He instinctively kicked off his remaining sandal and flung it at the invisible barrier. Sure, he knew the act was pointless, but at least it helped him vent the storm of frustration raging in his chest.
Beep! Beep!
[ System: Warning! OOC detected! ]
[ You have broken character. 10 points will be deducted. ]
[ System executing consequence... 30%... 80%... 100% ]
[ Current Points = 100 ]
[ 100 – 10 = 90 ]
[ Remaining Points = 90 ]
Getting hit with those back-to-back negative notifications made Xavier's eyes bulge in outrage. "What the hell do you mean by that, you demon?!"
[ System: I am a system, not an astral entity. ]
Xavier was gasping now, his fury reaching a boiling point. He rubbed his chest and tried his best to breathe, struggling to keep his voice civil, "Alright... now explain. Why the hell did my points drop...?"
[ System: You broke character. Your words did not reflect Sirius's personality. He is a quiet individual who never uses profanity. ]
[ Please be mindful of your actions and speech moving forward, or you'll keep losing points. ]
He glared at the interface and jabbed a finger at it in protest. "That's basically forcing an extrovert to become an introvert, you sadistic toaster!"
[ System: That's entirely your choice. However, please be advised—should your points reach zero, the system will automatically initiate punishment. ]
One of Xavier's eyebrows twitched. Suspicion tingled at the back of his skull. "What punishment?"
[ System: Death. For the second time (˘³˘) ]
"Son of a bitch—!"
Beep! Beep!
[ System: Warning! OOC detected again! ]
[ Points = 90 – 10 ]
[ Remaining Points = 80 ]
"Aaarghhh!!!" he screamed and raked both hands through his hair in pure, primal frustration.
"Sirius, what's wrong? Are you okay?"
A gentle voice floated into his ears, snapping him out of his tantrum. Slowly, he turned his head—only to find Aerglo approaching him with a look of genuine concern.
Xavier found himself momentarily entranced. Aerglo, with his sky-blue robes that shimmered like a cloudless noon, looked radiant and composed—too charismatic for someone so young. How does someone like this even exist?
By the time Aerglo reached him, he gently patted Xavier's shoulder, trying to ground him. "Hey, little brother, what's going on? Are you alright?"
Snapped out of his daze, Xavier blinked and shook his head, disoriented. "Uh… No—I mean yes. I'm fine," he stammered.
Aerglo gave him a soft, almost wistful smile in return—one that tried to mask the sadness in his eyes. He didn't believe the answer, not really.
That bittersweet smile... lit a tiny spark in Xavier's heart. Warm and quiet.
He had to admit, life here wasn't all bad. At least here, he had siblings who cared for him—people who loved him, unconditionally. That was more than he ever had in his old life.
Back then, he hadn't just lacked siblings—he'd grown up as the only child in a broken, abusive household. And on one particularly cursed day, his mother had tossed him out like trash, leaving him to fend for himself on the cold, unforgiving streets.
Still, even if this new life came with love and family, there was no ignoring the reality of it. Accepting his fate as Sirius de Archer Andromeda meant accepting a life doomed by a curse. A future written is written.
Lost in his thoughts, Xavier heaved a heavy sigh...
Plop!
He flinched as something warm and gooey landed squarely on his head. He reached up, hesitating, fingers brushing against a soft, squishy mess.
A horrible stench hit him.
His stomach dropped.
Especially when he saw Aerglo's horrified face grimace as he pointed above. "Sirius… your head…"
Slowly—oh so slowly—Xavier tilted his head back, only to catch sight of a pigeon flapping away after delivering a tactical poop strike from the branches above.
"That freaking pigeon son of a—!"
Beep! Beep!
[ System: Warning! OOC is almost triggered! ]
***
Time passed. The sun, the eternal lantern of the skies, began its descent, dimming just enough to let the western horizon bloom into streaks of orange.
A breeze slipped through the palace gardens, brushing gently past the two figures strolling along the veranda. The only sounds were their footfalls and the delicate rustling of flamboyant leaves and flower petals swaying in the wind.
One heart was restless, weighed down by a storm of thoughts. Xavier—or rather, Sirius—was lost in endless inner monologues. His mind was spinning with questions, doubts, and regrets.
He tried to ground himself, but his soul felt far from his body, wandering where his legs could not follow.
Eventually, he slowed, then stopped.
His golden eyes flicked toward the figure walking ahead of him again and again. He wanted to say something. Needed to say something.
"Br—brother…" The word stuck awkwardly in his throat.
Aerglo stopped, turned around, and smiled at him. A kind, radiant smile. "What is it?"
"There's something I want to ask," Sirius said.
His red eyes still held a calm, patient warmth as he nodded. "Go ahead."
Sirius took a deep breath, heavy with hesitation. He stepped closer, then finally blurted out, "What… what happened to me back then? Why did I fall off that cliff?"
He just wanted to know—was that accident part of the original plot?
Or… had his very presence warped the story somehow, adding new events that never existed?
It was hard to say. After all, the guy once known as Xavier had only read twelve chapters of the novel! Just twelve!
His head drooped again, drowning in thoughts and theories. He didn't even notice Aerglo watching him closely, his gaze soft yet intense.
"You really don't remember anything?" Aerglo asked quietly.
Sirius shook his head, putting on his most tragic, defeated expression. "You've forgotten too, haven't you? I didn't even remember my own name when I woke up… or anything about our family..."
And thus began Xavier's journey as a terrible actor.
His whole amnesia routine? Born out of pure panic. When he first woke up in this strange novel world and realized he'd become a cursed prince, he freaked out.
So much so, that he stood there in utter shock, stiff as a statue, not blinking, not speaking, not moving.
His siblings were frantic, shaking his shoulders, and shouting his name.
"Sirius! What's wrong?! Do you remember us?! Do you even know your name?!"
But all of it flew past his ears like static. His brain had crashed. Hard. Reality hadn't finished loading yet.
And so, thanks to that whole fiasco, the royal physician had diagnosed him with amnesia.
Surprisingly, it turned out to be more of a blessing than a curse. The misunderstanding worked in his favor.
After all, if everyone genuinely believed that he had lost his memory, it meant he had an excuse to ask about anything and everything he didn't know about this world—without looking suspicious.
Because let's be real. If the real Sirius suddenly started asking questions about things he was supposed to know, it would've raised red flags. Major ones.
But the truly tragic part?
To this day, his entire family still believes that awful performance of his. Even Aerglo had been fooled.
The soft-hearted youth's soul had been deeply wounded by that day—by the sight of his little brother waking up with no memories in his eyes, no light in his voice, no trace of recognition on his face.
His steps slowed again as the memory resurfaced, and he gently rested a hand on Sirius's shoulder. With a sincere yet bittersweet smile, he said softly, "It's alright... I'll tell you everything you need to know."
Then, his footsteps continued. And with them, so did his voice—quiet and earnest. "But to be honest, little brother... I don't really know what exactly caused you to fall off that cliff that day."
A deep crease appeared on Sirius's forehead, brows knitting together in confusion. His golden eyes flickered, puzzled. "But how did I even get there?" he asked. "Second Brother said that place was far from the palace."
Aerglo gave a small nod, the sadness still lingering in his expression. "You're right," he replied. His voice carried a soft sigh, one that seemed to drift away with the wind.
"That day, the three of us were out hunting. We had stopped to rest with the others in the forest near that area..."
"You said you wanted to enjoy the view alone from the cliffs, so you went off by yourself. But when it was time to head back, and we went to fetch you, we suddenly saw your horse galloping back to camp—without you on it."
His voice grew more fragile as he turned to fully face Sirius, his features etched with sorrow. "So we feared something had happened to you. Maybe... your horse got spooked and threw you off. Maybe it kicked you and you fell..."
Sirius stood there, mouth slightly open in disbelief, his thoughts spiraling.
His brain was immediately flooded with a thousand silent screams. "Did the curse also make the original Sirius stupid?! Who the hell gets kicked off a cliff by their own horse?! Seriously. Who?!"