A beautiful young woman with long, black hair moved with quiet steps through the streets of Ravenheart. The city was awakening around her: merchants were setting up their stalls, and citizens paused for a moment to observe her with respect. Each greeting she received was met with a polite smile and a slight nod of her head, but behind that kindness, something deeper lay hidden.
Her expression might seem sincere, but her black eyes – deep as pearls of darkness – reflected a silent void, a fragment of distance that no one seemed to notice.
That morning, she was heading to the Jade Palace, summoned by her mother. The young woman didn't understand the reason for the summons and, with barely a month until the Winter Solstice, she believed her time would be better spent training than in conversations. However, when the guards notified her that her presence was required urgently, she had no choice but to comply.
Upon arriving in front of the palace, she calmly greeted the guards watching the gate. One of them stepped forward, his voice firm but respectful, "Princess Umbra, the Queen summons you to the throne room. We will escort you."
She smiled, maintaining the composure that always characterized her,
"That won't be necessary. I know the way."
The guard nodded and stepped aside, allowing Umbra to continue, her footsteps barely echoing on the floor.
The walk through the hallways was silent; the torches on the walls cast shadows that seemed to dance in her presence. Finally, she arrived at the throne room. She knocked twice and, as the door slowly opened, she entered with the serenity she always projected, though a slight nervousness ran through her.
The room was immense, majestic, and luminous. The large windows let the sun's rays bathe the entire space, illuminating her pale skin and the dark shine of her hair. But nothing could distract her from the figure occupying the throne. Her mother was there, motionless, dressed in an imposing red dress that cascaded down the steps like a river of blood. A sword pierced her chest, pinning her to the backrest, and her eyes, hypnotic and distant, betrayed a presence that seemed beyond life, as if she had traversed centuries of solitude.
Umbra advanced with measured steps, letting her gaze take in every detail: the almost supernatural perfection of her mother's features, the contrast between the rigidity of her posture and the softness of the dress, and the almost tangible atmosphere of power and melancholy that permeated the hall. Her own feelings were contradictory: respect, fear, curiosity, and an inexplicable tingle of anticipation she couldn't identify.
Upon reaching the throne, she made an impeccable curtsy: "Mother, I was notified that you needed me," she said, her voice calm but firm, as always.
Her mother smiled maternally, a slight gesture but laden with meaning. One of the dead youths by her side went to an adjacent room and returned with a chair, carefully placing it in front of the throne. "There's something important I need to talk to you about," the Queen finally said, her voice resonating with delicacy.
"Please, have a seat," said the other young man, gesturing towards the chair.
Umbra sat down with the same elegance she had shown since entering the room. She was dressed impeccably, striking a quiet balance between refinement and practicality, as though even her appearance avoided extremes. Her movements were precise, measured, as if every gesture was carefully contained.
As she raised her gaze to her mother, a silent question was reflected in her expression, barely perceptible to anyone who didn't know how to read her. But the Queen understood it immediately,
"Forgive me for pulling you away from your training, daughter," she said softly. "But this couldn't wait… It's something important. It's related to your family."
Umbra tilted her head slightly, her dark eyes focusing more intently on the figure on the throne.
"Family?" she asked calmly. "Has something happened to my sisters?"
"Your sisters are fine," she replied, while on both sides of the throne, the dead youths simultaneously shook their heads. There was a brief pause. Barely an instant, but in that small silence, something changed; the Queen's voice wavered slightly as she continued,
"No… I don't mean them. It's about your other family."
Umbra's eyebrows furrowed slightly, a minimal but significant reaction. "Other… family?"
This time, the youths nodded, and the Queen held her gaze,
"Yes. As you already know… we are not mother and daughter by blood." Umbra didn't respond. It wasn't a new revelation. "Like your sisters," the Queen continued, "you were adopted at an early age from the Outskirts."
"I know," Umbra replied, her voice firm. "But… what other family? I was always told I had no one. That everyone had died."
For the first time, genuine sadness crossed the Queen's face. It wasn't theatrical or calculated; it was a subtle gesture, but impossible to ignore.
"I know," she said quietly. "And it wasn't a lie born of cruelty… but of caution. We didn't believe you were ready to know the truth. Besides…" she paused briefly, as if the words weighed more than usual, "we also didn't have enough certainty to tell you."
Umbra didn't look away.
"Then…" her voice trembled slightly, though her expression remained unchanged, "are you saying that… there is someone from my family alive?"
"Yes. There is." She nodded slowly, and silence returned to the hall. After a few seconds, she continued, "But before we go on," she added, "you must understand what happened."
Umbra narrowed her eyes slightly, focusing all her attention on her.
The Queen looked away for a moment, as if searching for the right words… or as if hesitating to speak them. A few seconds passed before she looked back at her daughter. When she did, a faint, sad smile curved her lips.
"Years ago… you lived in an orphanage," she said calmly. "It wasn't a particularly cruel place, but it didn't have the necessary resources to care for all the children as it should have."
Umbra didn't respond. Her expression remained serene; it was a story she already knew.
"One day, you had an accident." She paused briefly: "It was serious enough to render you unconscious instantly."
"Your condition was critical, and the orphanage didn't have the means to treat you. They tried to keep you alive as best they could, but they knew it wouldn't be enough." The Queen looked away for a moment before continuing. "It took them a month to manage to contact me; I had already adopted several of your sisters from that orphanage."
Umbra tilted her head slightly, unsurprised.
"At that time… my situation with Vale wasn't stable," the Queen continued. "There were matters that required my full attention. Even so… eventually, the message arrived, and when I learned of you, I decided to adopt you."
Umbra didn't question that part. She had done so long ago.
"You were brought here shortly after. By then, you had already been unconscious for a long time." The Queen's voice softened slightly. "You remained that way for four months."
Umbra closed her eyes for an instant, as if acknowledging a fact already heard countless times.
"The healers of the Song Clan managed to stabilize you. They healed your body completely, and no physical after-effects remained." A slight pause. "But when you woke up… you remembered nothing."
The Queen observed her.
"All of that you already know." Her words fell gently. "What you don't know… is what happened before that message reached me."
The Queen held her gaze, ensuring she had her full attention before continuing.
"Before the accident… You weren't alone."
Umbra didn't move, but something in her gaze changed, barely perceptible.
"You had a sister… and a brother. In fact…" the Queen paused slightly, "you and he were twins."
Umbra's eyes sharpened slightly.
"His name is Sunless, and your sister's name is Rain."
For the first time, the information didn't find an immediate place to settle. It hung in the air, and the Queen continued without looking away from her.
"According to what we were informed, a week after your accident… he left the orphanage." She told her. "We assume he went to the Outskirts. Probably to get money… to help you."
Umbra's fingers tensed slightly, imperceptible to anyone who didn't know her.
"When I finally went to the orphanage, a month later, they informed me of the situation, and I intended to adopt all three." Umbra raised her chin slightly. "But your sister… had already been adopted by another family."
A slight silence.
"I considered bringing her anyway. I had the means to do so." The Queen shook her head gently, sighing. "But I didn't want to take a daughter away from those who had already accepted her."
Umbra said nothing.
"As for your brother…" she continued. "They told me he had a certain inclination to get into fights; that didn't matter to me." The Queen's eyes hardened slightly. "But then… they informed me that he had run away from the orphanage. And that he hadn't returned."
"I couldn't find him." She admitted sadly.
Umbra held her gaze for a few more seconds before speaking,
"And my sister?" The question was simple.
"Your sister is fine. She was adopted by a stable family. She wants for nothing."
Umbra nodded slightly,
"And him?"
"From that moment on… we had no information about his whereabouts." The Queen's voice became lower. "We used the Clan's resources to search for him in the Outskirts… but we never managed to find him; you know the Outskirts are very vast, and finding someone there is impossible."
Umbra lowered her gaze briefly, processing, then, slowly, raised it again,
"If you're telling me this now…" she said calmly, though something different began to filter into her voice, "it's because that changed. Isn't it?"
The Queen nodded. "Yes. There was a significant change."
Umbra didn't hesitate,
"What?"
"Since then, we kept searching for him, hoping to find him someday. The odds were low… especially in the Outskirts. But we didn't stop." The Queen paused. "A few hours ago, we received a report from one of our spies in the government—" She couldn't finish.
"Did you find him?" Umbra's voice changed, and for the first time, there was urgency.
The Queen watched her carefully.
"Yes. We did." A pause. "But… not all the news is good."
Umbra's face tensed,
"What happened?"
"We found him because his name appeared in the registry…" the Queen said slowly, "as a Sleeper."
Umbra swallowed hard because she understood perfectly what that meant.
"He was lucky to survive his first Nightmare, yes…" the Queen continued. "But now… he has barely a month to prepare for the Winter Solstice at the Academy and—"
"It's a death sentence." Umbra finished the sentence for her.
The Queen nodded silently, and for the first time since she had entered the room… Umbra wasn't looking at the throne. Her gaze was lost on the floor, motionless, as she processed something that had just changed everything. The information settled slowly, piece by piece, as if her mind refused to process it all at once.
Finally, she looked up,
"Can't we bring him here?"
The Queen shook her head gently. Beside her, the dead youths repeated the gesture.
"From what we know, he is at the Academy. And the clan… has no authority to remove him from there."
Umbra didn't hesitate.
"Then I want to go to the Academy." There was a slight pause, and her voice lost some of its usual firmness: "I want to meet him."
The Queen watched her in silence for a moment and then smiled warmly,
"I hope you're not angry with me, daughter. You must know we did everything possible to find him… and to reunite you."
Umbra responded with a slight smile. It wasn't her usual smile; it was softer. More real.
"I know, Mother, and I thank you for telling me now." She lowered her gaze briefly, only for an instant, before raising it again with a decision already expressed through her beautiful face. "But I don't want to waste any more time. I want to go meet him."
The Queen's smile widened, filled with silent satisfaction: "I'm glad to hear that." She tilted her head slightly. "Well then… what are you waiting for?"
Umbra blinked, confused.
The Queen continued, with an almost playful undertone in her voice, "There's already a car waiting for you to take you to the Academy. Your things are prepared, and all the necessary paperwork is already in order."
Umbra's eyes opened slightly. "What…?" She paused briefly. "Everything is already ready? Since when?"
The Queen let out a soft laugh,
"From the moment we received the news, of course!" The doors of the hall slowly opened, moved by her will. "I am your mother. If I hadn't known you were going to ask me for this… it would have been a disappointment."
Umbra turned to look at the open doors… and then looked back at her. The smile that appeared on her face this time was different from any other. Genuine. Luminous.
Something the Queen had never seen in all those years; for an instant… her dead heart seemed to want to beat.
"Thank you, Mother… I love you."
Without waiting for a reply, Umbra stood up and began walking quickly towards the exit.
Just before crossing the threshold—
"Umbra." The Queen's voice stopped her.
She turned.
"I want you to be prepared." Her tone was more serious now: "Even though he's your brother… he believes you're dead, and besides, he grew up in the Outskirts." A brief pause. "He won't believe you, and if you wish to build a relationship with him… you'll have to do it little by little."
Umbra held her gaze. There wasn't a single shred of doubt in her eyes. "I know, Mother. I won't give up." And without saying more, she left the hall, heading towards the Gateway that would take her back to the Waking World.
Silence settled again in the throne room. On both sides of the throne, the dead youths let out small tears as they watched her figure disappear.
The Queen, however, remained motionless. Then, in a low voice, almost inaudible, "I love you too… dear Ummy."
Today had been the first time her daughter had truly smiled at her, and also… the first time she had told her she loved her.
For the first time in a long while, Ki Song was truly happy.