For Rem, living in her sister's shadow was a daily routine she was all too familiar with.
Among the various demi-human races, the Oni Clan has always been known for their incredible physical strength and vast mana capacity, recognized as a warrior race.
However, the price for this talent was an extremely low birth rate. This race, specialized in birthing powerful individuals, could never escape the fate of having few kin.
In ironic contrast to that majestic power, the Oni Clan had to build small settlements in remote mountains. To protect these precious compatriots, strict and almost heartless regulations were established within the clan.
And among all the regulations, the most cruel one was the treatment of twins.
In the eyes of the Oni Clan, twins were the beginning of disaster, cursed 'Abominations'.
Every Oni is born with two horns, which are usually hidden deep within the skull. Only when their instincts are fully triggered do the horns burst through the skull, frantically absorbing the surrounding mana.
However, twins must share this pair of horns, which means they are destined to be incomplete from birth.
In Oni society, individuals who lose their horns are called 'Hornless'—a fate more terrifying than death, as it means being stripped of one's identity as an Oni.
Back then, the moment the Clan Head discovered the twin infants, he made a bitter decision.
Just as the execution order was about to be carried out, one of the baby girls suddenly erupted with incredible mana, allowing the two of them to survive by a stroke of luck.
The baby girl who saved the sisters was named Ram, and the one snuggling beside her was Rem.
From that moment on, the gears of fate began to turn. The older sister became the hope of the clan, while the younger sister lived forever beneath that dazzling light.
—
At this moment, deep within the forest in the southern part of the Roswaal territory, a blue pillar of light suddenly erupted, illuminating the pitch-black night sky as bright as day.
The dazzling light not only enveloped the entire Arlam Village but even spread all the way to the distant Roswaal Mansion.
Having received the message from Tsukasa, Emilia made a prompt decision and set off immediately with Puck and Ram.
Out of concern for a certain someone, Beatrice followed closely behind.
The two guards also did not dare to be negligent, and the group of six rushed toward the village.
As they traversed the forest paths, the blue pillar of light shooting into the clouds in the distance caught everyone's attention.
Although Ram and Emilia could not perceive it accurately, Puck and Beatrice clearly felt that shivering fluctuation of mana.
"Th-this is..."
Beatrice showed a look of shock, her hands unconsciously clutching the hem of her clothes.
Puck crouched on Emilia's shoulder, his furry tail standing up nervously. "Even Roswaal couldn't possibly release magic on such a scale."
What alarmed them most was that even from such a distance, the mana fluctuation remained solid and did not dissipate. Then the pressure endured by the person at the center of the magic was simply unimaginable.
"What on earth happened?" Beatrice whispered softly, a flicker of unease passing through her eyes.
Emilia and Puck looked at each other and shouted that name almost in unison.
"Tsukasa!"
The six of them quickened their pace simultaneously, galloping toward the direction of the village.
—
When that blue light gradually dissipated, the sight presented before everyone's eyes was breathtaking.
On the main forest battlefield south of the village, a circular ruin nearly two kilometers in diameter appeared abruptly.
In the center of this scorched earth that had been completely razed to the ground, Tsukasa still maintained a disdainful posture, standing in front of Rem and that unconscious girl.
Amazingly, in the small area behind him, the flowers, grass, and trees remained vibrant, forming a sharp contrast with the surrounding silent ruins. Except for this deliberately protected area, no trace of life could be felt within the entire battlefield range.
Rem stared blankly at the scene before her, her brain almost coming to a halt.
At this moment, even Tsukasa was quietly admiring his masterpiece—this was the first time he had unleashed the full power of Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue.
As for why use such a world-destroying move to deal with a group of mabeasts?
He whispered to himself, the corners of his lips curling into a satisfied arc, "I just wanted to test it out, to see just how far Blue can go when enhanced with incantations."
"How is it? Can you still move?" Tsukasa turned to look at the still-dazed Rem, his tone as relaxed as if he had just finished an ordinary practice session.
Rem snapped back to her senses and nodded hurriedly: "I can. Tsukasa-sama, next..."
Before she could finish, a gentle hand-chop landed on the top of her head.
"Hmm?"
Tsukasa raised an eyebrow. "Why still call me 'sama'? Did you forget what I said?"
Rem's cheeks immediately flushed red as she whispered a correction, "Tsukasa..."
Tsukasa nodded with satisfaction. "That's more like it. Next... is it time for a story?"
Rem's eyes widened in surprise. "A story?"
"We should take her back first, there are still many things to handle."
Tsukasa rested his hands behind his head and said with a somewhat willful tone, "If everything is about efficiency, then living would be too boring, wouldn't it? Let yourself relax for a while."
"Relax... for a while?" Rem chewed on these words repeatedly in her heart.
Just as she wanted to persist, she suddenly let out a cry of surprise—Tsukasa had already picked her up by the waist.
With a light leap, the figures of the two instantly disappeared into the vast night, leaving behind only the shocking ruins and the little girl named Meili still lying under the shade of a tree.
A short while later, on a small earthen slope not far from the village, moonlight filtered through the branches of a crooked tree, casting mottled light and shadow on the grass.
Tsukasa sat cross-legged casually, while Rem maintained an elegant posture with her knees together, her hands nervously folded on her lap.
The breeze blew through their hair, and Rem's voice, with a slight tremble, began to recount that buried past.
"In the Oni Clan, the birth of twins is seen as an ill omen. From birth, my sister and I lived under the loathing gazes of everyone."
Her gaze gradually became hazy, as if she had traveled through time and space back to her childhood.