“ETA twenty minutes,” he said, his voice steady as he adjusted his momentum mid leap.
“Seventy percent chance they’re early,” Gabriel’s voice replied, dry and playful through the static.
Akio couldn’t help the quiet smile that ghosted across his face. “Better hurry, then.”
They moved in perfect sync, two silent figures sweeping across the skyline. The rooftops ahead narrowed, giving way to the familiar silhouette of Akio’s apartment complex. Today’s plan was simple: regroup, change, and head to the Auroride station a block over. Their older brothers were arriving soon, and punctuality, as always, was non negotiable.
As they traversed, Akio took in the sight of the city below—pedestrians threading through glass lined avenues, Auroride trains sliding like serpents of light through suspended tunnels. Further in towards the center, the Solarium tower rose above everything else, an ivory spire crowned with an elevated platform that gleamed like a second sun. Even from this distance, it radiated quiet authority—an ever watchful symbol that ruled without motion. Akio’s gaze lingered on it for a moment. The Solarium rarely interfered, but its presence was enough to remind everyone that it could.
Then, the world erupted.
A deep, concussive boom split the air, followed by the screech of twisting metal. Akio’s head snapped toward the sound—smoke blossoming from a section of the nearby Auroride overpass, one of the upper tunnels collapsing in on itself. His heart rate spiked instantly.
“South tunnel,” Gabriel said, already pivoting midair.
“I see it,” Akio replied. His tone was clipped, his mind already narrowing into focus. They both surged forward, their pace doubling as they dove toward the disaster.
The overpass was chaos incarnate—chunks of concrete raining down, panicked shouts echoing from above. The Auroride train teetered on the edge of the ruptured rail, one half dangling over the abyss, sparks hissing from severed cables. A massive slab of debris sheared loose from above, tumbling straight toward the street below.
Akio launched forward, slicing through the stone in one clean arc. The fragments scattered harmlessly across the pavement as he landed. Gabriel was already moving along the far side, his scythe glinting as he carved through collapsing supports, clearing a path for fleeing passengers.
Akio’s eyes flicked upward towards the damaged train—and froze.
Someone was still up there, clinging to the edge of one of the doorways. A man with long, pale blue hair tipped in silver, half tied into a neat ponytail. The sunlight caught his features—sharp, familiar, achingly familiar.
Akiren. His older brother.
Before he could fully register what was happening, the rail beneath Akiren’s hands gave way.
Akio moved on instinct, launching himself forward in a blur of white. He caught his brother mid fall, arms locking around him as gravity yanked them downward. The train exploded behind them in a violent burst of heat and fire, painting the smoke in chaotic reds and yellows. Akio twisted midair, absorbing the impact with a knee to the crumbling concrete below.
For several seconds, debris rained down around them. Akio pulled his cloak over the two of them, shielding them both as the shockwave rippled through the collapsing overpass.
Eventually, the dust settled. Akio exhaled slowly, the adrenaline ebbing just enough for his thoughts to return in sharp clarity. He looked down and saw Akiren staring back at him—wide eyed, disoriented, but alive.
“Are you hurt anywh—”
The word brother rose instinctively to his tongue. He clamped down on it just in time.
Nope. Not here. Not with the mask on.
He cleared his throat, voice smoothing back into the detached calm of the Dawn Hound.
“...Are you okay, random civilian?”
Akiren blinked several times, gratitude and mortification both flickering through his expression. “I—y-yeah, I’m okay. Thanks, Aki—”
He froze. They both did.
A beat of painful stillness passed between them.
Then, in a flat, robotic monotone, Akiren corrected himself: “Wow. Thank you for saving me, Dawn Hound.”
Akio almost choked. The silence that followed was unbearable—and then, somehow, hilarious. His shoulders sagged with a quiet sigh, relief loosening its grip on his chest. His expression remained hidden beneath the mask, but his thoughts were dryly amused.
Incredible performance from both of us. Acting truly does run in the family.
Movement flashed at the edge of his vision. Akio turned just as Gabriel landed lightly beside him, cloak trailing behind him like a ribbon of dusk. In his arms, carried bridal style with all the dramatic flair of a storybook rescue, was a tall man with tousled red hair streaked with gold. Sharp crimson eyes. Handsome, exasperating, unmistakably Adrian.
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
Adrian blinked, took in the scene, and then grinned like a man seizing the opportunity of a lifetime. With theatrical exaggeration, he swooned in Gabriel’s arms, clutching his heart.
“Oh, what a terrible, terrible tragedy that has befallen me!”
Gabriel froze for half a second. The Dusk Hound mask revealed nothing—but Akio could feel the exact moment Gabriel’s professionalism snapped under the weight of Adrian’s ridiculous energy. When Gabriel spoke, his voice remained calm… but carried unmistakable smugness.
“Do not fear, random civilian. For I have arrived.”
Adrian gasped dramatically. “My hero! My knight in shining armor!”
Akio couldn’t help it. He smirked beneath the mask, adjusting his grip as he set Akiren gently onto his feet. Gabriel mirrored him, placing Adrian back on solid ground.
Then, all four of them straightened.
The dust drifted in slow spirals around them. Distant sirens pulsed through the air. Akiren’s expression gentled into worry. Adrian’s shifted too, a hint of something protective slipping past his usual bravado. They were the only two people in the world who knew who the Hounds truly were. There were things they wanted to say. Things Akio wanted to say back.
But not here.
Not while the masks were on.
Akio nodded once—small, brief, full of the things he couldn’t speak aloud. Then with a flicker of white, he and Gabriel vanished into the dissolving smoke, leaving their older brothers behind.
~~~
The apartment was unusually quiet. Akio sat cross legged beside Gabriel and Aira at the low dining table. The late afternoon light filtered through the blinds in muted gold bands, warming the air with a homey stillness. He rested his hands loosely in his lap, posture relaxed, expression calm, though the faint hum of leftover adrenaline still traced along his nerves.
A light knock at the door broke the peace.
Aira jolted to her feet, practically vibrating with excitement. “Finally! They’re here.”
She darted toward the door and pulled it open.
Adrian stepped inside, still slightly disheveled from the train incident—dust in his hair, collar crooked—but somehow managing to look charming despite all of it. The moment he saw Aira, he opened his arms with a grin bright enough to light the room.
“Well well! How’s my favorite journalist doing?”
Aira let out a delighted squeal and threw her arms around him. “Adrian! It’s been so long!”
Akiren entered quietly behind him, closing the door with his usual measured care. There was dust on his clothes, his hair a little mussed, but his smile—tired and warm—hadn’t changed.
“We made it. Sorry for being late,” he murmured.
Aira immediately pulled him into a tight hug. “Akiren! I missed you so much! You should visit more.”
“I missed you too,” he replied, returning the embrace gently. “Glad to see you’re doing well.”
Gabriel got up from the table with a sly grin and several sock balls already in his hands. The moment his gaze met Adrian’s, the air shifted—some silent brotherly wavelength activated.
Adrian narrowed his eyes playfully. “Oh hoh. Don’t you—”
Gabriel attacked.
A flurry of socks flew with alarming precision. Adrian yelped, dodging the first volley before charging forward and grabbing Gabriel in a headlock. “COME HERE—”
A chaotic scuffle unfolded—socks everywhere, Gabriel cackling, Adrian giving him a ruthless noogie as revenge. Aira laughed. Akiren sighed. Akio watched with a quiet, helpless amusement. It always felt livelier when their brothers visited.
Akio rose, smoothing out his shirt before walking over to where Aira and Akiren had drifted to the side, talking softly while keeping half an eye on the sock warfare.
“You okay?” Akio asked, tone even. “I heard about what happened at the train.”
Akiren met his gaze. A subtle smile touched his lips. “I’m fine. A little shaken up, but perfectly unharmed.”
There was a pause. Something unspoken flickered in Akiren’s expression before he added, quieter:
“Thank you.”
Simple words. Casual enough to pass without suspicion. But layered, unmistakably—for Akio alone.
Before Akio could respond, Aira perked up with excitement, her eyes sparkling. “Oh! That’s right! You were saved by the Dawn Hound! What was he like? Did he say anything? Was he cool? Mysterious? Dramatic?”
Akiren straightened, attempting neutrality. “He seemed like a very dependable person. Smart, capable. Willing to help others.”
Then, with the conviction of a truly terrible liar, he added, “…I have no idea who he is, of course.”
Akio nearly lost it. He hid the laugh behind a small cough, then said smoothly, “You should tell him that next time. Maybe even get him some hibiscus tea as a thank you gift.”
Akiren slowly turned his head, deadpan. “Wow. You think he would like that?” He held Akio’s stare for a full second. “Maybe I will.”
Aira, utterly oblivious, tapped her chin in thought. “There’s no way the Dawn Hound drinks hibiscus tea. He totally seems like the type who’d drink something more hardcore.”
Akio tilted his head, tone dripping smug satisfaction. “Is that so?”
Movement at the edge of his vision caught his attention. He turned just in time to see Adrian and Gabriel making their way over—Adrian with the easy swagger of someone immune to embarrassment, Gabriel with the unmistakable glint of a mischief gremlin already plotting something.
“Akio, my man!” Adrian announced, fist already raised. “How you doing?”
Akio met the gesture with a soft exhale of amusement, tapping his knuckles against Adrian’s. “Doing fine,” he replied, tone mild but warm.
Beside them, Akiren approached Gabriel who snapped a playful salute the moment their eyes met. “Reporting for duty, sir.”
Akiren sighed—gentle, resigned, affectionate. “You two never change.”
Aira, practically vibrating with anticipation, spun toward Adrian. “Adrian—you were saved by the Dusk Hound, right? How was it? What was it like? Tell me everything.”
Adrian stroked his chin with deep, theatrical thought. “Hmm… I would rate my rescue a solid seven out of ten.”
Gabriel leaned in with faux seriousness. “Oh really? Why?”
Adrian clicked his tongue, smug. “It would’ve been better if the Dusk Hound twirled me like so.”
Before anyone could stop him, Adrian grabbed Gabriel’s wrist and spun him in a full, committed twirl. Gabriel blinked once—then immediately retaliated by elbowing him in the ribs, and the two of them dissolved into loud, chaotic tomfoolery.
Akiren pinched the bridge of his nose, the corners of his mouth tugging upward despite himself. “Adrian, that’s ridiculous.”
Akio crossed his arms, a quiet smirk curving beneath his calm. “I don’t know,” he mused. “I think the Dusk Hound could take notes.”
Aira laughed and then turned back to the older pair. “How long are you two staying this time?”
Akiren answered while Gabriel attempted to put Adrian in a headlock. “Just a few days. We’re here to help Gabriel move in, and we’ll head back soon after.”
Adrian straightened just long enough to ruffle Gabriel’s hair with ruthless older brother energy. “Gotta make sure this guy doesn’t blow up a toaster again.”
Gabriel swatted his hand away, mock offended. “It was for scientific purposes.”
Aira nearly doubled over laughing. Akiren sighed again, soft and helpless. Adrian winked. Gabriel smirked like he was already planning the next appliance disaster. And Akio—watching the whole scene unfold—felt something quiet and warm settle into his chest.
They lingered like that for a few minutes—talking, teasing, bumping shoulders and trading jabs—until Adrian clapped his hands.
“Alright, troops!” he declared. “Let’s go get dinner before Gabriel starts eating the furniture.”
“I ate a chair leg as a toddler,” Gabriel announced with far too much pride.
Aira was already grabbing her coat. “Okay, but what’re we getting? Noodles? Dumplings? That new curry place?”
All five of them spilled out into the hallway, voices overlapping as they tried (and failed) to settle on one option. Adrian championed curry. Gabriel lobbied for dumplings with suspicious enthusiasm. Aira wanted noodles. Akiren suggested something light.
Akio walked in the middle of them all, hands in his pockets, quietly amused as the arguments escalated with absolutely no progress in sight. As he watched the people he cared for bicker about dinner like it was a matter of national security, he felt the warmth in his chest deepen into something steady and grounding.
Without a word, he fell into step beside his family—found or otherwise—and let the noise carry him forward into the evening.
─ ? NEXT CHAPTER POV ? ─
Damien
After dying in a freak accident on his university campus, a college student awakens in a new world—the sprawling, magic-laden continent of Lascara on the planet Silara. Reborn as the heir to a powerful northern barony, Lance Loren must navigate noble politics, elemental powers, and the mysterious “System” that governs life and magic. When his forbidden ability to wield Mana before his coming-of-age ceremony exposes him as a Prime! a being marked by destiny and danger, he’s thrust into the tutelage of two ancient Guardians of Lightning and Frost. As he learns to forge his own Core and defy the rules of gods and systems alike, Lance begins a journey that could alter the fate of the entire world.
What to Expect:
- Male Lead
- System
- High Fantasy Dungeon Crawling
- Different Races with Magic and typical DND flavor
- LitRPG elements with World Building
- No Romance or Harem