brother's eyes, seeming to say, "We will talk later."
But Jian Ci was already bouncing with excitement, like he had been handed an early birthday gift. "I need to pick my outfit!"
Jian Rui's face fell. He was starting to regret it already.
Seraphyne's lightform flickered gently. "You will be wearing your gear. Why are you acting like you're going on a date?"
Jian Ci shrugged, walking away. "It's my first time. I want it to be memorable."
Jian Wei rubbed his temples, unease settling in. "Are you sure about this?" he asked quietly.
"What could go wrong?" Jian Rui said, voice light with forced calm. "Just make sure you give him his shots before we leave, and let him carry two more... just in case."
Jian Wei sighed loudly, leaning back in his seat, arms crossed. "You say that like it will always work."
Seraphyne's lightform flickered, her voice cool and sharp. "Make sure to capture that bastard alive. He might have something useful."
An hour later, Jian Rui sat in Jian Wei's lab. He was in his vest, having removed the turtleneck t-shirt he was wearing earlier. His brother examined the scorch marks on his neck.
The skin was raw, tinged with psychic residue. Jian Wei's hands trembled slightly, not from lack of control, but from burning anger he could barely contain.
"Why keep letting him do this to you?" Jian Wei muttered, scanning the damage with a handheld device. "Can't you just not go when he summons you?"
Jian Rui lowered his gaze. "You know he will escalate if I don't."
Jian Wei lifted his brother's chin again, eyes burning. "Then why can't we just kill him?"
Jian Rui looked up at the ceiling, voice quiet. "It's not the right time."
"I could make it look accidental," Jian Wei said, walking to the glass cabinet. "I have so many untraceable ways to end him."
Jian Rui chuckled, dry and bitter. "That would be too easy."
Jian Wei prepared the injection, his shoulders tense. "We can't let Jian Ci face him. Not like this."
Jian Rui nodded slowly. "I know."
He was worried about that too. If Jian Ci and their father clashed, it would trigger a premature war they weren't ready for.
"Maybe that mad psycho has something useful," Jian Rui muttered. "When we raid his place in two days, we might find something worth the risk."
Jian Wei returned, holding a loaded injector. Without warning, he jabbed it into Jian Rui's thigh.
"Fuck! What the hell?" Jian Rui yelped, jerking back.
"Oh, stop whining," Jian Wei said, tossing the empty injector into the biohazard robot's incinerator. "You are a freaking Esper."
"You couldn't have just given me pills or something?"
"That's what you get for constantly getting hurt," Jian Wei replied, handing him a small tube. "Apply this. Tomorrow the marks will be gone. Just don't let Ah-Ci see it."
Jian Rui took the tube, grumbling. "You know that's disrespectful to your big brother."
Jian Wei laughed. "What, are you going to snitch like Ah-Ci?"
Jian Rui stood, stretching. "I just might."
Jian Wei chuckled, organising his tools with practised ease.