"How are you doing that?"

Julius lifted his head, tilting it in confusion at the question, wondering what he could possibly be referring to, before glancing at the souls clutched in his long, spindly arms.

"Oh, this? This is my gift from you, I have been able to do so since birth. Titus has his flames, I have mine."

He lifted one of his hands, showing off the small flickering soul flame that he had pinched between his fingers, before he placed it down into the last mini circle in the ritual carving.

It wasn't unexpected that Julius would have some form of ability, like his brother. Titus had black flames that he could produce and control, which he often used to power his forge. He had never stuck around long enough to find out the same for Julius... he was honestly a little neglectful. Maybe, when things weren't so 'horrible looming death' he would find some time to spend with his sons and really get to know them. Become worthy of the name Father.

But something about the way Julius phrased it got him thinking. Titus wielded black flames, while Julius handled souls which were represented by white flames. It was quite poetic. Twins with powers like that of Yin and Yang. But in Seth's mind, it was also something that couldn't be coincidental.

Was there something that influenced what powers they were born with, leading them to a complimentary set? Would he be able to influence it?

If so, when he was creating future Anima, would he be able to design their abilities himself and create them perfectly for a singular purpose?

As his mind raced with possibilities, his thought process must have been written all over his face, as the dragon spoke up at the sight of his curious frown.

"Isn't it obvious?"

He blinked softly, snapping out of his mental snowballing and looked at her with a confused and curious expression, not fully understanding what she was talking about. From her point of view, this expression also happened to be the exact copy of Julius' confused expression.

The draconic woman rolled her eyes, clicking her tongue in annoyance.

"They are spawned from you. They take after you, extensions of you. Your abilities deal in souls, thus so can this one."

Seth frowned deeper, watching the spindly spider work as he tapped at the runic carvings, almost like he was typing on a keyboard. It kind of reminded him of his days slaving away in the IT room of his old job. He was humming as he worked, a tune that Seth himself hummed when he was young and hopeful about his job, before it got put into the soul crushing challenge of corporate employment.

Perhaps there really was more to the familial naming than just simple names. The resemblances were there, it was undoubtable. But there were also some holes in the theory.

"Okay, That explains Julius. But what about Titus? I have nothing to do with fire."

She rolled her eyes and sighed once more.

"Are you really that stupid little human."

Clicking her tongue, she strode towards him with determined steps, her hand lifting quickly and lunging towards his throat. On instinct, Seth leaned back as his spear lifted itself from his arm and prodded against her throat.

She stopped in place, looking down at the arrow sized spear with contempt before looking at him and tilting her head in derision.

"Honestly, so very stupid. I still need you alive little human, besides if I wanted to kill you this little trinket wouldn't be able to do anything to stop me. So, just trust me."

She gave him a large, shark toothed - or should that be dragon toothed - smile that did absolutely nothing to reassure him. Yet despite everything screaming inside him, when she reached forward again and wrapped her gauntlet covered hand around his throat, Seth did his best to ignore his instincts.

Thankfully it seemed she wasn't lying, as her fingers didn't try to crush his throat and instead were... massaging it? No, they weren't massaging. They were searching.

With a contemplative expression on her face, she prodded and pressed at different points on his throat, looking for... something, until finally she found it. She smirked again, pushing against his throat until a small pop resounded, as if she was a masseuse cracking his neck. Seth frowned, before a strange sensation filled his mouth. A repulsive taste dancing across his tongue as something that wasn't air, nor saliva, flooded up from his throat.

He coughed and spluttered, spewing out a thick green gas as he tried to remove the substance filling his airway.

"You have a pair bond with a Wyvern, a bond that benefits you both. Did you not think to question your strength, how it is above the others at your level?

It seems his further evolution helped unlock something dormant within your bond, something that you shouldn't have just yet. Something that this 'Titus' attuned himself to and drew power from.

It is a shame though, even if you have developed it early it is still only half formed. You have the fuel, but no ignitor."

"Are you... Cough... Are you saying... Cough Cough... Jesus this stuff tastes like ass. Cough Are you saying that I could breath fire like Omelette?"

"Omelette... Such a ridiculous name, even if he is only a lesser Dragonkin. But yes, If you procured an ignitor, like a candle, you could conceivably breath fire. Not the same fire, but fire nonetheless. Although, before you do so I'd suggest practicing breathing without it first.

It takes some time to get control of the fuel organ, and if you can't control it's pressure or it's closing properly near an open flame then..."

She made a soft pop with her lips, using her hands to mime her head exploding. Seth immediately clamped his mouth closed, his face paling and his blood running cold at the thought. To think that his head could become nothing more than an exploding propane tank if he didn't control it properly, was not a pleasant thought.

Resolving himself to get his new organ under control, which was still gently leaking the vile, extremely flammable gas into his mouth, Seth focused on back on what Julius was doing. Perhaps, before he encountered something that could blow his head off, Seth could consult Alfie. He was an expert on gaseous expulsion, even if the process was different.

There was no harm in it, in the very least. Plus it was going to be so much easier now that his friend knew his secret.

Julius had been waiting patiently for his Father to finish his conversation with the dragon. He was not going to let this dumb lizard upstage him again, so if he had to wait to show off them so be it.

He simply did what his Father used to do, and pretended to work by looking busy. Once he was finally sure that the attention he rightfully deserved was on him, Julius finally pressed the runes on the ground.

He input a sequence, it's meaning was lost on Seth, before the runes flashed once, then twice, and then finally solidified in a steady, incandescent glow.

"Father, Please stand right here. The Sigil will guide the energy from the lesser souls into you. It wasn't designed for this, but hopefully it will help counter act the toll your body takes on separation."

Julius moved Seth so that he was standing on the only remaining point of the Octagram Sigil and was looking inwards towards the pile of armour that was resting in the middle. The selected power core was resting inside the chest plate of the armour, already filled from when it was in storage.

"You made a soul power infuser? What for?"

"Well... I was trying to continue your goal of creating lesser living puppets. Something easier for you to control. I thought that if we infused the body with power it would help, but no such luck. I did make some progress in creating sustainable bodies for those without.

If we could create worthy vessels, we could give the spirit people new bodies. A full body prothesis, like your arm.

For our purposes here, I redirected the energy flow to the point you are standing on."

Seth laughed softly as he read the words painting themselves into existence alongside Julius' head, the Anima seeming bashful and slightly embarrassed as he spoke in his own special way. Seth glanced over the sigil one last time, letting out a satisfied sigh.

"I really have been slacking. You have surpassed me tenfold, my teacher would be proud. That's who you are named after, the man who taught me runes. Although he would be disappointed in my progress, I feel he would agree you have truly become deserving of that name and more.

I really am proud of how you and your brother have become and I can't wait to meet your next brother."

Seth patted Julius on the shoulder, the Animas' head bowing in embarrassment, before Seth closed his eyes and delved inwards. It was time to carve up his soul again, and hopefully not die in the process.

Hopefully he wouldn't meet his near death hallucination again... he had a feeling he would be very disappointed in him.