Scene — still in the castle training yard
Darwin waves Aiko over after that last, clean Thunder Dragon.
"Alright, brat — new rule. Stop training Lightning Style with Keyagaru. From now on, you'll learn it from elder brother Sasuke. He's Lightning and Fire style, with control that's ridiculous even by my standards. Guy's in a class of his own."
Aiko (pouting):"But Uncle Keyagaru's been training me for months!"
Darwin leans down to her eye level."And you're still making creaky Thunder Dragons. Sasuke will get rid of that problem in two weeks flat. Trust me — you'll thank me later."
She folds her arms, still sulking, but she knows he's right."Fine… but only because you said so."
Darwin straightens up."Good. Now — I'm leaving. Air Force meeting."
Before she can protest, Darwin pulls a small, carefully wrapped box from his jacket and hands it to her."Here. Don't open it until after training today."
Her eyes widen just a little, but Darwin is already turning away, waving over his shoulder as he heads toward his bike.
Aiko (shouting after him):"Bye, elder brother Darwin!"
Moments later —
Aiko, stubborn as ever, goes back to the middle of the yard and tries the Second Lightning Style Thunder Dragon again. This time, maybe it's the corrected stance Darwin drilled into her or the excitement of the gift, but the crackle is sharper and the form holds longer.
Aurora, still standing by the fence, steps closer."That… was cleaner than before."
Aiko (grinning):"Yeah. Elder brother Darwin fixed my stance and breathing. He's scary, but he's the best teacher I've had."
Aurora watches the sparks fade into the air, clearly thinking about how precise Darwin was when correcting Aiko. She murmurs almost to herself:"Interesting… so he can teach with that level of detail, but only if he wants to."
Aiko (raising a brow):"Yeah… why?"
Aurora smiles faintly."Just… wondering."
Scene — Training yard, minutes after Darwin left
Aurora watches the sparks from Aiko's Thunder Dragon fade away, then leans in a little."So… is he really that good? I mean, he was sharp with you, but—"
Aiko (blinking at her like she just asked if the sun was bright):"Are you new here?"
Aurora tilts her head."I've only been here a short while, yes—"
Aiko (interrupting with dramatic hand gestures):"Okay, listen. That's not just 'Darwin, my elder brother.' That's the Slayer of his own clan — the clan that's considered the most powerful in all recorded history — and he did it at the age of thirteen."
Aurora freezes for a second."He… what?"
Aiko's on a roll now."Yep. Thirteen. And not because he's reckless — because he could. He's an all-style user. Lightning, fire, water, wind, earth, ice, light, shadow — you name it, he's got it. Every single jutsu, every technique, every weapon style he's tried? He was instantly above anyone else who used it. Even elder brother Sasuke, as strong as he is, can't match him in raw power."
Aurora:"That's… a bold claim."
Aiko (snorting):"Bold? It's fact. He's got infinite-level natural energy — literally endless. And on top of that, he has five different dōjutsu. Five! No one in our history's ever had that many, let alone mastered all of them. He's the first in the clan to hold them all at once."
Aurora's brows knit together as she tries to picture that."And he's… still that young?"
Aiko (counting on her fingers):"Not done yet. He's Air Force. Navy SEAL. Major in the Army. And he's a magic user on top of all that — not just dabbling, I mean insane magic control. And weapons? Forget it. If it can cut, stab, shoot, or explode, he can use it better than the person who made it."
Aurora takes a step back, her expression a mix of awe and disbelief."You're telling me he's… the most powerful king Invenia's ever had?"
Aiko (crossing her arms, smirking):"Not telling you. Confirming it. And he's my big brother. So if you think you're just gonna walk in here and impress him easily—good luck."
Aurora exhales slowly, glancing toward the distant road where Darwin's bike disappeared."…I wasn't planning to impress him."
Aiko (grinning knowingly):"Mm-hmm. Sure."
Aurora doesn't answer — but she's clearly replaying every sharp, casual, almost dismissive thing Darwin has said to her in her head. And now, with context, those words don't sound arrogant… they sound earned.