5 Sibling Bond: A Promise of Protection

When Ryan's power as a third-order great mage faded, they had already reached tens of kilometers away. An unprecedented sense of fatigue surged, making Ryan realize that something was wrong.

Without hesitation, Ryan immediately entered the system's universal mall and spent a thousand points to purchase ten bottles of mana recovery potion.

These primary mana potions, each worth 100 points, were enough to instantly restore a first-order great mage's mana to full.

After the purchase, Ryan immediately drank the potion, and the sense of fatigue disappeared instantly, with mana once again filling his body.

With the support of the mana potions, Ryan and his sister made every effort to flee southwards. Instinct told him that any delay would increase their danger.

Eventually, after a day and night of fleeing, the ten mana potions were completely consumed, and a wave of dizziness struck, forcing Ryan to land with Alice on the ground, retracting his nearly depleted mana.

Night had fallen, and the starry sky twinkled as if countless eyes were silently watching over the fleeing siblings.

At this moment, they were more than 500 kilometers away from the Janis family mines, which finally allowed Ryan to relax a bit. They had arrived at the Arnold Kingdom, a vassal state located in the southern part of the Aispa Empire.

They were temporarily safe! But of course, this was only temporary. It was not yet time to let their guard down.

"Let's go! Alice, brother will find you something to eat!" Seeing Alice's spirits down and covered in dust, Ryan couldn't help but feel a pang in his heart.

Ryan's voice was filled with encouragement and determination, even though he himself was equally exhausted. On this long and arduous journey of escape, he understood more than anyone the importance of maintaining strength and morale.

When Ryan reached for Alice's hand, he was startled to find his sister looking at him with eyes full of strangeness and wariness.

"Alice, what's wrong?" Ryan asked softly, not understanding what he had done wrong.

"Brother, you seem so different! Alice can hardly recognize you! Are you still my brother?" Tears swirled in Alice's eyes as she recalled all the strange events of the past few days and spoke with a sobbing voice.

Alice's sudden question plunged Ryan into silence. It seemed that the clever Alice had noticed that the soul inside her favorite brother had changed.

But, what did it matter? Since he had come to this world, there was no doubt that he would always be Alice's only brother!

Looking into Alice's eyes, which were filled with helplessness and a glimmer of hope, Ryan gently touched her head and sincerely said, "Alice, I promise you! No matter what happens, no matter what I become, I, Ryan, will always be the brother you can rely on! I will do everything in my power to protect you for the rest of your life, and I will never allow anyone to hurt you!"

"Brother! Alice is so afraid of losing you again!" After hearing her brother's reply, Alice couldn't control her tears anymore and burst into Ryan's arms, sobbing loudly.

"Silly girl! No more foolish thoughts from now on!" Ryan affectionately patted Alice's back, then, with a thought, spent 100 points to exchange for a colorful lollipop from the system's universal store.

After the purchase, with a thought from Ryan, a flash of white light appeared in his hand, and the next second, a lollipop appeared.

"Alice, look what brother has found for you!" Ryan smiled and handed the lollipop to Alice in his arms.

"This is... candy!" Alice took the lollipop, her eyes stopping their tears at the sight of the intriguing candy glowing enticingly in the night, and her face, still wet with tears, showed a hint of surprise.

"Smart girl! Go ahead, eat it!" Ryan gently encouraged her.

Alice carefully unwrapped the candy, and a sweet aroma immediately filled the air. She put the lollipop in her mouth, and the tears in her eyes slowly disappeared with a burst of surprise. At that moment, her face lit up with an innocent smile, as if all the unease and fear had been dispelled by this sweetness.

Watching his sister, Ryan felt an indescribable emotion surge within him. His thoughts involuntarily drifted back to the night of his family's downfall, when all happiness turned into nothingness. Since then, only endless fear and pain had accompanied Alice. This was the first time since their family's downfall that Ryan saw a happy smile on Alice's face again.

"Brother, have some too!" After taking a small bite of the lollipop, Alice, with a sparkle of sharing in her eyes, offered the partially eaten lollipop to Ryan, wanting to share this sweet joy with him.

Ryan felt warmth in his heart and softly said, "Brother has many more here! You eat!" However, seeing Alice's insistent gaze, Ryan finally took the lollipop and gently bit off a small piece. The sweet taste spread in his mouth, satisfying not just his taste buds but also offering comfort deep within his soul. His exhausted body seemed to find new strength. At that moment, Ryan swore to protect this happiness at all costs!

"Alice, no matter how difficult the road ahead is, brother will protect you!" Ryan said firmly, his eyes full of hope for the future.

Alice hugged Ryan tightly, her heart filled with gratitude and trust. She knew that with her brother by her side, there was nothing in this world she needed to fear.

On this starry night, Ryan and Alice found unprecedented comfort and strength in their bond.

Ryan gave the lollipop back to Alice, then took her hand, and they continued southward.

After more than half an hour of walking, a quiet village appeared in front of them. Ryan's face immediately showed a look of surprise, as it seemed that he and Alice wouldn't have to spend the night in the desolate wilderness but could find a place to rest properly.

Therefore, Ryan picked up Alice and quickened his pace towards the village.

As Ryan and Alice entered the village, a sharp whistle sounded around them, and five or six villagers armed with rudimentary weapons and wearing worn armor, holding torches, rushed out from all around, surrounding them with tense faces.

Ryan showed a surprised expression, hurriedly protected his sister in his arms, and vigilantly observed the surrounding crowd.

"The village chief, these are just a youth and a child, nothing unusual!" One of the villagers, a middle-aged man with a long beard wearing black armor and holding a torch, relaxed after getting a closer look at Ryan and Alice, and loudly said.

Afterward, everyone put away their weapons, and the tense expressions on their faces eased a lot.

Before the words had ended, a door not far away creaked open, and an old man with white hair walking with a cane and a young woman supporting him came out.

The old man quickly walked to the middle of the crowd, looking at Ryan with a questioning gaze.

"Young man, why do you visit our village at night?" the old man asked directly.

"Sir, my name is Ryan, and this is my sister Alice. Our family has encountered misfortune, and we are on our way to seek refuge with relatives in the south. After a whole day and night of travel, we are really too tired! Could you let me and my sister rest here for the night?" Ryan earnestly said, but did not reveal his true identity, and had to make up a lie.

Seeing the dust-covered appearances of the two, the old man's doubts gradually dissipated, and he sighed, "Poor children, do not blame the villagers for their caution. It's just that recently there have been monsters appearing at night nearby, which is very dangerous. Our village has already had many casualties. Remember, do not travel at night in the future."

After speaking, the old man turned and said, "Tonight, rest at my house! We have spare rooms."

Hearing this, Ryan was overjoyed and quickly expressed his gratitude: "Thank you very much, sir!"

Under the old man's guidance, Ryan and Alice were led to a spacious courtyard.

"Annie, take them to wash up. I need to rest, this old body of mine," the old man, weakened by age, entrusted the task of settling Ryan and Alice to his granddaughter, the young woman supporting him.

Understanding his intentions, Annie, after helping her grandfather back to his room, came back to Ryan and Alice.

"Please follow me." With a kind smile, Annie led them forward.

Throughout the journey, Ryan noticed that in this deserted courtyard, only the old man and his granddaughter lived; there were no signs that anyone else had ever resided there.

Under Annie's guidance, Ryan and Alice quickly washed up and were then led to a spacious room.

After thanking the young girl Annie repeatedly, Ryan and Alice settled down, preparing to spend the night. Although the room was simple, it was very clean and tidy, with a large bed, a desk, and a window facing the courtyard. The moonlight streaming through the window onto the floor added a particularly serene and peaceful atmosphere. After a day of being uprooted and adrift, Ryan and Alice finally felt a long-missed sense of safety and warmth.

The shelter provided by Annie and her grandfather was more than just a haven from the storm; it was like a warm lighthouse illuminating their lonely and difficult journey. Lying in bed and looking up at the ceiling, Ryan felt a spontaneous surge of gratitude towards Annie and the old man. He was deeply aware of how rare it was to encounter such kindness in a world full of deceit and manipulation. Alice, excited, looked around the room with curiosity at this new environment. Eventually, she grew tired, climbed into bed, curled up next to Ryan, and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

Soon, the surroundings quieted down, and Ryan silently summoned the system panel.