Chapter 877: Siblings

Chapter 877: Siblings

Anna sat under the shade of the oak tree with her back resting against the trunk.

A faint smile lingered on her lips as she watched the sun set slowly below the horizon, dyeing the sky in shades of forgotten memories and wistful dreams.

She was still recovering from her injuries, and she figured she would still need a few more years to fully recuperate before she could set sail for her home.

Her gaze shifted to the raven-haired boy sitting beside her, intently gazing at a white daffodil that he had plucked from the nearby pond.

Anna’s lips curled into a warm smile. Over the past two years, Adam had started to grow on her. Now, she saw him no different than her own little brother.

Despite all of Adam’s flaws, she loved him dearly.

She reached out with her hand and gently ruffled his raven hair. “Why are you looking at it so intensely?” Her lips curled into a smirk, and she added, “You can’t eat it, you know.”

“I know.” Adam nodded. “Mama once told me these flowers should not be eaten. They’re meant to give one hope.”

Anna’s eyes flickered with a peculiar light. She arched an eyebrow and asked curiously, “What did she say about these flowers?”

Adam recalled the exact words of her mother and spoke, “These flowers remind us that no matter how long the darkness lasts, warmth will return.”

He paused, his shoulders slowly slouching. “She said things will always get better even after the harshest winter…”

The boy’s lips quivered and he whispered, “I miss her…”

Anna’s heart ached when she heard those words. It was heartbreaking for a child to lose their parents. Especially so when they were young.

She couldn’t even begin to imagine what Adam would have done if she hadn’t met him.

Anna pulled him into a gentle side embrace and softly patted his head. “Don’t cry now. You must remember that you are a continuation of your mother and father. They may be gone, but a part of them still lives through you.”

“Mmh!” Adam nodded, wiping away his tears. “Mama said, big boys don’t cry.”

He put on a menacing expression, as if intimidating his own tears into retreat.

Such an adorable action caused Anna to chuckle.

“What!” Adam glared at her. “Don’t laugh at me!”

“Ah, I just recalled something else,” the crimson-haired woman covered her mouth, silently chuckling.

Adam frowned. Suddenly, he thought of something and asked excitedly, “Anna! Anna! You’re a Magus, right? Teach me a spell! A white-flower spell!”

Anna shook her head slightly, finding the boy’s expressions quite amusing. “I don’t know any ‘white-flower’ spell. I mainly practice fire magic, and most of the spells I know, I’m afraid I can’t teach them to you because of an oath I’ve sworn.”

Adam’s brows furrowed. He pursed his lips and looked away. “Hmph! You are stinky.”

Anna’s lips twitched. “You mean stingy.”

Adam turned to her with narrowed eyes. “R-right.”

He paused for a moment, his expression adorably angry. “Anna, you are stingy!”

The boy then got to his feet and softly added, “And stinky, too…”

A vein on the side of Anna’s forehead throbbed in annoyance. “My foolish little brother, you must never call a lady stinky. It is simply bad manners.”

Adam deeply looked at the crimson-haired woman before sticking his tongue out. “Blegh! Stinky Anna!”

The following moment, he saw Anna silently rise to her feet. Knowing what would come next, he hurriedly dashed away.

“Come here, you!” Anna called out, chasing after him with a slipper in hand. “Seems like I must discipline you again!”

“Stinky Anna, you’ll never catch me! Heehee!”

The sound of joy and laughter drifted in the spring breeze as the sun sank below the horizon.

***

The surroundings seemingly shifted around the siblings, the field of golden crops replaced by the buildings of Jeeling.

Anna wiped Adam’s tears away with a gentle expression on her face.

To the world, he may be Black Vengeance, the Tyrant, the Dark King, but to her… he was just a little child, her little brother.

Adam continued to sob as he looked at Anna’s face. She looked the same as she had decades ago. It seemed that she hadn’t aged a bit.

“You… how…” he struggled to form words. The tears just won’t stop flowing.

Anna pulled him into an embrace. She gently patted his back and whispered, “Remember what your mother said. Big boys don’t cry.”

But that made Adam cry even more.

His shoulders trembled incessantly, and his eyes had already reddened and were slightly swollen.

He tightly hugged his sister and cried out loud, “Anna, I missed you!”

“I know, I know.” Anna smiled, gently patting his back. “I’m here now. I promised you I’ll return, and I’ve kept my promise.”

While the two siblings shared a warm moment, the nearby Magi were stunned speechless. Firstly, they never thought that their relationship would be so deep.

Secondly, they had never expected to see such a vulnerable side of Adam.

Especially Raidon, he couldn’t believe his eyes. He had always known his Lord Commander as a fierce warrior, a man amongst men, who would maul through the ranks of the enemy and leave nothing but death and destruction in his wake.

Yet now, seeing Adam in such a state left a strange taste in his mouth.

He was… touched.

She must really mean a lot to him, he thought to himself with a warm smile.

On the other side, Kaspar stroked his beard, gazing at the siblings’ interaction with a faint smile on his face.

I did not imagine them to be so close, he wondered.

The Princess’s love for the boy is almost… maternal.

As for the Dark King…

His gaze shifted to the raven-haired young man, his smile deepening.

He is just that. A boy. It’ll be easy to pull his strings. He will be a great asset to the Kingdom.

Adam took a deep breath and gradually calmed down his uncontrollable emotions. Everything had happened so suddenly that he felt like it was a dream.

But it wasn’t.

Anna was here, standing right before him.

“Yes,” he smiled brightly. “You’ve kept your promise!”

Anna clasped Adam’s shoulder and nodded. “And you’ve kept yours. You’ve become a splendid Magus. I am very proud of you.”

Adam laughed brashly. “Of course! I’ll have you know, your little brother is the strongest Magi in these lands! Haha, well, except for the Mana Core Magi.”

Anna shook her head, exasperated. “You’ve become quite arrogant, too.”

Adam winked at her. “Trust me, sister. This is not arrogance. I’m merely confident in my abilities. Trust me when I say this… In the realm of the Mana Vortex Rank, there isn’t a man alive who can look me in the eye and claim they’re better.”

Kaspaer, who was standing nearby, stroked his beard, his eyes flashing with a crafty glint.

Good, he is cocky, he mused.

This will be easier than I thought!