NoGift

CLAY led Aurum and Black to the wooden cabin nearest the huge tree standing at the peak.  On their way, they were stopped by a couple of people.  All of them stared at Aurum with admiration in their eyes.  Their eyes almost turned into heart shapes.  Which only annoyed Clay even further.  Seriously, one would think they hadn't seen a girl in their lives.

He quickened his steps.  Once he reached the cabin he shared with his sister, he opened the door and pulled Aurum inside.  Black followed.

"Flora!" he called.

There was a rustling of footsteps.  Then the curtain bead that separated the living room from another room – probably the kitchen – was pushed to the side.  A pretty girl wearing a simple green dress then walked out.  Her long light brown hair was braided at the back, its tips were tinted green.  Her dark brown eyes were so similar to that of her brother's.  And after seeing Clay, those eyes just shone with undeniable joy.

"Brother!" She ran and threw herself at her brother, hugging him.  "Welcome back!"

Clay smiled gently and patted her sister's back.  "I'm back."

Aurum looked at this scene.  So that's how he smiled when he's around his sister?  She felt a bit envious.  But then again, having a good relationship with her brother herself, she understood treating your siblings differently than others.

"Why didn't you tell me you're coming back today?" Flora asked with a bit of complaint in her voice.  "Then I would have prepared more food."

"I really didn't have time to call," Clay explained.

Flora pushed away from him.  She was about to say something when she noticed a little boy and a girl standing on both sides of her brother.  The boy had black hair and big black eyes.  He looked to be about ten years old.  He was tilting his head to the side and was looking at her with curiosity.

Wait- wasn't this the boy who was with those two teenagers who helped them back in Shandra?  If she's not mistaken, the kid's name was Black.  Then the girl-

She glanced at the girl.  Although the hair color was the same, she looked totally different from the girl named 'Gold'.  That one looked extremely ordinary.  But nothing was ordinary about the girl standing before her.  Aside from that, she also kind of looked a bit familiar.  Like she'd seen her from somewhere.

"Brother, this is--?"

"You've met her back in Shandra.  She used the name 'Gold' back then," Clay said.

Now that he thought about it, those twins really used quite the unoriginal names back then.  No, it's probably more accurate to say that Argent was just too lazy to think of better names.  Aurum was better than him in that aspect.  At least the names they used in Victoria City was very well thought out of.

Flora was more confused than shock.  This girl was the same one from Shandra?  But how could they look so different?  "Did you let someone alter your face to look like this?"

The corner of Aurum's mouth pumped.  Was this girl saying that she couldn't possibly have a face like this if she didn't alter it in some way?  If she wasn't sure that she didn't feel any malicious intent from Flora, she would definitely be annoyed.  And she's Clay's sister, so Aurum had more patience for her.

She smiled.  "No, this is my real face.  The one I used in Shandra was a disguise."

Flora was truly amazed.  "You look so good!"

How could someone be this beautiful?  This girl even appeared to be two or three years younger than her.  Once she matured more, she would definitely be much more beautiful than now.

Aurum truly smiled this time.  "Thank you."

Clay looked at his sister and suddenly wanted to scratch his head a bit.  He didn't know that even Flora, like the others, would be affected by Aurum's face like this.  He turned to Aurum.  Well, he must admit that she really was beautiful.  But was that really enough to lose your mind over?  Rather than her face, Aurum's personality was much more interesting.

"If you used a disguise back in Shandra, then does that mean that 'Gold' is not your real name?" Flora asked.

"Yes.  My real name is Aurum Blackbourne."

Aurum Blackbourne?  Why did that name sound so familiar?  Ah!  Wasn't that the name of the girl with the highest number of followers in [Jiffy]?  Although it had only been a little more than five months since she'd been out of the village, she's now fully acquainted with this magnificent device called sPhones.  She thought they're the most convenient piece of gadget ever made.

They're much easier to use compared to defaro crystals.  Not only could you use it for communication, you could also use it for entertainment purposes.  During her free time, she would often watch videos or even look at the –[Jiffy] account of those famous people.  It's a good way to pass the time and to gather information.

One of the accounts she'd been following was Aurum Blackbourne's.  Although she seldom posted anything, every time she did, the likes and comments would go on millions.  Flora should have realized it was her the moment she saw that golden hair and those amber eyes. 

But wait- if this girl, who she thought was named 'Gold', was actually Aurum Blackbourne, then that guy who introduced himself as 'Silver', could he possibly be--?

Flora turned to his brother.  "Then that 'Silver', he is…?"

"He's my brother," Aurum said, answering Flora's question.

So Flora was right.  That 'Silver' was actually Argent Blackbourne.  The genius creator of sPhones and also the owner of Silver Corporation.  That alone was enough to garner the admiration of people.  And yet he was not just that.

The duke was a famous NoGift and yet he still managed to defeat that knight who was escorting her and the other girls.  It just showed how much perseverance and hard work he put into just to become strong and fight without relying on Mana or Gifts.  And from what she saw, she was truly successful on that account.

"I'll let the two of you speak," Aurum suddenly said before any of them could speak again.  "How about I make lunch for all of us?  That's the kitchen, right?"

Before Flora could say anything, Aurum already walked towards their cabin's small kitchen.  The little kid, Black, was trudging behind her.  Wait- was it really alright to let someone like Aurum Blackbourne cook lunch for them?

She was about to walk towards the kitchen as well when her brother stopped her.

"Let's talk first," Clay said.  "I have something to discuss with you."

Looking at her brother's somewhat serious expression, Flora could only nod.