"I think they would have liked you," Eunbin said after a minute of walking in silence.
"Your parents?" Sunny asked, getting a nod from Eunbin.
"Yeah, I don't remember much about them because I was so young, but I do remember that they loved learning about history, how life was before the dark times, and the eras before that," Eunbin said quietly, she was already soft spoken to begin with but right now her voice seemed small, like she would shatter if she raised it too high.
"They were historians?" Sunny asked with a hint of curiosity.
"Yes, I looked through their things after I repurchased our house from the government and saw that they were students of Professor Julius when they were sleepers, and much like you, once they became masters, my parents were teachers at the academy for the longest time before they died," Eunbin said with a ghost of a smile on her lips.
"I'm sure they were excellent teachers," Sunny said, and he meant it; he respected anyone who was a historian, as there weren't many left nowadays.
"Yes, so do I, and seeing as I remember you telling me you've been exploring the dream realm for the past four years, presumably to study its history. That is, before you decide to settle in Bastion, before moving to Raven Heart. When you first told me that, it reminded me of them. It's why I think you would've gotten along well." Eunbin softly smiled at him, and Sunny noticed that she didn't mention anything about settling in a death zone as well, which he silently appreciated.
"Yeah, I think so too," Sunny smiled as well.
"If I had to guess, you're a scholar too, right?" Eunbin asked,
"Yeah, I'm many things, but I'm a scholar at heart," Sunny said with a hint of pride in his voice.
"You should be a teacher then, legacies like me need to be humbled and know that they don't know everything until they've faced real combat. Trying to survive the drastically different environments of the dream realm is combat itself." Eunbin said in a matter-of-fact tone.
"I was a teacher for a while before I went to serve in Antarctica," Sunny said, making sure to keep his tone light.
"Oh? Actually, I recently visited Professor Julius to ask whether he still had the reports my parents had written during their time of teaching, and he said he did. He also mentioned a report about the forgotten shore, and that was the best report he had seen in all his years of teaching, but for whatever reason, he couldn't remember who wrote it." Eunbin said softly, eyeing him curiously and somehow noticing his shift in tone.
"Really now?" Sunny asked in a false surprised tone.
"Yes, but the strangest part was that I saw the name, Sunless, yet no matter how many times I told him your name, he couldn't seem to keep it in his head. In fact, no matter who I asked at the academy, no one seemed to remember you. When I met you at your emporium, and you told me your name, I realized that you were the one who wrote the forgotten shore report." Eunbin looked disappointed, and Sunny realized she was mad that he wasn't getting any recognition.
"Yes, that was me. There's no need to be frustrated over me not getting credit for it, so long as it helps future awakened, that's all that really matters to me, nowadays," Sunny said in a light tone to mask the wave of anguish that washed over him every time he was reminded that no one remembered him.
"Really? We both know you miss the contribution points you got every time you made a successful report." Eunbin shook her head at him.
"I'm not that greedy!" Sunny said defensively.
"But Eunbin, can you imagine how many points I could get for making a report on Godgrave, though? I would be rich! Rich, I tell you!" Eunbin said, imitating his voice in a playfully mocking tone while giving him a long stare as he looked at her with outrage. "What? That's something you would say." The Enchantress shrugged and laughed at his expression
"I would never say that. There's no reason to say such a thing when I'm already rich! Business is booming at the brilliant emporium. And you're lucky you summoned soundproof memories." Sunny said, shooing her away with an annoyed expression.
"I suppose so, but I digress. At least you actually bothered to put your name on the report of the forgotten short. Unlike the author who wrote the report on the tomb of Ariel and the river people, along with King Daeron and his warriors. That is truly a disappointment, then again, I understand why they didn't; both my clan and Clan Valor would want them locked up at best or executed at worst." Eunbin let out a sigh of disappointment and stared at the passing vehicles.
"If they were here, what would you say to them?" Sunny asked after a few minutes of walking in silence.
"The author?" She asked, raising an eyebrow
"No, your parents," Sunny said,
"I've thought of many things I'd want to say to them, but in all honesty, I'm not sure I would be able to stand straight. What would they think of me? Would they be ashamed of the image I've built of myself?"
"No, I think they would be happy that their daughter is still thriving and alive," Sunny said with a smile.
"Thank you for those words, Sunless. They mean a lot more to me than you realize. I also want to thank you for coming with me. Having someone else by my side will make me feel a lot more grounded, and I'm glad it's you who's here." Eunbin said in her usual husky voice while smiling warmly at him.
"What are friends for?" Sunny nodded with a smile.
"I also want to apologize for my behavior over the past few weeks, especially at the beach and in my private chambers. I realize that my behavior was far too friendly. My sisters have told me that I can be too forward, and I don't want to ruin my first friendship by making advances within the first few months and scaring you off." Eunbin lowered her head in shame.
"It's okay, I had a friend like that once upon a time," Sunny shrugged with a smile, referring to Effie.
"No, it is not, especially when you seem to be stuck, never mind, it's not my place to pry into your business, I'm sorry." The Enchantress frowned.
Stuck? What does she mean by stuck? He wondered until it immediately hit him like a PTV.
Sunny suddenly remembered that Eunbin meant the night at the valor ball not ending well with someone, and she had guessed that he still had feelings for that person. That person was Nephis, of course, but Eunbin didn't know that, nor did she know that it was a valor ball.
"I've moved on from her," Sunny stated simply.
"Feel free to stop me when you get uncomfortable with my prying, but may I ask why?" Eunbin asked softly, tilting her head.
"You may, I wanted to pursue a relationship with her, but I made a terrible mistake trying to do that. The trade-off is that I can now pursue her without anything holding me back. But I slowly realized that no matter what I said or did, it would be far too one-sided, and that's not what I want. I don't want to be with someone who can never fully reciprocate my feelings for them." Sunny said with a wistful tone, letting out a sigh as he felt a mountain lifted off his shoulders after saying that.
"I'm not going to ask what happened because I've already pried into your personal life enough. But, I'm guessing that's why you always look like you're carrying the world on your shoulders and a sadness in your eyes, because of that certain mistake?"
"That's right," Sunny nodded at her, silently appreciating her for noting his boundaries.
"I'm terribly sorry," Eunbin said, staring at him as if considering doing something, then stopped herself.
"It's fine. I was crazy about her long enough, and I think it's about time for me to find someone else to be crazy about," Sunny said with a smile as his onyx eyes met her dark ones, and she smiled back with her smile, somehow becoming shy.
"Well, I hope you find them," Eunbin said as she fixed the jewelry on her wrists and looked at the sky.
"Me too, also you're doing it again," Sunny said with a grin.
"Doing what?" she asked with a confused look and a pout.
"You're doing that fidgeting thing with your jewelry whenever something is bothering or making you nervous," Sunny said with a bigger smile as she immediately stopped and cleared her throat.
"I just don't know if I can bring myself to go through my parents' stuff, and I'd rather not become an unsightly mess in front of you or anyone, for that matter," Eunbin quickly added with a hint of annoyance.
"I can stand outside," Sunny suggested, causing Eunbin to roll her eyes and scoff.
"Don't be ridiculous, Sunless. You can go inside as well. It's the least I can do for messing up this afternoon and making it about me."
"It's your childhood home, though. I don't want to intrude," Sunny countered.
"Well, I do," Eunbin said with a firm tone.
"It's about privacy and respect," Sunny countered once more.
"Well, I respect you enough to allow you into my home. Besides, you said that you would go with me," Eunbin countered.
"You got me," Sunny said, holding his hands up in defeat.
He knew this was simply an attempt by Eunbin to distract herself and make herself less nervous, and Sunny was glad to help.
They were slowly approaching a luxurious neighborhood, where children played on the playground, not a care in the world.
"What about your friends' parents, the ones who dropped you off at the orphanage after their daughter failed her nightmare? What would you say to them?" Sunny asked as they crossed the street to enter the neighborhood through a mundane metal gate, causing Eunbin to frown.
"I don't know, on one hand, I understand that they thought of me as a second daughter and didn't want to see me die in my first nightmare, and have to kill me due to me failing the nightmare and becoming a nightmare creature. But on the other hand, I'm still hurt by it, and I have no idea if they're still alive. So I truly don't know."
"That's understandable," Sunny nodded grimly.
They walked down the neighborhood sidewalk, getting pictures taken of them and being stared at by everyone who saw them. The gathering crowd cheered and sang praises to Eunbin, bringing a smile to her face and a wave in return.
That smile soon disappeared as they walked further into the neighborhood, taking left turns down the sidewalk, and reached what was presumably her house. Eunbin walked ahead of him and up the driveway and onto the porch before she stopped dead in her tracks. Even from standing behind her, Sunny could practically hear Eunbin's heart beating out of her chest like a jackhammer.
"Sunless, I can't do this," She said in a hushed tone.
"You can, I'm right behind you," Sunny nodded as her unusually shaky hand slowly inched toward the doorknob.
Eunbin gave a half-hearted nod and reached for the doorknob before the door opened on its own, and a surprised gasp came from it. Eunbin immediately stumbled backwards with a once-in-a-lifetime frightened expression, and for good reason, because standing in front of her was…