The next fourteen years were… amusing, to say the least.
Sunny and Rain were admitted to a proper school—something that would have been unthinkable in his previous life. Sunny soon found himself in the same class as Cassie.
Not because he was slow to learn, but because Cassie was smart enough to skip grades.
Eventually, when she skipped again, Sunny followed. He used his knowledge from his past life to ensure they remained together, carefully fostering a sibling-like bond from the very beginning.
Meanwhile, as the son of an Awakened, Sunny was placed under his father's personal training. It was the perfect setup for his growth.
Abel wasn't concerned with bloodline glory or prestige. He simply wanted his children to survive. And now that he had awakened, he knew they would likely follow suit.
So he made sure they were ready.
Two years after Abel's awakening, he was summoned to the Academy. A fifteen-year-old girl from the Outskirts had awakened.
Her name was Jet.
In the past, the government had swindled her, having her reveal one too many secrets and binding her to itself. But this time, things played out differently.
Julius had recommended Abel for her interview, believing that someone from the Outskirts would be better suited to evaluate her.
When Abel saw the girl sitting stiffly in front of him, he was surprised.
A fifteen-year-old from the Outskirts surviving the nightmare ? That was rare.
"What's your name, dear?" he asked gently.
The girl hesitated, attempting to sound cold, but her nervousness bled through, the years at the outskirts had made her bold but the terror of having practically died made her sway.
"J-Jet."
"And do you have any family left?"
"No."
Abel sighed. "Yeah… that's what the Outskirts do to you. I'm sorry. Tell me about your Aspect."
Jet shifted in her seat, her fingers curling into fists.
"It's a Supreme Aspect," she admitted. "It deals soul damage and lets me absorb essence from my k-kills…"
She swallowed hard.
"My flaw is that-."
Abel tensed and stopped her before she could speak. "No, don't tell me your flaw unless you want to, it's not necessary.
When Abel had recently joined the Awakened world, he had easily revealed everything about himself, except for his flaw, but that was because he had been ashamed of it.
Jet however was young and afraid of this world, she had almost revealed her flaw easily. The outskirts she grew up on weren't as bad as the ones he had spent his life in.
So she had just a little bit of naivety left in her soul, one that was vastly amplified by her harrowing experiences through her first Nightmare and winter solstice.
Which meant that if Jet had confessed the extremely dangerous truth, The government would have exploited her once they found out.
Abel exhaled, gathering his thoughts. "Actually… you shouldn't go around telling people about your flaw. Especially one as dire as that."
Jet looked at him uncertainly. Nodding her head with a realisation a moment too late.
"But tell me, Jet… What do you want to do next?"
In front of him sat a girl untouched by the madness of an Awakened's life. She was still innocent enough to give a simple answer.
"I want to live."
Abel's expression softened.
"Live, huh… That's a wish we all have, don't we?"
The interview continued with more formal questions, and by the end of it, Abel had made his decision.
Jet would be staying at the Academy for now. But before leaving, Abel made an important call.
---
The device rang, and a familiar voice answered, light and amused.
"Hey, sunflower! How have you been?"
Three giggled on the other end.
"I'm doing well, honey. You were only gone for three hours. You don't have to act like it's been three days."
"Oh, well, you know how it is. I'm usually caught up with work for days, so it's become a habit."
"That's alright, Abel… Just do your best and don't worry."
Abel's tone shifted. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something."
"Oh? What is it?"
---
The next morning, five-year-old Sunny awoke to his mother's voice calling him outside.
When he stepped into the living room, he stopped in surprise.
Balloons lined the walls. A cake sat on the table, decorated with bright icing. The words Welcome Home! were written across it.
Sunny blinked.
"Mom… What's the cake for?"
Three smiled warmly. "For your sister, of course!"
Sunny frowned. "But Rain's birthday isn't close."
"Not Rain," she corrected. "Your new sister!"
Sunny's mind raced.
When did these guys—
Before he could finish the thought, Abel entered the room, followed by a girl.
She looked about fifteen, with raven-black hair and sharp blue eyes.
Abel clapped a hand on Sunny's shoulder. "Meet your new sister, Sunny! Rain! This is Jet!"
Sunny was stunned.
"You… adopted a girl?"
Abel grinned. "Yes. You don't like her?"
"No—I mean, I don't know her—I mean, I don't dislike—" He groaned, struggling to find the right words. "I just… didn't expect it."
"Aww, is our Sunny flustered?" Three teased.
Before he could defend himself, Rain stretched her tiny arms toward Jet.
"Noona!"
Abel nudged Jet forward. "Go on. Meet your family."
Jet hesitated for a moment, then walked up to Rain, who was still cradled in Three's arms. She reached out to shake her tiny hand.
But instead of grasping it, Rain simply started rubbing Jet's hand against her cheek.
Jet blinked.
"…Nice to meet you, Rain."
Then, she turned to Sunny.
"Nice to meet you, Sunny. I'm Jet. I hope we can be friends."
Sunny raised an eyebrow, amused."Friends? But aren't we supposed to be siblings now?"
"I-I meant that! Yeah!"