"Ver.....my love.....whatever you want to do in life, you can do it." Her mother leaned in and kissed Ver on the forehead as she wiped away her tears, "You can be brave, you can be powerful, and you can be the strongest Wave User to have ever come out of the Vaughan family." "But.....it hurts!" Ver cried, rubbing her hands over the dark patterns growing out from her right eye, "It hurts so much! And it's talking to me!" "Come here....." Her mother hugged her close, and the surprising warmth from her slender frame was all that kept her sadness from completely overwhelming her. At that moment, the large bedroom that her mother had in the mansion of the Vaughan family felt so much larger and lonelier than it actually is. That was the day when Ver first encountered her manifestation. The Vaughan family of the Ethereal Realm is one of the fourty families of Wave users that govern the Ethereal Realm to the Southwest corner of the Eastern Continent, and each of the children from the various branches of the Vaughan family was pit against each other for a power ranking which determined their place in the family and their future. Those that were able to remain at the top became the candidates for the next head of the Vaughan family. Such intense rivalries between siblings and family members were common among those families that were able to produce generation and generations of powerful Wave users for the Ethereal Tournaments, which determine the fourty ruling families which govern the kingdom and one Grand family that sits above them. The different kids from all of the individual branches all developed their powers at different ages, and those that mature earlier with more easily trained powers were obviously those that were ranked higher earlier. With the rising pressures from parents of the various branches, Ver's late development had put her firmly at the bottom. Her mother was a mistress of her father that was taken into the family. She's well-liked, but for the more orthodox of the branches, they viewed her as a power-seeking whore. So they were more than contempt that the daughter of someone like that was incapable of being strong. However, she wasn't alone at the absolute bottom. Ever so slightly above her was her distant cousin Ben. He's also someone that hadn't had his specific powersets develop yet for the first few year. Unlike Ver, who was deemed to be most talented to become a Manifester with her high affinity and capacity eventually, Ben had an average level of affinity and a low level of capacity. That leaves him with not many options but to become a half-assed Caster and Channeler mix. However, through his diligent physical training, Ben was able to stay with his head just above water through the years, and whenever he defeated Ver in their sparring matches, he always held back and made sure to take care of her afterward. "Big brother Ben......" Ver said, waving towards the boy as he walked past the door. Then, she released her hand that was covering her right eye, revealing the dark patterns over her right eye, "Look at this!" Ben was surprised, and he came towards Ver, his eyes focused on the darkening pattern. He had always paid attention in his classes and he knew what this means. "You have finally got your manifestation! Ver! You will now become strong!" Ben smiled, holding up Ver before snuggling her up close, "I am happy for you! Really!" When he's holding her body, Ver felt like the pain in her eyes is no longer lingering. She giggled and grabbed onto Ben's hand as they spun around together in circles like they always do during the family parties. The next day, she went to breakfast, but for some reason, Ben wasn't there like usual. Ver simply picked up three boiled eggs, some bread, and fruits, and she headed towards Ben's bedroom. "God......god damn it!" A frustrated voice came from within his room, and a massive bang shook Ver so much that she nearly dropped the tray of food. Then, as she walked in, Ben spun around rapidly, his shoes squeaking along the wooden floor, the expressions on his face darkened with his breathes rapid. He was covered in sweat, and he didn't have a word for Ver as she walked in. "Ve....." Ben opened his mouth but gritted his teeth before saying anything else. Turning around, he ran into the shower and slammed the door shut. Ver stood there for a long time before she put the tray down and sat waiting right outside the door as Ben ate in silence. The next time they sparred, Ben didn't hold back at all. With her face battered and her head slammed repeatedly into the ground, Ben pummeled continuously into her body as the instructor watched on. Big brother...Ben...? Ver's eyes became bruised and her visions started getting blurry. "COME ON!" Ben roared, holding a fist up in the air, "Fight back, Ver! Show me your manifestation!" "I...I can't use it...like this!" Ver cried and dropped her hand to the side. Then, Ben's eyes cleared, and he saw how badly beaten Ver was. Her lips was split open, and she cried like a baby, "I.....UWAAAAAH!" "Ver..." Ben jumped off her and tried to help her up, but she swiped away his hand, "I..." "UWAAAAH!" Ver ran out of the training hall, blood dripping down from her lips. Ben looked at his fist and then turned to look towards the instructor that had already started to pack up. His eyes are ghostly blank and uncaring. Her mother comforted her, but Ver has made up her mind to never talk to Ben again. Ver's mother helped her get a tutor to teach her about controlling her manifestation, and she's finally able to use the abilities of her manifest to make her body glow and sense the flow of the wave. "Don't you want revenge, little one?" The voice asked every time Ver caught a glimpse of Ben sitting in the corner of the dining hall, and Ver shook her head every time. However, whenever she's turned around, she felt the gaze from Ben locking at her back. The next time they fought, Ver firmly defeated Ben with her Whirlpool Red, shattering his defensive casts with her high-pressure water jets before sending him flying into the wall of the sparring area. Coincidentally, the instructor also didn't pair them up again ever since then. After years of training and development, Ver has finally had a somewhat decent grasp of her manifest, but unlike other manifesters in the Vaughan family, she has not reached the state of the stable manifest even when she got to 16 years old. For the Manifesters, this is known to be a historically dangerous time due to their shifty nature. Manifesters, being those with the highest amount of affinity and capacity, essentially carry the equivalent amount of the Wave of multiple beings in a single vessel, the manifestations being a representation of one's soul. Historically, those that didn't have a stable manifest by the age of 16 all eventually lost themselves to their manifest before becoming extremely dangerous weapons without a soul. The High Humans initially had no idea how to deal with the appearance of ultra-powerful yet unstable Wave users, until the 16-year-old rule was proposed. The Mark of Manifestation will have changed shape and color when the manifestation has stabilized, and the Wave user becomes fully able to control every aspect of their manifest. However, for those with an unstable manifest by the time they are 17, they are faced with either extortion from the family in the best of scenarios and secret executions for the especially dangerous ones. Though with experience, it was found that the Manifesters that experienced intense combat or formative experiences are more likely to stabilize earlier. On the day of Ver's 17th birthday, Ben went into her bedroom as she's trying frantically to cover up the fact that her Mark of Manifestation has not matured, and with a blade in hand, he attacked her. Like all of their recent battles, the fight turned in Ver's favor extremely quickly as she used her Whirlpool Purple to smoothly evade Ben's attacks while keeping her distance and blasting him with her Whirlpool Red. Then, as she warped behind Ben, preparing to deal a heavy blow to his back, Ben spun around rapidly, dropping all of his defensive casts and kicking her in the stomach before she can land a hit onto him. As Ver crashed into her bed, Ben leaped up and sat on her once again, just like the first time he beat her up, this time with a blade in hand, he stabbed in a downward motion with nothing but fire in his eyes. With no other choice, Ver bit down on her lips as a the same fire burned within her eyes too. This Ben is not the cousin that she adored, and the boy that she wanted to marry secretly when they grew up. He had grown to be an insufferable, jealous, selfish, maniacal bastard that's trying to kill her. This is it. This is the end of the road. With her hands digging into the sheets, Ver whispered the words to kill, "Whirlpool Black: KRAKEN ONE!" A massive pool of thickened black fluid formed right over Ver's stomach, and a swashing sound came through it before a massive flaming tentacle shot out from within pitch blackness, piercing through Ben's body and pinning him into the ceiling before he flopped down on the ground. The pool of black fluid disappeared from her stomach, and Ben crawled towards the corner of her bedroom before he sat back and looked at Ver. That was when she noticed his flowing tears as blood poured out from the gaping wound in his chest. "...why..." His mouth moved, and his voice was faint as the rapid blood loss slowly drained away from his life. "WHY?! YOU ARE THE ONE TO ASK ME WHY?!" Ver snapped, walking towards Ben angrily as her entire body became filled with malice, 'Why did you completely change after seeing my manifestation?! Why can't we just be friends? Why are you such a jealous bitch?! Why... thought you were different.." "Why...haven't your manifestations stabilized yet...?" "What...did you say?" "What did I do wrong...I did everything as instructed..." Ben muttered, tears and blood rushing out equally as he bit onto his lips, "What did I do wrong?! Why didn't your manifestation stabilize...No...there's not enough time..." "What are you talking about?" Ver asked, her voice light and shaken and she walked to Ben slowly. Then, their gaze met, and she realized the kind and warm eyes of Ben were still somewhere in there. He may have been taller and more muscular and had some pre-mature beard under his chin, but he's still the same Ben. Somehow. There were sounds of rapid footsteps, and Ver's mother gasped before coming in and running towards Ben. "Mom...?" Ver asked, her voice shaken and her legs frozen, "What...is he talking about...Why is he asking if my manifestations had stabilized...why does he care..." "Because you will be cast out of this family if you didn't stabilize!" Her mother said, her voice saddened as she tried to cover up the blood pouring out from Ben's chest as her shirt became tainted by the blood, "And since...since the instructor didn't want you to become a threat to his son, he never arranged enough combat opportunities for you to develop fully..." And that leaves the other options for the stabilizations of her manifestation. The formative experience of Ben's betrayal, and his attempt at pushing Ver through combat. "I am sorry, Ver..." Ben said, his voice soft as Ver broke down into tears and ran to his side, "I am sorry for hurting you...I didn't know what else to do...and I...I don't want to see you cast out...Your father said you are weak, and I want him to see you being strong..." "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME!" Ver screamed, hugging Ben's face as her tears flowed onto his forehead, "Why couldn't we work together?! WHY CAN'T WE JUST BE TOGETHER?!" Ben coughed and leaned back, "I thought if I pushed you hard enough...you can stabilize and become even stronger. But I was never strong enough to push you that hard, was I?" "What's the point of being stronger if this is what happens..." Ver shook her head as the warmth in Ben's eyes started fading away. "We all have a reason to fight....I am sure you will find yours..." Ben said as the last breath escaped his mouth. At that moment, the entire world spun around Ver. The room felt as if it's lying flat on a wheel, and the whirlwind of her emotions sucked up everything before stuffing it into the endless abyss where her manifestation lived. "It appeared that you are ready at last." The Kraken said before it reached all of its tentacles forward and wrapped its tendrils around Ver's body. Then and there, the dark patterns over Ver's right eye expanded and eight individual black lines grew outwards, imprinting one corner of her face with the black. Then, it settled down and held its shape and form permanently. In the end, it was not because of the realization of Ben's betrayal, but that of his love, that Ver was able to achieve the stabilization. With the Kraken revealing its name to her and accepting its role as her manifest, she has made it in time. That's all that she would have needed to stay in the family, and perhaps, the instructor will look at her in the eye, and then...even her father. But instead, her mother gripped tightly around her arms. "Go away from here, Ver." She said, tears flowing down her face, "Go far and wide! Out into the world! Learn! Grow! Get stronger and do things your way! The house is too small for someone like you...and those bastards higher up will only hinder your progress more than they already have..." "But.....I don't want to go! I don't want to....." Ver said, shaking her head, but her mother instead pulled her close and kissed her on the cheek. "If somebody wants you out, always walk away on your own terms, Ver. Be strong, be power......be whatever you want to do." "But mom! I.....this is my home......" "The strongest have a home wherever they go...Make them acknowledge your power! Then, become the next Head of the Vaughan family." Rolling over on her bed as the pulsating headache from the usage of her power woke her up from the slumber, Ver opened her eyes to see the spiders jumping from beam to beam overhead. After every time she fully utilized the power of her manifestation, the Kraken, she would have symptoms of the worst hangover ever with sighs of dehydration, joint pain, fatigue, and a headache that only goes away when she puts a herbal eyepatch over her right eye. "Argh......what now......" Ver sighed, as she rubbed her temple, "Can you stop being a literal pain in the neck, please?" "Who's to say it's not from your shit sleep quality?" The Kraken responded before Ver chuckled and took a sip of water. "Fuck off."