Chapter 8: Chapter 8 – Brother ‘Lala’

When the next day came, Lia was already up early in the morning. Luckily she managed to avoid getting sick after being soaked in freezing water, and she was woken up by Aurora. She had just returned from a light jog before the sun truly rose above the horizon. She was wiping her face with a wet towel, her purple hair tied up into a bun as Lia moaned, stretching, sitting up in her bed. The only one not willing to get up was Koadriana. She was holed up under her blanket, groaning and complaining that they were too noisy.

"It's morning!" Lia laughed, jumping over to Koa's bed from hers and landing on her cousin. "If you wake up late, you won't have time to shower!"

"Leave me alone!" She cried out, wriggling under the blanket, trying to throw Lia off her. "Nobody should wake up before nine in the morning!"

"I'm going first." Aurora wrote in the air, ignoring Koa and occupying their bathroom, while Lia just nodded at her, grinning.

"Come on!" Lia nudged Koa constantly, throwing off the blanket in the end, trying to pull Koadriana into a sitting position. She was wearing nothing but her black panties and a white undershirt that barely fit onto her body. Her head bobbed to the rhythm of Lia shaking her by the shoulders, almost making her throw up.

"Stop… stop!" She moaned, pushing her away as Lia laughed childishly, wearing a bunny-like costume as a pajama. "I'm up, okay? Geez…” She tried to open her blue eyes, but the morning rays of the sun were hurting them. "I hate mornings…."

"Mornings are the best!" Lia replied, her face still held between Koa's fingers. "The air is fresh, and everything sparkles under the sun!"

"How do you have this much energy? Is it because you learn fire-based spells?"

"Dunno!" She replied, hopping off the bed like a bunny, quickly throwing her pajama off, and running to the wardrobe. She was completely naked by then, shaking her butt before Koadriana as she picked out what she would wear under her school uniform. "Coming in!" She shouted with her panties in hand, kicking in the bathroom door, making Aurora flinch, who was already standing below the showerhead. Ultimately, she just shrugged, letting her join, helping Lia wash her hair like a caring, older sister.

"Damn…" Koadriana clicked her tongue, finally getting off her bed and simply walking into the bathroom, joining the two.

"Hey!" Aurora wrote in the air with her hair while washing Lia's back. "Get out!"

"One more does not matter!" Koa laughed, looking at her body. "Girl, you have a nice shape going for you~ Greate curves and tones~! A bit short, but hey, guys like that!"

"You are just too tall, Koa!" Lia giggled, looking up at her with her blue eye, squinting to not let shampoo get into it.

"Stop touching!" Aurora flinched, exhaling and writing the words into the air with her breath as Koa's hands were on her waist, tickling and caressing her body.

"Fufufu, virign~" Koadriana grinned.

"Says who?" Aurora snorted, letting the words form from her hot breath and manipulating her hair, so they tightened onto Koadriana's wrists, prying her hands off of her body.

"Okay, okay, I will stop teasing you~" Koa stuck her tongue out, starting to indeed wash herself down.

"This is the best!" Lia laughed, sounding the happiest of the three, "I liked being with mom and dad… but being with you is much more fun!" The two just smiled, looking at her, and even Koadriana forgot to be grumpy for waking up early.

By the time they left their dorm, they still had enough time before the first class to visit the cafeteria on the main floor of the Academy. It was filled with students of all ages, races, and classes. There was a long line before the counter where students could order any kind of breakfast they thought up. It seemed that to even consider getting into that line, one had to be an early bird.

"No way I am joining up…" Koa murmured, and now even Lia nodded, finding it way too dull.

"Follow me." Aurora signed, walking towards the far end of the huge cafeteria and past the hundreds of tables where the students enjoyed their meals or hugged a mug of coffee, trying to wake themselves up. When stopping, Aurora stood before a row of vending machines, numbering in the dozens.

"What is this?" Lia asked, tilting her head, playing with hair braided into twin tails. Her ancestral home, the castle, built by her Forefather, Erias Amarin, was left as he envisioned it. She never left the castle and was oblivious to how far magic technology had advanced in 4000 years.

"Magic Technology," Koadriana answered, looking at the machines with a thinking expression. They were ones that sold sandwiches, fizzy drinks, multiple kinds of teas, iced and hot, different brews of coffee, or even alcoholic refreshments. Everything was there; they only had to choose and pay with CP.

"Hmmm… Artifacts?" Lia asked again, tilting her head to the opposite way.

"Kinda." Aurora signed to her, "They are made with magic formations that keep the food or drinks at the desired temperature. I read up on them." She pointed at her bracelet that had access to many things, even a virtual library. Of course, everything had to be paid for via CP. "They are engraved with formations inside! It says that they keep the food in perfect condition for years, not letting it rot at all! The guy who invented them was a student here. Now he is one of the richest moguls out there!"

"Woah! Sooo coooool!" Lia tiptoed from one leg to the other, reading her hand signs.

On the other hand, Koadriana, who had no idea what they were talking about, just a faint guess, was already standing before the machine, selling beer.

"Perfect!" She grinned, selecting the most appealing brew, but the transaction was aborted as soon as she was told to hold up her bracelet.

"Students under 18 can not purchase adult goods." Her artifact warned Koa, refusing to finish the payment.

"Damn it! Why sell it then?!" She stomped at the place, almost kicking the machine, while Aurora silently laughed.

"Because some teachers need it." A deeper male voice interrupted them, and Lia flinched as if lightning had struck her. Turning around, she saw a 2-meter tall, lean man standing behind them. He wore elegant black trousers, a loosely buttoned-up white shirt, and a crimson vest. His curly, blonde, shoulder-length hair was tucked behind his ears as he smiled at the trio with sparkling blue eyes.

"Lala!" Lia squealed as she jumped on him like a cat, hugging his neck, rubbing her face against his, and purring loudly, causing a scene amongst the students walking by.

Especially amongst those budding female apprentices who idolized him as he was one of the most desired teachers of the Academy, in more ways than others; Lauron Amarin. He was good-looking, charming as if he had just walked off from the pages of fables, here to save the kidnapped princess. Then there was his family name, Amarin. He was from one of the Six Houses. Anybody marrying into his bloodline would be transforming herself from a duckling to a swan. Yet here he was, hugging… a kid. What the hell was going on?

"Hey, I told you, don't call me that while being outside!" He chuckled, rubbing her sister's head, looking at her warmly, and patting her back before putting her down. "You know how shocked I was when I saw you here?" He said, looking not just at Lia but at Aurora and Koadriana.

"Young Lord." Aurora wrote, bowing while Koadriana flinched, following suit as in rank; he was above her… and also damn good-looking, stunning Koa entirely as she had never met him yet.

"I told you to call me brother!" He sighed but then walked before the vending machines, buying multiple drinks and sandwiches. "Come, we are causing a scene here!" He nodded with his head towards the main door, leading the trio out of the cafeteria.

While leaving and looking around, Lia was confused as to why were so many people looking at them. Or at her. Some were even spewing such jealousy from their eyes she felt scared. Then that scare grew to confusion, and from that, it turned into righteous anger as she felt offended by them, making a mental note of their faces. On the outside, Lauron found an empty gazebo in the vast garden, sitting down with the girls, placing a can of coffee before them with a ham sandwich to go with it.

"I was surprised to see you all here!" Lauron smiled, opening one can for himself.

"I grew a lot!" Lia added proudly, but he just grinned, rubbing her head.

"Let me guess…." Aurora wrote in the air with a knowing look. "Lady Reyra did not tell you we are being sent here."

"Nope!" Lauron sighed, looking into her violet-colored eyes, "And call her Mom, we told you many times!" He added, reaching out and flicking her forehead.

"Damn…" Koa clicked her tongue but not because of their topic but because as he did that, she got a whiff of his natural scent, feeling something bubbling up in her. "Now I fully understand why they were looking at us like that!"

"Hahahaha! You must be Koa, right?" Lauron smiled, which was a bit evil-looking, but that just made him even more attractive. "I heard about you a lot! Well… you know, we are pretty similar~" He winked at her, turning her face redder by the moment but also… her eyes started to sparkle.

"Don't encourage her!" Aurora cut in while Lia just munched on her sandwich, enjoying the fact she met up with her second brother after so many years.

"What are you teaching here, Lala?" Lia asked, looking up at him, swinging her legs happily.

"I am in charge of that." He pointed outwards, and following his finger, they saw one of the eight satellite landmasses orbiting the floating island. It had a bone-white tower in the middle of it, surrounded by a golden hue gently radiating from it. "I am the head of the Tower of Light."

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"I wanted to ask," Koa said, "What are those floating landmasses?"

"You should read more! You can access it from here!" Aurora wrote, raising her hand with the bracelet on it.

"Eh, just tell me~" Koa moaned while Lauron chuckled before answering.

"Aurora is right; you should read more. But I will tell you! We have eight towers orbiting the Institute. Because…?” He looked at her, waiting for some light to appear in Koadriana's eyes, but she waited patiently for him to continue.

"Because we have eight elements!" Lia answered proudly after seeing her silence.

"Yes!" Lauron sighed, shaking his head. "All of you, sooner or later, will visit one of the towers related to your chosen element. The teachers there can help you out if you run into trouble. We have a huge library with thousands upon thousands of spells, formations, and whatever you need! They are basically the vaults of the Academy, related to the elements of magic. Since my main element is Light, I was made into its Head Teacher with my proficiency. I do not teach classes but conduct private lessons for those who pay for it."

"I bet some girls are lining up for it…. Ready to pay whatever it takes~" Koadriana murmured, wiping her mouth, but it was hard to tell why as she was also having breakfast.

"I won't deny that," Lauron answered with a grin. "I came out because I was notified of your duel yesterday and watched its recording," Lauron said, playing with her sister's hair.

"They are recorded?" Aurora asked, surprised.

"Of course! You can ask for it if you want to review your mistakes, for example!" Lauron nodded. "This Academy is the most advanced place in the Realm! That is why I love it here! Plus, the girls are cute too."

"I am cute too!" Lia added, making him laugh.

"Sure you are! That is why I had to come and see my adorable little sister!" He stood up after kissing her head, immediately letting Lia's eyes sparkle. "If you need help with something," He said, raising his hand, and their bracelets beeped as he did so. Looking at it, they saw that a menu popped up where they could add different contacts to it that could not just be called but even pinpointed on the map it had.

"It can do that?!" Koadriana exclaimed, quickly adding Aurora and Lia to her list.

"Of course! And even more things!" Lauron continued, "Headmaster does not tell you about it for a purpose. He thinks that those amateurs who are not explorative in nature, who do not seek out the unknown, are not fit to be called mages. This little thing can do much more than you think!" Lauron smiled mysteriously. "Study it well, kids! Later on, when you have a chance to create your own artifacts, it will come in handy!"

"Can't we keep these?" Aurora asked, already loving most of its functions, especially the map. It would be truly helpful if she could have something like this in the wilderness.

"Nope!" Lauron answered quickly. "They are bound to the Academy. Leave its premises, and it self-destructs. Alongside with your arm!"

"Ugh…" The trio flinched, turning a shade whiter at his words.

"Pfft!" Lauron forced back a laugh as Koadriana quickly caught on.

"Damn! Don't scare us like that!"

"Hahaha! Sorry~ I Couldn't miss that! Okay, okay! It won't explode. But it would be disabled and nothing more than a fancy ornament. Also, after Reaching a certain stage, you won't need something like this. Trust me." Lauron patted their heads. "It was good to see you, girls! If you land in trouble, call me! I can't get you out of anything, so don't be stupid, but… I can help you out here and there!" He winked at them before leaving.

"See ya later, Lala!" Lia laughed, waving at him as he left the garden, while he was also waving back at her until he disappeared from their view.

"Your brother is a hell of a man! Geez, how could someone like Kawu splurt out someone like him?" Koa asked, while Lia just tilted her head, looking up at her.

"Mom said she did the hard work, carrying Lala for 9 months!"

"Can't argue with that." Aurora wrote, finishing her breakfast, looking at her bracelet, intrigued about what else it could do that they had no knowledge about.

"I like him!" Koa moaned, stretching, enjoying the morning air and the sun's gentle rays. "He is good-looking, playful, and his scent is fuuuuucking hot!"

"Scent?" Lia blinked her mismatched eyes, confused. “Lala has Lala scent!”

"You will get it…. One day." Koa grinned at her, "Are your other brothers like him too?"

"Solren is not as sleazy," Aurora answered immediately, and it was evident she had great respect for him. "He is friendly like him, but his appearance and how he carries himself is more righteous! Lauron is more of a wild card…."

"I smell some bias coming from you~" Koadriana teased her while Lia slurped on her coffee, finding it funny tasting but not as bad as she expected. It was her first time drinking it, and she started to like it.

"Of course!" Aurora nodded, not denying it. "He is someone I look up to! He saved my life multiple times! And not just mine, but many others too!"

"Fufufu, I see, I see~" She grinned even wider now. "What about Razael?" Koa asked them about the firstborn of Reyra and Kawu.

"He is leading his own adventurer group right now!" Lia answered, standing up, waving her hands, clearly fired up to the maximum possible. Or it was the coffee. Maybe both. "He sent back letters three months ago! He reached the far eastern part of the continent and said he is hunting a dangerous Undead with four other groups!"

"How dangerous?" Aurora asked, as she did not know about it. Probably because that letter was sent to the head of the family, Reyra… and Lia simply snuck in one day and read it out of curiosity.

"Um…" Lia tilted her head, thinking back. "It said he was fully sentient, strategizing and leading his own band of an Undead group."

"Fuck…" Aurora wrote, taking a sharp breath.

"What?" Koadriana asked, and now even Lia was a bit more worried.

"Sentient Undeads are minimum at the level of Adepti. Those that can lead others? Probably even higher! I never met one of those; Solren wouldn't let me to places where it was suspected they had an intelligent one."

"Razael should be fine!" Lia clapped, calming down quickly, having unshakable faith in her brothers. "Mom said if nothing goes wrong, he should be the first of us to reach the level of Supri!"

"Lady Reyra is expecting all four of you to reach the level of Three Ri, huh?" Koa smiled, looking into Lia's red and blue eyes.

"Of course!" She answered proudly, not even bothered by the fact.

"Geez…" Koa looked at Aurora with a pitying gaze. "I wouldn't want some heavy shit like that put on me!"

"We should go to class," Aurora replied, bringing up her bracelet, displaying that they had only 15 minutes to arrive at the auditorium. "Or we will be put under some heavy shit if we are late on our first real lesson!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Koa stood up and then blinked her deep, blue eyes. "Where has Lia gone?" Just as she asked, they could hear her laugh coming from their artifacts as she connected to them simultaneously.

"Last to arrive buys our lunch!"

"You little!" Koa gawked, but as soon as she looked up, Aurora was gone, already merged into the garden's shadows, hurrying away. "I'll get you for this!" Koa shouted, rushing after them hurriedly. "Damn, it! If this school were on a lake… Arrrgh! Bitches!"