Klein pushed open the apartment door just as the last light of evening bled out of the sky.
"Big Sis? I'm back."
Claire's voice came from the kitchen "Klein, welcome back. You are late. I was starting to worry."
She appeared in the doorway, and her apron was dusted with powder, her hair tied back in a messy bun.
Klein placed the gearbag down, and she stepped forward, hugging him in her arms.
"You did well."
She pulled back just enough to look at him and ruffled his hair "Wait a minute...."
She quickly walked to the room and returned holding two crisp, official envelopes sealed with the Stormcrest Academy crest and stamped in bold red ink: TRANSFER CERTIFICATE – APPROVED.
"As we discussed, I went to the administration office this afternoon and got the transfer certificates for us."
Klein took one of them in his hand and looked at the contents.
Klein Herssen: Second Year Provisional
Claire Herssen: Third Year Provisional
Looking at him, Claire spoke "This time, it's for real. We need to pass the transfer examination and get a seat in Grayhaven."
"It would be embarrassing if we failed, because then we would have to return to Stormcrest and..."
Upon hearing this, Klein smiled "Oh, don't worry, we are not coming back."
He stepped forward and pulled her into another hug.
"We earned this," he murmured against her hair.
They have been grinding dungeons and saving credits for the past 7 days for this.
Claire nodded against his shoulder "Together."
"Together."
They stayed like that for a long moment in each other's arms.
Eventually, Claire pulled back, brushing a speck of dust from his cheek.
"Go shower."
He let out a chuckle and nodded his head "Alright."
---
Two more days passed-
Klein and Claire left the apartment before the sun had fully risen, and the sky was deep blue streaked with pale gold on the horizon.
Today is the day they leave for the capital to apply for transfer slots in Grayhaven Academy.
Their bags were light with just one duffel for each.
Everything they truly owned fit into those two bags: a few changes of clothes, Claire's portable alchemy kit, the last of their potions, and the two transfer certificates.
The walk to the station took twenty minutes through streets that were just beginning to wake up for the morning.
Delivery carts clattered over cobblestones, early-shift workers huddled in scarves and coats, and the occasional mana-lamp flickered as the city's night wards powered down.
Their breath fogged in front of them, mingling in the cold.
Claire walked close enough that their shoulders brushed every few steps.
She had pulled her long hair into a practical braid, and her oversized scarf was wrapped twice around her neck.
She looked determined, but Klein caught the way her fingers worried at the strap of her bag.
"Nervous?" he asked quietly.
"A little," she muttered. "It's not the exam. It's... everything after. If we pass, we're really leaving all this behind. Stormcrest. This small city."
Klein reached over and squeezed her hand once.
She squeezed back, and they kept walking.
They walked the familiar route through the quiet streets, their boots crunching on the thin layer of overnight snow.
The city cemetery lay on the northern edge of town, past the old industrial district.
The gates were rusted, half-open as always.
Snow had drifted across the paths, but the footprints of previous visitors had carved faint trails between the headstones.
Klein and Claire walked side by side, their breath fogging in the cold dawn air.
Their parents' grave was near the back, under a bare alder tree.
Elias Herssen
Liora Herssen
Taken by the Dungeon Collapse
Forever in our hearts
Fresh snow had settled over the base, softening the edges, and a few dried flowers from Claire's last visit poked through the white.
They stood in silence for a long moment.
Claire knelt first, brushing snow from the stone with gloved hands.
Klein crouched beside her, pulling a small bundle from his coat pocket, which had two low-grade mana crystals.
He placed one at the base of the marker for each of them.
"We're leaving," Claire said softly. "For good this time."
Klein rested a hand on the cold stone.
"I'm sorry it took so long," he whispered. "I… wasn't myself for a long time. I let you down. Both of you."
Claire gently grasped his hand and turned to look at the graves "We're fixing it now. We're going to be okay. Better than okay."
She leaned her head against his shoulder, the way she used to when they were small.
"I wish you could see us," she told the stone. "Klein's strong now. Really strong. And I… I'm not carrying everything alone anymore."
A cold wind stirred the branches above them, scattering a light dusting of snow across the grave.
"We'll come back," she promised. "When we've made something of ourselves. When we can stand here and tell you we did it. That we lived the way you wanted us to."
They stayed a few more minutes, until the sky began to lighten and the distant whistle of the incoming train echoed faintly across the city.
Claire stood first, brushing the snow from her knees. Klein followed, pressing his palm to the stone one last time.
Then they turned and walked away together, side by side, leaving fresh footprints in the snow that led out of the cemetery and toward the station.
---
They quickly reached the central train station.
The platform for the capital line was already busy with merchants loading crates, academy students in various uniforms, and a few adventurers in worn armor nursing hangovers on benches.
Klein and Claire joined the short queue at the ticket counter. The clerk behind the glass was an older woman with a perpetual scowl and ink-stained fingers.
"Two to the capital," Klein said, sliding enough credits across the counter. "One-way. 6:15 express."
The clerk counted the coins, stamped two thick paper tickets, and pushed them back without a word.
Platform 3. Car 7. Seats 12A and 12B.
Claire took her ticket "One-way," she repeated under her breath.
A small, wondering smile curved her lips. "We really did it."
Klein pocketed his ticket and slung an arm around her shoulders as they headed toward the platform.
"We really did."
They easily found Car 7 on the train. A conductor in a navy uniform checked their tickets with a nod and waved them aboard.
Inside, the carriage was warmer than the platform, heated by runes etched into the floorboards.
They stowed their bags in the overhead rack and settled side by side by the window.
Leaning her head, Claire, who was sitting on the window seat, stared outside.
The train gave a low, resonant whistle.
Doors slammed shut, and with a lurch and a deep, rumbling groan, the 6:15 express to the capital began to move.
Klein watched through the window as the station receded.
Slowly, the city gave way to frost-covered fields and winter forests. The sun finally reached the horizon, spilling pale gold light across the snow.
Claire leaned her head against his shoulder, with half-closed eyes.
"We're really leaving," she whispered again.
Klein rested his cheek against the top of her head.
"Yeah,"
His gaze condensed in thought.
For him, it has only been a week since he arrived in this world.
However, Claire has been living in this small city since birth, so for her, the city holds even greater emotional value.
It must be hard for her to leave suddenly.
His gaze softened as he looked at her...
He doesn't know the reason for his deep affection towards her.
Maybe because she is a character he loves in the game.
Or maybe the original memories of the Klein are affecting him, making him very fond of his sister.
Whatever the reason, it didn't matter.
The feeling was real, and she is his family.
The train picked up speed, and the wheels clacked rhythmically over the tracks, carrying them faster and farther from everything they had known.
Klein closed his eyes, feeling the steady warmth of Claire beside him.