"Wh-wh-whaaaaat!?" Aria cries, practically falling over from waving her arms so frantically in front of her face.

"Un... Nii... Nii... It has a better ring to it than Elijah. Simpler." Kiku muses, looking bashful.

Frankly, I am gobsmacked as well. This is quite the development. It makes me feel fuzzy inside.

"Um... was I not supposed..." Kiku gains some self-awareness at last.

"NO! That's great if you like using that... do c-carry on if you like..." I deny her uncertainty with a little more force than I expected.

"Oh... um... that’s good. I... actually always wanted a proper older brother. T-though Kako was probably more like one than I think?"

She smiles shyly. Hnnngh. I feel like I need to plug my nose this instant lest blood gushes out.

Aria suddenly stops being paralysed and stomps up to me, having a scary expression like a hannya mask 1.

"OI, YOU..."

Oh shit, my danger-o-meter just skyrocketed into orbit. I swallow inadvertently. At least it pre-emptively stops the nose bleed. Aria just addressed me like my real sisters in a deadpan tone. Kiku apparently starts watching a tennis match with a questioning look.

But much like a cold war, nothing occurs. It does cause a cold sweat on the back of my neck though. Aria looks as though she didn't think any further than a menacing advance, which is pretty standard for her brain, I think.

Well, if I'm already dead... before I die...

I ruffle her head again, much longer this time than the brief brush from before. Her silver mop is silky smooth.

She goes through a menagerie of emotion, much like when I proposed to her when I was first summoned.

Suddenly, Kiku surges forward and yelps "Nii! Do-do me like that, too!"

My nose feels like erupting again from her inadvertent innuendo, but I obey, moving my right hand to ruffle Kiku's fringe. Her green hair is fluffy despite its straight bangs.

"Eh-ehehehe." She chitters like a small animal... well an animal wearing a red iron helm, at least.

I give her forehead an extended rub to make up for Aria's double whammy.

Aria pouts, and chewing her words, says "You. You're not my brother, Elijah."

I feel like my soul should leak out, wavy ghost style. 2.

But this is to be expected. I sigh and reply.

"Of course not, Aria. That would make me the crown prince." I say, smiling wryly, whilst suppressing my disappointment.

"I don't want you to be a brother... after all... that means..." She whines.

Oho! This!

"Su-summoner! I'm your summoner after all!" She corrects herself.

Nice save Aria. I don't want to be making assumptions but that almost sounded like...

An explosion rocks the air around us with a shockwave.

I shoot my head around to the tower, and my assumption is correct, part of it has just been blown away, and though indistinct at this distance, it’s pretty obvious from the silhouettes that the only thing those things could be, flying out of that gap in the side, is bodies.

Electric bolts surge down the side of the tower itself, grounding themselves out.

"I'm assuming that skydiving isn't a normal activity for the Thunder Sage...?" I urgently query.

"That!? Um... Aria, am I seeing things?" Kiku adds.

"No; you're right, Kiku, those are bodies of demons!"

Demons?! They're here? I strain my now enhanced vision to the limit, and focus on the bodies about to hit the ground. Yes... they have muscular frames, ram like horns, ragged leathery wings that look too small to fly, and pretty obvious claws. The bodies fall forever into the chasm besides the tower and are not seen again.

Considering the weird ass nightmare fuel I’ve so far encountered with the creatures of this world, they almost seen normal... cliché even.

I know this is quite close to the frontlines, in theory, but for them to have made it to this point is surely significant.

But perhaps most importantly...

"Does this mean the Thunder Sage is under attack up there?" I ask.

Aria and Kiku quizzically look at me and then apparently come to the same realisation.

"Fucking bollocks, you're probably right, Nii. That was a big spell, made to wipe out lots of foes at once." Rowdy Kiku ponders.

"They're like, the greatest mages we have as humans, though. They wouldn't..."

"That's precisely why, Aria. I'm no general, but I wouldn't want a potential war asset like that left unchecked and uncertain." I tell her.

"Yes, um... Nii is correct. A preventative assassination. B-before the sage is convinced to leave the tower and brought to bear on their front lines." Kiku states.

Aria seems to understand after we explain this, but looks irritated and dissatisfied for some reason.

"We should make haste. You might be right, the sage might easily overpower them. But I also don't think they would come here completely unprepared for a fight with a powerful sorcerer, if their goal is what I think..." I say.

"Um... it's all downwards from here, Nii, so we should make good time." Kiku confirms.

I nod. She's right. I'm glad this isn't a world with snipers... we've gotta run straight across an open field, but it should indeed be quicker than the ups and downs of the hilly terrain from before. We begin to dash.

"Yes... let’s go... onii-chan..." Aria squeaks.

Today shall forever go down in my dark history of joyous rapture.