Boom - !
A thunderstorm rages on a deep night...
"Ah?!"
A girl startles at the sound, trembling in fear...
"Brother..."
Unable to bear the loneliness and fear of the stormy, dark night, she comes to him again.
"Hmm... Yura?"
The man, whom the girl calls 'brother', is already asleep, or so it seems, as he looks at his sister with sleepy eyes.
"Um... I'm scared... Can I sleep with you again tonight...?"
She nervously fidgets with her fingers, waiting with bated breath for his answer. But what comes is an easy consent.
"Sure... do as you like..."
"Haah..!"
Delighted at his permission, she smiles and snuggles into his embrace, finding protection from the darkness.
"Brother... why are you so kind?"
"..?"
Baffled by his sister's incomprehensible question, the brother turns his head away as if avoiding the moonlight, expressing his confusion.
"Well... if my sister is in trouble, I have to help, right? That's what brothers do."
With that, his breathing relaxes again, and he seems to have fallen back into deep sleep.
"Mom and Dad... they hardly come home because of work..."
In a household where work takes precedence, leaving the children almost neglected during weekdays, the girl's time with her brother grows, and she begins to see him in a different light.
"Brother...."
Her voice fades away, her call seemingly not reaching her sleeping brother.
"You know... you're so reliable, brother. Whenever I'm in trouble, you always come to help... Mom and Dad hardly ever come home, they don't even pay attention to us... but you, brother, you always show me genuine affection, right?"
Her monologue continues, a young girl's heart twisting in a misguided environment.
"Hmm..."
Sunlight filtering through the curtains lands on her eyelids, stirring a drowsy warmth, yet also awakening her consciousness, signaling the rise of a new day. "Is it morning already...?"
I wake up unusually tired... it's not like I was particularly busy yesterday... and I even drank the vitality potion Yura gave me. It feels like I'm fighting against myself in unfavorable conditions, as my eyes start to close again.
"Brother, are you awake?!"
"Yura...?"
What's really unexpected is Yura's condition. She greets me cheerfully as if she was never ill.
"Good morning! The sun is so warm and gentle today!"
She's even humming a tune, clearly in a good mood. Just yesterday, she had a high fever and was in constant pain, but now she seems perfectly fine.
"Are you feeling alright?"
"Yeah! I'm in top condition right now!"
I ask about her health out of concern, but as her expression suggests, she seems to be in great health.
"Ugh..."
Did she take my health away...? Instead of her, I'm feeling unwell, almost to the point of collapsing.
"Yura, that thing you gave me yesterday was a vitality potion, right? Why do I feel even more tired...?"
At my question, she shrugs her shoulders as if hit by a guilty conscience and starts to look troubled...
"Haha... I'm not sure... Maybe you're more tired than usual because you were busy meeting others and looking for a solution for my condition, running around everywhere!"
Her behavior arouses a bit of suspicion in me... maybe I'm just imagining things? Perhaps I was more fatigued than I realized, but this level of tiredness seems excessive.
"Anyway, I'm glad you're feeling better, Yura. I was worried about your sudden illness and not knowing how to treat it... At least for now, you seem fine, which is a relief."
My comment seems to cheer her up as her face brightens again and she nods energetically, her tail wagging more happily than before.
"Yep! All thanks to you, Brother!"
Why she's thanking me, I'm not sure... the potion I bought apparently had no effect, but maybe it was better than nothing? "I'm glad you're fully recovered. And now, I need to embark on a lengthy journey with someone I know, so I'd like you to wait here, Yura. I've paid for the accommodation in full."
As I announce my departure, intending to be away for a while...
"What..? Why all of a sudden...?"
Her reaction is a bit extreme, her expression rapidly filling with despair, her lips even beginning to tremble.
"I'm going to a place that might hold a solution to your current problem. It shouldn't take as long as I originally thought, so don't worry."
"Wait, I want to come too!"
I try to reassure her as I gear up, but she interrupts me.
"...?"
Considering the destination marked on the map, it's a late-game field map in the story, potentially very dangerous. While more people might be helpful, that's only true for combat-ready individuals...
"In that case... the people you're going with are definitely women, right?! That's why I want to join! I can't stand the thought of leaving you alone with another woman!"
Her concern for me is nice, but her focus seems misdirected. True, I'll be with women, but how is that a problem?
"I understand your feelings, but it's a dangerous place, and you're not yet experienced in combat -"
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a scorching sensation whizzes past me.
"?!?!"
A massive fireball flies by, close enough that I instinctively know even a slight touch could have incinerated me.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Then comes the sound of heavy destruction from behind.
"?!?!"
I slowly turn around to see Yura's magic tearing through not just the inn, but buildings far beyond my line of sight, leaving huge holes in each one.
"Aaahhh!"
And then, the screams of people follow. The scene unfolding before me was undeniably real... "Yura?! Hold on, if this happens, people will...!"
"People will what? What's the problem?"
What's the problem? Obviously, if buildings are demolished like that, there could be casualties-
"Oh...?"
But truly... literally... as I blink my eyes and refocus, I see the wooden wall before me, perfectly restored. Just moments ago it had been completely destroyed...
An indescribable phenomenon... Could Yura have done all this...?
"See, I've proven it, right? I'm not a weak person... So, I'm coming with you, no matter what."
Her determination is remarkable... What drove her to this extent? I had struggled initially to grasp magic, and here she is, unleashing powerful spells without any training...
"Alright... but it won't be easy, okay?"
But combat isn't just about raw power... Still, the magic she demonstrated was so overwhelming, I couldn't really say no.
And with her serious, heavy gaze, as if pushing a switch of warning, I feel compelled to agree.
"Ah, Harold!"
As we leave the inn, we run into Elina. It's been a while since I've seen her in this gear, reminiscent of the early days when we adventured together.
After exchanging glances with Elina, I turn slightly to see the buildings around us intact. Just moments ago, they were heavily damaged by Yura's magic.
"Didn't something just pass by and demolish the buildings?!"
"Right... I saw it clearly..."
"Ah, and didn't something come out of the building where you were, and destroy the street?! But then it all just disappeared... Harold, did you see it?!"
The people around us are also bewildered by what just happened, and Elina, who apparently witnessed Yura's magic, urgently asks me about it.
"Well... I'm not sure..."
I play dumb, pretending not to know, and Yura, reading my expression, joins in my feigned ignorance without a word. "Really? Anyway... Hm... you're Harold's sister, right? I heard you were originally human..."
Then she turns her attention to my sister, examining her closely with a mixture of interest and a slight furrow of her brow, as if something bothers her about Elina.
"You... could it be..."
Suddenly, the atmosphere cools down as if she’s about to say something significant. What has she sensed about my sister who's just standing there...?
"Please take care of me on this journey. I am Yurial, Harold's sister."
But ignoring Elina's mood, Yura reaches out first, asking for a handshake, which makes me swallow nervously due to the awkward atmosphere...
"....?"
Elina looks at my sister with a mix of astonishment and disbelief but eventually...
"Alright... I'll count on you too..."
She accepts the handshake and they start to shake hands lightly.
Crack -!
For some reason, it's a painfully strong handshake... That was just a casual greeting... right...?
"Well, then... since it's come to this... let's set off quickly, Harold..."
After they let go, both of them, as if by some agreement, start wrapping their arms around mine.
"Let's go, brother... We have plenty of time, but there's no harm in hurrying..."
The journey ahead is already shaping up to be tense, and I don’t even know why it’s turned out this way.
"Uh... yeah..."
Just the thought of the upcoming journey fills me with unease...
It may just be a thrown out prophecy, but it seemed like my troubles would stem not from enemies but from allies...