Evan was currently very happy. Finally, after five long years, at the age of thirteen, he had completed his schooling and was free from assignments and exams. Even though he was ignored by teachers, the hardest assignments were always given to him. To express their dissatisfaction, they often assigned him the hardest group tasks, which made other kids stay away from him like the plague. And he had to do them solo. But finally, all that was over.

  Looking down from the podium, among the people sitting below were his parents and a cute young girl who was hopping while waving at him. He waved back, and she giggled happily, bringing her hands to cover her mouth. Then, taking his certificate of completion, he went back to sit among his peers.

  There had been a lot of changes in the last five years, but the biggest was definitely his sister, Aemeath. The girl who used to always cry and beg to play with his hand while swaddled was now a lively young girl who had also learned to boss him around.

  After giving certificates to all the graduating students, there was a final address by the principal, and then everyone started to meet their parents. There were laughs and cries all around. Although completing school didn’t guarantee a job, it was a step into adulthood in this world. Afterwards, these children would start to help their parents or pursue their own dreams.

  Soon, Aemeath ran toward Evan. Afraid she would fall, he quickly bent down and opened his arms to let her hug him. The little girl tightly hugged her brother. “Congrats, brother, on passing the school! Now we will have more time to play together. Isn’t that right, Mother?”

  By now, Avelia and Henrick had also approached them. Gently patting her two children, Avelia said, “Your big brother is going to help Father at his work, so he won’t have time for you.”

  Aemeath’s mood, which had been as high as the sky, suddenly dropped to the ground, and soon, drops formed at the corners of her eyes. “But then I won’t have anyone to play with me!” she complained in a grieving voice.

  Not being able to look at his crying sister, Evan gently wiped her eyes and said, “I will try to come back home quickly.”

  “Pinky promise?” she asked while sobbing.

  “Yeah, pinky promise,” Evan promised while linking their pinkies.

  Finally, after resolving the immediate crisis, Evan went with his father, and Avelia took Aemeath back home.

  Evan’s father worked as a clerk at the dock, and his job was to monitor the flow of goods and materials. Due to the nature of the work, he had to work with people from different nations and deal with all kinds of characters. Therefore, along with the brains to manage things, he also had the strength to handle any troublemakers. Evan had been going to his father’s workplace every now and then to carry out menial tasks and had good relations with many of his colleagues.

  Soon after reaching the docks, the first thing they noticed was some new traders arguing with the porters. It was a common and daily occurrence here. Most porters had a fixed minimum wage, set in accordance with orders from the City Lord and the Church, and new traders who didn’t know this often tried to pay according to their own nations’ standards and shortchange the labor.

  Henrick patted Evan’s back and said, “Looks like you have your first work here. Go and see if you can handle it. If there is any problem, just call me.” Saying this, he crossed his arms and stood aside.

  Listening to his father, Evan went to the traders. The air was thick with the smell of salt, fish, and exotic spices. He listened to their rapid-fire complaints in a broken mix of languages, his mind slipping into a familiar, analytical calm. After some patient back-and-forth, clarifying the local laws without condescension, they finally decided to pay the appropriate fees. But this didn’t stop them from grumbling. However, an intimidating look from Henrick was enough to shut that up.

  Coming up to Evan, he said, “Well done. You’ve got a negotiator’s patience.”

  Evan simply replied, “Thank you.” He felt a small, quiet satisfaction. It was something he could easily do, a tangible proof he wasn’t entirely helpless.

  Soon, he started to help his father count the incoming and outgoing goods while carrying sheets of paper in his hands. On his first official day of work, time passed very quickly, and it was soon afternoon, the time for the lunch break. Just as Evan was about to take his break, he saw a familiar face on a ship that had just arrived.

  Evan had initially thought Clark would join the guards, given how things were going, but he had decided to become a trader along with his big sister. Now, the brother-sister duo traveled to different places for trade. And Clark had also become a full-fledged Awakener in these five years. According to Lyria, the Awakener rank was divided into three stages: Novice, Apprentice, and Adept. Clark must be an Apprentice now, but there was no need to mention it unless he expressed it himself.

  Soon, the ship docked, and looking at Evan below, Clark smiled and waved. Just as he was trying to say something, a hand came from behind and smacked his head. His sister, Clea, appeared and dragged him back with an angry expression. Evan later discovered that Clark had beaten up several crewmates while Clea was resting. And when she got up, she had her ears filled with their rantings, leading to the previous situation.

  After having his meal, Evan bid his farewell and headed to the Cathedral. Although he would join his father for work, it was only until the afternoon, and Henrick had readily agreed. Seeing Evan’s frequent visits to the temple, his parents wouldn’t even be surprised if he said he was going to be a priest the next moment.

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  Entering the cathedral, there were still as many people as always, but the usual murmur of prayer was subdued, replaced by a watchful silence. This time, there were also some expensive carriages parked on the side. Inside, the first thing he saw was Priest Aron, who didn’t seem to age much, talking in low, urgent tones with a few richly dressed people. Ignoring them, he went to the statue and offered his regular prayer, wishing for the well-being of his families. Following that, he decided to head inside.

  This time, surprisingly, Lyria was not present beside the fountain, so he decided to wait while practicing drawing spells. Soon, the door opened, and a beautiful woman with wavy, waist-length black hair entered the room. Her eyes were covered with a white cloth. She looked around and, not finding what she was looking for, let out a sigh. Then, giving Evan a quick glance and a slight smile, she exited the room.

  Was the white cloth covering her eyes real or fake? was the only thought on his mind. Since she had entered the room, it meant she had been allowed by Lyria. But where was Lyria, then?

  After waiting a few more hours with no sign of Lyria returning, he decided to go home. Just as he got up, the door opened, and a head peeked inside. Seeing that only Evan was there, Lyria quickly came in and closed the door. This confused Evan even more.

  Then Lyria asked, “Did you see someone covering their eyes with a white cloth?”

  Evan gently nodded.

  “Where is she?” Lyria urgently asked.

  “She went away a few hours ago.”

  Lyria let out a big sigh, and her tense mood finally relaxed. While moving in her loose clothes, she went and sat down beside the pool.

  “Who was she?” Evan asked curiously.

  “My senior at work,” Lyria answered in a serious voice.

  Senior? Then she must be at a very high position in the Church if she can make even Lyria afraid of showing her face, he thought.

  “Anyway, she must be gone by now, right?” Lyria said to herself.

  “Who must be gone?” came a melodious voice from behind Lyria.

  At some point, the blindfolded woman had appeared behind Lyria and was smiling at her.

  “You! How?”

  Flicking Lyria’s head, she said, “You are far too young to start playing pranks with me.”

  Evan just stood to the side, not interfering. This woman was not allowed by Lyria but had instead forced her way inside, he quickly realized.

  “There have been some developments regarding the matter last time,” the woman said.

  At that moment, Evan’s surroundings went completely quiet. He was able to see the two women conversing with serious expressions, but he couldn’t hear any sound. Their lips moved in silent, urgent conversation. The blindfolded woman gestured sharply at one point, and Lyria’s face grew pale. Finally, the blindfolded woman faded from view like mist.

  Soon after, Evan was able to regain his hearing. Lyria had a gloomy face, her usual playful energy utterly absent.

  “What happened?” he asked in a concerned voice.

  “Just some nuisance, like last time. Nothing for you to worry about.” She tried to reply nonchalantly, but her voice was thin, stretched tight, betraying her actual emotions. “Well, let’s get back to today’s lessons. We have already wasted a lot of time.”

  And although the lesson progressed, it was like a hollow routine. Lyria’s corrections were distracted, and Evan’s lines wavered, his mind unable to focus when the air itself felt charged with dread.

  After the lesson was over and Evan had gone away, Lyria let out a big sigh, and her fa?ade crumpled. The followers of Death and Light had fought for centuries to lay claim to this world, and a century ago, the Church of Light had achieved a decisive victory. Since then, they had slowly pushed the forces of Death away, and the world had been at peace for the past several decades. But now they were stirring again and planning something big.

  If someone else had said this, she would have just scoffed, but the same words from the Eyes of the Goddess were a completely different matter. During their major victory, several different forces had come together, and more than half of the Ascenders associated with Death were either killed or crippled. But somehow, in just a century, their numbers had recovered.

  In a century, a single world might not even see the rise of a single new Ascender, but now several had appeared out of nowhere. Even accounting for other worlds, it was still very abnormal.

  She slightly rubbed her temples and decided to stop thinking too much. Whatever came, she would face it head-on. She just hoped the cost wouldn’t be everything she’d quietly come to cherish in her self-imposed exile.

  While walking home, Evan’s mind was churning. Last time, even when the Cathedral was attacked by hundreds of Awakeners, he hadn’t seen any worry in Lyria. But today, her worry had been palpable. If the threat was so big that even Lyria was worried, then, being a normal person, he could only be swept up in the current. The thought felt like a stone in his gut.

  But, he thought, clenching his fists. I have my wits. I have my two hands. I can learn, and I can fight in my own way. I can’t stop a god’s war, but I can at least protect what’s in front of me.

  When he reached his home, the resolve was firm, but the worry was still etched on his face. Looking at her brother entering the house with a gloomy expression, Aemeath gently went and hugged him, her head reaching only his waist.

  Evan was pulled out of his thoughts, and looking down, he saw the little girl tightly hugging him and saying, “Pain, pain, go away!” At first, he was dumbfounded, then gently hugged her back, feeling the solid reality of her small frame. What was the use of worrying about things he couldn’t control? It was better to just do his best and hope for the best. And his best would start here, with them.

  “Brother is fine now. You can let me go.”

  “No, I won’t let brother go,” Aemeath replied in a childish but firm voice.

  And so, the two of them stood at the doorstep for quite some time.

  Since the door was open but Evan hadn’t come in, Avelia came to the door. Looking at the siblings, she also approached and hugged them, her familiar scent of soap and herbs washing over him. Henrick, who heard the commotion, also came out and, seeing the three hugging, joined in, his strong arms encircling them all. Evan thought it was very warm, and all his abstract worries dissolved, leaving only a fierce, protective clarity.

  That night, when he was getting ready to sleep, Aemeath entered his room carrying her plush toy.

  “What happened?”

  “I don’t feel good, and I want to sleep with my brother today,” she said in a determined but shy voice.

  Evan just slightly laughed at her antics. She was just worried about him and decided to show her care in this way. He moved to one side of the bed and patted the area beside him. Aemeath went forward and, after some struggle, climbed into her brother’s bed with her plushie toy.

  Evan then switched off the lamp, and there was complete darkness in the room. In just a few moments, both siblings were in dreamland. Evan felt a very slight tingling sensation from his forehead, a faint buzz like a distant bell. He noted it, this recurring mystery tied to his sister, and chose to hold it close. That night, he had a very good dream where he was happily going on a picnic with his family, under a safe and endless sky.