Love Far Beyond the Ashes

Strengthening Hope

Bae pov: I slowly began to open my eyes. I must have dozed off for a few minutes since Irys passed out "Irys!" I called out, but I gained no reply from my fiance, so I looked at the couch, seeing she was gone.

I looked around everywhere for her. "Hya!" I heard her yell outside. I ran out and saw her doing sword training.

"Irys!" I hissed at getting the girl's attention. Her face was bright red, and she was sweating buckets. Her breathing was way too heavy.

"Wha-what Bae?" She asked

"Why are you training?" I questioned her, and she turned away from me, continuing to train without answering. I ran in front of her and said, "Knock it off!" I growled

"Rat, you know that isn't how you are supposed to stop her," someone said.

I looked behind me and saw an older girl similar in appearance to Irys. My fiancé turned and saw the girl.

"You..." Irys yelled

"Aren't you happy to see me, Irys?" The woman asked

Irys ran at the woman and swung her swords. The older woman ducked under the blades and poked Irys' pressure point, instantly paralyzing her temporarily. The woman then adjusted her glasses slightly.

"You know you shouldn't act mean just because you're sick, and besides, you'll dislocate your shoulders if you keep recklessly training like this," the girl said.

"Who are you?" I questioned myself as I prepared to fight the red-haired woman.

The girl glared at me with her hetorochromic eyes and sighed, "Who do you think rat?" She asked me

"An older Irys?" I said

"You really didn't tell your fiancé I existed, huh? And our moms didn't mention me either!" The woman yelled

"No... Ane-Rys" Irys twitched as she was speaking. The woman walked up to Irys and pressed down on another pressure point.

"Get up," She said.

Irys stood up and sighed, "Why are you here, Anerys? Not that I mind you visiting, and how did you find me?" Irys asked

"Well, you see, I was in the area, and I sensed you nearby, so I decided to visit my adorable little sister," Anerys stated.

"Okay, so you were rejected by your date and you need to kill some time, so you decided to visit me because you have a sister complex." Irys sighed

She seemed irritated by what Irys said to her and sighed. "I don't have a sister complex," she scoffed.

"Glad to know you were rejected since you are still giving single vibes; usually the younger sister is supposed to get married after the older sibling," I said.

"Shut up..." Anerys stated

"Let me train then, and don't get in my way. I need to get stronger. Even though our mother trained me, I still think I need to push myself more. I need to get stronger, not just with my blade work," Irys said.

"Look, you just need to get stronger, but not now. Get some rest, and then you can get stronger afterwards!" I told her

Anerys pulled something out. "Irys, take this," She told her as she handed her the tablet.

Irys immediately swallowed it and exhaled. "Thanks," She said to her as she continued to train.

"What does that do?" I asked

"It is just a tablet us Nephlim can take that just gives us energy; it is temporary, but Irys shouldn't be suffering from her sickness as of now," Anerys explained.

"Wait, so you are just letting your little sister train despite the fact that she is sick and clearly suffering? What the hell is wrong with you?!" I yelled

Anerys grabbed me by the shirt and glared into my eyes, "Stop patronizing me." She said this as she threw me to the ground.

"Why are you being so rude?" I questioned

Anerys sighed "She is my little sister; she won't stop even if I tell her to. Even though she respects me, I can't just make her stop. Besides, I'm a doctor, so if something does go wrong, I'll be sure to help her." Anerys stated

I didn't know what to say to that as Irys kept training. She looked like she was going to collapse but was being held on by a drug that was enhancing her energy. This doesn't seem healthy.

"What are the side effects of the drug?" I asked

"Well, afterwards she's going to be double tired; the whole point of the drug is to pull out energy she was going to have later, so what you see now is the energy she would have accumulated if she had just rested for a few minutes," Anerys said.

"You really put your sister's body on the line like that?" I questioned

"It's not like her body is going to break down, and besides, she needs the energy to train more," Anerys stated.

I just noticed she has coffee with her, and she just took a little sip of it before handing it to me. "Huh, why?" I asked

"The order was wrong," She replied.

I took a sip of the coffee, tasted it, and realized that this was my order, and this is how I like it made.

"Funny coincidence, this coffee was made the way I like it!" I laughed

"That's so funny; it's not like Irys informed me you liked it or anything," Anerys stated.

My brain couldn't fathom anything she said beyond that point.

"Hey, sis, can you cut this?" Anerys asked as she pulled a metal pole out of the ground.

"I don't know if I can handle it!" She cried out.

I glared at the nephlim and bit my lip. She had to have noticed that what she said was wrong, right?

She didn't pay any attention to it but sliced the metal pole with ease, looking at her sister and smiling. "You can." Anerys laughed

I looked at Irys and sighed. I really feel like the third wheel here. Honestly I feel jealous that Irys is paying attention to her sister