Hearing his sister's explanation, Akira asked, "So what went wrong? Is there a problem with the secret technique, or is it something else?"
Selena shook her head. "I don't really know. It's not the secret technique's fault; it never failed before. Honestly, no one really knows why. But I do know one thing," She paused, then added with a small smile, "I was formed first. Then you were formed. That much is certain. Which means I am the eldest."
Akira blinked. "How can you be so sure you were formed first?"
Selena tilted her head, mischief in her eyes. "There are many reasons, but the most important is obvious. You look more like me than I look like you, right?"
Akira froze. It was true, though he didn't want to admit it. His face had softer lines, more androgynous than he'd ever liked, resembling his sister's features far too closely. He slumped, sulking. "Seriously? I wanted to be cool, not cute…"
Selena giggled. "Honestly, brother, you bring it on yourself. All your clothes are weird, and you can't just have long hair with a face like mine and complain when people call you cute. You'd look way cooler if you styled yourself up a little."
Akira groaned. "I tried, okay? But everyone says my style is bad, and I look cringe. And my hair isn't even as long as yours, and how am I supposed to have cool hair if it's short? You know, like Goku, or Yugi Muto, or even Madara Uchiha!"
Akira was a genius and mastered many things easily, but fashion was one of the few things he truly wasn't good at.
Selena sighed, shaking her head. "Brother… if you dress like an anime character, of course, people are going to call you cringe."
"His style really is cringe," Erika muttered with a resigned sigh. Knowing Akira, she could easily imagine him copying anime characters for inspiration.
"Really, Akira, she's not wrong," Erika added, giving him a look. "I think we need to fix your style a little."
Selena nodded eagerly. "Yes! Brother, you should go shopping with Erika-chan. I can even connect to you telepathically and help you pick things out, too."
"Why don't you just come with us then?" Akira asked, before realizing something. His tone hardened. "Wait… where have you even been all these years?"
Selena's smile softened. "…Unfortunately, I can't leave this place. I've been bound to the castle since birth."
Akira's eyes widened. "What? Why?"
She answered calmly, though her words carried a heavy weight. "Remember what I said. You were born with the strongest bloodline, and I was born with the purest soul, but a very weak body. When I say weak, I really mean it. Right after I was born, I almost died. My body is basically like a normal human's, but my soul was too powerful for it to contain. My body began to fail under the strain. To save my life, our parents fused me with the throne, which is directly linked to the Imaginary Tree. I have been tied to this place since birth."
Erika's eyes widened in shock. She had never expected Selena to be trapped like this.
"So you have been here since you were born?" Akira asked, voice tight. Inside, he is a little angry. Why did his parents never tell him anything? Did they just leave her alone? If he had known, he would have at least stayed and kept her company.
Selena shook her head gently. "Don't be angry, brother. They planned to tell you once you were older. But I was the one who stopped them."
"Why?" Akira demanded.
"…I have my reasons," Selena said softly. "I'll tell you later. But I wasn't alone. One of our parents was always with me, even after you left the country. Remember how they always disappeared, claiming they had dangerous missions? They were actually here with me. And besides…" she gave a small, mischievous smile, "I had my own form of entertainment."
Akira tilted his head. "Entertainment? What, there's internet connection here or something?"
Selena laughed mischievously. "No, brother, it was you. You are my personal entertainment."
Akira blinked. "...Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means I'm connected to you more deeply than you realize," Selena explained. "I can read your mind, yes, but not just that. I have access to all your memories. I can link with your senses too. I see what you see, as if I am watching a live stream. I feel what you feel. When you touch, taste, or smell something, I experience it too. I cannot control your body, but it is almost like I possess you."
Both Akira and Erika stiffened, equally weirded out.
"Uh…" Akira rubbed his neck. "I mean, I was fine with the memory-reading thing, but everything else… I don't even know how to feel about that."
"Don't be like that, brother." Selena's voice softened. "The only way I can experience the outside world is through you. It's the only way I've lived."
Akira let out a defeated sigh. "…Fine. As long as… You know what, whatever. I can't say anything. You've been locked here your whole life anyway."
Erika looked between them, unsettled, and leaned forward. "You're seriously okay with this? You're not even weirded out?"
Akira shrugged. "It is what it is. Complaining won't change it."
"My, my, don't be like that, Erika-chan," Selena chimed in with a playful smile. "Back when we were children, whenever you two played together, I felt it too. So in a way, I have been playing with you as well."
Erika's eyes widened. "Seriously…?" she whispered, the realization dawning. "So that's why she always felt so overly familiar with me, even though we never met before…"
As Erika was still processing everything with a faint sense of unease, Akira suddenly remembered something. "Wait… where are our parents now? No, actually, what about the rest of our family?"
Selena's face grew solemn. "They're all in the world between the Sea and the Tree… fighting."
Akira's eyes narrowed. "Seriously?"
She nodded. "Yes. Whenever the younger generation comes of age, the previous generations leave to fight in the war, along with a few of the Star Chasers they recruit here. Now that we've come of age, our parents have departed too."
Akira let out a bitter laugh and sighed. "…And they didn't even say goodbye."
Erika's chest tightened, sadness flickering across her face. Akira's parents had always treated her kindly, like family. The thought of them leaving to fight an endless war without even saying goodbye left her aching. She glanced at Akira; he looked calm, but that only made her heart sink further. If she was this sad, then he must be even sadder… and he was just hiding it.
Akira turned back, recalling Selena's words. "Wait. You said they only recruited a few Star Chasers here, right? Why didn't they just go to other worlds and gather more?"
"Because they can't," Selena replied. "Remember what I said about how the castle cannot function at full capacity, and our ancestors used it as the anchor to forge this world. Because of that, it lost the ability to freely travel between worlds. That function was sacrificed."
"…I see," Akira muttered, letting out a long sigh. "That makes sense."
Selena's expression softened. "That's everything I wanted to explain. Do you have any questions?"
Akira stretched his arms lazily. "Nah. We've already been going for a while. That's enough exposition for now."
Selena chuckled softly. "Fair enough." Her smile lingered, but there was a new glint in her eyes, playful yet edged with a quiet seriousness.
"In that case… It's finally time."
Akira tilted his head. "Time for what?"
Selena rose to her feet, snapping her fingers. The world around them shifted in an instant, carrying them back into the throne room. Her voice carried through the chamber, not stern but steady, with just enough weight to make the moment feel real.
"Time for our coronation."