A silver‑haired girl with red eyes, who looked to be about fifteen years old, was standing in front of him.
She looked cute and beautiful in her casual clothes—a simple white shirt with short sleeves, paired with a knee‑length pleated skirt in soft blue, comfortable sneakers, and a light scarf loosely tied around her neck. Her silver hair fell in loose waves to her shoulders, framing a heart‑shaped face with bright red eyes that sparkled with mischief and emotion.
Alex looked toward her. "Is that any way to treat your big brother, you brat? You could’ve gotten hurt if I dodged."
"And I also see that you’ve picked up a bad habit of eavesdropping on people."
Lily didn’t respond with words.
She just kept attacking.
Her movents were flawless martial arts—precise punches targeting pressure points, swift kicks aid at knees and ribs, footwork light and unerring.
Alex dodged easily, weaving through her strikes. "Were you training all this ti? I have to say you’ve impressed ."
Lily growled, tears welling up. "How would you know? You were never ho!"
Tears started streaming down her face. "Did you forget about ? Didn’t you? Just like Mom and Dad!"
Alex’s smile vanished.
He stopped dodging.
"How could you say that...?"
Seeing the opening, Lily’s kick shot toward his groin.
Alex’s breath hitched.
He crumpled to the ground.
Lily and Alyssa high‑fived.
"I told you that line would work on him," Alyssa said smugly.
Alex groaned on the grass, thinking, ’She tricked . Both of them.’
He yelled, "That was an illegal kick, you brat! Don’t you want to beco an aunt in the future?"
Lily smirked. "I apologize to my niece or nephew in advance then."
"But you had it coming... after what you put Mom and through."
"Maybe I should kick you one more ti."
Color drained from Alex’s face. "Why—alright, okay, okay! It’s all my fault. But I already apologized, you know? And look, she already forgave , as you can see."
Alyssa and Lily broke out laughing, seeing him like this.
Alex thought, ’Now I’m worried about leaving her with this old hag.’
Lily crossed her arms. "She may have forgiven you, but I still haven’t, you know."
Alex stood up, legs shaking slightly. "I have a present for you... but it looks like you don’t want it."
Lily’s eyes lit up instantly. "Really? What is it?"
Alyssa suddenly punched Lily lightly on the arm. "You’re becoming too easy for him to coax."
Realization dawned on Lily. "I’m not that easy, you know!"
Alex looked toward Alyssa, yelling, "Will you stop making things hard? Where did that motherly figure go who was so happy when I called her Mother?"
Alyssa’s face turned red. "That figure just ca to her senses and realized she wanted to make you suffer. So now suffer."
A vein twitched on Alex’s head as he took a huge sigh.
Suddenly, from his storage ring, Alex pulled out an elixir vial shimring with golden liquid.
He held it up toward Lily. "Do you know what that is?"
Lily’s eyes locked on the vial. She gulped hard. "What is it...?"
Alex laughed. "This is called Tears of Etheria. An elixir that can fix any disease... including mana cores that can’t hold mana and are broken beyond repair with no hope of getting fixed."
As the words left Alex’s mouth, Lily and Alyssa stood stunned, still processing what they ant.
Alyssa whispered in a low voice, "The legendary elven elixir that was lost hundreds of years ago... How did you... how?"
She clicked her tongue. "What am I surprised about? With you, anything is possible."
Lily ran toward Alex and hugged him tightly.
"Are you saying that it can... it can...?"
Alex smiled. "Yes, Ms. Liliana. It’s true. It can fix up your mana core."
Tears ford in Lily’s eyes. She still couldn’t believe it.
"But it seems that you didn’t want it," Alex teased, "since you’re still angry with . So what should I do with it? Oh, maybe I can sell it and buy so gifts for you."
Lily’s breath hitched.
She lunged at Alex’s hand, snatching the elixir. "Who’s angry with you? I’m really proud of you!"
"You are the best big brother in the world!"
"Of course you can disappear without telling us, you know. What—you should do it often. I won’t complain."
Alex’s mouth twitched. He couldn’t believe how fast her behavior changed.
In her excitent, Lily asked, "Can it really fix my mana core? Because if you’re joking, I’m never gonna talk to you again!"
Alex nodded. "It will. The elven king himself promised . So don’t worry."
Lily’s eyes beca starry. "Can I drink it right now?"
"Knock yourself out," Alex said. "But I’ll warn you—it might hurt a bit, okay?"
Lily’s eyes filled with determination. "One thing I’ve always wanted after getting cured is to be able to use mana. So a little pain will be nothing."
Alyssa bead. "That’s my girl."
"Okay," Alex said. "Drink it."
He opened the vial.
Lily hesitated for a second, nervous.
Then, taking a huge gulp, she drank it down.
Suddenly, a strange warmth filled her up.
All the veins inside her body started glowing with golden light.
Inside his mind, Alex said, ’Partner, keep track of her condition. See if the elixir is working properly.’
[Do you want to suppress her pain too?] the system asked.
After a pause, Alex replied, ’No. Let her feel it. It’s ti for her to grow up. And I also can’t keep protecting her from now on. From now on, she will learn to stand up on her own two feet.’
The imnse pain hit Lily like a storm.
Her mana core, long shattered and useless, began to reform—cracks nding, pathways widening, energy surging through channels that had been dead for years. It felt like fire and lightning twisting inside her chest, every nerve screaming as her body rebuilt itself from the inside out.
Alyssa watched anxiously. "She’s in a lot of pain."
Alex reassured her. "Don’t worry. The elixir is working properly."
After at least ten minutes, the pain subsided.
Her body started absorbing mana like a sponge, drawing in ambient energy from the air.
Lily felt strength like never before—as if she could do anything.
A golden glow engulfed her body completely.
Alex looked at her and smiled. "Now you are also a proper awakened."
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