[Nayun: He's fine. He's just having a bit of trouble standing up, but the doctors say that's normal, considering how long he's been in a coma. His body will gradually need to get used to everything that is natural for us. It's just that...]
Her voice carried a tone of happiness, relief at seeing her brother recovering, but also a slight worry hidden between the words.
[Theo: You're happy, but something's still bothering you, isn't it?]
She laughed softly, but this time, there was a touch of hesitation, as if there was a silent fear growing inside her.
[Nayun: Of course I'm happy, he's my family... But at the same time, I feel strange.]
She paused briefly before continuing, her voice failing involuntarily.
[Nayun: I've spent so long without him around... When I was younger, he was always my base, my example. I wanted to be strong like him, to be reliable, someone everyone could rely on. But now that oppa is back... I realize that I've changed. I'm no longer the girl he remembered. I'm afraid that our relationship as siblings will become awkward, like we're strangers trying to recognize each other again.]
A small sigh escaped his lips, mingling with his voice laden with feelings.
[Nayun: It's silly, isn't it?]
She laughed again, but this time there was an obvious vulnerability. A knot of emotions that she didn't know how to untie.
And I could see her insecurity clearly.
Time changes people, but in this case, time only changed her. For Chae Jinyoon, it was as if he had slept for a few hours. In his mind, his sister was still the same girl who always ran to him for help.
[Theo: I think you're thinking too much. If there's one thing I'm sure of, it's that he must be very proud of you. Seeing that your sister has grown strong and moved on, even in his absence, must be something that makes him relieved and happy.]
[Nayun: Really? You think so?]
[Theo: Of course. Do you really think he's going to treat you differently just because things have changed?]
[Nayun: Yeah, you're right, Theo.]
After this moment of fragility, Nayun went back to his usual self, and we soon started talking about other subjects. But when the topic of conversation changed to the mysterious individual who killed the monsters in the Museum, his voice echoed louder with a sudden realization.
[Nayun: Ah! I knew it! I knew it was you! The lightning bolt I saw inside the museum had the same colors as the one that appeared outside! And considering that you appeared soon after, it could only be you!]
[Theo: Mn! What a great detective my girlfriend is... She figured it all out...]
[Nayun: I'm sure I heard a sarcastic voice just now.]
[Theo: Never... Your impression... I'm just saying that you've hit the nail on the head with your judgment.]
Just as possibly everyone who watched the filming should also know by now...
[Nayun: Humn! I know... Ah! I remembered something! Did you see what happened earlier?]
I'm pretty sure she's talking about when I used my magic to move the sun...
[Theo: What? I didn't see anything...]
There was no need to reveal that to her.
[Nayun: It was a total uproar. Even my grandfather was scared when he saw the sun moving like that. It was incredibly frightening, for a moment I thought it was the end of the world.]
It was obvious that everyone would be alarmed.
< I Gneas> is a spell that transcends distances, allowing the user to grab and hold onto anything, no matter how far away it is. A magic that essentially promised me the universe in the palm of my hand. With it, I could grab countless things at the same time, moving them in different directions, I could even grab stars that were billions of light years away from earth, and most incredible of all, I didn't even need to use my hands, a truly frightening magic for anyone who didn't know it.
[Theo: Oh, what a shame, I wanted to see it too.]
Nayun: Don't you find that scary? I mean, nobody knows why it happened.]
I laughed softly as I moved away from the smartwatch so she couldn't hear.
[Theo: It depends on the perspective. If I saw it, I'd think it was amazing.]
She was silent for a moment, reflecting on my words. Then she sighed.
[Nayun: Even so, it's still something that's completely outside what we know as normal, the sun just moving like that, something's not right.]
[Theo: The world stopped being normal a long time ago, Nayun. This is just more proof of that.]
She didn't answer, she just listened to me in silence.
[Nayun: Theo, you seem pretty calm about it, huh! I wonder if...]
She was about to question me, but before she could say anything, a voice sounded in the background.
[Nayun: Theo, my father is calling me for dinner. Maybe before I go to bed, I'll text or call you.]
[Theo: Sure, go on... In the meantime, I'm going to watch a movie with Miss Loneliness.]
She let out a giggle before hanging up, and I stood there, staring at the smartwatch for a second.
The apartment fell silent again.
'Urg! I guess I'm just not used to her sleeping with me...'
I threw myself on the sofa, picking up the TV remote and turning it on without much pretension. The screen flashed, showing repeated news reports about the incident at the museum, crazy theories about the Sun moving, experts trying to explain the inexplicable.
[A gravitational anomaly?]
One of them suggested, looking as lost as anyone.
I changed the channel, looking for something...
Nothing held my attention.
Loneliness was an old companion, but today it seemed more... Present. Perhaps because, for the first time in a long time, I had someone to miss.
About 20 minutes later, the clock vibrated.
And a message from Nayun arrived...
[Nayun: My father made ramen to celebrate Jinyoon's return. You should see how much pepper he put in. Even oppa's afraid to eat it].
The attached photo showed an almost criminally red bowl with a piece of meat floating like an SOS in a sea of pepper.
'Oh, so the father-in-law has that side...'
The message made me laugh alone on the sofa, as I remembered a scene almost exactly like it that happened to me when I was a child.
After the brief memory, I typed the message and sent it.
[Theo: That's not food, that's a war crime. Is your father trying to kill his own son the first day he comes home?]
[Tuesday's combat training, exploring the labyrinth]
Inside a dark cave artificially created by Cube, Hazuki and I, members of team 10, were in the middle of our combat training.
The air inside the cave was dense, charged with the smell of damp earth and dark attribute mana.
Darkness enveloped everything, swallowing up even the chance of seeing anything.
"Hazuki-san, are you afraid of the dark?"
I asked as I noticed my blouse being tugged slightly.
"No, I'm not afraid of the dark, Theo-kun. It's just that I don't want to risk getting lost in the darkness and getting in your way."
I turned my face and looked at her, her expression completely contradicting her words.
We were in an artificial dungeon designed from a dark labyrinth. The aim of the training was to break through the maze full of undead monsters and reach the center of the labyrinth.
As the mist was created through the mana of darkness, even the heroes would find it difficult to light up or see in the cave.
"Well, I don't like the dark either..."
Even though I could see clearly in the midst of all this, Hazuki was having trouble, and like the good teammate I was, I decided to clear things up.
My eyes glowed, and a shape similar to an arcane seal appeared covering my pupils.
The effect was quick, it didn't even last a second...
As soon as the mana and magic formulas were seen by my eyes, all the dark mana began to disappear, as if they were being denied existence.
"Eh?! Why is the dark mana gone?"
As a Cube cadet, even if she didn't occupy a high rank, Hazuki's magical senses quickly noticed the change of environment around us.
"Let's get going. There are a lot of undead ahead..."
I nodded in the direction of the corridor, where it was now possible to almost clearly see the silhouettes of armed skeletons moving around.
Hazuki looked at me, then at the not-so-lit path, but visible enough now, and finally released my blouse.
"Ah... of course. Let's go."
And I didn't have to explain.
Curiosity: Anos learned, mastered and created almost all the magics of Mythical Ivy, yes even Sacred Magics, which are usually only used by humans...