Reincarnation: I am the Villainess and Love Target?!

Chapter 4: Wildcard

Sister? I repeated the word in my mind.

As if hearing my thoughts, Vain's eyes revealed anguish.

Unexpectedly, on both of our chests, something glowed. Glancing at what exactly was glowing, I recognized the shape. The Imitheos mark? Then, the realization hit me. Gemini! It looks a bit different, but the mark is like the symbol of Gemini! In my previous life, I was very interested in Greek and Roman mythology. If I recalled correctly, the symbol represented the twins Castor and Pollux who were granted and shared immortality after one of them had died. But what did that information have anything to do with the Imitheos family? After a few moments of thought, I finally managed to put the pieces together. The scene that I had witnessed earlier, the mark and Vain saying 'Sister'...

Vain and I are twins?

Once that thought crossed my mind, Vain leaned forward and placed his forehead against mine. Gradually, a light enveloped him, causing me to close my eyes from the brightness. Then, the moment I was sure that the light had dimmed, I opened my eyes – only to be greeted with a small electric blue ball of light before me. The ball of light's brightness was weak but warm, and strangely, I could sense it was 'alive' – although only barely.

Gently, I held the ball of light. This light is just like Vain's eye colour...

"...elloa. Velloa?!" Why does this feel familiar? "Velloa!"

My eyelids felt extremely heavy, but gradually, I managed to open my eyes to the sound of someone yelling for me. Blearily, I found that I was in mother's arms. Her beautiful face laced full of worry.

Wha...?

At the corner of my eye, I saw a faint glow of orangey-red. Looking towards the source, I found that It was the capsule which held Vain's body. For a moment, the image of a grown-up Vain appeared, standing before his young body looking at it forlornly. Then, as if this 'image' felt my gaze, he looked towards me and gave a bitter smile.

I unconsciously uttered a single word. "Brother..."

"Velloa?!" Mother's panicked voice echoed through the room. "What's wrong? What happened? Why were you in here and on the floor unconscious?!"

I felt like I was in a trance-like state. "Brother... isn't... dead."

With mother holding onto me so tightly, it was hard not to notice her flinch. However, just as I had awoken, I soon succumbed back into the deep crevices of my consciousness.

"I apologize Master Hakoda, for I had not properly watched over the child... Somehow or another, I had let her past me." Ana bowed deeply before the Master of the house.

Hakoda shook his head. "This child even somehow entered the room containing Gaea's Embrace without Ahkua's notice." He looked toward his wife, Velloa's head on her lap as they rested on the child's bed, her face a mix of worry and sadness. "What is Velloa's condition?"

Stroking her sleeping child's head, she answered. "I am not sure how, but she was unconscious due to a shortage of mana within her. Other than some nausea and fatigue, she seems to be relatively unharmed."

Frowning, Hakoda questioned further. "So, you're saying that a large amount of mana suddenly disappeared from within her and you don't know why?"

Ahkua narrowed her eyes and focused on the empty space around Velloa. "There were no traces of mana around her nor of her having used her mana." She paused, the sadness in her eyes was evident. "For a few moments, she woke up and... And she said something strange..."

Putting a comforting hand on Ahkua's shoulder, Hakoda urged her to continue.

Letting in a sharp breath she continued, "She looked at Vain's body and said 'Brother is alive.'" She let out a shaky breath. "How could she have known that Vain was her Brother? Not even Virgil knows about the existence of their... Dead Brother."

Hakoda looked to Ana, "Do you know anything about that?"

"I have closely observed the child and I believe that there should have been no opportunity for the child to have known about that information." Came Ana's reply.

There was a silence in the room as the adults contemplated the situation.

"If I may be so bold, with the stigma against twins – what are we to do should the Young Miss be right?" Ana interjected.

Ahkua frowned and sighed. "'Through the birth of cursed twins, the great darkness will arise...' To think that the people of the Attribute of Light Sect would let such a proclamation out to the public." Twirling a small lock of Velloa's sky blue hair around her finger, she spoke further. "The darkness attribute is not cursed, nor are any children for that matter. It's good to see that Korumak doesn't support such a prophecy."

Every noble knew very well of the influence that the Attribute of Light Sect held on the masses, especially Hakoda. While there is an existing Attribute of Darkness Sect, their numbers and influence are relatively lower due to the Encroachment. Many have tried to withdraw the Light Sect's dangerous prophecy; even Gaea's Church condemned the prophecy. Sadly, the Light Sect seemed to have disregarded the reprimand from the Church.

These Sects are supposed to be an extension of Gaea's Church, yet the Light Sect is incredibly set on antagonizing the demons and the Darkness Sect for the sake of their own gain. For these past few years, the two sects' relationship has been rapidly disintegrating, as a result, tension is just as quickly rising. I wonder... is this really just as simple as the Light Sect having an incredibly bitter rivalry against the Darkness Sect due to the demons? Hakoda contemplated to himself.

Narrowing his eyes, he found himself having a certain thought. Over six years ago, the previous head of the Light Sect announced that so-called prophecy, then the current head -the youngest to have ever received such a position at eighteen years old- was conferred the position of the head of the sect. Not too long before the changing of the leader of the Light Sect, Hakoda recalled that he, along with a few other nobles, including those two heads of the Light Sect, were sent out to take care of a highly dangerous dungeon. This dungeon had an incredibly poisonous miasma quickly spreading out and a high spawn rate of demons. Therefore, this was an immediate great danger to nearby villages, so they acted fast. While they did manage to destroy the dungeon and its core, the head at that time had suffered near-death injuries. As for the person who destroyed the dungeon core, it was Apollos, the current head of the Light Sect. Many figured that the Light Sect's reasoning for heavily antagonizing the demons and the Darkness Sect was due to what happened in that dungeon six years ago, but Hakoda felt that wasn't quite right. Because ever since that prophecy was announced, there's been a hunt for any children who were born as twins...

Breaking away from his deep contemplation, Hakoda glanced at his worried wife and sleeping child. "While it is indeed strange that Velloa had somehow slipped past our security, nothing too major has happened..." He gave a meaningful look to his wife. "All we can do for now is wait and see." Hakoda stated.

Both Ana and Ahkua turned their sights back to the sleeping little girl. 'Just what exactly had happened in that room?' Every adult in the room thought to themselves.

----------CHAPTER END----------

Word Count: 1258    

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