They said : "Account for your enemy carefully, and account for your friend a thousand times more carefully... but how many times must you account for your own brother?"
Perhaps no one could have imagined that this philosophical question would be the key to a catastrophe that shook an entire world — or at the very least... the world of that boy.
---
Four white walls devoured by black darkness.
No light pierced that silence except a pulsing violet-red glow, erupting from a massive computer screen that filled the wall before it, casting explosive colors across a face barely visible beneath long hair that reached the shoulders — hair that seemed to have never known a comb. Ragged clothes, unkempt appearance. But what set him apart from the ordinary was a single thing: his eyes — violet, gleaming like two embers that refuse to die out.
Directly before those eyes: RGB lights flickering, laser sword sounds slicing through the silence, and digital explosions filling the room with a living illusion. On the floor lay scattered empty bottles of aged wine beside ravaged noodle dishes long since emptied — all this, while the room's owner showed no sign of having reached the legal drinking age at all.
This was the world of **Sai Kitsugi**.
Twenty square meters. The smell of burnt sugar. And the illusion of victory in a game that knows no end.
His fingers moved across the keyboard at a ghost-like speed — a speed one would doubt even the world's greatest players could match — and every keystroke was a decision between life and death in his digital world. The eighty-fifth battle against the stage boss, and he had memorized every move and every attack pattern. He was a single moment away from a perfect victory — *no-hit* — after months he had spent wasting away before that screen.
Then the door opened.
A strange light entered. Not RGB light.
---
A warm beam cut through the room, and with it came a tall, slender shadow. It was **Monsler**, just returned from the training grounds, his body that had yet to pass thirteen covered in a layer of sweat and dirt, his jet-black hair — the exact same color as Sai's — plastered to his forehead. He stood there a moment, staring at the back of his hunched brother, then closed the door behind him and took a few heavy steps forward.
"Hey, you there." He said in a voice hoarse from exhaustion. "I have something to tell you."
No reply came. The digital explosions continued.
Monsler sighed, walked straight toward the computer, placed his finger on the power button, and pressed.
Dead silence. The screen went dark, turning for a moment into a black mirror that reflected Sai's blank face.
His fingers froze over the keyboard.
With agonizing slowness — a slowness that hinted at an approaching storm — Sai turned his head. His drowsy violet eyes stared at Monsler with a cold, empty gaze like polished marble.
"Did... *you* just turn off my run?"
"Yes," Monsler replied seriously. "Because—"
He never finished.
In a fraction of a second, Sai launched from his chair — not like a normal movement, but like a flash — a kick of insane speed caught Monsler in the head and sent him flying to crash against the opposite wall. Blood trickled from his nose as he dropped to his knees, more stunned than in pain.
Monsler stood and wiped the blood with his palm. "Are you out of your mind?!" he shouted. "How dare you do that over a stupid *game?!*"
Before he could continue, Sai was in front of him again. A direct punch to the stomach knocked all the air from Monsler's lungs at once. Sai grabbed him by his black hair and yanked him toward his face, then whispered in a voice cold as ice:
"Listen carefully. I don't know who you are, but if you touch my computer one more time, I'll gladly convert you into XP."
At that moment, something happened that Sai hadn't expected.
Monsler calmly raised his hand, shoved Sai's grip away with force, then in one swift, precise motion returned the exact same kick and the exact same punch — with blind fury and far greater power — and this time Sai flew and slammed into the wall hard enough to bring the screen crashing down with him. Sai launched himself again like a bullet, throwing a punch at Monsler's face, but Monsler caught his arm this time as if he had memorized the dictionary of his attacks. Sai tried to pull back, but Monsler tightened his grip until the bones nearly groaned, then said:
"If you have speed and supernatural ability, then I have everything you lack. Don't think that a single trick will let you surpass me when you can't even get out of bed, you drunken wretch." He looked at him with open contempt. "What exactly was I expecting from a clumsy slacker like you! Don't talk to me again — I am not proud to call you my brother."
At the word *"brother,"* Sai's eyes widened for just a moment. As if a fog had lifted from his mind. He rushed to the door before Monsler could leave and stopped him.
"Wait, wait." Sai said with a strained smile, his tone shifting entirely. "Alright, I'm sorry. I genuinely didn't realize you were actually Monsler — I haven't seen you in a while."
Monsler looked at him with contempt. "Pathetic. You couldn't even recognize me, you drunk? Didn't we eat dinner together last night?"
"Don't blame me." Sai rubbed his head. "I don't even remember what happened a moment ago, let alone yesterday. My vision's been blurry from too much... grape juice. Could you forgive me just this once?"
Monsler paused. "What? You drink *wine* too, you scum?"
"Shhhh!" Sai pressed a finger to his lips. "Lower your voice, our parents might hear us."
"You're hopeless." Monsler sighed. "Fine. Since you recognized me anyway, sit down. There's something important."
---
They sat together on the floor.
"This is serious," said Monsler. "This morning, I eavesdropped on a meeting of the senior samurai. They were plotting to assassinate one of us — so that only one would remain as the leader with no complications, as if they could write the laws however their senile little minds dictated."
Sai lay back, rested his hands behind his head, and a sardonic smile spread across his face. "Pffff. Who cares? Are you scared of them? Is that why you came to me — for protection?"
Monsler bristled. "Damn it! Who said I'm scared or that I need your help? I could pick up my sword right now and kill every single one of those elders if I wanted!"
"Alright, then what's the problem?"
Monsler hesitated a moment, turned his face to one side, and said in a tone that concealed more than it revealed: "Fine... despite everything, I don't hate you enough to want you dead."
Sai's smile widened. "Ohhh. I understand now. You're worried about me, aren't you? Worried about your big brother getting his head cut off right in front of your eyes." He opened his arms toward him. "Come here, let your big brother hold you. Don't worry, I'll kill them all."
A punch. Harder than anything Sai had felt before.
"Who said I was worried about you, idiot? What's wrong with your head?"
---
And then, without warning, a large, strong embrace enveloped them both. It belonged to neither of them.
"My two beautiful boys." A deep, warm voice. The voice of **Atomic**, their father. "Don't be afraid of anything. As long as I'm alive, neither of you will be scratched — even if I have to kill every person in this village."
The brothers froze.
"D-Dad?" Monsler murmured. "How long have you been here?"
"Did you hear everything we said?" Sai asked with alarm.
"Hmm... yes." Atomic said, stepping back from them. "I heard everything. And we'll talk about the wine later, Sai. But for now — the assassination plot won't happen. I spoke with your uncle Reidence, and he said he'll give us a final solution by evening."
"And what will the solution be?" Sai asked.
"We won't know until evening. Be patient." Then he looked at Monsler. "You — would you mind stepping outside? I have a long talk to have with your brother."
---
Monsler nodded coolly and left.
He found his mother, **Lilith**, in the kitchen. The smell of food filled the small house. He sat at the table in silence, staring into nothing, until she approached him; her silver hair gleamed under the kitchen light.
"What's the matter, my son?" She said in her calm voice that always found its way to his heart.
"Nothing."
Lilith tapped his head gently. "Don't lie to your mother. Your eyes are screaming what's in your heart."
Monsler sighed. "I'm worried... about Sai. What's going to happen to him after I become the leader? Will he be sad? Or will he just shrug and go on with his life inside that room?"
Lilith covered her mouth trying to suppress a laugh she couldn't quite contain. "Hehehe. Are you serious? The iron Monsler is afraid for his older brother's future?"
Monsler's face flushed red. "No, it's not like that! I was wrong to tell you."
"Alright, alright, sorry." She patted his head. "Don't worry. Your father and I have been thinking about sending him to the Academy of Supreme Light, so he can learn how to deal with people — and maybe... find a purpose beyond his games."
"That's reassuring," said Monsler. "Though I don't think he'll adjust there right away."
At that moment, a resounding cry shattered the silence of the house — a sound suggesting someone being tormented from the inside.
Monsler startled, then said to his mother carefully: "Umm... is he actually hitting Sai right now? I've never seen Dad raise a hand against us before. Is he that angry?"
Lilith smiled, then said: "I don't know. But I know Atomic better than anyone — it's impossible for him to do that."
She hadn't finished her sentence before Sai and Atomic emerged from the room. Sai's face was pale and completely expressionless — more shocked than grieving.
"What's going on?" Monsler asked. "And how did Sai decide to leave his room today? More importantly — what was that sound? What did you torture him with, Dad?"
Atomic replied with an artificially innocent smile. "Ohh. Why would I torture my own son? I'm not a disguised demon. All I did was... ban him from the computer for a month."
Monsler was more stunned than Sai. "D-Dad... do you know what happened that time Sai's computer burned and he went three nights without gaming?"
Atomic shrugged. "Nah. He probably won't die." Then he turned. "But let's get to the heart of the matter. Did you tell him, Lilith?"
And Lilith replied to Monsler: "Right. It seems we have a trip today."
"A trip? Where?"
"Don't panic." She said, placing the food into travel containers. "Just a small family camping trip. To clear the air before tomorrow's announcement."
Monsler looked at Sai, who was still staring into empty space, then at his parents, who were both smiling just slightly too much. He felt that something was wrong — something they hadn't told him — but he said nothing.
---
After that, Lilith forced Sai to shower. Monsler suggested he cut his hair since it had nearly grown as long as their mother's, but Sai didn't respond — still deep in shock — so Atomic sat him down in the kitchen chair, fetched a comb and a cord, and combed through Sai's tangled hair — while Sai winced — then tied it back and said: "All our ancestor leaders tied their hair back and never cut it, following the example of Mugetsu, the First Samurai. So there's nothing wrong with following this tradition just this once, is there?"
Then Monsler was brought over and made to sit beside his brother, his own hair tied back against his will. Lilith brought a mirror and showed them their new appearance — they looked exactly like their father. She picked up her phone and said: "You deserve a photo for the memory, don't you? Let's take one beside the Kitsugi Tree!"
---
The family stepped out of their home — Japanese in style on the outside, modern within — to find themselves in a village lit by lanterns instead of electric poles, its residents wandering in kimonos with swords at their hips. The family walked through the alleys, and everyone they passed shot them a glance of ill omen and whispered behind their backs — but none of them paid any mind.
And after a few steps, they reached the edge.
A breathtaking edge.
It became apparent then — for those who had forgotten — that they had been on a floating island this entire time, held aloft by a massive current of wind rising from a chasm below. From that edge they looked out over green meadows stretching until they kissed the slopes of enormous mountains unlike any natural range known to mankind.
The sight breathed life back into Sai's eyes. "Ohhhhh. It looks like an isekai world, doesn't it?"
None of his family understood the reference, so he paused, then said: "Well... it's been a few years since I came to the edge of the village or left it — I actually forgot it was a floating island at all. How exactly did we get down again?"
Atomic's answer came in action rather than words — he suddenly swept Lilith up into his arms, making her cry out in surprise despite herself, then leaped with her off the edge. Just as Sai had concluded his parents were permanently out of the picture, the two of them floated gently down through the air.
Sai stared, bewildered. "Hey, Dad — when did you learn to fly? I thought I was the only samurai with a supernatural ability."
Atomic replied while Lilith was still in his arms: "As if we have any spiritual energy. Remember what our world is — remember that we were born with absolute willpower instead of any supernatural power, and nothing else, so that we could make it better for others."
Lilith kept lightly tapping Atomic on the head saying: "Hey Atomic, put me down, put me down. I'm not a child anymore. Our kids are watching! Isn't it enough that I'm two centuries old?"
Atomic caught her hand, stopping the tapping, saying: "And does that mean old folk shouldn't have fun?"
She said with annoyance: "That's not what I mean but—"
Before she could finish, he swooped down toward the earth and planted his feet on the green grass, then called upward: "Heyyy, Monsler! Take your brother with you and guide him to the tree, we'll wait for you there!"
Then he placed Lilith on his shoulders and sprinted off.
---
Monsler sighed. "That man will never grow up no matter how old he gets. I feel embarrassed just saying he's my father in front of people..."
Then he turned to Sai, who was peering over the edge with a yellowed face, staring down.
"Right then. Jump. What are you waiting for?"
"Oh, oh... okay." Sai stammered. "Umm, let me think. I'll ban Shadow from the house before I jump. You can jump first, I'll be a little slow—"
And in the blink of an eye, a snap of fingers, and Sai vanished entirely from where he stood.
Monsler wasn't surprised. Nor did he jump himself — he stayed exactly where he was, in the same posture, waiting.
After a few seconds, he heard rustling in the trees behind him.
"Sai, I know you're back there. Come out or I'll burn that bush down around you."
A voice from behind him: "And why would you assume I'm Sai?"
Monsler turned to find someone he didn't recognize — or rather, someone he knew well. A face resembling their father, a familiar frame. It was his trainer, **Kenji**.
Monsler bowed immediately. Kenji smiled and said: "Oh. Your manners have improved lately, Monsler... no need for that."
"No, it's fine, Master." Monsler looked at him seriously. "You are the one person in the world I will bow to for the rest of my life. What you've done for me is unforgettable — you're the one who taught me to hold a sword, and that remains the only thing I'm good at."
Kenji patted his head. "You're fine. You can stand — I'm nothing but an old samurai trainer in the end."
Monsler stood and began saying "No, you're not—" but Kenji cut him off: "Never mind about me. Tell me how you and your family are doing. Is Atomic well?"
"He couldn't be better. At least a man in his forties can still carry my mother on his shoulders in the middle of a crowd..."
Kenji laughed out loud. "Hahaha! What a man, then. There's still that childlike spirit in him. I don't think he'll ever change — he remains, in the end, the Rebel Samurai. Do you know the origin of that title, by the way?"
"Yes, more or less. Because he fathered two children instead of one, right?"
Kenji sighed. "Not exactly. Your father Atomic, from the day he was born, was different. The village's laws since the era of the thirteenth leader forbade the samurai chief from marrying a woman from outside the village, or from having more than one child. That nonsense was not founded by Mugetsu nor by any true Kitsugi leader — it was written by corrupt elders from behind the curtain, whose only concern was power. Your father, unlike every predecessor, broke both rules simultaneously: he married Lilith, Reidence's wife's — Reidence's sister — and fathered two children instead of one. Moreover, one of them — your brother Sai — gained something resembling a supernatural ability without losing his willpower, which had never once happened in the history of samurai who knew they possessed no powers. And the reason the elders couldn't intervene? First: your father's strength. We are not joking when we say that with his sword alone — without any supernatural ability or advanced technique — he managed to duel the miracles of humanity and strike terror into their hearts, including the King of Humans himself, Reidence, and even had the distinction of being recorded as the first human to instill fear in the Lord of Fear, the Demon King Asheron. And second: his close relationship with Reidence, and his marriage to Lilith, Reidence's sister. Before fearing for their fortunes, they feared for their lives."
Kenji turned to Monsler, who had been listening with focused eyes, then his tone shifted and he said: "I think I've said too much. Go — you're probably keeping your parents waiting. And by the way — where is your brother?"
---
Monsler sighed, asked Kenji to step aside, then reached into a bush behind him and pulled Sai out by his hood — to find him covered in leaves and cradling a black cat.
"Ohhhh." Said Sai. "What a wonderful story! Isn't our father incredible? H-however, time is getting late, let's go back to—"
Monsler released his hood and Sai dropped to the ground, then clung to his brother's clothing and said: "Ohhhhh, my little brother, I haven't left the village in years and I'm afraid of heights. Could you carry me like Dad carried Mom?"
Monsler recoiled, stepped back and looked at him with open disgust. "I don't like these habits of yours lately. Don't come near me, you—"
Sai crawled toward him: "No, it's not what you think, let me explain—"
A kick from Monsler.
Sai flew toward the edge of the island, clinging to the rim with his fingertips over the abyss, screaming back: "Master Kenji! Save me! I can't handle heights!"
Kenji leaned toward him and said calmly: "Have you noticed the consequences of skipping training? I told you time and again that speed is not everything."
"Noooo! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it! I don't want my life to end like this! A hero's death shouldn't be like this! Please save me — at least let a truck hit me so I can be reincarnated in an isekai world with a harem! I have never once seen an isekai protagonist get transported to a fantasy world by falling off a floating island—"
Kenji stepped closer to him. "If our ancestors on our original planet Earth had seen Anthorland, they would have believed it truly was their ideal fantasy world. But appearances are deceiving..."
A kick from Monsler — directly to Sai's face.
He fell.
The black cat was thrown after him.
A prolonged scream from Sai sent every person in the village scattering in one direction. Monsler turned to Kenji, took his leave, then leaped after them — quietly graceful — downward.