Valerius and Ziraiah strolled through the bustling avenues of Heful, the capital alive with a seamless weave of magic and technology. Mana lamps glowed along cobblestone streets, floating glyphs guided traffic, and enchanted trams rumbled past, their wheels humming with energy.

  Valerius glanced around, brows furrowed.

  “There’s magic everywhere… but not many people are actually using it. How come?”

  Ziraiah smiled knowingly.

  “Heful is one of the more advanced cities. Everyone dreams of becoming a mage, but not everyone’s that lucky.”

  “What do you mean?” Valerius asked.

  She folded her arms. “What do you know about Vitalis Cores?”

  Valerius shrugged. “It’s where we store and refine Vitalis.”

  “Right. But not everyone’s born with one. In fact—it’s rare. Only about one percent of the entire world has it, across all races. At least, the ones we know of.”

  Valerius blinked. “…That, I didn’t know.”

  His sharp eyes drifted to the crowds. “Looks like your size isn’t normal here either.”

  A voice descended from above.

  “Indeed. We are not.”

  Eryndor floated down, arms folded, his tall frame casting a shadow over the square.

  Gasps rippled through the crowd.

  “Wow, a magic user!”

  “He’s as big as Pungence…”

  Ziraiah frowned up at him. “What now?”

  Eryndor’s gaze was sharp. “where, precisely, do you intend to go?”

  Ziraiah groaned. “What are you now, Dad?”

  His tone didn’t soften. “what if that formidable man should return?”

  “Pungence is here. We’re safe,” she countered.

  “We are conspicuous targets,” Eryndor pressed, his tone unwavering. “I must know your location.”

  “Then just use Search,” she shot back.

  Eryndor’s emerald eyes narrowed, but he let it go.

  “Fine. We’re going to meet my friends. I’m showing Val around.”

  The siblings continued down the street. Eryndor’s voice trailed after them, solemn:

  “Valerius. Beware of the bold one.”

  Ziraiah rolled her eyes. “Come on, he’s not that bad. Let’s keep going.”

  Before Valerius could reply, the ground shimmered beneath him. His boots dissolved into sparks—replaced by sleek rollerblades of polished steel. He wobbled once, then crashed to the pavement.

  Ziraiah burst out laughing. “Those are Eryndor’s old ones! Let’s skate through town!”

  Her own shoes flashed gold, transforming into rollerblades of her own. She zipped forward, her braid whipping behind her. “Hurry up, Val!”

  Valerius grinned, pushing himself up. “Where did these even come from?”

  “Teleportation magic,” Eryndor said calmly, still hovering above.

  Valerius chuckled and launched after her. His balance returned instantly, blades hissing across the cobblestones.

  Ziraiah glanced back, smirking. “Thought you forgot how to skate.”

  “How could I forget? I’m a pro,” Valerius called back.

  The two darted through the streets side by side, weaving through the crowd. Vendors shouted, banners fluttered, and children pointed as the towering siblings sped past.

  Valerius frowned between strides. “How are there rollerblades here?”

  “I wondered that too,” Ziraiah shouted over the wind. “Turns out, there are a lot of things from Earth here. They’re a little different, but the concepts are the same.”

  Above, Eryndor floated higher, his arms folded, watching them skate through the city below. A rare smile tugged at his lips.

  You cannot fathom the profundity of my relief, Valerius… to have you back.

  “What other Earth stuff are here?” Valerius asked, catching up to his sister.

  “There are cinemas too,” Ziraiah replied.

  Valerius blinked. “…Movies? Here?”

  “Yep! With magic, they can make almost anything from Earth. Don’t you see the Seer-screens? They’re basically TVs. But instead of electricity, they run on electromagnetism—the natural energy in the ground and air. Even all the lights you see aren’t magic. They’re electricity. Remember when Mom made us memorize Tesla’s research about infinite energy?”

  Valerius scoffed. “Of course. But it’s not a big deal. Even we know how to harness energy from the ground.”

  “That’s because Mom taught us.” Ziraiah dodged a carriage, leaping over its roof with ease before landing smoothly. “Here, only the people in power have that knowledge. But they’ve implemented it everywhere. When we first got here, I thought this was a medieval world. But some places…” She spread her arms to the glowing skyline. “…are more advanced than Earth.”

  Valerius thought for a moment. “…Even Pungence’s Waver?”

  “Exactly. Advanced technology, not just magic. But most people don’t know that, so they just assume it’s all magic.”

  Valerius’s eyes narrowed. “And how do you know all this?”

  Ziraiah grinned mischievously. “Pungence tells us things. But for some reason, he doesn’t want anyone else to know—not even Juvian or Isebala. He said it’s dangerous knowledge.”

  “Then why tell you?” Valerius pressed.

  She vaulted over a bench, spinning midair before landing smoothly. “Because we can take care of ourselves.”

  “What about Juvian and his sister? They’re mages too, right?”

  “Juvian’s a mage. Isabela’s an Augmenter. But they’re not like us, Val. Most mages and Augmenters aren’t like the monsters you saw on Plunder Island. Those people were exceptions—beyond strong. Don’t use them as the standard.”

  Ziraiah whipped around a corner, too close to a bread stand. CRASH—the loaves toppled.

  “Ziraiah, you little—!” the vendor shouted.

  “Sorry, Mr. Lobby!” she called, skating off before he could chase her.

  Valerius just shook his head, grinning as he picked up speed after her.

  Ziraiah tossed her hair back with a grin as they weaved through the crowded street.

  “As I was saying—here, if you’re like Juvian and Isabela, you’re considered geniuses. Apart from Eryndor and me, they’re the strongest in our school.”

  Valerius raised a brow. “Really?”

  The two of them skated alongside a mana-train, sparks flashing as their wheels clattered against the enchanted rails. In perfect sync, they leapt, soaring onto the rooftops. Tiles cracked under their blades as they flipped, twisted, and spun in acrobatic bursts.

  Gasps and cheers rose from below.

  “Did you see that?!”

  “They cleared an entire house!”

  “What I would give to be an Augmenter…”

  Ziraiah smirked. “Juvian’s in the top one percent of the Gifted.”

  “Gifted?” Valerius asked, coasting beside her.

  “That’s what people call those born with cores. You’ve basically been living under a rock, so you haven’t adapted to this world yet. It wasn’t easy for us either—especially when Eryndor and I started to… change.”

  Valerius’s eyes narrowed. “Change? What do you mean?”

  Ziraiah’s expression softened. “We’re insanely strong, sure. But we also see farther than most, and hear sounds way below normal frequencies. And trust me—the enhanced hearing was hell. Every little sound. Every whisper. It hurt.”

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Valerius chuckled grimly. “So you had that too. Yeah… the hearing thing was a bitch. I could hear the slightest rustle, the buzz of insects, the grind of stone. It was constant—painful.”

  “Us too.” Ziraiah’s voice grew quieter. “For me, it happened at school. I cried the whole day. Aunty Ann had to come get me. I couldn’t sleep for nights after.”

  Valerius glanced at her, a rare softness in his eyes. “…What did you do to control it?”

  “Aunty Ann taught us how,” she said.

  They shot past a line of carriages pulled by Auses, leaving drivers shouting in their wake.

  “How’d Eryndor handle it?” Valerius asked.

  “Calm and composed, as usual,” Ziraiah said with a sigh.

  “Wasn’t it painful for him?”

  “Oh, it was,” she admitted with a small smile. “He just didn’t show it.”

  Valerius snorted. “Of course. That elegant ass… So, does he have a girlfriend now?”

  Ziraiah laughed. “All the girls want him. But yeah, there’s this one girl he likes—Mercy. He won’t admit it, but trust me, Val, if you see them together you’ll feel the spark.”

  Valerius threw his head back and laughed. “Well I’ll be damned. To think that elegant ass has a crush! I’m not letting this go. Now I’m eager to meet her.”

  “You’ll get your chance. We’re heading to school anyway.”

  Valerius frowned. “School? I thought you said your friends.”

  “We live on campus.”

  “…How far is it?”

  “About an hour.”

  She glanced sideways with a mischievous grin. “Isn’t this pace a little too slow? Let’s kick it up a notch.”

  Her arms swept backward—and FWOOOSH! Wind blasted from her palms, propelling her forward at a hundred meters per second.

  Valerius grinned, eyes glinting. “Oh, so that’s how we’re doing it.”

  He extended his arms, middle fingers flicking outward—BOOM! Twin jets of compressed wind erupted, blasting him forward in a sonic blur. The city became a streak of colors as the siblings tore across rooftops, laughter echoing through the wind.

  ---

  The siblings skated up to the wrought-iron gates of the academy, rolling to a halt.

  The guard straightened at the sight of them.

  “Welcome back, Ziraiah. And… who’s that?”

  Ziraiah gestured casually. “This is Val. My older brother.”

  The guard squinted. “Older? He looks smaller than you.”

  Valerius smirked. “For now.”

  The guard chuckled. “You don’t usually use the gate. What happened?”

  “Just wanted to show him around,” Ziraiah said.

  The man nodded, unlocking the barrier with a pulse of mana. The gates groaned open and the siblings rolled through.

  “See you later,” Ziraiah called back.

  Valerius’s eyes swept the sprawling campus. “This place is… nice.”

  “Yep,” Ziraiah said proudly. “All the nobles are here. They can be annoying, so please don’t beat anyone up.”

  Valerius arched a brow. “I won’t do that.”

  “I know you, Val,” Ziraiah muttered under her breath.

  They skated toward the dorms, finally halting in front of a tall stone building. The sign above read: Secondary Girls’ Dormitory.

  From a fourth-floor window, a female voice rang out.

  “Ziraiah! Why didn’t you tell me you were in that game?!”

  Both siblings looked up. A girl leaned out the window, arms resting on the sill. She had brown hair, light brown eyes, and a sharp tone.

  “You saw that?” Ziraiah asked.

  “Everyone did!” the girl shot back. “We all saw you nearly kill Eryndor. Sierra cried so hard she passed out!”

  Ziraiah’s face flushed. “Let’s go, Val.”

  ---

  Inside, the moment they stepped into the hall, heads turned. The air filled with voices as a crowd of girls swarmed them.

  “Is that him?!”

  “He’s so hot!”

  “Ziraiah, how are you that powerful?!”

  “Wait—wasn’t he the one who lost his arms?!”

  Ziraiah lifted her hand sharply. “Back it up! Out of my face.”

  One girl folded her arms. “Come on, Ziraiah. Tell us what happened.”

  Another, taller than the rest at nine-foot-four, pushed through the crowd. Her glare was skeptical.

  “You people are idiots if you believe all that was real. It was all an act. How can people be that strong?”

  She stopped right in front of Valerius and looked up at him. “We all saw his arms get ripped off. And now here he is, completely whole. If that doesn’t prove it was fake, what else will? These so-called ‘movies’ are just getting too realistic. Why’d you pretend you were an actress, Ziraiah?”

  Ziraiah growled. “Please. I don’t owe any of you explanations. Now move.”

  At that moment, a dorm door creaked open. A tall girl with ginger hair peeked out.

  Another voice called from the crowd. “Sierra! What are you doing in your room? Ziraiah’s here—and she brought a hottie!”

  “What?!” Sierra gasped, stumbling out. Her eyes found Ziraiah—and then froze.

  Because standing beside her was Valerius.

  For Sierra, the crowd, the noise, the whole world vanished. Only he remained.

  Valerius gave her a faint smile, green eyes gleaming under the light.

  Her breath hitched. Her heart thumped violently.

  She didn’t even realize Ziraiah was already in front of her, snapping her fingers.

  “Sierra. Hey. Are you daydreaming?”

  Sierra jolted. “What? No!”

  “Remember my lost brother I told you about?”

  “…Yeah?”

  “Tadaaa.” Ziraiah pointed at Valerius.

  Sierra’s eyes widened. “…No way. That’s him?”

  “Hey,” Valerius said simply. His voice carried like music straight to her chest.

  Her cheeks flushed scarlet.

  Ziraiah’s grin widened. “Sierra… are you blushing?”

  “What?! Of course not!” Sierra spun around, covering her face. Her thoughts screamed. Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, he’s her brother?!

  “Val, this is Sierra—my bestie,” Ziraiah introduced proudly.

  Valerius tilted his head. “Who was the other one at the window?”

  “That’s Victoria,” Ziraiah said. “Oh, speak of the devil—”

  Down the stairs came a girl with long brown hair and sharp, assessing eyes.

  “Let me guess,” Victoria said coolly. “That’s him.”

  “Yep,” Ziraiah answered.

  Victoria looked him up and down. “You look more like Ziraiah than Eryndor does.” She extended a hand. “I’m Victoria. We’ve heard a lot about you.”

  Valerius shook her hand. “Really? What’d she say?”

  Victoria’s lips curved slyly. “Just a few things. That you’re an idiot, an asshole, irresponsible, and annoying.”

  Valerius turned his glare to Ziraiah. She avoided his eyes, whistling innocently.

  As they started upstairs, Victoria leaned toward Ziraiah and whispered, “You didn’t tell us he was ripped.”

  Ziraiah smirked. “He wasn’t like that when I last saw him.”

  They reached their shared apartment. Sierra was already there, lying face-down on the sofa, buried in her pillow, her ears crimson.

  ---

  To Be Continued...