Rain glared at her communicator and furiously typed away — she could not stand these nihilistic fans of Sir Sunless, The Dark Prince — slander such as this could not be tolerated! Sir Sunless would never die in the Dream Realm.
[The Dark Prince dying in the Dream Realm? That's the dumbest take I've ever heard. The man survived things that would wipe out entire cohorts and you think he's going to die? Just like that? If anything runs into him, it's not a fight — it's a funeral. And not his. So stop writing nonsense. Sir Sunless doesn't die. He makes other things wish they could.]
"Gosh! What is with these people?" Her lips curled into an enraged scowl. She huffed, crossing her arms as she stared at the flood of replies pouring in.
"Unbelievable," Rain shook her head, staring at the screen like it had personally offended her.
She believed that these types of fans were secret larpers whose favorite was Sir Caster, The Fallen Light of The Han Li Clan — jealous that Changing Star preferred the Dark Prince over their so-called fallen prodigy.
After the recent movie based on him, the hashtag DarkStar had been trending due to the wave of speculation the movie had stirred and the fact that Changing Star Nephis refused to comment on this only fanned the flames further.
The movie had caused a surge of new fans who flooded the forums — larpers talking about how inspiring and valiant Sir Sunless was.
Rain's eye twitched as she scrolled. "They watched one movie and suddenly they're experts," she muttered.
In her mind, the fandom neatly split into categories.
There were the veterans — the ones who actually followed. People who had been there long before the hype, from the moment Changing Star had mentioned him in one of the PR interviews.
They didn't needlessly engage in cheap agenda posts, didn't waste time arguing in comment threads and didn't waste time typing paragraphs. They trusted his strength.
Then the dramatists, who wanted a poetic ending to the Awakened's journey — who wanted a story they can cry about for views.
Then, finally, the larpers.
Her expression instantly soured.
They were the new wave of people jumping on the train to seem niche, to seem different. "…to seem like they knew something others didn't," Rain murmured, barely paying attention to where she was going.
Her eyes were still glued to the communicator.
"Acting like experts, throwing around opinions like—"
Thud.
She walked straight into something solid and stumbled back.
"Ow—what the—watch where you're—" Rain yelped, rubbing her shoulder as she scrambled up.
Then she looked up.
Her brain immediately short-circuited and her voice died instantaneously. For a second, her mind went completely blank.
Silver hair with pale piercing eyes and a distant, calm expression that seemed to be indifferent to all.
Rain froze rock-solid.
"…L-Lady Nephis?"
"Crap—sorry! I didn't see you, I swear—"
Her face burned, ears turning red as she realized exactly who she had just bumped into.
"I— sorry— excuse me—" Rain stammered, backing up fast. Then, without waiting for a response, she turned and hurried off — almost tripping over her own feet in the process.
Nephis remained unmoving, watching as the girl retreated far away from her. A faint trace of surprise lingered in her usually indifferent gaze.
"She looks like him," she mused.
…
A Few Days Later
The sterile scent of antiseptic clung to every surface of the hospital ward. A long line of patients stretched across the corridor with enthusiastic expressions — Nephis was doing another PR run! But this time providing free medicinal care.
It was useful work.
But it was also… tedious.
Cassie had gone off to lead the Firekeepers against a Gate breach off the coast of NQSC, leaving her completely alone.
Pale flames blossomed in her hands again and again, mending wounds, knitting bone, erasing pain as if it had never existed.
Then, from the far end of the corridor, a small disturbance broke through the carefully maintained order.
"I said I'm fine, mom! It's just a sprain, not a missing limb," Rain snapped, trying — and failing — to pull her hand free from her mother's grip.
"Stop moving," her mother hissed under her breath, clearly embarrassed by the attention they were beginning to draw. "You said that last time too, and it turned out to be fractured."
"That was different," Rain shot back immediately, wincing as the motion sent a sharp pulse of pain up her arm. She quickly masked it, straightening as if nothing had happened. "I was training. Obviously it's going to hurt."
Her mother gave her a look, the kind that said she wasn't buying it for even a second.
"Ever since that Gate incident, you've been throwing yourself into things without a second thought — even convincing your father to enroll you in that martial training."
Rain groaned, "Mom! The world's dangerous, you don't want me to be a hapless girl when I inevitably get infected."
Her mother's expression faltered, just for a second.
"That doesn't mean you throw yourself at danger," she said quietly. "There's a difference between being prepared and being reckless."
"I'm not being reckless," Rain shot back, a little too quickly. "I'm just not going to stand there helpless if something happens."
"That's not the point."
"Then what is the point?"
"The point," her mother said firmly, "is that you don't get to decide what's serious and what isn't when it comes to your health."
Rain opened her mouth to argue and then stopped.
The words died in her mouth, once again.
Standing at the center of the ward, surrounded by light and quiet reverence, was a figure she had very much hoped not to run into again so soon.
Rain's entire body went stiff.
"No way," she whispered in disbelief.
Her mother followed her gaze — and immediately straightened, her expression shifting into something polite. "Ah… Lady Nephis…"
Rain, meanwhile, looked like she was considering turning around and walking straight out. "We can leave," she muttered quickly, already taking a step back. "It's not that serious, I told you—"
Nephis had already looked up, she glanced at her wrist then back up. "Give me your hand," she said simply.
Rain's head snapped toward her before she could stop it. "It's fine," she said immediately. "Really. It's barely—"
Her mother nudged her forward before she could retreat any further. "Don't be rude," she whispered firmly.
Rain stiffened, shooting her a betrayed look, but it was already too late. She found herself standing directly in front of Nephis.
Her gaze dipped briefly to Rain's wrist again, then returned to her face, as calm and unreadable as ever. Rain hesitated for a second longer, then let out a small, defeated sigh and extended her hand.
The moment Nephis took it, Rain went rigid.
The contact was light — barely there — but it felt strangely grounding, like standing too close to a fire that didn't burn. Flames flickered to life around Nephis' fingers, soft and warm, wrapping around Rain's wrist without heat or pain.
Rain blinked.
The dull, throbbing ache vanished almost instantly, replaced by a faint comfort that sank deep into her flesh. Her fingers flexed instinctively.
Rain's eyes widened slightly, a flicker of surprise breaking through her embarrassment.
"Oh."
Nephis released her just as simply as she had taken hold, the flames disappearing without a trace. For a brief moment, her gaze lingered — not on her wrist this time, but on Rain herself, as if searching for something. The same faint, almost imperceptible hint of curiosity surfaced again.
"You should be more careful," Nephis advised.
Rain nodded immediately, a little too fast. "Y-Yeah. I will."
Just as they were preparing to leave, Rain ready to put this behind her. Nephis called out and asked her an unexpected and weird question.
"Does your home have a big window and lawn?"
"Uhh… yes?" She answered without thinking.
"Why… does that matter?" she asked cautiously, glancing between Nephis and her mother.
Nephis didn't answer. She tilted her head slightly, her eyes shifting to Rain's mother.
"Is she your biological mother?"
The question was so abrupt and uncanny that Rain didn't know how to respond. She opened her mouth to respond, but no words came immediately. Her mother's expression stiffened, a flash of surprise and caution crossing her features before she masked it.
"No, she isn't."
Her thoughts spiralled before she was quickly pulled back into reality by her mother's sigh.
"When we adopted Rain, we were told she had a brother. We would've adopted him too but the orphanage informed us that he had a habit of getting into trouble and also used to steal from time to time. We later learned from Rain that he got into fights to defend her and also stealing food for her. By the time we found out, it was already too late and he had left the place altogether."
Rain's expression became thoughtful. When had she ever mentioned that? She couldn't even recall the exact moment. But the truth came with an even bigger shock — she had a brother!
Her mother cleared her throat and asked Changing Star without any hesitation, "Why are you asking that, Lady Nephis?"
"Because I think your brother is Sunless," she stated simply.
Just like that her thoughts completely derailed.
She had a brother. And he was Sir Sunless! The Dark Prince! The man she was fan-girling and fantasising about was her brother!
"Thanks for informing us, Nephis." Her mom said with a courteous bow before turning back and preparing to leave. As her mother gently grabbed her arm, guiding her toward the exit.
"Wait," Nephis called out suddenly, her voice calm but firm. She turned slowly, the flicker of surprise in her eyes meeting Nephis' steady gaze.
"You… you're hurt," Nephis observed, "Your current teacher… isn't very careful, is he?"
Rain blinked, then instinctively looked down at her wrist, flexing it slightly. "Well… yeah," she admitted quietly, her cheeks flushing. "He… he's not very careful, I guess."
Nephis' expression remained calm, almost calculating, as she continued. "Then… would you like to become my disciple? I can help you train properly — safely, efficiently, without risking yourself so recklessly."
Rain swallowed hard, her eyes flicking between her mother who shrugged and Nephis. Finally, after a long, tense moment, she nodded slowly, almost imperceptibly. "Y-Yes," she whispered, barely above a breath. "I… I want to learn from you."
"I'll see you tomorrow then," Nephis replied with a smile.
This… Being offered tutelage under the strongest Awakened alive — her ultimate idol — sent a shockwave through Rain, her heart hammering so violently she thought she might actually pass out from the sheer excitement.
And she did pass out, with a wide grin plastered on her face.