Aura?

"Um... I think it's time that should go home now... sister."

"???"

Without waiting for her reaction, I pulled her close to me, and walked away from the crowds that was formed thanks to the scene.

Also, thankfully, the little girl didn't tried to resist my actions, and only followed along after I pulled her to my side.

After walking for sometime, I stopped, looked around the crowds at the market. Thus, after making sure that none of those guys followed us, I turned my head back to look at the girl at my side.

"This should be far enough, no?"

I calmly said after I opened my mouth to speak.

'Is she angry at me?'

I inwardly thought as I continued observing her next reaction.

Staring at me indifferently, she glanced at her wrist before nodding her head in reply to my question.

Seeing this, I quickly realized the problem and immediately let go of her wrist, before I began bowing my head slightly to apologize.

In reality, no one would even dare to do something stupid in front of her if they knew that she will be the future antagonist in this story.

"Sorry."

But after I apologized, she said something unexpected...

"Hmm... Aren't you cute~"

"...eh? What could you repeat that?"

Taken aback from what she said, I raised my head to look at her... and oh boy, I'm starting to regret that I saved her—Nope, I mean the guys who tried to kidnap her.

Tilting her head to the side, she smiled and walked towards my direction. Honestly, I felt something was wrong when the smile she showed on her face was a bit bright than any normal smile anyone could make... It looked exactly like the smile mother used to make when she was about to ruin my day.

Stopping just a meter away from me, she pulled me into a tight hug. 'Why didn't I just let those guys die anyway' is what I was thinking at this moment.

...

"There, there."

While patting my head softly, her eyes were closed as her expression showed a bright look of satisfaction.

I couldn't help but feel annoyed by her actions. My eyes began twitching as I pushed her hands away from my head. But even though I was putting all my strength into it, her hands remained still as if nothing was happening.

"Stop it, will you?" I spouted out, annoyed.

It had been an hour passed since she started following me around. And this whole time, I had been praying that she would finally leave me alone and go somewhere else. However, with how life had been treating me since I came into this world, you can already imagine my obvious situation.

"Oh, come on~ Didn't you call me your sister?

"I'm already regretting that."

She pulled me closer, rubbing her cheeks with mine... I'll seriously think about my actions from now on.

"Ah... Get off!"

The past is the past, no one can change that.

"Ouch...! Hey!"

Yep. More problems to take care off.

***

After returning to the mansion, Cossette followed me, but it wasn't an unconditional arrangement. I had two main reasons for allowing her to accompany me. Firstly, to keep an eye on her due to her short-tempered nature. If she caused any trouble, it might drag me into it. Secondly, she was going to play a crucial role in my dark magic training.

As we entered the mansion, my mother had quite a dramatic reaction. She stopped in her tracks and gave Cossette a scrutinizing look. Then, with an amused grin, she walked over to me, alluding to the possibility of me forming a harem.

"Hey... You just picked up another girl... Are you trying to make a harem? If so, even if it's a hundred, I'll support you!" she teased.

I rolled my eyes and was about to respond when a silver-haired, petite girl suddenly appeared from the garden and wrapped her arms around my waist. This little bundle of energy was my younger sister.

"Brother, why you leave me without saying anything?" she chided, her eyes glistening with tears. Her innocent expression made it hard for me to stay annoyed with her. I picked her up and settled her in a chair, comforting her.

"N-no! I don't hate Chloe." I reassured her, pulling some candies from my pocket. "I left because I wanted to buy Chloe candies."

My little sister's face lit up as she eagerly accepted the candies. My mother chuckled at our interaction and continued with her teasing, making it clear she had no intention of missing out on the fun.

To be honest, the reason I went to pick up the sword was indeed genuine. But it wasn't just about the sword; I had also come there with the intention of buying my little sister, Chloe, some candies.

I'm sure you're wondering why I would go to such lengths for a simple box of candies. The answer is quite straightforward: I wanted to make my sister happy.

Why, you might ask? Well, it's because I've always yearned to be called "big brother," even in my past life. Certain circumstances prevented me from ever hearing someone address me as their older sibling.

It's not that I lack experience with siblings. I had some adoptive siblings in the past. My older brother was kind to me, and he was the only person who treated me well. However, my little sister was a different story. She had a violent streak that made her quite a handful.

Now, thinking about it, I realize that I'll be overprotective of my little sister in the future. Anyone trying to court her will have to face me, and I don't care if they're the protagonist; no exceptions.

Without realizing it, a menacing grin crept onto my face. Then, Chloe's cry shook me from my thoughts.

"Uwaa!"

"!!!"

I panicked as I tried to identify the cause of her distress, frantically scanning the room.

"Bwoder's smile is scary. Uwaa!"

"...Ugh!"

My entire body seemed to shut down momentarily as my little sister's words echoed in my head.

Of all the things I wanted to hear from her, that's the first comment she makes. The words "Bwoder's smile is scary" seemed to hang in the air, refusing to leave.

While I teetered on the edge of a breakdown, not too far from me, my mother, Celestia, and Cossette were engaged in a conversation.

"So, what's the reason for you to be here...? Looking at your ability to control mana, you seemed to be quite strong for your age... Strong enough to defeat even adults," Celestia inquired, her expression serious.

If Cossette had any ill intentions, Celestia made it clear that she wouldn't hesitate to deal with her.

To demonstrate her power, Celestia released an intense aura and summoned an earth spike that shot up toward Cossette's neck.

However, to her surprise, Cossette didn't flinch. Instead, she tried to step forward, unbothered by the sharp spike aimed directly at her neck.

Wearing a soft smile, Cossette shattered the spike and countered with an aura that rivaled Celestia's. Their auras clashed, and the atmosphere grew tense.

Upon noticing the drop of room's temperature and Chloe's shivering shoulder, I interjected, "Hey, could you both stop that?"

To protect us, I released a weak aura, creating a barrier.

They both quietly listened after noticing the shivering angel I was holding and let out a "humph!" noise.

...

..

.

"Eh~ It's because he called me big sister."

As Cossette's explanation unfolded, the air in the room lightened, and my mother's confused expression gave way to amusement.

"Also, your son is cute. Because of that, I'm willing to be his older sister from now on," Cossette declared, her smug expression revealing her pride.

With a childlike enthusiasm, my mother nodded in agreement, adding, "Also, whenever he's upset, his expression somehow becomes cute." Her face lit up with brightness, casting a sparkling aura throughout the room.... Still, where the hell is their conversation even going at this point?

Cossette seemed momentarily surprised and expressed her desire to see my cute side for herself.

"Shut up, both of you!" Frustration boiled within me, and I decided to interject into their hour-long conversation, which had only just begun now that my little sister had left us alone.

I began, "He—"

"Anyways, you said you wanted me to become your master, right?" Cossette cut me off, her determination unwavering.

She continued, "It appears we both possess the same element. You can use dark magic, can't you?"

I wasn't surprised at how quickly she had figured it out. In the novel, she was a genius when it came to using dark magic and had the ability to perceive other elements. It was this skill that made her challenging for Arthur, the protagonist.

Oh, I should mention that I've managed to unlock my magical abilities since I'm already over five year old. However, rather than harnessing the power of lightning, as the original Athan did, I found myself connected to the element of darkness. My barrier magic remained intact.

"Hmm... Plus, it seems like you have something hidden inside you."

Cossette approached me and examined me from head to toe before patting my shoulder. She declared, "Alright! You can be my pupil from now on!"

I guess this is where it truly begins, doesn't it...?

***

Somewhere in the human territory, a young boy was being pursued by a relentless monster. The boy had blond hair and vigilant emerald green eyes as he continued running.

It was none other than Arthur.

"Mom! Dad! Why did you have to leave me like this?"

Arthur gritted his teeth, his eyes welling up with tears as he fled from the monster.

"Why...?"

[$&++";?))/...]

Suddenly, his steps came to an abrupt halt. He looked at the monster indifferently and gestured his hands, causing the creature to stop and freeze in its tracks.

[Initiating Code: Black]

[Synchronizing memory '1'... Complete]

[Synchronizing memory '2'... Complete]

[Synchronizing memory '3'... Complete]

[Synchronizing memory '4'... Complete]

[Synchronizing memory '5'... Complete]

[Welcome back, my master]

His emerald green eyes transformed into a radiant yellow as lightning sparked around him.

"I remember now." He looked up at a specific star in the night sky.

"System, does his fragment from the past exist here, too?"

[Confirmed]

"Ha... that's a relief, I guess."

Arthur let out a sigh of relief, shifting his focus back to the monster that had been chasing him moments before.

"You're far too weak. Disappear from my sight."

He flicked his finger, and the monster began to disintegrate, turning into dust that scattered into the wind.

Arthur's clear golden eyes gazed forward with an unwavering, unyielding determination. His aura and expression changed, as if he had become a different person.

Why had he changed? Because his crest had finally awakened. The Crest of Hero. Thanks to this, some memories from the previous timeline resurfaced, altering his aura.

"I never thought I'd be saying this again."

A golden radiance enveloped his body, blending with him.

"This time, even if I have to challenge ⬜, confront the gods, or reshape the very fabric of reality, I'll do everything to prevent you from making that choice again... I'll change it. I will save you this time, Athan."

After taking a deep breath, Arthur clenched his fist tightly, causing his palm to bleed.

"I'll definitely save you this time."

Soon, Arthur fell unconscious on the ground, his body returning to its normal state.