When Leoric awoke, the sunlight pierced his eyes with a painful brilliance. He squinted, struggling to adjust to the light that, in truth, wasn't all that intense. After a few moments, he opened his eyes fully and discovered he was lying on the lower bunk – Leovena's bed, covered with her blanket adorned with pink teddy bears.

Leoric's memories of this blanket were vivid. Before their sixth birthday, they had shared a bed and a blanket. But after that milestone, their mother had decided it was time for them to have their own spaces. She had installed bunk beds and bought new blankets for each of them. Leoric still remembered the day they went shopping with their mother. Leovena had fallen in love with the pink teddy bear blanket at first sight, while he had chosen a more conventional checkered pattern without much thought. In reality, he had secretly liked the pink teddy bears too.

But why was he here, in Leovena's bed?

Leoric's thoughts swirled as he recalled the events of the previous night. It all seemed like a dream – the sudden loss of his parents, Leovena's fever, him wiping her body and holding her as she drifted off to sleep. Everything felt surreal, as if last night had been nothing more than a nightmare.

Yet, he was indeed lying in Leovena's bed. So, it couldn't have been a dream, could it?

Leovena was not beside him; her bed was empty. Leoric sat up, naked, his head still a bit fuzzy. As his wits slowly gathered, he noticed his clothes neatly draped over a chair by the bed.

He dressed quickly and stepped out of the bedroom. Leovena was nowhere to be seen, but he could hear sounds coming from the kitchen. A glimmer of hope flickered within him – could it be that last night had just been a terrible dream? Were his parents still alive?

He rushed into the kitchen and saw a seven-year-old girl wearing an apron. His heart sank.

"Good morning," Leovena said without turning around, fumbling with breakfast preparations that were usually their mother's domain. She wasn't very skilled at it yet.

Remembering the previous night, Leoric felt a pang of guilt. He worried that Leovena might question why he was sleeping in her bed, naked no less. He could always claim it was because she was cold, but that would still be awkward.

However, Leovena seemed oblivious or simply didn't care. Perhaps because they had shared a bed until they were six, sleeping together again wasn't a big deal to her.

Leoric breathed a sigh of relief. Seven-year-olds were still quite innocent, and he had been overthinking things.

Still, the fact that it was Leovena preparing breakfast instead of their mother meant it hadn't been a dream.

Leovena's first attempt at breakfast resulted in slightly burnt eggs, but Leoric didn't mind.

They ate in silence. Leovena remained quiet, which made Leoric uneasy. He wondered if she was upset about last night. But her face showed neither anger nor sadness, just a calm indifference, as if nothing had happened.

Now, the house only had two occupants – two children who were just days away from turning seven.

Leoric looked at Leovena. Maybe it was their twin connection, or perhaps his combined thirty years of experience from both lives, but he suddenly understood what Leovena was thinking: revenge.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Upon waking up and finding herself naked in bed with Leoric, Leovena had been surprised but not overly concerned. At seven years old, gender distinctions were still vague – people were either men, women, or children. For Leovena, the real focus was on revenge.

Having lived with Leovena for nearly seven years, Leoric knew her well. She was gentle, peaceful, obedient, and full of grace. Yet beneath that calm exterior lay a strong and stubborn spirit. Her sweet smile masked a deep inner strength, something Leoric admired greatly. But...revenge wouldn't be easy.

Especially given the vast difference in status. Their enemies were two wizards, reportedly nobles. Due to official secrecy, the siblings couldn't even find out their names or appearances. And even if they could, how could two merchant children exact revenge on two wizards?

"We need to save fifty-seven gold coins within three years," Leovena said after they finished breakfast, breaking the silence.

"Why?" Leoric asked, puzzled.

"Because the tuition for wizard school is two hundred gold coins. We have sixty-three gold coins already," Leovena explained, carefully packing the shadow lily powder she had ground the day before. "And the minimum age for admission is ten."

Leoric would soon turn seven, meaning they had three years until he reached ten. With the original sixty-three gold coins plus the eighty from compensation, they still needed fifty-seven more.

"You want me to become a wizard?"

"Isn't that what you've always wanted?" Leovena asked, her expression neutral, as if stating something long considered. "Two merchants can't take on two wizards, but if one becomes a wizard, there's hope – or would you prefer to become a priest?"

Leoric naturally preferred becoming a wizard.

Thanks to their deceased parents – though it sounded disrespectful, it was the truth – Leoric's dream of becoming a wizard finally had a glimmer of hope in the darkness. But it was just a glimmer.

Fifty-seven gold coins might be a small sum to some, but for their small business, it was a fortune. As far as Leoric knew, before their parents died, the shop barely made a few gold coins annually. Now, with just two children running the shop, earning fifty-seven gold coins in three years seemed impossible.

"I'll figure something out, don't worry," Leovena assured him.

But Leoric knew she was trying to comfort him. What could she possibly do? They had no relatives or friends to borrow money from. In his seven years here, Leoric had never seen his parents interact with any relatives. Their friends were equally poor.

Just when this glimmer of hope seemed about to fade, Lady Luck finally smiled upon him.

According to the customs of the City of Shadows – derived from ancient Netheril Empire traditions – the thirtieth day after a loved one's death was a day of remembrance.

It was a sunny day as Leoric and Leovena visited the cemetery. Their parents were buried together, not to save space or money, but simply because their bodies had fused together after being incinerated by a powerful fireball spell.

Leovena gently placed white flowers on the grave, while Leoric stood silently beside her, staring at the familiar names on the tombstone. Due to his past life memories, Leoric hadn't truly regarded these parents as his own – until now.

As tears quietly streamed down his face, he realized his mistake. They had raised him, cared for him, spoiled him, and looked after him for seven years.

In his previous life, Leoric had parents too, but their relationship had been strained. They fought constantly until they finally divorced. After graduating high school, Leoric had escaped the cold war at home and never looked back.

So Leoric had always believed he had little emotional attachment to his parents, in both lives. But losing them made him realize that some bonds were more complex than he had imagined.

Kneeling down, Leoric touched the tombstone with his fingertips, tracing the engravings of their names. "Mom, Dad," he whispered, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sad, Leoric," Leovena said softly, her own eyes glistening with unshed tears. "They're watching us from Shar's divine realm, hoping we live happily."

"I just remembered something," Leoric said after a moment of silence.

"What?"

"A proverb."

"What?"

The phrase was spoken in English, Leoric's language from his past life, which Leovena couldn't understand. To her, it sounded like meaningless noise. Not wanting to explain further, Leoric stood up to leave.

Then he heard a voice behind him.

"Well said."

Leoric froze, every hair on his body standing on end.