"Woah... I thought I died again."
Elijah muttered as he stepped out of the dining room, with Aliyah trailing beside him.
Aliyah sighed dramatically while rubbing her temples. "Hah... if I knew Father was in that kind of mood, I wouldn't have bothered showing up."
"Wait, you mean he's always not like that?"
"Not exactly," she replied. "Some days he just silently stares at us like judging our whole personality. Other days, he decides to narrate every flaw in our existence."
"Charming. Truly the father of the year." Elijah quipped.
"Stupid ass brother,"
"What did I do??!"
One moment she was worried for him, the next she was throwing out insults like they were terms of endearment. Was this... normal sibling behavior? He wouldn't know — he'd never had one before.
People said having a sibling was like having an arch nemesis. Was that accurate?
His thoughts were cut off when a figure in the hallway caught both of their attention.
A young man sat on the ground outside a door, with golden hair and red eyes. His neat features gave him the kind of face you'd expect to see on a storybook prince, though his clothes leaned more towards commoner simplicity.
Elijah squinted at the hologram hovering above the stranger's head.
[Dae-hyun | Main Character]
Elijah froze.
'It's him?!' His mind screamed. 'Ah, of course, the MC—main character energy radiating off him like sunlight.'
Dae-hyun's eyes lit up as they locked with Elijah's. He stood and hurried over, his expression positively glowed.
"Brother-in-law!"
Elijah recoiled. 'What do you mean, Brother-in-law?!'
Dae-hyun grasped Elijah's hands, practically sparkling with enthusiasm. "Is your head okay? I heard what happened!"
'((Hey hey hey, you shouldn't start with is your head okay, paraphrase it!))'
"Don't stress him out," Aliyah interrupted, arms crossed. "He's already working with, like, one brain cell. Now he's lost that too and forgotten everything."
"Did you just say something?" Elijah asked, tilting his head as if straining to hear. A teasing grin played on his lips. "Sorry, your voice is so tiny. Maybe try growing a bit taller so your words can actually reach my ears?"
"HA?!" Aliyah snapped, glaring daggers at him. Without hesitation, she raised her foot to stomp on his.
But Elijah, already anticipating her move, slid his foot out of the way just in time.
Aliyah's shoe came down hard on an uneven brick in the floor instead, sending a jolt of pain up her leg.
"ARGH!" she yelped, hopping slightly.
"Well, well, well. Look at that — karma is punctual today."
"You-"
Their bickering came to an abrupt halt when they heard laughter.
Both siblings turned toward Dae-hyun, who was trying—and failing—to stifle his chuckles.
"What's so funny?" Aliyah grumbled, still nursing her bruised pride.
Dae-hyun smiled warmly, shaking his head. "I was worried everything might change after Elijah lost his memories." He paused for a while before shaking his head. "But I'm glad. You two are still... you."
Elijah felt a flicker of embarrassment, unsure how to respond to such a genuine comment.
For a second he wanted to tell them that he wasn't the real Elijah. Or rather, his existence was simply because of that devil.
Right... this moment of peace is something he should not own.
He rather felt guilty.
A beat of silence passed before Dae-hyun broke it.
"Hey Elijah, let's spar again?"
****
'Will I win? Probably not.' Elijah thought, gripping the wooden sword.
'Whatever, I'll just lose and get this over with.'
Though Elijah just said that from his mind, the way he held the wooden sword, tells another story otherwise.
The length and weight of the wooden sword felt oddly familiar. It felt almost like a shinai — the bamboo sword he used during high school kendo practice.
'Ah, I kind of miss those days,' he mused, the corner of his mouth twitched upward briefly. 'If I didn't escape from home... I wonder... would I still continue practicing Kendo?"
In the novel, he did mention Dae-hyun learning Kendo from his previous world. Though it was more like to give his character a relatable quirk.
Therefore, when they both took their stances, Dae-hyun paused, seeing how similar they held their sword.
'Yeah,' Elijah thought, his grip tightening on the hilt, left-hand firm at the base and right hand relaxed above it. 'We're the same. But different.'
"Start!" Aliyah's sharp voice rang out, signaling the match began.
Dae-hyun moved first, sliding forward with a swift strike aimed at Elijah's centerline.
In response, Elijah sidestepped just enough to meet the attack, letting his wooden blade deflect the blow with a resounding thwack.
'He's quick, but...' Elijah noted, but his thoughts wandered to somewhere else. 'Weak...'
'I wonder if he could tell...'
'You willingly came here with a wish... that's why you are reincarnated here.'
Dae-hyun pressed forward, his sword moved in a blur as he targeted Elijah's head.
Elijah reacted instinctively, stepping back to raise his guard. The wooden blades clashed once again.
'...but I was dragged here out of my will.'
Dae-hyun shifted his weight, retreating briefly before advancing with a feint, his sword now aiming low at Elijah's ribs.
Elijah anticipated it, countering by angling his blade diagonally toward Dae-hyun's torso. The tip hovered near his opponent's face, forcing Dae-hyun to hesitate.
For a fleeting moment, their eyes met.
'You're a character born from my pen...'
Dae-hyun snapped out of it and attempted to parry, but his movement faltered.
Their swords collided at an awkward angle, and with a sharp crack, Dae-hyun's blade flew from his grip, landing with a dull thud.
'And I...'
Elijah's sword stopped just short of Dae-hyun's neck. With eyes that looked empty, rather than feeling happy or anything.
'Am a real human being.'
"Elijah?"
The sound of his name pulled him from his spiraling thoughts.
It was coming from Dae-hyun's voice who looked concerned rather than having a face of defeat or surprised at his win.
From the sidelines, Aliyah's stunned voice broke the silence.
"Eh... no way... he won?!"
Elijah blinked and suddenly felt aware of the atmosphere around him.
The sword in his hand felt heavier, the weight of the moment sank in.
"Damn... what did I do?..."