On the other side, Aerglo lowered his head. His face was filled with regret. "I'm sorry, little brother. Because of my foolishness, you ended up in danger."
Sirius could only shake his head slowly. A bitter smile carved itself onto his lips as frustration and surrender overflowed in his heart. "No... this is Sirius' stupidity..." he muttered, eyes unfocused.
Aerglo immediately grasped his little brother's shoulder, his voice firm and serious. "Sirius, don't say things like that. You're not stupid at all!"
But Sirius could only glare back at him, screaming silently inside, "I'm not insulting myself, I'm insulting your real little brother! If only that idiot hadn't acted like a heartbroken teenage boy, I wouldn't be stuck here in the first place!"
Amid his emotional storm, a thought struck him—maybe the real Sirius had died from that incident. And maybe that's why his soul was able to enter Sirius' body and replace the original owner.
He exhaled a weary sigh, only to feel a surge of heat carried by the breeze. Slowly, Sirius turned his head toward the center of the garden, where the warmth was emanating. Amidst the falling flamboyant blossoms and leaves, stood Alceo, dancing with his sword.
A soft smile curved on Aerglo's lips as his gaze followed Sirius'. "Looks like Alceo's testing out his new sword..."
Sweat trickled down his bare, muscular chest, soaking the sleeveless black top he wore. His movements—hands and feet—flowed in perfect coordination, forming flawless techniques.
His sharp eyes burned with intensity, every slash of his sword radiating a dark red glow.
The air shimmered from the heat of the long silver blade. Blossoms and fresh leaves swirling in the air turned instantly brittle and dry, consumed by the heatwave emitted with each strike.
And then came Alceo's finishing move. He leaped high into the air, twisting his body mid-spin, thrusting the gem-encrusted blade at a designated target below. The moment the scorching steel struck the hard surface—
BOOM!
"Bomb!!"
Alceo jerked in surprise at the familiar scream. He turned around—and found someone cowering behind a pillar.
"Sirius...?" he blinked, tilting his head. His expression mirrored Aerglo's equally confused face.
"What are you doing?" Aerglo frowned, eyeing his brother lying flat beside him.
Sirius blinked several times, humiliated by his panicked reflex. He slowly stood up and cleared his throat, trying to puff up his chest. He attempted to act cool as if the idiocy both his brothers had just witnessed was nothing but a fleeting illusion.
With feigned composure, he strode across the garden toward Alceo. But chills still crept along his spine as his eyes scanned the destruction—shattered rocks and scorched plants littered the area.
His mind raced. "If that sword had touched me... I'd have been vaporized in less than a second. Reduced to human porridge..."
"Sirius, why were you lying on the ground earlier?" Alceo asked once his brother reached him.
Sirius scratched his shoulder-length golden hair, scrambling for a logical excuse. "I... I wasn't lying down. I dropped a coin. I was looking for it."
Alceo frowned, clearly baffled. "Coin?"
"How much kasha did you drop to scream like that?" he asked. His brain was trying to calculate just how many royal Andromeda coins his brother thought were worth scavenging like a chicken pecking rice.
"Also... why did you scream 'bomb'?" Alceo added, utterly confused.
Sirius clicked his tongue, mortified by the reminder. "Forget it, bro..." he huffed, waving a dismissive hand. "Were you practicing just now?" He quickly changed the subject.
Alceo nodded. "Mm. Just got this new sword made."
A mischievous grin tugged at his lips. An idea sparked as he noticed Sirius' eyes glued to the weapon in his hand. "Wanna touch it, little bro?"
Sirius raised a curious brow. "Can I?"
"Of course." The grin widened as he moved the sword closer.
Golden eyes gleamed in awe as Sirius stared at the intricate carvings along the hilt, and the flame-like crimson aura that wrapped the blade.
As a thief of ancient relics, Sirius had seen many legendary weapons—but none with an aura this overwhelming. Whoever forged this sword must have been a true master.
Ping!
[ System: Scanning... ]
Scanning: 85%... 92%... 100% complete!
[ System: Item scan complete! ]
Name: Sizzling Sword
Type: Tier-2 Weapon
Ability: Superheats the surrounding air, withering nearby plants. Can explode objects upon contact.
[ Additional Info: Forged by a Metal Elemental Controller ]
"Woah..." Sirius reached out to touch the blade—
"AH! DAMN, IT'S HOT!" he yelped, instantly jerking his hand away like he'd touched a grill.
Beep! Beep!
[ System Warning: OOC Detected! ]
[ Points = 80 – 10 = 70 ]
[ Current Point Balance = 70 ]
His eyes flared as a blue holographic screen popped up in front of him. "You gotta be kidding me! This system is trash! All it does is deduct points! I seriously need to control my mouth or I'll end up dead!"
"Hahahaha!!"
His furious glare snapped toward Alceo, who was laughing so hard he was clutching his stomach. "Why didn't you tell me it was hot?!" Sirius roared.
Alceo could barely speak through his laughter. "Because you're an idiot," he cackled. "Didn't you feel the heat coming off it? Look around! Do you see any plant that isn't fried to a crisp?"
Sirius glanced around. Truthfully, he'd already noticed the dried-up plants and scorched earth... and yet he still fell for his brother's trap.
Alceo shook his head, relentless in his teasing. "Bro, seriously... there's a reason it's glowing red like fire. Why didn't that click in your brain?"
"Then how come you're not burning up when you hold it?!" Sirius snapped.
Alceo's smirk grew wicked as he shrugged. "Because pets are loyal to their masters, right?"
Sirius clenched his fists. "This brat... I swear I'll kill him right now!"
"Alright, Alceo, stop bullying our youngest," Aerglo, who had been quietly chuckling at his two younger brothers' antics from behind, finally spoke up like a hero arriving late to the scene.
He walked forward calmly. "You were just as naive when you were Sirius's age…"
Alceo chuckled. He placed his hands on his hips and leaned toward Sirius with a teasing grin. "There's a difference between being naive and being dumb, bro," he teased.
Aerglo just sighed and shook his head, smiling as he patted Alceo on the head—an unspoken signal to knock it off. "That's enough," he said gently.
Then, his red eyes slowly shifted to the Sizzling Sword in Alceo's hand. "Constantine Clement's craftsmanship never disappoints," he murmured in awe as he stared at the blade.
Alceo immediately smiled proudly, lifting the sword a little. His fingers brushed along the blade with admiration in his eyes. "Right? I admire him so much. If I can master the metal element, I want to study under him someday."
But on the other side, someone's heart nearly jumped out of his chest when he heard the name of the swordsmith.
"Isn't that one of the low-tier villains in the novel?!" Sirius screamed in his mind.
In the novel, Constantine Clement is said to be a highly talented metal element wielder from a small village.
One day, when the king of the Andromeda Kingdom heard about his talent, he summoned him to the capital and ordered him to forge weapons for the soldiers and royal family.
But as it turned out, the man was a traitor in disguise. He had been a member of a demonic sect for a long time.
This shocking truth only came to light after Sirius was sent to the Chidambar Sanctuary.
And unfortunately, he didn't know exactly how the man's true nature was exposed—because once again, he didn't finish the damn novel!
Sirius shook his head with a sigh. His brain felt like it was about to explode. If only he had forced himself to finish the novel back then, no matter how much it made him want to puke, he wouldn't be this clueless now. He really had to work hard if he wanted to survive.
In the middle of his throbbing headache, something suddenly clicked in his mind—something important he nearly forgot.
"If the plot hasn't changed much, Sirius was supposed to be sent to Chidambar when he turned 17, right?" His heartbeat suddenly sped up as the realization hit him. "And since Constantine Clement has already shown up in the story, does that mean it's almost time for me to…"
"How old am I right now?" he asked the Fate Alteration System.
Ping!
[System: The system already told you. The system won't repeat itself. Please stop overworking me just because of your goldfish memory...]
Sirius immediately glared daggers at the system hovering in front of him. "Just admit you're lazy," he grumbled in his thoughts.
He then turned away to his brothers, who were still chatting enthusiastically about the Sizzling Sword. "How old is Alceo?" he asked out of the blue.
"19," Alceo replied casually, glancing up from his sword for a second.
"What about Aerglo?"
"21," Aerglo answered, turning to him with a soft smile.
"They're still so young, but they already have this much charisma and power…" he thought in admiration, oddly proud of the two people who now called him brother.
"Wait! Why the hell am I proud of other people's achievements at a young age when I might not even live that long?!"
"Then how old am I?" he fired the question straight out.
"16," Aerglo answered.
A wave of relief instantly washed over Sirius. He thought he still had at least one year left to try and stop his own death.
Yes, that's what he thought… until Alceo added, "But you'll be 17 in less than four months."
"WHAT?!!"
Thud!!
"SIRIUS!!!"
[System: Is fainting his hobby now? ⊙﹏⊙ ]