"What's got you so shocked?" Hye-jin asked. "Don't want your brother to be away from you?"
"No, I... You're going to school?" Evan asked, looking at Reid.
"Do you think your brother gets to skip mandatory training just because he's a Rift Support Technician?" the Assessment Specialist cut in, pushing his glasses higher on his nose. "Trust me, he's about to make a name for himself. This is a one-way ticket to getting rich. You should be congratulating him, not trying to hold him back."
"That's enough, sir," Reid said, his voice low. "He understands what you're getting at."
The Assessment Specialist huffed and waved them off. "The assessment is done now. You can all leave."
The three of them filed out of the assessment room and into the lobby, where Hye-jin and Reid turned to Evan. He stood with his head lowered.
"Are you okay?" Hye-jin asked.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I thought you already knew," Reid said.
Concern colored both their voices, but Evan kept his head down. Reid's departure didn't bother him. If anything, he was ecstatic, and he had to keep his face lowered to hide the grin tugging at his mouth. This was perfect, and it had been a long time coming. Since arriving in this world, he had struggled to maintain the act while piecing together everything he could about his new surroundings. His greatest fear was that Reid would realize he wasn't the Evan he knew. With his brother at the academy, Evan would finally have some room to breathe.
"No, it's fine. It just slipped my mind," Evan said and lifted his head with a reassuring smile. His mouth twitched against a grin and a laugh nearly escaped him, but they probably took it for a forced attempt at comfort.
"But why do you have to go to District 1?" Evan asked.
"You know how rare Healers are in Nova Terra," Reid said. "The government wants every one of them thoroughly trained, so they're all called to the academy."
"Yeah," Hye-jin said. "You hardly see them outside the big places. Most of them are D-rank anyway. A-rank Healers are in a different league."
Evan nodded. "How long does the program last?"
"Adults who awaken can usually take the part-time program, which lets them keep working while they finish their required training," Hye-jin explained.
"Since I'll be in District 1, I figured the full-time program made more sense," Reid said. "It runs six months to a year. No, I'll make sure it's six months."
No, no, no. Please, take your time, Evan thought.
Reid reassured him once more, and then the conversation turned to the press interview. Reid's face pinched like he'd bitten into something sour.
"Oh, stop pouting. This is your own fault," Hye-jin said. "Who told you to storm an Irregular Rift and clear it by yourself? The higher-ups want a few words from you to settle the reporters. You've read the briefing on what you can and can't say, right?"
Reid gave a stiff nod.
"...Do I have to be on camera?" Evan asked. The thought of reporters swarming him, cameras flashing in his face, made his legs itch to run.
"Of course not," Reid said, giving his shoulder a squeeze. "The press area sits between the Assessment Center and the parking lot, but you can use this route to avoid it. Just wait by the car for a bit, okay?"
Reid walked him through the route and the group split up, Hye-jin going with Reid while Evan slipped around the press.
His new skill would have made the escape easier, but he pushed the idea aside. An unregistered Awakener using a skill inside an Assessment Center would be handing the authorities a reason to detain him.
He didn't plan to hide his status forever. He meant to keep it secret until he got his bearings and learned the basics of this world. Being an Awakener would bring trouble he had no desire to face yet, and with Reid bound for the academy, Evan refused to risk being enrolled there as well.
Nearly half an hour passed before Reid and Hye-jin returned. The three of them drove from the Assessment Center to the RCB branch, and once the last few matters were settled, the brothers climbed onto Reid's motorcycle and headed to the grocery store to restock a few essentials.
Reid pushed their cart down the aisle. "I'll probably need to head to the Central Awakener Academy by next week. Once I leave, you'll be all alone in the apartment. I already asked Hye-jin to check in on you regularly, but..." He looked down at the groceries piled in the cart. "That got me thinking. Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea for you to stay in District 1 for a while."
"Don't be ridiculous." Evan scoffed. "Let's not forget that I still have school. And if you head there by yourself, you can stay in the student residence on a full government scholarship. But if I come along, we'll have to rent an apartment. Do you know how expensive that place is? And you still haven't told me what punishment you got for breaking the rules and charging into that Irregular Rift alone."
"I got suspended. It's a paid suspension, though, so don't worry about the money. I've got enough savings for both of us to live comfortably in District 1."
"I'm still not joining you." Evan planted his hands on his hips. He wasn't about to throw away his chance at some freedom.
"Are you sure you'll be fine on your own?" Reid asked. "I know you can cook a bit, but you'll be by yourself for months... and what if a robber breaks in? Can you protect yourself, or—"
"I'm not a child, and I can live by myself."
And Evan had. Back in his old world, the orphanage had turned him out at eighteen without a single marketable skill, leaving him to scrape by on minimum-wage jobs, counting every day until rent came due and wondering how he would afford his next meal, let alone make it to the end of the month. Nova Terra offered a life he had never dared to expect. His new home was warm, with no mold creeping up the walls or leaks dripping from the ceiling. Gone were the days of juggling two jobs on a few hours of sleep just to keep himself afloat. For the first time in his life, his biggest worry was keeping up with school.
"I know. I'm just worried," Reid said.
"I can see that," Evan replied. "But really, think of this as a chance for me to have some independence."
"But you're only seventeen!"
"I'm already seventeen!" Evan struggled to understand why Reid was making such a fuss. Back when he'd lived as Reuel, he'd endured a brutal childhood and hunted demons on deadly missions while still in his teens. How had a man once so cold and aloof become someone like this?
"You're going to District 1, and that's final," Evan declared and strode ahead down the aisle.
Reid pushed the cart after him. "Are you angry because I didn't tell you sooner about the Central Awakener Academy?"
"I'm not. If anything, you're the one who could use a change of scenery. Moving might do you some good."
Reid cocked his head.
"You've basically spent your teenage years and early adulthood taking care of me. Maybe it's time you had a life of your own. Away from me, that is."
"I never considered taking care of you a burden." Reid frowned.
"I know, but you've never really lived your own life, right? Who knows? You might actually enjoy it there. Go hang out, have some fun, explore the city, make a few more friends."
And maybe get off my back for once, so I can catch a break, Evan thought.
"Though I'd better not hear about you getting a wife, okay?" Evan jabbed a finger at Reid. "I'm not ready to be an uncle or something."
Reid nearly choked. "Don't joke about things like that. A girlfriend is already out of the question, and marriage is even less likely."
Evan had expected that answer. Having lived a second life, Reuel was far older than his appearance suggested, and Evan couldn't imagine Reid pursuing a woman decades younger than himself. Besides, romance had never been Reuel's concern. In Chronicles of a Demon Hunter, he had encountered countless beautiful women, yet not one had captured his heart. He had remained indifferent to them all, showing not the slightest hint of attraction.
"Who knows? Men's hearts are fickle. What's impossible today might look different tomorrow," Evan joked.
Reid arched an eyebrow. "You know you're included in that generalization, don't you?"
"I'm still only seventeen."
"Many kids already date at that age."
"Do you want me to date?"
"You like someone?" Gold flickered in Reid's dark eyes for an instant.
"See? This is exactly what I mean. Anyone I brought home would have to survive your interrogation first." Evan shrugged. "Not that it matters. I'm not interested in anyone."
"You seem rather close with that girl, Yuyan."
"She's just a friend, and her one true love is Junhao."
They left it there and finished the shopping. Once home, Evan helped Reid put the groceries away and retreated to his room to check the news on his phone. As he'd predicted, articles featuring Reid's interviews were already making the rounds online.
Evan opened one of the articles and played the recorded interview. The man on the screen bore little resemblance to the Reid he knew. The warm, approachable face he wore at home had given way to a composure that made him a stranger, and a faint chill in his dark eyes discouraged any familiarity. It was the nearest Evan had come to seeing the cold side of Reuel. It did little to deter the rabid reporters, whose bread and butter was chasing the hottest stories, even if it meant charging headfirst into danger.
"We just saw you exit the Assessment Center, sir. Can you confirm your ranking and class?"
"I have not yet received my official registered rank," Reid said. "However, the specialist has assessed me as an A-rank Healer."
"A Healer. That is certainly excellent news. How do you feel about that?" one reporter asked.
"It is not something I feel strongly about," Reid replied. "I will simply perform my duties to the best of my ability, as I would have done regardless of being an Awakener."
"Since you are a Healer, can we assume you will attend the Central Awakener Academy?" another voice called out.
"Yes. I have been informed to await my admission letter."
"Do you plan on leaving RCB after this? Many guilds would be eager to recruit an A-rank Healer," a reporter pressed.
"What is your future plan, sir?" came another question.
"I cannot comment on that at this time. My focus is to complete the mandatory training," Reid said.
A different reporter cut in. "We heard you entered the Rift dungeon without authorization, sir. What prompted that decision?"
"It was a moment of impulse. My brother was inside, and in my recklessness I entered without thinking. Please disregard any rumors suggesting the government was unwilling to deploy an A-rank Awakener. My entry into the Rift was entirely my own decision and responsibility."
"You seem to care greatly about your younger sibling," another voice added.
A faint smile softened Reid's face. "Yes. He is my family. He is the most important person in my life."
Evan paused the video and pressed his palm to his forehead. The words lingered in his mind, stirring a discomfort he couldn't quite shake. Reid wasn't talking about him. He was talking about his real little brother, the one who had grown up beside him, and not the foreign soul that had taken over his body. They wore the same name and face, but they were not the same person.
The longer he sat with the truth, the harder it was to ignore. He didn't belong here. He had taken someone else's place.
"System, if I complete that mission of yours, will I return home?" Evan asked.
No response.
Returning home. Did he even want that anymore? Back there, he would be stuck in a cramped, mold-ridden apartment, working a dead-end job with little hope of escaping the obscurity that had defined his life.
Staying meant waking each morning to a brother who cared about him, a warm home, and a future that finally seemed within reach. Monsters and Rifts aside, this world had given him more than his old one ever could.
Yet none of it had been meant for him. He had stolen a life that belonged to someone else, along with the family and opportunities that came with it. Did he really have the right to hold on to something that had never been his?