Rain/History

She was doing well in NQSC's safety. She was diligently training and showed no signs of being infected by the Spell. The Serpent was also guarding her.^[1]

In Chapter 1134 and 1180, Rain was safe and not showing any symptoms of the Spell.

She appeared again in Chapter 1590 absentmindedly eating cup ramen while studying the screen of her communicator with a serious expression. It was Winter in NQSC. Sunny looks familiar to her, but she cannot remember. She mentioned that her father, who works for the government, was being transferred to a new position due to various circumstances and planned to leave soon.

In Chapter 1758, it was mentioned that Rain's family had already left the waking world behind and settled in Ravenheart. Sunny's avatar had approached her and somehow talked his way into becoming her teacher.

Rain became a laborer in the main construction camp of the Eastern Road construction. She had stayed hidden among the road crews.^[6]

In Chapter 1716, she formed her core as a tiny crystalline gemstone the size of a grain of sand.

In Chapter 1825, Rain formed her soul core and became Awakened. Thus, she is the first human of the waking world that had Awakened without taking upon herself the curse of the Nightmare Spell.

After Rain formed her soul core and become an Awakened^[7], she is not a prisoner of a domain anymore. She is going to participate in the war.^[8]

After Rain and Tamar reconnected with the survey crew at the main construction camp, they discovered that the King of Swords had declared war on the Song Domain. Rain, Tamar, Ray, and Fleur were among the Awakened warriors of the Seventh Legion, led by Saint Seishan, the seventh and last daughter of the Queen to reach Transcendence.^[9]

As an Awakened, Rain can only rely on luck and good fortune to survive in the war, as Saints couldn't guarantee their survival. Rain's shadow companion was intentionally eccentric and unreliable to protect her, ensuring she wasn't stifled in his vast shadow.^[10]

In Chapter 1844, Sunny invited Aiko and Rain to join his Shadow Clan; that was how they ended up with an intricate snake tattoo coiling around their arm.

The [Mark of Shadows] protected Rain and gave her some abilities, but its main purpose was to confuse people. Rain wanted to keep people from discovering her lack of an Aspect and the snake tattoo bestowed upon her strange powers that could be seen as one. Her teacher was working on a more convincing disguise, and Rain was unaware of the meaning. She would learn in due time.^[11]

Sunny revealed to Rain that he was the Lord of Shadows and that he could live multiple lives simultaneously. He had been pretending to be many things: a sellsword Saint hired by the King of Swords, the Knight Commander of the Great Clan Valor, and the mysterious Memory Purveyor of Ivory Island, the citadel of Changing Star. Additionally, he was a master chef based in Bastion. He also revealed to Rain that he was also her long-lost brother before she was adopted, and she called him "Brother".^[12]

Rain was adopted at a young age and had no memories of her biological family. Though her adoptive parents were open about her adoption, they never treated her as such and were supportive in her quest to learn about her origins, they uncovered very little. There were no digital records of every person living on the outskirts, and all they discovered was that her biological parents had passed away. Rain hadn't felt deeply attached to her past, yet, in an unexpected moment, her teacher revealed himself as her long-lost brother. He told of his life in the neglected outskirts and warns her not to ask about his experiences. The revelation stirred emotions she didn't realize she had, prompting her to acknowledge him as her brother.^[12]

In Chapter 2030, Cassie congratulated Rain for attaining a True Name which she earned during her Awakening. It was a distinguished feat becoming an Awakened by herself in an age when everyone else carries the Nightmare Spell.

Although Cassie gained an understanding of her True Name, it took some time to decipher it. Without the Spell translating Cassie's insights into runes, understanding a True Name became a complex and unfamiliar task. It required Sunny's and Nephis' help. Cassie had the knowledge, Sunny was skilled in dead languages, and Nephis, as a talented Shaper, had extensive experience with True Names that surpassed both of them combined.^[13]

Rain also possesses three Attributes: affinity to shadows which is external and tied to the [Mark of Shadows], affinity to Shaping which meant Rain's primary talent is to be a sorceress and a unique Attribute involving Rain's soul and its connection to the world, described as very special but distinct from Sunny's former Attribute of being Fated.^[13]

Rain's Aspect begins to awaken in the midst of a desperate battle (Domain War), while she fights alongside Tamar and Telle. Overwhelmed by the chaos and destruction around her, Rain feels a nameless, swelling emotion building within her chest—an emotion so powerful and intense that it threatens to unseal a part of her very soul. Though she cannot yet name the feeling, it is tied to her pain, her indignation at the senseless slaughter, and her desperate desire to save lives. This surge of emotion signals the imminent revelation of her Aspect. However, the exact nature of Rain's Aspect is left undefined.^[14]

Rain's Aspect was unsealed not on a battlefield, but at a construction site, after she helped complete the road across the Collarbone Plain. This was fitting, especially for someone like Rain whose Flaw, the Crown of Thorns, rendered all her combat experience and bitter training largely meaningless. Her life, though marked by war, was ultimately shaped more by creation than destruction.^[15]

Rain stayed in Godgrave for a time before moving to Bastion. There, she studied Shaping under Lady Nephis and learned civil engineering under Chief Bethany, eventually unsealing her Aspect.^[16]

Despite being just barely out of her teenage years, she is already actively contributing to significant projects, working under Chief Bethany as a kind of intern, assisting with various menial tasks while learning the ropes.^[17]

Beyond learning Shaping, Rain had another mission in Bastion: teaching the method of natural Awakening. Unlike most, Rain had Awakened and unsealed her Aspect and Flaw without the Nightmare Spell's assistance. She aimed to pass on this method to spare future Awakened from the dangers of the First Nightmare. Nephis and Cassie supported her, and under the protection of the Immortal Flame clan, Rain's identity remained secret. Volunteers from diverse backgrounds were chosen to attempt Awakening naturally, although progress was slow. While two volunteers had begun sensing their essence, none had yet formed a soul core.^[18]

Rain walked the Road of Shadows with Sunny in her shadow, reflecting on the legacy of what people built and discussing the emergence of a dangerous new Sovereign that hinted at an unfamiliar kind of war. After weighing her destinations, she decided to travel toward Bastion to focus on her work and Ascension, while Sunny chose to stay with her rather than leave her unprotected.^[19]

Sunny augmented Rain as she joined a merchant caravan on the Road of Shadows, where she was welcomed as a veteran defender and unexpectedly reunited with an old acquaintance from the road's construction. During the journey, uneasy talk of a third Sovereign named Asterion unsettled Rain, whose instincts and Sunny's warning suggested something deeply wrong with the rumors.^[20]

Rain helped protect the fast-moving caravan with her luminous arrows as they left the Road of Shadows and descended into the perilous Glass Hell, earning the guards' trust while remaining uneasy about the joking mention of Asterion. As the caravan crossed into the blazing, hive-infested plain toward Red Hill, the harsh heat and deadly environment underscored that their most dangerous stretch of travel had begun.^[21]

Rain crippled a glassy Nightmare Creature with precise archery before it was obliterated by a colossal arrow fired from Red Hill, revealing the overwhelming power of its ruling Saint (Dar) and leaving her unsettled by the comparison. After enduring relentless dangers in the Glass Hell, the caravan reached Red Hill intact, only for Rain to learn that the city was abuzz with news of a newly emerged Sovereign named Asterion, deepening her growing sense of dread.^[22]

Rain lingered in Red Hill, joking with her brother and the caravan guards while learning unsettling rumors about Asterion's past and supposed benevolence, which stirred both hope and unease among the people. When she prepared to leave for Bastion, Pill's sudden seriousness and reverence toward Asterion left Rain deeply disturbed, sensing that something about the new Supreme was profoundly wrong.^[23]

Rain revisited NQSC, noting the city's decay, quarantined Nightmare Gates, failing technology, and signs of decline; overhearing discussions about the clash between ppNephis]] and Asterion to travel through a Dream Gate to Bastion, finding the Dream Realm there vibrant but aware that whispers about Changing Star and the Dreamspawn followed her.^[24]

At her farewell party in Bastion, Rain announced her plan to join the Ivory Tower custodial staff on Ivory Island to study ancient architecture and focus on Ascension; she dismissed fears about Changing Star while Chief Bethany contextualized Nephis as a military commander making necessary sacrifices, offering Rain reassurance and motivating her to grow stronger while reflecting on her brother's burdens.^[25]

Rain arrived at a deserted Ivory Island and reunited with Sunny. Cassia, pale and without her rapier, escorted Rain up the Ivory Tower, where she glimpsed a barren bedroom and a mysterious woman in a wheelchair resembling Nephis before the real Nephis appeared, serene yet carrying melancholy, encouraging Rain to focus on Ascension and assigning her quarters near the top of the Tower.^[26]

While meditating alone, Rain awoke to chaos: the Tower shook, smoke filled the air, and Cassia, bleeding beneath her blindfold, urged her to act. Rain realized she had become a Master, and outside, the Night Garden loomed, chained to Ivory Island and bombarding the Tower of Hope.^[26]

Cassia, gravely wounded by a serpentine stiletto, commanded Rain to release three Epithets (which Rain had no knowledge of using), while being healed in radiant light. Cassia effortlessly subdued the attacking Master Sid of the Fire Keepers. Approaching the wheelchair-bound Hollow woman, Cassia instructed Rain to push her using her Aspect while fighting off attackers, confirming they would not destroy the Night Garden but escape instead.^[27]

Rain assigned Epithets to the wheelchair and navigated smoke-filled corridors as Cassia overpowered enemies with terrifying efficiency. As the Night Garden's cannonade intensified, Nightwalker approached, prompting Cassia to direct Rain to a stone arch and invoke the True Names of Fire, Divinity, and Stepping Across Thresholds. Rain's Mark of Shadows allowed her to bear the strain, transforming the arch into a portal. They passed through, with Cassia extinguishing it behind them. Exhausted, Cassia collapsed as a tall man with mirror-like eyes emerged, greeting them and welcoming her to his Domain.^[28]