Akira looked out and finally saw his house, just as he remembered. A black gothic mansion that looked like vampires lived there.
"Still looks haunted, alright," Akira muttered softly as he got out of the car and walked toward the house.
As Akira stepped into his old home, a wave of nostalgia hit him. The familiar scent, the strangely modern-looking interior paired with the haunted gothic exterior, all made him feel like he was finally home.
"Man... it really hasn't changed at all," Akira muttered, glancing around the hall that still looked just as it did when he left, a small smile forming on his face. "Seems like the preservation spell still works fine... Nice. Sigh... I'm finally home."
"It does look the same, it's been five years." Erika also looked around with a nostalgic expression, following him in, before crossing her arms. "By the way, I forgot to ask before, but where are your suitcases? You seriously came back with just... that?" She pointed at his single backpack, raising a brow.
"Huh?" Akira blinked, then chuckled. "Did you forget? I store most of my stuff in my dimensional storage magic called Inventory. Look, everything's in there." Akira said as a screen appeared in front of him, showing an inventory just like in a video game, complete with icons for all his items. "I also connected it to my Archives magic to make it more efficient."
"Yeah, I forgot you had that. You hardly used it back then," Erika muttered, remembering how Iori had to carry most of their stuff whenever they went out together. She also remembered Akira once saying it was something he saw in an anime, how it was more fun to carry things normally to make 'good memories' or something like that.
"Oh yeah, Erika, are you free today? Don't you have school?", Akira asked, realizing it was a weekday.
"No, I am free. I took a day off. Why do you need help unpacking? I can help you with that", Erika says with a smile.
"Well, that too, but first, we are going to do something else, just follow me, I will show you something exciting", Akira said with a mischievous smile as he headed straight toward the bookshelf at the end of the hall.
Erika blinked. "Wait... that's the way to the basement, right? Are we seriously going into the basement?" She hurried after him, lowering her voice. "Are you sure that's even okay...? I remember... back then, even when I stayed over, your parents never let me go down there."
"It's fine now," Akira said as he pressed a hidden panel behind an old bookshelf. The wall rumbled and shifted open, revealing a spiral staircase leading downward. "I'm the one in charge now. My parents gave me full permission to do whatever I want before they left."
They stepped onto the staircase and began descending. The moment Erika set foot in the basement, her jaw dropped.
"...N-No way...".
It was like stepping into another world. The basement wasn't just big, it was impossibly big. Grand hallways stretched endlessly. Dozens of massive doors lined the hallways, each leading to who knows where. It looked like something straight out of Hogwarts.
And right in the center was a colossal battle arena, large enough to accommodate an entire stadium's worth of people. It was like an underground city hidden beneath the house.
"How... how is this even possible...?" Erika asked, spinning around.
"Space magic," Akira answered simply. "This entire sub-level is expanded through spatial distortion. Technically, this basement has more area than the entire plot of land the house sits on."
"This is... amazing," Erika breathed, still overwhelmed.
"Oh, don't get too impressed just yet. The place we're going to is not far. We're almost there." Akira led her further down a long hallway until they stopped in front of a massive double door.
It stood over five meters tall, crafted from glossy, pitch-black crystal. Etched into the centre was the emblem of the Starlight family, a sword planted in front of a tree made of stars, all encircled by a glowing ring.
Erika's eyes widened. "Wait... is this entire door made of Nocturnite? I've never seen them this big before."
Akira smiled, placing a hand on the door. "Yes, it's made of a single big Nocturnite crystal. It's almost indestructible".
"I see, so what exactly is behind this door?" Erika asked with a curious expression.
"I have no idea. My parents never allowed me in here before," Akira said with a grin. "But the other day, they just handed me the key and gave me full permission. And now... I can finally enter this place."
Reaching into his pocket, Akira pulled out a small black crystal key. As soon as he held it near the door, the key dissolved into particles of starlight, merging with the crest.
Lines from the family symbol lit up, spreading like glowing circuits across the surface of the door. With a low rumble, it slowly slid open, revealing a portal of swirling white and purple light.
Erika took a step back. "Wait... we're going in there? is it safe?"
"I'm going in for sure," Akira grinned. "You can wait out here... if you want."
"Don't you dare leave me behind!" Erika snapped, grabbing his arm.
"Sure. Let's go together then." Akira smirked.
Together, they stepped through the portal, and light enveloped them completely.
When the light faded, they found themselves standing inside a magnificent throne room. The walls, floors, and even the ceiling were made of radiant white crystal, polished to perfection. The entire space glowed softly like moonlight.
At the far end stood a grand throne, too big for one person, crafted entirely from a brilliant purple crystal, the exact shade of Akira's eyes. Veins of luminous purple circuitry spread from the throne throughout the floor and walls, forming intricate patterns like a giant circuit board.
But what truly caught their attention... was the girl standing in front of the throne.
A beautiful girl with long, snow white hair that looked like it was made of moonlight, purple eyes that looked like they contained the endless sea of stars. She wore a flowing white dress, elegant and regal, with white and purple crystals embedded in it, like a princess from stories.
But more than anything... she looked just like Akira.
A little shorter and has softer and more feminine features. But undeniably identical.
"You've finally found me," She smiled warmly at them. "I've been waiting to meet you for a long time".
Akira stood frozen. Erika, too, gawked in disbelief, glancing between the two.
The girl opened her arms wide as if she was presenting something with a warm and cheerful expression, her purple eyes softening even more.
"Welcome... to the land of stars, Asterisia, Brother."