Day I was waiting for

Zayn and I are indeed like siblings, but he isn't related to me by blood; the story is a bit complicated.

My mother found Zayn during a trip to the forest on a day of heavy rain. She had to seek shelter somewhere, and she recounts that she was alone in the forest at the time.

But...

She heard the sound of crying. Not just any crying, but the cry of a child. "Am I hearing things? It sounds like someone is crying here," she thought, and began searching for the source of the sound.

As she ventured deeper into the forest, the crying grew louder. Eventually, she discovered a child around my age: a boy with white hair and sapphire-blue eyes, alone in the darkening forest. His clothes were dirty, and his body was covered in wounds and blood. "How did you end up here alone? What happened to you?" My mother knelt down to avoid frightening the child.

Zayn, at that moment, remained silent and cried uncontrollably. Unable to bear his distress, my mother embraced him warmly. "It's okay, you're not alone anymore. I'm here with you." Her gentle voice soothed Zayn, calming him.

"Come with me. I'll take care of you like I care for my own child," my mother offered, inviting Zayn to come home with her.

"I'm not a bad person. You just need to be a good child while you're with me," her smile won over the four-year-old boy, and she took his hand and brought him to our home that day.

That same day, I swore an oath of brotherhood with Zayn. We promised to protect each other and stay together forever.

Now, two years have passed since Zayn disappeared without a trace. My mother was very worried about him, but I tried to reassure her, saying that he would surely return to us one day.

Not only my mother, but I also worried about him as a brother, as did Sophia. "Zayn, I hope you're okay and that we'll meet again soon," I longed to reunite with him.

Sophia and I are now fifteen years old. We've gone through much training together. Sophia is indeed talented with the bow, so much so that even before the Elemental Awakening Ceremony, one of the Elements chose her due to her skill. The Element was Air.

Sophia has maximized her potential with the Air Element in such a short time, while I am still honing my swordsmanship, which relies on mana. Though I haven't perfected it yet, I can control it quite well now.

"It seems like it's time," I said, putting on my ceremonial uniform for the Elemental Awakening Ceremony. As I stepped out of my house, I was struck by how impressive the uniform looked. I hadn't expected the ceremonial attire to change so much each year.

As soon as I stepped outside, Sophia approached me. She had grown into a strong young woman with long white hair tied in a distinctive back ponytail and striking green eyes.

For some reason, seeing her made my heart race. "Eizan, are you ready for the Elemental Awakening Ceremony today?" Sophia asked.

"Ahh... Y-yes, I am," I replied, my gaze dropping and avoiding meeting her eyes.

Why can't I look her in the eye like usual? What's wrong with me?

I slapped my face with both hands.

**Slap!!**

"Huffff, calm down, Eizan. It's just Sophia. Haven't we seen her often enough over the past two years?" my heart reassured me, but for the past few months, I couldn't look her in the eye.

"Eizan? What's wrong?" Sophia asked again.

"Ahh, it's nothing... Sophia, we should hurry to the ceremony before it starts," I quickly changed the subject and suggested we head to the Elemental Awakening Ceremony.

"You're right... Let's go," Sophia said, taking my hand and leading me there. Her hand was warm and felt so soft. From behind, she looked so beautiful for her age.

We arrived at the ceremony grounds, where many children our age had gathered, ready for the Elemental Awakening Ceremony.

"Eizan!" A familiar voice called my name. I turned to see it was my childhood friend Alex.

"Why is he here?" I wondered. "Alex, it's been a while. What are you doing here?"

"It's been a while, Eizan. I'm here for the ceremony, just like you. Nice to see you again," Alex said, looking just as handsome as ever.

"But you're from the kingdom. Why are you participating in the ceremony here?"

"All children our age are doing the Elemental Awakening Ceremony here in Taeyang Village. The entire Human Kingdom is holding it here," Alex explained.

I was surprised. "Wait, how is that possible? Isn't the ceremony usually held in the kingdom?"

"I'm not sure, but the announcement two days ago was that the ceremony would be held simultaneously here in the village. The King and the nobles are attending," Alex added.

I was incredibly excited. "Wow, this is going to be a huge event."

"Alex, we need to head to the fields now. The nobles and the White Mages are already there," Alex's friend Elisia called to him.

"Okay, I'll head there first... Eizan, will you join us?"

"No, I'm waiting for my friend here," I said just as Sophia returned from the bathroom.

"Eizan!!" I turned to see her.

"Wh-Who is she? She's so beautiful. Should I ask her about it?" Alex was immediately smitten by Sophia's appearance.

"Alex, we need to go now," Elisia said impatiently, and I wanted to see Sophia a bit longer.

"Y-Yeah... I'll go ahead then. See you there," Alex said, unable to take his eyes off Sophia.

What's with him? Why is he staring at Sophia so intently? "Eizan, who is that person?"

"Ah, she's a distant friend of my mother's. We used to play together when we were young."

"Wait, when you were young? Why don't I recognize her?"

"I met her in the kingdom before I met you," I said. "Sophia, I'll take you to the kingdom someday to see the beautiful lanterns there."

"I see. Are you ready to head to the fields?"

"Let's go. I'm eager to get there."

We hurried to the fields. Upon arrival, we saw a vast number of children our age, likely in the thousands.

"Wow, it's so crowded here," Sophia said, amazed by the bustling scene.

"Unbelievable... I didn't expect it to be such a nationwide event," I said, sweating from the crowd.

"This is a very special day."