Call Me Big Brother
"Call me big brother."
In an instant an explosion swallowed everything around us. Elios squeezed his eyes shut, but the blast never touched him. While he was still trying to figure out what the hell had just happened, his gaze landed on the collapsed Ermel doll and he instinctively recoiled. Ermel herself was gone. All that remained was a wooden marionette that looked like it had been carved from a corpse.
"Anyway, arrogant little shits never learn until you beat the lesson into them." I clicked my tongue, stepped up beside him, and crushed the doll under my heel. A scream loud enough to split ears tore through the air.
"What? You really thought I wouldn't lay a finger on it just because I was standing right here?" I declared, then snapped my fingers. A short burst of sound rang out and a hazy silhouette shot upward. A woman with the same golden hair as Elios. Reina, the second princess and the true culprit behind this entire mess.
Reina stared down at her own hands and feet, then looked at me. Her face filled with pure terror and disbelief.
"Nice to meet you, princess. How's it feel? Looked like you had a lot to say, so I dragged your consciousness straight out of your real body. What, no thank you? I'm even giving you the chance to run that mouth of yours in person. How long were you planning to keep hiding behind a damn doll? Not that it matters now. I already smashed it."
"...Get away from me!"
Reina swung her arm in a wide arc. Space itself rippled and lashed toward me, but I simply flicked my hand like I was swatting a fly.
"That level of cheap trick won't work on me."
I grinned. "Now that I think about it, the imperial bloodline gets its own special ability, right? Messing with dreams and controlling them must be part of yours. But you're strutting around like you own the world just because of one little power? Pathetic, kid."
Reina bared her teeth and kept throwing attacks, but every single one dissolved into nothing. She tried to influence me directly through the dream, yet none of her weakening effects stuck. The bizarre phenomenon made her grind her teeth hard enough to crack enamel.
"Why! Why isn't it working?! This should be my domain! Even an Archmage shouldn't be able to do this! Why?!"
"Wow. You really were treating Archmages like complete dogshit, huh? Fine. Guess it's only polite to return the favor."
The initiative in this dream currently belonged to the princess in front of me. I wondered what kind of face she'd make if I stole it right back. With a thick smile spreading across my lips, I drew a magic circle beneath my feet. Starting with a perfect circle, I connected the lines one by one until the completed array glowed with power. The moment it finished, the circle oxidized into blue particles that spread across the entire space.
"Sorry, kid. Magic is the root of the world. Even that special ability of yours is ultimately just a branch of it."
Unique abilities are called that because they let you skip the usual formulas and circles. They're personal powers created by burning pure mana. But in the end, they're still a "phenomenon," a miracle made by human hands. Magic is the same kind of miracle. The process is simply the method we use to cause it. Therefore, even so-called unique abilities can't escape the laws of magic that govern everything in existence.
And.
"You know why we're called Archmages? Because we're beings who exist beyond the common sense that defines regular mages. That's why the title exists, kid."
Overwhelming strength, skill, and knowledge that flip every rule on its head. Because I possess all of it...
"In short, that ability you're so proud of? I can use it too."
A short laugh left me as blue light resonated outward and rewrote the world. The sun that had been blazing overhead sank into the horizon as an abyss swallowed the sky. The once-bright heavens gradually darkened until a moon rose to illuminate the void. Countless stars packed the sky like jewels, turning night into a new kind of day.
The initiative had passed from the original controller to me. The dream's owner was technically Elios, but the one who had created it was Reina. And the one who had just stolen it was me.
Despair and emptiness flooded Reina's face as her territory was usurped. She collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut and muttered in a broken voice.
"H...how... is this... possible...?"
It was a sight she couldn't comprehend. This world should have been hers. How could an Archmage take it so effortlessly?
...
She couldn't even find the words to express awe. She was simply overwhelmed by the mysterious power I had displayed.
"That's all it takes to break you? Guess you're not emperor material after all. That old man can be annoying as hell sometimes, but he gets shit done. Force, politics, diplomacy, he handles everything perfectly. So how the hell did he end up with kids like you? Tsk."
Elios suddenly found himself lumped into the insult, but he was too busy staring at the transformed world to even hear me.
"Whatever."
I shook my head and slowly walked over to the princess.
"Still, ending it too quickly would be boring. You need to pay for what you've done."
"...?"
I raised my hand and flicked my finger lightly. Her body tore apart instantly.
"KYAAAAAAAH!"
Reina screamed as pain swallowed her from an impossible distance.
"Don't worry, you're not dying. I dragged your consciousness here, but your real body is sleeping peacefully back in the real world."
I had pulled her mind into this place, not her physical form. Her body was still perfectly fine outside. Therefore, even if she died here in the dream, she wouldn't actually die.
"This should be enough."
But the pain was vivid enough that it would remain carved into her even after she woke up. I smiled faintly and flicked her forehead with my finger.
"Now get lost."
As the new master of this dream world, I banished her. For a moment I gazed at the moonlit night sky I had created. It was beautiful. It was also the very first world I had ever made with my own power.
After enjoying the view for a little while, I turned to Elios.
"She's probably awake in reality by now. You should wake up too."
"...What do you plan to do with her?"
"What do you mean, what? I'm going to drag that bitch in front of the Emperor, obviously."
"I see."
He was accepting the situation with surprising calm. I asked him curiously.
"Looks like you've made up your mind. I was honestly surprised. Didn't think you'd sort your feelings out so cleanly."
"...I simply realized something. Love is important, but becoming completely consumed by it to the point you can't see anything else is wrong. I can't say the magic my father used had zero effect... but even so, the choice was ultimately mine."
Elios's eyes were steady and clear. The sight pleased me so much I couldn't help grinning.
"You little shit. You've grown up a lot, huh?"
"...And I apologize for the rudeness I showed you before."
"Water under the bridge. Thanks to you I got the budget increased four times, so if anything I should be thanking you. If you feel like causing more trouble later, don't hesitate. Budget is one of those things that's never enough no matter how much you have."
Maybe my joking tone helped him relax. He actually smiled, something he rarely did, and answered.
"If you need more budget, just say the word. I'll spend it without hesitation."
"You little shit. I like you."
I was about to leave the dream with a laugh when I paused and glanced back at the prince. There was one more thing I needed to tell him.
"That scroll the Emperor used on you before?"
"Yes?"
"It's supposed to dull emotions related to love. But when I checked it after receiving it from him earlier, the effect was different from what I expected."
"...?"
"I originally designed it to numb the emotions. I thought it had worked perfectly, but when I looked closer I realized it had changed. At most it slightly cools the feelings. Honestly the effect is so weak it's basically meaningless."
Elios's eyes trembled.
"In other words, the magic the Emperor cast on you didn't dull your emotions. It didn't remove them either. You sorted those feelings out and overcame them all by yourself. The magic's influence was barely a fingernail's worth. That's why I'm telling you this. You did well."
"..."
"I've never been in love myself so I wouldn't know, but I do understand that it's not an easy emotion to overcome. For a guy who was completely pathetic just a month ago to overcome it almost entirely on his own? That's impressive. If anything, I think the dream Reina showed you actually helped you organize your heart even more."
I snorted with laughter and looked forward again. As I started walking I waved my hand.
"Next time we meet, call me big brother. I'll head out first."
My presence vanished from the dream. Elios, who had also escaped the dream and opened his eyes in the real world, could only let out a small chuckle.
"What a hot-blooded big brother indeed."
It was a moment in which he realized many things in many different ways.