Aldous G. Vaughn stood at the center of the training yard, sword raised, lightning dancing along its edge.
The strike came down in a single clean motion.
Thunder cracked across the sky.
The stone dummy before him did not shatter. It vanished. Reduced to scorched fragments that scattered across the yard like ash caught in a storm.
Silence followed.
Then applause.
Aldous exhaled slowly, letting the lightning fade from his blade as he turned. Servants, guards, and a few guild instructors stood at a respectful distance, eyes filled with awe.
"The Lightning Blade grows sharper every day," one of them said reverently.
Aldous smiled politely.
"Thank you," he replied. "I still have much to learn."
It was a habit now. That humility. Not false, but practiced. In the Eastern Kingdom, power attracted enemies just as easily as admiration.
Five days.
That was all it had taken.
Five days in this world and his status screen had already become something whispered about in taverns and guild halls.
He did not need to look at it to know what it contained, but it appeared anyway, summoned by instinct.
"Status"
Title(s): Bearer of the Lightning Physique, Sword Tiger, Idol of the Great
Name: Aldous G. Vaughn
Exclusive Skill: The Golden Child
Affinities: Light, Fire, Water, Nature, Wind, Lightning
Internal Energy: 70,000/70,000
Mana: 45,000/45,000 (First Circle)
Innate Skill(s): Chain Lightning (Rare), Lightning Blade (Rare), Monstrous Rage (Rare)
Passive(s): Enhanced Regeneration (Rare), Enhanced Learning (Rare), Lightning God's Body (Mythic)
Learned Skill(s): Mana Bullet, Advanced Mana Recovery Technique, Advanced Internal Energy Recovery, Azure Sword Style [Mastered], Vermillion Spear Art [Mastered], Light Magic Bullet, Mana Barrier, Wind Storm…
The list went on.
Four more pages if fully expanded.
Aldous dismissed it.
Even now, he found it surreal how easily everything came to him here. On his second day, he had formed his first magic circle without assistance. On his third, he mastered techniques that veteran warriors spent years refining. Skill books dissolved into knowledge the moment he finished reading them, as if the world itself wanted him to succeed.
The Golden Child.
At first, he thought it was just a name.
Now he understood it was a declaration.
In four months, Aldous had slain multiple high class monsters, cleared dungeons previously deemed unsafe, and risen to prominence within the Eastern Kingdom. His strength had drawn the attention of sects, clans, and even the ruling powers themselves.
They called him the Lightning Blade.
A hero forged by fate.
The mansion behind him stood as proof of that rise. Built on the edge of one of the kingdom's greatest cities, it housed not only Aldous, but people far more important to him.
Family.
Aldous entered through the main hall, removing his training cloak as servants bowed. Laughter echoed faintly from the inner rooms.
"Cousin!" a familiar voice called out.
He turned just in time to catch his mother pulling him into an embrace. His father stood nearby, arms crossed, pride barely hidden behind a stern expression.
"You're late for lunch," his mother scolded gently. "Again."
"Sorry," Aldous said with a sheepish smile. "Training ran long."
His father snorted.
"With power like yours, you could train all day and still not exhaust yourself."
They moved to the dining room, where several relatives from their old world had already gathered. Faces that once belonged to a collapsing reality now laughed and spoke freely in this one.
Safe.
Because of him.
As they ate, conversation flowed easily. Stories of the city. Rumors of monsters. Tales of Aldous's latest exploits, exaggerated despite his attempts to downplay them.
"You've become someone incredible," one of his aunts said. "We never imagined…"
Aldous smiled, but his thoughts drifted.
To another face.
Another smile.
Later, after the meal, Aldous stood on the mansion's balcony, overlooking the city bathed in evening light. Lightning flickered faintly around his fingers, reacting to his mood.
His mother joined him quietly.
"You're thinking about him again," she said.
Aldous nodded.
"Aldrin," he said softly. "I keep wondering how he's doing."
His mother smiled sadly.
"You always worried about him more than yourself."
"He smiled," Aldous said. "Right before we were sent here. That's the last thing I remember."
He clenched his hand.
"I should have asked where he planned to go. I assumed… I don't know. That he'd be fine."
"He always was," she said. "Just because the world didn't notice him doesn't mean we didn't."
Aldous looked down.
"I wish he were here," he admitted. "I want to see him again. I want to tell him… that it's okay. That he doesn't have to stand behind me anymore."
His mother placed a hand on his shoulder.
"He'll find his way," she said. "Just like you did."
Aldous nodded, but doubt lingered.
Unknown to him, far across the continent, the name Summoner was spoken with fear. The Church mobilized. Heroes marched north. A calamity was being hunted.
And Aldous had no idea that calamity shared his face.
No one knew what the Summoner looked like.
No one knew his name.
And Aldous only remembered his brother as he had always been. Quiet. Smiling. Standing just out of the spotlight.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, Aldous raised his gaze to the sky.
"Wait for me," he whispered. "I'll find you."
Lightning crackled softly in response.
Two brothers.
Two paths.
And a collision that the world was not ready for.