Cassie hesitated a little, as if choosing the right words.
"It has to do with… names, I think. And power. In short, I suspect that you possess a rare talent — an affinity to Shaping, the most ancient kind of sorcery."
Rain seemed stunned.
Sunny was quite surprised, too.
'So Rain's primary talent… doesn't even have anything to do with combat? She is meant to be a sorceress?'
Why had he been forcing her to hunt Nightmare Creatures all that time, then?!
No, no... a sorceress or not, she still needed to know how to defend herself. So, he had nothing to feel sorry about.
He remained motionless for a moment.
'Damn, does sorcery run in our family or something?'
One fact could not be denied anymore, though…
Sadly, it seemed that their mother's poetic talent had been passed on to Rain in its entirety, leaving nothing for Sunny.
That could explain his own lack of naming sense, at least!
Rain finally came to her senses, lowering her head to stare at the runic circle Cassie had created.
"Sorcery? Well… wow. That sounds fancy."
With that, she turned to Sunny and grinned.
"You said you were a sorcerer too. Can you teach me?"
Sunny smiled awkwardly and shook his head.
"Shaping is very different from the kind of sorcery I practice. They share some basics, but not enough to qualify me as a teacher. In truth… actually, I tried to learn the Sorcery of Names on many occasions. But it was all useless. I just don't have the talent for it — and unlike runic sorcery, one has to be born a Shaper."
He paused for a moment, then added:
"Don't worry, though. I already have a teacher in mind…"
Nephis knew more about Shaping than anyone he had ever met, with the exception of Ananke. So, there was no better person to teach Rain than her.
It would be quite a hassle to arrange the lessons, sadly…
But if Rain did learn at least the very basics of Shaping, it would be a great boon to her. It would also mask her lack of an Aspect perfectly.
Finally, he looked at Cassie.
"What about the third Attribute?"
She lingered for a while, then frowned slightly.
"That one, I'll have to ponder on it a bit longer. All I can say now is that it has to do with Rain's soul, as well as its connection to the world. Both are… quite special."
Sunny scowled.
His sister wasn't…
Cassie interrupted his thoughts once again:
"Don't worry. It is entirely different from the Attribute you used to possess."
He let out a sigh of relief.
The last thing Sunny wanted was to learn that Rain was Fated, just like he had been.
That damn Attribute had brought him so much pain and sorrow that he would not wish it on his worst enemy.
In fact, he would not wish it on any enemy. A Fated enemy would be a real nightmare to deal with!
Rain seemed both excited and curious. Eventually, though, she simply smiled.
"So… I have a True Name, a talent for sorcery, and am quite a special person on top of that. Oh, and I am also a real Legacy — a princess of the Shadow Clan, no less. Ha! Am I not a lucky girl?"
With that, she looked at the frayed and bloodied fabric of the Puppeteer's Shroud and grimaced.
"What the hell, why am I in such a sorry state then?"
Glancing at Sunny, she pursed her lips.
"Then again, princesses are not faring too well these days. I hear three of them were beaten half to death by some vicious scoundrel today."
Sunny coughed, ignored the jav, and looked at Cassie.
"Anything else?"
She slowly shook her head.
"Nothing that I can see."
He sighed.
That made it easier, then.
If the change that had happened to Rain was not connected to her Aspect or her True Name…
Then it only left one possibility.
Something that even Cassie could not see… at least not yet, as a Saint.
It seemed that Rain had attained her Flaw.