"You're seriously troublesome. Ram takes such good care of you, and you still find things to complain about."
Ram's displeasure hit him instantly. Her pink lips puffed out in a dramatic pout.
"That's not what I meant…"
The childish sulk was disarmingly cute. Carlos' resistance evaporated. He scratched his head, sighed, and forced himself to push past the lingering shadows in his mind. He stuffed the rest of the sweet potato into his mouth, gulped down the water Ram had brought, and swallowed it all down.
Then he climbed back onto the rock, his rock, and lay flat on his back, gazing up at the clear night sky.
"Well… what's done is done," he muttered. "It's been years already. This kind of life should be ending soon. A little longer, and maybe I can finally turn things around."
"Turn things around? What does that mean?"
"Rem wants to know too!"
The twins had somehow flanked him without him noticing, one on each side. Both were staring at him now, eyes bright with curiosity.
"Mm… it means being independent. Not getting looked down on anymore."
"Really? That's great!"
"That would be nice," Ram said, frowning slightly. "But you're not running a fever, are you…?"
Unlike Rem, who celebrated without hesitation, Ram leaned in and reached straight under his shirt, pressing her hand to his stomach.
The sudden warmth against his skin caught him off guard. He knew she was worried. He'd even taught her this method himself. Still, having someone fuss over him for the first time felt… awkward.
"…My temperature's normal," he said stiffly. "I'm fine, really."
"No fever? Good." She looked relieved.
He sighed. Being looked after like this was still a foreign feeling after years of taking care of himself.
"Are you really okay?"
Rem leaned closer, her voice dropping to a whisper near his ear. "Sister's actually been worried about you too. If something's wrong, you can tell us, okay?"
"I'm fine. Really," he said, smiling despite himself. "Thanks, Rem."
He reached out and gently patted her head.
This time, she didn't protest.
Ram, however, stood up with a huff, muttering under her breath. "That's not fair. Whispering behind Ram's back, even though Ram is the big sister."
"Yes, yes. Ram's the big sister."
"Hey! Why are you calling me big sister while patting my head?!"
"Don't worry about it. This is the last shred of pride I have left, as an adult who's forced to call a kid like you 'big sister.'"
Despite the reluctant tone, Carlos didn't actually mind. If calling her that let him handle a stubborn little girl so easily, he considered it a win.
Ram thought it over seriously, then decided that being called big sister was her gain. A proper big sister should be generous. With that settled, she let him continue, hands planted on her hips, chin lifted proudly.
That, unfortunately, made Rem feel a little left out.
It wasn't jealousy, just the quiet sting of being excluded by the people she cherished most. She didn't say anything, but the look in her eyes dimmed.
Carlos noticed and couldn't help smiling. He reached over and rested his hand on her head too.
"Why are you looking at me like that? We're already this close. If something's bothering you, just say it. We'd never leave you out."
"That's right, Rem," Ram said decisively. "Sister will always be your sister. Now Carlos, move your hand. Only Ram's allowed to touch Rem's head."
"Even if you're the sister, I'm Rem's older brother from another father and mother!"
"That just makes you a stranger. Shoo. Don't get in Ram's way."
The two were on the verge of arguing over the right to ruffle Rem's hair when the gloom in her heart vanished completely. She hurriedly squeezed between them, tugging at their sleeves.
"S-sister, Carlos… don't fight all the time. Rem doesn't mind. As long as everyone's together, it's fine. Just… don't leave me out."
...
Beneath the star-filled sky, by the quiet riverbank.
The same pointless bickering as always, yet it washed away the heaviness that had been piling up in Carlos' chest for years.
When the night grew too deep, the twins finally gave in to sleepiness. Hand in hand, they headed back to the village. Carlos stayed behind, staring at the moon until his thoughts blurred, and he drifted off right there on the rock.
.........
.........
Life settled back into its unremarkable rhythm.
Days were spent at school, learning letters, culture, and magic with the other children. Breaks were for playing with the twins. When bored, he wandered around aimlessly, soaking in the looks of dislike from the villagers.
Years of experience had taught him one thing: the stronger the source, the greater the Energy Points gained. That was why he made a habit of loitering near the clan chief, provoking the white-haired old man until his beard bristled and his eyes bulged.
Ram, despite her age, possessed power that surpassed even the chief's. Provoking her would yield even more Energy Points.
But she was also terrifyingly strong. Unlike the chief, who just huffed and grumbled, Ram would absolutely pin him down and beat him senseless.
Being beaten up by a little girl was even worse for his pride.
And so time flew by, him staring at Ram's skirt hem, Rem staring at him in confusion, until one night, the final threshold was crossed.
Two thousand Energy Points short had become none at all.
He was too excited to sleep.
Once again, he slipped out to the riverbank and opened the carefully curated list of Ex-Machina armaments.
. . .
Passage Rule (10,000): Deflects all directed energy. Extremely high deflection limit. [Owned - Can summon directly]
No Passage (10,000): Defensive armament effective against both physical and energy attacks.
Pseudo-Scripture · Light Halberd Matrix (20,000): Reproduced from Sylph defense systems. Offense and defense combined. Can unleash swarms of light halberds to pierce enemies, or form a cage to restrain them.
Pseudo-Scripture · Forest Sky Severance (50,000): Reproduced from Sylph magic. Releases countless vacuum blades that cut through all matter.
Pseudo-Scripture · Withered Dragon's Roar (100,000): Reproduced from one of the three Dragon Kings. Planetary-scale destruction capable of triggering crustal tsunamis.
...and countless more.
. . .
The moonlight reflected off the river as his gaze lingered on the list, heart pounding.