It had been seven years since he had been reborn.
Nasir sat on a broad tree branch, legs dangling, a battered teddy bear hanging from his hand. The Cyndareth estate stretched below: neat squares of grass, gravel paths, and orderly flowerbeds. The air was warm and bright, the sunlight patchy through the leaves. Somewhere nearby, a gardener was humming an old tune, and every so often, a servant carrying linens or baskets would glance up, spot the twins' preferred climbing tree, and look away. The staff had mostly given up trying to keep Nasir and Nadia off the branches.
He let out a breath, shifting his grip on the bear. Sometimes, he still caught himself expecting the buzz of a text or the sound of city traffic through a window. Instead, it was always birds, the wind, and the distant rustle of the estate. Most days, he barely remembered the world before this one, just flashes, a ball bouncing on concrete, blue light from a phone screen, the taste of something cold and sweet.
Seven years was a long time for a kid. Long enough for everything to feel normal even when it really wasn't.
He glanced down at Nadia, who was circling under the tree like a storm about to break. She was red-faced and blotchy, fists pressed hard to her sides, dress rumpled from running. "Nasir! Give it back! That's mine!"
He rolled his eyes. "You snitched. This is what happens."
"You shouldn't have broken into Father's study!" Her voice cracked at the edges—equal parts outrage and desperation.
He let the bear dangle over his knee. "You want it, come get it."
Nadia's glare could have cracked stone. She wiped her nose on her sleeve and planted her feet, hair wild about her cheeks. He watched her, curious, as she stopped shouting and squeezed her eyes shut, her lips moving silently as if counting down. She was focusing, trying to gather her mana.
Nasir smirked, waiting for it. This was the fun part.
He and Nadia were both sitting at the Expert rank of Brown core. Most kids didn't make it this far until they were ten, and a lot never did at all. In this world, everyone started at Brown. The core was a chunk of something like energy, deep inside your chest. Once it woke up, you could pull power from it which was called mana. With mana, you could do all the things that made life here interesting: strengthen your body, run faster, hit harder, jump higher, and, if you were clever, cast spells.
Cores went up in color as you grew stronger. Brown, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, White, Black. Each step up the ladder meant your core and your mana got stronger, but actually using all that energy was its own challenge. That's why every color had four ranks: Initiate, Adept, Expert, and Master. Your rank was about control. Being an Expert meant you could use most of what your core could give, but you still hadn't mastered it.
Nadia took a deep breath, then jumped. She caught the lowest branch with a burst of effort that made her arms tremble. Her climbing was still messy, but mana made up for what she lacked in technique. He could tell when she was using it, since when one would use mana to strengthen their body, an aura would cover their body.
"Not bad," he called. "Try not to fall."
She ignored him, climbing higher, her breath coming in little puffs. She moved from branch to branch, pausing now and then to gather herself. Each time she reached for a new hold, he could see the little twitch in her jaw, the concentration it took to push mana to the right places.
He shifted, letting his own mana flow from his core into his legs and arms. That was the trick, really—learning to send energy exactly where you needed it. A regular kid would have slipped long ago, but with a little focus, you could make your body do things it wasn't supposed to.
She reached his branch, crawling along until she was just a few feet away. "Give it, Nasir. I mean it."
He grinned, scooting farther out along the branch, the bear swinging between two fingers. "And what are you going to do if I don't?"
"I'll kill you!" Nadia's voice was tight with effort, but she didn't hesitate. She lunged, grabbing for his ankle.
Nasir yanked his foot away and hopped to the next branch, letting mana give him that extra spring. He landed lightly, twisting so he could keep his eyes on her. The branch swayed, leaves raining down.
"Show off," Nadia muttered, but she followed, her own jump steadier than before.
He let her get closer this time. It wouldn't have been fun if he didn't even give her a chance to catch him. She scrambled along the branch, cheeks flushed, hair coming loose, eyes locked on the bear.
He waited until she was almost on top of him, then feinted left. She fell for it, but caught herself, grabbing his sleeve. They struggled for a moment, both using mana to hold on and keep their balance, each of them refusing to let go first.
"You're heavy," Nasir grunted, trying to shake her off without actually dumping her out of the tree.
"You're weak," she shot back, and pulled harder.
The branch wobbled dangerously, and Nasir had a split-second to decide: drop the bear or drop Nadia. He let go of the bear.
Nadia tumbled back, landing with a whump and a squeal on a thick branch below. She clutched the teddy bear to her chest, triumphant and breathless, eyes shining.
"Ha! Told you!" she crowed.
Nasir sat up, brushing leaves out of his hair, and scowled. He'd actually let her get it. That was annoying. "Yeah, yeah. Don't get used to it."
She stuck her tongue out, hugging the bear so tight its head tilted sideways. "You said that last time."
He rolled his eyes.
They sat in the tree, legs swinging, the teddy bear safe in Nadia's lap. For a moment, neither said anything. Nasir squinted up at the sky through the leaves, sunlight flickering over both of them, still mildly annoyed he'd lost.
In the distance, someone called their names—probably the head maid or one of the tutors. Nasir didn't move. He figured he'd give them another five minutes before heading back. The world could wait.