Akira blinked. "Coronation? What coronation?"
Selena smiled brightly, tilting her head like it was obvious. "Exactly what it sounds like. Remember when I told you our ancestors created an empire, and this castle was its capital? As the last members of our clan, we're the inheritors. We are the heirs to the throne. This will be our coronation. We'll become the new rulers of this realm." She paused, then chuckled. "Well, since the empire has long since fallen, maybe just King and Queen of a forgotten kingdom for now."
Akira's eyes widened. "Wait… so I was a prince all this time?!"
But before he could bask in the revelation, Erika stepped in, frowning. "Hold on! Why both of you? You're siblings. And why now? I don't get why there needs to be a king and queen at the same time."
Selena tilted her head, a little confused, then answered with a smile. "Because I can't fully activate the castle's power by myself. Originally, the destined one, the true Asterian with both pure bloodline and pure soul, would inherit the throne. With the throne's power and the Imaginary Tree's blessing, they would rule and carry on our ancestors' plan. But I was born with only the pure soul and a weak body, and my brother was born with the true bloodline. Alone, neither of us can do it. Think of it like this: the bloodline is the key and the conduit. The soul is the processor, the one who controls it. Only together can we awaken the castle's full power."
Erika frowned. "So… what happens if only one of you tries?"
Selena's smile softened. "I already tried once. Remember when I gave you the Sacred Gear to save my brother? I forcefully activated the castle's power back then to do that. It put me into a deep sleep for two whole years. Next time… I probably wouldn't wake up at all."
Erika's chest tightened. "I see… Sorry you had to go through that for us."
Selena waved it off with her usual light-heartedness. "Don't worry about it. I did it because I wanted to. But that's why this coronation has to happen." She turned back to Erika with a grin. "Do you understand now, Erika-chan?"
"…Yes." Erika sighed, resigned.
Then Selena turned to Akira, who had been oddly quiet for a while. "So, brother… are you ready for the coronation?"
Akira looked at her seriously. "No. I will not become a king."
Both Selena and Erika stared at him in shock.
"…Why not?" Selena asked, genuinely confused.
Akira crossed his arms. "Because I want to be a prince.
"…Eh?" Erika blinked.
"Why, though?" Selena asked, tilting her head.
"Because A prince is cooler than the king," Akira said firmly.
Erika's jaw dropped. "Are you an idiot?! You're rejecting being king just because you think prince sounds cooler?!"
Akira nodded with conviction. "Exactly. A prince is way cooler than a king. Think about it, in fairy tales, girls dream of marrying a prince, not a king. In fantasy stories, it's always the prince who gets the epic fight scenes, not the king! Even the game Prince of Persia wouldn't sound cool if it were called King of Persia! And in anime, half the time, kings are either boring old men, villains, or the final boss. But princes? Princes are always stylish and cool. So yeah, I'll stay a prince."
Erika pressed her hand to her face. "I can't believe this… You're unbelievable."
Selena, however, just sighed softly. Of course. This is just like him. Even knowing her brother better than anyone, Akira was still a wildcard. Then she smiled, as if she'd already found the solution. "Alright then, brother. How about this, we'll awaken the castle's power, but call ourselves Prince and Princess instead of King and Queen. Once we rebuild the kingdom and have citizens again, then we'll take the titles."
Akira blinked, then grinned. "That actually makes sense. Fine, I'm in."
"Good," Selena said with a gentle smile. "Then let's begin."
They walked together to the immense throne of violet crystal. It was so vast that both could sit side by side with room to spare. Selena took her place gracefully, Akira dropping onto the seat with a grin.
Erika hesitated. "Wait, what about me?"
Selena turned to her warmly. "Just watch, Erika-chan. You're the only witness to this moment."
Erika nodded, stepping back.
"Brother," Selena said, extending her hand. "Just take my hand, don't resist my power, and leave the rest to me."
Akira reached for her hand, then stopped. "Wait. Something's missing."
He swiped his finger through the air, and suddenly a floating blue screen appeared in front of him. He tapped a folder and pressed play. Instantly, the Chronicles of Narnia theme began blasting through the throne room.
Both Erika and Selena looked at him strangely.
"…Seriously?" Erika muttered.
Akira nodded, completely serious. "It's not complete without music."
Selena giggled softly. "Alright, brother. Anything else?"
"Actually, yeah." He waved his hand, and eight elemental wolves shimmered into existence, lining up in a row. Beside them, Za-kun and several knight-like robots that looked similar to many different mobile suits from the Gundam series appeared, kneeling like loyal guardians.
Akira leaned back with satisfaction. "Perfect. Now it feels right."
Selena only shook her head with a smile. "Then let's begin."
They clasped hands, the other gripping the crystal armrests.
The throne pulsed.
A powerful surge of energy rushed through them both. From their joined hands, a violet aurora burst forth, flowing through their bodies. Their starlit purple eyes gleamed like twin suns, their white hair glowing like radiant silver flame.
The crystal throne roared to life, purple light flooding through its veins. From it, lines of pure radiance spread across the castle like circuitry, racing outward until the entire crystal castle of Nexus gleamed with life.
The city surrounding the castle lit up in turn, its structures glowing as though awoken from a long slumber. Then the dimension itself stirred, the skies swirling with rivers of luminous purple aurora, cascading across the heavens like a living tapestry of purple light.
Erika could only stand frozen, overwhelmed. "This… this is incredible…"
But Akira wasn't watching. His vision was filled with something else, far away, stretching endlessly, the Imaginary Tree itself. The colossal tree of light he had seen before his rebirth, its branches infinite, piercing through reality itself.
"…Wow," was all he could say.
When he blinked, the vision faded, and he found himself once again on the glowing throne beside Selena.
Then, as the radiance reached its peak, the throne itself shone brighter, and from the shimmering purple aurora of stellar radiance, a crown of white crystal materialized upon Akira's head, while a delicate tiara of the same crystal formed upon Selena's.
Selena turned to him, her eyes still shone with purple radiance, her glowing hair flowing like starlight. She turned to him with a soft, triumphant smile.
"Congratulations, brother," she said gently. "For this is the rebirth… of Asterisia."