In the silence of the night, beneath a veil of warm darkness, Aerius climbed the stairs to his room with small, hesitant steps. His heart was still echoing with the tension that had filled the table moments ago, but what caught his attention now was a faint sound… crying.
He stopped at the door, opened it slowly, and saw his brother Elios lying on the bed, burying his face in the pillow, curled under the blanket, trying to hide his tears the way a warrior hides his wounds.
Aerius approached carefully, sat at the edge of the bed in silence, then crawled over the blanket and sat beside his brother without saying a word. He extended his small hand and gently placed it on Elios's back.
In a soft whisper, Aerius said:
"Elios… don't cry…"
But Elios, broken inside despite his strength, suddenly flinched and shouted sharply, his tone carrying more anger than sadness:
"Stay away from me, Aerius! Go! Take care of your toys or your own business… you don't understand anything!"
Aerius pulled back for a moment, his eyes filling with tears, but he didn't run, nor did he leave. Instead, he clung even tighter to his brother and cried out in his small voice:
"No! I won't leave you! You're my brother! I won't let you cry alone! Even if I don't understand, I'm here… because you're not alone!"
His sincere, innocent words pierced through the wall of pain in Elios's heart.
The older boy remained silent for a moment, then his sobs gradually softened. With every second he felt Aerius's hand on his back, the sadness choking him began to melt away.
He lifted his head from the pillow, his tears turning into uneven breaths, and said in a broken whisper:
"You're… stupid… but… thank you."
Aerius let out a small laugh:
"I'm not stupid… I'm strong… because I made you smile."
Elios smiled, then reached out and pulled Aerius beside him under the blanket.
"Come… let's sleep together."
Aerius lay beside him, and Elios gently covered him. They closed their eyes, and the rhythm of their breathing became a soft melody in the dark room.
In that moment… the bond of brotherhood was stronger than wars, stronger than armies, and stronger than fate itself.
Morning broke, and sunlight slipped gently through the palace windows, touching the cold marble floor and reflecting the shimmer of dust that the maid, Mai, was carefully cleaning inside Master Alberto's office.
As she emptied drawers and organized shelves, she picked up a small metallic device—the energy detector—and left it briefly in the hallway beside a toolbox.
At that moment… Elios passed by.
He froze mid-step, staring at the shining device as if it were a forbidden treasure. His eyes sparkled with the excitement of a child who had found the key to a city of secrets.
He whispered to himself:
"The energy detector… the soldiers use it… Father too…"
He glanced left and right, then quickly bent down, grabbed the device, and ran upstairs as if he had stolen a piece of the sun.
He rushed into his room and ran to the bed:
"Aerius! Wake up! Wake up quickly!"
Aerius stirred in his sleep, opening one eye and closing the other:
"Mmm… what is it?"
Elios held the device in front of his face proudly:
"Look! The soldiers' device! The energy scanner! I found it near the office door! We can find out our real power like the great warriors!"
Aerius's eyes widened as he sat up:
"Reaaally?! Let's try! Let's try!"
Then he looked at him with childish curiosity:
"But… if we measure our power… will we get armor? Or fly?"
Elios laughed:
"Nooo… not yet! But we'll know if we're strong!"
Before he could activate the device, they heard footsteps approaching the room… soft steps their hearts knew well.
"Oh no… Mom!"
Elios quickly hid the device under the pillow, while Aerius helped cover it with the blanket as if they were hiding a cosmic crime.
The door opened, and Helis entered carrying little Helen in her arms, a tired smile on her face:
"Good morning, you little devils… I mean, my children."
Aerius laughed, while Elios looked tense, as if his heart might burst.
Helis placed Helen on the bed and said:
"Elios… I want to apologize for what happened last night. I was a bit harsh… I'm just worried about you."
Elios lowered his gaze slightly and replied softly:
"It's okay, Mom… I'm sorry too."
She smiled gently, not noticing the strange tension on their faces, then said goodbye and left the room.
As soon as the door closed—
"My heart almost jumped out of my chest!" Elios said, pulling the device from under the pillow.
"Me too! I thought I was going to fly!" Aerius replied, placing his hand on his chest.
"So… ready to see your power?" Elios asked as he carefully turned on the device.
Moments passed… a blue glow began to shine on the screen, preparing the two boys to discover something they were never meant to know…
And what the screen would reveal… could change everything.
Inside the children's room—mid-morning.
As sunlight filtered softly through the window, Helen sat on the floor laughing in her gentle baby voice, holding a wooden toy that made random sounds.
Elios held the energy device and said:
"Let's start by measuring her power… I want to see how far her abilities have developed."
He approached and placed the device in front of her.
A faint glow appeared, followed by a simple electronic tone, and numbers showed on the screen:
[Detected Energy: 2000 units]
Elios froze, his eyes trembling with shock:
"Impossible…! Two thousand?! And she hasn't even turned one year old yet?!"
Aerius stepped closer, his mouth open in amazement:
"Our sister is very strong… will she be our hero in the future?"
Elios muttered while staring at the screen:
"Yes… she has an unnatural talent."
Driven by curiosity and pride, he reset the device and pointed it at himself.
[Detected Energy: 1800 units]
He gasped:
"I'm… weaker than her?!"
Before he could dwell on it, Aerius smiled innocently:
"Don't worry, you'll become stronger. And our sister… maybe she'll lead the army one day!"
Elios chuckled softly, then sighed:
"Maybe… now it's your turn."
Aerius hesitated, then said:
"Okay… try."
Elios pointed the device at him.
Seconds passed… but the glow didn't appear the same way. Instead, the numbers appeared slowly, as if the device itself doubted what it was reading.
[Detected Energy: 3 units only]
Elios stared in shock:
"What?! Three?! Is the device broken?!"
He restarted it, cleaned the sensor, and tried again… but the result didn't change.
[Detected Energy: 3 units]
Aerius looked at him curiously:
"Does that mean I'm weak?"
Elios quickly responded, forcing a smile:
"No, no! The device is old! It must be broken… maybe the battery is weak, or the sensor is faulty."
Aerius smiled, believing him:
"Oh… I see! So we need to fix it?"
"Exactly! Let's hide it now before Mom sees it."
Elios quickly hid the device again.
But deep inside his heart, a strange feeling began to grow… not fear, but a profound question:
"Is it possible… that my brother has no real power? Or is there something greater than what we see?"
The palace floor still gleamed from the servants' cleaning, and the sun cast golden rays across its façade when the maid Mai called out:
"Aerius, Elios! Come down, someone is waiting for you!"
The two boys hurried down the stairs—Elios leading as usual, Aerius following with curious little steps.
At the entrance hall, they saw their mother Helis standing by the door, her expression slightly tense, hiding concern behind her calm demeanor.
Outside, a military formation stood clearly.
Ten soldiers in gray armor adorned with blue energy stones stood with discipline. At their head was a royal attendant bearing the ruler's emblem.
Beside him stood a boy about Aerius's height, with cold eyes that seemed to see no one but himself.
His hair was black with a pale tint, and his gaze wandered across the surroundings with visible boredom.
The attendant knelt respectfully before Helis:
"My lady, greetings from your king. After coordination with your husband, Commander Alberto of the Seventh Battalion, I have been assigned to escort the young prince Raimos, son of the Supreme Ruler, here."
He continued, looking at Aerius:
"By direct royal order, Prince Raimos is to stay in this palace to become a close companion to your young son, as they are of the same age."
Helis stepped back slightly, absorbing the information with wary eyes, then glanced at Aerius, who hid behind her leg, staring at the strange newcomer.
Raimos raised an eyebrow coldly and said:
"No need for excessive welcome… I'm here only because of my father's orders. Don't expect enthusiasm or friendliness from me."
Elios muttered:
"He's arrogant."
But Aerius said nothing… he stared into Raimos's eyes, feeling something strange—not fear, but something he couldn't describe.
Helis finally said:
"You're welcome in our home, Raimos. Consider it your second home."
Then she instructed the maid:
"Mai, take Raimos to the eastern wing."
The royal attendant bowed and left.
As the soldiers departed, the family stood facing this "unwanted guest"… who would now become part of Aerius's life.
Days later, in the palace garden…
Raimos sat on a stone bench under a large tree, his eyes half-closed.
From behind a pillar, Aerius watched him quietly.
Without turning, Raimos said:
"How long will you keep watching me from there, you intruder? Come here."
Aerius froze, then slowly approached.
Raimos looked him up and down:
"Hm… I thought the commander's son would be smarter. But you seem like a naive fool."
Aerius frowned:
"What does 'fool' mean?"
Raimos smirked:
"It means stupid."
Aerius puffed his cheeks:
"I'm not stupid!"
Raimos turned away:
"We'll see… since you're beneath me, I've decided to keep you as my servant."
Before Aerius could respond, Elios's voice interrupted:
"He's no one's servant!"
Raimos glanced at him:
"Oh… the older brother who couldn't even convince his mother to let him fight?"
Aerius stepped forward:
"Don't talk about my brother like that! He's very strong!"
Raimos smiled faintly:
"Good. You have loyalty… that might be useful."
He patted Aerius's head:
"Think about my offer… servant to Prince Raimos."
Then he walked away.
Later…
Elios warned Aerius:
"Don't listen to him."
But Aerius said innocently:
"He just wants to play…"
Elios replied:
"Not everyone who smiles at you is your friend."
But Aerius ran off anyway:
"I'm going to play with him!"
Under the tree again…
Raimos said:
"Good… you chose the right path."
Aerius asked:
"Aren't we the same age?"
Raimos froze, embarrassed:
"That's not important! I'm a prince!"
Aerius thought:
"Like when Mom says she's older than Dad by a month?"
Raimos shouted:
"Stop! Don't compare me to your parents!"
Aerius laughed and grabbed his hand:
"Okay, Your Highness… let's play!"
Raimos sighed: …What am I going to do with this strange creature…