A Fairytale for Wizards

It was what Rhema said to Azriel when she was seven. He said that she would learn naturally when she learned more magic in the future. Azriel stopped walking. Rhema, who stopped before the fountain in the middle of the courtyard, turned back toward her.

“If twins in the same womb both inherit enormous mana, all mana would be drawn to the more suitable due to the cohesion of the mana.”

“Are you saying that the mana is drawn to one of the twins?”

“Yes. It doesn’t occur to the twins who do not look alike. It also doesn’t occur to the twins with the same gender on top of resembling each other. It’s an extremely rare phenomenon that occurs when both of the twins of the same face with different genders inherit the legacy.”

She also knew that there were different types of twins. Normally, twins with different s*xes resembled each other to the level of ordinary brother and sister. Resembling each other to the point where people would misunderstand them as the same person was only possible for twins of the same-gender.

However, in a very rare case, twins of different genders with the same appearance would be born. He and Benhiram were of that case. They had the same face, black eyes, and golden eyes. The only difference was their gender. Even that was not very obvious when they were young, so they looked like same-gender twins if one did not look at them closely.

“Perhaps the very fine difference of being almost the same but not in completion causes this phenomenon. The side that bears the mana of two portions would open the dragon eye. Dragon eye wizards can only be born normally in this case.” 

“Then, the other one is—”

“It will be born as a human without a drop of mana. Thus, all dragon eye wizards are twins, Azriel. Just like you and me.”

Azriel felt as if her head was turning blank. She recalled the events from her childhood when she did not have a name, which were uselessly vivid.

“This thing needs to die quickly. You are a parasite sucking up your brother’s luck.”

The words that her parents said. The words that she was a curse sticking to her brother. She believed them when she did not have any knowledge. However, after she was grown a little, she considered it a superstition unique to an ethnic minority group. However, according to Rhema’s words now— Turning pale, Azriel murmured.

“Was I born a dragon eye wizard because I robbed my brother of his mana?”

“It’s not that you robbed him, but mana was absorbed by you. Perhaps you had a more suitable constitution for mana.”

“That’s the same thing whether I robbed him or absorbed mana out of him—”

She felt nauseous. Azriel covered her mouth and lowered her head. Benhiram was the only person who was kind to her. He was the only one who named her and called her as well and the only family.

“You are nothing like a curse but my sister.”

How did her brother die who said such kind words? When the village was burned due to war, Azriel survived with Benhiram and ran away. Following a flock of refugees, the siblings stayed in the back alley of some city. The life of young twins without guardians in war was no different than the life of gutter rats. Those were the days that they would sleep in-between trashes and corpses, shivering. In spite of that, it was endurable as they were together. Holding each other’s hands, they narrowly survived.

Then one late night, flames burst from everywhere. The huge fire lightened the night as the bright day. Sounds of horses’ hoops rang the streets. Despairs and screams mixed with the sound of arms rose to the sky. Guided by her brother, she ran. Her bare feet were already full of blood.

“Quick, quick!”

Azriel used to be called a cursed child and beaten. So, she had never eaten proper foods except the ones that Benhiram shared with her. Because of that, she and he had very different body sizes even though they were born on the same day and time and it was before the difference between two genders were beginning to show. She, who was way smaller and thinner than Benhiram, could not run as fast as him.

“W, wait a minute, Benhiram, I—”

She was already exhausted and panting. Benhiram rushingly pulled her.

“Hurry! We need to get out of here!”

She, who was staggering, could not manage the force that pulled her and tumbled to the front.

“Argh!”

“Ramhita!”

Benhiram called his sister’s name that he gave her. Pulling her up, he nervously looked back. Screaming sounds were getting closer. Azriel got up right away, but she could not walk properly at all.

“Urgh…”

Her ankle ached. She must have injured it as she fell. She, who took a few steps limping, let go of her brother’s hand.

“Benhiram, go.”

Benhiram’s face was distorted at once. He tried to carry her on his back. Azriel pushed him away.

“I can’t run anymore. Just go, quickly.”

She stepped back faltering. Benhiram looked around hectically. He soon found a corpse laying randomly on a pile of trash.

“Come here, Ramhita.”

Benhiram pushed away the corpse and cleared out all the trash that he could grab.

“I said just go!”

“No!”

After throwing away rags that were mixed with muddy filth and stones, he could find a space. He pulled Azriel.

“Get in here.”

The space was narrow. It was only big enough to hide one person even for little children.

“What about you?”

“Just get in quickly.”

Pushing Azriel into the pile of trash, Benhiram blocked the front with a huge basket weaved with straw. He roughly hid it by covering the top with trash.

“Then I’ll hide here. You should run away quickly, okay?”

“Be quiet. I said I’m not going!”

Benhiram crouched down in front of her. He pulled the heavy corpse with all his might and covered his body with it. Azriel could hear him breathing heavily from the basket.

“What are you going to do?” she said as she grabbed the basket.

“There’s another place to hide here. I can hide, too— Shush, they’re coming,” haunching his body tightly, Benhiram whispered.