Sunny's mind was a mess in that moment.
'Damn it!'
Everything had gone according to plan from the start.
Upon arriving at the Academy, he began acting in a way that would make everyone leave him alone and not talk to him—and it worked. It worked perfectly.
After a brief series of conversations, he earned a reputation as an unpleasant, foul-mouthed pervert. That reputation solidified quickly. He received several slaps and even a punch.
Finally, people seemed to avoid him, and Sunny was glad no one wanted to talk to him. His face hurt, and his nose was bleeding. Being ostracized from a group was nothing new, but it still hurt.
Yet he was smiling.
Because his first day at the Academy had been a complete success. Then he managed to get his own room! And as if that weren't enough, unlimited food!
So then… why did he feel like he'd been hit by a truck?
This feeling began to stir inside him right before the interviews—in that hallway where he ran into a Legacy who was blocking his way.
After having to teach her some manners, he went straight to the interview but couldn't help feeling something strange inside when he saw her.
His mind was so consumed with thoughts about how to handle the interview that he failed to notice it, but he felt a strange familiarity. And not only that—Sunny also noticed how his shadow stopped and greeted her.
'What the hell!'
His shadow showed more appreciation for that Legacy than for him!
Still, he simply thought it might have been because of the Legacy's Aspect—maybe it affected emotions or something. That was also why he made a mental note to stay away from her.
Finally, the interview passed, and he did excellently.
If he wasn't placed last, it was mainly because there was a blonde girl whose Flaw was being blind, so for him, everything was going perfectly…
Until the second day began.
In fact, the day had started perfectly too. He woke up in his own room and went to his private bathroom—everything was fine. Then he left his room and went straight to the cafeteria.
It was a bit crowded, but that didn't bother him, so he served himself a good—and exaggerated—amount of food and went to sit at the same table as the blind girl.
The food was delicious. The meat and vegetables were perfectly balanced, everything cooked to perfection. The seasonings tied it all together in such a harmonious blend of flavors that, after the first bite, he felt his mouth fill with saliva, eager for the next one.
And there—that was when everything stopped going well.
A sudden commotion caught his attention, and he noticed it was the interview results.
His name was second-to-last on the list, only above the blind girl's name. That was fine, but the noise was too loud for what the results actually meant.
In the Dream Realm, it didn't matter if you came first or last on the list—everyone could die just the same.
Intrigued, he looked up and focused on the top names.
The first thing he saw was a photo of a man with slightly dark skin, brown hair, and green eyes.
Name: Caster Han Li Clan
Just above him, the portrait of the silver-haired girl with clear gray eyes could be seen.
Name: Nephis
True Name: Changing Star
Sunny frowned at that moment upon noticing she had a True Name.
'I wonder how she got hers.'
The Sleepers in the cafeteria were struck dumb by the revelation of this achievement. Listening to their excited whispers, Sunny felt a childish desire to scream "Me too! I have one too!"
But, of course, he kept quiet.
Still, that wasn't where everything started going wrong—it was with the fact that the list wasn't finished…
And finally, first and foremost, at the very top, was the portrait of a young woman of delicate beauty, with pale skin accompanied by two eyes as black as onyx, and black hair.
Name: Song Umbra
True Name: Lost Promise of the Moon
The Sleepers were staring at the screen with astonishment, fear, and admiration. At that moment, the cafeteria exploded in noise.
Even with all the noise, Sunny wasn't listening to anything they were saying.
His gaze was completely fixed on the Legacy's name. His eyes were slightly lost as his mind decided to unearth memories he had buried deep within his being.
Memories of a twin girl grabbing his sleeve.
Memories of onyx eyes staring at him intently.
Memories of his mother shouting: "Sunny and Umbra, dinner's ready!"
Memories of a stupid fight at the orphanage.
And finally, memories of his twin lying unconscious on a stretcher…
His mind was completely destroyed in that moment. All the memories and emotions overwhelming him like an avalanche that wouldn't let him breathe.
Sunny blinked and forced himself to calm down as much as he could.
Then he looked away from the results screen and focused on the gaze that had just started to make itself felt.
When he did, his eyes met directly with the recipient's—the very person who appeared on the screen.
His eyes first narrowed slightly—as if he were straining to see—then they opened slightly, and his pupils began to dilate.
'N-no… impossible…'
'This… this can't be! It has to be just a coincidence!'
She looks similar to me, she has the same name as my sister…
The girl broke the exchange of glances, but he continued looking at her in detail. She was… no!
'There's no way! Umbra… my Umbra died…'
This is pure coincidence! Or maybe someone's plan to trick him!
'Did someone find out I have a True Name and a Divine Aspect? Did they send someone to lower my guard?'
No… that wouldn't make sense, but, but…
None of the ideas his brain was trying to formulate made sense, and only one possibility remained.
'She is my twin…'
Who else could be named Umbra? It was a completely strange name, and with his limited education, Sunny knew what it meant—he understood the reference to an eclipse in her name.
If she is, if she really is my sister and she's okay… then, then why? Why did she never come for me?
Did she forget about him? Or was she disgusted by him?
Who would want to get close to an Outskirt rat like him…
Speaking of getting close, at that moment, the cafeteria fell completely silent.
Blinking several times, he identified that it was because Umbra was speaking to another Legacy.
He managed to catch the last thing she said.
"If that is your stance, then I am not the one you need to apologize to, don't you think? Jin of Titan Clan…"
The Legacy looked at her for a few seconds, then replied, "You're right, Lady Lost Promise of the Moon."
Then he walked away from the table and headed directly toward… toward him!
'What!'
'What does this guy want with me!'
Moments later, he stood in front of him while he remained seated with a completely raised eyebrow.
The Legacy lowered his head a few millimeters and said, "Jin of Titan Clan wishes to formally apologize to Sunless. I hope my comment did not cause any discomfort."
'What comment?!'
He didn't understand what he was apologizing for and tried to guess but failed, so he simply responded:
"Uhh… Sure."
The Legacy let out a smile and returned to the table, leaving him completely confused. He didn't fail to notice how Umbra was moving her face strangely, trying to hold back laughter.
'Damnation!'
The rest of breakfast continued normally, but his mind was still overwhelmed by thoughts and theories about what was really happening.
After finishing eating, he stood up from the table, took his tray, and left it on the dirty dish counter. He left the cafeteria for good and headed to Wilderness Survival class.
The professor was Awakened Julius—a lively old man with messy gray hair, absentminded eyes, and a pair of bushy eyebrows that seemed to jump around on their own.
Sunny's classes with Professor Julius began pleasantly and without much tension, but just a few minutes in, he felt like his head was going to explode. There was so much new information, and everything was so strange and counterintuitive to someone who had never left the protected, walled confines of the city.
Besides, there was the complication of everything that had happened in the cafeteria—with that on his mind, he couldn't concentrate in the slightest.
So, knowing he wouldn't be able to study, he decided to experiment with his shadow and see if it could do what he thought it could… he smiled slightly.
Looking at his shadow secretly from the professor, he thought.
'Let's see what you're capable of.'
After experimenting for a few minutes, he concluded that he would be able to use it for what he wanted. So a while later, Sunny's shadow hid in a corner of the grand dojo, watching his fellow Sleepers who, under Instructor Rock's tutelage, followed the steps of the introductory combat class.
In reality, he was only watching one person… well, maybe two.
One was Nephis—or Changing Star. He wanted to know what was so special about her that she had earned a True Name.
The other was Umbra.
His heart told him one thing about her, while logic told him another. At the same time, his paranoia pulled him in yet another direction. Finally, there was the seed of hope that had begun to sprout faintly in the center of his being.
He was full of contradictions that were overwhelming him again—so much so that when the class started, he barely registered it.
He watched her score a twenty on the machine.
He saw how the other Sleepers didn't even come close to her mark until Caster surpassed it.
Then he watched Nephis sweep the floor with everyone until she lost to Caster—and Caster being completely humiliated by Umbra.
Sunny quite enjoyed seeing that.
Finally, both classes ended, and he kept watching her throughout the day.
And that was what ultimately led him to the current moment.
Standing in one of the Academy's monotonous hallways, looking at the figure in front of him.
His eyes reflecting all the possible emotions crossing through his being, and with those same eyes, he noticed that Umbra's reflected different ones.
There was fear in them, uncertainty, expectations, slight confusion, but more than anything, there was a bond in them.
It was the bond of two twins who, for the first time in years, were seeing each other again.
—
Sunny stood in front of her, and his eyes slowly began to regain their usual spark, but the rest of his face was still transitioning from one emotion to another.
But mainly, the one that remained the most was… pain.
Sunny was hurt.
And Umbra didn't know why.
'He should be happy, right? Then, why…?'
""
She blinked.
Sunny was staring at the ground. His voice had barely reached her, soft to pull her out of her thoughts—but too late to understand what he had said.
"Can you repeat that?" she asked him.
Her brother remained silent and slowly nodded.
"I said…" He stopped and lifted his head to look at her. "Are you really you?"
'Am I?' Umbra asked herself.
Was she really his sister if she had no memories of him? If a week ago she would have thought he was a complete stranger… When the only thing connecting them was genetics and nothing more?
Could she really consider herself the sister Sunny had been waiting to find?
She opened her mouth to answer, then closed it and said nothing.
'This isn't fair.'
Because she wasn't that at all, and that made it unfair to him.
Finally, she decided to respond.
"I am, but at the same time, I'm not."
Sunny frowned and tilted his head as if to speak, but she interrupted him.
"If you mean I am Umbra, your twin—yes, I am." She took a step forward slightly. "But I have no memories of what we lived through together. After the accident… I remember nothing."
He stood staring at her intently, as if judging whether what she said was true or false. When he verified it, he said:
"You really don't remember anything?"
Umbra shook her head as she replied, "I'm sorry."
Then they both fell silent, and she ended up looking at the ground.
It was funny how on the outside she always acted strong and exemplary, but in a situation like this, she couldn't even look at the face of someone who was truly her brother.
She was afra…
Sunny chuckled, and she looked up with a frown.
"Sorry?" Sunny asked. "Why are you saying sorry? If it wasn't, if it wasn't your fault… why are you apologizing?"
Umbra suppressed the urge to say sorry again at the last moment, instead saying:
"You mean the accident?"
Sunny nodded.
"If you have no memories, it's going to be hard to prove you're really my sister, but tell me… when did you find out I was your brother?"
She replied quickly: "The day you finished your First Nightmare." Then she decided to add, "That's why I wasn't at the introductory talk from the beginning—I was on my way here. For you."
"For me?" She nodded, and then Sunny added, "What had you been told about me before?"
Umbra shrugged slightly.
"Not much—that you were my brother, that we had another sister named Rain, and that you were from the Outskirts… nothing more." At the mention of Rain, Sunny's eyes widened, and she quickly added, "I don't have any memories of Rain either."
Sunny took a step forward, and she noticed his shadow leave him to join hers.
"Even knowing I'm from the Outskirts, you decided to come?"
"Obviously," she replied unconsciously, while her eyes followed Sunny's shadow, which started waving at her.
He stopped before taking the next step, and a smile began to form on his lips.
"Thank you."
That was the last thing he said before walking toward her with open arms, intending to give her a hug.
With her guard down and looking at the shadow, she didn't react in time. So moments later, she found herself immersed in an embrace she hadn't started.
And with the contact… came the pain.
Flaw: [Silent Scar]
Flaw Description: [Your body rejects closeness it does not choose, reacting painfully to touch even when your mind does not understand why.]
At first, it was just pressure.
The rub of fabric against her skin, the foreign heat, the weight of arms around her. Then that pressure began to intensify.
As if every point of contact awakened thousands of needles hidden beneath her skin. A burning sensation was born where he touched her, slowly spreading through every area of contact, growing with every fraction of a second the embrace continued.
The warmth of the contact turned into fire. The needles into blades.
Her muscles tensed by pure instinct as the pain continued to increase, amplifying over and over again, as if her own body were screaming at her to reject that closeness.
It didn't matter that there was no intention to hurt her. It didn't matter that, rationally, she knew it was just a hug.
Her body didn't listen to reason—it only knew one response.
Pain.
She clenched her teeth hard enough to break them and quickly broke the embrace, pushing him away while letting out a suppressed cry of pain.
Sunny, not expecting that, ended up falling on his backside while trying to keep his balance and stared at her intently.
Umbra couldn't tell what expression he was making because she was hunched over, forcing the sensation of that horrible pain to leave her.
The pain was gone—the moment the embrace broke, her Flaw deactivated. But that didn't mean the sensation of the pain had gone too. Her muscles were still uncomfortable as they grew accustomed to the calm.
She began to breathe steadily, and her Innate Ability activated to help her in the process.
Seconds later, she was calm and finally straightened up to stand tall.
Sunny had already stood up and kept a prudent distance from her.
"Are you okay? What was that?"
Umbra checked that no one else was nearby, then looked at him and smiled slightly.
"I'm fine now. The other thing… I can't tell you right now."
She decided not to tell him about her Flaw mainly because, even though they were in a secluded part of the Academy, that didn't mean no one could overhear them.
She no longer cared if their reunion was heard. If she wanted to train him and help him, eventually everyone would realize he was her brother. But talking about one's Flaw like that was simply something she wouldn't allow to happen.
"I understand," Sunny replied simply, then asked with a slightly nervous voice, "So what do we do now?"
"That depends on you."
He raised an eyebrow.
"On me?"
Umbra nodded.
"If you want, we can be brothers and I can help you train." Then she smiled and added, "You might not know this, but I'm pretty good at fighting."
Sunny laughed lightly while nodding.
"Oh, I know—I saw what you did to Caster." Still nodding, he said, "Deserved."
She couldn't help but agree with him.
"I agree. I don't like Caster either. I've seen him at different Ball events, and he has an attitude that just doesn't sit well with me."
He frowned.
"Ball? Wait, what kinds of ball are we talking about? Something like football? Or some kind of Legacy ritual? Do Legacy's clan play football?"
Umbra couldn't help but laugh openly, and even Sunny's shadow started laughing at his question!
Sunny stood there watching her, not understanding anything while she laughed, and his expression only made it funnier!
"Why are you laughing! It was an honest question!"
Finally, after moments of laughter, she stopped and wiped the tears that had come to her eyes.
"That was funny!" She finally deigned to respond. "A ball is a social gathering, usually accompanied by a dance."
He stared at her for a moment, then coughed.
"Oh… that makes more sense, I guess…"
"It does, it does… well," she began walking until she stood beside him. "Tell me something important—who's older between us?"
Her brother stared at her intently, and she noticed he didn't want to answer. Finally, after a few seconds, he said in a low voice, but loud enough for her to hear due to how close they were:
"You…" He added, raising his voice. "By seven minutes!"
She patted him on the shoulder while grinning.
"No need to be angry! You should have been born seven minutes earlier, little brother."
"Don't call me that!" Sunny moved away from her without touching her and crossed his arms.
Umbra laughed lightly and then shifted to a more normal tone.
"How about I help you train every day after classes?"
He thought for a few seconds and nodded while replying, "I have Wilderness Survival classes almost all day, but I could make some time if needed."
She nodded at his response and added.
"Then it's settled—see you tomorrow, little brother."
Her brother let out a defeated sound and eventually agreed.
Umbra, for her part, kept walking through the Academy's monotonous hallways until she reached her room. The first thing she did was take a shower.
The hot water ran over her body, washing away the sweat and the uncomfortable sensation in her muscles.
Finally, when she finished, she was in perfect condition, and after drying her hair, she let herself fall onto the bed.
She grabbed her communicator and checked that she had half an hour before her bedtime, so she decided to go to her trusted site to read her novels!
When the half hour passed, she didn't even notice and ended up reading for another half hour until she finally snapped back to herself.
Unwillingly and fighting the urge, she finally put her communicator on her nightstand beside the bed and closed her eyes, intending to sleep.
It had been a good day for her.