System Recalibrating

'Shit!' Ava screamed internally. She couldn't stop her fist. Punching her brother had been on her bucket list—though not at the top!

Right before closing her eyes, she saw Liam's two pairs of long, narrow wings emerging from his back, broader at the base.

They gave off a green hue as they phased through his clothing as if they were made of water. Once they fully unfolded and the glow dimmed, all that remained was a magnificent appearance.

The wings were covered with a complex network of dark veins, their transparent surfaces catching the moonlight like shards of glass, scattering unique colors as if someone had spilled ink all over them.

Liam moved his wings in front of him at such speed that the human eye couldn't follow, blocking her punch as he crossed his arms in an X shape, bracing for impact.

A gust of dirt rose into the sky, obscuring the view.

"Liam! You all right?" Ava's voice trembled slightly as panic set in.

'What if I hurt him? What if this time it's worse?' she thought. He wasn't supposed to take her hit head-on. She hadn't expected him to suffer another headache attack in a situation like this.

"That hurts!" he complained, peeking through his wings. He wanted to glare at Ava, but another headache made it impossible, leaving him to hiss in annoyance. At least the pain was bearable this time.

[System recalibrating...]

'Huh... That's new', he thought, staring at the red flickering screen in front of him. Ever since he could remember, this stupid system message would appear out of nowhere, followed by a sudden, sharp headache.

It hadn't always been like this. The screen used to appear only a few times a week, and the accompanying pain was manageable.

But recently, it had started occurring multiple times a day, with headaches strong enough to bring him to his knees.

At the sound of his mom's worried voice, he folded his wings closer behind his back. His thin, silk-like black antennae, which he usually kept hidden close to his scalp, extended backward above his hair. He didn't bother hiding them anymore, as his true appearance had already been revealed.

"Are you hurt?" His mom kneeled beside him, lifting and inspecting his face for injuries. She squeezed his lips together while rotating his head, making him look like a pufferfish.

"I guess," Liam replied, pushing away his mom's arm with the back of his hand. She worried too much about him. He'd survived this long; it would take more than one measly punch to take him down.

He moved his wings in front of him again to inspect them. Though there were no visible injuries, there was a burning, pulsating pain that intensified at the slightest touch. "But if my molting process starts prematurely, I'll know who to blame!"

As soon as he spoke those words, the color of his wings near the dark green veins shifted to a gradient red, pulsating faintly in rhythm with his breath.

"Come on, stop whining. You molt at least once every six months," Ava said, rolling her eyes and reverting to her arrogant self after confirming that Liam was in one piece—good enough.

"Doesn't mean I enjoy it..." he muttered, rubbing his forearms, still stinging from the impact.

Discovering things about himself had been a journey for Liam and his family. After all, no one had been there to show him the ropes.

"You know... On Day S, we have it worse than you," their mother said, trying to ease the tension as she ran her hand through Liam's thick, silky hair.

Liam snorted at the mention of Day S—short for starvation.

The hue along his wing veins shifted from crimson red to light yellow as he remembered the furious expressions on his family's faces. Ava had been ready to commit homicide—and who could blame her?

After his post-molt period, all their food would magically disappear as if it had never been there. He'd sentence them to a starvation period, and restocking took days... To make things worse, he never regretted it. It was just what his body needed.

"I think I have a suggestion, Ella," their father finally chimed in after quietly observing from afar.

Kevin cleared his throat to get everyone's attention before continuing, "Since Ava seems to treat Day S as a joke, why not put her in charge of securing the food next time?"

Ava froze at her father's suggestion, unable to believe her ears. Finding food was nearly impossible!

"Wait! You can't do that! If anything, Lia—"

"Enough! If you don't want me to consider this, I suggest you stay quiet!" One glare from Ella was enough to silence her as Ava gulped, shrinking smaller than a poppy seed.

Now that everything was quiet, Ella could finally address another important topic—but she never got the chance.

She had been carefully observing Liam and the behavior of the strange system in his head ever since he mentioned seeing something unusual in front of his eyes.

"Now, Liam, what happened during the fight? Was it the system again?" she asked, her voice calm and motherly as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

Liam looked away at the mention of the system. While he trusted his family enough to complain about it, an uncomfortable feeling always lingered whenever the topic came up.

"Unfortunately, yes. But it acted strangely this time."

As the two conversed, with Liam's mother asking questions, Ava grew bored. She reached out and began playing with one of Liam's antennae, which twitched at her touch before she started twirling it around her finger.

His antennae twitched at her touch, sending a faint, uncomfortable tingle through his scalp.

Feeling his sister's mischief, Liam clenched his fists and squeezed his eyes shut, but he couldn't say anything as their mom spoke again.

"All right, let's call it a day. Your dad brought some freshly cut apples," she announced, standing up and noticing the wrinkles on Liam's forehead. "And Ava, let go of his antenna," she added, seeing the pulsating red color along his wing veins intensify.

"Fine," Ava pouted, releasing Liam's antenna. She enjoyed teasing her younger brother, and today she was being especially annoying. Still, her care showed when she extended her arm to help him up.

Liam raised an eyebrow at her outstretched hand. Was this another trick?

He hesitated, pulling his arm back slightly before finally giving in, bracing for the worst. Surprisingly, nothing happened.

"Thanks?" he said awkwardly, still traumatized by her constant teasing.

"Come on, did you really think I'd let you go?" Ava said, reading his expression perfectly and shaking her head in mock disappointment.

Liam gave her a side-eye. It was hard to believe anything she said, but despite everything, he'd never replace her. He was glad to call her his sister.

He sighed, giving up. Arguing with her felt like reasoning with a five-year-old. "Let's just go get our treats."

Liam nearly drooled at the mention of apples. Despite his slim, athletic build, he was a true glutton, always thinking about food.

The young hybrid folded his wings behind his back and headed toward the rusty table where their dad had left the tray. One thing still worried him—the system message.

He wanted to distract himself, and there was no better way than food.

Seeing how Liam dropped his guard, Ava decided to play a trick on him and try to scare him. After all, it wasn't often she got a chance to do so to her alien brother.

She raised her hands into the air and began to tiptoe, her steps as light and precise as a cat's, all while wearing a devilish smile

Liam licked his lips, but before he could take another bite, he sensed something approaching rapidly from behind.

He gasped, his pupils widening as his four dragonfly-like wings instinctively spread, propelling him into the sky and accidentally knocking over the tray with apple pieces.

"Ava!" Liam shouted furiously, looking down to see his sister snickering.

"Liam! Come down this instant!" Ella shouted through her teeth, pointing toward the ground. Luckily, it was dead of night, but the chances of someone seeing him were still high.

As his mother called for him, the red screen from earlier flickered in front of his eyes, words burning into his vision before fading, leaving behind a faint afterimage.

[System recalibrating...]