"Wake up, bro," Ayush said, his voice pulling me slowly out of sleep.
I was still curled up in bed, the bedsheet covering my entire body from head to toe like a cocoon. Only the slow rise and fall of the blanket hinted that I was even breathing.
All of my brothers were standing around my bed, arms crossed or hands in their pockets. At the room's entrance, Riri and Misaki watched the scene with mild curiosity.
Riri tilted her head. "Why's he covering himself like that?"
Shon replied with a slight shrug, "It's just a habit of his. He sleeps that way all the time."
Without warning, Rudransh reached down and yanked the bedsheet from my feet upward. A sudden burst of sunlight poured in from the window, hitting my face.
"Ugh—!" I groaned, twisting away from the light and flipping myself upside down. I grabbed the pillow from beside me and slammed it on top of my head.
But Rudransh wasn't done yet.
He crouched down and began tickling my feet with his fingers.
"Stop—!" I whined, flailing my legs. "Don't tease me, please. I slept late last night…"
"What the hell were you even doing at night?" Rudransh snapped. "You're such a spoiled brat. I'm throwing a bucket of water on you if you don't get up."
Shon placed a calming hand on his shoulder. "You don't need to go that far."
Jatin yawned. "Let him sleep. He can come with us next time."
"But he needs to train too," Rudransh argued. "If we slack now, we're gonna lose this tournament."
Rizu chimed in calmly, "It's alright. He's not gonna learn everything in one day."
Rudransh made an angry face. "Okay, fine. Take his side, then. But don't blame me if we lose because of him."
Grumbling, he walked out of the room. The others followed, footsteps fading as they went downstairs and stepped outside the house.
---
Outside, the warm morning air filled the space. Birds chirped from nearby trees, and sunlight filtered down in golden rays. The brothers stood in front of the house, arms stretched and eyes half awake.
"Can't we come with you too?" Rudransh asked, adjusting his sleeve.
Riri shook her head gently. "Gathering a crowd at that place wouldn't be a good idea. We'll meet you there once we're done."
"What was the name of that university again?" Rudransh asked, squinting.
Riri smiled. "It's called the Academy of Mnemosyne."
"That's seriously hard to spell," Rudransh muttered.
Jatin added, "And even harder to remember."
Rizu scratched his head. "Does the name mean anything?"
Riri nodded. "Mnemosyne is the goddess of memories. If you pray to her, she helps you memorize spells more easily."
With that, she raised two fingers to her lips and blew a sharp whistle.
A moment later, a loud flap echoed above—and Raku descended from the rooftop, landing with a deep, powerful thud in front of them.
"Will we all fit on his back?" Rudransh asked, looking uncertain.
Misaki stepped forward. "Don't worry. Raku can carry several people at once."
Right as she said that, Raku's body expanded. His size doubled in moments, his wings spreading wide like shadows across the ground. Everyone stared in disbelief.
"Wow…" Ayush gasped. "That was awesome."
Rizu blinked. "Okay… that was unexpected."
Misaki disappeared into the house and returned moments later with a saddle, leap pad, lead rope, and headgear. With graceful ease, she leapt onto Raku's back and began fastening all the equipment like a knight preparing her mount for battle.
One by one, the brothers climbed onto Raku's back, grabbing the massive lead rope to steady themselves.
"Alright, Raku," Riri said. "Get them to the university."
With a low growl, Raku opened his enormous wings and lifted off the ground. A gust of wind surged beneath them as they rose fast.
"OH NO—I'M GONNA FALL!!" Ayush screamed, clutching the rope.
"WOOOOOW!" Jatin shouted with joy.
"This looks scary!" Rizu yelled.
Riri called up to them, "Don't worry! You'll get used to it soon!"
Raku flapped once more—and vanished into thin air, soaring invisibly through the sky.
Riri turned to Misaki. "Now we need to go too."
Then she paused and looked back at the house.
"Big sis… I don't wanna wake Ritvik up, but leaving the door unlocked could be risky too. Should we lock it from outside until we finish the ritual?"
Misaki nodded. "Yes. We won't be gone too long anyway."
---
Back upstairs, I was still snoring—face upside down, pillow covering my head like a shield from the world.
Then—BANG.
The loud sound of the door slamming echoed through the house.
I stirred. My eyes slowly opened.
I rubbed them and sat up, the pillow still half-draped over my face.
Yawning, I glanced out the window.
Just in time to see Misaki and Riri walking away from the house toward the distant horizon.
"H-Hey! Wait for me!" I shouted.
I jumped off the bed and bolted downstairs, still half-asleep.
I reached the main door—only to find it locked tight.
"…Huh?"
I looked around.
No one.
"W-Where… where's everyone gone?"
My voice echoed through the empty house.