Yuki's gaze lifted toward the ceiling of the arena, her eyes narrowing.
Above her, seven purple magic circles hovered in perfect alignment, forming the constellation of the Big Dipper. A soft hum of power vibrated through the air, and for a fleeting moment, she could feel the presence of the stars themselves.
"Star magic?" she thought, a ripple of surprise coursing through her. "But I've never taught him anything like this… where did Akira learn this?"
Before she could finish the thought, a sudden tug at her leg made her glance down. From the arena floor, sand began to swirl and rise, shaping into the half-formed head of a wolf. Its jaws clamped tightly around her leg, locking her in place. Yuki's eyes widened ever so slightly.
"That sand wolf… I was sure I destroyed it. Did it disperse into sand to avoid my strike? Clever boy."
She could test her leg to see if she could break or teleport. But she didn't. Instead, her gaze returned to her son. He was raising his hands into an elaborate pose, fingers weaving into a dramatic seal.
Yuki shook her head in exasperation, almost amused. "That idiot, he doesn't need to do that to cast that magic. But… sigh. Always playing around, no matter how many times I tell him, even while fighting seriously."
And then, light erupted.
The seven circles connected, blazing like stars joined in cosmic threads. Beams of light fell from above, brilliant and merciless, crashing down toward her like spears hurled from the heavens themselves. The entire arena quaked.
Yuki's eyes widened slightly as the light beam fell. "Such force… even if I shielded myself with a barrier, I'll still be wounded. But perhaps, it's time."
She closed her eyes and reached for the power inside her. "I had planned to wait until he was older… But if Akira has reached for the stars by himself, then he's ready to know this power."
Akira's chest heaved, sweat dripping down his face as he watched the light beams engulf his mother. As he let out a smile. " A direct hit, not even she can withstand this. It's my win…"
Then a voice slipped through the light, calm and almost amused.
"Hmm… Heavenly Body Magic? Not bad, Akira. You've surpassed my expectations."
Akira's smile froze. His eyes widened in disbelief as the storm of light began to fade, revealing her.
Yuki stood untouched, radiant, cloaked in a shimmering aurora of purple light, glittering like scattered stardust. The light swirled and rippled around her like the flowing curtain of a night sky.
Akira's mystic eyes pierced through it. What he saw wasn't magic. It's a power Akira had never seen before, it didn't crush him with pressure, nor radiate malice. Instead, it felt warm. Calming. Familiar.
"What is this…?" Akira thought, stunned. "This power…feels familiar…Mother…"
Before he could finish the thought, Yuki vanished. In the next instant, she reappeared before him, so close he could see the glow in her eyes. In her hand was a sword, forged of pure aurora, its point resting against his throat.
"Game over," she said softly.
Akira gasped, stumbling backward until he fell onto the ground, sitting heavily. He knew his mother would usually kill him, but today she didn't, he didn't know why.
From the sidelines, his father Ryuji approached with an easy smile. "Not bad, Akira. It was a good fight."
The aurora surrounding Yuki shimmered once more, then faded into nothing, leaving only her calm figure. She gave a slight nod with a smile. "Yes… you've done well."
But Akira's mind was elsewhere. He looked at her with excitement in his eyes, like a child found his new best toy, "Mother, what was that? That wasn't mana. It felt… different, it's like nothing I have seen before. What is it? Tell me! Tell me! Tell me! Please, tell me!"
Yuki sighed, then smiled gently at her son's excitement. Her eyes softened as she spoke the words he had been waiting for.
"This… is the secret power of our Starlight family. It is a power connected to our bloodline, it's called Stellar Radiance."
Akira muttered under his breath, almost like he was testing the words on his tongue, "Stellar Radiance… yeah, that's a cool name."
His eyes flicked toward his mother, curiosity lighting them up. "Mother… what exactly does it do? And how did it block my Grand Chariot?"
Yuki smiled faintly at his eagerness. Instead of answering right away, she asked him a question first, "Before that, Akira… tell me, where did you learn all those spells you just used? I never taught you those."
Beside her, his father crossed his arms, just as curious. He, too, was waiting for an answer.
Akira hesitated for a moment, then sighed, "Fine, I'll tell you."
He raised his hand and began to list them one by one. "The mist technique, that's actually a vampire art. I stole it from Iori using my Mystic Eyes and modified it a bit."
That's not that hard to figure out, both Yuki and Ryuji already realised it seemed similar to the vampire technique.
"As for the elemental wolves… they're basically autonomous constructs. How do I explain them… think of them like magic that is alive. They even have their own consciousness and mana source. I gave each one its own personality, too."
"You… made them sentient?" Yuki blinked, almost stunned. "We never taught you anything like that. How did you even give them their own mind?"
Akira shrugged like it was nothing, "It's simple, it's like computer programming."
Ryuji frowned. "And when exactly did you learn that?"
"It's not that hard. I learned it in my free time. It just took a few hours," Akira said nonchalantly, and he wasn't lying. That's how he'd learned it in his previous life.
"Sigh. I guess anything is possible with you. But why did you transform into a dire wolf? Why not something stronger?" Akira's father asked. He had grown used to his son mastering new skills effortlessly, but he couldn't understand why Akira had chosen a dire wolf.
"Because they're cool. I mean, dragons are cool too, but wolves are cooler. Plus, I can even transform into a wolf pup and blend into the public. I'd look just like a normal puppy. It also helps me run faster and be acrobatic in a fight. I'm not great at close combat anyway," Akira explained his reasoning.
Ryuji asked, with a sigh. "Where did you even learn to turn into a wolf?"
"Oh, that's from Iori too," Akira said casually. "I saw him transform into a bat, so I just stole the spell and modified it to turn into a direwolf."
Ryuji sighed as he muttered something under his breath, shaking his head.
But Yuki quickly waved her hand. "Forget about that. There's something far more important here, Akira. How did you use the power of the stars in your magic? Where did you learn that?"
Akira froze. He obviously couldn't tell them he copied it from an anime from the future. His mind scrambled for an explanation.
"…Honestly," he finally said, scratching his cheek, "I just felt like I could. It was like… I had a feeling I could connect it to the stars. So I reached out, and I made my magic connect to the Big Dipper asterism. I don't really know how I did it, I just… did."
both Yuki and Ryuji were stunned in silence, then they sighed in unison.
"…I guess that's just how it is with you," Yuki murmured.
Akira grinned sheepishly, then leaned forward, eyes practically sparkling with excitement, "Anyway! Enough about me, Mother, that power you used before. Stellar Radiance. Tell me about it!"