Taíra was watching her big brother on the screen when someone knocked on the door. As soon as one of the guards opened it, the five kings of the territories appeared, having come to speak with her parents about Enrico.
'What do they want to talk about big brother?'
Taíra watched the five kings suspiciously. After all, it was quite suspicious that all of them had gathered to visit a family that had yet to reach their level, being, at most, five steps below them. Furthermore, her brother had not yet reached the peak of his potential.
'Our family has gained quite a bit of power lately, but we still haven't reached a level high enough to attract their attention like this...'
Dom gave Titanza a small wave.
"Hello, Titanza! How are you?"
Taken by surprise by the kings' arrival, Titanza bowed before answering.
"It's a pleasure to see you again, my king. It's been five years since we last met."
"Ah, yes! It's been a while. But, speaking of your son..."
"As usual, you get straight to talking about what you really want. I still find it amazing that you've become a king."
Titanza's face took on an expression full of sarcasm, making Dom shudder upon hearing those words.
"How cruel!"
Apparently, her mother and the king of Floravita had known each other for quite some time. Her father also seemed somewhat familiar with the queen of Vesparello, as he spoke to her in a rather respectful manner. In fact, the five kings seemed quite comfortable around the members of the Solcren Ferreira family.
"From the looks of it, you came here to talk about Enrico. So, please, have a seat. I'll serve everyone a cup of tea."
Renzou was the first to settle down. His gaze swept over each member of the family, as if carefully analyzing them all. Taíra narrowed her eyes when she noticed this. After all, he was precisely the king who had recently been saying that her brother would become his son-in-law.
'I don't like this king. Why does he have to make my big brother marry his daughter? My big brother only needs me! After all, I'm the one who helps him train.'
Ever since spending time with Enrico a few months earlier, Taíra had increasingly wanted to see him again. She wanted to show him that she had learned the magic they had read about together and talk about everything that had happened since then. The longer she stayed away from him, the more anxious she became to see him again. She missed the conversations and playful moments they had begun sharing.
Watching the adults, she realized that the five kings seemed interested in bringing the Solcren Ferreira family closer to their respective territories. They did so through carefully disguised remarks, but Taíra had learned from her father how to recognize this kind of approach.
'Tsk... It looks like they want to use my big brother.'
The worst part was that her parents seemed quite pleased with the situation and were already beginning to consider possible business arrangements with the kings. The conversation continued for some time, with everyone following Enrico's team during the competition.
"Oh! Big brother looks very pretty in his female form!"
"Of course he does, little sister. All the girls in our family are beautiful."
"You're right, big sister!"
Completely ignoring the adults' conversation, Taíra turned all her attention back to the screen. She became especially excited whenever her brother demonstrated some impressive ability during a fight.
"What is that?"
"Did you feel it too, Hao? Let's go outside!"
Just as Enrico was about to face a boy who seemed quite strong, the competition was interrupted. The kings had sensed something and immediately decided to go outside. Taíra followed them and, when she looked up at the sky, found herself facing a gigantic portal. The broadcast of the fight was cut off shortly afterward, bringing the competition to an end.
"Little sister, come with me. I'll take you somewhere safe."
Platina took Taíra's hand and led her away. Along the way, she managed to see her parents and older brother preparing to face the Nartheis that were beginning to appear throughout the streets of Vesparello, accompanied by other guards and knights.
'I hope big brother will be okay.'
Taíra was taken to an underground safe zone in Vesparello, built to shelter civilians during emergencies. However, there was a limit to how many people the place could accommodate, so some groups had to be gathered at other safe locations throughout the city, from where they would be teleported to distant regions as soon as possible.
Her sister remained by her side the entire time, ensuring that she didn't have to worry about her own safety. The only way to find out what was happening on the surface was to pay attention to the sounds of the battles reaching the underground area. Platina had temporarily taken on the position of one of the guards responsible for protecting the civilians of Vesparello, including those who had come from other territories to watch the competition.
"Thank goodness the world can protect itself. If it weren't for that, everything would be destroyed."
Platina placed her sister on her lap and began stroking her hair. Both of them were worried about Enrico, after all, he was still only a Circle Three mage. Of course, he was a very powerful Circle Three, but that didn't change the fact that the battles on the surface involved forces far beyond his level.
Taíra raised her head, concern evident in her expression.
"Big sister, will big brother be okay?"
Platina nodded, trying to reassure her.
"Of course he will! I'm sure our parents and our brother will save him if they find him in danger."
Her sister's words made Taíra feel a little better, renewing her confidence that Enrico would be fine.
"You're right. They're very strong, so saving him will be easy."
The constant destruction on the surface caused rumbling sounds that could be heard even underground. However, at a certain point, all those noises suddenly stopped. The silence that followed was interrupted by a gigantic explosion, so powerful that it caused an enormous crack in the ground, despite the world's own resistance.
When they were finally allowed to leave, they realized that a gigantic hole had formed nearby, leaving an entire area devastated. The destruction had also put the lives of many people in the surrounding area at risk. Fortunately, the guards were already organizing the evacuation, leading civilians away from the region. From what they managed to discover, something had protected the people who were above the city. Then, a Circle Nine magic spell, specifically prepared to save some of the civilians, had been used on them.
When the situation was finally under control, Platina took Taíra back toward the city. The two arrived in time to see Enrico being placed on a white floating stretcher by a girl. Beside them was a large carriage that would transport the injured from Sanos, mainly the students of Astrong Academy, so they could receive immediate treatment.
"Big brother..."
Before she could run over to him, the carriage quickly departed with the injured. The girl also climbed into another carriage, where the students who had suffered less serious injuries were waiting, although they had still taken part in the battles. Taíra wanted to stay by her brother's side, but realized that it might take some time before she could visit him. Platina noticed her expression and placed a hand on her head.
"Are you worried about your brother? Don't worry. I'll take you to visit him as soon as we talk to our parents."
"Big sister is the best!"
That day, Taíra happily hugged her sister. Even so, for some reason, she felt that she needed to talk to Enrico as soon as possible. She couldn't explain that feeling, but trusted that it wouldn't be long before she saw him again.
'I never imagined I'd have to wait a whole day while my sister talked to our parents and our brother.'
Finally, the time came to visit Enrico. Taíra departed in the Solcren family's personal carriage, accompanied by Platina and Valério. To her delight, along the way, they received the news that her brother had woken up.
Her two siblings seemed quite pleased with the information, especially because the healing mages had predicted that Enrico would only wake up after a week, considering the number of injuries he had sustained. However, he had needed only one day to recover enough to wake up, demonstrating a level of endurance far beyond that of any ordinary person.
"That must have been the result of my training."
"Please, brother! You only taught him magic. I'm the one who trained him to withstand blows!"
'I helped big brother too!'
Upon arriving at Astrong Academy, her siblings went to speak with the director, who was supposed to show up in a few minutes. Taíra, on the other hand, decided to look for Enrico on her own. However, after searching for some time, she discovered that he had disappeared shortly after waking up. Without wasting any time, she began looking for him everywhere near the academy.
'Where is he? Why is he worrying me so much by disappearing like this? I'm going to punish him! Today, he'll have to spend an entire hour without being allowed to stay with me. Hehe! He's going to suffer a lot for losing that time after we spent so long apart!'
She continued searching until she finally spotted him. Upon recognizing her brother, Taíra immediately started running toward him. Some of his other companions were nearby as well.
'I finally found you, big brother...'
"...Get stronger."
Those were the words she heard from Enrico's mouth before magic enveloped Taíra and his companions. The next moment, they were all transported outside the barrier that had begun to surround the entire Astrong Academy.
"Big brother?"
She watched in horror as the barrier began to form around Astrong Academy.
After that incident, they discovered that a cult had planned to assassinate the academy's students by trapping them inside the barrier. However, the plan failed thanks to Enrico's intervention, as he had used teleportation magic to remove most of the students and their companions from there. His sister was also among those who had been taken to safety, and many people began expressing their gratitude for what he had done.
A few hours later, a Circle Ten man arrived at the location, apparently interested in the message Hao had sent. After examining the barrier, he stated that it would take at least two years and perhaps a few months to break through it.
"This is very, very interesting! I'm going to have so much fun with this!"
Hao watched his brother, whose figure was partially obscured by shadows.
"I wish you weren't like this."
"Hahaha! You should respect your older brother. Otherwise, I'll use you as a test subject!"
Taíra was present when that information was revealed. The man seriously stated that he would be able to break the barrier and free Enrico, although he might already be dead by the time that finally happened. Taíra didn't have much faith in that statement, just like her brother's companions.
Even though she shared her brother's companions' disbelief, Taíra couldn't stop thinking about the words Enrico had said before being separated from them.
'If he said that, it means big brother's companions aren't that strong... If they aren't strong enough, then I'll become strong so he won't need them. After all, they couldn't help him.'
That was the thought that stayed with her throughout the following two years and one month. Taíra trained tirelessly and, upon turning fifteen, managed to reach the First Circle. Her progress was also impressive: during the first year, upon reaching Circle Three, she became the second student who had improved the most, falling behind Victoria by only five days.
'Brother, how much longer are you going to make me wait?'
Now sixteen years old, having celebrated her birthday three months earlier, Taíra had changed considerably. A new golden streak had appeared in her long hair, which reached below her waist, and her body displayed the features of a teenager in the midst of development. Her beauty certainly attracted the attention of several students, something that made her let out small snorts of irritation.
Taíra pointed at the students around her, raising a finger in warning.
"This beauty is only for my sister and my brother, so you can stop staring at me!"
Upon hearing those words, the students quickly averted their gazes and returned their attention to their own lesson. After all, nobody wanted to get into trouble with Taíra, who held first place in the first-year S-Class ranking.