EXTRA: Her Past

"...We were born poor," Egel said, while her thumb traced lazy circles over Mordecai's knuckles. "Twins, half an hour apart. I came first, and Regel followed thirty minutes later. Mother used to say I'd shocked her so badly she needed a nap before attempting the second one."

"Sounds like a mother." Mordecai smiled.

"We used to live on a little farm in the countryside, and I remember that we had one cow that hated us, a few chickens, and a roof that leaked right over the left side of the bed." She smiled down at the tablecloth. "We didn't have much, but it was a warm home."

Mordecai nodded, listening.

"I was already strong back then. Like, ridiculously strong. When I was five, I used to kick hay bales across the field." She said, as if she were talking about soccer.

"Kick them?" Mordecai asked.

"Well, dragging them took forever! They were bigger than me, so I'd just kick them toward the barn until they got there. Father used to stand by the fence with his hands on his head, praying I wouldn't destroy anything." A small laugh escaped her lips. "Sometimes the neighbors came over just to watch."

'Five years old,' Mordecai thought. 'Five. Can't even blame the System for that one.'

"Regel was nothing like me. She was afraid of everything. The dark, thunder, the cow, the neighbor's goose. Oh, she absolutely hated that goose." Egel chuckled. "She'd hide behind me whenever it came near, but I didn't mind. I was her older sister, after all."

"By thirty minutes."

"Thirty very important minutes!" Egel pouted.

'I'll give you that.' He thought.

"And what about your parents?"

Egel's thumb paused. "Well... they preferred me," she admitted. "I knew it, and Regel knew it too. I was strong, so I could help with the farm by doing the work of three grown men. Regel couldn't." Her thumb resumed its slow movement. "But despite that, they weren't cruel to her. Never. They respected us both, and even when there was barely enough food, they made sure neither of us went hungry. When you're that poor, it means a lot."

Mordecai nodded again, though his thoughts were considerably less charitable.

'Poor farming family. Gifted older sibling. Timid younger sibling. Loving parents.' He could practically hear the opening narration. 'Ah, yes. I've read this one. About forty times, actually. In half of them, it's literally chapter one.'

"And then," Egel said, "one night, monsters attacked our village."

'Classic.'

Mordecai had seen it coming since the beginning of this conversation. He'd been waiting for the inevitable village massacre the way a man waits for a sneeze after his nose starts itching.

Then, a sudden notification blinked into existence.

[HIGHER REALMS LIVE CHAT]

[Dibbs57]: oh no, the village invasion arc, I'm already crying

[Gooner_King]: bro this is the tragic backstory, STAY FOCUSED

[Power_Scaler99]: ok but how strong were the monsters

Egel's hand tightened around his.

At first, Mordecai barely noticed. Then his fingers began folding inward at angles fingers were never intended to achieve.

'Oh.' The pressure increased. 'Oh, that's not good.'

His knuckles ground against one another, and a tear gathered in the corner of his eye.

Apparently, as we said multiple times, two thousand years of cultivation could turn even an affectionate hand squeeze into a medical emergency.

"E-Egel," he managed, keeping his voice remarkably steady under the circumstances. "If it's too painful to talk about, you don't have to."

She looked at him, and her eyes glistened, especially when she noticed the small tear falling from his eye.

He was giving her permission to stop. After everything she'd endured, here was someone who cared more about her feelings than satisfying his curiosity. And he hadn't even asked her to prove how strong she was.

"Kaitoyama..." Her voice trembled. "No. It's all right. I want to tell you." She lowered her gaze to their hands. "Just... keep holding my hand, please."

She squeezed harder, and Mordecai's expression froze.

His eyes widened, his mouth fell slightly open, and for one horrifying instant he wore an expression full of pain. Even a faint crrrk came from his fingers.

"O-of course," he squeaked, roughly an octave above his natural speaking voice. "Take your time."

'He's... almost crying for me...' Egel thought. 'He's such a kind man... I love him so much...'

"I was fourteen. Regel too, obviously." Egel attempted a smile, but it didn't last. "I remember that hundreds of monsters came at night, pouring out of the darkness. I remember thinking the night itself had grown teeth." She watched the candle for a while before continuing. "I'd never really been afraid before. I was always stronger than everyone around me, so why would I be? But that night, hearing people scream, seeing the houses burn..." She swallowed. "Something happened to me. I don't know how to explain it. There was this blue light all around my body, and suddenly I knew how to fight. Things nobody had taught me. It was as if my body had been waiting for permission all those years."

'Hidden potential awakened during a life-or-death crisis,' Mordecai thought. 'Bingo.'

"I fought as hard as I could and killed dozens of them, maybe more. I stopped counting. But they kept coming, and eventually I couldn't lift my arms anymore. I was bleeding, my legs wouldn't hold me up, and this enormous monster pinned me to the ground." Her voice dropped. "I thought I was going to die, but I wasn't even worried about myself anymore. I just kept thinking about Regel. She was hiding in the cellar, and as long as she stayed there, maybe she'd survive. That's all I wanted."

Then her grip loosened, and Mordecai quietly thanked every deity he'd ever insulted.

"But... for some reason she came out." Egel stared at the tablecloth. "My little sister, the same girl who couldn't walk past a goose without crying. She came out of that cellar trembling so badly I could hear her from where I was lying." A faint smile crossed her face. "And then she changed."

Mordecai raised an eyebrow.

"Her eyes turned completely white. Her hair started floating like she was underwater, her muscles grew, and this terrifying power came out of her. She killed every remaining monster in seconds." Egel looked up. "Then, after turning back to me and smiling, she collapsed. Just fell to the ground and stopped moving."

'Legendary hidden transformation triggered by a sibling in mortal danger,' Mordecai thought. 'Immense, uncontrollable power, short duration, total exhaustion afterward. That's basically Br—'

[DO NOT FINISH THAT SENTENCE.]

'I wasn't going to.'

[YOU WERE.]

'I was thinking about breakfast.'

"The village was burning," Egel continued. "Our house, the fields, everything. Mother and Father were dead. Everyone was dead." She drew a shaky breath. "Without crying, I put Regel on my back with my remaining strenght and sat there in the ashes. I didn't know where to go. She was unconscious, and I was too weak to carry her anywhere, so I just sat with her until I heard horses coming."

"The cu—I mean, the empire from Oakhaven?" Mordecai asked.

"Soldiers from the capital, yeah. They'd spotted the smoke from miles away." Egel gave a small, bitter smile. "They were too late to save the village, but they saved us. Then they took us back to the city, treated our wounds, fed us, and gave us proper beds with clean sheets. I'd never slept in anything so comfortable." She chuckled. "Then, a few days later, they brought us before Queen Bonblue. I'd never seen a queen before. I thought she'd be taller."

Mordecai almost smiled. "And... What did she want?"

"To meet the girl who'd supposedly defeated an entire army of monsters." Egel's smile faded. "The soldiers had written a report. According to it, I'd killed every monster by myself. Regel was still unconscious when they questioned me, and by the time she woke up, everyone had already decided I was the 'hero' destined to be in the party of the chosen one."

"Didn't you tell them?"

"I tried. But nobody seemed interested. They saw a strong girl and her frightened little sister. I suppose that made the report easier to believe, maybe."

Mordecai didn't interrupt.

"Anyway, because of that report, a knight offered to take us in. He was a knight of the realm, but he didn't wear any armor. He was a bald man with a long beard wearing yellow robes and a strange necklace made by... balls?"

'A Buddhist monk?'

"He was a strange man," she admitted fondly. "Always saying 'Namu amida butsu.' Before training, after training, before meals. If you asked him to pass the salt, he'd say it first. I'm fairly certain he said it in his sleep. Ah, wait, talking to him was also very hard. He constantly avoided questions and said random things while touching his beard and staring at the horizon." Egel added. "I remember that I'd asked him if it was going to rain, and he replied with 'Health is the most precious gain and contentment the greatest wealth. " A trustworthy person is the best kinsman; Nibbana is the highest bliss."

'That is a very specific knight.'

[HIGHER REALMS LIVE CHAT]

[LUKAS_THE_GREAT]: NAMU AMIDA BUTSU 🙏🙏🙏

[Gooner_King]: bro was out here pre-gaming enlightenment

[Dibbs57]: I want this knight in my party

"He trained us both," Egel continued. "And when I say trained, I mean he nearly killed me."

"That bad?"

"Worse. Some days I trained until my bones started bleeding."

Mordecai looked at her. "Your... bones."

"Yes. Not the skin. The bones. I didn't even know they could do that until then." She turned her free arm over, revealing the pale scars running along her forearm. Mordecai remembered noticing them from the first time he saw her. "But I couldn't stop. I had to become stronger."

"For Regel?"

"Of course." She said it as though he'd asked whether water was wet. "If I became strong enough for both of us, she'd never have to fight again. She could spend the rest of her life hiding from geese if she wanted. I'd take care of everything."

For once, Mordecai had no sarcastic observation ready.

"I wasn't trying to become a hero," Egel added. "I just... didn't want to lose her too. She was my only remaining family..."

'She was my only remaining family.' These words echoed into Mordecai's mind. He knew the meaning way too well.

He then looked at the scars again. "And after that?"

"After I finished training, I became an adventurer and took every quest I could find, no matter how dangerous. Eventually, the Chosen One's party heard about me and asked me to join." She shrugged. "And, well... you know the rest."

Mordecai did.

He'd expected another tragic backstory assembled from whatever tropes the System had found lying around. And to be fair, he'd gotten one. The murdered parents, the destroyed village, the convenient awakening of mysterious powers. It was all there, practically begging for a limited-edition soundtrack.

But he'd stopped counting clichés somewhere along the way.

He kept thinking about a fourteen-year-old girl sitting in the ashes with her unconscious sister on her back, waiting for help because she was too injured to carry her any farther.

And about the years she'd spent training so that Regel would never have to be brave again.

"I see, Egel," he said. "You've really had a rough life, haven't you?"

She blinked at him, then laughed awkwardly and scratched her cheek. "Yeah. I suppose I have."

For a moment, she looked embarrassed to have told him so much, but then she met his eyes.

"But I'm happy now." She smiled. A real smile, without the nervousness or the hesitation she'd shown earlier. "Really, really happy."

Mordecai held her gaze a little longer than he'd intended.

'Oh, for fuck's sake.' He looked down at their hands. 'May the Higher Realms forgive me for saying such a clichèd thing, but she really is my type. I just hope Lucy and Pyroas won't hear this.'

But suddenly, the sweet moment got interrupted by someone.

"Eccoci qua!"

[Subtitles: Here we are!]

The owner arrived carrying a tray with both hands, wearing the triumphant expression of a magician about to produce a live elephant from his hat.

He placed a large wooden board before Egel and a steaming white plate in front of Mordecai.

Then he stepped back, evidently expecting applause.

Egel stared at her pizza.

Its crust was golden and slightly puffed, with bright red tomato sauce, melted mozzarella di bufala (Buffalo Mozzarella), and fresh basil scattered across the top. Small bubbles still rose through the cheese, and the smell of baked dough filled their little corner.

Her eyes sparkled. Literally. Tiny points of light appeared in her pupils, courtesy of a System that apparently considered attractive food a perfectly reasonable use of the animation budget.

The pain from the backstory? Gone.

"Kaitoyama..." she whispered. She leaned over the pizza and sniffed. Then sniffed again.

"Oh, gods. This smells incredible!"

"That's... that's called pizza." Mordecai sighed.

"It smells like..." She struggled to find the right word. "Like someone hugging you."

Mordecai looked at the pizza Margherita.

"Yeah," he admitted. "I can see that."

He then studied the bubbling mozzarella for a moment.

"Wonderful invention, pizza. One of humanity's greatest achievements. Right up until some criminal decides to put pineapple on it."

Egel tilted her head. "What's a pineapple, Kaitoyama?"

"A war crime, but full of Vitamin C."

She stared at him, unsure whether to laugh. 'Vitamin C... Sounds like a powerful magic potion...'

Mordecai offered no clarification.

Then the owner set a basket of sliced bread on the table, followed by a little jar of salt and a pepper grinder. Satisfied with his work, he bowed and returned to the kitchen, humming another old Neapolitan song about... love, maybe?

Mordecai turned his attention to his spaghetti.

Aglio, olio e peperoncino. (Garlic, oil, and pepper)

Nothing fancy. No legendary ingredients, no ancient family secrets, no magical sauce requiring seventeen episodes of training to prepare. Just spaghetti coated in olive oil, with thin slices of garlic and red chili pepper flakes.

'Perfect.'

He reached for his fork. Or... tried to. His right hand was still occupied.

Mordecai looked down and saw that Egel was still holding it.

She glanced at the pizza, then at their joined hands, then back at the pizza. After considering the situation with the seriousness of a general preparing for battle, she simply reached for her food with her left hand.

Apparently, letting go was not among the available options.

Mordecai stared at his spaghetti. Then at his imprisoned hand. Then at the fork lying beside his plate.

'You've got to be kidding me. ' Grabbing this thing without doing a 360­­° noscope is impossible.'

He could fight monsters, argue with a cosmic System, and even endure the worst narrative clichés ever inflicted upon a living protagonist.

And yet here he was, defeated by a woman who wanted to hold his hand while eating pizza.

With what little dignity remained, Mordecai picked up his fork with his left hand.

[HIGHER REALMS LIVE CHAT]

[Dibbs57]: BEST WAIFU.

[Gooner_King]: Mordecai marry her, or I'm gonna leave a 0.5 star rating

[LUKAS_THE_GREAT]: THAT HAND HOLD WAS 10/10 CINEMA

[Power_Scaler99]: ok but could she take Goku

[Gooner_King]: WOOF WOOF MOMMY!