I. The Daily Grind (Age 5)
By the time we turned five, the hierarchy in the Greyrat household was established.
Rudeus was the "Genius Mage." I was the "Problem Child."
Our routine was simple. In the mornings, Roxy Migurdia—our new tutor who looked like a middle schooler but was apparently a Demon Race adult—taught Rudeus magic. I tried to join in once. I tried to cast a "Water Ball." I ended up sneezing a spark of lightning that singed Roxy's robe. She politely asked me to leave the room so she didn't die.
So, while the nerd chanted incantations, I was in the yard with Paul.
"Again!" Paul shouted, sweating.
I gripped the wooden sword. It felt light. Too light.
"Haaa!"
I lunged. I didn't use technique. I didn't know the Sword God Style yet. I just used propulsion. I channeled a tiny bit of mana into my legs—just enough to make the muscles twitch with galvanic energy—and exploded forward.
Clack!
Paul parried my strike easily, but he slid back a few inches in the dirt. He looked at his hands, then at me, grinning like a maniac.
"Good power, Lucius! But you're telegraphing! You look like a wild boar charging a wall!"
"Shut up, old man!" I yelled back, breathless. "I'll break your guard next time!"
"Ha! Try it!"
I loved this. I loved the impact. I loved the way the static electricity buzzed in my ears when my heart rate went up. Since the "Incident" when I was three, I had learned to bottle the Dragon. I didn't let the scales cover my whole body anymore. I kept it contained.
Just the eyes. When I fought, my pupils turned into vertical slits.
Paul swept my legs. I hit the dirt hard.
"Dead," Paul said, pointing his wooden sword at my nose. "If this were real, you'd be a kebab."
I spat out some grass. "Rematch."
"No can do," Paul said, sheathing his weapon. "Zenith will kill me if I bruise you any more. Go find your brother. Maybe he's done playing with water."
II. The "NPC" Encounter
I found Rudeus wandering the village.
"Yo, Player 2," I called out, dusting off my pants. "How was magic school?"
"Exhausting," Rudeus sighed, adjusting his collar. "Roxy-sensei is strict. How was P.E.?"
"Dad cheated. Again."
We walked through the outskirts of the village. I was bored. I was itching for a real fight—something with actual stakes. Hitting Paul was fun, but he held back. I wanted to hunt a monster. Or at least a very large badger.
"Hey, look," Rudeus said, stopping.
Ahead of us, near a muddy paddock, three village kids were throwing mud balls at someone.
I squinted. The victim was small, had green hair, and was curled up in a ball.
"Bullies," Rudeus whispered. "Classic event trigger."
"Boring," I yawned. "They're level 1 mobs, Rudy. Not worth the EXP."
"We have to help," Rudeus said, stepping forward. He started chanting a spell under his breath.
I rolled my eyes. The hero complex. Fine.
Rudeus launched a gust of wind and some water, splashing the bullies. It was a cute trick. The bullies turned around, confused.
"Who did that?!" the leader shouted.
Rudeus stepped out, trying to look cool. "I did. Leave him alone."
The bullies looked at Rudeus. Then they looked at me.
"Get them!" the leader yelled.
Rudeus flinched. He was terrified of physical confrontation. He raised his hands to cast another spell, but he was too slow.
"Too slow, nerd," I muttered.
I didn't cast a spell. I just moved.
I stepped in front of Rudeus. The leader of the bullies—a kid named Somar—tried to tackle me.
Bad move.
I caught his fist.
ZZZT.
I didn't use the full voltage—I didn't want to kill him—but I let a little bit of the "Dragon" leak out. My eyes shifted. My pupils narrowed into glowing blue slits. A low, vibrating growl emanated from my chest, like a large cat purring before a bite.
"Hi," I whispered, squeezing his fist.
Somar looked into my eyes. He didn't see a five-year-old. He saw a predator.
"H-h-h..." Somar stammered.
"Run," I said.
He screamed. He yanked his hand back and scrambled away, falling into the mud. "Monster! His eyes! He's a monster!"
The other two bullies didn't wait. They bolted.
"Cowards," I scoffed, the electricity fading from my veins. My eyes returned to normal. "Didn't even drop any loot."
III. The Gender Reveal (Disappointment)
Rudeus was already helping the green-haired kid up.
"Are you okay?" Rudeus asked gently.
The kid looked at us. Short green hair. Elf ears. Scared face.
"T-thank you," the kid whispered.
"I'm Rudeus. This is my violent brother, Lucius."
"I'm not violent," I corrected. "I'm efficient." I looked at the kid. "You're a guy, right? Why didn't you hit them back? Kick them in the shins. It works."
The kid looked down. "I... I can't."
"Weak," I muttered. "Whatever. Let's go, Rudy. I'm hungry."
"Wait," Rudeus said. "What's your name?"
"Sylph," the kid said.
Sylph, I thought. Sounds like a wind spirit. Probably a nickname.
For the next few weeks, "Sylph" started hanging out with us. Well, mostly with Rudeus. They played house, read books, and did gentle magic practice. I usually sat in a tree nearby, practicing condensing mana into my fingertips until they glowed like lightbulbs.
I assumed Sylph was a boy. Short hair, flat chest, dressed like a peasant boy. Rudeus seemed to get along with him.
At least Rudy made a friend, I thought. Even if he is a wimp.
Then came the rain storm.
We were all soaked playing in the mud. Rudeus, being the "responsible" one, suggested we go to our house to bathe.
"Bath time!" Rudeus announced, looking suspiciously excited.
We got into the tub. I jumped in first, splashing water everywhere. Rudeus dragged Sylph in.
"I don't want to..." Sylph mumbled, trying to keep a towel on.
"Don't be shy!" Rudeus said, pulling the towel away.
I was scrubbing my hair, not paying attention. Then I heard Rudeus gasp.
"Eh?" Rudeus said.
"What is it?" I wiped the soap from my eyes.
I looked at Sylph.
Sylph was standing there, shivering. And distinctly... lacking something that boys usually have.
"Oh," I said flatly. "You're a girl."
Sylph covered herself, face turning beet red. "I... I told you I didn't want to!"
Rudeus looked like his brain had short-circuited. He was blushing so hard steam was coming out of his ears. "A girl? A girl? I thought... I..."
I looked at Sylph. Then I looked at Rudeus.
"Wait," I said, pointing a soapy finger at my brother. "You've been blushing at her for weeks. Did you think you were gay, Rudy?"
"No!" Rudeus shouted. "I just thought he was a cute boy! I mean—she! A cute girl!"
I sank lower into the water, bored.
"She's flat," I critiqued harshy. "And she cries too much. Not my type."
Sylph looked at me, tears forming in her eyes. "Lucius is mean!"
"I'm honest," I said, blowing bubbles in the water. "Call me when you grow some muscle. Or at least learn to throw a punch."
IV. The Promise
Later that evening, after Sylphy ran home (and Rudeus got slapped by Zenith for stripping a girl), the two of us sat on the balcony.
"You really didn't know?" I asked.
"I had no idea," Rudeus sighed. "The short hair... the name..."
"It's the anime protagonist density," I nodded wisely. "It's a terminal disease. You're lucky I'm here to provide commentary."
Rudeus looked at me. "You really don't like her?"
"She's a kid, Rudy. We're five." I looked at my hand, watching a small arc of blue electricity dance between my thumb and index finger. " besides, she's too soft. I need someone strong."
"Strong?"
"Yeah. Like... someone who could bench press me." I grinned. "I heard a rumor that the Boreas family has a Beast Race swordswoman. A King-tier fighter."
Rudeus shuddered. "That sounds terrifying."
"That sounds perfect," I corrected.
I stood up, the static making my hair spike up.
"I've decided, Player 2. I'm going to master the sword. I'm going to learn to control this dragon power. And then I'm going to find that swordswoman and make her mine."
Rudeus laughed. "You're five years old, Lucius. You wet the bed last month."
"That was a tactical discharge of mana!" I argued, turning red.
"Sure it was."
I punched him in the arm. He punched me back (weakly).
We sat there under the stars of the Six-Sided World.
Rudeus wanted to live a serious life. He wanted to fix his past regrets. I just wanted to find the strongest opponent in the world and ask her out on a date.
We were definitely different. But looking at the moon, I had a feeling that wherever this world took us... it was going to be a hell of a ride.