The "deeply bonded" pair continued living side by side, night after night, until before they realized it, another year had passed in their lives as wandering strays.
At noon in the primeval forest, sunlight poured down like a waterfall, breaking through the dense canopy and scattering golden patches across the ground.
The air carried the warmth of that sunlight, mixed with the scent of greenery and damp soil—and the heavy tang of blood.
More than a dozen wolf corpses lay scattered across the undergrowth, wooden spears piercing through their bodies as if launched from siege ballistae.
By combining gravity magic with his spears, Ash had culled most of the pack from the treetops while Aura's psychic magic slowed their movements. At her insistence, he finally pressed down the last wolf with gravity, pinning it to the ground.
The sole survivor glared with feral intensity, silver fur glinting under the sun. Even crippled by the unseen weight crushing it, the beast refused to yield, a deep growl rumbling from its throat.
But before it could snarl for long, Aura raised her hand. Magic coalesced into the delicate shape of a tiny balance scale.
"Now we'll see—between you and me, which of us is truly the strongest!" Aura declared with force, then immediately glanced at the boy beside her. "Ash! If the scale tips toward me, kill it instantly!"
Her words had barely left her mouth before the scale tilted sharply toward the wolf. The beast stilled, its growls dying away as it lowered itself obediently to the ground.
"This is…" Ash began, but Aura was already crouching next to the subdued animal. Without looking up, she said calmly:
"Let it go, Ash. It's my pet now."
"…So you've finally succeeded with your mind-control magic? And that scale—what exactly is it?"
"That's a good question." Aura suddenly rose, aiming the balance scale at him with a charming smile. "Ash, why don't you try it for yourself? Wouldn't that be far more convincing than any explanation~?"
"No. You just want to use me as a test subject, don't you?" Ash instinctively stepped back several paces, eyeing her and the wolf warily.
"Haven't you always claimed to be the elder brother? Then surely you'll gladly offer your body to experience the culmination of my genius, won't you? Don't worry~ I'll take good care of you. No… it's time you took care of me! You can start by cooking!"
Memories of all the times she'd broken their supposed "rules," making him shoulder the burden instead, only made her excitement swell. At last, here was her chance to turn the tables. Aura's voice trembled with giddy anticipation, like a peasant about to overthrow her master.
But—
"You make a good point, but… I refuse!"
As the pink-haired girl advanced step by step, Ash broke into a grin. In the same instant, he struck first—raising his hand and pressing down.
A crushing weight enveloped Aura. Her expression twisted, the balance scale drooping in her hand as her knees nearly buckled.
Even so, she forced a smile, and at that signal, the injured wolf lunged toward Ash.
But then—
Boom!
A shockwave erupted from him. Leaves exploded into the air. The wolf, barely half a meter away, was blown back, sent tumbling. Even Aura, three meters away, was caught in the blast and fell hard, staring up at him in disbelief.
"Wh–what?! That's impossible! Your magic only works on a single target!"
"You think I'd be foolish enough to reveal everything… to my dearest little sister?"
Breathing hard, Ash grabbed her horn and hauled her upright. He leaned close, pressing his forehead against hers. His grin was edged with menace as he whispered:
"Tell me, Aura… how should I punish you for betrayal?"
"Wh-what are you saying, Ash? Aren't we one loving family?"
"That's right—we're family." Ash nodded softly, then his expression hardened. "Which is exactly why betrayal can't be forgiven so easily. Don't you agree?"
"…I only thought you were a little too harsh on me every day. I just wanted a bit of payback. It was nothing more than a cute little sister's harmless whimsy."
"How adorable, that whimsy~"
Ash shrugged, unbothered, then casually tugged her by the horn as they started back toward their cave. Without turning around, he told her to have the wolf drag its dead kin along.
Aura, already used to being treated this way, complied, though not without complaint. "…At least change the gravity. At this rate my pants will be torn to shreds before we get back."
"Don't worry. I'll find you a new pair. But when we're home, I'll also make sure to give your rear end a proper greeting."
"You just want to see me strutting around bare-assed in front of you, don't you? You're such a creep, Ash. And you still call yourself my brother."
"It's fine. I've realized demons only give birth to one child at a time. I'm just a cousin, technically." Ash's face remained blank, unfazed by her bizarre remarks as he dragged her along.
Aura tilted her head, tapping her chin with slender fingers. "By common sense, that still sounds weird, doesn't it?"
"Among demons, what isn't weird?"
"No, by demon common sense, you should've just killed me outright."
"Which is why you should praise my boundless generosity."
…
As Ash half-ignored Aura's chatter, his gaze lingered instead on the wolf dragging one of its fallen packmates toward their den.
He was long used to Aura's "cute whims." What felt stranger was that wolf's behavior—sometimes meek, sometimes baring its fangs at him.
Ash glanced toward Aura, ready to question her, but before he could—
The wolf suddenly lunged.
It slammed into him from behind, knocking him to the ground and sinking its teeth into his throat.
Blood sprayed. Ash's face twisted in pain.
"Hey! What are you doing?! Stop it, now!!" Aura cried, panic flooding her voice.
Her intention had never been to kill him—only to reverse their roles, to make him the caretaker for once.
But the wolf, like a beast off its leash, ignored her commands entirely, tearing at Ash's neck with frenzied force.
The scene was on the verge of spiraling into disaster when—
Another wave of repulsion tore through the air.
The wolf, jaws wet with blood and flesh, was blasted upward over two meters.
Ash seized Aura before the force could sweep her away as well, yanking her close and holding her in front of him, her head tilted back.
Then—
Splrch!
Her horns drove straight into the wolf's belly, ripping it open. Blood and viscera gushed forth, splattering across the pink-haired girl's face and drenching her body in gore.