Five years had passed since the birth of the imperial twins.
The Gardenia Empire remained as prosperous as ever.
Its towering cities bustled with life, merchants from neighboring kingdoms filled the streets, and countless practitioners trained daily under the Empire's banner.
Above them all stood the Imperial Palace.
A symbol of power that had stood for generations.
---
Clang!
Two wooden swords collided inside one of the palace training courtyards.
"No fair!"
Princess Alya complained as she rubbed her forehead.
"You hit too hard!"
Standing opposite her, Prince Ethan lowered his wooden sword.
"You charged straight at me again."
"Because that's how you're supposed to fight!"
"No..."
Grand Tutor Orion interrupted.
"That's how you lose."
The old tutor slowly walked between the siblings.
His snow-white robes fluttered gently in the morning breeze.
"For the hundredth time..."
He tapped Alya's forehead lightly.
"A sword isn't swung with anger."
"It's swung with purpose."
Alya puffed out her cheeks.
"But purpose can be angry."
"...Sometimes."
Orion sighed.
"There are moments when I question why I accepted this position."
Ethan couldn't help smiling.
---
Unlike his energetic sister...
Ethan rarely spoke unless necessary.
He preferred watching.
Listening.
Thinking.
He often spent hours reading books far beyond what children his age could understand.
More than once, palace scholars had been left speechless by the questions he asked.
Not because they were difficult...
But because no one had thought to ask them.
---
The twins couldn't have been more different.
Alya loved movement.
Ethan loved stillness.
Alya challenged every Imperial Guard she met to a duel.
Ethan challenged every scholar to a debate.
One was compared to an untamed flame.
The other...
To a tranquil lake whose depths remained unknown.
Yet despite their differences...
The two were inseparable.
---
"Brother!"
Alya suddenly shouted.
"What?"
"Race you to Mother!"
"...Again?"
"The loser has to eat all the vegetables at dinner."
Ethan looked toward the palace gardens.
Then at his sister's grin.
"...You've already started running."
"I know!"
She laughed before disappearing around a corner.
Ethan sighed.
"...She never changes."
Even so...
He chased after her.
---
Inside the Imperial Gardens...
The Empress smiled as the twins burst through the flower fields.
"Mother!"
Alya leaped into her embrace.
"We're hungry."
"You trained for barely two hours."
"Exactly."
The Empress laughed softly.
"Where's Ethan?"
"He was too slow."
"I simply chose not to sprint through the flower garden."
Ethan replied as he walked into view.
Several gardeners nodded appreciatively.
The princess looked away innocently.
"...Oops."
Behind her...
Half a flowerbed had been flattened.
---
Watching the scene unfold from a nearby pavilion...
The Emperor slowly closed the report in his hands.
"They're healthy."
The captain of the Imperial Guard nodded.
"They're also talented beyond expectation."
"We conducted another affinity examination this morning."
The Emperor remained silent.
"Princess Alya's Fire affinity has become even purer."
"Prince Ethan's Water affinity has reached nearly the same level."
The captain hesitated before continuing.
"According to the Imperial Academy..."
"Both possess talent worthy of becoming core disciples."
The Emperor merely nodded.
"As expected."
"But..."
The captain's expression became complicated.
"Neither child has begun cultivation."
"They're already showing signs of naturally attracting Magna."
For the first time...
The Emperor smiled.
"Good."
"Let them remain children."
"There is no need to rush."
---
That evening...
The twins sat atop the palace walls watching the sunset.
Alya rested her chin on her knees.
"Brother."
"Hm?"
"Do you think the world is really as big as Father says?"
Ethan looked toward the horizon.
"I think..."
"...it's probably bigger."
"Bigger than the Melika Realm?"
He nodded.
"There are other Realms."
"The Chaos Channel."
"Ancient clans."
"Different races."
"The books say no one has explored everything."
Alya's crimson eyes sparkled.
"Then..."
"I'm going to travel everywhere."
"I'm going to meet dragons."
"Fight Beast Kings."
"Climb the tallest mountain."
"And become the greatest swordswoman Gaia has ever seen."
She turned toward Ethan.
"What about you?"
The young prince remained silent for a while.
Finally...
"I want to understand."
"Understand what?"
"...Everything."
Alya blinked.
"...You're weird."
"I know."
She burst into laughter.
"So long as you keep being weird beside me."
The siblings watched the sun disappear beyond the mountains.
Neither knew...
That somewhere in a hidden valley, another child was watching the very same sunset.
The distance between them was immense.
Yet...
Fate had already begun weaving invisible threads between their lives.
One day...
Those threads would finally intertwine.
But until then...
Each child would continue walking a different road beneath the same sky.
End of Chapter 19