It took a while before Ayla finally calmed down and withdrew from the embrace. Levi pretended to not notice her wiping her eyes as she sat atop his bed and huddled into a tight ball, her arms wrapped around her legs. Her etiquette instructors no doubt would’ve had a conniption at the sheer impropriety. She watched him closely, a quiet intensity to her gaze, as if she was afraid that he’d disappear if she took her eyes off him even once.
Levi, for his part, freely admitted that he had no idea what to do next. His features were schooled in a solemn expression, even as internally he floundered for what to say.
Thankfully, a knock sounded at the door, breaking the silence. The servant had arrived with their tea. Levi went to collect it at the door, not wanting the servant to enter and see Ayla in her current state. He muttered a quick thanks before closing the door behind him, moving to set the tray down on the nightstand next to the bed.
In a practiced motion, he poured out two cups of tea from the ornate teapot and handed one to Ayla. He took care to imbue the porcelain with a sliver of magic in case she spilled it, but he needn’t have worried. Her hands didn’t shake at all as she accepted the cup.
As one, they lifted their cups and sipped their tea. The servant had impeccable timing; the tea had already been steeped and rested to the ideal drinking temperature.
Levi felt himself relax slightly as the warmth rushed down his throat and pooled at his core. It was a nice blend: a smooth black, slightly malty, with a lovely floral note adorned with a light tinge of honey.
For several seconds, they simply drank their tea, neither of them saying anything.
Then, Levi set down his cup with a soft clink on the saucer.
“Are you okay?”
Immediately, he winced inwardly at his own question. She’d just been told that her older brother had killed himself after a year of her presumably shunning, condemning, and castigating him. Of course she wasn’t okay.
Levi freely admitted that he’d never been particularly well-versed in the social, much less emotional, side of things. Send him after a dark sorcerer, have him wipe out a small army, put him up against a minor god, and he wouldn’t bat an eye. But comforting someone? Yeah, fuck him sideways.
Indeed, Ayla just stared at him, her gaze slightly hollow. Her emotions had already finished burning out earlier, and now she just looked tired and sad. “What do you think?”
“... that’s fair.”
Well. At least she wasn’t looking at him with disgust or hatred. That had been a very real possibility; after all, Levi had more or less confessed to being an interdimensional stranger who’d taken over the deceased form of her older brother. Even he recognized that the situation was macabre at best and abhorrent at worst.
He had no idea what Ayla felt toward him now. Hell, he had no idea what he would feel if he were in her place.
Indeed, her eyes flickered uncertainly as she regarded him.
Fortunately, Ayla appeared to share another similarity with him in that she’d perfected the art of avoiding the issue at hand by focusing on something else.
“Do you want to take over as heir?” she asked.
Levi felt his entire body violently cringe in terror at the question, a wave of cold sweat washing over him as his eyes instinctively dilated. Images rapidly flashed through his mind: of him dealing with arrogant nobles, of him navigating political minefields, of him accidentally tossing a Sever and Cleave in an important someone’s general direction–
“That… is a good question,” Levi said, keeping his voice deliberately measured. He paused. “Do you want me to take over as heir?”
Despite his deep-seated aversion to the very thought of entangling himself further in noble affairs, Levi would be willing to do so if she asked him to. Ayla had been forced to become heiress against her will, and it’d feel beyond scummy of him if he refused to accept the very duty that had once been his.
Ayla was silent for a long moment.
“I don’t know,” she said quietly. “A part of me wants you to, but another part of me…” Her fists clenched. “If you take over as heir once more, then what did I suffer the entire past year for?”
Ah. That… was a valid question. Levi didn’t fault her for thinking that way.
“It’s your decision,” he said. “If you wish to remain heiress to ensure your struggle has meaning, then I will gladly stand by your side and support you. But if you wish for someone to relieve your burden… then all you need is say the word.”
Ayla hesitated. “I… I don’t know,” she said again. “I don’t know what I want. I don’t even know what I feel right now.” Her expression shifted. “I don’t know what I feel about you. You call me your little sister, yet you only met me for the first time a month ago. You say you’re from another world, yet you carry emotions that aren’t your own. Who… Who even are you?”
For several seconds, Levi considered his answer.
“I’m not quite sure anymore,” he finally confessed. “When I first awoke in this world, I thought that my mind remained my own. But…”
Just as the mind affected the body, so did the body affect the mind. How much of Levi’s affection toward Ayla was from himself, and how much was from the lingering feelings of Levi Ironwood? Levi had never quite been an expert on emotions to begin with, and now, muddled and intermingled as they were, he couldn’t tell where his ended and Levi Ironwood’s began.
But then, did it even matter at this point?
Well. Anastasia had put it well enough, hadn’t she?
“I’m Levi,” he said. “Just Levi. But Levi Ironwood all the same.”
Ayla fiddled with her teacup. “I see,” she said. “So you’re my brother, then?”
“... in a manner of speaking–”
“No,” Ayla said. “Either you are, or you aren’t.”
Levi paused, slightly taken aback by the conviction in her voice. He chose his next words carefully. “I would be honored,” he said, “if you’d accept me.”
There was a long moment of silence.
Then: “Don’t be silly. Of course I will.”
Levi blinked.
Slowly, he inclined his head, even as an odd warmth filled his heart.
Well. He supposed he should’ve expected it. It had been Levi she’d begun warming up to over the past month, after all. Not Levi Ironwood. Levi might’ve deceived her about who he was, but his actions had still rung true.
More importantly, however… Even after learning that he was effectively a stranger wearing the form of her older brother, Ayla had still hugged him earlier. Clung to him tightly and silently cried into his shirt as he comforted her the only way he knew how.
That, as it turned out, counted for something.
“I just…” Ayla said. “I just need some time. To get used to all of” – she waved her hand – “this.”
“I understand.” It was a lot to take in and process. “Take as much time as necessary. Do you need help getting back to your room?”
Ayla snorted, standing up and setting the teacup back down on the saucer. “I’ll manage. Besides…” Her eyes flickered with grief. “I think I need to be alone for a while.”
Levi nodded. He walked her over to the door. She stopped right in front of it.
“He wasn’t always a failure, you know,” she murmured.
Levi frowned. “What do you mean?”
“When we were kids, I used to look up to him,” Ayla said. “He was above average for his age. Not a prodigy, but not weak either. But… things changed seven years ago. It was like he turned into a different person overnight. Just like what happened with you, except his change was much worse. His growth stagnated, his grades became abysmal, he started always looking so tired all the time…”
Levi felt like he was just drenched in freezing water. “Seven years ago…” He swallowed. “Do you recall what level he was at the time?”
He already knew what the answer would be before she even said it.
“Level 14.”
Levi’s mind raced furiously. So something had happened when Levi Ironwood was, what, thirteen years old? It had caused a change so significant that Ayla remembered it even now. That must’ve been when he’d originally locked his System.
What could have possibly happened? How had Levi even discovered how to cut off access to his System?
And…
Why had he felt the need to do so?
“Is that when his System access got restricted?” Ayla asked.
“I… I assume so,” Levi said. “Thanks for telling me. This helps a lot.”
He now had a rough timeline for when his counterpart had locked his System. Seven years ago… Did Lord Ironwood know about this? No, surely not; otherwise, he wouldn’t have treated Levi like such, and he would’ve mentioned it during their battle.
“I’m glad,” Ayla said. “And…”
She turned back around to face him, and Levi forced those thoughts out of his mind as he focused on her. She looked awkward, even nervous. “Can I…” She raised her arms a few inches before halting in an aborted motion, as if she was too afraid to reach out.
Levi didn’t hesitate. He stepped forward and hugged her once more. Neither of them said anything.
Neither of them had to.________
One very long bath later, Levi collapsed onto his massive bed clothed in only a silken bathrobe. He stared up at the canopy above as he sank into the soft mattress.
It had been an exhausting day, to say the least.
The confrontation with the Royal Sentinels, the encounter with Anastasia, the fight against Lord Ironwood, the conversation with Ayla…
It had all taken place in the span of less than twelve hours, yet it felt like an entire week had gone by. Levi was mentally, spiritually, and emotionally drained. His worldview had shifted, his mindset had changed, and he’d at long last admitted some truths he’d spent far too long denying.
Levi was satisfied, though.
Things weren’t over yet. Not by a long shot. Levi still had to hunt down Montague and save Liliya. Already, he was brainstorming plans on how to flush Montague out of the royal palace. Perhaps he should commit some false flag operations? Blackmail Montague’s family? Start a misinformation campaign?
Levi doubted Montague would do anything to Liliya before the marriage went through – corruption or not, Liliya was still a noble daughter – so there was still time. But not much.
Tomorrow, Levi decided. He’d figure things out tomorrow. He knew that Qorbin would help for sure, and he might be able to recruit some other allies as well. He already had a certain portly man in mind…
After that was taken care of, Levi could then invest more time into figuring out the mystery of his locked System and Levi Ironwood’s past.
For now, though, he’d rest.
He closed his eyes–
And for once, he immediately felt himself entering the realm of sleep. The voices in the back of his mind were quieter than they’d ever been, and his insomnia wasn’t rearing its head.
Yes. Yes, this would do quite nicely.
With a vague feeling of contentment, Levi drifted off into unconsciousness.________
Several hours later, outside the Ironwood Manor, five cloaked figures approached from various angles in flickers of speed. They had no hesitation in their movements; they’d rehearsed the plan within a magical replica of the premises multiple times to ensure they’d get things perfectly correct.
Their sight, scent, sound, and mana signatures were all hidden. They were less than even ghosts.
The Ironwood Manor’s defenses remained dormant and inactive. They slipped through the magical wards like they were mere curtains of air.
They were the Last Order, one of the most elite, secretive, and expensive assassin cabals in all of Koxus. Comprised of only five people, they specialized in sabotage, counterintelligence, and of course assassinations.
Most people had never heard of them before. Those who knew of their existences only spoke of them in hushed whispers. That was because the ones who spoke of them loudly typically ended up facedown in the ocean.
Natural causes, of course.
It took them less than a minute to reach their positions.
Their leader peered in through the window. Their target was sleeping. Good.
I have visual confirmation of the target, he sent through the telepathic link. I repeat: I have visual confirmation of the target. The plan to eliminate Levi Ironwood shall commence.