In the end, the time storm never appeared.
Sunny and Nephis spent a night on the Chain Breaker, resting and recovering. By the time they woke up, Nephis had replenished enough essence to heal most of his wounds, restoring a few more incarnations to a functional state.
She also had enough essence to assume her Transcendent form, so if they wanted to, they could fly across the dark expanse of still water without the need for the Chain Breaker. However, that would cause her untold agony, so Sunny assumed the form of the Onyx Serpent once more.
Nephis placed the Chain Breaker in her Soul Sea, and they swam downstream, heading for the waters where Fallen Grace — the city of Dusk, which had been the last human settlement in the Nightmare — was supposed to be.
