"Sirius?!"
Alceo was suddenly jolted. His body instinctively jerked, startled by the sudden appearance of a figure who had been the topic of their conversation just moments before.
This figure was now standing beside him, wearing an innocent look on his face, as if he had just appeared out of nowhere.
Without a shred of guilt on his face, the young man simply stood with his hands on his hips, frowning and staring back at his brother, who was still trying to regain his composure, attempting to steady his rapidly beating heart. "What?" he said casually.
"Sirius..."
The soft voice of Queen Arabella calling his name immediately made the young man turn his head toward the throne.
His irritation slowly melted into admiration, filling his heart with awe as his golden eyes were fixed on the two figures seated on the throne before him.
Ping!
[ System: Scanning in progress... ]
Scanning: 85%... 92%... 100% complete!
[ System: Character scan successfully! ]
Name: Orion de Archer Andromeda
Title: King of the Andromeda Kingdom
Age: 45
Pure Element: Fire
Controlled Elements: Fire, Earth
Elemental Mastery Level: 2 / Ocean
Weapon: Combustion Sword
"Amazing..." his lips unconsciously murmured, expressing his awe of the majestic figure of the king before him.
"Well... at least I have two cool older brothers and a badass father in this world..." he muttered to himself, nodding without realizing it.
Sirius' head moved again, following the trajectory of the blue holographic screen that now floated toward the queen.
[ System: Scanning in progress... ]
Scanning: 85%... 92%... 100% complete!
[ System: Character scan successfully! ]
Name: Arabella de Archer Andromeda
Title: Queen of the Andromeda Kingdom
Age: 41
Pure Element: Nature
Controlled Elements: Nature
Elemental Mastery Level: 1 / Earth
Weapon: Cutting-Edge Root Whip
The young man's mouth dropped open involuntarily, clearly captivated by the woman's beauty.
But his hand swiftly slapped his own face, trying to remind himself that he was still sane. "Shit! Get a grip! You're not some crazed lunatic! You cannot fall in love with your own mother!"
He grasped his head in his hands, quickly shaking it, trying to shake off the chaos and curses attacking his mind. Just when he thought he might regain control, a sharp jab from Alceo to his arm brought his efforts to an immediate halt.
Quickly turning toward his brother, he mirrored the same irritated expression on Alceo's face, who was glaring sharply at him. His brother was clearly signaling for him to offer a proper greeting to their parents.
But as always, Sirius' brain had yet to reset itself, causing his processing speed to be terribly slow due to the heap of useless thoughts piling up behind his skull. In the end, he could only respond with a "What?" while scratching his head.
Orion, seeing his son's foolishness, didn't get angry. Instead, he let out a hearty laugh. This only prompted Aerglo to take a step forward, bowing his head to save his younger brother's life. "Forgive my brother's rudeness, Father…" he said apologetically.
A warm smile remained on Orion's face. Slowly, he gestured for his youngest son to approach. "It's fine. Come here, my son."
Sirius' throat seemed to dry up spontaneously as his feet hesitated, each step forward more reluctant than the last.
His heartbeat increased as a dark thought began to creep into his mind. "Am I going to end up on the guillotine for being rude in front of the king?" he muttered with a nervous frown. He swallowed hard.
Arabella smiled gently as she saw her youngest son finally stand before her. Her hand slowly reached out to caress Sirius' head, the tender affection of a mother for her child. "How are you, dear? Are you feeling better?"
"My body is fine," Sirius answered with a slow nod. A long sigh escaped his lips, his internal monologue muttering, "But my mental state is not…"
Upon hearing his son's response, Orion gave a few warm pats on his son's shoulder. "Sirius, you're almost seventeen, aren't you?" he said.
Sirius only nodded in response, a hint of resignation hiding behind his eyes. "Hm, and soon enough, I'll be dead..."
Orion smiled warmly, reaching out to ruffle his son's hair with affection. But don't imagine for a second that Sirius felt joy from such a gesture.
A chill ran down his spine instead, as the looming shadow of execution still haunted his thoughts due to his earlier disrespect toward the king. Despite this, deep down, Sirius knew Orion was not a cruel or bloodthirsty figure. He was a father and a king, but far from a tyrant.
"That's good," Orion said casually.
Sirius' golden eyes widened in surprise. He swallowed hard again. "What...?! Does he feel relieved that one of the burdens of the family is about to disappear?"
Seeing his son's bewildered expression, Orion calmly explained, his voice quiet yet carrying a tinge of sadness. "Your father feels that now is the right time for you to begin learning outside the palace."
"Outside the palace?"
Arabella nodded with a gentle smile, hiding the sadness she also felt. "That's right, dear. We want to send you to an island to deepen your martial arts training..."
With an unfocused gaze, Sirius' eyes seemed to drift far into the distance, suspicion creeping across his face. "Really? This isn't some tactic to exile me like in the novels, right?"
A resigned sigh escaped him. "Damn... the disaster's finally here..."
***
Chidambar Sanctuary
Amidst the vast expanse of the blue ocean, a small flower-covered island separated itself from the great mainland, dominated by the chaos of powerful kingdoms.
So far, only words like peace and calm seemed to permeate the air between the mountains and hills of Chidambar Island.
The white foam of the waves resembled tears of joy on the distant shore. The drooping petals of wisteria flowers seemed like delicate purple rain scattered upon the earth of spring.
The gentle trickling of water sounded like a melody of nature, bringing a coolness to the heart and clearing the mind as it flowed down into a crystal-clear lake.
The mountain winds swept through the bamboo groves surrounding the lake, creating a peaceful rhythm that soothed the soul.
A waterfall cascaded down from a mountain gap, crashing against the rocks below, sending a cool spray that refreshed the nearby foliage.
The wind picked up again, causing several petals to detach from their stems and gently land on the shoulder of a young man.
His long silver hair, flowing past his waist, was tousled by the breeze, and his white shirt clung to his pale skin, now damp with the cool water droplets. He clutched a sword, a relic of great significance. His calm blue eyes, the color of the deep sea, gazed listlessly at the beauty of nature before him.
For hours, Astrophel del Frostine had been lost in thought in this quiet place, his mind vacant, his soul hollow from the emptiness left by the loss of his memories.
This was not the first time he had felt such emptiness from the disappearance of his memories, something that had happened many times before.
Yet, each time his memories vanished, there was always one name that remained stubbornly etched in his mind, like an eternal flame that could not be extinguished, no matter how much water touched it.
"Sirius..." A bitter edge formed between his cold, sharp features as he murmured the name softly.
For that name seemed to carry a unique, everlasting memory with it, a memory that was the only thing that remained every time he opened his eyes to a blank slate.
It was a bloody memory, a memory that should have left a bad taste in his mouth. Yet, strangely, there was no trace of ill-feeling whenever that memory replayed. All that came to him was a blossoming sadness.
And just a few days ago, when he once again awoke to that emptiness for the umpteenth time, his adopted father had come to inform him of the arrival of the owner of that name.
This had only deepened his curiosity. What was it about the person bearing that name that made them the only real thing in his otherwise empty memory?
His almond-shaped blue eyes, soft but cold and dim, fell upon the spread of forget me not flowers blooming around the pristine lake. He reached out and plucked a delicate blue petal.
A memory, captured by the petal, began to flow through Astrophel's mind. It brought forth a fragment of himself from days past, when he stood before those flowers, speaking and storing precious things he must never forget in every forget me not petal.
"The seventh time I've woken up with the same memory, and that name is still here..." It was a memory locked within the petals he now held.
He dropped the petal to the ground, his eyes still distant as he picked another one.
As he closed his eyes, another memory surged into his mind. "Now it's the eleventh time... I want to know the reason. But I'm still trapped here..."
And with that, he plucked a third petal, remembering how he had once stood, still questioning the same confusion. "I don't know... How many times has it been? Nothing has changed. That single memory is still the only thing left in my soul..."
Amid the emptiness that continued to carve a hollow in his heart, various emotions that were difficult to comprehend slowly began to emerge and blend into one. His gaze fell upon a group of white butterflies dancing in the air, fluttering toward him.
Astrophel raised one hand, allowing one of the butterflies to land on his index finger. A soft voice that only he could hear resonated from the butterfly, flowing into his ears.
"They have entered the mountain, Master…" the butterfly whispered, before it flapped its wings again, leaving Astrophel in an atmosphere of feelings that were hard for his soul to understand.