How could it be… my brother?
The question haunted me as I moved my feet with much effort. My previously pristine, white clothes had been soiled beyond belief. My face was devoid of the luster it previously glowed with.
All that remained was an excess of shock and disbelief.
The boy who was killed during his duties on the frontlines facing the initial brunt of the War Of Broken Oaths. That boy had now stood before me, locked eyes with me, and had run away from me.
The same eyes.
The same face.
The same expression.
Nothing had changed, except perhaps me. I wasn't certain if he recognized me, but I certainly recognized him. Did he even have the memories of back then? Had he also transmigrated to Melisande?
I wasn't able to sort my thoughts, as an unbearable headache suddenly assaulted my temples, rendering me useless.
Why was he stalking me? Did he know who I was? Did he know who 'he' was? Was he here on some kind of mission? Most of all, did I have the opportunity to reunite with my brother? How would I find him?
Yes, how would I find him?
Restlessness encroached in my mind, but I couldn't calm myself. The man whom I had just seen was someone who had died several years ago due to the idiocy of the War Of Broken Oaths.
I quickly took a warm shower before changing into my night clothes. Turning the lights off, I lay in my bed, my body relaxed but my mind racing at incredible speeds. The temples throbbed as I massaged them.
It was overwhelming, the sensation of guilt.
I tried to convince myself I couldn't have changed the outcome.
It wasn't in my hands.
After rolling around in my bed for a few minutes, I stepped onto the balcony, releasing a sigh as I was comforted by the stars. Today, they felt almost surreal… They felt familiar as if I'd lived among them my entire life.
I felt part of the night sky.
Sitting on my chair, I took deep breaths, my eyes glued to the white dots.
At that moment, something changed.
The memories of my past disappeared like sand from an open palm. My mind came to a halt, and my body turned rigid like ice. A cold sensation rushed through my veins, a sense of comfort enveloping my soul.
I stared at the abyss.
And it stared back.
As our eyes locked, I felt a connection.
Wait…
Arcana!
I desperately tried to grasp at the familiar sensation rushing through my body, but that only made it back away in fear. Perhaps noticing my ferocious reaction, the energy vanished, leaving me dry.
"No!" I screamed.
I tried to grasp at the feeling, but it seemed the harder I pulled, the farther it got away from me. Eventually, I'd lost all feeling. My body jerked back to normal, and a sense of dread now replaced the comfort I'd relished.
I fell to my knees…
The stars.
They were my solace.
All night, I tried to grasp at it, but to no avail.
***
I was devoid of Arcana.
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't maintain a strong hold on the fleeting sensation that stars brought me. I even tried being delicate, slowly allowing myself to embrace the feeling, but nothing seemed to work.
I released a sigh as I left my mansion, heading towards Stallard Hope yet again.
Ian had gone ahead for a certain club he'd enrolled in.
As I walked, my eyes inadvertently fell upon a certain opening through the bushes. It was the opening through which my brother had run, the place where I'd seen his face. Releasing a sigh, I continued on my way.
As I arrived at Mr. Unger's class, I stared at the door.
Pushing it open, I stepped inside. There was no hurling chalk, and no demeaning words or expressions. A cheerful classroom, all the students mingling among themselves carelessly. Rutley sat silently, staring at me.
I spotted crimson streaks running through his eyes.
I smiled at him, which morphed into a light chuckle as I saw him shudder. I winked, arriving at my seat.
"Good morning," I said to the girl beside me.
"Good morning."
"I forgot to ask for your name yesterday."
"Hailey. Hailey Jones."
"Ryan Ashford," I replied, shaking her hand as I sat down. Mr. Unger arrived shortly afterwards, dressed in a similar trench coat. He rambled on about the Dragons' period of seclusion, and how the humans were affected by it.
We had the mini-test he talked about…
I received a horrible mark…
But history didn't matter much to me.
After class ended, I began heading towards my Basic Combat Class, but was stopped by a certain somebody. I stared at him for a few seconds, observing his injuries from yesterday with an expression of amusement.
Seriously, I was still worried about the taste in my mouth.
Or was it purely because I was in someone else's body?
It didn't matter to me. I needed someone to blame.
"What do you want?" I asked in a cold tone, my eyes conveying a wordless threat to the boy who stood before me.
"I… I'm sorry."
Oh.
He was here to apologize.
What kind of third-rate young master was this!? I expected some kind of chain reaction, where his master would attack me, then his master's master would join the conflict. What kind of antagonist was this?
I was somewhat disappointed.
I wouldn't get enough of a challenge.
Wait…
I suddenly got an idea.
"I don't accept your apology." As I said those words, I stepped forward, raising my hands with a devious expression plastered across my face. "Unless you do something for me."
"A–Anything!"
What kind of antagonist was this!?
I expected some kind of scene where I would slowly break his mind into pieces before getting him to submit to me!
"Okay. Help me find someone."
"Who?"
"Hudson Hawk."
My brother.