Nephis grasped her hand once more, her lips poised to utter words, but the moment was interrupted as Sunny emerged from the kitchen, balancing a Tablet in his hands. With a bright smile, he set the table and took a seat.
"Yes, I'm your brother," he declared, his voice steady. "You may not recall me—after all, you were just a child when we were torn apart—but I remember you vividly."
Rain found herself at a loss for words. He had hinted at this before, but his previous tone had rendered it almost laughable. Now, however, sincerity dripped from his voice, and his honest smile compelled her to reconsider.
"How can that be? I'm adopted, so I suppose that explains it. But why was I never informed of your existence?"
Sunny let out a heavy sigh, placing his coffee mug down with a soft thud.
"First off, you should know that I—well, technically, we—hail from the outskirts. That means there's not exactly a treasure trove of documents regarding us. Your birth certificate was likely created post-adoption, as folks from the outskirts don't typically have those. I'm not sure if your parents ever mentioned this, but I guess it's irrelevant now."
"They told me I was adopted and originally from the outskirts, but they had no details about my biological parents or if I had any other family."
"That doesn't surprise me. I'm almost certain they were unaware of my existence. The government doesn't keep a close eye on the outskirts. Even if they did know about me, they likely chose to keep it from you to shield you from whatever might be lurking out there."
"Okay, I get it. That makes sense. But what happened to our parents—and what about you?"
"Our father passed away while our mother was pregnant with you, and she followed suit just months after your birth. As for me, I survived while you were placed for adoption. I brought you to the adoption center after our mother died because I wanted you to have a better life—one far removed from the hellhole we came from."
Tears welled in Rain's eyes as Sunny held her hands, allowing her a moment to process the weight of his words.
"I'm so sorry, Sunny. I'm sorry for what you went through while I was living a good life. I hope you can forgive me."
Sunny chuckled gently, ruffling her hair.
"Forgive you? For what? I wanted you to have a better life, so how could I be upset with you for living it? It's the best outcome I could have hoped for."
Rain fought back tears, overwhelmed with relief that Sunny bore no resentment. After a few sobs, she managed to speak, a hint of relief in her tone.
"It's actually quite clear now. I feel a bit foolish for not noticing sooner, but we really do share a striking resemblance—our eyes, skin, hair, even our height."
Sunny frowned at the last observation, his expression turning playful.
"Well, what can I say? Life in the outskirts primarily consists of synthetic paste, so I didn't exactly get the best nutrition growing up. If it weren't for my saintly nature, I'd be much shorter than you."
Rain stifled a laugh at the image of looking down at her immensely powerful teacher.
"Haha, I can only imagine. I'd be lying if I said that thought wasn't amusing."
Suddenly feeling a bit shy, she glanced over at Nephis, who was also chuckling softly.
Sunny's gaze darted to Nephis, his eyes widening in mock disbelief.
"You too? Unbelievable."
Nephis smirked, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
"Well, while you may be a bit below average in height, you certainly exceed expectations in other areas."
Rain shivered at the implication.
"Um, I'm right here, you know? That last comment could have been omitted."
Nephis froze, her cheeks flushing as she quickly turned away, sipping her tea as if the walls held the secrets of the universe.
Sunny sighed, returning his focus to Rain.
"I apologize; she can get a bit carried away at times."
"Yeah, I noticed. So when we were in Ravenheart, you weren't lying when you said Nephis is your girlfriend. What else did you tell me that was true?"
"Everything, because my flaw is that I simply cannot lie."
"What? That can't be right. You mentioned you were thousands of years old while appearing to be in your mid-twenties."
"I know, and the same could be said for Nephis, by the way."
"Huh?"
"It's a bit convoluted, but to simplify: our third Nightmare unfolded on a river of time that loops back on itself. We experienced thousands of years within that Nightmare, while barely a year passed outside."
"Okay, that clears up one mystery, but what about the other things? Like your Giant Citadel. Please don't tell me you're secretly the Sword King, Anvil of Valor."
"Oh, that? No, I'm not, but I am the Lord of Shadows instead."
Rain's mouth fell open, stunned into silence. After a moment, she sighed, resignation washing over her.
"Sure, why not? I shouldn't be surprised, actually."
Nephis patted her shoulder, her voice soothing.
"It's okay; I was surprised too at first, but it gets easier, trust me."
Sunny laughed, summoning a second avatar clad in Onyx armor and the Weaver's mask.
"It's my transcendental ability. I can manifest up to six avatars from the six shadows I possess. One was with you the entire time, while four remained in Godgrave and one was here in Bastion, alongside my original body."
Rain studied the avatar resembling the Lord of Shadows, who appeared to struggle to maintain balance, and then sighed.
"You really are the most extraordinary brother anyone could wish for."
Sunny scoffed, confusion lacing his voice.
"You think so? I believe Morgan would have a different opinion. Her brother tried to kill her and is plotting against their entire family, so I wouldn't say I'm that much of an anomaly among brothers."
"You mean Princess Morgan of Valor? That Morgan?"
"Yes, of course. Do you know another? The guy who lurks in mirrors—the one I mentioned, Mordret—is her brother."
"You mean that monster who can kill people just by being seen? The one you said would take over my body without anyone noticing?"
Sunny took a sip of his coffee, shrugging nonchalantly.
"That's the one."
"Then I take it back; you're rather normal in comparison."
"Thank you, but let's steer clear of that guy and his family—they're a peculiar bunch."
Sunny sipped his coffee, his tone steady.
"You probably overheard Nephis and me discussing my lost fate and the memory loss that accompanied it. I want to quickly explain what transpired. You've been able to follow everything I've said so far, and I checked with my avatar and the mask he's wearing just a moment ago. I was right; you actually have strands of shadow essence connecting you to me, which I assume formed naturally."
"I was curious about that, but what do you mean by shadow strings?"
Sunny shrugged, his smile warm.
"I know it's a bit perplexing. I've gotten quite adept at explaining it over the past few weeks, so this won't take long."
He delved into the tale of his lost fate and its consequences, summarizing past events swiftly. Rain had a few questions, particularly about how he had found her, and was taken aback when he mentioned hiring a private detective before his first Nightmare.
"So you were living in the house that was sold in our neighborhood after the owner vanished for years?"
"Exactly. I acquired the house to be close to you, just to keep an eye on you and ensure your safety."
Rain felt a flush of embarrassment wash over her as she recalled calling him a "brat" back then, a term that clashed with her upbringing.
"I'm sorry for calling you a brat back then. What was I even thinking?"
Nephis chuckled, while Sunny shot her an annoyed look.
"Anyway, now that we're all on the same page, I have an important question for you. What do you want to do now?"
Rain hesitated for a moment, then shrugged.
"I guess I'll need to steer clear of Ravenheart for a while again. So, I'll stay here."
"Wonderful! That was my suggestion as well. We still need to work on you discovering your aspect and flaw, so we'll have plenty of time for that."
Nephis suddenly looked perplexed, her expression shifting.
"What do you mean by 'discovering her aspect and flaw'? Doesn't she know how to read her runes?"
Sunny and Rain exchanged glances before turning back to Nephis.
"You haven't told her yet?"
"No, I wanted to ask you first if it was okay."
"I have no issue with her knowing. In fact, you can tell your entire cohort if you want."
"Really? Then I guess it's settled."
Nephis glanced back and forth between Rain and Sunny, her sigh heavy with curiosity.
"Is anyone going to fill me in on what's happening?"
Sunny looked at Rain, giving her a thumbs up. Rain paused for a moment, then shrugged.
"I awakened naturally, without the spell, which is why I don't know my aspect or flaw yet."
To say Nephis was astonished would be an understatement; she was utterly flabbergasted. She struggled to form a coherent response.
"Y… you did what? How? That knowledge has been lost for years—only me and a couple of my friends…"
She trailed off, noticing the proud smile on Sunny's face, burying her face in her hands, overwhelmed.
"Just when I think I've seen it all from men, one of them pulls a rabbit out of the hat. Seriously, how can someone like him even exist?"
Sunny chuckled, planting a gentle kiss on her head.
"I swear, I'll keep you on your toes, neph."
Neph straightened up, shaking off her surprise.
"So you taught her to awaken naturally, using the wisdom we gleaned from Ananke?"
"Exactly! I probed her about the ascension journey sans the spell, and I guided Rain through it. She nailed it just a few days ago."
Rain flashed a smile at neph and shrugged nonchalantly.
"It took me over a year, so it's not exactly a monumental feat. Honestly, I still have no clue what my Aspect or flaw is, so I've got miles to go."
Nephis shook her head, disbelief etched on her face.
"Are you serious? You're the only one who's managed to awaken naturally—that's nothing short of extraordinary!"
"Thanks, but I owe it all to Sunny. He pushed me hard and made me earn it, and now that I've hit my first milestone, I'm grateful. Though, I'll admit, I cursed him every time he sent me to battle those nightmare creatures. He even had me take down an Awakened Devil, which was a real nightmare."
Nephis shot a horrified glance at Sunny and exclaimed, "SUNNY!"
Sunny shrugged, his tone calm. "What? I was right there with her. If anything went south, I'd have stepped in, but thanks to my stellar teaching, Rain never needed my help."
Nephis pouted. "Still, you could've lent a hand."
"Not a chance! Diamonds are forged under pressure, and that's the philosophy I went with for Rain's training."
Rain giggled, chiming in, "You two are just too adorable together!"
Both of them blushed and turned to her, in unison saying, "I know."
"Huh?"
After that uncanny moment, laughter erupted, and they shared a quick kiss.
Rain watched, her face scrunching up in mock disgust. "Please tell me you two aren't planning any... activities while I'm here."
Sunny grinned, waving his hand dismissively. "No way! I have zero interest in my little sister learning about my love life."
Rain burst into laughter. "Good, because if you did, I might just have to off myself."
Nephis gasped, but Sunny just chuckled and gave Rain a high five. "That's the spirit, sis."
With a sigh and a chuckle, Nephis remarked, "You two really are siblings."
They both looked at her, confusion painted on their faces, and said in unison, "Of course we are."
Their shared bewilderment sent them into another fit of laughter.
As the night deepened in Bastion, Rain, worn out from a whirlwind of emotions and an avalanche of information, decided to retreat to bed, leaving Sunny and Neph alone in the café.
With the night still young, Sunny and Nephis were itching for some fun, but Rain's presence put a damper on their plans. Just then, Cassie's voice echoed in Nephis's mind.
[Hey neph]
'What's up, Cass?'
[I owe you for not telling you Sunny is the Lord of Shadows, remember?]
'Yes, you do. Have you figured out your grand plan?'
[Even better, it's already in motion.]
'What do you mean?'
Suddenly, the bell above the door jingled as Effie and Jet strolled into the café. Effie carried takeaway containers and a fresh deck of Uno cards.
She set down her food and the cards, plopping into the chair next to Neph, with Jet following suit. "Hey, Cassie sent us to babysit for you two," Jet said with a chuckle.
Sunny looked puzzled while Neph received further instructions from Cass.
"What? She didn't mention anything to us," Sunny replied, bewildered.
"Yeah, it's a surprise for both of you. Since Rain is here and needs someone to watch over her, we volunteered," Effie said, munching on her food.
"That's great, but we didn't plan anything, so we're at a loss for what to do," Sunny admitted, feeling overwhelmed.
Nephis leaned closer to Sunny, taking his arm. "It's fine, Sunny. Cassie has something set up for us, so let's just go."
Sunny sighed, his tone serious. "I told you both what happened with Rain earlier, so please keep it down. She needs her rest after today."
Jet winked, chuckling. "Trust me, Sunny, I know. You two just go have fun. Effie and I will play some games and chat. When Rain wakes up tomorrow, we'll take care of her, promise."
"Alright, I guess that works. Thanks for stepping in," Sunny said, relief washing over him.
"Don't think we're doing this for free; your cakes and liquor will be gone by the time you return," Effie teased with a smirk.
"Of course they will. See you guys."