Between Anxiety and Delight

Was it really too much to ask for a day without having her blood pressure tampered with?

It seemed that Rain was fated to meet people whom others could only describe as legends, some so rare that catching a glimpse of them was like encountering myths among ordinary folk.

Sure, she had met the Song Sisters before and appeared pretty unimpressed at that moment as well. But that wasn't because Rain had suddenly become fearless.

Far from it.

She had simply ignored their existence in a moment of rage. When she charged at Sunny to speak her mind and let him feel the depths of her emotions, she seemed beside herself.

Because she was.

Now, though her mind had gradually shifted from a clouded storm to a soothing breeze, she realized the situation she was in.

She was surrounded by the most imposing saints of the Song Domain…even though they no longer belonged to that domain.

Still, Rain recalled the tales told to her by her cohort and other soldiers with whom she had shared moments of respite.

The main characters of those stories were headed straight for her and Seishan.

Not only that, but she had been asked a question she had hoped to avoid. She could only hope that Seishan would forget about ever asking it.

But deep down, she knew her life was not that simple.

In an instant, Rain lost all her hard-earned composure.

Now, she was back to square one, and Seishan could practically feel the tension building around Rain.

'And here I was… thinking the girl had jumped over her shadow,' Seishan sighed to herself as she watched her sisters approach.

Slowly, the three hungry predators approached their target…at least, that's how Rain felt at that moment.

In reality, Bin, Silent, and Hel had merely decided to seek company to alleviate their mounting boredom.

Seishan was quick to act as she rose from her chair and approached her sisters.

Bringing them to a halt, she leaned toward them and said softly, "Could you please turn around? The girl is frozen with fear. I have spent the last 30 minutes trying to make her warm up to me, and now you three decide to show up."

All three glanced at Rain with mixed emotions before turning back to Seishan. Silent was the first to reply.

"No, I don't think I will. If your vampire-looking ass managed to calm her, then why can't I try?" Her smile brimmed with mischief as she basked in the growing frustration that Seishan clearly displayed.

"Yeah, especially now that we have our aspects back. I can give her mind a push in the right direction, you know?" Bin smirked.

Although she knew she would never dare to do so, the looming threat of Sunny discovering it was too great, and she didn't know how he would react to her tampering with Rain's mind, regardless of her intentions.

Hel looked at Rain with growing interest. After all, the two were closer in age than anyone else around, so naturally she felt a stronger connection with the girl.

And perhaps there was something else urging her to get close to Rain, though she could not quite pinpoint it. With a smile, she placed a hand on Seishan's shoulder.

"Keep your worries to yourself, Shan. She is Sunless' sister. Surely, she won't faint if we simply talk to her."

Hel quickly pushed past Seishan and positioned herself beside Rain, who, in response, began to fumble with her fingers, not daring to look at the saint.

Hel chuckled and leaned back in her chair. In a teasing tone, she mused, "Are we really that scared? I thought the sisters of the Lord of Shadows would be more fearless," as she tapped her fingers on the armchair.

Soon, the rest joined in, and now Rain was surrounded by demigods.

'I'm doomed…please, someone rescue me. I'm not brave enough to just talk with a bunch of saints.'

The invisible pressure from the four sisters did not help either. As saints, they held an undeniable presence in the world, although it was greatly suppressed by Sunny's soul sea, Rain still found it hard to breathe.

Though that was more because she was terribly nervous.

Suddenly, a voice pulled her out of her stupor. It was Seishan, to whom she had grown accustomed.

"Why are you scared at all? You know we won't do anything to you… you do know that, right?" Raising an eyebrow, she waited for Rain to respond with a calming smile.

After taking a deep breath, Rain lifted her eyes and let them wander through the crowd.

She had no idea how it had come to this, but now that she was here, there was no avoiding it, so she suppressed her nervousness with all her might.

Her eyes grew colder and piercingly sharp. Her heartbeat slowed, and her expression became even.

For a moment, there was absolute silence before the graceful jaguar flinched by just a millimeter.

"By the gods, you have the exact same gaze as him," Silent commented with a soft chuckle.

Beastmaster only nodded in response before Hel turned toward them, asking curiously, "What do you mean? She just wants to calm down. Don't tell me you're the one who's scared to death now."

Silent shook her head leisurely, amused by Hel's innocence. "You have not faced him in battle. You went with him willingly, Helly," she said, pointing at Rain and raising her eyebrows. "This girl has the same chilling gaze as her brother. If I didn't know any better, I'd be expecting death… or worse, right now."

Rain listened with her mouth slightly agape. She heard the words, but understanding was an entirely different matter.

"I'm just awakened; how am I supposed to look scary to a saint?" Her voice was surprisingly steady as she mumbled in wonder.

Silent simply shrugged and leaned back as well. "I guess it's because you are siblings. You even resemble him, like a younger, more feminine version… but still oppressive."

'And more attractive,' Hel thought with a sly smile.

Rain considered it for a moment. Sure, she was his sister after all, but that Silent would go so far as to compare the look in their eyes, it was beyond her.

"The reason I'm so nervous is that you are all renowned saints… princesses, on top of that. I'm not even supposed to be in the presence of demigods like you." Before any of them could respond, Rain continued. Having finally found her voice again, she was determined to use it for as long as she could.

"I watched the Battle of Godheart from afar. People like me and Tamar would have died just from standing there. It was more than just a battle between two armies, it felt like the end of the world." She looked out the window, inspecting the shadows of Sunny's Soul Sea.

"That Sunny was telling me from the shadows not to worry about him didn't help at all," she sighed bitterly. "It was complete madness, and for the first time in years, I felt utterly helpless again."

They all listened as realization dawned on them. They had completely forgotten what it felt like to be helpless. Only their recent imprisonment came close, and even that was overshadowed by the fact that it felt more like a vacation from the very start.

"I see, it does make sense. But how are you so calm around Changing Star then? I saw you two training the Sorcery of Names before the entire Soul Sea trembled." Hel had finally come to the conclusion they all needed.

They couldn't act as if Rain were one of them. They had forgotten to make that distinction in the safety of Sunny's Soul Sea that they all had come to enjoy over the past week.

Rain looked at her, considering her words wisely. "It's a bit ridiculous, but I have known Nephis for far longer than I have known Sunny… at least, for as long as I can remember. I was too young when he left me at the adoption center."

They could clearly hear the sadness in her voice. They had all gone through the same process, only that from the moment of their adoption, their paths could not have been more different.

Though they had been informed of some details regarding Rain and her upcoming fate, one thing was still unclear.

And Beastmaster was not afraid to ask.

"Why did he do that anyway? I thought he had taken care of you." Her curiosity about anything regarding Sunny did not falter after Nephis had made it perfectly clear that she had no chance.

Rain's lips curved into a sour chuckle. "He did, it was his only option to protect me back then. We were both orphans since our parents died early, I don't even remember them. But as Sunny told me, it's a miracle that he didn't also die out in the outskirts."

Seishan nodded, recalling the conversation in front of the tree…at least the part she could remember.

"Indeed, I was very surprised to find out that he came from nothing, as he labeled himself as a 'Outskirt Rat', and is now the most powerful Saint in existence." She looked deep into Rain's eyes, a calming smile spread across her lips. "Your parents would be proud of both of you."

Rain smiled, though a small tear rolled down her cheek. She still felt terrible that Sunny had to go through all of this without her. But as he said, her very existence kept him alive, and she was glad he felt that way instead of despising her for living the life he never had the chance to live.

Seishan hesitantly pulled out a tissue and handed it to her. Gratefully, Rain accepted the gesture and felt relief wash over her.

Seconds later, Seishan remembered the question she'd been waiting to ask.

She cleared her throat and pointed at Rain's shirt again, her smile filled with intrigued playfulness. "I was wondering, what is that snake tattoo on your arm? I could have sworn it was moving."

Rain pulled back her sleeve. She knew she wouldn't be able to talk herself out of it.

'They are allies now, too. I guess it's not such a big secret,' she reasoned, finally revealing the black serpent.

"Sunny gave it to me. It's the Mark of Shadows. With it, I can see in the dark, sense shadows, and walk silently on them. Oh, and it lets me control my essence better." She let it coil down her arm until it manifested into a Black Tachi.

The sisters gasped in admiration.

"I can manifest it into any weapon I can imagine. Also, the shadow from which it stems can enter my Soul Sea if anyone tries to invade it." She dismissed the Tachi and let the mark curl back up her arm, transforming once again into a lively tattoo.

The sisters sat there in stunned silence. They had never heard of anything similar. Sure, they had the lineage of the Beast God, but that didn't come with such fancy additions.

Moments later, Silent sighed in defeat. Just when she thought she had seen everything of his powers, another impossible advantage emerged, one no one had expected. Even Seishan, who believed nothing could shock her, was a little off her usually composed self.

"And I thought it had something to do with your aspect. Siblings often develop related aspects, after all." She was deep in thought as she caught the sadness on Rain's face.

Naturally curious, she wanted to question the girl further, but Hel soon interject, "So, you're basically the first member of the Shadow Clan, is that what you're trying to say?"

Rain nodded hesitantly, though it seemed she had come to terms with having demigods around her now. "Kinda. I was excited to become some sort of legacy, although I could only receive the Mark after I became Awakened. That took me a while." Slightly embarrassed, she turned away and mumbled under her breath, "Over a year, to be honest."

Of course, her little remark did not go unnoticed, and as Seishan had already assumed, she sought confirmation. "But you weren't stuck in the First Nightmare for over a year, right?" she scoffed, not really believing it herself. "You Awakened naturally, didn't you?"

Rain was not the only one caught off guard; the rest looked equally surprised.

'I guess there's no point hiding it any longer. Maybe they can even help me… somehow,' she sighed deeply before answering Seishan, who was practically on the edge of her chair…at least mentally.

"Yes, I did," Rain admitted hesitantly. "Sunny taught me how to. He said it would be safer than going through the First Nightmare. I can't say it isn't, but up until now, I'm still missing an aspect because of it." She grumbled the last part, feeling as if fate had played a prank on her since it couldn't torment Sunny.

Yet again, they all sat in stunned silence. A feeling of déjà vu spread through their minds, as if they were reliving the same impossible statements they had heard from Sunny. But there was no denying it. Rain had no reason to lie about such an amazing achievement, and they felt the same bold truthfulness that they could sense from Sunny whenever that bastard opened his mouth.

"By the Goddess of Beasts… and you said there was nothing interesting about you." Seishan couldn't hold back a laugh. "How bold of you to assume that you aren't literally the most unique Awakened in this day and age because of that." She leaned back, rubbing her temples. "But I guess it is to be expected from the Sister of the Lord of Shadows."

Rain could only reply with a bitter laugh.

'I hope my aspect will be something good, since my flaw is by far the worst I have ever heard of.'

The irony dawned on her. She was still wondering to this day if she would have gotten a different flaw had she killed the girl from the White Feather Clan. But that was something she knew she couldn't have done, since she understood that the girl was not an enemy, just a victim of the cruel sovereigns, like many others on the battlefield.

Cold determination flowed through her veins as she came to a decision.

'I guess I will have to deal with it now. If Sunny could master his flaw, so can I.'