A hand was slowly caressing Soren's scalp, fingers threading gently through his hair. Something soft pressed against his cheek while the rest of his body lay on his stomach. The starchy, stony ground pressed against his lower abdomen, mixed with the faint scent of sweat and damp rain.
He could tell his head was resting on someone's lap—and they were in a cave.
Soren's eyes fluttered open as Voren's magic slowly dissipated. His back felt heavy and strange. He was still in a daze when the hand on his head stilled and retracted.
"Wakey, wakey, little brother."
Voren's magnetic voice snapped Soren fully awake.
He pushed himself up from Voren's lap, a blush creeping onto his face. Voren's hand froze mid-air as he watched his little brother move away. Then a smug smirk tugged at his lips.
Soren accidentally kneed something feathery—and it hurt.
"Ow…"
He looked down at what he had just hit. His eyes widened.
Voren chuckled, "You get wings and your first reaction is to knee your own wing?"
Soren huffed, "It wasn't on purpose." He carefully shifted away from them. "I have wings?"
Voren nodded, "You do."
Soft, white, angel-like feathers unfurled behind Soren. He stared at them in awe and shock. The pure white contrasted sharply with his darkened arms, pale skin, and black sclera.
Voren puffed out his cheeks. "Although I'm kind of disappointed." He scrutinized Soren's wings. "Why are yours white?"
"What do you mean?"
"When I transformed, mine were black." Voren complained.
Soren paused, then looked back at him. "When did you first transform?"
Voren's face darkened. He looked away.
"…Someone attacked me." His voice lowered. "I was desperate. I was fourteen… he wanted to taint me…"
Then he smiled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes.
"I don't know what happened, but my shadow tendrils burst out of my arms, my legs… even the ground around me started staining with darkness, cracked with purple light."
He glanced at Soren, a faint sadness flickering in his deep violet gaze.
"That man was ripped into pieces… I thought…" he let out a bitter laugh, "I thought I had traumatized my moonlight."
"I passed out… and when I woke up… I was changing."
Soren felt an ache in his chest. Without thinking, he scooted closer to Voren.
"I'm sorry… I didn't know…"
Voren looked at him, then laughed softly—genuine this time.
"Why are you apologizing? Of course you wouldn't remember." He leaned back against the cave wall. "I took all your memories of me."
He paused.
"No matter how much I changed… Aizen never left my side…"
Then, scratching the back of his neck, he added, "Sorry for knocking you out earlier. But growing wings without instant regeneration? That pain is… not fun."
Soren sighed. "Brother…" he shifted closer again, "I have a similar story…"
"Hm?" Voren tilted his head.
Soren told him everything—about the temple, the matron, the cave, Elias. He didn't sugarcoat a single detail.
By the time he finished, Voren's expression had gone still—too still.
The same kind of calm Soren had seen in himself… after killing Elias.
"Elias…?" Voren's teeth clenched. "First that bastard goes after my moonlight… and now my brother and future brother-in-law…"
Soren's eyes widened. "Wait… he… did that to Aizen?"
Voren didn't answer.
Something cold settled in Soren's chest.
"…How old was he?" Soren asked quietly, gripping Voren's hands.
"…Nine."
Soren recoiled.
"He ran away from his village," Voren continued. "Thought no one would protect him. For six months, he lived on the streets."
Soren's mind flashed back to Sirius's words. The young elf Elias had harmed…
It was Aizen.
Voren's tone suddenly shifted, becoming playful again.
"Then six months later, he tried to steal from me," he grinned, "and I picked him up. Now he's my moonlight. Heehee."
Soren blinked, then sighed helplessly.
"My long-lost brother is such a pervert…"
Then he gestured to himself.
"Can you transform… into this?"
Voren grinned. "Hell yeah."
He stood up—and started stripping.
Soren immediately turned red. "W–why are you stripping?!"
"I don't want to rip my clothes," Voren replied casually, pulling off his shirt.
"Y- you could have warned me." Soren stuttered. He had never seen anyone except Cyrus undress.
Voren rolled his eyes as he got rid of his black gloves, "We are twins. I have everything–you have." That statement is so wrong to Soren. Back when Soren was still human or looked like a human he had lighter abs contrasting to Voren who had a full six pack. And Soren used to have hair up to his shoulders… but this guy-his twin has hair that exceeded his shoulder-blades.
Soren sighed. Those nine years. This must have been training too hard. And he still needs to learn that hair routine.
Voren smirked, "and it's not like I'm trying to seduce you." He grinned playfully, "besides, I'm faithful to my moonlight."
Soren shrugged, "whatever." His ears still burned. Even though this guy is an exact copy of him. He still blushed.
A low chuckle escaped Voren.
Then… his expression changed.
The playful glint vanished, replaced by something deeper. Focused. Ancient.
"Watch carefully, little brother." Voren closed his eyes as a coldness rippled through him.
A faint ripple through the cave like water hitting its own surface–something like that rippled through Voren's body. He spread his arms open. The ground stained black with a hint of purple beneath his feet
Soren watched in slight horror as huge dark tendrils rose from the stained ground. The tendrils danced, seeming to have a mind of its own. They then lunged at Voren. Wrapping around his arms as if they are trying to restraining him.
Soren's heart lurched. He felt scared for the brother that he had just met after nine years. He swallowed–Adam's apple bobbing slightly.
The tendrils that had wrapped themselves on Voren's arms dissolved as if they had been a part of Voren all along. But now his arms–finger tips to elbow had turned black. His height grew abruptly. His skin turned pale as his hair reached the back of his calf.
Soren wanted to stop his older brother. Because, Soren did not know if Voren was in pain… he doesn't want his brother to be hurt. But no sound came out of his mouth.
Voren inhaled sharply.
His back arched—
A deep, unnatural shift echoed through the cave. Not quite a crack, not quite a snap—something deeper. Like bones rearranging.
From his shoulder blades—
Darkness bloomed.
Not feathers at first.
No.
It was shadow.
Thick, liquid-like tendrils seeped outward before solidifying—stretching, shaping—
Then—
Fwoosh.
Wings.
Large. Vast. Pitch-black wings burst open behind him, feathers layered like blades, swallowing what little light the cave held. A faint purple glow threaded through them, pulsing like a heartbeat.
Soren's breath caught.
Voren exhaled slowly, steadying himself.
His eyes fluttered open. Two galactic purple pupils floated on the black scalaras like an ocean made out of ink.
Voren smiles again. Then he reverts back to how he was, a human. The shadows retracted and got back down to the height he was supposed to be in. His scalaras turned into the normal white again.
His smile turned into a grin at Soren's fearful expression, "that's how you transform, little brother." his wings remained. But then they whipped into smoke and then curled inwards. Voren rolled his neck, stretching like nothing had happened. "See? Easy."
Soren stared at him.
"…Easy?" he echoed.
Voren grinned. "Well… after the first few times."
Soren glanced back at his own wings; soft, white, completely different.
"…Mine don't feel like shadows."
Voren followed his gaze, then smirked.
"Yeah… yours feels like something else entirely."
He leaned slightly closer, eyes glinting.
"Light suits you, little brother."
Soren looked up at him.
"…Can you teach me how to change back?"
Voren grinned, holding out his hand.
"You've got your amazing big brother for that."
Soren smiled, taking his hand.
"…Alright."
He tightened his grip.
"Teach me, brother."