Caecus' heart skipped a beat, when his echolocation picked up the person sitting before him.
She was munching on a chocolate bar, seemingly lost in thought.
Then Aurelia looked up.
Her face was as apathetic as ever, but slightly raised eyebrows betrayed her thoughts.
"A-Aurelia?!" a strong tremble resonated through the blind boy's voice.
Instantly, an intense tension seemed to appear in the surrounding atmosphere, cold sweat trailing Caecus' lower back.
Outside, he was frozen, not moving an inch.
But inside he was a mess.
'What? What's she doing here? No. This is too soon!'
Countless thoughts rushed through his mind, so many that he could not get a hold of a single one.
Aurelia's impassive face, eyed him up and down.
"Caecus."
The hairs on the end of the mentioned's neck stood up on all ends.
Her voice was cool and stolid, with a melodic undertone that was deeply inlaid into it.
Now closer, Caecus could sense her physique, and sure enough it was one befitting the heiress of Caelum.
Broad shoulders, tall stature, and decent muscle, that didn't take away from her looks, but only enhanced them, by making Aurelia seem even more ethereal, than she already was.
If they stood next to each other, one might guess she was his older sister, not twin.
She leaned forward, while supporting herself with her hand on the table, hair slightly swaying, and scent spreading through the air.
"We haven't seen each other in long."
"Yes…" The sudden influx of thoughts, had left Caecus' mind ultimately blank, making him unable to imbue his voice with any pretense.
A second long silence made the atmosphere tighten even more, making the black haired boy feel suffocated.
An invisible pressure settled over him, one similar to whenever he was in front of his father.
"You know, you don't need to do this." Aurelia's voice sounded simple, but still impossibly smooth.
"D-do what?" Caecus' pupils constricted, and eyebrows raised, his red lower lip trembling.
Her gaze pierced deep into his eyes.
"Prove yourself."
"..."
Caecus' nails dug into the palms of his hands.
"It's… it's easy for you to say that."
Aurelia's eyebrows raised, and head turned sideways.
"Tell me, what forces you to prove yourself? I'll make sure to relieve you of that burden." The latter part of her sentence made her voice deepen a little.
"Forces me?" Caecus bit his lip, emotions welling up that he very dearly wanted to suppress. "If I don't prove myself, Father will just marry me off. If I don't prove myself, I'll never be able to make my own decisions. If I don't–"
"What's so wrong about getting married off?" Aurelia tore off a piece of chocolate, and ate it, while solely staring at him.
"Wrong? I don't want to just be seen as some… reproduction device, that is there to give Caelum more children…" Caecus could feel the skin under the nails that were digging into his palms tear.
"You'll be happier with a wife, I will guarantee that you'll be able to live comfortably."
Caecus could feel his eyes watering, why did he have to get emotional so easily, and especially right here in this conversation?
'I had been awaiting the day this exact conversation would happen, but this is what became of me, truly idiotic.'
"I want to live for more."
Aurelia shook her head. "You weren't made to live for more, you're blind."
The blind boy's teeth grinded together, and face contorted in agitation.
"You… didn't you see? I beat the second year at the competition, and even achieved the manifestation stage now… look!" Caecus activated his aura.
She, on the other hand, didn't seem fazed by that at all and shook her head again. "This isn't enough at all. I know you can't, but you should look at yourself Caecus. You're short, frail and small. Go home, Father will find you a wife, and you'll be taken care of."
The water that previously settled in Caecus' eyes, making them seem glassy, now escaped their constraints, slowly dripping downwards from his cheeks.
"G-go home? G-go home?! D-do you k-know how much effort I put into this? I was able to get into the top three hundred with just a year of training!" The dam that previously had burst.
Caecus' emotions now flowed freely, as did his tears.
Unbeknownst to Caecus, Aurelia was panicking underneath her taciturn shell. Why did he cry? She didn't mean for him to cry.
"You… you should be thankful. I am trying to give you a good life. This rebelliousness is futile and idiotic, by attending Psychéion you're putting yourself at an unnecessary danger."
The blind boy's empty eyes settled right on hers.
"Why do you care?"
"..."
"You never, I mean never visited once after Father took you away. You… just disappeared, now you are here trying to make decisions about my life. Whenever I tried to meet you, I was told that I shouldn't disturb the heiress. So tell me please, why do you care? You didn't care before."
A crack.
Aurelia's flawless exterior gained a crack, and underneath… Agitation? Sadness? Contempt?
Caecus couldn't tell.
"If you knew what I've done for you… Even if you think I don't care, so be it. I am your superior, the heiress of your corpus." Aurelia grabbed his cheek, her fingers cold. "And if I order you to go home, you will do so."
Beneath her fingers, Caecus trembled.
"Understood?"
The black haired boy remained silent for a while.
"No."
Aurelia removed her fingers from his face, and moved them to his collar, grabbing it firmly over the table, and pulling his face towards her.
"Are you sure you want to defy me?" The black haired girl leaned forward, noses now almost touching.
"...Yes."
Letting out a sigh, Aurelia let go, and stood up, walking around the table, right to his seat.
"Then learn the consequences."
Before Caecus could sense anything, her hand moved, and with a chop he lost consciousness, blood circulation to his brain cut off.
"I really didn't want it to end this way, but I'll have to cripple you myself then brother."
Aurelia's grip settled around his waist, and then threw him over her shoulder, like a potato sack.
"I cannot do this in public though."
The scenery changed, as she walked back to her room.
But just as the black haired girl reached her building, another black haired girl appeared.
"Dear Zenith, may I ask what you are doing with my friend?" Nyx asked, threatening edge beneath her voice.