I was seeing a dream – a dream that always ended with one particular sentence.
I’m going to kill you.
Inky black bloodlust. I felt like it was going to swallow up my entire mind.
✦ ✦ ✦
Today’s the best day ever, I thought, as I awoke and stared at what had been left by my pillow.
A popular video game and a sword. It was December 25, Christmas morning. A star armament and a video game. Santa... er, Dad must have put them there while I was sleeping.
Of course, I knew that Santa Claus had been Dad the entire time. After all, I was already six years old. Dad had been acting so fidgety, asking me about what kinds of things were popular with kids these days, and all the game and toy advertisements he had been reading pretty much gave it away.
I wouldn’t have been able to figure it out if I was five, but I was now a fully grown six-year old, an elder in the kindergarten world. My five-year old sister Towa probably still believed that Santa was real, but as her older brother and elder, I wasn’t about to shatter her dreams.
First, I picked up the game. I had told Dad about how it was super popular with all my classmates. I couldn’t wait to play it. I wanted to get really far so I could brag to my friends.
But that would have to wait. The real present was sitting right next to it... The sword. Talk about a generous Santa – not one, but two presents. Dad probably considered the sword to be the real present, but he was also kind enough to give me what I asked for, too. I would have been more than happy with just the sword, and felt really grateful to my generous Santa – er, Dad. Holding it, I could feel the weight of the permanent training star armament, and mentally sent him my thanks.
Thank you, Dad... I’ll have to thank you properly later. Oh no, wait, I can’t let him know I’ve figured out he’s really Santa.
“Look, big brother! Look, look!”
Suddenly, my door burst open, and a pitch black creature came in. For some reason, its voice sounded just like my little sister’s.
“Whoa...” I almost swung my new sword into the air. But right before I could do so, I realized that the black thing was a stuffed animal... and an ugly one, at that. What was it? A dog? A bear?
“Towa, what’s going on?”
“Look! Did you see it?!” Towa peeked out from behind the huge, ugly stuffed animal.
“Yeah, I can see it. It’s really huge...” It wasn’t as big as her, but it was close.
“Isn’t it big? And cute?”
“Y-yeah... Super cute.”
Cute? Really?
“Don’t you think it looks kind of like you?”
“Uhh...?”
I cocked my head and stared at the ridiculously huge, black thing once more. I honestly had no idea what it was, but it seemed to be squinting as if it was tired or grumpy, and its face didn’t look the least bit cute. Yet she said it looked like me. If it really did, then that was kind of depressing.
“You’re right, it really does look exactly like me. It’s even just as handsome!”
“Yeah! Santa really has good taste!”
“He sure does.”
I stared at the brazen-faced stuffed animal. Mom must have picked it out. Her tastes were always a bit... off. And Towa was exactly like her, so it was no wonder she loved it.
“I’m gonna go show Mom and Dad!” Towa shouted, as she trotted out of the room.
“You’re gonna take that huge thing with you? Don’t slip and fall!”
“I won’t!” Towa called back cheerfully. I still felt a little worried, so I went after her.
I figured Mom and Dad would be at the table anyway, and I needed to let them know that I was grateful for what Santa had brought me.
“Good morning, Kokuya. Did you get a visit from Santa?” The moment Dad saw me, he smiled and asked me that question. He was really playing dumb.
“Morning. You bet I did! Next time you see Santa, tell him he’s the best, and give him a big thank you!”
“Oh, good, I’m glad. Okay, I’ll let him know. I bet he’ll be happy to hear it. You were a good boy all year, so I’m not surprised.”
“Really?”
“And it seems like you’ve been working hard at your training lately.”
“I guess. But I’ve still got a long way to go. Oh yeah, the present! I wanna try it out, so can you help me train a little?”
“Hmm. Your mom and I need to go to the lab... So I guess we can do it at the usual place.”
Mom and Dad were both star sorcery researchers. Mom focused on the research, while Dad did research along with testing out the new star armaments they made. He was really strong. And he taught me that star sorcerers fought to protect the world and everyone in it.
I felt like Dad had taught me more than that as well... Basically, star sorcerers were cool, strong, awesome, and exactly what I wanted to be. I wanted to become a top class star sorcerer, just like Dad.
“Are you coming out to the lab too, Kokuya? We should just bring the cake and have the party there,” mom said.
“Huh? There’s a cake?”
“Well, it is Christmas, after all. I made sure to get a big one!”
“Yaaay! Cake!” Towa cheered in a childish voice. Honestly, I wanted to do the same.
“Is it okay to bring Towa to the lab?”
“I figured it’s about time we measured her star power anyway.”
“Oh, right. She’ll be in elementary school next year, right?”
Children aiming to be star sorcerers all got their potential measured before they turned six. I got mine measured too, but...
“When I saw your results, Kokuya, I nearly fell off my chair,” Dad said.
“Shut up! It’s only potential. It doesn’t mean anything. I already decided that I’m going to become a star sorcerer no matter what.”
“That’s the spirit!”
I hardly had any star sorcerer potential to speak of. They’d even told me that due to a certain critical deficiency, I might not be able to become a star sorcerer at all.
“Besides, we’re all basically the same compared to people like the Yukiganes. I’m not worried. I just want to inherit your strength, Dad.”
“Well, yeah... Okay. If that’s the path you’ve decided on, then it’s fine by me.”
The Yukigane house was an especially distinguished family of star sorcerers. They had a daughter who was the same age as me, yet she was already stronger than every single adult star sorcerer.
...I might not be able to beat her now, but I will someday. Even though I’ve never actually met her... If she’s really that strong, then I’m sure I’ll run into her eventually.