"Astra, wait for me!"
A young girl with long, vibrant purple hair called out, her voice filled with excitement.
She stood with her small hands stretched out, watching a small boy with short silver hair and deep, light blue eyes darting away from her, giggling uncontrollably.
"Nooooo!"
The boy's laughter rang through the air as he sped up, his silver hair bouncing with every step. His light blue eyes twinkled with pure happiness, his small feet kicking up the soft green grass beneath him.
The girl couldn't help but smile at his playful antics, but then, a mischievous glint flickered in her eyes.
Snap!
She raised a hand and snapped her fingers.
"Uhh…?" The boy suddenly stopped mid-run, his expression shifting from gleeful to confused.
His feet hovered slightly above the ground, and he looked down, his eyes widening as he realized he wasn't touching the grass anymore.
"Ehh…! Big sis, that's not fair!" He pouted as he crossed his arms, turning his face away from her.
The girl approached him, a soft sigh escaping her lips. She reached out and gently tapped his pouted cheeks, puffing them up slightly.
"Nihihi," she giggled, her voice playful as she cupped him in her arms.
"Nooo—!"
Smack!
The boy's eyes widened in surprise as he felt her soft lips press gently against his cheek. His body squirmed, and he wiggled away, trying to break free from her grip.
And then...
Smack!
She kissed his cheek again.
"Nooo, stop!"
"Hehe," She laughed mischievously, "If you stop moving, I'll stop kissing you."
His movements instantly stopped, making the young girl's smile twitch slightly.
"Aww… you don't like your Big Sister anymore?" she teased, pouting as she gently wiped an imaginary tear from her eye with her finger.
The boy stared at her, his tiny brows knitting together. Then, without saying a word, he turned his head stubbornly to the side.
"Hmpf! You can't trick me again…!" he declared firmly.
But as soon as her fake sniffles began, his small face softened in worry. His lips trembled as he nervously bit down on them.
His gaze shifted back toward her, and he caught the slight smirk playing on her lips.
"Ah! You tricked me again!" he huffed, pouting once more as he started squirming in her grip.
Yet, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break free.
The girl's smile grew wider as she gently rubbed her cheek against his.
"I love you, my little brother," she murmured softly, tightening her hold on him.
"I hate you too!" the boy retorted, clearly trying to sound tough.
"Really?" She chuckled gently, ruffling his silver hair.
"Well, I'll still keep loving you, though."
With a playful sigh, she finally set him back on the ground.
"Happy now?" she asked with a teasing smile.
"Mhmpf!" He swung his head stubbornly to the side, closing his eyes and crossing his arms.
A short silence fell between them.
The girl stood quietly, waiting expectantly for some response.
But the boy refused to meet her gaze. Instead, he kept his arms crossed, a pout firmly planted on his face.
Just when it seemed like he wouldn't say anything, he opened one eye slightly, peeking at her through his lashes.
"I love you too..." he muttered in a nonaudible voice.
The girl's eyes lit up instantly.
"Awww, I knew it!" she giggled, swooping him into the air once again, this time with a charming, playful smile.
But this time, the boy didn't say anything.
"Mhm..."
Carefully shifting him into a more comfortable position, the girl lowered herself to the grass.
She gently used a bit of magic to create a soft cushion beneath them, ensuring they didn't hit the ground too roughly.
Both of them lay side by side on the grass, gazing up at the clear, blue sky stretching above them.
After a few moments, the girl finally spoke, breaking the silence between them.
"Astra… do you believe in our Heavenly God?"
The boy tilted his head, looking at her with curiosity but nodded.
"And why do you believe in her?" she asked softly.
"Because… she brought us to life?" His small voice trembled slightly.
The girl nodded thoughtfully.
"That is indeed true. But sometimes don't you feel that someone is watching you, playing the role of your guardian angel?"
The boy blinked at her words, having a thoughtful expression.
"Actually... yeah. When I didn't have any toys to play with, they magically appeared in my room, and that also happened with food when I was very hungry!"
The boy's eyes lit up.
"Was it her?!" he asked excitedly.
The girl chuckled at the boy's naivety, despite keeping it hidden.
"Yeah, it must have been her," she rubbed his small head.
"Remember... Aestrea... she will always be watching over you as long as you keep believing in her," the young girl muttered softly, brushing his cheek with her thumb.
"Mhmn! I'll always believe in the Heavenly God!"
As soon as he spoke those words, the faint silhouette of the moon seemed to have flickered in his precious sapphire eyes.
Shining dimly.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Meeting his gaze, Lucas couldn't help but freeze. His heart pounded in his chest, loud enough to drown out the world around him—thump!
Thump, thump, thump!
A wave of warmth rushed over him, but at the same time, something strange seemed to press down on his chest, making beads of sweat form along his forehead.
The air around him felt thick, heavy, like something unseen was pressing down on him.
Time seemed to have been frozen.
His eyes were locked with Aestrea's, unable to look away.
Faintly, he noticed the subtle symbol of the moon glowing ever so slightly, casting a strange light between them.
The feeling was terrifying—almost dangerous.
[LUCAS, WAKE UP!]
"Ugh...?!"
Lucas shook his head instinctively as he heard a sudden shout in his mind, breaking out of the strange trance.
At the same moment, Aestrea finally stood, turning away from the grass and stepping upright, with his back to Lucas.
"Let me ask you one thing, Lucas."
Aestrea parted his lips, and his voice came, calm, almost indifferent
"Would you rather destroy a whole country to save your loved ones, or let your loved one die?" His question was truly bizarre.
It didn't fit the actual situation, but Lucas felt that Aestra was really serious about the question he had just asked.
Lucas frowned deeply, and yet, without hesitation, he answered.
"Neither. If I believe enough in our Goddess, the Heavenly God, I will be able to make sure that none of the situations occur," he declared in a swift and decisive manner.
"She will give me a sign when something like that is going to happen."
Aestrea remained silent for a few seconds, but then, a small, subtle smile appeared at the corners of his lips. He chuckled softly, a sound that didn't feel mocking but rather… amused by Lucas's words.
"How naive," Aestrea murmured, shaking his head lightly before he walked away.
But as he did so, his voice reached out to Lucas once again.
"Don't trust your eyes, Lucas."
"Trust your heart."
Fwoop...
He vanished from his sight, leaving Lucas standing there, alone.
[...]
"What a strange guy…" Lucas muttered to himself, scratching his head, trying to make sense of it all.
He glanced down at the soft green grass, feeling the lingering presence of Aestrea's presence. Slowly, he pushed himself up, brushing the dirt off his pants.
"System, check his favorability…"
[Aestrea Moon—Favorability: 49]
"What? It's already that high?" Lucas's eyes widened in surprise.
He hadn't expected that at all.
A small smirk crept onto his face as he realized something.
"So it's easier to build favor with him than I thought…" His brow furrowed slightly, deep in thought.
"Then all I need is just a little nudge, right?"
A faint smile tugged at his lips. All he had to do was be a little more friendly, a little more genuine… and it would be enough.
Right?
—
"Arghh... d-did I pass out?"
Aestrea's voice was groggy, his eyes slowly fluttering open.
His body felt heavy, really heavy as if he had run an entire marathon unstop with a normal human body.
He could feel sweat sticking to his forehead as he slowly walked to the new dormitory given to him by the academy.
Somehow, though, he knew exactly where it was.
When he finally reached the dorm, he fumbled for the student keycard he had been given earlier.
Beep!
With a soft beep, the door unlocked, and he pushed it open.
He stepped inside, feeling the cool air against his damp skin, and made his way to the bathroom.
Shhhhhh…
The sound of the shower coming to life echoed softly as warm water poured over him.
The heat was soothing, a gentle cascade that melted away the sweat and eased the ache in his muscles.
"Why did I pass out... and why am I so tired?" Aestrea pondered to himself, feeling the fresh warm water trickle down his body.
He just remembered talking to Lucas, and when he uttered the word 'myself'… and then—everything had gone blank.
The next thing he knew, he was waking up here, by the dorm building.
"Damn it… is this part of the side effects of having this mana physique?" He frowned, shutting his eyes and focusing inward, feeling the subtle currents of his mana.
But everything seemed normal… at least for now.
"...Sigh..."
With a small sigh, Aestrea reached for the soap, scrubbing his body. He washed off the sweat, drying himself off quickly before pulling on a simple outfit.
"Lumi?" he called out softly.
And immediately, a small green light filled the room as Lumi appeared out of thin air.
"Master~"
She walked to him in small steps before pressing her tiny body against his waist and rubbing her cheek against his chest.
Aestrea smiled faintly, his weariness easing slightly as he reached down, gently patting Lumi's head.
He lifted her up with both hands and settled into the soft new bed, cradling her in his arms.
"It's time Lumi..." He clutched his fist and then opened it, revealing a small ball made of high-density mana, containing a very small purple energy inside of it.
Lumi tilted her head, her big green eyes watching him curiously, but she opened her mouth willingly as he extended his fingers toward her.
Without hesitation, she swallowed the tiny ball and then licked her lips.
"Now, it's time to wait for a few minutes..." Aestrea muttered, collapsing down on his bed as his gaze was locked with Lumi's figure.
Leaning against his legs, she closed her eyes as a faint symbol appeared on her forehead. It had a ruby-shaped form, and it started to glow slightly.
Slowly, the mana in the surroundings started being absorbed by Lumi, as the glow of the ruby started increasing slightly.
Her body started floating into the air as the glow of the ruby enveloped her whole body and took the purple color.
Crack, crack!
Tiny fissures seemed to open in the space around her, and the light surged brighter. A faint pentagram formed briefly on Lumi's back, glowing brightly before quickly fading away.
Thud!
Lumi's body fell gently back onto the bed, the light fading alongside the ruby-shaped emblem on her forehead.
"Agh!"
At the same time, Aestrea felt a strange energy coursing throughout his whole body, making him clench his teeth tight.
The pain lasted for a few minutes before it disappeared.
[You now have a chance of awakening 'Void' as your second element.]
The system, who rarely appeared, decided to appear revealing quite the important information to Aestrea.
"That's possible...?" Aestrea's eyes widened significantly.
"Gosh, you're my lucky star!" He scooped her up by the waist and lifted her into the air like she was the most precious thing in the world.
"Master?"
Lumi blinked, tilting her head in confusion, her big green eyes staring at him. But seeing the joy on her master's face, she couldn't help but giggle softly.
Aestrea smiled gently at her reaction, before slowly setting her down once again.
She didn't hesitate—immediately, she cuddled into his chest, her small legs coiling around his, like a playful snake.
"Hehe..."
She let out a small chuckle as she nuzzled her face on his chest.
As she did so, Aestrea blinked twice before yawning.
He was still tired and now needed to sleep.