Silence descended upon the living room of the Altavis mansion in the capital.
Time seemed to stand still. Alvin and Allen's eyes went wide, barely blinking, as they witnessed the scene before them. Arken, the boy who had just celebrated his first day reviewing the academy, was now sitting on Kazien's lap with his arms wrapped around his brother's neck, and his lips pressed right against Kazien's lips affectionately.
Kazien froze. His body went stiff as a stone statue, his usually genius brain suddenly short-circuiting. He could feel the warmth of his brother's breath and the soft texture of those lips.
Thousands of questions exploded in his mind in a split second. What is he doing? Is this the gift he meant earlier? But... why on the lips? Why is he kissing me so intimately? Does Arken... like me as more than just a brother?
No one made a sound in that living room. Alvin and Allen were still too shocked to react, only able to watch in silence.
Slowly, Arken broke the kiss. His face was beaming, decorated with the widest and most innocent smile he had ever shown.
"Brother Kazien, thank you for giving me such an exciting experience as an academy student." Arken said sincerely, his eyes sparkling as he looked at his brother's face. "I am truly happy today."
Kazien blinked, his senses slowly returning to his body. He stared at that innocent face, trying to find a hidden meaning, but he found only sincerity.
"I... I am happy too because you are happy, Arken." Kazien answered stammering, still trying to steady his heartbeat. "But, why did you kiss and hug me like that? It was a bit... shocking."
Arken tilted his head, still with a sinless smile. "I wanted to give my first kiss to you as a token of gratitude! Besides..."
Suddenly, Arken's tone became slightly enthusiastic, and his face leaned closer again.
"Do you want we to do—"
Snap!
A strong and quick flick of a finger landed right in the middle of Arken's forehead.
"Ouch!" Arken screamed, recoiling instantly while holding his forehead which was now turning red. His eyes welled up, holding back the pain. "Brother, that hurts! Why did you flick my forehead all of a sudden?"
Kazien pulled his hand back, his face flushing deep red, a mixture of embarrassment and panic. "Why did you want to do that kind of thing to me?"
Arken looked at his brother with a gaze that was a mix of confusion and annoyance. "Do what? I wanted to ask, do you want us to do something fun like playing with new magic? But why did you flick my forehead that hard?" he shouted in protest.
Kazien fell silent. His mouth opened slightly, realizing the fatal misunderstanding that had just occurred in his head.
"I... I thought you were going to act like Alvin and Allen!" Kazien replied softly, though his tone was full of guilt.
Alvin and Allen, hearing their names mentioned, could only smile wryly.
Alvin scratched his cheek, which wasn't even itchy. So Allen and I are being made the scapegoats for his own thoughts? Alvin thought with amusement, though he understood his future husband's panic.
Arken snorted, rubbing his forehead. "What were you thinking, Brother? You weirdo! I just wanted you to see something very exciting!"
Curiosity began to envelop Kazien. "What magic is it?"
Seeing the immense curiosity on his adopted brother's face, Arken immediately forgot the pain of the flick and became excited again. He climbed down from Kazien's lap, stood tall in the middle of the room, facing his brother. Alvin and Allen could only see what he wanted to do.
"Watch this closely!" Arken said.
He closed his eyes, full concentration radiating from his young face. The mana around him began to vibrate gently.
"Sui Reflection!"
A visual distortion occurred in the air. A blackish light glowed, refracting like a calm reflection of smoke, then slowly solidified beside Arken's body.
In the blink of an eye, the figure formed perfectly.
Alvin and Allen jumped in surprise. Kazien widened his eyes in disbelief.
Now, there were two figures of Arken standing before them. Identical. From their height, clothes, and hair color, down to every single strand of hair.
"What are you doing?" Kazien asked, his voice choked with shock. He looked at the left Arken and the right Arken alternately. "Why are there two of you?"
Both Arkens smiled simultaneously. Their voices sounded harmonious, yet came from two different sources.
"I split myself!" answered one of the Arken figures.
"This magic does drain quite a lot of my magical energy. But I am sure Brother Kazien can copy it easily." answered the other Arken figure.
Arken smiled sweetly. But Kazien did not.
Kazien, whose genius brain immediately grasped the extraordinary potential of this magic, immediately stood up from the sofa. The time management problem that had been haunting him about how to give attention to Alvin and Allen without making one of them wait for their turn, suddenly found a solution.
If I can split myself, I can share my company with Alvin and Allen at the same time. I think this is a very useful magic so I can be fair to both of them simultaneously.
"Try showing me the magic formula!" Kazien requested enthusiastically.
Without hesitation, Arken held out his hand. Mana particles floated in the air, forming the intricate arrangement of runes and magic diagrams of the 'SuiReflection' technique.
Kazien's eyes moved fast, scanning every symbol, understanding the flow of mana, and recording the structure into his brain's memory.
And with just one look, the understanding was locked perfectly within his mind.
"Amazing!" Kazien muttered.
He took a step back, making room, wanting to try the new magic Arken had taught him.
Kazien closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and began channeling mana according to the pattern he had just learned.
Magic activated!
The air around Kazien vibrated violently. The same light appeared, splitting reality.
The next second, two new figures of Kazien stood tall in the living room. Clones and the original body, there was no difference.
Arken clapped his hands in delight. He felt very happy because his brother could copy the unique ability he possessed in a matter of seconds.
"Brother, I'm proud of you! You can really use it!" Arken exclaimed proudly.
The original Kazien figure gently pulled and sat Arken on his lap. Meanwhile, the clones walked toward the sofa where Alvin and Allen were sitting, then pulled them onto their laps respectively.
"I am the one who is proud of you! Thanks to your help teaching me this magic, I can divide my time for Alvin and Allen fairly starting now. Thank you so much, Arken! You are a genius!" Kazien said sincerely while holding his brother's shoulders.
Arken looked at his handsome brother's face, which was now so close. A sweet smile was carved on his lips, but in the deepest recesses of his heart, there was an uncertain feeling of turmoil.
There was such a great affection, but also fear and doubt about his own feelings. Do I only admire him as a brother? Or...
Arken shook his head faintly in his heart. He chose to ignore those confusing feelings. He just wanted to enjoy his time together with the brother figure he loved so much.
"Brother Kazien, I am so happy to be your brother." Arken said softly, his eyes staring straight into Kazien's sapphire blue eyes. "Forever, this is the thing I will always be proud of until the end of my life! Thank you very much, Brother."
The words 'end of my life' hit Kazien's chest like a sledgehammer.
The smile on Kazien's face cracked instantly, although he tried hard to maintain it. The fear of loss that he had buried all this time surged back to the surface, choking his neck.
Unconsciously, Kazien pulled Arken's body into his embrace. He hugged his brother so tightly on his lap, as if afraid that if he loosened his hug even a little, Arken would vanish into dust.
Please don't talk like that... Kazien thought painfully.
The emotion exploding from Kazien's original body was so strong that it radiated outward. Thanks to the contract of eternity that connected them, Alvin and Allen could feel their future husband's feelings very clearly. The fear, the possessive affection, and the deep sadness.
At the same time, the two clone bodies of Kazien that were holding Alvin and Allen immediately hugged them very tightly.
Alvin fell silent in the embrace. He knew exactly what his future husband was feeling right now.
He must be remembering the destined death of Arken that will surely happen in the future.
Alvin felt like opening his mouth, saying something to calm Kazien and asking him to stop torturing himself. However, he held back. Alvin was afraid that if he dared to discuss it now, Kazien would feel even more depressed and broken.
My Dear, I hope you can be strong facing all this. Know that Allen and I will always be by your side, accompanying you, and will never let you be alone.
Allen also felt the same wave of sadness from the hug of Kazien's clone. He returned the hug tightly.
What a troublesome future husband! I never expected that he would be so afraid of losing the person he loves so much.
Allen looked at Alvin's face, who was hugging Kazien's body. From his expression, it seemed that Alvin would definitely force Kazien to accept Arken.
His eyes shifted to look at the ceiling of the living room. If that happens, I too will support Alvin's decision and force Kazien to accept Arken as his third future wife.