CH 72 - Unwelcome Connections

Fall of Autumn, Week 4, Day 3

Is there never a point at which I can just get a break?

I was so shocked. I hadn’t even thought through what I should have said. I simply said the first thing that came to mind when I saw my male counterpart, who was barely a year older than me. He looked almost pleased at this turn of events, though, and that set me on edge before he’d even said anything. What did he have to be so happy about?

“Nora,” Theo said, nodding his head. He took a moment to look around and then leaned forward, closer to me, “So, they gave you the key to Twilight.”

On instinct, I reeled back, bending backward away from Theo —despite the fact that he was still a half dozen feet away.

I wondered, then, what the right response was. Was it to tell him to buzz off? Did I have the right to do that in Twilight? Did it even make sense? Theo probably knew something about Eve’s Class, knew something about her toxic traits. Did I even have to give the right response? Wasn’t I beyond this?

“They did. I’m a Child of the Dawn, after all.” I chose to retort, crossing my arms.

Whatever he said about me, he couldn’t say I wasn’t family. He couldn’t deny me that. Not now. Not after my Affirmation. Not after finding me here, where it took blood and power to access. What was the purpose of Twilight? To force this family to the forefront? I resented it and needed it both. This would be my salvation and my restrictions both —especially if it meant I would run into the other children of the Dawn.

Theo looked down at my arms, then stood up straight. A mischievous smirk made its way onto his face.

“Hey, so, now that you’ve gone all Divine at your Affirmation, will you tell me your Class?” He sounded… almost excited. It was the most emotion I’d ever heard from him —other than annoyance.

I hated it. It was such a contrast to the Theo that little Eunora knew. They were both children, but Theo, Eve, and Raph went out of their way to exclude Eunora –to treat her as a plague on the family rather than another mote of potential to bring glory to the family line. Even the Countess wrote her off. The Countess, who was supposed to be wise and powerful, the Countess, who was supposed to help grow the Duchy. Instead, she cast away her own daughter at the first sign of resistance.

I decided to throw away the meek little Eunora that Theo thought he knew. I wasn’t the same –we were one, yes, but we had grown. That would have to be enough for him. And if it wasn’t, well, that didn’t matter much anymore, now did it?

“I would, but,” I said, sickly sweet, “I would rather eat roadkill.”

Huffing in response, Theo’s smile never wavered, “What if we trade? I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours?”

“Full offense, but I’m not interested in your Class.” At that, Theo seemed to finally get the hint that this wasn’t a friendly chat.

His demeanor shifted. He shuffled on his feet, unsure, and his eyes, when they roamed my face, were intense. It was an odd combination, the mix of ‘I know you’ and ‘Maybe I don’t.’ I watched as his usually flat face went through a range of emotions.

“What’s the matter with you? You’ve been so weird since your awakening.” His voice was serious but not cold. I didn’t like it.

“Like you would know,” I hissed, turning on my heel and stalking off back the way I came. Behind me, Theo followed. I could hear his footsteps as well as the water he splashed through with the force of his movement. It was a far cry from the gentle way I had approached the pillars.

“Please, I’d never forget something as mundane as that,” he sounded insulted. “It would take an act of the Divine to nullify that Skill.”

We were passing the pillar with my Skills on it, and I realized too late that they were on display. I froze in place, and Theo slammed into my back —causing us both to stumble, and Theo yelped.

“Theo, get lost. You can’t even follow me out this way.” I ground out, turning around. I didn’t have to look up to talk to him, and that was actually rather refreshing.

He looked indignant, “I’m just trying to understand. Eve and Raph are going insane —which, yes, I may have instigated, but I’ve never seen either of them so intent on training. And you've been ignoring me every time I see you!”

“Excuse me?” I was genuinely confused now. What did this kid, who ignored his sister at every opportunity, care about?

“Well, it’s no great apology, but–” Theo waved his hand, “Whatever.”

“No—that’s not—what is up with you?” I eventually got out, “You have never paid me this much mind.”

And it was true. I’d seen more of Theo’s face in the three times he’d appeared at the manor than in the year leading up to my Awakening. He was there that first day, and again months later, harassing me about my Class. Just like now. Nothing had changed, not even his goals. I was just an interesting new object to him. Not a sister.

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“What are you even talking about?” Theo was looking more frustrated now, “I was the first person to wish you a happy birthday on your Awakening!”

I recoiled, What?

“No, you weren’t,” I said slowly, running the day through my head over and over again, “All you did was wake me up.”

Now it was Theo’s turn to be confused, “Are you kidding me? Who else was going to get you?”

I glanced at the pillar, where I could still see my Skills, and stepped around to direct Theo’s eyes back to the center of the circle of pillars. My thoughts were getting muddled as I was trying to both keep Theo away form my abilities as well as reminding Theo he didn’t even care.

“I’m not doing this with you. You don’t even care about me!”

>Nora, he’s our brother. Our Theo. Give him some time.< Eunora’s voice filled my head, and I cursed not exhausting her like usual. But little Eunora, who didn’t agree with me, did agree with her. And it was grating on me. I didn’t want to deal with this. It was too much.

“I do care!” Theo shouted, “I just wasn’t—I’m not—! This isn’t fair, Nora!”

I felt myself grow cold, the irritation and anger seeping away into numbness, “The world isn’t fair. But, fine. Say you did do these things. What do you want now?”

“Just…” Theo looked at a loss for words as he trailed off. “I just want to be able to tell you how Eve and Raph are being crazy. About the insane schedule Mother had put me on. I just want a sister.”

I sighed, “And? Why can’t you go to Eve? She’s who you went to in the past.”

Theo shifted uncomfortably. “You have to understand—she’s had her Class for so long. It doesn’t stop until you’ve Awakened, then she leaves you be. It’s just—it’s the way of things, you know?”

So she made him do it? Is that what he’s getting at? But he still did those things! Still, he ignored little Eunora until she was so terrified of the world that the System gave her a Skill to avoid it!

“No, I don’t, Theodore, because you and Evelyn and Raphael never gave me a break. Not until I took it for myself and locked myself up like a princess in a tower.” I was shaking as I spoke, but not out of fear or anxiety. I was angry. Oh, so angry.

It didn’t matter if Eve held him hostage and [Magic Missile]’d him until he hated little Eunora. What mattered was that he let the little girl whose body I was in suffer.

“My Class is [Young Lord of Protection], Nora,” Theo said it softly, as if it was a great big reveal, as if I should care.

“Yeah,” I snarled, “Self-protection. I’m leaving.”

I strode past him again, this time hoping he didn’t follow.

“Nora!” He called, and then louder, “Don’t be mad, but— [Barrier of the Mind]!”

I took another step just to slam into an invisible wall. Turning around, I rubbed my nose. Did he just trap me here? I felt another wave of anger well up within me. I was tired of people telling me what to do. Of expecting me to be meek and go along with it. I was tired of not having any agency. And this boy, this child, he thought he could control me too.

“Theo, you don’t want to do this,” I growled.

“I don’t want to fight.” He said softly.

It sent a pang through my heart that I was sure was the remnants of an unacknowledged little Eunora. Who am I to deny her that closure? I grit my teeth. That’s easy. I am Nora. We are the same. We’re just two very complicated sides of a single coin.

Instead of going back up to him, I darted for the pillar. He had come out of his, so surely I could go into mine.

“I don’t want to talk,” I said sternly, trying to figure out how to work the stone engravings, “Not now.”

“But—” Watching what I was doing, Theo cut himself off, “Wait— Nora! You should take your time to–”

I just decided to press my hand into the engraving that said [Silent as a Shadow]. I wasn’t sure if it would work, I wasn’t sure if it would do anything at all, actually, but as I pressed my hand into the pillar, my whole body sank in.

Before my head went in, I said, “Give me time.”

And I meant it. I needed to think, to work through what it meant that Theo was saying all of this. That he was reaching for me. That he was asking and trading and treating me like an equal —not a speck of dirt on his otherwise immaculate shelf. It was new and terrible and meant maybe little Eunora didn’t have the whole picture. And it painted me in a darker light. Maybe I was the problem. Or maybe I wasn’t. Either way, I needed to buy myself time to think.

“Fine,” was all Theo could choke out.

Whatever was going through his mind, it was drawing on his patience. I wasn’t sure if he was capable of it, but he almost sounded hurt.

Then, I was sucked into a new world, and all introspection left me as an immense darkness consumed me. But I was not afraid.

How could I be afraid of the shadows I controlled?

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[Welcome to Twilight}

[Skill: Silent as a Shadow]

[Training options:

Evasion

Locked

Locked]

[Please select a training type to begin]

I was hovering in darkness, the only light coming from the deep verdant green screen that was asking for me to train. To grow. To get closer to the God of Nora. Without hesitating, I willed the training to begin. Choosing the only option given to me.

Evasion.

[Silent as a Shadow] pulled every drop of mana from my veins all at once. Every prick of ice hit me like a shard of glass slicing open my mana veins.

The world filled in around me, but still. It was all in shades of grey. It was silent. Silent like the night.

No, I grinned, a mad thought coming to be, It was silent like only a shadow could be.

Then, another screen appeared, stilling me.

[Skill: Silent as a Shadow]

[Level: 5]

[Training Style: Evasion]

[Task: Evade all Sentrys and find the Star Gem in the Town.]