Aren spent the rest of the day with June. They went out and ate more, then returned to his place and played a few matches against each other. He watched her smile with every win. She was genuinely happy, and that made him happy, but beneath all that joy was the fear of what was to come.
Regardless, he smiled through the night.
When the sun rose again, he got ready to leave.
"I guess this is it for now," she said, standing outside the room and looking at him.
"Yeah, for now. But I'll be back. And when I come back next time, I'll bring something very special for you, maybe a martial art," Aren said.
Her eyes lit up, excitement written all over her face.
"Really? That would be awesome."
"Really," he replied.
With a wave of his hand, he turned and left. She watched his back grow farther and smaller until he disappeared from sight. The smile on her face slowly shifted into a resolute look.
Her brother was Shadow, the strongest new Awakened.
