You lean forward in the private booth, the tavern's warm lantern light flickering across the table. Lukas is still gripping your arm like a lifeline, eyes red from crying. Mira sits silently at your side, fox ears perked but perfectly still, her hand resting on your thigh under the table in quiet, unwavering support. She already senses this is something deeply personal — she doesn't interrupt, doesn't question. She simply listens with absolute loyalty.
You look your little brother straight in the eyes and speak softly, voice steady but full of the cosmic weight only you carry now.
"Lukas… it's me. Your big brother. I died in that accident too — or at least, I was pulled here the same way you were. But when the cosmic entity offered me one wish… I didn't ask for strength, or a harem, or to be the hero. I wished for the exact same powers that a true genie possesses. Unlimited wishes. Reality bending. The full package."
You let that sink in for a second. Lukas's eyes widen, mouth opening but no words coming out yet.
You continue, gentle but honest:
"That wish… it broke the balance of this world. The Goddess felt it the moment I claimed that power. That's why she refused to give you her blessing. That's why you're only B-rank while the other four got everything. It wasn't because you're weak or unworthy. It was because of me. I'm the reason you've been treated like dirt — forced to walk while they ride, carrying their shit, called useless. I'm sorry, little brother. I never meant for you to suffer for my choice."
Lukas stares at you, tears starting to fall again, but this time they're mixed with something else — shock, relief, dawning understanding.
You reach across the table and grip his shoulder firmly.
"But I'm here now. And I'm going to fix everything. I can make you as strong as you want — stronger than the other four heroes combined if that's what you desire. I can give you weapons, titles, revenge, a way home… anything. You're not alone anymore. You're my little brother, and no one in this world or the divine realms is going to hurt you again. Not the other heroes. Not the King. Not even the gods — they already know what I am, and they're terrified."
Mira's tail curls tighter around your leg under the table. She bows her head slightly toward Lukas, voice soft and respectful for the first time since meeting him:
"I serve only Lord Grim… but if he calls you brother, then you are under my protection as well. No one will touch you while I draw breath."
Lukas wipes his face with his sleeve, voice cracking but full of desperate hope.
"Big brother… you really have that kind of power? You're… a genie? Like the legends? I thought I was going crazy here. The other heroes laugh at me every day. The King barely acknowledges I exist. I just wanted to survive long enough to maybe find a way home… but if you're really here and you can…"
He trails off, looking at you with the same trusting eyes he had when you were kids back on Earth.