The first thing Kaen felt was a sensation of warm.
It was no longer the suffocating atmosphere of the trials; it was infinitely gentle, like a caress.
He began to open his eyes to see where he was.
He saw a large white room with a few wooden pieces of furniture and an open window that let the air in.
Once again, he felt a caress, but this time it was much clearer than when he was half asleep.
His eyes opened wide and he was stunned.
Solvane was sitting behind him, offering him her lap as a cushion. She caressed him so gently that it was as if she were holding the most precious thing in the world. Although her eyes were ringed with dark circles and threatened to close at any moment, she continued to caress Kaen, even though the gesture was fueled by all the willpower she had left.
"Solvane?" His voice was so weakened that it sounded like he was breathing his last breath.
She jumped while rubbing her eyes.
"Yes," she asked
She looked around to see who he had called, but no one was there, so she looked at Kaen, who had his eyes fixed on her, staring at her.
Huh? Kaen? You're finally awake. Reflexively, she leaned her head forward a little too far and realized where she was. She blushed and jerked back. "You... you're awake. Finally."
"How long...?"
"Three days."
The voice came from the bedroom door.
Kaen turned his head to see his beautiful older sister. Elisabeth was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. She wasn't wearing her everyday clothes today, but simpler, looser-fitting garments, something resembling a kimono.
Her ruby eyes stared at him with such intensity that he wanted to look away, but he did the exact opposite.
"Three days," she repeated, approaching him elegantly as usual. "You collapsed in the forest after fighting that boar. I brought you here."
Kaen blinked in astonishment at this statement. "Wait... what?" He sat up immediately, ignoring the pain. "You were here? I thought you stayed at our mansion. How did you find me?"
A mischievous smile appeared on Elisabeth's lips, something between amusement and something darker. "Let's just say that I keep a constant eye on my little brother, especially when he tries to escape from a hotel and wander into a mysterious forest without even being awakened."
She approached his bed, and for the first time, Kaen felt a weight pressing down on his shoulders. It was Elisabeth's presence.
She was heavy and suffocating.
She is truly as powerful as she is in the novel.
"You..." Kaen hesitated, searching for the right words, trying to control his breathing. "You're strong, aren't you? I mean, really strong."
Elizabeth's smile widened into a seductive grin." You're only now beginning to notice how wonderful your beautiful sister is."
"Yes, Kaen, I am much stronger than you can imagine. That's why I can protect you without anyone noticing." She says it not to boast, but as if it were an inevitable fact.
A shiver ran down Kaen's spine.
Damn! I knew she was strong, but I didn't know she had a brocon tendency.
"Why... why didn't you tell me you were here?" he asked, trying to get information out of her while feeling guilty for some reason.
Elisabeth's expression softened."You had your own battle to lead. Sometimes people need to fall to learn, as long as someone is there to catch them before they break completely."
"The banquet..." Kaen murmured as the memories slowly came back to him. "I missed it, didn't I?"
"You missed out on much more than that, said Elisabeth." She stepped forward with an unreadable expression. She was neither happy nor angry, just calm, and yet Kaen's instinct told him that she was judging him."But don't worry, the banquet was boring anyway.. What matters is that you've changed."
"You awakened , didn't you?"
A long, restrained silence fell over the room.
Solvane's hand stopped completely in shock. She looked at Elisabeth, her eyes widening and returning to kaen.
"Is that true? Her voice trembled with a mixture of disbelief and raw hope that she had suppressed for so long that her voice began to break. "You... you formed a core?"
Tears began to fall from Solvane's face. All her previous maturity vanished instantly, and she began to hug him like a child who had finally found her parent again.
"Kaen... you..." Her voice broke completely. "After all this time... you finally..."
The tears began to flow uncontrollably, overwhelmed by her own emotions, she clung to him more fiercely.
Kaen tried to stop her: "Stop it, you're not a child anymore," but she clung to him like a panda.
Elizabeth watched them bicker like real children.
It had been a long time since she had seen them like this, those two.
A small smile appeared on her face.
Kaen looked at his younger sister doing as she pleased.
If the strong-arm approach didn't work, then...
"I'm here, you don't need to worry anymore, so go to sleep now," Kaen said, patting her head.
Solvane looked at him for a few seconds, and her eyes began to close slowly, but finally she fell asleep.
Elisabeth asked, "Now that our favorite drama queen has fallen asleep, how about we move on to the serious stuff?"
"Don't you agree, little brother," with a mischievous smile.
Kaen felt cold sweat running down his body.
Then she looked at him again with the same smile. "Don't worry, I'll take your secrets to the grave... and before I go, tell your sister that tomorrow morning, at dawn, we're going to a private place for training, now that you've awakened."
"Wait, sis," he said desperately.
But it was too late, she had already disappeared.
What did she see? What does she know?
"Ehehehehe" Elisabeth smiled in heaven, holding something in her hands; a kind of photo: Solvane and Kaen in an awkward position.
She took it when she entered the room.
They were both far from suspecting that it was all a huge misunderstanding.
"Status," Kaen whispered.
══════ [STATUS] ══════
[Name]: Kaen Celestain
[Age]: 17
[Ether Red Core Rank]: F
[Ether White Core Rank]: F
[Ether Purple Core Rank]: F
[Affinity]: ???
[traits]: Nothingness
[Soul-Bound Weapon]: nameless Sword
══════ [STATS] ══════
Strength: F
Agility: F
Endurance: F
Intelligence: F
Mana Capacity: F
Charm: F
Luck: None
══════ [Unclaimed Reward] ══════
-???
═════════════════
[Soul-Bound Weapon]: nameless Sword
A weapon used before by a forgotten Tyrant.
"What are there these ???"
"Well, it can wait. I think I deserve a little nap, and tomorrow won't be an easy day," said Kaen, exhausted even though he had just woken up.