Part 2I Awakened the Cursed Water Affinity

I played the agony to the absolute limit. I slumped heavily against Bobby, hyperventilating as if I were about to pass out entirely.

The rest of the survival squad crowded around us. Their cracked, bleeding lips and desperate eyes screamed of their thirst.

But seeing my body violently rejecting the new power, their desperation morphed into anxiety and thinly veiled frustration.

"Bobby, what are we supposed to do? Serena is in no shape to produce water!" one of the scavengers yelled, his voice cracking.

"Yeah, we are dying of thirst out here!"

Lyla stepped forward right on cue. She bit her lower lip, her voice sickeningly gentle. "Bobby, don't force her. Look how much pain she is in. Awakening a power is a life-or-death gamble. With a constitution as weak as hers, forcing her to use it will literally kill her."

Bobby looked at Lyla with an aching tenderness. Then, a look of profound, heroic resolve washed over his face.

"Everyone, calm down! I have a solution."

He took a deep breath. "Serena, my gift is Siphoning. Using it drains me heavily, but for you, and for this team, it is a risk I have to take. I will temporarily transfer your power into Lyla. Her physical stats are much higher than yours. She can produce the water we need, and once you fully recover, I will return the power to you. How does that sound?"

Temporarily. What a beautiful lie. Return it. What a joke.

In my past life, I was absolutely blinded by his deep, emotional performance. I actually thought he was putting his life on the line to save mine.

I sneered internally, but on the outside, I forced out a weak, deeply moved smile. Tears pooled perfectly in my eyes. "Bobby. If you do this for me, won't it damage your body? I can handle the pain, really."

"Don't be silly. I'd do anything for you," Bobby interrupted, his tone practically bleeding devotion.

He didn't give me a chance to argue. He slammed one hand onto my shoulder and the other onto Lyla's.

A massive, invisible force ripped through my core. I could physically feel the aquatic energy connected to my very soul being brutally hijacked, dragged out of my veins, and forced into Lyla's body.

Bobby's face went chalk white. Beads of cold sweat erupted across his forehead. He swayed on his feet.

That was the price of the Siphon. He was burning his own lifespan to make the transfer.

Serves him right.

When the final thread of energy severed from me, Lyla's eyes snapped open, glowing with a brilliant, euphoric light.

She eagerly raised her hand, palm facing the sky.

"Water! I can feel the water!"

A second later, a crystal-clear stream materialized out of thin air, spiraling elegantly above her palm before cascading down into the cracked, barren dirt. It hit the hot soil with a loud sizzle.

"It's water! Actual water!"

"Lyla is incredible! We are saved!"

The entire camp exploded into sheer delirium.

Everyone rushed Lyla, forming a tight circle around her, gazing up at her with a feverish, cult-like worship.

As for me? I was shoved aside so violently I crashed into the dirt.

Bobby, the man who had just promised to protect me with his life, stood proudly by Lyla's side, basking in her glory.

I sat in the dust, wiping the dirt off my cheek.

I hope you love the gift, you two.

Lyla became the undisputed god of the camp. Everyone treated her like royalty, orbiting her like she was the center of the universe.

"Lyla, I am so parched. Can I have just a sip?"

"Lyla, my blades are covered in mutant blood. Can I get a rinse?"

"Lyla, the heat is brutal today. Everyone is exhausted. Do you think you could... maybe give us a little rain to cool off?"

She agreed to absolutely everything.

She was completely addicted to the intoxicating rush of causing a crowd to cheer with a simple flick of her wrist.

Spring water, hovering liquid spheres, even absurdly wasteful artificial rain showers. She squandered the stolen power with zero hesitation, pushing her status to absolute deity levels.

She even conjured enough pure water to take a full bath. In the wasteland, bathing was an extravagance reserved for emperors.

Basking in the jealous, awe-struck stares of the other women, her vanity fed on the attention like a parasite.

I was entirely forgotten.

The only time anyone remembered I existed was during ration distribution, when they would toss me the moldy, hardened scraps like a stray dog.

I didn't care. I just sat in the shadows, coldly watching Lyla summon water again and again.

With every single drop that materialized, I could almost see the silver threads weaving into her hair.

Karma didn't keep me waiting long.

Just three days later, after a massive water conjuring, Lyla instinctively pulled out her prized pocket mirror to admire her own reflection.

A bloodcurdling, ear-piercing scream shattered the silence of the camp.