Chapter 10: The Balance Under One Roof
Sometimes... two fractured souls do not need to be repaired...
They simply need a mirror...
that can reflect each other's cracks without judgment...
And in that very silence... they discover a way to support the other's ruins.
— From "The Poem of Twin Shadows"
One month... That was the time Vulcan gave me.
It was the first deadline of my new life... and the first time I felt real pressure.
I didn't start building the ward immediately. I knew I had to first assess all the "resources" I had at my disposal.
I closed my eyes, focused, and deliberately opened my own "Status Window" to assess the battle situation in detail.
[ Status ]
Name: Faelix
Race: Human | Title: (Not yet awakened)
Level: 12 (Equivalent to a high-ranking Copper adventurer)
HP: 85/85 | SP (Stamina): 60/75 | MP (Mental Points): 342/1000 (Stable)
- [ Primary Stats ] -
STR: 15 | VIT: 20 | AGI: 18 | INT: 85 | WIS: 62 | LUK: 5
- [ Traits & Blessings ] -
• Imperfect Breath (Improved): SP regen rate reduced by 15%.
• Fragile Blood Vessels
• Blessing of the Name Lv.2: (Unlocked at age 5) Increases 'Mental Barrier' efficiency; boosts MP recovery bonus to 75%.
- [ Curse ] -
• The Devouring Shadow [Irremovable]
- [ Proficiencies ] -
• Mechanical Engineering: Rank D+ | • Runic Engineering: Rank E | • Herbalism: Rank D
• Arcane Biochemistry: Rank F+ | • Self-Defense (Unarmed): Rank F
- [ Skills ] -
• Spark of Genius (Innate)
• Gaze of Structure (Active): Lv.3
• Heartfelt Words (Active): Lv.2
• Balance of Shadows (Passive): (Not yet discovered)
I looked at my own stats... it was a record of my battles over the past seven years. But even though the numbers looked better... the "Shadow" was still there.
My father and mother must have felt it too...
They didn't know about my past life or any curse... but in the eyes of parents... they were raising "two children with drastically different problems."
One was "a physically weak and sickly son, who would often drift off into a causeless melancholy."
The other was "a girl who had been through a terrible ordeal, making her distrustful of people and barely speaking a word."
Their concern wasn't narrow-mindedness... but a love and worry from the very bottom of their hearts, wondering how they could bring happiness and healing to these two children... under the same roof that was now in danger.
And the uncomfortable "truth" was... Lunaria's presence... it was making me more tired.
Not because I disliked her... but because having to "perceive" the presence of another person all the time... it consumed more of my mental power than I thought.
One night... as I sat sketching the ward's blueprint late into the night... [Imperfect Breath] began to take its toll. The cooling air made it hard to breathe... and then... the familiar warm sensation seeped from my nose.
[...Effect of 'Fragile Blood Vessels' activated...]
[...HP decreasing slowly...]
I cursed under my breath... Not now...
I was about to get up for a cloth... but then the small figure of Lunaria appeared at my bedroom door. She probably couldn't sleep either.
She saw the blood trickling out... Her dark brown eyes (in her disguise) widened in shock...
Before I could even say, "It's alright"... she vanished into her room... and returned with a "small, cool cloth" and "a pouch of faintly fragrant herbs" that she must have often seen my mother use.
She said nothing... just held them out to me with a slightly trembling hand.
I took them, confused... pressed the cool cloth to the bridge of my nose... The scent of the herbs surprisingly made it easier to breathe.
"I..." she said softly, "...I've seen your mother do this... when I was unwell."
In that very instant... the status window appeared... with a message I had never seen before.
[...You have received the effect of 'Sincere Care' from 'Lunaria'...]
[...Bond has deepened...]
[...Condition Met: Unlocked status 'Balance of Shadows'...]
[ Balance of Shadows - Passive Status ]
• Effect on Self: When 'Lunaria' is within a 10-meter radius, the rate of MP loss from [The Devouring Shadow] is reduced by 10%.
• Effect on Target: When 'Faelix' is within a 10-meter radius, the effects of 'Lunaria's' [Echoing Curse] are dampened.
[...MP restored by 10 points!]
My eyes widened... not just because of the restored MP...
But because I had just understood...
Her presence wasn't a "burden"... it was **"balance."**
My 'Shadow'... and her 'Voices'... they were canceling each other out...
Two fractured souls... unknowingly supporting one another.
I looked at Lunaria... who was still watching me with concern.
I picked up the blueprint of the ward I was working on... and held it out to her.
"Could you take a look at this... I think... I've found a way to protect our home."
It was the first time... I had used the word "our."
And it was the first time... I saw a faint smile... appear on the face of the Princess of Shadows.