"T-Thene?!"
Sunny gasped, snapping his head sideways to avoid seeing more than he should. He suddenly found the damp tiles of the wall to be the most fascinating things in the world—two worlds even.
"What the hell are you doing here?!" he sputtered, his face seconds away from bursting into a localized supernova.
Thene grinned widely, twirling a lock of wet hair around her fingers.
"Why? Can't I be here? I go where I please." She gave him a dismissive wave. "But don't mind me! If you're busy doing stuff with the twins, please, continue!"
She pressed a hand to her lips, her eyes dancing with mischief. "Oh! Or perhaps... are you hoping I'll join in?" She laughed loudly, the sound echoing through the room, melodic and infuriatingly pleasant.
Sunny grunted, clenching his teeth to keep from shouting again. Her laughter seemed to vibrate through the very water of the thermal springs.
Then... an unsettling, heavy silence fell over the room.
Driven by instinct, Sunny turned his gaze back toward Thene.
She was sitting perfectly still, staring at him with those haunting obsidian eyes.
That familiar glimmer of melancholy and joy was still there, but for the first time, the sparks had ignited into a steady, burning fire.
Sunny was left with the unintended consequence of gazing upon her bare, pristine skin.
The steam whistled heavy in the baths.
He expected a cutting remark or a dirty joke the moment she caught him staring, but it never came.
She simply remained there. They shared a silence where a thousand unsaid words hung in the air.
Thene rose, and Sunny instinctively averted his eyes again.
He heard the soft pitter-patter of water droplets falling from her smooth skin as she approached. Her footsteps were calm and light.
Once she reached his side, she sat.
She simply sat there.
Her legs were drawn up against her chest, her arms wrapped around her knees. Her head bowed below, their bare shoulders touching—almost caressing each other.
Sunny felt as if his heart were trying to punch its way through his ribs. It was pounding so hard he was sure she could hear it. Against his better judgment, he looked back at her.
What he saw left him stunned.
The vibrant, teasing Thene was gone. The mask of the Priestess of Shadows, the formidable Master of the Shadow Temple, had vanished. In her place sat a girl made of crystal rather than shadows—so fragile that Sunny feared she might shatter if he looked away.
So, he didn't.
Wrapped in the warmth of the spring and a crushing intimacy, they sat in a silence that words could not hope to fill.
Finally, Thene spoke. Her voice barely a whisper. "Thamriel... would you like to hear a story?"
"Yes," Sunny answered firmly. His heart was still racing, but his curiosity had taken the lead.
"When I first came here, I was only five years old," Thene began. "Fifteen years ago, to be exact. My parents couldn't afford me, so they left me here. I was alone, lost, and because of my innate ability to see through shadows, the other children avoided me. They feared me and kept their distance."
Sunny didn't interrupt. He didn't have the heart to, especially as he saw her piercing eyes begin to glisten.
"Until one day, a hand reached for me. It was the Priestess of Shadows of that time.
She was kind to me when no one else was.
She treated me like a daughter when my own flesh and blood didn't.
She gave me affection when everyone else shunned me.
And before I knew it... you and your mother became my family. Even though you hadn't even been born yet."
She let out a small, jagged sob, but she didn't cry.
The time for tears had passed long ago.
"Then... the day came for her to give birth. Minutes felt like eons. The sundial's shadow seemed to stand still. Finally, the news reached me:
mother and son hadn't made it."
Hearing this, a genuine shiver ran down Sunny's spine.
"I ran to the nursery without thinking. When I burst inside, I saw them. Your mother lay cold, covered in blood... and then there was you."
She held her hands out, mimicking the memory. Sunny followed the gesture, his breath hitched in his throat.
"There wasn't a scratch on you. No blood. It didn't look like death; it looked like you were merely sleeping."
She wrapped her arms around her own shoulders, as if hugging the memory.
"I took you in my arms. You were so small. So fragile. I whispered to you: 'Please, wake up. Don't leave me.'"
She turned to meet his gaze.
"At first, nothing. Then... perhaps the Gods were feeling merciful, or perhaps it was a miracle. You cried. A loud, shrill sound-and to me, it was the most beautiful sound in the world."
She paused, allowing him to digest the weight of her words.
"Gaston entered then and found me holding you. He took you and whispered, 'A miracle... it's a miracle.' Eventually, you were placed with the servants, and I was adopted by the High Priest. My life began because yours did."
The story ended, leaving a heavy, sorrowful quiet in the room.
Sunny had so much he wanted to say, but Thene acted first. She reached out and pulled him into a warm, desperate embrace.
Sunny didn't resist. He didn't feel awkward or shy. He simply let her pull his head to her chest with the same fierce care she must have used fifteen years ago.
The world outside was cold, but in that moment, the snowstorm couldn't reach them.
"Thamriel," Thene whispered his name like a compass. "Do you think it's strange... that I've been in love with you ever since your tears answered mine?"
Sunny swallowed hard. Something snapped inside him. In recognition.
"No. It's not strange. Not at all."
He replied, finally wrapping his own arms around her.
"Thank you, Thamriel. Thank you." Thene whispered, shredding silent tears.
Sunny saw himself in her words.
He understood.
It was no coincidence that he had developed feelings for Master Jet, or for that girl back in the Outskirts.
Sunny was alone, trapped in a storm. And when you are in a storm, you cling to whatever lifeboat you can find.
Love is merely a consequence.
He also understood why Thene used to be such a fierce jokester with him, because up until then he had been the same way with Jet.
It was not romance; it was a desperate plea: don't leave me.
The two of them stayed like that, two souls clinging to each other in the steam. Then, they both pulled back slightly, eyes meeting once more.
"You know?" Thene said, breaking the spell. "I've become truly strong in these years. I am as strong as a Myriad Shade."
"Myriad Shade?" Sunny tilted his head, confused by her choice of words.
The moment the words left his lips, something happened.
Deep within his soul, something cold and unbreakable bound itself to him. It was an eternal, irresistible shackle-perfect and sweet.
Sunny's eyes widened. He blinked, looking at Thene.
She was smiling-a smile of profound relief and gratitude.
Instinctively, Sunny summoned his runes.
---
Name: Sunless
True Name: -
Rank: Aspirant
Soul Core: Dormant
---
Nothing seemed different.
Until his gaze reached the bottom.
Slave: [Myriad Shade]