Chapter 8: Family
Klein returned to his home on the outskirts of the border city.
He reached for the door, fingers wrapping around the handle.
He gently twisted the handle. The door creaked open.
The aroma of a home-cooked meal permeated the air.
He heard the voice of his little sister alongside another woman—their neighbor, Miss Runebelt.
"I'm home!"
He exclaimed.
A distant feminine voice rang back, "Big brother, you have returned?"
Wiping her hands, she ran toward him with a bright, innocent smile.
"Yes, I'm back." He gave a solemn smile, the light in his eyes flickering.
The smile faded as he hugged his sister tightly, saying nothing.
"Brother? What's the matter?" she asked, her voice tinged with worry.
He didn't answer, just tightened up his arms.
"I'm going to protect both of you." He spoke, voice shaken.
Not just his voice, his arms, fingers, trembled under the pressure, the consequences of knowing too much.
He hugged her for three whole minutes until she was called out by Miss Runebelt regarding their lunch.
"I need to continue cooking, big brother."
She said reassuringly.
He let go of her, contemplating his actions when he felt arms wrapped around his waist.
"And don't worry, I will always love you no matter what!" She exclaimed, her face flushed red as she rushed into the kitchen.
Klein stayed silent with a helpless smile on his face.
I will change the future, even if I need to go against fate.
He thought, determined.
Behind him, the door creaked and a young boy entered with a carefree smile.
He noticed Klein standing near the staircase and recognized his elder brother.
"Ah! Big brother!" He exclaimed, jumping straight at him.
"Careful."
Klein muttered, his voice laced with concern as he effortlessly caught the boy.
"I miss you."
He said, snuggled into Klein's shirt.
"I miss you too, buddy."
His little brother, Laos—once Laos Whitecrow, now going by Grayson, their mother's surname—grinned up at him.
He let go of the hug at the same time as his brother, the little boy strolled past the kitchen into the garden.
Jeanne, Laos… I swore I wouldn't let our family be separated, and I would make sure that…
He paused, silent rage boiling within, hands balled into a fist, jaw clenched.
They wouldn't go unharmed…
He promised to himself.
"Big brother, the food is ready~! And where's Laos? I heard his voice just now," Jeanne asked, turning her head to Klein.
He pointed at the back door.
"Oh, he goes straight to the garden?" She sighed and went to call for him.
The memories weighed down his spirit but his siblings made it bearable.
Klein headed toward the kitchen, the delicious smell prevalent.
The voice of his siblings bickering lingered in the air.
He chuckled at the sight and sat down.
"Hm? Ah, it's you, thank you for your help cooking and teaching Jeanne, Miss Runebelt. I really appreciate it."
He stood up and bowed to the woman who entered through the kitchen door.
Miss Runebelt was surprised but smiled in response, "it wasn't much of a problem, in fact your siblings helped me a lot with some housework."
He nodded, proud of his siblings.
"Please stay and eat, it would leave a bad taste in my mouth if I didn't offer anything to you, Miss Runebelt."
He offered.
"I apologize, I have an urgent matter to attend to, my son is going to return from the Noilen Academy."
She declined, her smile softened as she remembered her son and walked away.
"I see…"
He stood there.
He let out a faint laugh, Miss Runebelt reminded him of the fond memories with his mother.
He dragged his eyes to the kitchen door.
Jeanne appeared, dragging Laos into the kitchen.
He smiled and sat down beside his siblings.
"Let's eat."
Both of them replied in unison, "Thanks for the food!"
Klein clasped his hands together in a prayer.
Lord Solomon, I don't know if you're watching, please protect my family…
He prayed, eyes closed, hopeful.
He grabbed the steel knife and fork, glanced at his siblings, a smile etched on his face.
He pierced a cube of meat, brought it to his mouth, and chewed slowly.
The taste was rich—comforting.
For a moment, he allowed himself to feel at peace.
***
Minutes passed, and they had finished their lunch.
He and Jeanne washed the dishes together in the nearby river.
This was the only thing they managed to sneak out—these kitchenware were his mother's favorite.
Laos had returned to play with the other children.
Jeanne initiated the conversation excitedly, "Brother, did you find anything about the Grimoire? How much can we sell it for?"
"No, all the Magical Bookstore ignored me, it's probably their fault, abusing their authority to make us suffer…"
His face darkened for a moment before returning to normal, his gaze focused on the scene before him.
"Ah, is that so? That's quite disappointing…"
She forced a smile.
He glanced at her, lips curling up into a smile before parting.
"But I did get something better from this experience."
She looked at him in puzzlement.
The breeze gathered around his arm, circling like a drill.
Jeanne stared at the swirling wind in awe, her eyes widened, her lips curled up into a smile.
Then, it wavered as she realized something.
"Brother, have you awakened? Isn't it quite expensive to pay the church?"
He sighed softly, amused by his sister's assumption.
"I didn't pay the church, but I did get a good deal from a deity. Now your handsome elder brother is a Champion like the Hero!"
He boasted regarding his situation.
"Really!? Do you have a sword like the Hero's sword?"
Jeanne's eyes sparkled.
He laughed.
"No, I don't think so, but I have this."
His entire being turned transparent, his body, luminous shined in blue-purple gradient colored light.
His body crackled like flames.
Her face brightened in amazement, her arms outstretched trying to touch his face but it phased through his skin.
"Woah!"
Far away, Laos and his friends saw the scene, they had seen Jeanne talking to someone despite being alone.
"Hey sis! Who are you talking to?"
He shouted at his sister.
Jeanne was taken aback by the shout and stared at her little brother alongside his friends running towards her.
"What do you mean? I'm talking with our brother!"
She shouted back.
Laos and friends arrived beside her.
"Big brother? Where? I don't see anyone here?"
He looked around.
Then, a stroke of brilliance struck him.
"Ah! Don't tell me you drink that thing—uh, alcohol! The villagers said that's a bad thing and you're going to die because of that!"
She stood dumbfounded, glancing at her brother, he was obviously there.
"Hey kids."
He deactivated his talent and returned to normal.
"Ah! A magician!"
One of them said as he witnessed Klein emerge from nowhere.
"Woah! Big brother, where did you come from?"
He tilted his head, amazed, yet confused.
"He was always there, I told you so."
Jeanne smiled, satisfied to be proven right.
Laos and the other kids couldn't see me, why can Jeanne?
He wondered.
Then, his mind drifted into one of the memories he gained.
It was a memory regarding a child.
A child born with innate extreme mana sensitivity that resulted in them being halfway awakened.
He compared the parallel with Jeanne's behavior in the past.
He recalled many moments of her playing around catching invisible objects in the air.
He connected the dots.
His sister was blessed with an incredible mana sensitivity.
Unbelievable, the memories never mentioned anything like that… even till her death…
He gritted his teeth as he reminisced about those memories, a painful and despair inducing experience.
How much more I didn't know!?
To be continued…
***
Note: New Chapter Next Week Monday