Mako's entire body trembled. He'd never done anything like this before.
His younger brother Erick was on the ground, spitting blood from his mouth.
For a fleeting moment, Mako's big-brother instincts kicked in, urging him to help Erick in his battered state.
"I'm going to kill you…" Erick growled as he staggered to his feet, eyes blazing with fury.
Mako remembered the kind of monster his brother would become.
'Maybe he always was,' Mako thought, disappointed, to himself.
"Enough!" Ana shouted, stepping between them. "I won't let the last of your lineage kill each other over nothing."
Though she seemed furious, her face betrayed a hint of sadness and confusion.
Erick finished standing, covered in dirt stains.
"Ever since our parents died…" Erick began bitterly, "you've never been able to do anything on your own. Not even awaken your system."
Erick was right.
Mako, his emotions still churning in his veins, felt stronger.
"When did you awaken it?!" Erick snapped, even angrier. "We've been struggling to survive for years—do you know how important that…"
A rapid flapping sound cut through the air.
The three in the training field—Mako, Erick, and Ana—turned toward the source of the noise, spotting a strange shadow in the sky.
Quickly, the shadow, a mere speck at first, grew closer and closer.
As its shape became clearer, they noticed bat-like wings, magenta scaly skin, and, as the cherry on top, a single amber-pupiled eye.
It was a demon.
"Wait…" Ana squinted against the sun's glare. "It's…!"
As the creature drew nearer, its grotesque features became not only clearer but less uniform.
Unlike the fearsome demons one might imagine, this one had a body more like a basketball, with that eye taking up half its form, a pair of wings buzzing like a hummingbird's to keep it aloft, and stubby limbs like a T-Rex's.
"Look out below!" the little imp squealed, crashing right into Ana's face.
…
"Polyphemus!" Ana roared, on the verge of drawing her sword and slicing the demon in two.
"Sorry! Sorry!" the basketball-sized creature with wings yelped, hopping away from the furious warrior.
Mako and Erick watched the scene in disbelief.
Especially Mako.
'That's odd,' Mako thought. 'I don't remember Polyphemus being here that day. In fact, I don't recall seeing him since Erick awakened his system.'
Then Erick got it.
With a commanding shout, Erick halted the circus, calling Polyphemus to order, stopping Ana and the demon's little chase routine.
"Right," Polyphemus said, bouncing up and down like a ball while staring at Mako with his single eye.
"Master Mako, I've come to fulfill my promise. The final wish of your parents before they passed, sealed with a contract to your humble servant, Polyphemus."
Mako remembered then.
He hadn't been there, but he recalled the joy on a much younger Erick's face when he'd finally awakened his system through a demonic contract.
"I, Polyphemus, have the honor of informing you that you've awakened your system: Quid Pro Quo." He stopped bouncing, hovering in the air with his wings. "Something for something, for you uncultured humans, heh-heh-heh."
Ana, as stunned as everyone else, broke into a wide grin, her eyes sparkling with hope.
"So it wasn't my imagination," Ana said.
"Not at all," Polyphemus replied. "A deal's a deal. From today, I'll help Mako develop his system to its full potential."
Until that moment, Mako had lived in the shadow of expectations he seemed doomed never to meet.
Heir to one of Galandria's wealthiest houses, unable to awaken his powers to defend his parents' business empire against ruthless competitors eager to exploit their moment of weakness.
Finally, Mako had a chance to fight. And most importantly: a chance to prevent his brother Erick's betrayal.
"Now I get it." A smile crept onto Mako's face as he spoke. "Looks like House Sol rises stronger starting today."
◇◆◇
"Is it really worth pouring so much wealth into them, sir?" a hunched man in fine, expensive robes whimpered cowardly.
From that distant balcony, the shadowy figure of a bearded old man kept watching the training session between Erick and Mako unfold.
"How dare you?" another voice snapped indignantly from the shadows, revealing a blonde woman with merciless eyes.
"Catherine!" the hunched man squeaked like a rat.
"Questioning the Order's decisions? Who do you think you are? You're nothing but a cockroach."
"Enough," the bearded old man said calmly, his voice seeming to drown out all other sounds. "I understand your doubts, Igor. These are tough times, and our favorite horse, House Sol, hasn't delivered. But don't worry."
Satisfied, the old man stood to leave, no longer watching the circus Polyphemus, Ana, Erick, and Mako had created.
"Soon, they'll belong to us completely."
With a malicious smile, Catherine and the old man vanished, leaving Igor trembling in fear.
After a minute alone, lips quivering, Igor muttered to himself while staring at a painting of House Sol's former lords: Mako and Erick's parents.
"Forgive me," Igor said, feeling the painting's gaze judging him. "I already apologized! What more do you want from me?"
On the verge of tears, he fled the room.