AN: I think I've got a clearer picture as to where I'm heading with this story now. I'm actually happy that I managed to execute the first three chapters decently, since it gives me a foundation to work on.
Though, I'll just have to go out and say that the chapters are going to be either short and somewhat frequent, or long and rarely frequent. Yeah, I've got a lot on my plate right now and I doubt I can dedicate as much time for this series (and my other works) as I want.
Either way, I've also gotta actually finish MT, since the last time I read I was on volume 14… two years ago… and I haven't even bothered to watch the anime yet. I feel really left behind. In any case, thanks for your continued reading, and I hope you'll continue to enjoy!
Note (10-17-25): Minor edits/fixes
Note (03-22-26): More edits
Mushoku Tensei: Brotherhood
Chapter 4
One day later, Zenith POV
Zenith has always considered herself to be a lucky person.
Of course, having run away from home at the ripe age of fifteen, she wasn't referring to her upbringing as a child, but rather her time as an adventurer. Being an adventurer gave her a lens into the world that she never truly understood behind the walls of her father's home.
Life was hard, grueling, filled with trickery, but all the more fulfilling. She learnt a lot and it gave her a sense of self-identity and independence.
Then, eventually, her travels brought her to Paul, who at the time was the leader of the budding Fangs of the Black Wolf and who (while having his… flaws) had gradually become someone her heart desired—a position which no other man could've previously hoped to take.
And what joy she's felt since then. Paul had kept his promise and settled with her, and together they had two young and bright boys—Rudeus and Darius. The two precious gems she so cherished, never failing to fill her days.
She had always felt that her sons were special, that they were different from the rest. Even when they were still swaddled in their blankets, she could see it in their eyes; a connection of understanding that was well beyond that of simple communication.
Millis had blessed her family dearly with her angels.
But whatever pride she had for her family before was now a droplet compared to what she harbored now.
It has only been a day since the discovery of Rudeus's latent magic, but the excitement has yet to settle. The revelation was such a surreal feeling for Zenith.
Her son, at two years old, could use intermediate magic? It did nothing but confirm her beliefs in her boys' special talents, and it all the more made her giddy for where they could go.
She was certain that two amazing mages would come out of her boys; yes, even for her little Darry, who even though he's yet to show his own magic latency, still undoubtedly carried the same prodigious potential.
Their futures were bright!
Now, all that was holding them back was the fact that they were still waiting for a tutor. If it weren't for the responsibilities that busied her days, Zenith would've already gone out of her way to teach her sons what she knew about magic.
It was a shame… but at the same time, she had to remind herself that these two were barely three years old.
Time was on their side… all they really needed was patience.
'Oh, I can't wait to see how great of a magician Rudy will be~! He's such a keen boy! Oh, and I can't overlook Darry! I wonder what he'll specialize in~?' Zenith mused to herself as she sorted through the ripe fruits she gathered from her small orchid. A small tune hummed from her mouth, hips swaying gently like the wag of a dog's tail. If she wasn't already on cloud nine, she certainly was now.
She doubts there was any other mother who was as proud as—
SLAP!
"E-EEK!"
Suddenly, Zenith's entire body jolted with a pitched squeak, a brief wave of sensational pain coursing through her stiffened frame. With a rapidly blushing face, she snapped her head back, only to find Paul's smug grin.
It was enough to get a glare from her, though it lacked bite.
"...P-Paul!"
"Hey, don't give me that look," Paul snickered impishly, possessively wrapping his arms around her and pressing himself onto her back. All the while, he allowed his grippy hands to emphasize his words. "What did you expect when you're shaking all this cake around? I can't help but take a bite~"
Zenith's glare was quick to vanish, being replaced with an embarrassed yet blissful smile. A faint gasp escaped her lips from his touch, her lidded eyes brought up to his mischievous gaze.
This man… he knew just how to get what he wanted, didn't he?
"H-Honestly… are you that hungry, dear~"
"You bet I am, honey. I've got an appetite to fill… and one very good tip to offer," Paul essentially growled, his possessiveness cranking into another level. Very soon, Zenith found her lips snatched into a deep kiss, though there was nothing more but reciprocation on her end.
Indeed, Zenith adored her little family. So long as it stayed the way it was, then she had absolutely zero complaints—even to Paul's insatiable desires.
Though, of course, he wasn't the only one harboring those feelings.
Staircase, Darius POV
"...look at this clown. He's a complete amateur. What sort of idiot would go for a back hug of all moves? Tch, this wasted potential is making me sick!"
I glanced over at Rudeus, an exasperation in my voice. "...why are we watching this again?"
Rudeus gave me yet another one of his incredulous looks, as if I asked him what the color of the sky was. "What, isn't it obvious? You're telling me you're not a bit interested? There's no harm in seeing our parents love each other."
"...I mean… I guess there's none," I shrugged at his pressured reasoning, returning my attention back towards our parents' rather… intense public affection.
We were currently crouched low at the top of the staircase, where we had some basic coverage and a full view of the lovey-dovey action happening in the kitchen. Why were we watching? Well, I literally just asked Rudeus, and he really didn't give me a solid reason.
It seems he just wanted to satisfy his curiosity... but how did he even predict this was going to happen?
"...can we go back now? I wanna resume the lesson."
"We're learning plenty here already, Darius," Rudeus admonished, shaking his head. He then pointed at our father, who was… damn… this man was really getting at it. I should take notes. "You see this, little brother? This is exactly what you should avoid. All of these basic book moves… without a single ounce of strategy? You're only tanking your elo to the basement!"
"...what?"
"It's just an analogy, stay focused!"
I huffed, rolling my eyes. Rudeus could be quirky at times, though it wasn't harmless in the end.
"I think we're probably the only ones focused right now… and what's so wrong with what otou-san is doing? He's just showing love to his wife."
Rudeus scoffed. "What you should be asking is what he isn't doing. His hand placement is all wrong! Going straight for ass, no warm up or nothing? In fact, if I were in his shoes, the first thing I would've done is fell on my knees, tongue extended—"
Okay, that's enough. "Lock in, nii-nii."
"...lock in? Is that new slang? I think I'm as locked in as I can get."
"Uhuh," I sighed, standing up and making my way back towards our room.
Really, I had no clue what was the whole big deal about this. Or actually… I do know. He just wanted any reason to feed his perverse behavior, that's what.
And now knowing that he was some old dude in a kid's body… it felt really, really wrong. One would at least expect a hint of wisdom in that persona, no?
Well not for Rudeus it seems.
Though… at the same time, he's also the only one I can currently learn magic from... and I'd rather not judge someone so shallowly, so... I guess it was best just to deal with it.
"I'm going back to continue if you're not coming."
My comment seemed to get to Rudeus, who snapped his attention back to me in alarm. A brief look of conflict crossed his face before he eventually got up on his feet and trailed behind me with a warning expression.
"W-Wait, hold up! You better not mess with that book!"
"I'm not that careless, you know. I know how to handle a book."
"Oh, right, but reading is a whole different thing, huh?"
"..."
Damn, he had me there. I still didn't know how to read… maybe he could teach me?
Eh… he hasn't shown to be that generous.
We eventually returned to our room, where Rudeus's magic book was laid open on the floor. I sat back in my original spot across from the pages, patiently waiting for Rudeus to follow suit and resume his magic lesson.
As it turns out, I was still going to get those lessons from him even despite our fuck up yesterday. While we were waiting for our supposed tutor, he was courteous enough to teach me as much as he was willing to teach...
...which wasn't really that much, to be honest… but I was okay with that. I'm still trying to wrap my head around these basics anyways.
"Where were we…" Rudeus muttered, settling down back in a serious mood while skimming the pages, "ah, right: incantations and magic circles. This doesn't need too much explanation. Both are mediums that allow you to cast a spell, though magic circles are considered an old school practice."
So far, Rudeus has taught me some of the really basic basics. For one, magic comes in three categories: Attack, Healing, and Summoning. Since summoning is a rarer and more advanced form of magic, what really mattered were Attack and Healing.
You can use magic through your latent mana or through mana-imbuded objects… and that's as far as we've gotten. Now he seems to be going over how to activate magic spells.
"What's the difference?" I inquired curiously.
"Incantations are by word of mouth. A full incantation may take a few minutes to cast, but research has gone to a point where you can shorten the incantations down to only a few words," Rudeus explained. "In my case, I don't even need to say anything because I can visualize the spell in my head."
"Huh, that's cool… so then what's the point of incantations?"
"Ah… heh, you see, that's where I come into the picture," Rudeus chuckled with what seemed to be a humbled look. Ah, who am I kidding? This guy is hardly humble. "The book mentions that chantless spells are possible for highly proficient magicians, and even then it isn't applicable to all spells. In other words, I'm a special case… a generational prodigy! Hehehe…"
I deadpanned. "So you really are just cheating."
"...well, no, I wouldn't really call this a cheat," Rudeus objected, extending a palm. Wordlessly, he produced a small sphere of water, flexing his prowess as per usual. "When I had first tried, I wasn't even able to form more than one of these Waterballs. It didn't matter if I could use magic chantless or not. I was a noob, just like you are now. So I had to do a lot of practice to increase my mana reservoir."
"I see… increase your mana? Like working out a muscle?" I summarized.
Rudeus nodded. "Yep, pretty much! Or like raising your MP. Day in, day out, I've been spamming magic spells, and each day I could do double or even triple the previous."
"...so how many of these Waterballs can you make now?"
"Hm… maybe a few hundred, give or take."
'...man, he has really been keeping himself busy,' I sighed to myself with an unavoidable sense of disappointment. Here I was, doing nothing as a kid, and my brother was already hundreds of miles ahead of me. It's starting to make me reconsider what I've been doing all this time… and I think it's about time I caught up.
"You think I'll be able to do it?"
Rudeus beamed a confident smile. "Sure you can! We're born as twins, so I'm sure we've got the same skillset."
His reassurance brought a small smile to my face. Recently, he's been a bit more open to me, and I was liking it. That night of reconciliation (or was it like a partnership?) was really needed. It finally felt like we were actually bonding like we were supposed to as brothers.
"Okay then… what's the incantation I've gotta say?"
"Actually, I want you to try doing it without the incantation," Rudeus said, leaning in with a thoughtful look, "if you're able to do it without even knowing the incantation, then it proves that chanting is a scam!"
"...alright, if you say so," I shrugged, though I still held a confused look. "But how? I just visualize it, like you do?"
"Uhuh, yep, just think of a sphere of water. Also, if you feel any strange tingling like rushing blood, don't panic. That's part of the process!"
I hummed, considering his words. He really made it seem easy… and he does make it look easy, so it did make me feel a bit sure of myself.
Thus, with a concentrated look, I extended my palms out, trying to picture the image of a clear, floating sphere of water. However… as the seconds ticked, I didn't feel any difference.
No strange blood rushing like he mentioned, or any other sensation at all. It was just me, my hands stretched out, and nothing but my growing weariness.
'...my imagination can't be that dull… right…?'
Seeing my look of conflict, Rudeus hummed, arms crossed.
"Nothing?"
"Nope."
"...okay, so it looks like it's just something I can do," Rudeus nodded to himself, turning the pages of the book, "alright, we'll do the incantations then. Repeat after me."
I nodded before refocusing, repeating the words he spelled for me.
"Let the vast and blessed waters converge where thou wilt, and issue forth a single pure stream thereof… Waterball!"
It was at that moment that I understood what Rudeus had meant.
A sudden, fervent rush of warmth climbed my arms like the sensation of my own blood. The feeling startled me, but I pushed against losing my concentration, trying to ignore the alien and skin-crawling feeling.
My vigilance paid off, for in just a few moments later, a small sphere of water conjured before my hands.
I was left as speechless as the day I first saw magic, staring at the floating sphere of water.
'...I… I did it…'
"Great work!" Rudeus praised, clapping his hands lightly. "Try not to add too much mana, or it'll get too big and we'll have to deal with a bigger spill."
"R-Right," I nodded weakly, too absorbed at the fact that I, in fact, had actually used magic.
This was… this was awesome! I really am using magic!
What… what do I even say? I just made my own imaginations into reality… I could make water out of nothing! Just what else could I do with mana?
Amidst my small episode of excitement, Rudeus got up and went to his bed, removing a small bucket from underneath. He pulled it up before me, grinning at my star-struck giddiness.
"Here, you can relax and let the water fall."
Heeding to his instructions, I relaxed my concentration, and the Waterball dispersed down into the bucket.
So it looks like concentration was a huge factor to magic. Even now, I could still feel the lingering sensations of what must be my mana.
It… it was hard to describe. Rudeus's blood analogy was probably the best explanation to it.
'...I feel a bit exhausted, though. This must be what he was talking about.'
I glanced up at Rudeus, who was still grinning and with hands on his hips. He seemed to be proud of me… and, yeah, I felt a little bit proud of myself too.
I don't remember the last time I've had this sort of refreshing wonder.
"That was really cool."
"I know, right? Wait until you've trained enough to do higher tier magic," Rudeus grinned, reaching a hand out and—rather annoying—ruffled my hair. "In the meantime, don't use another spell. You'll pass out like I did."
I swatted his hand away, my gaze turning a bit worried at his last words. "You… you passed out? So you were messing around without taking any precautions?"
"...progression doesn't come without costs," Rudeus said in a sagely voice, crossing his arms with a closed-eye nod. It sounded like he was also trying to convince himself.
"...if you say so," I grunted, finding a bit of trouble standing up to my feet. Yeah, that magic spell definitely did something to me… and it was only one spell. This asshole can do hundreds… just what sort of monster is he? "Is that all there is to magic?"
"Yes, for the basics that's about it," Rudeus paused before his eyes widened, "oh, I forgot to also mention. While magic circles are old school, they are useful in the fact you can use them instantly and an unlimited amount of times once they've been scribed. Still, incantations are superior today."
"That's good to know," I stretch my lead-like limbs, feeling a sudden pang of hunger, "is that the end of today's lesson?"
"Yeah, I'll teach you more tomorrow."
"Alright, can't wait!" Despite my fatigue, there was a certain beat in my walk as I made my way to the door. "I'm gonna go grab some fruits. Do you want some?"
Rudeus sat back down at his book, turning the pages to a higher grade of magic. "Sure, give me the pear-looking one. I don't like that other red one. I'm gonna go ahead and practice some more of my own magic."
"Okaa-san said no eating upstairs though."
"Pfft, they're too busy to notice, little brother. Just toss it over when you come back."
He had a point there. "Alright, but good luck when Lilia catches you."
His grin turned devious, and his eyes glazed over in a disturbing way.
"...hah, you act as if that's a bad thing… ehehehe…"
"...weirdo…"
One month later…
The progression of our self magic training has been… varied, to say the least.
Rudeus, of course, has made more and more progress in expanding his mana reservoirs. But as for me… it has been clear to the two of us that I wasn't going to be as much of a powerhouse as he was.
Even after a whole month of constant Waterballs, the most I could do now was five… maybe even seven if I was feeling risky.
Yeah, even Rudeus couldn't deny it anymore; he just had a stupidly crazy cheat.
But this necessarily wasn't a bad thing. We only benefitted the more we learnt about ourselves. This just meant Rudeus was going to be a really good magician.
As for me… well, I wasn't going to be as broken, but that didn't mean I was kicking the bucket anytime soon. Being able to cast five spells consecutively had to be impressive for a three year old, right? We didn't really have any reference points to look at other than ourselves, so there's a chance that could be true.
In any case, though, our self training has come to an end. We managed to get hold of a tutor, and they were going to be arriving soon...
...but, honestly… it was making me a bit anxious.
I've only ever known or seen the people in this household ever since being reborn here. In fact, even with all the window gazing I've done, I haven't even seen our local mailman… if that was even a thing in this world.
'Man, I should go outside one of these days,' I hummed to myself, taking another spoonful of the morning hot porridge. Maybe I'm just being paranoid. I've noticed that recently I've been overthinking a lot. I really should loosen up a bit… like Rudeus.
He didn't seem to be all that bothered by anything, so I should do the same. That would make life easy.
"Finish this for me." Speaking of which, Rudeus suddenly demanded of me, pushing his remaining food near my bowl.
"Ok," I didn't really mind though, taking the offered morning leftovers. It tasted good.
"Rudy, don't force your brother to finish your food," Zenith admonished from across the table, her tone hinting some exasperation, "you both have equal portions, and so you both should eat the same amount."
"It's okay, okaa-san! I like the food!" I beamed brightly, quick to ward off the sudden lecture. Sure enough, my adorable response received a smile from Zenith—even Lilia, though the latter was more discreet.
Yeah, if there was one thing I knew, it is that complimenting a person's dish is the best way to get a smile.
At the head of the table, Paul finished chugging down his morning cup of ale, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and with a complete lack of mannerism.
"Pwah! That's great, Darry! A man's gotta eat plenty to grow big and stro—"
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
Suddenly, amidst our breakfast talk, there was a faint knock at the front door. Ah… it seems the tutor was arriving today.
'Cool… I wonder if they'll be some old sage,' I pondered to myself as Rudeus and I curiously followed our parents to the front door. Whoever our new tutor was going to be probably didn't matter; so long as the quality of the teaching was good, that is. Since Rudeus and I could already do what we can without a tutor, the bar was set really high.
Maybe that sounded a bit too cocky on my end, but it was especially true for Rudy.
However, as the door opened, I was unprepared for who our tutor would actually be.
"Hello, I'm Roxy. It's a pleasure to meet you."
'...a…girl...?'
Sharing my family's equal stupor, I could only stare wordlessly at the girl before us. Standing shorter than our own mother, she wore a brown wizard robe, equipped with a briefcase and what looked to be a mage staff in each hand separately. Her hair cascaded down in a braid, colored with a blue similar to her droopy eyes.
All in all, she did look like a mage… more specifically, a teenager dressed up as a mage.
"Oh, uh… are... are you the home tutor?" Our mother eventually asked, her surprise evident in her voice. We were giving one shitty welcome, weren't we? But could you blame us? This girl looks to be about sixteen or seventeen—roughly around my age in my old life. She'd pass as my junior, even.
"That would be correct, yes," Roxy nodded, her posture as prim and proper as a noble lady.
Maybe she was from nobility? This is the first time I'm seeing someone with this shade of hair…. if it wasn't dyed, of course.
"Aren't you a little… uh…" Paul managed, scratching his cheek awkwardly.
'Yes, Paul, it's a bit obvious that she's—'
"You're tiny," Rudeus pointed out, getting Paul's words across. The snarky comment got a slight glare from Roxy, and an involuntary snort from my end. It wasn't even that funny, but... the timing was on point.
"Hey, you sure are one to talk," Roxy bit back. Seems like she was really sensitive to being called tiny. I guess that was the equivalent of calling a guy short… no, wait, it's literally the same thing. "So… where are these students of mine?"
"Oh, that would be our two boys right here~" Zenith sang, suddenly lifting Rudeus into her arms while pulling me to her side.
Roxy didn't seem to appreciate our mother's words. She let out a sigh, muttering in her breath.
"Ugh, parents these days… kids grow up faster than usual and they think their kids got something special."
"You said something?" Paul asked.
'No, yeah, she definitely said something there. Get those ears cleaned, womanizer.'
"Oh, nothing," she dismissed, "I'm just not sure that your sons will be able to understand the principles of magic."
'Does she know? She doesn't know!'
"Oh, don't you worry about that," Zenith beamed, filled to the brim with motherly pride, "our two boys are brilliant! I'm sure you'll be surprised~!"
Yet again, Roxy sighed. Seems like things weren't going to be convincing by just word of mouth. Still, she conceded.
"...all right, then. I suppose I'll have to do what I can."
And just like that, we got our first ever magic teacher.
A few moments later…
After our greetings, we eventually relocated to the yard for our first lesson on magic.
This was a really big thing, mostly because this was our first time going out to the yard—or, really, just going past the front doorsteps. Yes, in all sense, we had basically been shut-ins for almost 3 years straight...
...but I guess that's not crazy for kids our ages.
"Okay, now, this magic textbook here…" Roxy began, only to pause her action in retrieving her textbook. "Actually, before we get to that, how about we see how much magic you two can use?"
'An aptitude test?' I blinked, glancing over a Rudeus. He didn't seem all that…
...woah… why was he shaking like that?
'...Rudeus...?'
"...nii-nii… you good?" I whispered at him with a concerned look, seeing how uncharacteristically his hands were fidgeting with his shirt.
Rudeus's eyes snapped up to me, and there was a very clear hint of fear he did a poor job hiding.
"Huh? Oh, uh, y-yeah… I'm fine."
Clearly, he didn't look fine. In fact... now that I'm seeing it, he's been acting a bit off since we entered the yard.
Was… was he afraid of going outside?
It made my brows furrow; somehow, I think I hit the nail right there… and it felt oddly familiar to me.
I stared at his agitated form for a while before smiling. Whatever the reason, I figured a little pick-me-up would do the trick to get him back to normal.
"Psst, hey, nii-nii. Look… it's Miss Roxy's panties!"
"Huh?! Where?!" His worried expression instantly vanished as a lecherous excitement took hold of him. He looked towards our teacher, only to find that she had been patiently watching our hushed conversation with a curled brow. I wasn't surprised by the flushed yet stinky look I got.
"You liar…"
At least he looked better now.
"Are you two done now? It's rude to interrupt your teacher," Roxy chided.
"Sorry, sensei! Nii-nii just wanted to go first," I grinned, pointing an accusing finger at Rudeus.
"What? No, I… well… yeah, maybe."
"Hm… that's good to hear. But first I'll demonstrate," Roxy said, resuming focus on the lesson. She then began to chant her incantation, her staff tilted forward. "Let the vast and blessed waters converge where thou wilt, and issue forth a single pure stream thereof. Waterball!"
A sphere of water the size of a basketball came into existence at the tip of her staff. Then, with a rapid hurl, she sent the spell flying into one of our mother's trees.
The poor fruit tree was snapped in half like a twig, and the remaining water splashed outwards and drenched the fence in the back.
Roxy looked back at us, wanting to gauge our reactions. "Well? What do you think?"
'…hm, I mean, we've already been doing that same spell for a month now… at least I have. So the excitement is long gone,' I thought to myself, though I held a small smile out of courtesy. Rudeus decided to point out one glaring problem, though.
"Okaa-sama has always loved that tree and she spent a lot of time taking care of it," Rudeus informed, "I think she's gonna get pretty angry."
"H-Huh? Really?!" Roxy stammered, clearly not expecting that the tree held importance. I mean, who wouldn't? That flowery canopy must've looked pretty bland, right?
"Yeah, what nii-nii said," I chimed in, "okaa-san will be mad at you."
"Oh… t-that's not good," Roxy's brows furrowed. In a rush she jogged towards the damaged tree. "I have to do something about this!"
Yeah, you really do wanna do something about that. We've seen how angry Zenith can get… though Paul deserves that shit a lot.
We watched as Roxy strained to lift the tree back into place. With a face flushed in exertion, she began another chant.
"N-Nngh... Let this divine power be as satisfying nourishment… g-giving one who has lost their strength the strength to rise again—Healing!"
Sure enough, the trunk of the tree was graphed back to its original state, as if no waterball had ever shredded its ass. Which was impressive... really impressive.
This would be the second time I've seen healing… and for a non-human entity? I guess healing is broader than I had imagined.
"You can use healing magic, too, Miss?!" Rudeus beamed, looking to also be as surprised as I was.
Roxy let out a breath, nodding at Rudeus. "Whew… yes, anything up to intermediate-tier spells I can use."
"Wow… that's amazing!"
"Oh, not at all! With proper training, anyone could do this," she said with a curt tone, though failing to hide the small smile in the corner of her lip. Aww… that was cute. She's got nice features, that's for sure.
"Can you make the tree grow more fruits?" I asked out curiously.
Roxy shook her head, returning to her previous neutral and composed posture.
"No, healing magic is only capable of restoring wounds and injuries. I've yet to come across magic that can cause plants to grow faster."
'Huh? That's weird… shouldn't that be like a commonplace spell?'
So healing magic was only meant for recovery? I guess that's a given… but I would've expected it to be a bit broader, no?
Does that mean there's no magic to increase harvest yield? Sounds like a missed opportunity to me.
"Magic has always been primarily used in combat," Rudeus suddenly nudged my side, whispering to me. He seemed to have noticed my confusion.
Oh, so that's why. "Huh… okay, that makes sense."
"Alright, Rudy, you give it a try," Roxy instructed.
"Okay!" Rudeus said excitedly, walking up besides her and holding out his hand in preparation of the spell. However, he suddenly staggered, and he held a conflicted look. "...um…how does it go again?"
'...you being for real right now?' I deadpanned at my brother. He forgot the incantation? No… he's playing tricks here.
Nonetheless, Roxy aided him, recounting the spell's words with a tone that was matter-of-factly—as if he should already know about it. Which he does, so I dunno what he was doing here.
"Let the vast and blessed waters…" Rudeus recollected, going through the spell before his voice died out for some reason. Even so, the Waterball was conjured—though smaller and slower than the one Roxy fired—and was sent rocketing towards the same poor tree.
One glaring difference, however, was the strange volume of wind that picked up from the spell. I didn't realize why that was the case until I followed where Rudeus's eyes went.
'...damn, how much of a perv is this guy?'
"...you cut your incantation off, didn't you?" Roxy pointed out, her hand instinctively pressing down her flapping skirt. Her eyes were wide and her body noticeably stiff. She clearly hadn't expected Rudeus's shortcut, though granted he rarely ever uses incantations in the first place. Maybe that's why he forgot?
"Yeah," Rudeus nodded, his perverse gaze turning somewhat weary.
'Why… ah… I see now. I remembered he said short chants were for higher tier magicians. This was a poor slip up.'
"Do you usually cut your incantations short like that?"
Rudeus was hesitant for a moment before giving a so-so expression. "I… uh… usually don't use them at all."
"Not at all?!" Roxy gawked in disbelief.
"Nii-nii only needs to imagine it to use it," I added with a helpful smile. Our parents did already say that we were both prodigies, so it shouldn't be too suspicious that Rudeus can cast silent spells.
Though, her reaction did confirm that it wasn't something normal. He really was a generational prodigy.
She was quick to regain her composure, however. "Ah, yes… now I get it. That makes sense. Then, are you feeling tired right now?"
Rudeus smiled. "A little bit…"
'Liar.'
"...but I'm fine! I can keep going!"
"I see… well, the size and force of your Waterball was just fine," Roxy nodded approvingly.
"Thank you!"
'Man, now I'm feeling jealous.'
I pointed a finger at myself with a bit of impatience. "Is it my turn then?"
Roxy seemed to have finally noticed me, giving me a curt nod...
...
...oh, geez, that made me sound insecure, didn't it?
"Yes, Darius, let's see what you've got."
"Call me Darry," I insisted.
"Yes yes, now go on," Roxy dismissed with an ushering hand. I stepped forward nonetheless, reaching my palms out and concentrating. Unlike Rudeus, I wasn't going to throw in a little act. This test was supposed to gauge our best, so there was no reason to hold back!
'But... I guess I could test the water with a shorter incant… let's give it a go, then!'
I closed my eyes, focusing on the sensations of my mana, then recalling the spell.
"Let the vast and blessed waters converge where thou wilt… Waterball!"
To my luck, my brief experiment worked. A sphere of water appeared before me, though it was even smaller than what Rudeus had shown. Maybe I hadn't put in enough mana?
Either way, with the spell ready, I fired it, ending the tree's misery for good.
"Hm… not bad. So you can also shorten your chants. It could use some work, though," Roxy gauged, a small smile cracking on her lips, "...maybe it is worth training these two."
'...man, I was hoping for more there. But at least I'm up to expectations,' I smiled to myself, finding some content. Yeah, while Rudeus was a nuclear bomb, it seemed I was something like dynamite. Or napalm… or whatever. I'm just saying that it looks like I wasn't completely out the picture.
"I didn't think you could shorten it," Rudeus whispered to me with a slightly amazed look.
"I didn't either until now. Luckily I rolled a twenty," I chuckled, giving a thumbs up.
"Amazing... at this rate, you'll—"
"AAAAAH!"
All three of us jumped at the sudden burst of screaming, our heads snapping towards the back door of the house. There stood Zenith, having come outside to see how things were going.
The tray of beverages she carried fell as her hands flew to her mouth, an overwhelming sense of sadness in her eyes.
However… that sadness quickly turned into livid anger.
'Uh oh.'
"Miss Roxy!" Zenith shouted, stomping up towards the blue-haired mage and getting up right on her face. "Honestly! Could you please not use my trees for your experiments?!"
Roxy instinctively winced back, a cold sweat forming on her face. "H-Hey, these two were the ones who did it!"
"If they did it, it was because you let them!"
Roxy's body stiffened before sagging with a hung head, utterly submissive. She could've worded herself better there, not gonna lie.
"Yes… you're absolutely right…"
"Please see to it that this doesn't happen again, young lady!"
"It won't, ma'am. I'm truly sorry."
With that, Zenith let out a disappointed huff, walking towards the remains of the tree. In a show of magic, she miraculously restored the mangled wood to its previous glory, and then some more. Then, wordlessly, she returned into the house, leaving us three outside in silence.
'...note to self… make sure to be a good obedient kid…'
Our mother sure was a strong woman… looks like her healing magic was also up there as well.
With the storm gone, Roxy sank down to the ground, drawing circles in the dirt with a helpless expression.
"Well… I messed this up pretty quickly…"
I frowned faintly at her words. Rudeus took a step forward, a sympathetic look in his eyes that I shared. "Miss…"
"I guess I'll be let off tomorrow… heh, so much for all this traveling."
Wow… she must have a weak tolerance to being punished. It started to make me feel sad, even.
I've known a few people in my old life who also shared this sort of weakness… more notably my older brother. Maybe it was because of this that I had instinctively stepped forward and patted my hand on her shoulder.
She looked up at me, slightly confused.
"Darius?"
"I said call me Darry."
"...yes, Darry. What is it?"
I gave her the most reassuring smile I could offer.
"Don't be sad! Okaa-san will forgive you!"
"...is that so?"
"Mmh! We all make mistakes, and it's a good thing you apologized. You're a good person, so don't give up!"
Roxy was taken aback from my words. Was it too much from a three year old? Eh, I got my message across.
She stared at me for a while before eventually nodding, her previous helplessness vanishing.
"Yes… yes, you're right. Thank you."
I grinned with enthusiasm, satisfied with my accomplishment. Rudeus then stepped up, hesitantly adding in his own words of support…
...well, as much of support as you can get from this guy.
"Uh… how about we continue the lesson?"
"Right, of course."
Nonetheless, Roxy stood up, a distinct beat returning in her step. Looks like she was back to normal.
"Let's continue where we left off."
"Yes!" Both me and Rudeus said in unison.
And thus, we managed to move past the small incident, and we got to learn a little bit of each other through our first lesson.
And... to be frank… I was starting to like our new teacher. She seemed to be pretty cool.
One week later, afternoon
Our lessons with Roxy have been great so far.
Given that it has only been one week since, we didn't do anything too crazy; essentially, she was just running over the basics that Rudeus had taught me, with a few extra tid-bits that were like fun facts. And I also started to learn how to read and write, so that was a plus.
Her lessons were what busied our mornings, and the afternoons were spent training with Paul. Yeah, there was no avoiding that; he was really adamant that we at least knew how to hold the sword.
But it wasn't like I was complaining about it. In fact, I've been meaning to get physically active soon anyways, and this proved to be the most available and rigorous course.
So, in other words, this new schedule of ours wasn't so bad—at least for me... and I've actually been having a lot of fun!
For our sword training, we were starting off with cardio and strength exercises to build up our stamina—which were things that I had been accustomed to in my football drills at junior high. Though, the same didn't go for Rudeus it seemed… who was having a little trouble on his end.
"C'mon, nii-nii, one more!" I exclaimed at Rudeus with hyped support, crouched besides him as he struggled to complete his set of push-ups.
"I know you've got more in you, Rudy! Don't you fail now!" Paul shouted beside me with even more vigor, a stronger passion in his eyes. Ever since we've started our physical conditioning, he hasn't been shy to push us to our brinks, like he was right now. After all, this guy was one hell of a gym rat.
Rudeus's arms were shaking like twigs, sweat dripping down his strained red face. He looked like he was about to give in at any moment, but—perhaps because of our enthusiastic support—he pushed through, shakily lowering himself down and just as painstakingly lifting himself up in a full, proper, and final push up.
"Agh… F-Finally!" Rudeus wheezed, dropping face-first into the grass with a panting breath.
"Yeah, nice work!" I congratulated him before jogging over to the outdoor table to grab some water.
Paul knelt down besides Rudeus, patting him on the shoulder with a proud smile. "That wasn't so bad, Rudy! You did five more than what you did yesterday!"
"...Y-Yeah… but… Darius did more," Rudeus chuckled weakly, sitting himself up as I came back with the cups of water. I wasn't blind to the faintly jealous look he gave me as I offered the water, but I didn't gloat about it. "He did… over twenty… more than yesterday."
"Twenty-eight, actually. That's almost thirty over!" Paul corrected with a laugh. And, yeah, he's right; I did manage to put in double over the amount of push ups I did yesterday, which was previously sixty. Even I still feel surprised about it.
To further show his pride, our father then extended a hand out, ruffling my hair.
'Why was it always me getting this?'
"You're growing strong really fast, Darry! We might even get you to start swinging a sword earlier than your brother!"
Despite myself, I flashed a toothy grin. It wasn't so bad to get praise like this every now and then... and I can't lie and say I haven't been feeling a tad bit cocky.
After all, I did manage nearly one hundred push ups today. It made me feel like I was actually accomplishing something—something that Rudeus was struggling to do himself.
Finally, it felt like the playing field was evened out between the two of us!
'It makes me wonder, though… does that mean that I'm physically better than Rudeus, and Rudeus is magically better than me?' I pondered to myself as I sat beside Rudeus, sipping my own cup of water.
Again, it's only been a week, but we've had enough time to compare ourselves. And—yeah—it looked like I was physically better of the two of us.
I'm not sure why, though. Could just be a split in genetics, I guess.
"I'll let you boys off easy today," Paul said, crossing his arms with an expectant look, "but tomorrow we're doubling the load. I'll have you run around the house until you're throwing up, got it?"
While Rudeus visibly shuddered, I brought a competitive grin to our father. "You've got it, otou-san!"
Paul bellowed a laugh, patting my back a bit too hard for comfort. "Haha, that's what I like to hear! I like that spirit, Darry!"
"But I don't wanna throw up," Rudeus muttered with a deflated look.
"Bah, you'll have to get used to it, Rudy! A man's gotta get used to all the bad things in life if he wants to be worth anything!"
"Okay…"
"Come in and wash yourselves, boys! Dinner will be ready soon!" Our mother's voice suddenly appeared as she came into view from the door.
"So early?" I noted, standing up and patting the back of my pants.
"It's so we have time to study tonight," Rudeus explained, standing up and stretching his sore limbs.
"Huh? We're studying tonight?"
"Yeah, that's what Miss Roxy said this morning," Rudeus said with a condescending voice, shaking his head. "You need to pay more attention, little brother."
I really couldn't remember Roxy saying anything about that, but I guess I was too focused with the Fireball spell at the time.
Oh yeah; on that note, I can finally use fire magic! It's really cool, if I had to say.
"I see… hope we don't lose sleep from it."
"Sounds like Roxy is working you two hard, huh?" Paul noted, looking down at us with an intrigued look. He always seemed to find amusement in our conversations.
Well, who wouldn't want to hear what sort of intellectual conversation two three year olds have?
"But you two won't be the only ones studying tonight. Isn't that ride, honey~!"
'...did he just…'
"Oh, dear, don't be so brash!" Zenith responded with a blush, only to then tactfully lean against the outside staircase, accentuating her figure.
'Man, in front of your three year old kids? These two barely have any restraint.'
I couldn't help but give a deadpan look at our parents, Rudeus contrasting with a strange mixture between giddiness and jealousy. These sex addicts were walking on a thin border, that's for sure.
Seeing where this was going again, I decided to throw out a random comment, pointing towards Paul's backside.
"Otou-san, your pants are brown."
"H-Huh?!"
Paul essentially screamed, throwing his head back with a flustered blush. Though, fortunately, all he saw was dirt.
He threw me a suppressed glare.
"Darry, it's just dirt! Don't scare your father like that!"
"It stinks though."
"It's just dirt, boy!"
So was my life as a three-year-old.
Mushoku Tensei: Brotherhood
Chapter 5
Six months later…
Before we knew it, half a year had passed since our training in magic and swords. We turned four not that long ago—still without a birthday celebration—and a lot has happened since.
To really sum it down, the main things that had happened were that both Rudeus and I got our own custom practice swords, and I was now able to produce more magic spells without exhausting my reserves. Like about twelve or so Waterballs, Fireballs, and the other basic elementals, in however order I pleased.
Though, of course, this cheat of a twin brother got to a point where counting the amount of spells he could do didn't matter anymore, since it didn't do shit to his mana reserves.
"You seriously can't even give a definite value, nii-nii? Like one thousand or something?" I had asked at the time.
"Do you count the sand grains on a beach?" Rudeus had then countered thereafter.
Yeah, this guy has officially become a bottomless well of mana. I've given up on trying to catch up with him…at least I got all the basic elements down, so I'm fine with that.
On the bright side, though, I was absolutely excelling in our swords training. Yeah, I was pretty accurate in my verdict that I was physically stronger than Rudeus.
Right now, I was at a point where I could do a little under a third of Paul's regular warm up before I began to give out… which was a few hundreds or so push ups, sit ups, and tens of minutes worth of running.
Yeah, it's gonna take a while before I get to our dad's level, but I was at least content to know that Rudeus couldn't even fathom to do a tenth of what Paul could do.
Right, and that's not to account for actual sword training.
When we had gotten to a point where we were physically capable of wielding a sword, Paul was quick to start teaching us one of the three sword styles: Water God Style. It was apparently a style of swordsmanship that prioritized defense and parries—something that made sense to be our first style of swordsmanship.
And despite his character, Paul made the lessons surprisingly well-informed and really easy to follow…
…
…
…okay, that was a lie.
His teaching style was shit—horrendously shit—and mostly because he didn't have the vocabulary to even explain himself. It was a struggle trying to even get the stances and balancing to his approval (Rudeus had a small tantrum, even), but we were eventually getting there.
Paul wouldn't be the first "not like that, like this!" coach I've had.
I think that was probably where Rudeus and I stemmed off a bit. Rudeus clearly preferred Roxy's lessons more than Paul's… and while I also do like Roxy—uh, Roxy's teaching, I sort of preferred the simplicity in our dad's lesson.
Maybe that was just my previous experience with school talking here, but that's just how I felt.
In an broader sense, it seemed I was more attuned to being a swordsman than a mage.
'But… I really want to use magic as well,' I contemplated to myself with a muted sigh. Beside me were Rudeus and Roxy, where Roxy was currently teaching us a history lesson under the candlelight in her room.
Even now, I was conflicted about where all of this training was actually going to go. Would I really be able to become an exemplary mage, or would I eventually just have to stick on the road of swordsmanship?
Honestly, I wanted to do both… but I wasn't sure if that was the normal thing to do in this world. Or maybe it was, and I was just letting my own thoughts cloud my head.
Whichever the case, I would still try, and just keep going with the flow.
"Magic implements are special devices imbued with special magical effects," Roxy continued, shifting topics of her lesson, "they've got a magic circle inscribed somewhere within them. This allows anyone—even someone who isn't a magician—to make use of them. But the amount of magical power varies between different magic implements."
My attention piqued from her explanation. 'Magic implements? So like a magic-infused device? No… she just said anything that was inscribed with a magic circle. So… like, maybe a grimoire for example? Or maybe even a voodoo doll… though I've yet to hear anything about soul-manipulation magic.'
That was cool to know. So anyone could use a nuke-like magic spell, given that they had the right mana to activate the magic circle. But that sounds like a drawback from a normal incantation… I guess there were ways to gather mana outside of your own mana pool. I could ask that now, in fact.
"What if the magic circle needs a lot of mana?" I asked.
"If you have the required amount of mana, then the magic implement will be activated. Otherwise, it simply won't work," Roxy answered, "there are a few mana-imbueded stones and artifacts you can use, but using your own mana reserves is the simplest and most available method."
"So magic circles are worse than incantations," I summarized. Though, that was already a given in the first place.
"Not because of this," Rudeus added, "even if you use the same spell as an incantation, you're going to use the same amount of mana. The difference is that incantations let you change the size of the spell, but that comes at the cost of additional mana."
Roxy nodded at Rudeus's analogy, though she seemed faintly surprised. "...yes, that's right. Studious response as always, Rudy."
"Ehehe... I just figured it out from practice," Rudeus grinned gleefully at her praise, rubbing his nose with a finger.
'So magic circles… or these magic implements are just useful for minor spells,' I hummed, rubbing my chin. This revelation put a lot of thoughts in my head.
If these magic items can use the same spell at the same fixed mana, then that means you could use them without any warning. In other words, an element of surprise… like, maybe causing your arrows to explode once they hit a target. Or cause your sword to catch on fire…
…
…woah… that actually gave me an idea.
'I could try to write a magic circle on our training swords. Maybe then we could make the swords use magic spells...!'
My eyes gradually widened at the realization. From what Roxy and Rudeus said, it seemed anything could be a magic implement, that including a sword. If we had that on our swords… then that would definitely be cool!
'Only problem is that I have no idea how to write a magic circle, much less know what one even looks like.'
"...and demons were still at war with one another as recently as four hundred years ago. It started seven thousand years ago, and the two sides have been in conflict off and on ever since," Roxy continued. Oh, it seemed they were talking about demons now. When did that happen? I need to stop spacing out.
"Ah, okay… so, then, what are demons?" Rudeus asked.
"...that's a bit hard to define," Roxy said. The question in itself was pretty self explanatory, though probably not in the perspective of a four year old.
"Are demons people with red skin and horns?" I asked, deciding to throw out a rudimentary description of a demon. It looked like I hit the mark.
Roxy nodded briefly. "Yes, some demons would have red skin or horns or even both. But that doesn't go for all demons."
"Really? Then what other demons are out there?" I tilted my head curiously.
"Well, if you want an example, you're looking at one right now. I'm a demon."
Her statement was like a wrecking ball, completely throwing off my composure.
'Huh? Roxy, our magecraft teacher, is a demon?!'
I could only stare gobsmacked at the revelation.
"...Darius," Rudeus frowned, elbowing my side.
"S-Sorry," I was quick to apologize for my shameless gawking, though the amazement never left me, "so you aren't human, sensei?"
"That's right," Roxy smiled, seemingly unbothered by my reaction. She must've gotten this a lot in the past. "More formally put, I am one of the Migurd from the Biegoya Region of the Demon Continent. You might've noticed your parents' surprise when they first saw me, yes?"
"I figured that was because you're little," Rudeus commented.
Roxy huffed in annoyance. Her height really was a sore spot. "I am not little. They were simply surprised by the color of my hair."
Her hair color? Well, I guess I was also surprised at the time as well. I didn't think blue hair would be natural, but at the same time, me being a regressed four year old wasn't natural either.
Still, I inquired, "Why your hair though?"
"There's a saying that, for the demonic races, the closer the hair is to green, the more barbaric and savage we tend to be," Roxy explained, a finger twirling a strand of her hair, "depending on the lighting, my hair can appear a tint green, too."
My brows furrowed at her explanation.
'...so, a green-haired demon is considered a savage? That feels… racially motivated.'
So even in this world, there were hints of racial discrimination. I guess that's historically unavoidable wherever you are… though, that just wasn't fair to Roxy.
She's a nice girl, and frankly pretty too. I can only imagine the type of prejudice she must've received because of this superstition...
...but… she also seems to not really feel bad about it. This was getting confusing.
"I think your hair is pretty," Rudeus suddenly complimented, a trained smile on his face.
"...thank you, Rudy, but that's the sort of thing you should say to a girl you like once you're grown up," Roxy responded with a hint of exasperation. If only she knew.
"I like you, though!"
Man, he was really shooting his shots here, huh? Threw a three-pointer blindfolded from the moon and everything.
'Holy airball, Ru—'
"I see… well, in another ten or fifteen years, if your feelings haven't changed, please feel free to tell me that again."
'...wait, it went in?'
Roxy cleared her throat, putting the small talk aside and resuming the lesson at hand.
"To get back to the main subject, the idea that a lighter tone hair signifies danger is just a superstition."
I called it. So it was just racism at the end.
"Where did it originate from?" I asked.
"During the war four hundred years ago, a green-haired demonic race known as the Superd went on a brutal rampage. That is where the superstition originates from; the color of someone's hair doesn't necessarily have anything to do with their rationale."
'Oh… right, the demon war I half-listened to earlier.'
So a specific group of demons went on a massacre spree, and then the fear stemmed from that. Maybe it wasn't just racial motivation…
...but still, in the end it really was just a superstition from over four centuries ago. Surely things must've changed since then.
"You said a rampage?" Rudeus asked.
"Indeed, a brutal one. After only a decade and a change of war, the Superd became feared by friend and foe alike. They were as violent as they were despised, so much so that persecution drove them out of the Demon Continent after the war."
'Wow… I might be underestimating how bad this actually is,' I thought to myself. They must've gone up to a genocidal-level rampage for that to happen. I wonder what caused the sudden rampage.
"Do people really hate them that much?" Rudeus noted, his own shock apparent as well.
"They do."
"...what exactly did they do?"
And so, for the rest of the lesson, Rudeus and I became well-informed of the atrocities of the Superd race. The more I listened, the more and more I felt less inclined to find out more about these murderous warriors, and started to understand that this superstition really did stem from fear rather than racism.
Like… man, to kill even children indiscriminately? Yeah, I was wrong—these guys really did sound like savages.
And so I took Roxy's advice at heart, and decided I'd avoid encountering anyone with green hair and a red gem on their forehead. Not at least until I'm strong enough to be on my own two feet.
Casual day, noon
Between the time of morning magic lessons and afternoon sword training, we would help in the house with basic chores—as was expected from any average kid.
We weren't necessarily tasked with specific chores, but I would occasionally help Zenith with the garden or Paul with getting water for our family horse. Rudeus would tend to stay indoors outside of our training and help with house chores.
It was getting pretty obvious he really didn't like going outside. Why exactly? I could only summarize it as something to do with his past life.
But I've yet to find the right moment to ask him, much less figure out how to ask him without making things awkward between the two of us. After all, he had been pretty adamant against talking about our past lives.
'I guess it isn't much of a problem in the end,' I mused to myself. There were still many things I didn't know about Rudeus, but I felt like those were just minor details I didn't necessarily need to know.
I've grown to respect and appreciate my new brother. He was weirdly perverted at times, but he was a dedicated person and really seemed to want to do his best. I like to think that this was what also drove my own efforts; not just for my own curious interests, but also in a competitive spirit, basically.
It was nice knowing I wasn't completely alone in this.
In any case, we were in some leisure hours, so I was outside minding my own business. Sat on the grass, my concentration was focused on my open palms, where I experimented with a small elementary wind spell—predictably called Windball. I had the fleeting thought of trying to make a spinning wind-sphere attack, but I've been finding it difficult to keep a consistent spherical form, much less figure out how to make it turn blue.
This was, in other words, just me trying to play with my own fantasies—and it turned out to be some decent practice, too.
"What are you doing, Darius?" I looked up to see Rudeus standing before me, having come outside with his favorite magical textbook in arms. That was rare.
"Trying to make a special move," I said calmly.
Yeah, that's right. There was also another reason for me doing this; I've been meaning to try and be a little bit more creative with my magic, and make a little something only I could do. Figured it would look great on my resume.
"Special move?" Rudeus repeated with a snort, seeming to find my intense efforts rather childish. "What are you, five?"
"Yeah, almost."
"Well, we should only worry about that stuff once you've completely mastered the basics," Rudeus admonished, entering into a lecture tone that surprisingly fitted him. He was pretty smart, after all. "Even though I've reached mastery in Advance-tier spells, I'm not out here trying to make flashy moves. The closest thing is probably Melded Magic, but even then those are for practical uses only."
I rolled my eyes at his lengthy speech. "Yeah yeah… but don't you also want to look cool?"
"I'm already plenty cool enough, little brother. After all, I'm the humble student of Master Roxy."
"...didn't she tell you not to call her that?"
"Master will always be Master."
I stared at him blankly for a while before sighing, dispatching the wind spell. "Fine. But wait until I, the second humble student, tell sensei about her lack of an undergarment."
The threat shook Rudeus, and he looked around with a panicked expression, as if hoping nobody heard it. Really, the only people who didn't know would be Paul and Roxy herself.
"...y-you wouldn't."
I deadpanned. "Yes, I would. Cause honestly… the fuck is wrong with you, man?"
"N-Nothing, I'm completely fine," Rudeus countered rather hotly, "there's nothing wrong in admiring your master."
"Stealing her panties isn't admiration, old man. Given them back."
"...hmph, of course, a modeled brat like you wouldn't understand," he then frowned at me, "and don't act all good, I'll tell Zenith you said a curse word right now."
"I'll just blame otou-san."
Rudeus paused, contemplating my easy counter argument. "...oh… that's a good idea…"
I simply shook my head with a small sigh. This guy definitely had a few screws loose, but I suppose he had enough of a heart to not be a total degenerate. I've seen and known worse, anyways.
I eyed the yard for a moment before spotting one of the new boulders Paul had dragged in for training. Then, a small thought crossed my mind, and a grin stretched my lips.
"Hey… nii-nii, you wanna try making a special move?"
"I already told you it's too early in the game for that," Rudeus huffed exasperatedly.
"I mean… like a co-special move or something," I clarified, emphasizing my words with hand gestures, "like double casting, both of us, you know? Tag team special? Cooperative ultimate attack? Unit super attack?"
With every word I said, his resistance gradually began to dwindle, and turned into interest. Now I was speaking his language.
"...ehh… I guess that could be a bit fun."
Great, he was on board! "I know, right?! We've been learning magic so strictly we haven't even bothered to play in the sandbox! Don't you think we should be exploring new things?"
"That's because magic in itself is dangerous," Rudeus pointed out, "it's used for survival… and killing, if needed. Rarely for parlor tricks."
"...c'mon, don't be like that."
Rudeus stared at me with a conflicted look before eventually sighing in defeat. "Alright, alright… then what 'special move' do you have in mind?"
"No idea," I shrugged. Truthfully, I haven't really thought anywhere past the both of us using two different spells at once. "Maybe like a dual cast? Fire and water? Fire and earth? Fire and wind?"
"...you really like fire…"
"It's my favorite of all the schools of magecraft!"
"Well, then, the safest option would be fire and water," Rudeus summarized, stretching his fingers, "it'll only produce a mist… maybe some steam if we tunnel the water through the flames."
"Sounds good to me," I stood up, shaking up my body in a small warm up, "I want to do the fire, so you do the water, nii-nii."
Rudeus simply rolled his eyes in response, easily conjuring a simple Waterball within one hand. He probably didn't see this anymore than just the two of us goofing around, but to me this served to be some great experience.
I think it would be fun to have our own sort of team combo, especially whenever we were in a situation where cooperation was needed. I don't think that isn't a faraway future.
"We'll hit that boulder over there," I said, aiming my palms forward with a concentrated look. With nothing more to say, I spoke the practiced incantations that I've come to memorize.
"Let the great protection of fire be on the place thou seekest… I call the bold heat of a torch here and now—Fireball!"
Before me, a sphere of hot orange flames burst into existence, crackling with an intense heat that surprisingly didn't affect me—likely considering it was the manifestation of my own mana.
With my spell prepared, I glanced over at Rudeus with a nod, one that he reciprocated.
"Okay… now!"
At my call, we simultaneously shot both of our spells. The magic attacks whizzed through the air, their paths curved right into each other and exploding in a powerful display of cloudy steam.
BOOM
Alarmingly, we had underestimated the ferocity of the attack—and especially the scale of the aftermath. We shielded our faces from the sudden wave of hot steam that devoured our forms, tingling our skin like the heat of a sauna.
Once settled, we found that the entire yard had been covered with a hazy fog. The boulder in question had a few new cracks, but was otherwise completely unscathed.
'Woah… that was cool…'
"Is everything alright, you two!?" Zenith called out from the second floor window, her front sticking outside with a partly worried expression.
"Yeah," I called back, giving a reassuring thumbs up. These sorts of explosive displays of magic were just about commonplace now in our household because of Roxy's lessons, but with our mother being our mother, it was no surprise she would still feel worried.
"You need to improve your aim," Rudeus commented, seeming to be less expressive of our combined magic.
"Huh? I think my aim was pretty good," I objected.
"No, our spells collided too early," Rudeus pointed out. He then hummed, a finger placed on his chin with a thoughtful look. "But, even if the attack did land perfectly, it wouldn't have been enough to destroy the boulder… we'd need to make the spells drill inwards, like a vortex."
'Turn the spells into a vortex? I hadn't even thought of that.'
"You wanna try it out again, then?"
"...do you have enough mana?" Rudeus then inquired with a rare look of concern.
"Yeah, I think about enough for a few more."
"...don't push yourself, Darius."
I snorted, lightly punching his arm. Yeah, when it was really needed, Rudeus could definitely fit the role of an older brother.
"I'm not made of glass, nii-nii. So let's go ahead and master this combo! We'll show it to sensei when she comes back!"
Rudeus grinned calculatively. "You know what… that might not be so bad, huh?"
And so, until I had almost completely drained my mana, Rudeus and I experimented on our new combined special move, which we eventually came to name as the "Super Ice-Hot Scalding Exploding Steam Combo". He only wanted to take credit for the last two words until we had actually shown Roxy our new magic technique, where he thereafter assumed total ownership to the idea.
He really was doing everything he could to get on her good side… but he had good tastes, I suppose.
AN: I should point out that Darry will be using soccer and football interchangeably. Sorry for any previous confusion