Ten years later, in the city called Lost Ring:
*Chirp* *Chirp*
The faint sound of birds chirping began to resonate as the sun slowly appeared. The city, still shrouded in the mist, was slowly coming alive.
Somewhere in this city, more precisely, in the room of a rather large apartment, the soft sound of breathing could be heard.
On the bed, a rather interesting sight could be seen. One young man and a rather beautiful girl were entwined and completely naked. The state of the room clearly told that what happened was not something a minor should see.
The young man was a sight to behold. Rather than saying that he was handsome, a more appropriate description would be beautiful. So much that even some girls were jealous of him. He had a rather effeminate face and long raven black hair that seemed to shine thanks to reflecting the light.
His expression thought was in no way calm, and his eyes trembled briefly before opening.
"Once again, I dreamed of that day," Said the boy as his red eyes scanned the room.
'Where did I end up again? Or rather... With whom did I end up again?'
He looked at the girl he absolutely didn't remember, before slowly getting up and putting his clothes.
He gave her a last glance and slowly walked out of the room.
'Well, I might not remember her, but she sure as hell won't forget me.'
He calmly thought as he remembered what happened last night. He hadn't been in a good mood because of what his sister wanted to do today. As such, he went all out and showed that unknown girl a totally new world.
"*Sigh* Seems like today might not be such a shitty day after all."
After saying that, he went out.
----------
After going home and washing up, he decided to take the bus in order to go toward the testing center.
He never understood why, despite all the new technologies, the bus still looked like those created in the past. It didn't even hover.
Once he entered, he searched around for a free place. Which was rather easy since the number of people present wasn't very high. He took a seat far in the back and decided to browse through the information he needed by using his ring.
A large screen suddenly formed in the air. It was a screen that only he and those he allowed to could see.
'Banzai to new technology.'
He thought jokingly as he began to read the information shown.
Once he finished doing so, he closed his eyes and began summarizing what he learned.
Blue Star academy. A school for those gifted with a blessing. The school, while not the only one of his kind, was, without a doubt, one of the best. More precisely, it was one of the 9 "star" academies. Their goal? Teaching the kids how to use their blessings better.
Of course, not all the blessed could enroll. Only the cream of the top was accepted, and today was the day the test of enrolment for the first year will start.
The test was hard, no, simply saying that it was hard would be an insult. The difficulty was insane. As such, while the content of the test varies each year, there is only one constant. The success rate was never higher than 10%.
'Sigh!! This stupid sister of mine is really exaggerating. Why do I have to go there ?'.
Sol thought as he became mildly irritated. After all, while the star academy could boast of incredible teaching staff, he refused to believe that they could be better than the teachers he could have in his family if he set his mind into training once again. Going there was simply a waste of time.
The world was directed by many powers. Those powers could be divided into minor and major ones. The power of constellations was one of the major kinds of powers, and the fourteen families could be seen as the kings of the holders of that kind of power. Those born with a constellation could use the power of said constellation. Each constellation power was a reflection of their myth.
As a member of the house of Heracles, which was one of the two special families, his blessing was even more absurd, and there are few things he could learn in a school, at least that is what he was thinking.
'Even if she wanted me to attend so badly, she could have allowed me to use the quota to enter rather than forcing me to take that test.'
He closed his eyes as he began to think about it. His sister never did anything useless. Something was fishy.
*kulululu* *kulululu*.
While he was trying to decipher, a ringing tone sounded in his mind. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at the name that was flashing in the back of his mind.
"Accept the call."
The moment he did so, another blue screen appeared out of thin air. It was just an audio call, so only the profile picture depicting a very large serpent could be seen.
He began to talk,
"Hello, my dear and beautiful sister, to what I owe such a delightful surprise ??"
He was pleased to receive a call from her. After all, she was the only one who didn't fear him. Still, he had to admit that she was a true bitch sometimes.
"Oh...my dear brother, why such enthusiasm? Were you perhaps thinking ill of me again? " Said an even sweeter coming from the screen.
A shiver went through his spine. If he didn't know her power, he would wonder if she could read his thoughts. But one of the rules he learned was, even if you are caught red-handed, never, ever admit it.
"How could this be? I can only thank the stars for having such a beautiful and caring sister," said the boy with a drenched back.
"Humph...such honeyed words…" While those words seemed to be grumbling, he could naturally perceive a concealed happiness in them,
'Hehe~! So easy.'
While internally worrying about how easy to fool his sister was, he continued the conversation.
"So I am pleased about it, but why they call?",
"Simple !! Remember, today is the day of the test."
"Yeah.. and so ?"
"Will you try to fail it ?"
"....",
He couldn't answer; he could only lament that his sister knew him too much.
"Seems like I was right."
"...You really know me well, sis."
"Of course. You're my most precious family. Say... do you still think what happened that day is your fault ?"
Those words brought back sad and painful memories to the young man. He couldn't help but think about what happened that day, ten years ago. While his memory of that day was still vague, three things stayed in his mind; a sea of fire, the smell of burned flesh, and the pain...
"..ther, ...rother, brother !!"
Her scream brought him back from his recollection, "Sorry, what were you saying ?" Was all he could say as he tried to speak as cheerfully as possible despite his cramped smile.
" It was an accident..."
"I know. So? It being an accident doesn't change the final result" He did his best not to shout. Doing so to someone who cared for you and was doing her best for you was just despicable. "The reason doesn't matter. I nearly killed myself. Worse, I nearly dragged you and the others down with me."
His voice was frighteningly calm. But a deep sadness could be perceived.
"Brother..."
"My arrogance made me try to use a power I wasn't able to control. That day, if that bastard of a father wasn't present, you'd have died because of me!! " After saying that, he simply seemed to crumble in his seat as he covered his face with his hands.
Even though he didn't move, his heart was beating like crazy. Power was coursing through his body. A simple thought from him and all those present in this bus would die, reduced to ash. Such a scary thought and the memory of the incredible pain that would follow were a few of the reasons he always did his best to seal his ability.
Some minute after calming his heart, he began to speak, "Sister. I am really tired. I know I am close to the outbreak period and that it should be the best period to train seriously. But… I… I just don't care anymore. Anyway, even if I don't train, I won't fall too far."
"Take it as a favor."
The sudden change of subject made him stop a little.
"What?"
"I know you don't want to do it. But let see. Pass the test seriously. That's just all I ask. Just this once; just this time; go all out. Show me the nearly forgotten light and then win first place."
"After that?"
"If you win, I won't mind if you immediately quit school."
"....I accept," After a moment of hesitation, he decided to accept. He knew how stubborn his sister could be and that once she made a decision, not even the elders could force her to take another one.
Also, he simply owed too much to her. How could he refuse her when she was nearly begging?
"Ok, no going back?"
"Don't worry. I always keep my words."
"I believe you. Ah !! and before I forget, aunt Anastasia told me to inform you that your little fiancée was already enrolled in the school, so work hard to meet her., Ciao! Ahahahah !!"
And with a last laugh worthy of a B rated villain, she hanged up without even giving him the time to form an answer.
Sighing, he once again closed his eyes and thought about the girl who always followed behind his back with a silly smile all those years ago. He couldn't help but feel an annoying headache while he waited for the bus to arrive at the destination.
- - - - - -
Meanwhile, in another place, two people were seated face to face in a restaurant.
One was a beautiful black-haired red-eyed girl who seemed to have recently stepped into adulthood. Her clothes were composed of black shorts which stopped a little above her knees and a black tank top over which was a black Pullover. A golden ring similar to that of Sol could be seen on the annular of her right hand while the image of a snake eating its tail was imprinted on the back of her left hand.
The other was a handsome middle-aged man. His red iris and hair were a sight to behold. He seemed perfect in the suit he was wearing. He was Minos, leader of the Heracles family.
Despite the difference in hair color. It was clear that they were related.
"So, it worked." Said Minos with a smile on his face.
His daughter, Helene, looked at him with mild disgust before saying, "Stop smiling. It makes me want to punch you."
Minos acted as if he heard nothing and continued to smile while looking at her. She knew that he would never drop that infuriating smile, so, rather than wasting their time, she chose to answer his question
"Yeah, at least I managed to convince him not to fuck up the test intentionally. Still, even with his lack of training and knowledge, you should understand how talented he is. The chances of him not getting the first place are rather low."
"I know," Was all the answer he gave.
"If you know, why bother making me do all this?"
"It's time for him to get his head out of his ass."
"Ah !! don't tell me you want to play as the father after all those years? Did you forget that everything that happened was your fault?" The bitterness in her voice couldn't escape his hearing. Still, once again, he acted as if he heard nothing and, with a little laugh, said, "Don't worry, don't worry, everything will go well this time."
Helene fell silent as she began to observe her father more carefully. Finally,
"Sigh! I understand I will trust you this one time.."
Simply accepting the situation as it was. She also wished to see Sol become happier.
"Thank..."
"Let me finish. I will trust you for the LAST time. if anything bad happens to him once again, I swear that I will kill you."
Gone was the sweetness she used with her beloved brother; her voice and expression were cold and emotionless. So cold that even though she was his daughter, and was far weaker than him, he couldn't help but shiver a little because he knew, he knew exactly what she was able to do if she set her mind in killing someone. Her nickname of [DEVIL SNAKE] was given for a reason. He also knew that she would go all out against him if he really failed this time. All he could do was try to calm the situation.
"You really like your brother a little too much."
"Of course. In my eyes, he is my family, my one, and only family member. You? Our only link is our blood. I dared to kill those bastards ten years ago, and I will not hesitate to do the same with you.."
"... I see.". Once she said all she wanted, she got up, gave him one last glance filled with disgust and loathing, and began to walk away without a single goodbye.
Minos, now by himself, could only bitterly smile and look up at the sky.
"Blue star academy. My dear daughter doesn't worry, this time, I'm sure he will find a solution to his fear."
After mumbling such words, he paid the bills and went on his way while humming a slow tune at a low voice.
As he walked, his shadow seemed to become bigger and bigger until a man with a white mask on his face and the clothes of a butler walked out of it.
"Number eight... Go to the test center." Said Minos without turning,
"Yes, my master." Answered the man called eight, and without adding more, he went back in the shadow….