Shadows of a second life

That night, Elias couldn’t sleep at all.

Elias:Damn what's this noise all about.

The walls of the Voss household were decently thick, but they weren’t nearly thick enough to block out the sounds coming from the master bedroom. Moans, gasps, and the rhythmic creaking of the bedframe filled the hallway. Lira’s soft, breathy cries mixed with Maria’s bolder, more commanding voice as they both called out Elaric’s name.

Elias lay in bed, face buried in his pillow, seriously pissed off. What kind of asshole sleeps with two women at the same time? And why do they have to be so damn noisy about it?

He remembered his own experiences with Aiko in his previous life — passionate but nowhere near this intense. Those nights had been awkward, tender, and relatively quiet. This… this was something else entirely.

After twenty frustrating minutes, he gave up trying to ignore it. A mischievous, slightly lewd idea crossed his mind. With a grin he couldn’t quite suppress, he slipped out of bed, crept to the door, and quietly opened it just enough to peek down the hallway.

The door to his parents’ room was slightly ajar. Through the gap, he caught glimpses — bare skin glistening with sweat, hands roaming, bodies moving together in a heated tangle. Maria was riding Elaric with confident rolls of her hips while Lira kissed him deeply, her fingers tangled in his hair. The sounds were even clearer now, raw and unrestrained.

Elias looked on like someone caught up in a trance , watching dad juggle two baddies at once, this is like, limited edition p**n,he thought to himself.

Elias’s face flushed. He stood there, frozen in a mix of embarrassment and teenage curiosity, a stupid lewd grin spreading across his face.

Elias’s internal monologue: Holy shit… Dad’s living the dream. Two beautiful women at once. I can’t even maintain a proper girlfriend without killing myself,side effect of romance and breakups. Life is unfair.

He was so lost in the scene that he didn’t hear the soft footsteps behind him.

A finger tapped his shoulder.

Elias froze like a statue. Slowly, dreadfully, he turned around.

Elara stood there in her nightgown, arms crossed, wearing the sweetest, most dangerous smile he had ever seen.

This is even more scary than Aiko,he thought.

What to do, what to do,come on goddess what should I do,is this the end of it all say something.

“Brother,” she said cheerfully, “you’ll have to explain yourself to Mother and Father in the morning.”

Elias’s face drained of all color. “Elara—wait—please don’t—”

Elara still smiling then spoke up again.

Come on brother, you really sure you don't want me to.

Elias nodded quickly as if his life depended on it.

I... I wa... I was just..

Elara just stared at him smiling.

Elias knew it was over for him.

One thing about Elara,she was the undisputed GOAT of the art of the snitch.

And believe it or not.

The next morning was pure lecture mode.

Lira and Maria sat him down with stern expressions while Elaric tried (and failed) to look serious.

Lira then spoke up.

Elias, you have failed me, how could you, such a little child spy on his parents doing that.

Do you have no shame,at this age you are already thinking about sex.

Prepare for a lecture on the rules and ethics which children must follow.

And just like that

Elias endured a long talk about privacy, respect, and “not spying on your parents at the twelveth hour like a pervert.”

After everything, Elaric pulled him aside with a conspiratorial grin. “Listen, son. If you’re ever in need of a wife, come to Daddy. I can speak with some nobles and arrange something nice so you stop spying on me and your mothers.”

Elias turned bright red. “Jeez, nobles .Dad… I’m not gay, and besides I would love only for the wand.”

Elaric blinked, clearly confused. “Gay? What’s that? Some new magic term?”

"And please don't say you'll like only for the wand,in less than 3 years you'll be thirteen,I have high hopes for you."

Elias wanted to crawl under the floorboards and die.

Later that afternoon, still flustered, he met Elyra outside near their usual bench. She noticed his slightly off mood immediately.

“Rough morning?” she asked calmly, tilting her head.

“You have no idea,” Elias muttered. He quickly changed the subject by offering to teach her a new spell variation.

How about I teach you this,I just discovered that by accelerating the charge in fire magic to insane speeds you create this,voila.

Immediately sparks began dancing in Elias palm, this is electric serpent,he said, still under the works though.

Elias immediately fired it at a target,the electric serpent went straight to a bird in the trees crackling as it struck through, instantaneous and devastating.

Elyra stared in awe,she immediately tries visualization,the normal way clearly not understanding Earth's principles, but she just couldn't get it to work.

Elias then told her to attempt ice magic.

She immediately visualized and a barrage of sharp ice spears materialized mid air shimmering in the sky around the entire area.

Elias was stunned,how, this doesn't make any sense, I can't do it.

And the manifestation time is almost twice as fast what I'm capable of.

Is it because of her elvish heritage.

Hey Elyra,he said, you're above me now in mana control, congrats.

Now let's get you through more difficult training

They spent a pleasant couple of hours practicing. Elyra was improving rapidly — her intermediate spells now carried real weight, and she was starting to experiment with combining elements on a basic level. Elias felt genuinely proud watching her progress.

That evening, he had a sparring session with Elara to work out his lingering frustration.

He came at her aggressively, trying to vent through sword swings. But Elara had grown significantly. She evaded his strikes with graceful footwork, then suddenly stepped in close, shoving him hard with her shoulder. Elias went flying backward, landing hard on the grass.

She stood over him, offering a hand with a smirk. “You’re still dropping your guard when you’re angry. Focus.”

Elias groaned, accepting the help up. She’s definitely on another level now.

After a much-needed bath with a hot towel as was popular In this world , Lira handed him a letter that had arrived earlier.

“It’s from Selene,” she said with a warm smile.

Elias opened it eagerly.

Dear Elias,

How are you doing? By now you’ve probably reached the Mythic rank, right? (Just joking… or am I?)

Mother has taken a teaching position at the University of Magic in the capital of cairone.It’s a wonderful place for refining one’s abilities. Once you turn thirteen, you should consider joining us. It will help you grow much stronger and more polished.

You would surely need to brush up your abilities and this institution would really help you do that.

I’m currently attending as well. I’ve reached Advanced level in ice magic and they say I’m something of a genius.

Although I know who the real genius is.

Anyways.

I’ll be waiting for you here.

Looking forward to seeing you again,

Selene

Elias stared at the letter, a mix of excitement at receiving her letter and deep unease settling in his stomach.

School…

He had very bad memories with school.