"Shayna… was my sister."
The words fell from John's lips shockingly, freezing the air between us.
"Huh?" I blurted out, utterly stunned. The confusion hit like a wall, rendering my thoughts blank for a mont.
Did I hear wrong or right?
John… and Shayna?
My mouth hung slightly open as I stared at him, struggling to wrap my head around what he had just said. Of all the things I might've expected, this—this wasn't even on the list. Sure, I had known Shayna had a brother in her previous life, she'd ntioned it vaguely once or twice. But this… this connection?
"Are you joking? You knew about this?" Rodolf turned toward , his eyes narrowing in suspicion.
I shook my head slowly, still caught in disbelief. "No. I an, I knew she had a younger brother in her past life or sothing… but I never knew it was you."
There was a pause.
Then Rodolf spoke again, more cautiously this ti.
"Wait, hold on—just to be sure. Which Shayna are you talking about?" He asked, brows furrowing.
"Shayna Butler," John said.
That na only confird it.
Rodolf's eyes widened in disbelief. "No way… it really is her."
It was the sa Shayna.
John looked directly at us now. "You knew her, didn't you? You were in her class in college."
I hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah. But wait… how do you know about us?"
"She used to talk to about her college days. About her classmates. She ntioned a few nas, but… it's all a blur now. I didn't rember yours until just now." He dropped his gaze. "I can't believe this."
"She talked about you too, you know," I said, lowering my voice. "A lot, actually. She said she didn't get to see you often, but every mont she spent with you ant the world to her. You were her only family. Her little brother… she loved you a lot."
I could still picture her—smiling faintly as she spoke about him, the rare flicker of joy in her otherwise always enclosed expression.
John's fists clenched at his sides, trembling slightly.
"She's gone," he said. "She was killed. And that bastard… he told it was him."
We knew whom he was speaking about.
"So… that's why you hate Earth so much. That's where all this anger cos from," I mumbled finally understanding.
John's eyes, glistening with unshed rage, turned toward . "You knew it was him?"
Rodolf answered before I could.
"Yeah… we suspected. After Shayna died, he dropped out. Disappeared without a trace. Vanished from the city entirely. It wasn't hard to put two and two together. But we never found any evidence… he covered his tracks too well."
John didn't respond. He just stood there, fists clenched so hard his knuckles had gone white.
"Is that why you're angry too?" He asked . "Because he… killed my sister?"
I looked at him for a mont, then nodded. "Yeah… that's part of it. But it's not just Shayna. He killed Ephera too."
"We can't say that for sure," Rodolf gave a glance.
I turned to him, my expression hardening. "Who else could it have been?"
Rodolf t my glare with a frown of his own. "I don't know. Maybe that Rickward bastard who killed ?"
I looked away. "Does it matter who it was? Whether it was him or soone else?" My voice cracked just slightly. "In the end, they're both gone… Shayna, Ephera... and we couldn't protect them. But at least they have reincarnated.
"Shayna…" John whispered, almost to himself. Then he looked up, eyes wide with sothing I hadn't seen in them before—hope. "Wait… did you say she might've reincarnated too?"
I shrugged my shoulders. "Yeah. I think it's likely. Everyone who was connected to , all the bonds that ant sothing… they've found their way here sohow. Hell, you are here. So why wouldn't Shayna be here too?"
John didn't speak at first. But then, slowly… his lips curved into a smile.
Sothing rare.
A genuine, hopeful smile.
That guy…
He had changed. Over the past year, John had grown—shed so of that cold armor he used to carry around like a second skin. He wasn't the sa broken soul who looked at the world with nothing but fury and only thinking about protecting what remained of his new family.
He'd started healing.
And I?
I wasn't so sure about myself anymore.
Sowhere along the way, I felt like I had regressed. The war had taken its toll on , grinding down whatever progress I'd made. Where John had found hope, I'd found more walls. More scars. More reasons to be angry.
At that mont, Rodolf broke the silence. "The real question now is… who have they beco? And where are they?"
I nodded. "Yeah. Ephera, Shayna, Emric… even Lucy. We haven't seen them yet."
Rodolf gave a small laugh. "Oh, don't worry. Emric's the easiest to spot. Just look for the guy doing embarrassing things to impress a girl. If you see soone being a total cringe machine, that's your guy."
I laughed despite myself. "You're not wrong. Now that I think about it, I should've found you two when I arrived in Sancta Vedelia just from the signs. A musclehead and a girl who keeps glaring at him like she regrets every life decision—of course it was you and Marlene."
Rodolf's smile vanished. "Oh yeah? Then don't think you're safe either. Ephera and Shayna? They gotta be easy to spot too. One will be all sunshine and sweetness on the surface, but behind your back she's out there beating up any girl or dude who so much as looks at you, making them regret having been born. The other one, you look for one acting all Innocent but is a hidden stalker."
I glared at him. "You're making that up."
"Am I?" He asked with a laugh.
Ephera… I could believe it. That part didn't surprise . She was always the protective type—quietly possessive in her own way. But Shayna? A stalker?
I frowned.
Was he joking?
He had to be. Right?
And yet… what if he wasn't?
How the hell did I miss that?!
While I was lost in thought, feeling a little too comfortable in the mont, I sensed it—that familiar burning glare. Direct, focused, and radiating from none other than John.
"…Ah."
And of course, right on cue, Rodolf opened his mouth again—too wide, too loud, and entirely unnecessary.
"You bastard… it was you," John growled. "Of course it had to be fucking you again."
"What, ?" I asked, trying my best to sound clueless.
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