SIBLINGS’ SHORE
|| CHAPTER TWO ||
| Siblings and the Invitation |
MASH stood outside his older brother’s dorm at Walkis Magic Academy, feeling a slight breeze brush against him.
Domina’s life had long since returned to a normal schoolboy’s, living in isolation at the academy, his criminal past a shadow over his quiet existence.
Mash wasn’t one for complex explanations or heavy emotions, but he knew he needed to talk to Domina about what he’d just done.
Without hesitation, Mash knocked and entered. The door creaked as it opened, revealing Domina sitting at his desk, seemingly lost in a book.
The room was neat, almost sterile, as if Domina barely allowed himself to live in it. When the door swung open, pink eyes turned slowly to stare at him.
“Mash?” He asked, standing up from his desk. “H…How did you learn to open a door correctly?”
As the door softly closed behind him, he, too, was shocked. “Oh.” Mash stared at the normally opened and normally closed door that wasn’t completely wrecked or smashed like it should’ve. It felt surreal. It felt too good to be true.
“That’s an achievement,” Domina said, too busy being in awe to even bother asking the usual questions of someone barging into your room.
Mash’s expression remained as calm and straightforward as ever, though the gravity of what he was about to say wasn’t lost on him.
“I got them pardoned,” Mash said.
Domina blinked, confused. “Got who pardoned?”
“Our brothers,” The mushroom head replied bluntly.
Domina's eyes widened, and he froze for a second, trying to process what he just heard. “Wait... you did what?”
“I convinced them to pardon Delisaster, Epidem, Famin, and Doom... all of them,” Mash said as if it were the simplest thing in the world.
Domina took a step back, shaking his head slightly. His former faint smile was replaced with that of utter disbelief. “Mash, you can’t be serious. You know what they’ve done. They're not like me, or like you. They’ve... they're dangerous.”
“I know,” Mash said calmly, meeting Domina’s eyes. “But they’re still family.”
Domina sighed, clearly struggling to wrap his head around the whole situation. He knew Mash was strange, but this was beyond anything he could have expected.
“Mash, you can’t just think that they’ll change because they’ve been pardoned. Delisaster, Epidem, Famin, Doom—they don’t care about doing the right thing. They’re not like us. They won’t listen to you.”
“Maybe,” He admitted, “But that doesn’t mean I won’t try.”
The very idea sounded ridiculous. Delisaster was a narcissistic maniac, only caring about himself and his looks. Epidem hid his cruelty beneath a veneer of politeness. Famin was a lost cause as far as Domina was concerned. And Doom was… Doom.
The idea that Mash believed they could be redeemed was almost laughable. Almost.
“Mash, they’re not good people,” He tried to convince him, “You got me to see things differently because I was open to it, but them? They’ll never change. I don’t think they’ll fit in society.”
Mash shrugged, “But they’re my brothers too. And everyone deserves a chance.”
Domina stared at him, speechless. It wasn’t like he hadn’t thought about it before. In some part of his mind, he wondered if their brothers could change, but... actually doing it? This was Mash. If anyone could do the impossible, it was him.
“And what if they don’t take that chance?” Domina asked, his voice low. “What if they hurt people again? What if they hurt you?”
Mash’s response was immediate. “I’ll handle it.”
Domina stared at him, searching for any sign of doubt, but found none. Mash’s conviction, his unshakable belief in family, didn’t budge.
As much as Domina wanted to argue, to lay out how impossible it all seemed, a small part of him—quiet but persistent—wanted to believe Mash could actually pull it off.
That maybe, just maybe, their brothers could change.
Maybe, he, too, longs for a relationship with a normal family.
“You’re really going through with this?” Domina asked, his voice softer now.
“Yeah,” Mash nodded. “I want to at least try.”
The pink-haired young man sighed, running a hand over his face. “Alright. But don’t expect it to be easy. They’re not going to listen to you like I did.”
Mash offered a rare smile. “That’s okay. I like challenges.”
Domina shook his head, “So… why inform me? Do you have some secret agenda?”
The mushroom head looked around his room as if trying to avoid the situation. Domina has only been with his little brother a few times, but man, this guy was painfully obvious when he tried to ignore things.
“Well?”
“Well…” Mash paused, trying to devise an excuse, and utterly failing. He sighed, “I want your help…”
“My help? What am I going to do?”
The black-haired boy fiddled with his fingers, muttering, “By going to the beach with me…”
< • >
Mash sat comfortably on the couch, his usual neutral expression in place. Around him, his friends were in their usual spots in his dorm room, relaxing after a long day.
Lemon was seated beside him, doodling in her notebook while humming softly. Finn, lounged by the window with eyes closed. He probably fell asleep as he stared outside.
Lance leaned back in an armchair, quietly flipping through a book, while Dot was sprawled out on the floor, staring up at the ceiling with a bored expression.
Their classes had just ended for the day, and everyone was quite tired in one way or another. Being a second year was no joke, and studying more advanced topics made their heads explode.
They desperately needed a vacation!
Mash spoke up, “Hey, do you guys want to go to a beach party?”
Everyone looked up at him, surprised. Even Finn woke up from his suggestion.
“A beach party?” Lemon's eyes sparkled with excitement. “That sounds fun, Mash-kun! I’m go!”
Dot rolled over onto his side, immediately enthusiastic. “Yeah! The beach! Watermelons, waves, and we can totally bury Lance in the sand. I’m down!”
Lance nodded, “It could be nice. We could use a break.”
“Yeah, that sounds good.” Finn scratched his chin, “Maybe nii-sama would like to do something like that…”
Mash nodded, still calm. "We could bring our siblings too."
Everyone's expressions brightened at that. Lemon paused at the idea, his gremlin little brother and sister don’t seem that bad of a combo in a fun day at the beach. Lance didn’t mind the idea of bringing Anna along, she does deserve some fresh air after being cooped up for years in that room.
