Jumped by a shadow

Unexpectedly, the twins did not reconcile as they usually would. It was no longer a matter of Lucien's poor, clumsy but understandable reaction to Lycée's news but a question of sheer stubbornness and refusal to see eye to eye.

On the one hand, Lucien was rightfully worried about his sister. No one would wish someone to go through a hero's hardship, let alone their own sister. The boy could have worded his concern better but in the end, he felt his feelings were valid - Lycée did not take it seriously enough.

On the other hand, Lycée was upset with her brother for not supporting her decision. She admitted the prophecy was scary - which is why she did not go into many details, but she chose to accept her Fate. It was her life, her decision to make and while Lycée appreciated his concern, his opinion on the matter was not welcome.

In the end, the person who suffered the most from their arguments was their father, Endymion - as well as their dog Eureka. They were stuck in between the twins and started feeling more and more like board game pieces the siblings would use to wage war.

At first, it began with innocent enough things like fishing out for compliments. It later evolved to which twin did which chores best until finally reaching the point of no return.

"Dad, who is your favourite?"

There was no way to answer that question. Telling the truth - which was that he loved them equally - only spurred them on further Now, the twins were openly competing for his affection.

Endymion was lost. He was a young single father and he did not know how to deal with this situation. The twins had never gotten in such a fight before and Endymion never even thought it was possible for them to have a truly ugly disagreement. To him, the twins were like the sun and the moon, always in perfect symbiosis - where there was one, there was always the other.

It had already been one month and there was no reconciliation in sight. Endymion wished he could ask someone for help, like Séléné. As wise and thoughtful as the goddess was, she always gave the most insightful advice. She most likely would have experience in this type of situation as she had a brother herself, Helios. Endymion was an only child. This - was completely foreign territory, like parenthood - but, only much worse.

The father tried to force them to talk it out but the twins would either go mum or argue even more. In the end, he decided to let them handle their own issues - not because he wanted to, but because he had no other choice. Nothing was getting through them. Time was the only option left.

Unsurprisingly, it really bothered him not being able to help them. Lycée's apparent fate was another cause of great worry Everything he had wished for her was all naught. One could not escape from their fate. Prophecies were meant to be fulfilled. Endymion was well aware of that fact. He had been dreading this sort of situation ever since the twins were put into his care. Now, his worst nightmare had come true.

Not one to be idle, Endymion went to the temple for guidance. He knew there was no stopping the course of Fate but it did not mean Lycée would have to face her destiny on her own. Endymion was her father, it was his responsability as a parent to help her. If there was anything that could be done, he would do it in a heartbeat.

So, when the priest told him there was little he could do, Endymion was devastated. Lycée's destinity would lead her to far away lands where he, would be utterly powerless. The only thing he could do for her, was to face the demons of his past, a life he had ran away from a long time ago.

In all honesty, Endymion had no desire to claim his birth rights but if it would help ease the burdden on his child's shoulders - he would do it.

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On a fateful morning, Lycée left the cabin to go explore the woods while everyone else was still asleep. The raven-haired girl had discovered a new area to explore the previous evening but unfortunately, she did not have the time to explore it then. It had been a long time since she last discovered something new. Lycée was particularly looking forward to the day's adventure.

Usually, her brother would reluctantly join her in her excursion but the pair had yet to make up. Lycée was saddened by the turn of events. Being by herself was incredibly lonely but she refused to apologize for something she had no control over. Her fate and the person she was meant to become were all things her brother had to accept.

Trekking deeper in the woods, Lycée noticed the forest was getting thicker with every step. A natural reaction would probably be to feel uneasy or scared but to Lycée, this was an exciting and mysterious adventure. Not knowing what was ahead was a thrill the young girl relished in.

This thrill-seeking nature was something that was a part of her and what had made her idealized heroes so much growing up. The tales of their epic feats, the interesting people they met, the monsters they fought - it all sounded utterly fascinating to her.

What's more, Lycée had noticed a distinct lack of female heroes. She desperately wanted to remedy that. The seven years old felt she was the living proof that girls could be stronger than boys. Why, she would always win whatever fight against her brother or some other snotty kid!

Getting into scuffles was admittedly, not something to be proud of but Lycée could not help being smug about winning them. If one got into a fight, one might as well win it. If her brother Lucien could hear her thoughts, he would strongly disapprove. In his opinion, getting into a fight in the first place was a sign of having lost.

It was no wonder those mindsets would eventually come to clash. In all honesty, it was rather surprising that arguments had not blown off before. Maybe it was because it took them a long time to truly fight but, the resulting argument was that much more intense.

Tired from exercising right after waking up, Lycée sat down on a dry and sturdy looking log. The spot she had coincidentally found for herself was breathtakingly beautiful. To Lycée, there was just something about the early morning light hitting tree branches and piercing through the leaves. It felt like everything was right in the world.

Lycée wondered whether her mother Séléné could see the same sights wherever she was now. The raven-haired girl liked to believe there must have been something to the world for a goddess to come down and visit as much as Séléné had. It was certainly unusual for an immortal but Lycée was glad. This could be something else she solely inherited from her mother.

Covering up a yawn with her hands, Lycée closed her eyes and simply enjoyed the moment. It was rare for her to catch a peaceful break to herself these days, and especially so since her fight with Lucien.

Merely resting and living in the moment was a treat for someone as dynamic and driven as Lycéee. It was not something she allowed herself to do frequently but, it was necessary for her body and mind to properly function.

Gods knew how many minutes or hours later, Lycée heard a twig snap. It was not at all concerning until the footsteps got closer. Lycée was not known as the smart twin but she was definitely the most intuitive one, and those footsteps, they were not ones she recognized.

Before Lycée was able to stand up and go look for help, she was jumped by a shadowy figure. As he had his hand pressing a handkerchief to her mouth, Lycée's call for help was muffled. In less than a minute, Lycée passed out with her last thoughts being: 'How ridiculous is it to get jumped by a shadowy figure?!'