2. Siblings

The Ivory Palace,

Within its grand chambers, adorned with opulent furnishings, a man lay upon a bed of such plushness that even the most destitute commoner would find slumber upon it.

Seated in a chair, another man engrossed himself in tomes detailing the intricacies of magic, exploring both manna and lunasi. Every book related to the methods of using lunasi is considered taboo by the government except for certain groups. His hair, a deep black reminiscent of his father's, framed a countenance draped in royal garb, marking him as Soeuel, elder brother to Souaen.

The door to the room, adorned with Queen of the Night flower patterns, was opened by a woman. She had hair that alternated between black and auburn, cascading down in waves. She possessed fair, snow-white skin, so pure that it seemed to glow like freshly fallen snow to all who beheld it. Her eyes seemed to have two colors, teal when viewed from the front and azure from the side. She wore a white robe embroidered with golden silk, the embroidery in the shape of leaves with a sun motif on the chest. She appeared as though a priestess from the Light Temple had come to meet Souaen.

"Soeuel? How is Souaen progressing?"

"No need to worry, Heanox. His manna regulation is becoming more stable." Without turning to the side, Soeuel knew of Heanox's presence.

Heanox raised her hand and directed her palm towards Souaen. Then, a soothing light shone on the palm of her hand. She used a luminos spell to accelerate physical healing and manna regulation. Heanox approached Souaen's face and kissed his forehead.

"Since I were sent to the Light Temple, I haven't been able to spend time with my little brother." Her words were tinged with sadness and a hint of regret.

Heanox moved towards the door. She heard Soeuel speak to her.

"Send my regards to Iwatra."

Heanox simply nodded weakly. She walked down the palace corridor with several accompanying priestesses.

"Sister Heanox!" Two fourteen-year-old girls called out simultaneously. They ran towards her, extending their hands.

"Oh, Hanna and Ranna. I missed you both and you both are getting more beautiful." She hugged them, accompanied by praise.

"Hehehe, of course, we are getting more beautiful and we missed you too. Is sister visiting brother Souaen?"

Heanox smiled and replied, "Yes."

The accompanying priestesses touched Heanox's back to remind her that they had to leave now. She released her embrace with her twin sisters. Although reluctant, temple protocol had to be followed. The twins' faces showed dissatisfaction as Heanox departed, followed by her entourage.

Souaen counted among his siblings five in total, including himself. There was his brother, Soeuel, followed by his sister, Heanox, then Souaen himself, and finally the twin sisters, Hanna and Ranna.

Hailing from the esteemed Irj lineage, Souaen's family was a branch of the illustrious Mikaila dynasty, founders of the realm known as Mikasia. This distinguished royal house was further divided into three branches: Irj, Jach, and Anz. Mikasia's governance was governed by a unique system known as Theological Royalty.

Theocratic in nature, Theological Royalty's regime held a distinctive method for selecting its sovereign. A prerequisite was a familial tie to the revered Light Temple. The highest-ranking priestess, a role exclusively held by a woman born into the Mikaila royal family, would select the monarch based on their affinity for luminos. The candidate demonstrating the strongest connection would ascend to the throne.

To qualify, the chosen priestess must be a virgin and undergo rigorous training in the main Light Temple during her youth. The selection ceremony, occurring every nine years, would see the most attuned to luminos and virginal candidate anointed as the highest-ranking female priestess.

Soeuel glanced out of the window, noticing that the sun was beginning to set. He then looked at the manna device, a clock on the wall, and rose from his chair after confirming the time. He always made sure to spend time with his siblings every day as much as he could.

He turned his gaze towards Rebecca, who was standing in a corner of the room. Without saying anything, he walked out of the room.

Rebecca began to draw the curtains closed. She walked over to a sofa that had only one seat. She then sank back onto the sofa. Rebecca stared at Souaen until the room was illuminated by the lights.

As the night grew darker, the lights dimmed. Rebecca fell asleep on the sofa after a long day of standing.

When the room became dark, Souaen began to wake up from his slumber. He wanted to say something, but his throat felt rough and choked, making it difficult for him to speak. Souaen tried to sit up, which took a bit of time, but he succeeded in the end. His palms were facing up and in a claw-like position. A bright light appeared on the palm of his hand, illuminating it. He looked around, and his heart raced when he saw a humanoid entity with no face.

The entity raised its hand, and the movement of the clock stopped. If one were to observe, all movement around them ceased except for the entity, Souaen, the light, and the air Souaen was breathing.

"Souaen, do you still remember me? I am the boy you touched with your hand. I am the angel sent by your god, Allthim. Allthim has named me Dadena. You are now an apostle. Your first task is to kill the priests connected to demons through the knowledge of lunasi." The voice sounded both male and female.

"Am I going crazy now?" His voice was hoarse because his throat still felt rough.

"You will confidently believe you are an apostle and not crazy by tomorrow morning. Every apostle uses ilm as a source of power. Right now, your root of miracle has the first foundation of The Apostle. Take the spear and throw it without using any manna magic; you will see the spear will go very far." Dadena said in a flat tone. Dadena then disappeared from Souaen's view.

Time resumed its normal course after Dadena's disappearance. Rebecca was surprised to hear heavy breathing. Souaen was shivering badly. The room became dark again as Souaen could no longer maintain the magic. Rebecca quickly covered Souaen and used heating magic to warm him up. Souaen continued to shiver uncontrollably, not easing up even a bit. Rebecca wanted to go out and ask for help, but her hand was held back by Souaen's grip on it.

"Hug me, Rebecca." Souaen pleaded, still shivering.

Rebecca felt torn between asking for help and fulfilling Souaen's wish. Souaen's tremors, felt by Rebecca through her hand, and Souaen's pleading voice made Rebecca fulfill Souaen's wish.

Rebecca and Souaen spent the long night together, eventually falling asleep sitting up. Just the embrace, no words. Despite the embrace, a sardonic smile crossed Rebecca's face.