Subtly touching his palms with his fingertips, JD acknowledged the growing changes inside him.

He closed his eyes again, tightly this time, at the sudden surge of waves in his soul. Since touching Andrew's core when it was outside, a sensation of something awakening had knocked on JD's door. Like a hearth, it was warm, gentle, and pleasant. But now, like a sea creature dove to the water from plenty of floors above, the feeling splashed around. Spreading, finding their place in his nerves, settling their respective homes in his soul.

Not only that, but his bruises and wounds from last night's event healed the moment he woke from recovering his memories.

"Your eyes..."

JD opened his eyes and raised a brow. "What about them?"

"T-their color..."

"Oh. We both used to have blue eyes, didn't we?"

"Uh..."

JD smiled. "We still look alike even if mine's a different color now. Don't worry about it."

"So, I wasn't mistaken," Andrew said, confusing JD. "You truly had brown eyes."

"Had?" JD mumbled, but a different thought came over him. "My eyes are brown, Drew. Are you colorblind?"

Andrew covered his lower face with one hand, his eyes reflecting something he didn't know how to say. With one last breath, he took his hand away as he stood up, overshadowed by JD as the sun rose behind him, his confused, blue eyes appearing bluer. Like a cool, oddly warm light in the shadows hiding from the day.

"My eyesight is perfectly fine." Andrew's fingers fluidly fanned the air between them, small traces of water appearing from the tip of his pointer. "Brother, I am not sure how to tell you this without you doubting my words-"

"I'll never doubt anything you say."

A small side smile appeared on the corner of Andrew's lips. He shook his head. "This is a different case. So, I'll need you to do something for me."

"Drew, what do you...."

The tiny beads of water quickly grew and grouped as Andrew moved his fingers around to manipulate the water. Before JD could say more, Andrew had already commanded the water to form a rectangular screen between them, making sure the sunlight hit the surface of it facing JD's side.

As it did, in JD's view, the water ultimately reflected the sun on the rise and the canopies that hid the complete form.

Wordless, Andrew's eyes invited JD to view his reflection as he peeked behind it. After a little shrug, JD sidestepped to match the position of mirror-like water.

As soon as he did, his slightly distorted image looked surprised. Blue eyes shot wide, staring back at him. JD blinked a couple of times, then moved his head around, later fanning a hand in front of his face.

"What the?" JD touched the side of his widened eyes. "How..."

When believers of Garnet said awakening their inborn magic made changes to their bodies, everyone had doubts. After all, not everybody experienced the same things, and not everyone had an inborn talent.

"Oh." JD's expression softened. With a little smile, he sidestepped again to face Andrew. "It... might be because I awakened my inborn magic."

Andrew swiped his hand swiftly against the water mirror, splashing it into tiny bits, and his other hand collected the small traces faster than the eye could see.

"That's great!" Andrew said with a bright smile, crossing his arms afterward to warm his hands from the soaked sensation of using water magic. "Do you mind the change?"

"No, it's just...." After nearly thirty years of living in this new life, JD had grown accustomed to seeing brown eyes whenever he looked at his reflection, and people he knew would surely notice something's changed in him. He shrugged. "It's gonna take some getting used to, is all."

Andrew pouted. "We lived for twenty-five years having blue eyes."

"Yes, but I've lived for twenty-nine years in this life with brown ones." JD poked Andrew's cheek as his eyes widened.

"Twenty-nine years? That... that was how long I was a bodiless soul and a guzzarok combined...?"

"You had no way of knowing the timeframe, but yup, I think so. I'm pretty sure Garnet can't awaken and reincarnate us at different years."

Andrew nodded eagerly. "Of course. We're only one soul, after all!"

"Wait..." JD tilted his head. "What exactly is your inborn magic?"

Andrew's body mellowed as it was covered with colorful hues. Like mush, his form changed to a nine-foot-tall creature. Later, the bright hues vanished, and he returned as a guzzarok.

He crouched, meeting JD's surprised eyes.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"I can change forms." Andrew reverted to JD's mirror image just as quickly. "But it seems I needed to meet you to have an original form."

"...You can turn into other creatures?"

"I can change into everything!" His face changed to someone else's that JD didn't recognize, then he changed half of his body to a muscular physique while the other half was crippled and wrinkled.

"Holy-" JD leaned over as Andrew changed in different ways, his voice suddenly loud. "You shapeshift? Garnet loves you way too much!"

Andrew changed back to himself and beamed. "But I love you!"

Taken aback, JD covered half of his face, feeling something warm creeping up to his face. "Hey..."

"More than that three-armed old man!"

JD's expression changed, but his cheeks still burned a soft red. "Hey! You're gonna make him mad!"

"Then, be mad!" Andrew yelled to the skies, then looked back at JD with the same grin and eyes full of affection. "I love brother more than anyone!"

JD wiped a palm across his face, smiling behind his hand uncontrollably. He shook his head and cupped Andrew's head, shaking it playfully before ruffling his hair.

"But still, shit." He leaned over the tree beside them. "Shapeshifting has been something that was almost regarded as fantasy. Most other people could only change their faces or their bodies into different people or certain animals. They even have conditions they need to meet to shift."

"I can change into anything at will!" Andrew proudly said, shifting afterward into Leo. Imitating a gargled voice, he said, "I have the eyes of Garnet."

"Garnet," JD mumbled, then his following line came loud. "You can alter your vocal cords, too?"

Andrew reverted with a proud smile. "Anything!"

"That's awesome!"

For sure, Garnet loved JD's brother way too much. On the one hand, JD was happy for Andrew; on the other, he felt challenged by Garnet. As if Garnet was saying his affection for Andrew was greater than JD's. And even though Garnet was the god of all creation, for instance, JD looked past that and pictured himself beating him up.

But he shook it off right away. Garnet's prowess for everything was unmatched by any god or human. Moreover, JD didn't need to prove anything to anyone. He was Andrew's twin brother, and he shared half of his soul.

In a competition to earn the favor of the most powerful god other than Garnet, JD would win by default.

"How about you?"

Snapping out of his dark thoughts, JD blinked. "Me?"

"Mhm! You just awakened yours, right? What's your inborn magic?"

JD brought a hand over his chin and closed his eyes, communicating with the magic flowing in his soul, teaching him how to use it. The identical feeling of having an empty seat beside his soul followed. Literally. He opened his eyes slowly and gazed over his arms.

"...Another soul."

"Hm?"

"I..." It came clear to JD now. And he couldn't contain his embezzlement at the discovery. "I can have another soul inside me."

Andrew raised a brow, scratching his sleeves softly, eyes intrigued and inviting JD to say more.

"Literally, Drew." JD looked at his brother. "Though, I don't know how that would feel like. But it's processing in my head—how to use it."

"Whoa." Andrew mouthed, eyes later shaking in his next thought. "So, you can sneak in with other people without anyone knowing?"

"It seems so." JD smiled. "Wait... I'm getting it now. Okay, so that's how."

JD knelt on one knee, eyes on the ground, with one hand on the grass and the other on his other knee.

"Drew."

"Yes, brother?"

"The gate is opened." JD closed his eyes and breathed in. "Do you wish to come inside?"

Andrew's eyes sparkled, and his hands trembled. He opened his mouth, but no words came out right away. And when it did, it came as a whisper.

"Yes, please."

As soon as Andrew responded positively, his soft and excited expression changed to shock and slight panic. His body disintegrated and faded into nothing. No traces of it were left behind, but the physical form of his soul was left right there, and JD's inborn magic siphoned it to his nape.

JD opened his eyes and looked up. All that remained was his luggage and the flattened grass where Andrew had stood a moment ago.

"Brother!"

Eyes broad, JD cupped his head at the familiar voice that echoed in his head.

"D-drew?"

A happy giggle vibrated to JD's senses. He could feel Andrew's soul moving and settling beside his, his voice resounding in his brain, and his own soul reacting rather gleefully.

It might react differently for every soul he invites inside, but with Andrew's being the literal half of his soul, having it inside him slandered the emptiness he'd felt for as long as he could remember.

"Drew?" He whispered.

"Yes, brother?"

JD smiled uncontrollably, hands gently pressing his chest. He closed his eyes and separated his personal thoughts with a part of his nerves connected to the ones that received Andrew's words.

"Are you comfortable?"

A gasp echoed inside his head, and JD couldn't help but chuckle.

"Brother, you can speak to me without saying anything! Wow!"

"Indeed," JD said out loud, one hand cupping his forehead. "This is quite unique."

While it was apparent that Garnet favored Andrew among every soul in both Paradise and Julisie, certain souls still earned incredible inborn magic. Whether it was due to Garnet's judgment of their previous lives or something else, no one in Julisie knew.

With that coming into JD's mind, mild confusion scratched his conscience.

"What made Garnet employ this... inborn talent thing?" He muttered under his breath.

Due to Andrew being inside of him, it didn't come as a mutter to him.

"I wondered the same thing."

"Oh, you heard me?"

"Mhm. Though, you're right. Ever since getting my memories back, it was something that didn't make much sense to me."

JD straightened his back, eyes shifting to the town of Abarly.

"Why would Garnet suddenly do such a thing? I'm sure the others in Paradise know. But I want to know as well."

A tinge of sadness vibrated from the voice. JD took a deep breath.

"Me too." He whispered. "Maybe we can find out about it somewhere."

"Or never. Since we're no longer gods."

"We still are." JD forced a smile. "Just... in the human world. In human bodies."

Andrew said no more, and for a moment, JD wished he could see Andrew and hug him tight. As much as they both ignored it, the seeping feeling of abandonment and loss of a place to belong to remained. However, living and staying in The Great Gemini had provided some sense of familiarity and belonging, as it was the continent they ruled centuries ago.

"One by one." JD strengthened his mental state by slapping his cheeks and setting his eyes on the town in the distance, then sliding them southwest of Abarly, where a distant collection of buildings peeked from the horizon and in between the trees of Tamethe. "We will deal with everything one by one."

"Mhm."

"For now," JD picked up his luggage and strode towards the settlement southwest. "We need a place to temporarily settle in to strategize and gather all the information and resources we need."

"A base? But where?"

"To the hotel in Abarly's separate settlement—Calerdawn."

"...A hotel?"

JD pursed his lips and smiled, shaking his head.

"Like an inn."

"Ohh."

"Though..." A crooked smile found its way to JD's lips. "Sneaking in past their security shouldn't be too hard."

A short silence remained between the two, then a slight screech echoed in JD's head, a hiss from Andrew following afterward.

"...Sneak in? Why?"

"You'll see."