When the teleportation light faded, I realized something strange.

  I was standing in my house.

  The same wooden floor. The same living room. The same quiet clock ticking on the wall.

  For a moment I wondered if everything that had happened earlier had just been a dream.

  Then I saw who was sitting in the room.

  Two women were already there.

  One of them was my mother—Nanoko Fuji.

  She was a tall woman, about five foot seven, with long black hair and warm brown eyes. Her oval face and fair skin gave her a calm, graceful presence. People often said she looked much younger than her age. She was gentle, soft-spoken, and carried herself with quiet dignity.

  Next to her sat Shizuka Sato, Satoshi’s mother.

  She was slightly shorter, around five foot six, with blonde hair and bright pink eyes. Her face had a heart-shaped softness to it, and she had the kind of pleasant, cute smile that made people feel comfortable around her. Shizuka had always been cheerful and lively—someone whose joyful personality could brighten a room.

  Both women looked serious now.

  The moment they saw the woman behind us—

  They stood up.

  And then they knelt.

  My brain froze.

  “…Wait. Why are you kneeling?”

  Shizuka didn’t even turn to look at me.

  “Because we have common sense.”

  My mom looked at me calmly.

  “Akhiro. Kneel.”

  I stared at her.

  “In my own house?”

  Before I could say anything else—

  Smack.

  Shizuka hit the back of my head.

  “Use your brain,” she said. “That is Queen Dianthia.”

  I rubbed my head.

  “…Ow.”

  “She is the Queen of the Magic Realm,” Shizuka continued, “and a leading member of the Democratic Republic of Erebus.”

  I slowly turned to look at the woman standing behind us.

  Queen.

  Magic realm.

  Democratic Republic of Erebus.

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  Right.

  Satoshi had already knelt beside me.

  I sighed and knelt too.

  Dianthia looked down at us calmly.

  “You may stand.”

  Our mothers stood again.

  My mom stepped forward.

  “Your Majesty,” she said softly, “why are our sons involved in this?”

  Dianthia’s gaze shifted toward me.

  “Your son has awakened a Cursed Stone.”

  The room fell silent.

  Shizuka inhaled sharply.

  My mom stayed calm, but I noticed her fingers tighten slightly.

  “A contract?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Can it be undone?”

  “No.”

  I looked around the room.

  “…Can someone explain why everyone else seems to understand what’s happening except me?”

  Dianthia spoke calmly.

  “The stone has already recognized him. If he does not learn to control it, it will become dangerous.”

  Shizuka crossed her arms.

  “So what happens now?”

  “He will train,” Dianthia said.

  I blinked.

  “…Train?”

  “Yes.”

  Her eyes met mine.

  “Pack your belongings. You leave in thirty minutes.”

  I stood up immediately.

  “Thirty minutes?!”

  My mom looked at me.

  “You will go.”

  I stared at her.

  “You’re not even going to argue?”

  She smiled faintly.

  “If I argue with a queen, do you think I’ll win?”

  Satoshi finally spoke.

  “…Is this dangerous?”

  Dianthia didn’t hesitate.

  “Yes.”

  My mom closed her eyes for a moment.

  Then she nodded slowly.

  Shizuka stepped forward.

  “We need to speak privately.”

  Dianthia studied her for a moment before nodding.

  “…Very well.”

  My mom placed her hand gently on my shoulder.

  “Go pack your things.”

  Shizuka pushed Satoshi toward the hallway.

  “Move.”

  The door closed behind us.

  The house suddenly felt very quiet.

  I leaned against the hallway wall.

  My head felt heavy.

  All my life, I lived in my brother’s shadow.

  He was better than me at everything.

  Studying.

  Singing.

  Sports.

  Anything you can imagine.

  Teachers praised him.

  Friends admired him.

  Strangers respected him.

  He was the shining star of the Fuji family.

  And my father loved that.

  Mr. Yoshihiro Fuji.

  The richest man on the planet.

  Whenever people talked about the Fuji family, they talked about my brother.

  His achievements.

  His future.

  His brilliance.

  Me?

  I was just… there.

  At first, I tried.

  I studied harder.

  Practiced harder.

  Worked until I was exhausted.

  I thought if I pushed myself enough, maybe my father would finally look at me the same way he looked at my brother.

  But it never happened.

  Standing next to my brother felt like standing beside a mountain.

  His achievements were like the sun.

  And I was just an ant crawling on the ground.

  Eventually, I stopped trying.

  I became reckless.

  Cocky.

  Loud.

  If I couldn’t earn respect, at least people would notice me.

  My father stopped expecting anything from me a long time ago.

  My mom cared about me, of course.

  But even she knew the truth.

  Compared to my brother…

  I was nothing.

  Maybe…

  Maybe this cursed power was different.

  Maybe it was a second chance.

  If I could control it…

  If I could become strong…

  Maybe one day my father would finally look at me the same way he looks at my brother.

  “You’re thinking too much.”

  I opened my eyes.

  Satoshi was leaning against the wall beside me.

  “…Yeah,” I said.

  He looked toward the living room.

  “So… we’re really doing this?”

  I shrugged.

  “Looks like it.”

  “Our lives are about to get weird,” he said.

  “No kidding.”

  Thirty minutes later, my bag was packed.

  I walked back into the living room.

  My mom stood there waiting.

  For a moment neither of us spoke.

  Then I stepped forward and hugged her.

  She hugged me tightly.

  When I pulled away, I saw tears in her eyes.

  That almost broke me.

  “Be careful,” she whispered.

  “I will.”

  Outside, a large ship waited.

  Dianthia stood near it.

  When she saw me approaching, she gave a small nod.

  “Everything will be fine,” she said.

  “From now on, a new chapter of your life begins.”

  I looked back one last time.

  My house.

  My mother.

  Everything familiar.

  My mom looked worried.

  Then my eyes landed on Satoshi.

  His expression was strange.

  I knew that look.

  He was worried about me.

  But there was something else too.

  Jealousy.

  He wished he had this chance instead.

  And honestly…

  I didn’t blame him.

  Because Satoshi had once made a promise to someone.

  A promise that one day he would become a hero.

  And right now…

  It looked like I had stepped onto the path that should have been his.

  I stepped onto the ship.

  As the door began to close, one thought crossed my mind.

  My old life had ended.

  And a new one had just begun.

  To Be Continued.