Elias Leywin POV
"Dad?" I asked, clutching at his shoulder. "Isn't that Big Brother's name?"
He held tighter as tears welled up in his eyes.
He shifted gears, accelerating as he made a sharp turn. Rounding the bend, I could see my mother hunched over, hugging a boy with similar auburn hair, as my sister yanked at the hem of her dress.
"Arthur!" Dad shouted out at the top of his lungs.
He didn't stop his stampede until he had reached the boy in my mother's arms. He slid on his knees, hugging all of us as we all almost toppled over.
"Arthur! My son! Look how big you are. Oh my God! You're back, you're back!"
He held the boy's face in both hands, cupping his cheeks, studying every inch as if to convince himself it wasn't a dream. Even as he embraced Arthur, he kept one arm around me, holding me so tightly I could hardly breathe.
"Dad!" I shouted, squirming a little. He loosened his grip just enough for me to stand on my own.
I stepped over to stand beside my sister. Together, we watched as our family began to stitch itself back together right before our eyes.
---
Arthur Leywin POV
Eventually, we all settled down, gathering in the living room. My mother sat beside me on the couch, holding Eleanor on her lap. Father had pulled up a chair across from us. Elias had perched himself on the armrest next to him.
'How big he's gotten, I wish I could've seen him grow up... I missed my sister's birth, too.'
I let out a breath as my Mother held both my hands tightly. She watched me with her reddened and misty eyes. Every time she glanced at my face, fresh tears welled up.
"Are you okay now?" she asked softly. "Did you eat three meals a day? Were you dressing warmly? Sleeping well?" Her voice cracked as she looked me over again. "Oh, my baby... Look how big you are now."
Tears slipped down her cheeks as she smiled and squinted, overwhelmed. Her hand gently stroked my hair before she leaned in and planted a kiss on the crown of my head. "Thank God you're back," she whispered. "I'm so happy."
Eleanor looked up at Sylvie and me with a mix of curiosity and wonder. The baby dragon sat upright beside me on the couch, studying the four unfamiliar humans in the room.
Father's gaze lingered on Sylvie with a curious glint, though he said nothing about her. When his eyes turned back to me, they softened. He kept shaking his head slightly, murmuring again and again how much I had grown.
There was a strange mix of joy and sorrow in his expression. It must have been a bittersweet thing watching your child grow into someone new, but having missed the journey that brought them there...
I don't regret being away. I enjoyed my time in Zestier, with Gramps, with Tess, but seeing their faces as they are now.
A soft thud drew me out of my mind. Elias hopped off the chair's armrest and hesitantly walked towards me.
"Elias?" Father asked gently, turning towards him. "Are you alright?"
He nodded with a small smile. Elias stopped just in front of where Mother, Eleanor, and I sat, staring up at me with wide, pleading eyes.
"B-Big Brother?" he stammered, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Yes, Elias?" I replied, barely able to hide the grin tugging at my lips. His expression was just too cute not to indulge him.
"Can I... please play with your kitty?"
'Huh?'
'Kitty?'
I looked to my side at the coiled-up Dragon. A smile cracked my lips as I shot my bond a mental message.
"Sylvie?"
Her head snapped toward me. "Kyu," she chirped in response. With a flick of her tail and a light bounce, she pranced to the edge of the sofa and leapt toward Elias.
Her small wings flared open mid-air, and she began hovering in front of him. Another bright "Kyu!" escaped her as if she were trying to tell me to look at something.
'If you insist...'
I exhaled slowly and focused. Drawing on what limited understanding I had of Sylvia's will, I tried to peer into my little brother, to see what had caught Sylvie's attention.
'Let's see what's so interesting...'
My breath caught in my throat as my eyes widened.
'Holy... fucking shit. Why does he have so much mana?'
Through my vision, golden light shone brightly around his core, or rather, where his core would soon form. The mana there was incredibly pure and potent to a level I had never seen before, not even from a silver core mage like Gramps.
"Art, honey?" My mother's voice pulled me back. "Is everything okay?" She looked at me with concern, clearly noticing the stunned look on my face.
"Y-yeah. Yes, I'm okay," I stammered, forcing a smile. But my eyes couldn't help but follow Elias as he and Eleanor began chasing Sylvie, who fluttered around the room in a gleeful spiral.
"Arthur, we were devastated after the incident." My father said softly. "We didn't know what to believe, and when you reached out to us, you spoke into our minds. We thought we were dreaming. Please... tell me. How did you survive the fall?"
---
Elias Leywin POV
"You've got this, Dad", I shouted, standing on a step next to my Mum and Aunt Tabitha. Lilia and my sister chased Sylvie through the garden.
My father gave me a thumbs-up as he went back to stretching.
Uncle Vincent soon joined us, sitting next to his wife. "I can't believe Rey is actually fighting his nearly 8-year-old Son", he let out an exaggerated sigh.
"Come!" Dad's voice rang out. He shifted into an offensive stance, inviting Arthur to attack.
Arthur moved fast. Faster than Dad had expected.
Before Dad could brace himself, Arthur's fist was already heading toward him.
Dad's eyes narrowed. His Mana began to flow visibly around him as he responded instantly.
Arthur faked a punch and twisted, going for a high kick. But Dad blocked it with his left forearm, but the force knocked him back a pace. Dad used Arthur's momentum to counterattack, chopping at his son's body with his right hand.
Arthur was in trouble, but in that moment, he caught our dad's strike with his left forearm and right palm. He softened the blow, then slipped inside Dad's guard and grabbed his right arm.
Arthur planted a solid kick behind Dad's right knee, causing him to stumble forward. My Brother's mana-charged body lifted and threw Dad across the grass.
After a controlled roll, Dad managed to regain his footing.
Their eyes locked with the others. "Well, I'd have to say you're better than all of the mages I've trained! Your old man's going to get serious now, though! Be careful." My Dad said, exhaling heavily as a smile crept onto his face.
His fists ignited, bursting into living scarlet gloves.
My brother smirked at my father. "Impressive, Dad... but now it's my turn. Try not to be too surprised!"
Crackling sounded through the air. Arthur stood straight as his hair stuck up from the electric current that flashed both around and through him. Yellow arcs grew from him as he lowered his form.
"What the..." Dad had almost stopped his attack. He stood wide-eyed and unfocused at what his son, his eldest, had just done.
Before giving him the chance to recover, Art dashed towards him, leaving a trail of charred grass and earth behind him. Brother blinked behind him, concentrating lightning into his fist as he went in for a hook.
A frightening explosion occurred as their fists collided.
The shockwave created by father and Son sent the pair flying in opposite directions.
Getting back to his feet, Dad imbued his arm with fire as he looked down my brother.
They both stood in silence as they glared at the other.
Dad moved first at a speed fearsome for his size. Art readied himself as well. As my father got in range, he let out a flurry of precise jabs.
My brother weaved his form as if he was dancing, avoiding each strike with as minimal movement as he could manage.
'This is Amazing.'
I jumped up, pumping my fists in the air as my brother's lightning danced with my father's flames.
Their fight only grew in intensity.
Art continued to parry him as he slowly whittled down Dad, causing his swings and jabs to become dull and sloppy.
Seizing the opportunity, Art ducked under his swing and prepared for an uppercut. Just when his fist was about to make contact, my father swung up with his knee towards Arthur's jaw.
"Not too bad, Dad." Arthur smiled as his mana dimmed.
Both fighters stepped back, smiles beaming on both of them.
"That was awesome!!" I shouted, running toward them at full speed. "You were like zap! crack! whoosh!" I made exaggerated noises as I flailed my arms mimicking Arthur's moves.
He looked down at me with an embarrassed grin as he scratched his cheek.
I turned to Dad. "You too, Dad! Though you were more like boom than crackle!" I beamed up at him.
He laughed and scooped me up in one arm. "I'm glad you got to see your old man in action, Lias," he said, flexing his free arm and kissing his bicep dramatically.
I giggled at the show before glancing down at Arthur.
"Big Brother, can you teach me how to do that?" I slapped both hands together and lowered my head ever so slightly. "Pretty please...?"
Before Arthur could answer, Uncle Vincent jumped to his feet, eyes wide and face pale.
"H-he's a D-deviant!" he blurted out, pointing at Arthur as if he had just seen a ghost.
---
"Come on, El, you do it", I said, nudging my sister
"No, you should Li", she nudged me back
We both stood in front of the door to our big brother's room, staring at it like it was the entrance to a dragon's cave. I
"Fine," I huffed. "Since you're such a scaredy cat, your big brother will do it."
"I am not!" she hissed.
I ignored her and did it anyway.
His room was dark despite the time. We tiptoed our way in. Our older brother slept like a rock. I crept over and poked his shoulder.
"Big Bro... Big Bro!" I hissed. "Wake up!"
He didn't move.
I turned to Ellie and waved her over. "Let's both do it!"
Together, we poked and prodded until he finally blinked awake. He looked at us, confused, before yawning and sitting up.
"Good morning," he mumbled sleepily.
"Good morning!" we both said at the same time.
"Mum said to wake you up," I added proudly, standing up on his bed, with my hands on my hips.
Arthur smiled and reached out to pat our heads.
"Thanks, you two."
"Can we go eat now?" I asked, already grabbing his hand.
He nodded sluggishly. Ellie grabbed his other side, almost bouncing her way along. Sylvie, his fluffy not-quite-a-cat, followed in suit, yawning like her bond mate.
We soon got to the kitchen, and the smell made my stomach rumble right away. Bacon. Eggs. Toast. And Everything good in the world waited for us on porcelain.
Mum and Tabatha were cooking as they chatted. Lilia was sitting down at the table, her legs swinging, as she eagerly waited for breakfast.
"Morning." I nodded to them.
"G'morning!" Ellie chirped next to me.
"Kyu!" Sylvie added.
"Ah! Ellie and Lias managed to wake you up! I remembered having the hardest time waking you up, even when you were a baby, Art. I swear you slept like a log." My mother chuckled as she placed some eggs onto a large plate.
"Did you sleep well?" Tabitha smiled.
"I slept great, Mrs Helstea," Arthur answered as he took a seat opposite Lilia.
"Hi, Ellie, Lias! G-good morning, Arthur... " Lilia softly said, her voice trailing after meeting my brother's gaze.
I smiled, looking at my sister for her reaction.
She did the same.
We both cackled slightly as if we'd just heard the funniest joke in the world. I slid into a chair next to Arthur. Sylvie hopped onto his lap, hoping for food.
Mum sat at the table, carrying a plate of toast. Aunt Tabitha did the same with some eggs. They set them down as my mother looked at us. "Eat up quickly, you four, we're going into town after we finish, and I want us to get there as early as possible."
"Ohhhh." I looked down at my plate, suddenly regretting my choice to attend breakfast.
My brother, confused, tilted his head and went to speak, but was cut off by the excited screams of Lilia and Ellie.
---
I ran over to my brother and gripped one side of his robe. "Art, save me!" I asked, falling to my knees.
He reached down and looked at me with a confused expression. "Lias?"
"We need to go before-" I said, panicked.
"Art, Lias sweeties," my mother smiled as she gripped the back of my shirt.
'Ah, it's over...'
A look of Horror overcame my brother as reality sank in.
"Damn you, Brother", I said as I was dragged into the nearest store by my mother. Lilia and Aunt Tabitha did the same for him, with Ellie trailing behind with Sylvie in her arms.
I squinted as we stepped inside. The store was... sparkly. Everything was white, gold, or pink. Some weird perfume attacked my nose.
"We'll start with Elias," Mom declared, flipping through a rack of shirts.
"Noooo..." I moaned.
"Come now, dear, it'll be quick!" Aunt Tabitha said, clearly lying.
"You always say that..." I groaned before I turned to Arthur again. "Now's our chance. If we both run in opposite directions, they can't catch us both"
Arthur just sighed and started unbuttoning his shirt, like he'd accepted his fate.
Traitor.
The next half hour felt like a year. It was a blur of shirts, pants, shoes, and those weird little sleeveless jackets. I lost track after the seventh outfit.
"Cheer up, Lias." My brother smiled, tie raised to his neck like a dagger. "It's not that bad, it's quite fun." His eyes lied.
"Exactly." My mother nodded in approval. "You're going to look quite dapper."
I exhaled as she pulled another shirt over my head.
---
Eventually, we were granted our freedom, arriving back home, with my physical and mental strength depleted.
"I never thought shopping could be so utterly tiring," Art groaned, falling onto a nearby sofa.
I did the same, sitting next to my brother as his cat-like familiar freed itself from my sister's grasp and flew towards her exhausted master.
"Don't wanna go again..." I moaned out, kicking my feet in frustration.
Hearing our complaints, Uncle Vincent and Aunt Tabitha sat down across from us.
"HAHA! I heard you got beaten up by a bunch of women today, Arthur!"
He nodded feebly as Tabitha smirked at Mum, "I will admit that a woman's endurance can not be matched when they're out shopping." He just wryly refuted.
The sound of a doorbell sounded.
"Ah! Looks like she's here!" Vincent perked up.
Looking to my father, he seemed just as confused and told me that Vincent was the only one who knew what was going on.
Vincent came back, leading an elderly woman into the dining room.
"Rey, Alice, Arthur, I know you guys said that you want to put off school for later, but I just couldn't hold it in. Everyone. Meet Cynthia Goodsky! She's the Director of Xyrus Academy."
Noticing the slight twinge of annoyance on Art's face, he stood up and walked towards the pair. Vincent immediately continued, a bead of sweat rolling down his cheek, "Don't worry, I didn't bring her here to make you go to school right away. I just wanted her to meet you."
The Director gave him a smile I couldn't quite make out and held out her hand to my brother. "It's nice to finally meet you, Arthur."
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Hello everyone, Rius here,
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. See you tomorrow for Chapter 3.
Thank you to Lancelot Dragonroad for beta-reading and editing.
Rius Out.