From Makoto's perspective:
"Begin!" I heard at the very moment Rey's fist came flying toward my face. He did not hesitate, which surprised me a little, but also made me glad. I slipped under his right elbow, stepped to hook his leg, and shifted sharply to the left. His momentum carried him forward, I intercepted his movement and yanked his body along with me. Rey lost his balance, and at the last moment I grabbed his collar to keep him from falling to the ground.
"Enough," came my father's calm voice.
Rey looked at me with shining eyes, full of surprise and admiration, as if I were his idol who had finally noticed him. It seemed I had exceeded all his expectations by finishing the fight in a single instant.
"That was awesome!" Rey shouted. "So smooth and fast! I want to learn to do that too!" he said excitedly, getting to his feet.
"Rey, what you just saw was a basic close combat technique," said Father as he stepped closer and faced me. "When the opponent opens from one side, you slip past the strike, sweep the leg, and throw them to the ground, just like Makoto did."
He explained step by step, showing the movements. Rey listened carefully, watching so as not to miss a single detail.
"Rey, try the same on Makoto. Practice with each other for a while," Father said, stepping aside.
Without protest, we faced each other and began to practice the throw in turns. I made a deliberately slow swing so Rey had time to dodge, and at once he hooked my leg, grabbed my collar, and flipped me over.
Words could not describe my astonishment. Rey perfectly repeated Father's movements, and he did it quickly. He had seen the technique only twice and managed to copy it flawlessly on his first attempt. Rey has talent… maybe he is a genius? I thought as I stood back up.
"Rey, that's incredible. You pick things up instantly," Father praised him with a smile, ruffling his hair. "At this rate, the two of you will become first class adventurers."
Judging by his face, Rey was happy, but his faintly sad smile betrayed hidden grief. Why does he mourn? His parents? I don't know. I think he will manage. He is strong.
It is hard to believe two weeks have already passed since that slaughter.
"Since you're so capable, Rey, let's try this now. Take the swords," Father said with his usual smile, picking one up from the rack.
That was how the following days passed. Time flew by unnoticed, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year.
"Broooother! Food!" came Shiro's sweet voice from downstairs.
I opened my eyes and stretched with a yawn. It was early morning, birds sang outside the window. Rey's bed was empty, meaning he had already risen. I dressed in black trousers and a black tunic and went downstairs.
In the kitchen I saw Father sitting at the square wooden table, drinking something and reading his newspaper in his favorite black kimono. To his right sat Rey in his favorite light gray outfit of a sweatshirt and trousers.
"Good morning, brother!" said a small white-haired girl in a short white dress, her eyes like mine and her smile bright and kind.
"Good morning, Shiro," I replied, gently patting the top of her silky hair. Finished, the little beast darted off into another room.
"Morning," said Rey and Father, not looking up from their breakfast. I nodded.
A black-haired boy came in from behind, wearing bluish shorts and a gray shirt.
"Hey, Kuro," I greeted.
"Morning, brother," he mumbled sleepily, yawning and scratching his messy head.
I sat on a wooden chair across from Rey as Mother placed a plate of fried eggs in front of me.
"Thanks, Mom," I said.
"Enjoy your meal," she smiled, taking Father's empty plate.
"We leave in half an hour?" I asked Father. He nodded.
"Nervous, Rey?" I asked. After all, it is not every day one is given the right to awaken their Aura Node of Vis.
"A little uneasy..." Rey admitted.
After finishing breakfast, the three of us stepped outside. In front of the house waited a black carriage drawn by two horses, with a middle aged coachman.
"How long will it take to reach the Church of the World Tree?" I asked Father.
"About two hours," he replied, opening the carriage door and stepping inside.
The brown leather seats were soft and comfortable, which pleased me greatly. As soon as the door closed, the carriage set off. We chatted idly as we rode.
"So, Rey, it's been three years since you joined us. Just yesterday you turned eight, though it feels like only last week we first met. How do you feel now, right before you can finally use Vis?" I asked, resting my head on my hand.
Rey let out a heavy sigh.
"You know yourself, brother... I'm nervous. What if I fail? And what magic will I even get? It's not clear at all."
"And what element of Vis would you like to obtain?" Father asked, half-listening to our conversation.
"I'd like several. Wind, lightning, and fire... and water would be nice too," Rey replied.
"Hmm... interesting," Father said.
We lost track of time and didn't notice when we arrived, until the coachman opened the door.
Stepping out, we saw a white stone path leading to a massive temple. An architectural castle of white quartz surrounded a colossal Tree whose height and width stretched for tens of kilometers. Its branches were covered in leaves the color of pure gold. From it radiated an overwhelming aura of Vis. The sight stole my breath away and left me speechless. Never before had I seen such a beautiful building, nor such a gigantic Tree. Even from our village it had been visible, but never on this scale, it was awe-inspiring.
For a moment we stood in wonder, until a gentle female voice reached us.
"Welcome. You are the Barasu family, correct?" asked a young woman with long brown hair, a shapely petite figure, in a white cloak trimmed with golden patterns resembling strange runes or symbols.
"Yes, greetings, Lady Miria. We have an awakening scheduled today for our son," Father answered, bowing slightly to her.
"Then please, come inside," she replied, gesturing toward the entrance of the majestic temple.