After the sisters left the room, only they remained.
"Dear, how are you feeling?" asked Mr. Kagenou to his wife.
"Well... I am not as weak as this~," she replied.
"Mom, is that my little brother?" asked their daughter innocently.
"Yes, darling. They are your little brothers~," Mrs. Kagenou answered.
"What's his name, mom?" asked the little girl.
"The one on the left is Shido Kagenou," Mrs. Kagenou said.
"And the one on the right... let's wait for your father to decide~," she continued.
"Hmmm... How about naming him Cid Kagenou? What do you think?" Mr. Kagenou suggested.
"Perfect~," she smiled.
"Welcome to this world, my dear," Mr. Kagenou said with a happy smile.
They both looked at their newborn babies with joy. Their daughter was excited to become an older sister.
---
Time Skip
POV 1
It's been 10 years since I was born in this world.
My name is now Shido Kagenou.
I have an older sister and a twin brother.
I look much like I did in my past life, but the difference now is that my hair is jet black.
This world is home to many different races such as Elves, Demi-humans, and many more.
Currently, my twin brother, my older sister, and I are training in the yard.
In front of us is a very sturdy stone.
My mom and dad are watching us.
They say this is some sort of talent test.
My sister successfully shattered the stone with her sword aura.
As for my twin brother, he seems to be pretending again.
Throughout our lives, I've noticed that my brother, Cid Kagenou, always pretends to be weak.
I know that he has high skills and potential, but I don't understand why he pretends to be weak.
Now, it's my turn for the sword test.
Honestly, I'm quite skilled in swordsmanship, particularly with the long sword and two blades.
I'm more proficient with a katana, though it may sound silly.
But that's the truth~
Sigh... Anyway, it's my turn.
I quickly adopt the stance of a sword master used in this world.
After getting into position, I immediately strike the stone with my sword.
I didn't use mana at all.
Most people in this world can sense and activate mana by the age of 5.
But I was able to feel and activate mana when I was just 1 year old.
I'm not sure if it's because I'm a reincarnator or if it's just talent.
Well, let's not focus on that for now. Let's concentrate on the test.
As I thrust my sword into the stone, as expected, my sword shattered into pieces.
I looked towards my parents.
I saw them sigh, knowing exactly why.
The reason is clear. Cid and I probably won't be the heirs to the Kagenou family, but rather, it will be our older sister.
To be honest, I don't even want to be the head of the family.
"That's enough for today," said Dad.
"Alright~," Mom responded.
"Now, it's time for lunch~," she smiled.
We all nodded and went inside to wash up before eating.
After cleaning ourselves, we went to the dining room, where the family chefs had prepared a variety of delicious dishes.
We sat down at our places and enjoyed the meal.
---
After lunch, I went outside for some fresh air.
I found the perfect spot—a tree with lush leaves.
I lay down on the trunk of the tree.
Thinking back, when I was 10 years old, I once caught Cid sneaking out of the house late at night.
Naturally, I followed him.
FLASHBACK
I had just returned to my room with Cid after being called away by nature's call.
When I reached our room, I saw Cid sneaking out through the window.
What was he doing? I had no idea...
Curious about his actions, I followed him quietly.
I tracked him all the way to a dense forest.
In the forest, I saw some light indicating a campfire, signaling that a group of people was camping there.
I crept closer to see what was going on.
As I peeked into the forest, I saw Cid—my twin brother—laughing maniacally as he massacred a group of bandits.
Without hesitation, I decided to confront him.
---
AUTHOR POV
"Cid, what are you doing here alone?" I asked, catching him red-handed.
"E-eh... Shido... I-I can explain!" Cid said, a cold sweat covering his body.
Then Cid explained that he wanted to become the ruler of darkness.
"Hah... You want to be like Batman?" I said without thinking.
'Oh no, that was a stupid thing to say!' I thought.
"Wait, you know Batman too!?" Cid asked in shock.
"Also?" I responded, confused.
"Are you a reincarnate too!?" Cid asked eagerly.
"Yeah, I am a reincarnate," he admitted.
"I see now," I nodded.
Then we both laughed together.
From then on, our bond grew even stronger.
---
BACK TO PRESENT
Now, Cid and I are plundering the results of the bandit's robbery.
Cid is walking around searching for treasure in other parts of the area.
"Hmm, they have some decent stuff~," I said while rummaging through one of the treasure chests.
Then something caught my eye—a small treasure box inside one of the chests.
"Hmm? What's this?" I asked as I picked up the small box.
Curious, I opened it.
Inside was an object I recognized—a strange, cool-looking rubik's cube.
I absentmindedly touched the rubik's cube.
The moment my hand touched it, a sharp needle-like object pierced my hand, causing it to bleed heavily.
"Ugh, I didn't know this rubik had a needle!" I groaned in pain, dropping it reflexively.
The moment I released it, the rubik's cube began to emit a dazzling blue light.
I had to close my eyes because of the brightness.
When I opened my eyes again, I saw that the rubik's cube had somehow transformed into a katana with a jet-black blade and a dragon-shaped hilt.
"W-wait a second, wasn't this a rubik, not a katana?!" I exclaimed in shock.
After understanding what had happened, I realized I had obtained an artifact.
I immediately transformed the katana back into a cube keychain and tucked it into my pocket.
---
After searching for a while, I finally found Cid by a broken cart.
He was staring at what seemed to be a rotting corpse, but it felt like some sort of dark magic power.
'Wait, is that a rotting corpse? No, it's still breathing,' I thought.
To confirm, I asked Cid.
"Cid, what did you find?" I asked, intrigued.
"This? Maybe someone suffering from a mysterious disease," Cid explained.
"A mysterious disease? Is this what I think it is?" I asked.
"Yeah, it's just like what you're thinking," Cid said seriously.
"When infected with this disease, the victim's body will slowly be consumed by dark magic, and it's called possession," he continued.
"Don't churches accept people possessed?" I asked.
"No, in reality, they kill anyone who's possessed just for their experiments," Cid said, his voice grave.
At first, I didn't believe it, but the serious tone in Cid's voice made me realize he wasn't joking.
I felt disgusted by the church's teachings in this world.
'Hah, how vile!' I thought with disgust.
"So, what are you going to do with this person?" I asked.
"Hmm, maybe I'll experiment on them~," Cid said excitedly.
As Cid touched the bars, a burst of magical energy hit him.
"I knew it, this must be some uncontrolled mana overflow," Cid muttered.
"You sure know a lot, Cid," I said in surprise.
"Alright, I'll help you," I said, feeling sorry for the possessed person.
We spent the next two hours working together on the operation.
The rotting corpse slowly transformed into a beautiful Elf girl with blonde hair and blue eyes.
"What... My body was almost decomposing... and then... I'm back?!" she said in shock.
I didn't realize it, but I muttered, "She's so beautiful."
"Light, what's wrong with you?" Cid asked, confused.
(A/N: Cid is Shadow, and Shido is Light)
"N-nothing, Shadow," I said quickly, turning my head.
"Heh..."
"*Guh*"
Noticing that she was naked, I hurriedly offered my jacket to her.
"Here, wear this. It's pretty cold," I said, draping the jacket over her.
"Ah... Thank you," she said, grateful.
"Did you two save me?" she asked.
"I-I don't know how to thank you! I'll devote my entire life to repay this kindness," she said.
"No... You don't need to do that," Cid replied.
"Hey, don't say that. She's probably alone now. How about we hire her as our personal maid?" I suggested.
"That's a good idea, but I doubt we're strong enough to defeat the Demon King Diablo alone," Cid replied, his Chunibyo disease acting up again.
'Here we go again with Cid's middle school delusions,' I thought.
Reluctantly, I joined in with his antics.
"Sigh... You're right... Now the problem is the sect that is trying to resurrect the Demon King Diablo," I said.
"The Demon King, Diablo..." she muttered in fear.
"The one from the legends?" she asked.
"Yeah."
Then Cid began to tell the story.
Long ago, the world was nearly destroyed by the Demon King Diablo.
But three heroes—representing humans, elves, and demi-humans—defeated the Demon King.
Before his death, the three heroes were cursed.
"The curse of Diablo, or 'possession,' or the disease that infected you," Cid explained.
"In other words, you are a descendant of one of the heroes," I added.
"Yes... At that time, they were revered and highly respected," Cid continued.
"No, we were tortured and executed," she replied, shaking her head.
"Someone must have altered history," Cid said.
"Yeah, those in power always rewrite history~," I said.
"The goal is to limit the descendants of the heroes," I continued.
"Yeah... The Diablo Sect is what we will face," Cid explained.
"But the Diablo Sect operates in the shadows, removing any obstacles quietly," I added.
"Yes... That's true, we are the Shadow Garden," Cid said.
"We will stop them from resurrecting Diablo," he said.
"This is a very risky mission," I said.
"If we fail, this world will be destroyed," I continued.
"Will you help us?" Cid asked.
"If the Diablo Sect's influence is strong enough to rewrite history..." she thought aloud.
"They must have a great power," she said, agreeing with us.
"Yes, you're right," I said, while Cid nodded.
"Many are destined to die because of this false truth... This cannot go on!" she declared.
"I understand everything. I will risk my life for Shadow Garden... and lead those sinners to their deaths that they will never experience," she said seriously.
"Ah, right... Your name is now Alpha. Please, work with us, Alpha," I said.
"Yes, thank you for giving me a name, Light-sama and Shadow-sama," she replied.
"Well then, let's go home now," I said.
Cid and Alpha followed behind me.
---
TO BE CONTINUED