Ayame stood there, her brows furrowed, clearly confused. "So what?" she asked, her tone a mix of curiosity and suspicion.
Raito responded, his voice calm but serious. "Well, we both possess two important things of our kingdom—the Saint Sword and the Elemental Crystal."
Ayame tilted her head, unconvinced. "What's with that?"
This time, Aqua chimed in, her expression steady. "Well, this sword is one among the Seven Saint Swords, and its wielder must be the one who has rightfully won it. The same goes for the Elemental Crystal."
Kyota, who had been listening intently, jumped in. "But Father won it... and you too, Mom. But I saw you give a crystal to a blue-haired man."
Aqua's eyes widened in surprise. "How did you see that? You were in the mountains back then."
Kyota turned his head to the side and casually whistled, avoiding her gaze.
Aqua raised an eyebrow but continued. "Well, every ten years, a competition is held to find who is worthy of holding the crystal. I was fifteen when it happened. Your father was also fifteen when he got his Saint Sword. We both defeated many others and, in the end, won the competition by defeating the previous owners."
Raito nodded. "We're both twenty-two now. After three more years, a grand competition will be held again."
Aqua's voice softened. "But there is a problem."
Kyota leaned forward. "What's that?"
Raito sighed. "Since we ran away together and fought against more than a thousand soldiers, we disobeyed national laws. We'll never be able to participate in that fight."
Kyota gasped. "Which means... no final boss battle?"
Aqua narrowed her eyes. "Where did you get that dialogue from, young man?"
Raito burst into laughter, gasping for air as if he were about to die from amusement.
With lightning speed, Aqua smacked Raito on the head. Half his soul seemed to fly out of his mouth as he slumped unconscious to the floor.
Aqua crossed her arms and sighed. "Yes, probably we won't be in that fight. We'll never be able to reclaim those honors. And we can't go to the capital since we are... well, kind of important personalities. If anyone recognizes us, you might get attacked because of that. So, Kyota, you must train hard."
Raito suddenly opened one eye and grinned. "Be strong like me."
Ayame chuckled while Aqua rolled her eyes.
"Says the man who just fainted from a slap," she teased.
Raito raised his arms in surrender. "Guilty as charged. But it was a slap filled with love."
"Keep talking and you'll get another one," Aqua said, but there was a small smile on her lips.
"Ouch. Still worth it," Raito whispered under his breath.
Aqua gave him a light shove. "You're impossible."
"And you married me. Who's the real fool here?"
She laughed, unable to argue, then leaned in and kissed him gently on the cheek.
"Still not regretting it?" she asked softly.
"Not for a second," he replied, pulling her close. Their eyes locked, the warmth between them obvious even to Ayame, who quietly turned away with an awkward cough.
Raito added, "Since Ayame will be at the academy next year, let's use this year sufficiently."
It was about evening when they both asked to take a bath and went off to clean up before dinner.
Kyota, however, hadn't worked out for the past two days. Feeling restless, he decided to head into the forest to get some exercise. He lost track of time and focused on his intense workout, his muscles pushing through fatigue as the sky turned dark.
Sweat dripped from his brow as he punched the trunk of a thick tree, each strike stronger than the last. He moved into sword forms, slashing through branches and fallen logs, trying to push his body beyond its limits.
Suddenly, the silence of the forest shattered.
A chilling roar echoed.
A beast—one he hadn't sensed—emerged from the shadows. It was a mutated dire wolf, twice his size, with glowing red eyes and fangs like daggers.
Kyota narrowed his eyes. "Finally."
The wolf pounced. Kyota dodged sideways, rolled, and countered with a wide slash of his training blade. Sparks flew. The wolf recoiled but didn't back down.
Another roar. Two more beasts joined in.
Kyota's heart pounded. This was no longer training.
He closed his eyes for a moment, breathing in. Focus. Think like Mother. Strike like Father.
He darted between them, slashing one across the side and leaping to avoid another's strike. The third beast lunged for his throat. Kyota kicked it mid-air and stabbed it downward into its spine.
Blood sprayed. His arm throbbed.
The first wolf growled behind him.
He spun and summoned a small aura of flame using his latent energy—something Raito had started teaching him. He flung it forward, blinding the wolf long enough to cut across its legs. It whimpered and collapsed.
But more monsters approached—shadow wolves, thorn lizards, and even a ghostly wraith. Kyota gritted his teeth. "Alright then. Let's go."
With a roar, he charged into the chaos.
Flames surged around him as he used every ounce of his strength and training. He moved like a blur, cutting down shadow beasts, dodging strikes, and using his environment to trap and corner his enemies. His body ached, his lungs burned, but his mind remained sharp.
One of the wraiths launched a dark bolt at him—he deflected it with the flat of his blade, spinning and following through with a kick that shattered its form.
He slammed his sword into the ground, releasing a pulse of magic energy. The wave knocked back the last wave of attackers.
He stood panting in the middle of a circle of defeated enemies.
In the dim light of the night, he suddenly saw two figures nearby. One was small—around his own height. The other was a tall man with a staff topped with a glowing blue orb. The tall man swung the staff with ease, defeating monsters like they were nothing.
Kyota froze. The power that radiated from them was different.
Suddenly, a large monster appeared, charging at the small figure. Kyota didn't hesitate. He rushed in, pushing the small one out of the way and slashing the monster in one swift motion.
He couldn't see their faces in the darkness. "Who are you guys?" he asked.
The tall man looked at him with glowing eyes. "It's really late. You must go now."
A glowing portal appeared beneath Kyota's feet. Before he could protest, it activated and he was pulled in, disappearing from the forest.
He fell through a swirl of light and landed directly in his room.
A moment later, his mother, Aqua, walked in.
She took one look at him and frowned. "You haven't taken a bath yet? It's this late already!"
She was visibly angry—not just because of Kyota's tardiness. Earlier, she had lost an argument with Raito, and now she was fuming. Without a word, she lifted her hand and cold water burst out using her magic, splashing all over Kyota.
Kyota stood there drenched, his expression blank. He was pissed, but he knew better than to talk back.
He silently went to the bathroom, took a proper bath this time, and came down for dinner.
It was only then he realized Aqua had vented her anger on him because of the argument she lost against Raito.
Despite that, the evening was calm. They all spent time together in a rare moment of quiet.
Raito stretched and smiled. "Let's go to town tomorrow. And we'll have training in the evening."
Everyone agreed.
Ayame and Aqua were already talking excitedly, planning out their day.
Meanwhile, Kyota and Raito sat cross-legged, starting to count imaginary coins, plotting out imaginary expenses in the most animated way possible.
Then Raito mumbled with a grin, "Women are women."
Unfortunately, both Aqua and Ayame heard that.
Without a word, they each grabbed the nearest object and smacked Raito and Kyota right on the head.
Two big dumpling-like bumps formed instantly.
Kyota stared at the ceiling, mentally asking, Why? He knew the answer. He knew if even a single word came out of his mouth right now, he'd be dead.
Raito groaned, rubbing his head. "I was kidding, you know."
Aqua leaned close with a dangerous smile. "Try another joke, dear. Just one more."
Raito gulped. "Nope. I'm good."
Yet he smiled under his breath. For all the chaos, these were the moments he cherished most.
Later that night, as they were cleaning up, Aqua leaned against the doorframe watching Raito dry the dishes. "You know," she said, "you're not entirely useless."
Raito turned and smirked. "Is that your way of flirting? Because it's working."
She walked over and pulled him into a quick kiss. "Don't get used to compliments."
"Never do," he whispered back, wrapping his arm around her waist. "But I'll always get used to you."
Everything went well until Kyota came downstairs for a glass of water and saw his parents.
They were both shocked and said, " It's nothing as you think."
Kyota added, "What should a boy of age four like me should question about your romance ?".
The evening faded into a peaceful silence, with the warmth of family lingering despite the comedic chaos.
Tomorrow would be another day—a day of planning, training, and maybe something more
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