I opened my eyes only to feel pain all over my body.
Not the floating peace of the space between or the warm nothing of death.
It was physical pain. The kind that comes from being squeezed through a tunnel too small and pushed into a world too bright.
I'm alive.
No.
I'm born.
I stared up at the ceiling of a world I'd only seen through a screen. Torchlight flickered across stone walls. The air smelled of iron and herbs and something burning.
This is it. This is really it.
Above me, a woman's face appeared. Am sure that was the midwife. Her eyes went wide.
"Why isn't he crying?" she whispered.
She lifted me. Turned me over. Gave me a gentle slap on the back.
And still nothing.
Ah Right. Babies cry. Forgot that detail.
I forced air into my lungs and let out the most pathetic, forced wail I could manage.
"WAAAAH!"
The midwife sagged with relief. "Oh, thank the gods! He's fine! He's just the quiet type.
They cleaned me. Wrapped me. Placed me in my mother's arms.
She was beautiful. Exhausted. Sweat-damp hair plastered to her forehead. But her eyes were purple, and shone with tears as she looked down at me.
White hair. Same as hers.
But her eyes widened.
"His eyes," she breathed. "They're... they're not purple."
The midwife leaned closer. "That's... that's crimson, my lady. I've never—"
"Crimson?"
"Like blood, my lady. Or... or fire."
My mother stared at me. I stared back.
Crimson eyes. Interesting. The being had a sense of humor.
"He's perfect," my mother whispered, and pulled me closer. "My beautiful, strange little boy. My Zero."
Zero.
Well,l guessss that's mynames then.
She was smiling. Crying. Holding me like I was the most precious thing in existence.
Behind her, a man stepped forward. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Noble bearing. He had Brown hair, and I'll later find out that he is the only one in the family with brown hair. His eyesare sharp and purple too.
"A son," he said quietly. "An heir. After all this time."
He looked at me. Studied me.
I studied him back.
Mid-tier nobility. Pride in his house. Expectation is heavy on his shoulders. He'll want things from me. Training. Success. Legacy.
I'll give him enough to keep him satisfied.
Nothing more.
"Zero," he said, testing the name. "Unusual."
"The gods marked him," my mother said softly, touching my crimson eyes. "I feel it."
She's not wrong.
Father didn't argue. He just nodded and placed a hand on my head.
"Welcome to House Kameya, Zero. May you lift our name higher than it's ever been."
That's the plan.
Instantly, the idwife opened the door, and they stormed in like a natural disaster.
"WHERE IS HE?!"
"LET US SEE HIM!"
"MOTHER SAID WE HAVE A BROTHER!"
"MOVE YOUR FACE I WANT TO LOOK AT HIM!"
Two girls. White hair. Purple eyes.
The older one looked about eight, hung back near the door. She didn't rush in. Didn't shout. She just... watched. Her purple eyes moved slowly around the room, taking in everything. The midwife's relieved exhaustion. Mother's tearful smile. The tiny bundle in her arms.
Then her gaze landed on me.
She didn't look away.
This one is different.
I'll remember that.
The younger one, maybe six, had no restraint. She launched herself at the bed like a missile.
"HE'S SO TINY! HE'S SO CUTE! IS HE MINE? CAN I KEEP HIM?!"
Mother laughed weakly. "Luna, he's your brother, not a pet."
"Same thing!"
Luna reached the crib first. Her purple eyes went wide.
"His eyes are RED! That's so COOL!"
She grabbed my tiny hand.
Her grip was immediate and Possessive.
She didn't let go.
...That grip. That's not a casual hold. That's someone claiming something.
She's six. Just an excited child.
...Probably.
Luna stared at me. I stared back.
Then she smiled.
"Hi, little brother! I'm Luna! Your favorite sister! Not HER!"
She jerked her head toward the older one, who still hadn't moved from the door.
"Luna," Mother said gently, "let your brother breathe."
"She's fine," the older one said quietly.
She finally stepped forward. Didn't grab or squeal. Just stood beside the crib and looked down at me.
"I'm Lilia," she said. "Your other sister."
Her eyes moved over my face. My hair. Stopped on my eyes.
She stared longer than necessary.
Lilia smiled. Warm. Sisterly.
But her eyes never stopped analyzing.
Luna tugged my hand. "Lilia's boring. I'm the fun one. You're gonna love me MORE. Say Luna. Say it. LU-NA."
"He can't talk yet, Luna."
"HE CAN IN HIS HEART!"
...These two.
This is my life now.
I Guess
The first year was a blur of milk and sleep and my sisters' faces hovering over my crib.
Always hovering.
Lilia would stand at the edge. Watching. Notebook in hand sometimes. She'd write things down when she thought no one noticed.
Luna was different.
Luna was everywhere.
She'd appear at my crib the moment she woke up. "Morning Zero!"
She'd visit between meals. "Zero, are you awake? Let's play! Oh,h wait, you can't play yet. I'll just talk to you then."
She'd come at night. I'd hear the door creak. See her small silhouette padding across the room.
She'd stand over my crib. Watching.
Just... watching.
Sometimes for minutes. Sometimes longer.
Then she'd reach down. Touch my hair. My cheek. My hand.
"Goodnight, Zero," she'd whisper. "Sweet dreams. I'll be here when you wake up."
Then she'd leave.
...That's not normal.
Most children don't do that.
I'd be concerned if I didn't have more important things to focus on.
I filed it away.
The first five years taught me the most important skill I'd ever learn:
The mask.
To Mother, I was her miracle. The son she'd waited for. I gave her smiles. Hugs. Quiet moments where I'd rest my head on her lap while she brushed my white hair.
"My sweet boy," she'd whisper.
But when she held me?
I felt warm andsafee.
To Father, I was the heir. The future of House Kameya. I listened to his lessons. Nodded at the right moments. Trained just hard enough to impress him without revealing the truth.
"You have potential, Zero," he'd say. "Real potential."
I know. You have no idea how much.
To Lilia, I was a puzzle.
She'd sit across from me at meals, watching how I ate. How I moved. How I responded to questions.
"You're weird," she said once. Not mean. Just factual.
I tilted my head. "Weird how?"
"I don't know yet. But I'll figure it out."
She smiled. Warm. Sisterly.
Her eyes never stopped analyzing.
She's getting too close. I need to give her more distractions. More normal child behavior.
I started tripping more. Spilling things. Asking silly questions.
She watched it all.
I couldn't tell if she was buying it.
To Luna, I was everything.
"ZERO! Come play with me!"
"ZERO! Look what I found!"
"ZERO! Sleep in my room tonight!"
"ZERO! ZERO! ZERO!"
She was everywhere. Always touching. Always finding excuses to be near me.
When we played, she'd hold my hand longer than necessary.
When we ate, she'd sit as close as possible.
When I trained in the garden, she'd sit nearby and just... watch.
Not like Lilia's analytical watching.
It was different. It was possessive.
One time, a servant's son came to visit. A boy my age. We played together for an hour.
Luna watched the entire time.
She didn't speak or move; she just watched from the doorway.
When the boy left, she walked over and took my hand.
"I don't like him," she said.
"Why?"
"He looked at you too much."
...
What?
"He was playing with me. That's what children do."
"He should look at his own brother."
"I don't have a brother. Only sisters."
She squeezed my hand. "Exactly. You have the US. You don't need anyone else."
She smiled. Bright. Innocent.
But something behind her eyes...felt off.
I sat in the corner of my room with my legs crossed and eyes closed.
I was focused.
Five years down. Magic should manifest soon. Then the real work begins.
I was five when it happened.
Training in the garden. Basic exercises. Push-ups. Stretches. Alone. Always alone for this.
Then suddenly I felt heat.
Not external but Internal. Building in my chest. Spreading to my arms. My hands.
I held up my palm.
A spark. Tiny. And Faint. Barely visible.
But real.
Magic.
It's finally here.
For a moment, just a moment, the mask cracked.
I smiled. Not the child's smile. Not the obedient smile.
A real smile. Cold, Hungry, and Absolute.
The door is open.
I closed my fist. Crushed the spark. Looked around.
No one.
I sat down. Closed my eyes. Meditated for three hours.
When I opened my eyes, the sun had shifted.
And Luna was sitting beside me.
Not touching. Just... there. Watching.
"Hi, Zero," she said softly. "You were sleeping for a long time."
How long has she been here?
Why didn't I hear her approach?
I blinked. Rubbed my eyes. Gave her a sleepy smile.
"Sorry. Guess I was tired."
"It's okay." She reached out. Touched my hair. "Mother says dinner's ready."
"Okay. Let's go."
I stood. She took my hand.
Her grip was tight.
Just worried. Normal sister things.
...
But she was sitting there for hours. Just watching me sleep.
That's not normal.
Nothing about Luna is normal.
I let her drag me toward the house.
But I was watching her now.
Closer than ever.
That night, alone in my room, I sat in the corner.
No mask. No warmth.
Just cold.
Magic is real.
The path is now open.
I closed my eyes.
The being's laughter echoed in my memory.
"Have fun, you magnificent madman!"
Fun.
This world is full of surprises.
Cid is out there somewhere, being a glorious idiot.
My sisters are... something.
And I'm here.
Watching.
Waiting.
And Becoming.
Let the game continue.
THE END.