Rain loved her parents.
Her mother was full of love and care, giving warmth like she was the sun itself. She always had a kind word to offer or a piece of wisdom.
Her father was just as loving and caring, doing his best to spend as much time as possible with them, despite having less and less of it due to the difficulties of his job.
If she was honest with herself, no better couple could have adopted her.
It didn't stop her from being embarrassed, though.
"Mom, I'm fine." Her voice had been growing more and more exasperated over the past minutes.
"My little Rainy, there is no need to hide your pain from me." Her mother's voice, in turn, had become more and more indulgent, like she was proud of Rain's capability to stay strong. If someone were to hear her, they would probably believe that Rain had been mortally wounded.
"Dad, please, help me." She did her best to put as much pleading as possible in her voice, her face adopting the pitiful expression that her siblings used whenever they wanted more sweets or to be allowed past their bedtime.
Her father looked at her through the PTV's rearview and offered her an apologetic smile, followed by a helpless shrug as if saying, What can you do?
A last-ditch effort was made to gain the support of her younger siblings, but they put up a rather unconvincing act of pretending not to notice her desperate pleas for help. She was going to remember this the next time they asked for help hiding the consequences of their mischief.
While not showing it—she was a grown-up now, after all—she usually deeply appreciated her mother's concern for her well-being. But this time she felt like she was exaggerating.
She had been helping her cook dinner, and when handed the knife, she had the bright idea to try and replicate one of the techniques used by Lady Nephis in the movie. She must have done something wrong, since the elegant flourish not only failed to cut even a millimeter into the meat, but the knife had also rebounded and made a cut across her arm.
Which led to the current situation: her mother fussing over her like she had lost the arm when, in truth, it was barely a shallow cut, a few centimeters long at most. Sadly, besides being as warm as the sun, her mother was also as implacable. Nothing could stop her when something important was on the line.
And nothing was more important to her mother than the well-being of her children, especially after the death of her elder brother while attempting to defeat the First Nightmare. They all carried the wounds of that event. Even her younger siblings, who couldn't quite remember him, seemed sad whenever his birthday came.
She could understand that feeling. At times, she woke up feeling the phantom warmth of a hand that had clung desperately to hers before she was adopted. She didn't remember to whom it belonged, but she still missed it from time to time. Occasionally, she wondered if she would ever have the chance to meet whoever had been so close to her back then—she even wished to.
Even so, she wouldn't change her current life for anything, no matter how much her mother liked to make a mountain out of a molehill. She would probably unmake the mountain just because it didn't seem safe enough, too. She had to hide a giggle at the humorous thought, which managed to break her out of her internal monologue.
Back to the present: she was currently stuck in their PTV, quickly approaching the closest hospital, regretting all of her life choices as the distance grew shorter. No more attempting to replicate the techniques of Lady Nephis, that was for sure. Maybe she should try the ones used by Sir Sunless instead?
At least she had the chance to see the highlights of the movie A Song of Light and Shadows on the way. It had been wildly successful and the public was already asking for a sequel. The petition had already accumulated millions of signatures, and Rain might or might not have signed it too. Who could blame her? It had been great! There were even rumors saying that Lady Changing Star herself had left the premiere in tears.
Focused on her communicator, time passed quickly, and minutes later, they were already parking near the hospital, which, for some reason, had a crowd of journalists at the entrance. A quiet groan from her father made her think that he knew why.
She wanted to ask but didn't have the chance before her mother grabbed her arm and started ushering her toward the building in a hurry. At least the journalists parted to allow them to enter when they saw the bloodied bandages on her arm.
Soon, she was being checked on by a nurse, who gently started unwrapping the bandages to take a better look at the wound. When they finally came undone, he blinked confusedly and gave a long stare to her mother.
Rain could have died of embarrassment at that moment. Her mother had painted it like a grievous wound to the poor nurse when, in truth, it was a small cut. It wasn't even bleeding anymore, for Spell's sake!
The nurse coughed lightly to hide his reaction and quickly applied some disinfectant to the wound. It stung, but she wasn't going to show it after having to deal with so much embarrassment. Minutes later, it was already done—her arm bandaged once more, though with a more reasonable amount this time.
Rain offered one last apologetic look to the nurse and got up to leave, her mother moving to do the same, but they were interrupted by him before they could.
"I didn't mention it before since it wasn't a serious injury, but if you don't mind waiting, we can put you into the queue to be healed by Lady Changing Star. The number of patients who require her gifts is not as high as usual, so she probably won't mind."
Lady Changing Star was here!? Why hadn't he said so sooner? She retracted every good thing she had thought about the man. She should have made her mother bully him more! As if capable of reading her thoughts, the man's smile became strained, probably regretting all of his life choices. Well, he should!
The nurse, who looked quite regretful about saying anything, gestured for them to follow him, which they did after her mother made a quick call to inform her father—who was waiting at reception with her siblings—why they would be delayed. They started walking, the nurse leading them toward another wing of the hospital. When they arrived, they saw a long hall lined with patients, arranged from the most grievously wounded to the least. She, as expected, was placed last in the queue.
At least it advanced quickly; no more than a minute passed between calls for the next patient to enter. They could even see a white flash from the underside of the door. She couldn't wait to brag about this at school—how many could claim to have been healed by Lady Changing Star herself?
-------------------------------------------
An eternity later, it was finally her turn. She was practically vibrating as the door opened and she was allowed inside. The room wasn't anything special, just the usual office of a doctor. The woman inside, however, was quite special. She was just as beautiful as in the photos Rain had seen online—maybe even more so, being able to see her up close.
"Lady Changing Star, this is Rain, the last patient of the day," the woman at her idol's side said. She recognized her as Sid, one of the Firekeepers. All of the survivors of the Forgotten Shores were minor celebrities on their own after all, especially those who had chosen to follow Changing Star afterward.
The silver-haired woman gave nothing but a small nod at the information, her face as neutral and composed as stone, eyes not set on Rain but on thin air. Rain recognized the gesture; thanks to her father, she had met plenty of Awakened, and they all looked the same when they checked their runes. Though why Changing Star was checking them right at that moment, she didn't know.
She didn't dare interrupt her, so she kept quiet—which her mother thankfully did too—and waited until she was done. She didn't have to wait long; just seconds later, Changing Star made a gesture that Rain assumed was meant to dispel her runes and turned her gaze toward Rain. Then she blinked, closed her eyes, and slowly opened them once more.
Why was Lady Nephis glaring at her!? Had she offended her somehow? How!?
At least her mother and Sid looked just as puzzled as she was. She gave a pleading look to the latter, hoping that she could defuse the situation.
Sid tried to offer her a comforting smile. However, upon taking a good look at Rain—her attention had been on Changing Star the whole time—she blinked too and started staring at her intensely.
Not again!
"Hey, Lady Nephis, did Sunny mention having a sister?" The woman tilted her head slightly, as if a better angle would answer her question.
...What?
Nephis turned her head robotically toward her follower, her expression still stoic even as she glared at Sid, who wilted under the might of her gaze. Then, she sighed tiredly as she shook her head.
"He did," was her short answer.
...WHAT?
Rain turned her gaze toward her mother, hoping she would deny what they were implying. Except her mother looked contemplative, staring at her with furrowed brows while pondering something deeply.
"Does your home have a big window and a lawn?"
"Umm... yes?" The question from Changing Star had been so sudden that she answered without thinking.
"We do. Can I assume that it was Sir Sunless who mentioned it?" her mother asked, finally snapped out of her thoughts.
Lady Nephis nodded, face still neutral. Although—was it just Rain's imagination, or did she look... forlorn for a second?
She didn't have time for such thoughts now—not when a bomb of this magnitude had just been dropped on her.
She had a brother!? A famous one!? Why did he abandon her? Why hadn't he visited despite knowing her home well enough to describe it? Was Changing Star her sister-in-law now!?
She was pulled from her spiraling thoughts by a sigh from her mother, who suddenly looked sad.
"When we adopted Rain, we were informed that she had a brother. We would have adopted him too, but the staff of the orphanage informed us that he was rather conflictive and even had a habit of stealing. We only learned later from Rain that the fights he got into were to defend her, and that he was stealing food for her."
Wait, when did she say that? Ah right... it had happened so long ago she didn't even remember until her mother mentioned it.
"We went back when we found out, but they informed us that he had left the orphanage," she finished, the regret in her voice clear.
Rain felt conflicted about the new information. He had cared—a lot, if her half-forgotten memories could be trusted—so why hadn't she seen him since then? Why did he stay behind instead of coming back for her? Had he stopped caring? Was she too insignificant for a hero like him to lower himself to her level?
"Please forgive my intrusion, Lady Nephis, but did he mention why he didn't visit my daughter?" Her mother asked—Rain thanked her with all her heart.
Rain turned her gaze back to Changing Star, whose eyes were once more set on the air itself, though thankfully, she immediately turned back when she heard the question.
"That's not for me to say," she answered, her tone and eyes making it clear she would not budge.
He didn't care anymore, did he? Lady Nephis was simply too nice to say it and instead refused to answer.
Well, she wouldn't let that stop her! She had already lost a brother once, and she wouldn't let herself lose another!
She just had to become so awesome that he would have to beg on his knees to reunite with her when he finally came back from the Nightmare Realm!
Mind set, she looked Nephis in the eye, ready to proclaim her intentions to the one closest to her brother.
Wait... they were in a relationship. Did that mean she was a Legacy now? Rain of the Immortal Flame Clan sounded awesome!
Just like that, her thoughts completely derailed, and an intrusive thought bubbled up—one she voiced before she could think better of it.
"Can I call you big sister?" She slapped her hands over her mouth immediately, utterly embarrassed by her impulsive question.
Changing Star's face trembled minutely at that question, a million thoughts seeming to cross her eyes, her ears gaining an almost imperceptible red hue.
"...you can." The answer came out almost as a whisper.
Under the baffled stares of the three women, Rain pumped her arms in triumph.
Best. Day. Ever!
She coughed, embarrassed, realizing she might have been a little too effusive.
At least her... big sister—she still couldn't believe she was allowed to call her that—didn't hold it against her. In fact, she was looking quite contemplative while staring at Rain. Whatever she was pondering must have been serious. Soon enough, she nodded, decision taken.
"As your sister, it's my duty to ensure you are well prepared. Rain, do you want to be my student?" A look of determination was in her eyes, white flames dancing in them as she asked the question.
Rain couldn't handle it anymore. There had been far too many emotions in the last few minutes. And this? Being offered the chance to learn under the strongest Awakened alive? She could die at that moment and do so happily.
Rain fainted, a big smile on her face.