I flashed a refreshing smile, doing my best to stop my cheek from twitching. “Long time no see, Annie!”

“Seriously?” Annie raised her eyebrows so high I thought it’d fall off her face. “You really think that’ll work?” Her fingernails dug deeper into my hand.

It hurt but felt good at the same time. No masochism involved. Really. I just missed my sister’s warmth.

“Worth a try.” A hint of bitterness crept into my fake smile.

“You… You jerk. You big jerk!” Still gripping my hand, Annie came closer with a livid expression.

Her wavy hazel locks swayed backward as her emerald irises locked onto mine. Waves of fury battered my chest, testing the limits of my anima’s sensitivity.

“What a sinful man,” said Lyla.

I glanced at the bag housing the talking head. “Shut up!”

“Sh-Shut up..?” The fury in Annie’s face vanished, replaced by a sheer shock. “Did you just tell me to shut up? After disappearing without a word? After leaving me alone? I don’t even have the right to complain? Is that what you’re saying, Kari?” Large beads of tears fell from her eyes.

“No! I wasn’t talking to you!”

“There’s no one else here!” Annie began wailing in earnest, attracting the attention of people shopping at the nearby stores. “Or are you saying you were talking to Sabre again!?”

“She can’t hear me, Kari,” said Lyla. “I’m using an auditory illusion targeting you alone.”

Mental note: Practice volleyball with Lyla every morning.

“I was talking to myself, Annie. I was about to say something embarrassing, but I stopped myself! I just kinda blurted it out when I did.”

Lyla snorted. “Is that the best you could come up with? You lack imagination.”

Mental note 2: Practice volleyball before going to bed.

Annie released my hand and dried her face with her sleeves. “That’s a terrible excuse… How can you be so mean… You don’t know what I’ve been through! I peed in blankets!”

“Oh god,” said a middle aged woman carrying a basket of food. “Young people these days!”

“That scrawny kid is into some crazy shit.” A bearded shop owner threw me an intense glare. “You really can’t judge a book by it’s cover.”

I placed my hands on Annie’s shoulders to calm her down. “I’m sorry! I’m completely at fault, so please stop crying! People are starting to think I’m a pervert who likes to watch girls pee!”

But she wouldn’t stop. “I was so worried! Thinking about what could’ve happened to you, I was so scared I couldn’t sleep.”

Each word stabbed my heart like a knife. On top of my own guilt, I also shared her misery in full because of my anima. That was when I realized how terrible my sin was. Her solitude and fear threatened to overwhelm me, and I had only been exposed to them for a short while.

I embraced her with all my might, not caring if I hurt her. This was probably the one time I felt grateful I was scrawny and weak.

“I’m sorry, Annie. I’m so sorry.”

Her tears finally stopped as she wrapped her arms behind my back. “I missed you so much.”

***

We moved to a nearby restaurant to avoid attracting more attention. After taking our seats at a small corner table, I ordered drinks and a plate of pastries for us. Annie didn’t say a word the entire time.

“So, uh…” I scratched my cheek. “What are you doing here?”

“That’s my line.”

She was absolutely right.

I nervously licked my parched lips, tasting a bit of iron. “What did you hear from Mother?”

“Her usual lies. But I know the truth. I overheard her talking with Sir Richter.”

“Truth?”

“That you aren’t Father’s son. That you have cor. That you broke a Valmaz warrior out of prison.” She focused on my face, brow furrowed. “And from the looks of it, you did so willingly.”

That was not exactly true. According to the decapitated witch, who I left tied to Sabre’s saddle underneath the scorching sun, my anima had resonated with Hilde’s, compelling me to save her. An excellent excuse. I could convince Annie that my actions were all a side effect of magic. I could even be absolved of my crimes. Most importantly, I could avoid Annie’s hatred.

“Yes, that’s right.”

But I couldn’t lie to my sister. I had willingly thrown away the right for forgiveness the moment I decided to reject Lyla’s offer in that cave. I had known my affection for Hilde was manufactured by magic but still chose to stay with her.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Annie wanted to cut ties with me right here. I was the world’s most terrible brother and deserved no less. Gritting my teeth, I braced myself for a brutal tongue-lashing.

However, the words I least expected tumbled from her lips.

“Was it my fault?”

I was so surprised, I couldn’t answer.

She averted her eyes from mine and stared at the table. “It’s my fault, isn’t it? Because I didn’t defend you from the other kids. Because I didn’t stand up to Mother. Because I pretended to hate you in front of people.”

“That’s not true!”

“It is! I knew you hated living like that, but I couldn’t… I didn’t do anything. If I tried harder, you wouldn’t have left with some random fugitive.”

“You’re not listening to me-”

“I can’t think of any other reason! There’s no other way you would’ve just left without a word. It has to be my fault!”

“Look at me.”

“I should’ve been there for you! But I was a coward!” She didn’t even bother wiping away her tears.

“I said look at me.” I reached across the table and touched her cheek. I slowly raised her face and gazed into her eyes. “You did nothing wrong. It’s all my fault. I-”

“I knew you were into little girls,” said a familiar voice.

Hilde, her beautiful silver hair hidden in a shawl, approached from my right. Felix stood beside her, sans his characteristic scarf. That was probably his idea of a disguise, which I had to admit was quite effective. Fully exposing his handsome face changed his overall appearance significantly.

“G-Guys, what are you doing here? Weren’t you supposed to wait at the inn?”

“You took so long so we decided to find you.” Hilde glanced at my hand, which was still glued to Annie’s cheek. “What are you doing?”

Normally, I’d be happy at a show of jealousy from the girl I like, but I knew better. My anima clearly conveyed a different emotion: disgust.

I quickly withdrew my hand and organized my jumbled thoughts. “T-This is my sister, Annie.”

I turned to my sister, but she was no longer in her seat.

“Who are you?” Hands on her hips, Annie stood defiantly in front of Hilde. She was forced to tilt her head backward to face the much taller girl, but the fierce scowl on her face made up for the difference in height.

“Hilde.”

“I meant who are you to my brother.”

“His partner.”

“Wha!” Annie looked surprised for a moment but quickly regained her composure. “I take it you’re the Valmaz prisoner that escaped from Arthas.”

Hilde’s gaze sharpened.

I rushed in between them. “Okay, let’s calm down a little.”

“Women are fighting over you again,” said Felix. “Master never ceases to amaze.”

Annie’s glare shifted to me. “Women? Again? Master?”

“Wait, I can explain-”

Felix proudly thumped his chest. “Karius is my master in thievery and all things villainous.”

On second thought, I couldn’t explain.

Annie slumped her shoulders. “What have you been doing all this time, brother..?”

“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you everything, but first, I need to know how you found me.”

“Do you remember seeing me in Portus?”

“...Yeah.”

“Then you know I’m with Lucius. Sir Richter and his knights are with us too. We got separated after entering Aurum though.”

“I still can’t believe Mother would let you join the search party.”

“She didn’t. I snuck in one of the cargo wagons.”

I felt the urge to scold her for being so reckless, but I realized that would be the height of hypocrisy coming from me. “Must’ve been a hard journey.”

“You don’t know the half of it.”

“Well, I can imagine. My trip wasn’t a cakewalk either.”

“Then let’s go home.”

I knew those words would come. My decision was already set in stone, but I didn’t know how to explain myself to my beloved sister, not without hurting her.

“I…”

“He can’t,” said Hilde.

Hissing like a threatened cat, Annie shot back. “This is none of your business.”

“It is. I need him.”

Having been fooled by the terse Hilde over and over again, I knew not to get my hopes up from that statement.

“His magic is useful.”

See? I knew she’d follow up with something like that.

But it hurt all the same. Dammit.

“My brother is not your convenient tool.”

“He is.”

“Wait,” I cut in. “Even I have something to say about that.”

“You, the guy who kept following me around like an evil puppy?”

“An evil what?”

Annie grabbed my sleeve with both hands. “Why are you even listening to this witch, Kari?”

“What did you just call me?” Hilde’s voice rumbled with an icy tone.

“A witch.”

“I’m no witch.”

“Yeah, right. I know you cast some sort of magic on my brother. That’s the only reason he’d break you out and accompany you.”

Hilde held her tongue. She knew of the resonance between us and felt that she was partly responsible for the odd turn my life took that night.

“See! You can’t even answer. You really did do something to him!”

Hilde’s eyebrow twitched. “He said he loves me.”

“He what!?”

“Right, Kari?”

“You ask that now!?”

“Now or never.”

“Y-Yeah, that’s right.”

Annie ground her teeth in mortification. “This is all part of this witch’s sorcery! K-Kari wouldn’t fall for someone like you! He has better taste than that!”

“Well… I did have a crush on Lisa…”

Annie slapped her brow with a palm. “That’s right! I forgot you have terrible taste!”

A victorious smirk cracked Hilde’s stony expression. “Go home, girl. Kari doesn’t care about you.”

My sister winced. A sharp pain, radiating from Annie, pricked my heart. I couldn’t let that slide.

“You went too far, Hilde. Apologize to her.”

“For what?”

“For saying that I don’t care about her. I love my sister. I won’t forgive anyone who hurts her, even you.”

Hilde’s eyes took on a cold glint. “Look who’s talking.”

“I know I’ve done worse things, to her and many others, but that doesn’t excuse what you said. I’ll own up to my mistakes. So should you.”

“...Fine.” She turned to face my sister. “Girl.”

“It’s Annabelle.”

“Annabelle, I said too much. I apologize.”

Wide eyed, Annie practically mumbled her response. “N-No worries.”

“What an amazing coincidence,” said Felix, “meeting your sister in Aurum like this.”

I shook my head. “It’s not a coincidence. She’s with the search party looking for me and Hilde. We can’t stay in this city.”

“I’m going to get our things.” Without meeting my eyes, Hilde passed by my side and headed for the exit.

“Did I screw up?” I muttered as I watched her shrinking back.

I hoped I didn’t ruin all my effort forging my relationship with Hilde. That said, I didn’t regret defending my sister one bit.

Annie tugged on my sleeve, a habit of hers when getting my attention. “Do you really like that girl? Is she why you betrayed Arthas and left me alone?”

Instead of spite, all I could sense from her was fear, fear of me saying yes.

“...Yes.”

I was a horrible person. I lied to everyone all the time, but I couldn’t even tell a white lie to the only person I treated as true family. Why? Because she was the only person I treated as true family.

Despite the tears precariously hanging on her lashes, she chuckled. “I thought it was impossible, but your taste in girls got worse.”

“Sorry, Annie. I couldn’t just watch her be tortured and killed.”

“She’s the enemy, you know?”

“Same goes for me. Are you going to arrest me for treason and drag me back to Arthas?”

“Miss Annabelle, I know it is rude for me to interrupt, but I request you not to do that. Putting aside the risk of him being imprisoned-”

“Don’t just put that aside,” I said. “That’s pretty big.”

“I will lose my master in villany.”

“Now that I don’t give a shit about.”

“...You seem to be enjoying yourself, Kari,” said Annie. “Much more than back home. In Arthas, you only smiled in earnest when we were alone together. You found good companions in such a short time.”

“We’ve been through a lot together. Bonds forged in fire, I guess.”

“Is that so.” Annie closed her eyes and dried her tears. “I won’t force you to go back home.”

“Thanks for understanding.” I sighed in relief.

Then she smiled brightly. “Instead, I’m going with you.”

How I missed that smile.

Wait.

What?

“I’m sorry, Annie. I didn’t catch that.”

“I said I’m going with-”

“I think there’s something wrong with my ears.”

“Brother.”

“Sister.”

“I’m not backing down.”

“Annie, you don’t understand how dangerous it is. I almost died twice already.”

“Counting your close calls before we met,” said Felix, “it’s actually seven times, at least.”

“How do you even know about those?”

“Miss Hilde told me.”

I clicked my tongue. “She never tells me anything. That’s so unfair.” Scratching my head, I focused on my sister. “Back on topic. You can’t go with us. It’s too dangerous.”

“That’s exactly why I’m going. Someone needs to stop you from acting rashly.”

“She has a point, Master.”

I shot Felix a glare to shut him up before returning my focus on Annie. “You don’t even know where we’re going.”

Annie tilted her head. “Speaking of which, where are you going?”

“...I don’t actually know.”

“You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

I wish I were.

She tightly furrowed her eyebrows and stared into my eyes, as if trying to see through them. “I know what you’re doing. You’re lying to stop me from coming. I’m onto you!”

Again, I wish I were.

Truth be told, I was tempted to bring her along. Even though they got off on the wrong foot, I was sure I could convince Hilde to let Annie join the party. My sister was the only thing I missed from Arthas. Taking her along would solve that problem.

However, reality was not so simple. Annie had no way to protect herself, and I wasn’t strong enough to protect her. Chances were, she’d get seriously hurt or killed during our journey. That was something I could never allow.

“Sorry Annie, but the answer is no. Please go back to Arthas. You’ll be safe there.”

“I don’t want to be safe! I want to be with you! No one cares about me there. Not even Mother.”

“Well, there’s Lucius.” I pointed a finger past Annie’s shoulder, directing attention to the heaving young man who just entered the restaurant. “Look, he seems pretty worried about you.”

Oh shit.

Lucius’s handsome face twisted in anger upon seeing me. “Kari… I finally found you. Get away from Annie!” He pointed his shortsword at me.

I turned to my sister. “He calls you Annie now?”

“Stuff happened.”

“Stuff? What stuff!?”

“Is now really the time for this!?” Annie pointed at the charging Lucius.

I barely dodged his downward slash. I was lucky he was aiming for my shoulder instead of my head.

I channeled Lucius’s anger and targeted the table beside us.

“Ignis!”

The wooden table burst into flames.

“Felix, we’re getting outta here!”

“Yes, Master!”

The diners panicked and scrambled out of the restaurant. Opposing the flow of people, two knights made their way inside with great difficulty. Ignoring the chaos, Lucius launched a series of vicious attacks against me. I ducked under his blade twice and shuffled backward to prevent a horizontal swing from spilling my guts.

“Stop, Lucius!” shouted Annie. “You said you’d let me talk him down!”

Talk me down?

Was this all part of some plan to bring me back?

No, I didn’t feel any guilt from Annie during our talk.

But what if…

What if she thought she was doing the right thing?

Did she really want to come with us?

Or was she just buying time for Lucius and the knights to arrive?

Smoke from the burning table filled the small restaurant, clouding everyone’s vision. My doubts about Annie’s intentions coupled with the lack of visibility slowed my reaction to Lucius’s forward thrust. I couldn’t dodge it.

A sharp clang rang out.

“I am afraid I cannot let you hurt my master.” Felix pushed Lucius’s sword away with his dagger.

Gotta love this guy.

Lucius changed his target and swung at Felix. The aspiring thief evaded his strike effortlessly. The difference in skill was apparent even to an amateur like me. The two knights recognized Felix as the greatest threat and joined the battle.

The flames spread from the table to the rickety wooden flooring, creating a hellish battleground. I could use ice magic to extinguish the flames, but that would render the distraction I created useless. I wanted to avoid using offensive magic directly on Lucius and the knights because I could cripple or kill them. I didn’t want more blood on my hands, especially from people who were just doing their duty. Besides, Felix didn’t seem to have any trouble dealing with them himself.

The thief slipped through attacks from three directions, like a dancing flame. His red hair blended with the fiery hue of the blazing battlefield. He quickly defeated the two knights with a high kick and an uppercut.

He was clearly holding back against Lucius, probably because my sister and I knew him. After parrying a running slash, Felix tripped the young squire, causing him to tumble to the burning floor.

“Lucius!” shouted Annie. “Are you alright!?”

I could hardly see anything due to the smoke. I followed my sister’s voice and grabbed the sleeve of her dress. “Felix, where’s the exit!?”

“Over here, Master!”

Following Felix’s guidance, we rushed towards the exit. “We’re almost there, Annie! Hold on!”

While coughing out smoke, we burst out of the double doors. Sabre, still tied to a post at the restaurant entrance, neighed fiercely while trying to break free.

Wiping the soot and tears from my eyes, I slowly regained my vision. “Annie, are you okay?”

“I’m over here, Kari!”

Hands on knees, Annie stood about ten paces away from me, coughing in between breaths.

Then whose sleeve was I holding?

I turned around to check, only to be greeted by a fist. The blow sent me flying. My vision flickered as my back hit the dirt. The throbbing pain felt nostalgic, reminding me of my sparring sessions in Arthas. I had even recognized the shape of Lucius’s knuckles when they slammed into my nose.

Yeah, I was one pathetic squire.

He pounced on me and pinned my waist underneath his body. I couldn’t defend myself, so I switched to offense. I didn’t want to hurt Lucius, but he forced my hand.

Channel.

Annie’s fear.

Target.

Lucius’s leg.

“Glacies!”

Lucius rolled off me as soon as I cast the spell. Missing its target, ice crystals formed in the air and fell on my stomach.

“That’s not gonna work anymore!” Lucius thrust his toes into my gut.

I blocked it with my forearms, but the impact still made breakfast climb up my throat.

Felix spun around and slammed his heel into Lucius’s flank, knocking him to the side. “Master, are you okay?”

“Yeah. Good thing I’m used to Lucius’s beatings. What took you so long?”

“Apologies. I untied Sabre for our getaway.” He grabbed my hand and helped me up.

“No, that was the right call.” I searched for hostiles outside the burning restaurant.

Annie was crouched near the downed Lucius. “Are you okay?” She tried to check his body for injuries.

Pushing her hand away, Lucius unsteadily stood up and glared at me. “I’m not letting you get away again.” He took an unfamiliar stance with his sword.

That was when I noticed. He was holding his weapon in his left hand. I was certain he was right handed. He always used his right to hit my face, after all. Everything clicked inside my head. I had wondered why a squire was part of the search party. His seething anger towards me finally made sense. I had robbed him of his sword arm with my ice magic when I escaped from Arthas. He was here for vengeance.

A pang of guilt distracted me for a moment. I didn’t like Lucius, but he didn’t deserve to lose his sword. However, I wasn’t soft enough to let him catch me just because of that. I readied a spell to take him down.

Annie jumped in between us. “Please stop fighting! I don’t want either of you to get hurt!”

“Get out of the way!” shouted Lucius.

Dammit. Annie was too close to Lucius, limiting my options. Lucius had figured out how to dodge magic targeting his body directly, but I couldn’t use large scale spells in fear of hurting my sister.

“Leave this to me, Master.” Felix took the vanguard, unsheathing his twin daggers.

I nodded in approval. “Don’t hurt him too bad.”

“Of course.”

“Don’t underestimate me!” Lucius charged in with a sword thrust.

Felix parried the blade with his left dagger and then hammered the flat side of his other dagger into Lucius’s shoulder. “Your attacks are too predictable. You lack the speed for such a straightforward style.”

“You bastard!” Lowering his stance, Lucius launched a chain of slashes aimed at Felix’s legs.

Felix didn’t even bother blocking. The path of Lucius’s blade seemed to avoid Felix’s limbs by itself.

“Limiting my mobility is a good idea, but you practically announced your plan by lowering your stance. That shows your inexperience. You have good physical abilities, but your fighting sense is mediocre at best.”

“Why are you giving him a lecture?” I asked. “Just get it over with.”

“I figured it would seem very villainous to act extremely arrogant while showing off the difference in our abilities.”

“You do know that characters who do this lecture schtick in stories turn out to be good guys in the end, right?”

“Tarnation!”

While Felix was busy grabbing his head in shock, Lucius landed a kick on his stomach. The redhead tumbled backward but quickly rolled to his feet. The chain wrapped around his torso dampened the force of the blow.

“Behind you!” said Lyla.

I jumped forward, barely avoiding a shield bash from a knight.

“Thanks, Lyla!”

“Focus, boy!”

The two knights Felix defeated earlier had recovered and escaped the burning building. They cautiously approached me, shields up. Fortunately, they didn’t want me dead, which was only natural considering my family name. Unfortunately, their friends had caught wind of the ruckus and began flocking to the scene. Seven more knights appeared from the far corner of the street and joined the fray. Felix could still handle that many, but if Richter showed up, then we’d have no chance of escape. Hilde would’ve balanced the scales, but she was nowhere to be found.

“Felix, capture Lucius now!”

“Understood!” Felix unleashed his chain-sickle at Lucius.

Unable to react in time, Lucius’s leg got caught in the chain. With a forceful tug, Felix took the young squire off his feet and dragged him close. Lucius struggled to free himself, but the chains bound his feet too tightly. With practiced skill, Felix kicked Lucius’s sword away and bound him like a roast chicken using the rest of the chain.

“You knave! Using cheap tricks! Have you no honor!?”

“Master, I like your friend! This is the first time anyone has ever showered me with such praise!”

“He’s not my friend, and he wasn’t praising you.” With the most diabolical sneer I could imagine, I thrust my hand out towards the knights. “Don’t move! If any of you take another step, my friend here will make sure the heir to the Brent family becomes unable to plow the fields, if you know what I mean.”

With a symphony of clanks, the armored knights all froze in place.

“Now if you’ll excuse us, we’ll be traveling with him until we’re safely out of reach.”

Annie stepped forward. “You can’t be serious, Kari. You’re taking hostages now?”

I couldn’t show hesitation in front of the knights. If they realized this was a bluff, they’d swarm us in a heartbeat.

“Why are you so surprised?” I flashed my teeth while filling my gaze with condescension. “I massacred dozens of knights and acolytes before. What’s the big deal about castrating one brat?”

Annie’s expression clouded over. She couldn’t tell if I was lying. Her doubt pulsed into me through my anima, weighing my heart down. My sister had never seen this side of me, so her confusion was understandable. The misunderstandings between us had not yet been cleared either. The last thing I wanted to do was to lose her trust. However, the die had been cast. Stopping now would put everyone in more danger, including Annie and Lucius.

My sister gripped the breast of her dress, her fingers shaking. “Were you lying to me the whole time?”

I hardened my heart and spat out my reply. “Isn’t that obvious by now?” I kicked Lucius, who was helplessly writhing on the ground. “I have a new life now, one that I actually like. Can you do me a favor and leave me alone? And take those knights with you.”

Hating me was for Annie’s own good. I had no home to return to, and she could never be safe by my side, at least for now. One day, when I had seen through my journey with Hilde… Or maybe if I gained enough power to brush off all dangers, I would return to her side. That was, of course, if she still wanted me there.

All that said, kicking Lucius in the gut felt damn good.

“We’re leaving, Felix. Toss Lucius on Sabre’s back. We can squeeze into the saddle.”

“No need. Please do not worry about me and escape. Disappearing is my forte.”

I nodded and climbed onto the saddle. After giving Annie one last look, I stroked Sabre’s neck and galloped away.