A few weeks had passed since Emily and Daniel had brokered the peace agreement between Emily’s paternal grandparents and her own parents. Since the tearful reunion, contact had been reestablished, albeit there was still hesitancy on both sides.

  As Emily had sagely mentioned, adults make everything so damn complicated after all.

  A weight has appeared to be lifted from Thomas’s shoulders. He seemed younger, happier, more energetic. “Every one of us has an inner child Em” Daniel had once commented. “You helped reunite your father’s inner child with his family. That is no small feat”.

  “We did, Danny - we both did” Emily had gently reminded him.

  Sarah too seemed lighter.

  Although Emily and Daniel could only speculate - finally being accepted by her husband’s side of the family - no, her family by extension - had lightened her spirits. Filled an incomplete equation so to speak. The siblings had walked into her recounting the tale excitedly to her own parents, Ken and Joan, over the phone - disbelief followed by a reluctant warmth evident on all sides.

  Feeling quite proud of themselves, Emily and Daniel decided to take a bit of a backseat. Step back into the proverbial shadows while Sarah and Thomas came to terms with their new, more pleasant reality.

  Nothing with the two unusual siblings was ever simple though.

  —

  Both were lounging in the dreamscape on a pleasant Sunday, enjoying a recreated Chicago Riverwalk.

  The river stretched before them, its flow reflecting the clear blue sky overhead. The usual ruckus of the city was absent—no people, no traffic—just the sounds of nature. Birds chirped in the trees, and a few choice animals that Emily had conjured lazily wandered about, unaffected by the two dreamers.

  Emily’s ridiculous oversize pink bunny was also hopping nonchalantly in the distance - clearly an attempt to irritate Daniel. Daniel on the other hand at least pretended to pay no attention.

  Despite the absence of the usual city noise, the dreamscape was still filled with life. The scent of flowers and the river mixed with something familiar—the unmistakable aroma of Chicago-style pizza. It lingered in the air as if someone nearby was cooking, even though there was clearly no one else there.

  Emily chuckled to herself. Of course, Daniel would conjure that smell. He loved Chicago pizza and had been dismayed to learn it did not exist in her universe.

  The siblings were playing a hilarious, over-the-top variation of Uno that Daniel had dreamt up in his universe, evidently over a few drinks.

  “Draw 64??” exclaimed Emily as Daniel dropped a series of cards in rapid succession. “Are you kidding me, Danny!” she continued, adjusting a stylish pair of sunglasses Daniel had playfully dreamt up for her earlier.

  “Hey, this just means you get a bunch of draw fours you can use against me!” Daniel retorted, his eyes flashing mischievously. “Drop a few skips and reverse cards, and before you know it, my back will be against the wall!”

  The game continued with friendly, albeit sometimes indignant, banter for a few more rounds.

  As Daniel shuffled the deck in preparation for the next round, Emily paused, appreciating the sheer beauty of the scene they had conjured for themselves. The sky was a perfect blue, the river sparkling under the sun, and the air warm but comfortable.

  It was idyllic.

  Yet, as beautiful as it was, Emily felt a pang of wistfulness.

  The scene, though perfect, felt incomplete without two special people. She could picture her mother’s wide-eyed expression, maybe hearing her laugh at how Daniel had conjured the smell of pizza.

  Meanwhile her father, ever the skeptic, might joke about the unrealistic perfection of it all. She smiled at the thought, but that longing for them to share this part of her life remained.

  “Hey, do you think we’ll be able to show Mom and Dad this world someday?” she asked quietly, hope tinging her words.

  Daniel made a thoughtful sound as he rearranged his cards.

  “Hmm… maybe, yeah?. I never really expected the ability to switch in and out like we do,” he admitted. “You know, when I get in the driver’s seat for a bit.”

  He glanced up briefly, then went back to shuffling.

  “Not sure why it can still be exhausting sometimes,” he mused, his tone a little cautious now.

  “Anyway, point is, I can feel us evolving in ways I can’t explain. So who knows? If our connection with people becomes strong enough, maybe we can pull them in too, I mean mom accidentally made her way in here right?” he added, though his eyes flickered with something like protectiveness.

  “Good point... but yeah, why do you think we can switch in and out like this?” Emily asked curiously as she playfully twirled her sunglasses, pondering her little universe.

  The thrill of this new ability was still fresh, and while she was cautiously optimistic about what it could mean for their future, she couldn’t help but wonder why it had all started.

  Daniel sat back, shuffling the deck absentmindedly as he considered her question.

  “You know, Madame Zara said our bond would evolve, right? So maybe this was inevitable.” His eyes flicked up for a moment before returning to the cards. “But I think it started sooner than expected because I gave you some of my life force when you got smacked down in the accident.”

  Emily blinked, her hand stilling as she stopped playing with her glasses, her brows furrowing in confusion. “Your life force?” she repeated, her tone a mix of curiosity and disbelief. She leaned forward slightly, sensing there was more to this than he was letting on.

  Seeing her confusion, Daniel added with a sideways nod, “Yeah remember? When you had the accident? We held our hands and all the buzzing and light and suddenly you were better? Or did you forget? Well what did you think that was? I had to give you a bit of my uhh…I don’t really know what to call it so I call it life force or essence, to keep you going, right? Also to get your body’s redundant systems to wake up.”

  He glanced up, looking thoughtful now. “So I guess, it was like adding fuel to the fire - whatever evolution we would have naturally gone through got accelerated. That’s probably why we can swap roles. It may also be why we feel a bit tired if we do that too much too fast…ordinarily would have worked up a bit slower”

  Emily’s thoughts swirled, her mind trying to grasp what Daniel was explaining.

  Life force? Essence? His essence was inside her?

  She slowly nodded, though she still wasn’t quite sure what to make of it.

  She twirled an Uno card in her hand as she thought back to the day, the buzzing, the glowing, the feeling of warmth passing through her - the sound of her heart beginning to beat, seeing Daniel flicker in and out, his shape almost changing for a second.

  She knew her recovery had been a miracle, she knew her brother had helped her but with her focus on recovery and reintegration - she hadn’t paid much more thought to it.

  Until today.

  “Wait,” she said, her curiosity sharpening as she looked at him more closely, “you gave me your life force or essence or whatever? What does that even mean?”

  Daniel paused, his hands stilling as he set the cards down on his lap.

  Emily could feel something subtle shift between them, a ripple in their bond. He shrugged, though she caught the faintest flicker of hesitation behind his eyes. “I guess my consciousness is basically energy, Shrimp. I think anyway.”

  “I mean, everything in the universe is,” he quickly added. “In my case... it’s a little more, uh, tangible. Energy can change form, right? So I just gave you some of what makes me... me.”

  His voice was carefully casual, as if he didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. He tried to soften the moment, poking Emily’s nose playfully. “Just a little boost to help speed up your recovery.”

  He waved his hand as if dismissing the thought “I’d discovered this some time ago, accidentally, you’d scratched your leg and I accidentally transferred a bit and before you know it you were well again. No scar even. This time it was an emergency so I had to be a bit quicker about it.”

  Emily batted his hand away, but her frown deepened as concern now tugged at her chest.

  She glanced at him, sensing there was more - a lot more. “Hmm… I guess. I wish you had told me you could do this but whatever, what is done is done.”

  She was quiet, counting her cards for a moment but couldn’t shake a bad feeling.

  “How much did you give?” she asked softly.

  Daniel’s posture shifted ever so slightly, and Emily caught a hint of evasion in his voice. This was different. She had never seen her brother like this before—so deliberate in his avoidance.

  Usually, she could feel everything through their bond, but this time, he was more than hesitant—he was actively trying to bury certain emotions.

  “Enough to help,” Danny said, his voice too casual.

  “Don’t worry, everything’s fine. It was a bit more than I thought I would, but it wasn’t anything serious. I’m still here, you’re still here, why don’t we move on and keep playing Uno?”

  He forced a chuckle, eyes darting back to the cards. “I think I finally have a good deck this time.”

  Emily’s eyes narrowed as she sat up straighter, her intuition flaring. “Danny... I can feel you trying to hide things from me, you know?” she said, her voice sharper now, more probing.

  “What aren’t you telling me? How much of your life energy or whatever did you give me?”

  Danny’s posture tensed even more. His evasive attitude intensified, and for the first time, Emily could see him actively retreating into his old defenses.

  “Shrimp, look, it’s fine. I’m fine. You’re fine. That’s what matters, right? It worked, so can we just go back to chilling?” His voice wavered slightly, but he pressed on. “If you’re getting bored, I can show you some other cool spots in the dreamscape. Maybe a beach this time?”

  Emily’s concern deepened as she watched him growing more uncomfortable. Her heart beat faster, anxiety gnawing at her. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong.

  “But did you know how much it would take?” Emily pressed, her tone firmer now.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  She watched his every move, his every breath, as though her world depended on it. “Daniel...”

  At her use of his full name, Danny flinched.

  He had never heard her call him that—not in this way. It was always “Danny” or “dummy” or some teasing nickname, but this time... she was serious. Very serious.

  Emily’s heart meanwhile skipped a beat, realizing he was avoiding her question on purpose.

  Her voice grew more determined, her hands tightening into fists.

  “Daniel, I deserve to know the truth. Did you know how much it would take? What are you not telling me? Why are you dodging this?”

  Danny sighed, the frustration slowly building. His playful facade crumbled, replaced by a weariness he couldn’t fully hide. He put down the cards, grabbing his knees and pulling them close to his chest, gently rocking himself back and forth. He avoided eye contact, staring at the dreamscape river, his voice barely above a whisper.

  “No. I didn’t. I had to figure it out as I went. I didn’t know how much it would take to heal you.”

  Emily held her breath, her mind spinning, struggling to process what he was saying.

  He didn’t know?

  “I just had to keep transferring to you until I felt your heart beat again,” Danny continued, his voice heavy with emotion now. “It’s not like I exactly have a gauge for this, you know?”

  Emily’s breath caught, her heart pounding in her chest. He didn’t know. He just kept giving. She hesitated, her voice shaky as she asked the question that had lodged itself in her mind.

  “What would have happened if I... if it had taken too much? If you’d been drained?” She knew the answer but she needed to hear it.

  There was a long, uncomfortable silence. Danny shifted, rubbing the back of his neck, his eyes flicking everywhere but toward her. He couldn’t meet her gaze.

  Finally, in a quiet voice, he answered, “You just had to push it, Em.” He looked at her now, his eyes sad, tired. “Well... you’re not going to like the answer.”

  With a sigh he leant back, his arms supporting his frame and dropped his bombshell.

  “If I’d been drained? It’d be the same thing that happens to a battery when it runs out of charge.”

  —

  The words hit Emily like a physical blow.

  Her entire body froze. Fear, anger, disbelief, and even a twisted sense of gratitude flooded her, threatening to overwhelm her - no, to drown her.

  She stared at Daniel, wide-eyed, struggling to process what he had just admitted. Her chest tightened, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it might burst.

  "You... you could have..." she stammered, her voice barely a whisper.

  Her hands began to tremble and her stomach churn as she wrestled with the enormity of his words - presented so matter of factly.

  "You could have... died?” she finally choked out, her voice barely audible as she somehow forced herself to vocalize her painful thoughts.

  Daniel shifted uncomfortably, eyes on the ground, still avoiding her gaze. His usual playfulness had drained, replaced by an awkward silence.

  "I guess that’s one way of putting it... yeah, I probably would have disappeared."

  His voice was quiet, like he was admitting something shameful.

  He finally looked up, forcing a smile—a weak, fleeting attempt to feign cheerfulness. "But I didn’t, okay? We’re both still here, happy, healthy, right? I knew it was risky, but I wasn’t about to let you—"

  Emily cut him off sharply, the sting in her voice causing him to reflexively step back. "Don’t. Don’t do that. Stop dodging the question, Danny."

  The image of Daniel disappearing—vanishing into nothingness—flashed through her mind, evoking a fresh surge of panic like emotions. She felt her pulse quickening, her breath catching in her throat.

  "How much did you give? How close did you come to draining yourself?" Her eyes flared with anger, her tone sharp and demanding the truth.

  Daniel hesitated, instinctively rubbing the back of his neck, a clear tick when he was feeling vulnerable or defensive.. "Em, I—look, I didn’t want you to worry about it. I gave more than I expected to, okay? But it worked out—"

  Suddenly, Emily’s rage erupted. She stood abruptly, inadvertently knocking over the deck of cards. As her emotions thundered within her, they manifested as literal thunder cracking across the bright, clear sky, splitting the peace of their dreamworld.

  "Daniel!" she shouted, her voice almost echoing like the thunder that flashed above them. "Stop dodging the darn question!" Her voice was louder than she’d ever used with him, as anger, fear, disbelief—everything boiled over all at once.

  "How much did you give me damnit?!"

  Daniel was silent for a moment, tension building up within him as thunder rumbled again - this time the dreamscape reflecting his emotions bubbling over. Then, his eyes flashed with frustration, and he stood abruptly, throwing his hands into the air in sheer exasperation, vented.

  "A lot! Okay? A mega ton!? I don’t know how this works!"

  His voice came out sharper than before, a mix of frustration, guilt and fear lacing every word.

  "I may have given you almost everything! Is that what you want to hear?"

  His eyes blazed with a mix of anger and vulnerability, his tone escalating as his emotions continued to bubble to the surface.

  "I came so close to burning out, Em! A few more seconds and I would’ve been gone! Completely!" he exclaimed as his voice cracked slightly.

  "And you want to know why I didn’t tell you? Because I didn’t want to scare you, okay? But no—you just can’t stop pushing!"

  He turned away from Emily, looking the sky, running his hands through his hair in agitation, as thunder and lightning flashed through the sky with more intensity.

  "I was just trying to keep you safe, but now you’re pissed at me for not telling you I almost died to save you? What the hell was I supposed to do? Watch you die and do nothing? I would have probably died anyway if you died so isn’t it better that at least you live?" His voice shook, anger and hurt spilling out as his emotions finally bled over.

  Emily recoiled, her heart skipping a beat as the full weight of what Daniel had revealed hit her.

  He had come so close to disappearing, to burning himself out for her, and now the truth was unraveling like a storm, his words cutting deeper than she expected. Her other half, her partner, her brother—he had almost vanished, and she hadn’t known. The realization struck like the thunder cracking overhead.

  Her voice broke with anger, fear, and hurt as she shouted, “Well, guess what? I’m scared now!” She stomped and shoved him on the chest, her emotions pouring out, wild and uncontrolled. “What the actual HELL DANNY? You can’t just keep this stuff from me, Danny. You should have told me! We’re supposed to be a team!”

  Her body trembled with rage as she continued, her voice sharp and trembling.

  “You keep saying you’re fine, but that doesn’t make this better!”

  Her hands clenched at her sides, shaking as the image of him vanishing haunted her. “You could’ve been gone, and I wouldn’t have even known why! How can you act like that’s okay?”

  Daniel stood frozen, his anger draining away as guilt overtook him.

  He had wanted to protect her, but now he could feel her pain, her fear—and that made it so much worse. The dreamscape thundered around them, the sky above mirroring the turmoil between them.

  Emily’s breath came in gasps as she stared at him, the anger simmering but now tinged with raw hurt. He had tried to shield her, but all it had done was tear them apart in this moment. After a long, tense pause, she exhaled sharply, struggling to rein in her tears.

  “I... I can’t be here right now,” she muttered, her voice quieter but trembling as she turned her back on him.

  “I’m telling Mom and Dad. At least they deserve to know what happened, just like I did.”

  Without waiting for his response, Emily stormed away, her steps heavy, the dreamscape starting to blur and fade. The world around them shattered like glass, reflecting the fracture in their bond. She woke in her bed, her face wet with tears, her emotions swirling like a storm in her chest—anger, confusion, regret.

  Throwing off the covers, she didn’t hesitate. Emily wiped her tears and hurried downstairs, finding her parents sitting quietly together on the couch.

  –

  Emily stumbled down the stairs, her face red and streaked with tears. Her chest heaved as she tried to hold back the sobs that were fighting their way out.

  Sarah and Thomas were sitting together on the couch, the soft hum of the TV in the background. When they saw Emily, they both shot up from their seats, instantly concerned.

  “Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” Sarah asked, pulling Emily into a tight hug.

  Emily buried her face into her mother’s shoulder, her body trembling as she cried. “We... we had a fight,” she choked out between sobs. “A big one. That dummy…that stupid, stupid dummy.”

  Sarah exchanged a glance with Thomas, both clearly alarmed. “A fight? You and Danny?” she asked gently, stroking Emily’s hair. “What happened, honey?”

  Emily sniffled, trying to speak through the lump in her throat. “It’s not just a normal fight... it’s... he didn’t tell me... he—” Her words became a jumble, her voice cracking as more tears fell.

  Sarah rubbed her back gently. “Shh, it’s okay. Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out. Danny’s part of the family, and families have arguments. We can talk about it and—”

  However Thomas was growing restless.

  His protective instincts flared up, and the unease he’d always carried about Danny began to surface. Having spoken to him through his daughter had made this reality no less easier.

  His face darkened as he stood up, pacing slightly - all his fears about Daniel - him being an interloper, him being an intruder who barged his way into their family, the complexity his daughter had to live with - all began reaching a breaking out.

  “I knew it…I knew it was a matter of time..” Thomas growled.

  “What did he do?” “What did he say to you, Emily?” he asked, his voice low and strained and seething with rage.

  Emily shook her head, struggling to catch her breath as her own head spun. She could feel Daniel small, guilty, angry at the back of their mind, trying to hide.

  “It’s not like that, Dad! Danny didn’t... he didn’t do anything bad. Not really. We just... we fought because he didn’t tell me something. Something really important.”

  Her words were frantic now, trying to explain through her tears. “We are a team and…and…”

  Thomas’s jaw tightened. “If he upset you, I want to know what he did,” he said, his voice hardening. “You’ve always said you trusted him, and now you’re crying? If he’s—”

  “No!” Emily blurted, her voice suddenly sharp as she pulled away from her mother.

  “He almost... he almost died. He almost died trying to save me. And he didn’t even tell me!” Her words came out in a rush, raw and ragged, confused.

  —

  Both Sarah and Thomas froze, their eyes widening in shock.

  Sarah was the first to break out of the shock.

  She held her forehead, gently shaking her head with a deep sigh. “I was wondering when you’d find out Em…” she said sadly.

  Thomas and Emily turned to look at her, their eyes wide.

  “You knew mom?” Emily asked softly, incredulously.

  “Sarah….how…what?” Thomas asked equally stunned.

  Sarah looked at the sadly. “When I entered the dreamscape, when I met him…I had a feeling he had done something extreme, something stupid.”

  A small smile played across her face “Something…an overprotective big brother would do. He didn’t confirm it, but I had a feeling.”

  Sarah’s eyes softened as she stepped toward Emily again, putting a hand over her head.

  “Oh, Em, I thought I knew what he was risking, but I... I wasn’t sure. And honestly, it wasn’t my story to tell. I wanted Danny to tell you when he was ready.”

  “Can someone explain what the hell is going on to me?” Thomas asked his hands wide, waiting for anyone to fill in the blanks.

  Sarah nodded “Emily, you should fill your father in. I think you can do it better than I can.”

  Emily gave her mother a quizzical look, then turned towards her father as breath caught for a moment.

  She began, her voice trembling.

  “Danny... he’s not like us, Dad. He’s... energy. Sort of. His consciousness, his essence—it’s like pure energy in a way right? Energy that manifests in me, in the dreamscape as his own body? Well, I think he found a way to convert what makes him…him…his life force or essence or whatever he calls it.”

  She took a breath and continued “And when I had my accident, he... he transferred almost all of it into me to keep me alive. It's what helped me heal so quickly, it's what…saved me.”

  Emily took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. “ He didn’t even know how much it would take. He just kept giving and giving until I was okay.”

  As the words left her mouth she felt grateful, fearful and angry all at once.

  Grateful that her protector had saved her even if it cost him everything.

  Fearful that she came so close to losing her partner.

  Angry that he didn’t even care to mention this. That he was just okay with disappearing…

  She looked back to her mother “He never told me. He could’ve... he could’ve died, Mom.”

  Thomas’s eyes widened, his mind struggling to comprehend. “He gave you his... life energy or whatever?” he asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.

  “To save you?”

  Emily nodded, tears still streaming down her face. “Yes, he doesn’t know how much but I think it was a lot, maybe close to all of it? He didn’t tell me that he almost drained himself. He was so close to... to disappearing, and I didn’t even know.”

  Her voice cracked with a mixture of anger and grief.

  Thomas stood frozen, his chest tightening.

  All the worries, the doubts he’d had about Daniel.

  The anger, the confused affection at times - but now learning that this same entity, no - this soul - had given everything for his daughter - without asking for anything in return, without drawing attention, without asking for accolades.

  At that moment, the anger that had been building inside him slowly began to dissolve, replaced by something else - something unexpected.

  A deep sense of gratefulness.

  And guilt.

  His mind raced through the months of doubt, the concerns he had about this other consciousness inside Emily, and now he was faced with the undeniable truth - Daniel had saved his daughter’s life.

  He had almost died.

  To save his sister.