Adrian had always cherished his relationship with his younger sister, Julia Hunt. As her big brother, he felt a natural protectiveness and closeness toward her. There was no bad blood or hostility between them, but a subtle competitiveness always lingered—a rivalry sparked by Julia’s unusual birth. She was, after all, a rare anomaly in the Hunt bloodline.

It wasn’t in every generation that a Hunt was born with an Origin Factor, let alone one as exceptionally powerful as hers. Julia’s Origin was the Blessing of Shadows, a unique gift that set her apart. This power made her something of an outlier, not just in her abilities but in her very appearance. She was born monochrome, her entire form rendered in shades of black and white, and her eyes could only see in those two stark colours.

To Julia, black and white were both a blessing and a curse. Her prowess in the Path of Shadows was nearly unmatched, but her inability to see in colour isolated her. The rare moments when she did see colour were fleeting and significant—those she could trust appeared to her in hues, while everyone else remained colourless. But with no clear sense of what defined trust, how could she ever know who was truly worthy of it?

Born without the innate ability to trust those around her, Julia’s instincts primed her for isolation. Even her parents, despite their gentleness, seemed intimidating through her monochromatic gaze. Their efforts to reach her were persistent but made little impact; only resulting in her knowing that somehow they made her survive through early childhood. Still, Julia viewed them with a kind of distant fear.

Things only began to change when Adrian, close in age and gentle in his own way, formed a bond with her that their parents could not. Together, they built a foundation of trust, one that bridged the gap between her shadowed world and his warmth. With Adrian by her side, Julia finally began to see the first hints of colour in her life.

“I still remember that time…”

As they grew up together, Julia’s bond with Adrian deepened, and she began to see him as a benchmark—a standard she needed to meet. This admiration gradually turned into a kind of one-sided rivalry, an unusual way for her to express her affection for him. It was…

“…Odd.”

In truth, she was the prodigy; she had immense potential and excelled in basically every necessary field for a mage and Hunter. He was the one that had to work hard, despite also having a blessing as said by Eldryn. Yet, despite her extraordinary gifts, she seemed to view herself as ‘lesser’ compared to Adrian.

Because of this view, she never held back when they competed, pouring everything she had into each challenge they shared. And more often than not she lost those competitions, either by purpose whenever she somehow felt bad for him, or through Adrian just being that skilled.

Adrian reminisced quite happily, smiling. “How cute.”

Julia turned her gaze towards him, “Hm, did you say something?”

Adrian shook his head, “It's just a one off comment, nothing important.”

“...really?”

He nodded, “Yeah, really. It was towards you though.”

She exhaled softly. Despite not being of colour, she did show her way of blushing that only he and her parents could see.

The two of them had been walking down a familiar path they’ve taken ever since childhood. It was a stone path, lined with old growth and curated nature, the sun shining down the canopy of leaves as they walked.

It wasn't always like this, for in their childhood it was wilder, but that sense of familiarity was still present. It was not exactly part of the Hunt estate back then, but now it was.

He didn't know why she was taking him down this road, but right now he really wanted to see what was so important for him to be brought here. However—

“Are you still punishing me for ‘failing’ your test?” Adrian asked of her, an eyebrow raised.

“...no. I’ll hold it off until the next one. If you fail that, double the punishments.” She stated those words simply, it had somehow made him slightly scared.

“I’ll…be looking forward to it.” He could only laugh awkwardly at the words she said, really.

The two temporarily shared no further words after that exchange, as eventually they would arrive at their destined location. It was a modest house, if it could be called that. It was more of a shed, well-kept after all of these years. No signs of damage or even dust anywhere, it felt like it was newly built. Adrian smiled, for he remembered this place.

“The Playhouse,” he said.

Julia wasted not much time unlike Adrian, as she immediately went forward to open the door, gesturing to him to come inside. And seeing no other matters, he obeyed, following after her.

This particular structure was built by their father, when they were still very young. As the name had suggested, it was a location for them to play whenever they went outside. And even with the passage of time, with them not using it anymore, it was well-cleaned and maintained.

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He could see empty bookshelves, contraptions, toys and board games. Once again, he could only smile at such nostalgia.

Then…

“Julia?”

Facing her behind, he saw that his sister had taken off her hat, revealing those black bunny ears underneath. Outside of showering and sleeping, she quite literally never took them off. Unless…

“...Wait.”

He was once again reminded of a memory. She would usually only do this whenever she wanted to get emotionally close to someone. Reason being that her ears showed her true emotions, her feelings, when her often neutral face couldn't do such things.

She sat down by a nearby wall, facing the window of the Playhouse, and tapped the floor next to her with a small smile. “Sit.”

Adrian complied, sitting next to her, legs curled up in front of him. A question popped into his mind, “Why are you doing this? What's so important for us to be here?” he said.

“Brother…” she began, turning towards him, ears lowering slightly, “do you still struggle?”

“...what are you—?”

“I know you were, about this whole choice of his, wanting you to take over as the head of the family,” she said, “I just want to know how you feel right now, about that.”

“Julia…I…” he hesitated, holding his words, he gazed downwards towards the floor, as if that would've helped him find his words. “It just doesn't make sense, you know? I’m not even blood related to you guys. I’m a part of the family, but…sometimes I feel like I’m just filling in, like I’m a placeholder."

He turned to her, "I think…it should be you that becomes the head, seriously.”

Julia was a bit surprised, but this was expected, "How so?”

He took a shaky breath, forcing himself to keep going. “Well, you're the prodigy,” he said, “Both of us have blessings, but you’re the most unique person I’ve met in my life. You're astounding, almost terrifying.”

Julia listened in silence, her ears perked up, her expression unreadable.

“Everything about you—your power, your intelligence, the way you taught yourself all this magic and combat—it’s intimidating.” He swallowed, his gaze dropping again. “Standing next to you, I feel…like I don’t belong. Like I’m inadequate, even for a role I was chosen for.”

“...hm.” She wanted to laugh at the irony—both of them feeling unworthy of each other, as if neither could see their own value. But she held back, knowing it would seem insensitive. Instead, she glanced down, her fingers tracing a small, invisible circle on the floor.

“It’s funny, right? Our father chose me to carry on the Hunt family name, to lead this whole legacy…but I don’t even have his blood. I’m not one of you, not really. I just don't think I have the qualities necessary for it. Sometimes I feel like I’m just pretending, like I’m standing in the shoes of someone else, someone who actually deserves to be here.”

Adrian’s last words lingered in the quiet air between them, as if they held a weight that was too heavy to lift. Julia’s gaze softened, her fingers still tracing small circles on the floor. She took a steadying breath and then looked up, meeting his eyes with a rare, unguarded expression.

“Adrian,” she began, her voice firm but gentle, “you don’t get it, do you?”

He blinked, caught off guard. “What do you mean?”

She turned fully toward him, her ears lowered slightly, but her eyes were steady. “You’re so focused on blood and legacy and feeling like an outsider, but…that’s not what makes the Hunts special. It never was.”

Adrian was a bit bewildered, his eyes widened, mouth slightly opened. It was as if this was the most astounding revelation in the world, despite the simplicity of those words that she said.

“The Hunt family isn’t great because of some pure bloodline or ancient name,” she continued, her tone growing more insistent, like she was finally saying something she’d thought about for a long time. “It’s great because of the people in it—the people who choose to uphold our values, who fight to protect others, who keep pushing themselves to be better, even when it’s hard.”

She paused, letting her words settle, watching the uncertainty flicker in his eyes. “Every generation of Hunts made this family what it is because of who they were, not because they happened to be born into it. Our father? He wasn’t handed his reputation because he had our blood. He earned it, tooth and nail, just ask him yourself if you want. Every Hunt who came before us was just a person who chose to fight, to protect, to stand up for something bigger than themselves.”

Adrian’s gaze wavered, and Julia could see the doubt still lingering there, so she leaned in a little closer, her voice softening. “And you, Adrian…you’re no different. You weren’t born a Hunt by blood, but you became one by choice. You are your own.” She said, “You’ve worked harder than anyone I know to live up to this family’s ideals. That’s what makes you a Hunt. Not the name, not some accident of birth—but your choices, your loyalty, and the way you carry yourself every single day.”

She smiled faintly, a rare expression of warmth that was just for him. “In fact, I think you see this legacy more clearly than anyone, more than I am, because you had that mindset that you have to earn your place in it. You know exactly what it means to be part of this family, more than any bloodline ever could.”

Adrian smiled. There was a warmth in his gaze now, a flicker of something new—something close to self-acceptance. Julia’s belief in him, so fierce and unwavering, wrapped around him like armour. For the first time, he felt the weight of the Hunt legacy settle on his shoulders not as a burden, but as something he could carry.

“You really are something else, Julia,” he commented, “I don’t know whether to feel comforted or to call you an adorable little philosopher.” He reached over to ruffle her hair, lightly tugging on one of her bunny ears accidentally. “It’s cute, though, you trying to lecture me.”

Julia pouted a little, a bit annoyed but glad with his reaction, “Well, at least you are being confident again.” She then stood up, “I want to retaliate, so stand up.”

“Oh?” Adrian did so, clearly he was taller than her, but— “Oop!”

She still managed to hug him, arms around his neck. He felt something metallic wrapped around him, but now he was just focused on returning the hug. And shortly thereafter, she backed away.

“You are your own, remember that,” she said, putting on her hat again, her expression returning to something more neutral. “But if you ever doubted yourself, if your spirit was ever threatened to waver, that pendant will serve as something to hold onto.”

Adrian saw it now, the necklace he wore, and that tiny glowing jewel he wore. It felt so insignificant, yet so strong. “This is…” He made no further comment. The both of them knew what it was.

She nodded to that, “Just remember that you have people who believe in you. And I’ll still be here, even if I’m in the shadows.”

And that statement was made literal, as Julia with no hesitation instantly sunk into her own shadows, disappearing without a trace. Adrian could only blink in response to that, before chuckling with a smile.

“...thank you, Julia.”