ShadowBound: The Need For Power

Percy turned at once.

The moment the word reached him—Brother—his body reacted before his thoughts could catch up. The voice was unmistakable. Familiar in a way no other voice in the world could ever be. Yet for a brief second, his mind refused to accept what his ears had already confirmed.

Sheila.

His gaze swept across the courtyard instinctively.

And then he saw her.

She was running toward him.

Her white hair, long and bright under the morning light, flowed behind her as she crossed the stone pathway separating the dormitory lane from the departure courtyard. Her breathing was uneven from the sprint, her steps hurried, almost reckless, as though the fear of being too late had pushed her forward without any thought of composure.

For the first time that morning, Percy stopped moving entirely.

The carriage beside him remained open, his luggage already loaded, the coachman waiting patiently, yet none of that seemed to matter anymore. His attention locked completely onto the figure approaching him.

He had convinced himself she wasn't coming.

That thought had settled quietly into his chest just moments ago when he turned to leave.

Now that certainty collapsed all at once.

Sheila kept running until she reached him.

But just as she closed the last few steps, her momentum slowed.

Then stopped.

She stood a short distance away from him, breathing hard, her chest rising and falling as she tried to regain control of herself. Her hands hovered slightly at her sides, fingers tightening and loosening as if unsure what to do with them.

The distance between them was not large.

Yet it carried the weight of everything that had come before.

Neither of them spoke immediately.

Percy simply looked at her.

Up close now, he could see the faint redness around her eyes, the tension in her shoulders, the nervousness she was clearly trying to keep under control. She looked determined, but also frightened—frightened in the way someone might be when they knew the next words they spoke could change everything.

Finally, Percy broke the silence.

"…Sheila."

Her name left his mouth quietly, almost cautiously, as if he were afraid that speaking too loudly might break something fragile standing between them.

Sheila swallowed.

Her breathing steadied little by little, though the nervousness in her posture did not fade.

"I… I thought you already left," she said.

Her voice was softer than usual, still slightly breathless.

Percy shook his head faintly.

"Not yet."

A brief pause settled between them again.

Sheila lowered her gaze for a moment, gathering herself. The words she had prepared in her mind over the past two days seemed suddenly tangled now that she was actually standing in front of him.

"I…" she began.

Then stopped.

She pressed her lips together, frustrated with herself.

Percy said nothing. He waited.

That alone felt different.

When Sheila finally lifted her eyes again, there was a fragile determination in them.

"I thought I had more time," she said.

Her fingers tightened slightly against the fabric of her sleeves.

"I kept telling myself that I would talk to you later… that there were still two days… that I should wait until the right moment."

A faint tremor slipped into her voice despite her effort to control it.

"But then this morning came and suddenly you were leaving."

Percy watched her quietly.

"I didn't want you to go without me saying anything," she continued. "I didn't want… this to stay the way it was."

Her words began to stumble now.

"Because I— I've been thinking about everything for the last two days. About what happened. About what you did. About why you did it. About how angry I was."

Her eyes lowered again briefly.

"And I was angry," she admitted. "I hated you for it. I hated you for making that decision without telling me. For deciding what was best for me without even asking me."

Percy's expression tightened slightly.

But he did not interrupt.

Sheila took a slow breath.

"And even after Ariana talked to me… even after I started understanding things better… that part didn't disappear."

Her voice was steady now, but the emotion behind it was unmistakable.

"I'm still hurt, Percy."

The words hung in the air between them.

Percy nodded slowly.

"I know."

It was not a defensive answer.

Not an explanation.

Just an acknowledgment.

Sheila looked up at him again.

"But… that wasn't the only thing I realized," she said.

Her voice softened slightly.

"Under all of that anger… under the confusion… the betrayal… there was still something else."

Her fingers clenched slightly.

"And it never went away."

Percy felt his chest tighten.

Sheila took one small step forward.

"I still want my brother."

The words were simple.

But they carried everything she had struggled with.

"I wanted him even when I was angry," she continued quietly. "Even when I told myself I didn't. Even when I thought maybe it would be easier if I just stayed angry forever."

Her eyes shimmered slightly now.

"I still wanted you."

Percy's composure cracked.

Not visibly to anyone else perhaps, but inside him something shifted hard enough that it almost felt physical.

"I didn't come here to pretend everything is fine," Sheila went on. "Because it's not."

She gave a small, trembling laugh.

"You really did a terrible job back then."

Percy let out the faintest breath through his nose.

"I know."

She shook her head.

"But even with all that… even with everything that happened…"

Her voice dropped softer.

"I don't want to lose you."

For a moment neither of them moved.

Then Percy spoke.

"I'm sorry."

The words came without hesitation.

Not carefully constructed.

Not diplomatic.

Just honest.

"I know I hurt you," he said quietly. "I know I took away your right to choose. I convinced myself that I was protecting you… that if I carried the burden alone it would somehow make things better for you."

His gaze lowered slightly.

"But the truth is I never gave you the chance to decide for yourself."

His hands tightened faintly at his sides.

"And that wasn't fair to you."

Sheila listened.

"I'm sorry for that," Percy said. "Truly."

There was no justification in his voice.

No attempt to soften the truth.

Just remorse.

Silence followed again.

Then Sheila asked the question that had been sitting in her heart all along.

"…Can we still be brother and sister?"

The vulnerability in her voice made the words feel fragile.

Percy looked at her immediately.

"Yes."

There was no hesitation.

"Of course we can."

His voice was firm in a way it had not been before.

"I never stopped being your brother."

He stepped closer now.

"And if you'll still have me…"

His voice softened.

"…I want that more than anything."

That was all it took.

Sheila closed the distance between them in an instant.

Her arms wrapped around him tightly, as if afraid that if she hesitated even a moment longer he might disappear again.

Percy froze for a brief second.

Then his arms came around her just as firmly.

Sheila's composure finally broke.

The tears she had been holding back spilled freely now as she buried her face against his shoulder, clutching him as though she had no intention of letting go again anytime soon.

"You're such an idiot," she muttered weakly through her tears.

Percy let out a quiet breath.

"I know."

"You really hurt me."

"I know."

Her grip tightened.

"But you're still my brother."

Percy's hold around her tightened slightly as well.

"And you're still my little sister."

For a long moment, neither of them moved.

Eventually Sheila pulled back slightly, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand as she tried to regain a bit of composure. The emotional storm that had carried her across the courtyard had begun to settle, leaving behind the quiet warmth that came from finally saying the things that had needed to be said.

She looked up at Percy again.

"You're still leaving though," she said quietly.

Percy nodded once.

"Yes."

She hesitated for a moment, then asked the question that had been sitting in the back of her mind since she saw the luggage beside the carriage.

"…Are you going back home?"

Percy understood immediately what she meant.

The Crescent Kingdom.

The palace.

The place he had walked away from three years ago.

He didn't answer right away. His gaze drifted briefly toward the academy buildings behind her—the towers, the training fields, the stone walkways that had been his world for the last three years.

Then he looked back at her.

"Yes," he said.

Sheila watched him carefully, waiting for more.

Percy exhaled quietly before continuing.

"As things stand now… I'm going back to everything I left behind."

His tone was calm, but there was something heavier behind the words.

"For the last three years, I've avoided a lot of things," he said. "Responsibilities. Expectations. The palace itself."

A faint pause followed.

"But thanks to this second chance you gave me…"

His eyes softened slightly as he looked at her.

"…I think it's time I go back and fix them."

Sheila blinked faintly.

"Fix them?"

Percy nodded.

"Yes."

He gave a small shrug.

"I left Crescent behind because I believed that was the best thing I could do at the time. Maybe in some ways it was."

Then his expression turned more serious.

"But if I'm going to move forward properly, I can't keep pretending that everything waiting for me there doesn't exist."

He looked directly at her now.

"And besides…"

His voice softened slightly.

"…my sister deserves a proper home to return to."

Sheila's eyes widened just a little.

Percy continued calmly.

"When you return to Crescent during academy breaks… holidays… or whenever you decide to visit…"

A faint smile appeared.

"…that palace should feel like home."

He glanced briefly toward the carriage before finishing.

"So I'm going back to make sure it becomes one."

For a moment Sheila just stared at him.

Then she sniffed quietly.

"…Idiot."

Percy almost smiled.

"…Brat."

She lightly punched his shoulder.

Then after a moment, she hugged him again.

Not desperately this time.

Just warmly.

And when they finally separated, the distance between them no longer felt the same.