Lightless Twin Souls | ONC 2023 ✔

Chapter 6 - One Soul

Subtly touching his palms with his fingertips, JD acknowledged the growing changes inside him.

He closed his eyes again, tightly this time, at the sudden surge of waves in his soul. Since touching Andrew's core when it was outside, a sensation of something awakening had knocked on JD's door. Like a hearth, it was warm, gentle, and pleasant. But now, like a sea creature dove to the water from plenty of floors above, the feeling splashed around. Spreading, finding their place in his nerves, settling their respective homes in his soul.

Not only that, but his bruises and wounds from last night's event healed the moment he woke from recovering his memories.

"Your eyes..."

JD opened his eyes and raised a brow. "What about them?"

"T-their color..."

"Oh. We both used to have blue eyes, didn't we?"

"Uh..."

JD smiled. "We still look alike even if mine's a different color now. Don't worry about it."

"So, I wasn't mistaken," Andrew said, confusing JD. "You truly had brown eyes."

"Had?" JD mumbled, but a different thought came over him. "My eyes are brown, Drew. Are you colorblind?"

Andrew covered his lower face with one hand, his eyes reflecting something he didn't know how to say. With one last breath, he took his hand away as he stood up, overshadowed by JD as the sun rose behind him, his confused, blue eyes appearing bluer. Like a cool, oddly warm light in the shadows hiding from the day.

"My eyesight is perfectly fine." Andrew's fingers fluidly fanned the air between them, small traces of water appearing from the tip of his pointer. "Brother, I am not sure how to tell you this without you doubting my words-"

"I'll never doubt anything you say."

A small side smile appeared on the corner of Andrew's lips. He shook his head. "This is a different case. So, I'll need you to do something for me."

"Drew, what do you...."

The tiny beads of water quickly grew and grouped as Andrew moved his fingers around to manipulate the water. Before JD could say more, Andrew had already commanded the water to form a rectangular screen between them, making sure the sunlight hit the surface of it facing JD's side.

As it did, in JD's view, the water ultimately reflected the sun on the rise and the canopies that hid the complete form.

Wordless, Andrew's eyes invited JD to view his reflection as he peeked behind it. After a little shrug, JD sidestepped to match the position of mirror-like water.

As soon as he did, his slightly distorted image looked surprised. Blue eyes shot wide, staring back at him. JD blinked a couple of times, then moved his head around, later fanning a hand in front of his face.

"What the?" JD touched the side of his widened eyes. "How..."

When believers of Garnet said awakening their inborn magic made changes to their bodies, everyone had doubts. After all, not everybody experienced the same things, and not everyone had an inborn talent.

"Oh." JD's expression softened. With a little smile, he sidestepped again to face Andrew. "It... might be because I awakened my inborn magic."

Andrew swiped his hand swiftly against the water mirror, splashing it into tiny bits, and his other hand collected the small traces faster than the eye could see.

"That's great!" Andrew said with a bright smile, crossing his arms afterward to warm his hands from the soaked sensation of using water magic. "Do you mind the change?"