The hall where Valor was holding court that day was silent.
The King of Swords sat on his throne when the wounded man was cut off.
Saint Gilead stepped forward.
"You are saying that the convoy sent to deal with the Lord of Shadows was eradicated?" he asked.
The man—
A Saint—
Was wounded heavily, with a bandage over his eyes that had been ripped out, waiting to be healed by a better healer.
The same was true for his leg, while most of his body was covered in bandages.
"Y-yes, Saint Gilead—" the Saint said.
A Saint who had been reduced to such a state.
Even after decades, Saints were the strongest champions of humanity, fighting against Corruption.
And a Saint had been reduced to this.
But the problem was not that.
Two more Saints alongside him had been killed, as well as some Ascended and Awakened.
Anvil looked at the man, the only one left alive to be a messenger.
It was clear who had done this left one Saint alive to be a messenger.
Not one of the many Awakened or Masters.
A Saint.
It was a way of saying that he could deal with such a rank of warrior again.
So go heal and come back to lose to me again if you have the heart.
And yet, that had not been the problem either.
Anvil narrowed his eyes.
"All of this happened..."
He paused as the air thickened around him.
"Before you reached the Lord of Shadows?"
The man nodded vigorously through the pain.
Indeed.
The convoy sent to deal with the Lord of Shadows had not even reached halfway when they were ambushed by a masked individual...
Or rather...
As this Saint had told them, he walked in front of them and asked them if they served the Heirs of War.
Then told them to fight him instead of the Lord of Shadows.
A Saint mocked him and moved—
And—
"...His head was sliced off before you could see?" Jest asked carefully.
The man nodded vigorously again.
"Y-yes! It was harrowing! That man—we could barely keep up at our best, and he wasn't even bothered!"
He looked at the King.
"He was a nightmare, my King! An abomination—"
He was cut off when a Saint glared at him.
Anvil considered the words, uncaring of the man's crying.
Eventually—
"What did he call himself?" he asked.
The man shook his head.
"H-he didn't give a proper name, my King. J-just—he called himself..."
His breath caught as a fearful expression came to his face.
"Mongrel. He called himself Mongrel!"
...
Some people frowned.
"...Mongrel?" one asked.
The man nodded yet again.
"How did he look?" Jest asked.
The Saint looked at him.
"His face—he covered it with a mask—"
Anvil's eyes narrowed.
"A mask?" he asked.
The man fearfully nodded again, too afraid to even speak.
Anvil's gaze sharpened.
"Did it resemble something demonic?"
The man's face drained of color as if remembering something horrifying.
"Did it have three horns?"
The man shook his head.
"No. It didn't have any horns, but it was demonic without a doubt."
The others questioned him further.
However, Anvil's gaze had already drifted.
'A demon mask, but not like the Lord of Shadows...'
Another indication had appeared.
Another mysterious Saint.
...
It was a bright day in Bastion when Nephis and Master Sunless were sitting at their usual spot on his porch.
Their last meeting just the week before had been wonderful toward the end.
So today should have been joyful as well.
However...
After the meeting last time, Cassie and Nephis had talked about the situation.
After realizing the attention Master Sunless had gained, they realized they could all be in more trouble if Valor found out that Sunless was hired for a weapon commission.
Hence, Cassie had devised a plan that they could exploit Master Sunless's handsome appearance.
Now Nephis sat in front of Master Sunless after explaining how, as per Cassie's plan, they could fake date to make enough people believe that Nephis was enchanted by Sunless's appearance to divert any attention from a possible commission.
However...
"I see," Sunless said as he barely held his faint smile.
Nephis's eyes remained on his, but her nervousness had turned into worry.
"Is that so?" he asked, remaining with a smile.
It was not his usual smile.
Nephis could tell that.
"Yes..." she said.
"But it doesn't have to be for long, you see," she hurriedly added.
"You see, once I'm gone for war, Cassie said we can keep low contact so no one would suspect anything. She will handle the different ways to communicate, and I'll only appear once you need me for the process, so we won't have to worry about doing this for long."
As Nephis said those words, her heart tore.
Once she's gone?
Minimum contact?
Not for long?
What were the conditions?
When she went over the plan with Cassie, it didn't hurt nearly as much.
Yet now, in front of Sunless...
The thought of not meeting him clawed at her heart as if something very precious was being taken away from her.
But what hurt most was that smile...
Sunless was smiling supportively as always, accepting what she had requested with his usual smile.
But inside?
The seemingly bottomless well that was Sunless, always filled with some sort of positive emotion, intensifying when—
Especially when she appeared.
It felt dead...
As if life and joy had been sucked out of him.
She could see the firm hand, confident with a hammer, that didn't tremble in front of a Sovereign, tremble not from the pressure of a Supreme, but from the pain of holding back.
And still, he was smiling for her sake.
And that—
It hurt more than anything...
More than her Aspect...
More than her Flaw...
More than any failure...
And more than any wound could ever hope to...
And still—
Sunless didn't object, and Nephis didn't speak up.
"I-I see."
It was a broken stutter that he tried to cover up...
He took in a breath and smiled at her.
For the first time, it felt as if he was hiding something more here.
Everyone had secrets.
She didn't know much about Master Sunless's past.
But she knew that this time, he was hiding something he could barely hold back.
Still—
"Well, ahh... if that's how it is, then okay," he said, something pressed about his tone.
"Master Sunless—"
"Ahh, don't worry. I understand your situation, Nephis. Of course you have many duties. I knew that... Don't worry, I'll fully cooperate with your plan, and make that sword..."
He looked around.
His eyes did not meet hers.
They had when he called her the most beautiful to him.
His eyes felt a little distant as he looked down in general.
"Ahh, well... after that, I won't bother you, I suppose..."
!!!
Nephis's breath hitched.
She felt her eyes sting a little as her gaze darted.
"M—"
She tried to speak, but the words didn't come out.
Snapping out of his thoughts, he gasped lightly and smiled.
With one hand, he pushed off the table as he moved toward the door.
"Well, I suppose I should cook now. Orphany will wake up soon."
Not Birdy...
He looked back.
"Would you like to have something, my lady?" he asked.
'...'
It had been...
How long since he asked?
He just brought food for her whenever he made anything and served her every time.
Now?
"Yes," she managed to say.
Her eyes didn't leave him as he walked away.
Something about his steps was heavy.
Much like her heart.
Nephis's distant gaze fell to her lap.
"What... do I do?"
She covered her face.
...
Sunless closed the door to a storage room and slumped against a wall.
"Ah—"
He gasped.
His hands intertwined as he pressed his thumbs against his eyes.
Some lightly controlled moans, as if holding back sobs, came from him.
"Ah..."
He let out.
"This hurts..."
For the rest of the day, Master Sunless did something he never did with her.
He put walls around himself...
...
CLANG.
CLANG.
CLANG.
The sound rang out as Sunless hammered on the metal.
Yet today, he was doing so ineffectively that even a rookie would wince in pain at the sheer lack of skill.
Sweat covered his body as his shirtless form glistened lightly.
CLANG.
CLANG.
CRACK.
"H-huh?"
Sunless snapped out of his thoughts as the poorly forged blade snapped completely in half.
He looked genuinely confused for a moment as he realized what he had done.
A light sigh escaped him as he moved his essence to melt the entire thing again.
Transcendent materials, properly processed, could at best create an Ascended Memory of the third tier now.
The sheer loss would make anyone wince.
But Sunless's mind was too occupied.
He walked back and sat down on the few steps to the forge, his eyes lost in thought.
'But it doesn't have to be for long, you see.'
He closed his eyes.
'You see, once I'm gone for war, Cassie said we can keep low contact so no one would suspect anything. She will handle the different ways to communicate, and I'll only appear once you need me for the process, so we won't have to worry about doing this for long.'
A light, painful sigh escaped him.
He stood up as the forge wept.
Going to the wall, he pulled out a sword hanging there.
Another work that needed to be finished.
He brought the sword into the center as it hovered in the air while golden strings flowed from his hand, filling the air like an empty canvas filled with colors waiting to be used.
And so he moved.
...
Nephis was sitting next to Orphany as they ate.
Well...
Orphany ate.
Nephis just stared blankly.
The silence was eventually broken by the girl.
"Prettiest Miss, did you and Papa fight?" she asked while taking another bite.
Nephis snapped out of her thoughts.
"H-huh? N-no. Why?" she asked.
They hadn't fought.
And that was worse.
But was it that obvious that even Orphany knew?
"Well, Papa was extra sad today," she said, taking another bite.
Nephis furrowed her brows.
"Extra?" she asked.
"Mhm hmm!" Orphany said. "I can tell. Papa is always sad today," she paused.
Her voice lowered as if she was sad herself.
"But he was extra sad today."
Nephis caught the weirdness in the sentence.
"Orphany... why would Master Sunless be sad today every year?" she asked.
Orphany shook her head.
"But he is. It's that day."
...
Sunless moved with more vigor as the threads moved.
Some collapsed in the outer range.
Some cut through his skin as fresh blood poured out.
He did not stop.
...
"Well," Orphany began, "that day. The special day in winter."
She thought.
"What's it called?"
Nephis thought for a moment before remembering.
...
Sunless moved as threads kept disappearing.
He kept on making more.
But he couldn't focus on more than three hundred today.
For each thread that disappeared, two more cuts appeared.
His arms were already drenched in his blood as cuts overlapped his upper back and waist, as well as his biceps and forearms.
His hands and fingers took the worst of it.
'Winter Solstice, huh?'
He remained on his feet as more blood fell to the ground.
...
"Orphany... are you talking about the Winter Solstice?" she asked.
"Yes, that!" Orphany pointed. "That's the day Papa is sad."
...
Sunless fell to his knees as the threads snapped and dispersed into essence.
His chest heaved as blood poured from all over his body, drenching a third of his pants and covering the ground with many drops.
...
"Papa never told me why he's sad, but I know he is," Orphany said as she looked down.
Nephis also looked down aimlessly.
'Always sad today? Why?'
...
'I suppose I'll be older than you when you died, Mom.'
His eyes closed.
"Can't do anything right..."
The words were mocking.
"Useless as always, huh, Sunless?"
...
"Where is that bastard?!"
The Lord of Shadows roared as he appeared in the great halls.
The shadows stirred slightly at the roar, his essence rampant.
"Where are you?! Come out!"
He was genuinely enraged today.
"Calm down, Lord of Shadows..." a kind voice came.
The Lord of Shadows turned to face the source.
A man emerged from the mist.
The Lord of Shadows stared at him.
While all those who occupied these thrones had demonic masks, their attires were all both wrapped around their specialties and confused.
However, this man not only wore comfortable, elegant garbs like a noble, but had the strangely ugly yet interesting demonic mask with curved horns protruding from the head.
"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked.
Of course, the Lord of Shadows knew him. They were no strangers.
The man gave what sounded like an amused exhale, as if enjoying every moment.
"Me? Well, I just came to visit. Learned that everyone was visiting more often," he said as he arrived at his throne and sat down.
The Lord of Shadows dismissed him completely as he looked at a particular throne.
"Was he here before?" he asked in a gentle tone as he clutched his odachi harder.
The man fixed his sleeve.
"He was, Lord of Shadows. He left but a few moments ago."
The Lord of Shadows snapped.
"Well, the next time he comes, tell him to stay clear of me, or else—"
"Your debt is repaid," the man said.
The Lord of Shadows paused.
Then turned to him dangerously.
His eyes narrowed behind his mask as his shoulders went rigid, as if waiting for the right words before battling.
"He said, for interfering in the Domain War and taking part in it, your debt is repaid."
He looked up from his sleeve.
"The one you owed him right before the Doom War."
The Lord of Shadows stared at him.
Then—
The man's blade disappeared as he turned away.
His anger had disappeared into eerie calm once again.
"Ahh, Lord of Shadows, you truly are a benevolent soul," the masked man said.
The Lord of Shadows did not say anything.
"Do not—"
"Truly, Lord of Shadows was always kind within," the Heir of Weaver spoke.
The Lord of Shadows shot him a calm glance as shadows swirled around him.
"Tell him he is allowed to play in the war. However, I have plans to deal with each important piece of war. Do not kill anyone and do not interfere with great battles."
He stopped in his steps as his Citadel appeared behind him from the shadowy mist.
"He is only allowed to play with the Heirs of War," the Lord of Shadows said.
The masked man tilted his head.
"War, huh? How fitting, for you to let him play with them."
"That Mongrel was never one to care about such things, but if he wants to fight the Heirs of War with the War God's weapon, then so be it..." the Lord of Shadows answered.
"...I'm curious."
Another voice came.
Yet no one bothered to look as the Seer of Paths appeared on his throne.
"Were you ever jealous of him... Lord of Shadows?" he asked.
The Lord of Shadows glanced over his shoulder questioningly.
"Well, he does have a weapon the Great War Goddess threw, mistaking him for you. And not only did he survive, he kept the weapon... Had it been you, you could have been the one to have it..."
The Lord of Shadows looked away, uninterested.
"I do not need weapons to cut down some bleating gods. I fought them with this Soul-Bound sword then, and I will do so now," he said with unshakable confidence.
"The weapon matters little if the one holding it lacks the skill to wield it. While killing gods is incredibly annoying..."
He paused.
"My blade is just fine for one such task."
He looked at the Seer of Paths.
"And you talk a lot. Did you not gain a Divine relic to fight Nether?" he asked sharply.
The Seer of Paths looked back.
"Well..." he said, not a hint of hesitation.
"Now, now, everyone, let's calm down."
The masked man waved his hands nervously, trying to defuse the situation.
The Lord of Shadows looked at him.
"Stay out of this, pretty boy," he said.
The masked man paused, then groaned.
"Lord of Shadows, I've told you before, did I? I don't like that name."
"I remember..." the Lord of Shadows said. "I also remember saying I don't care, pretty boy."
He said it with a hint of amusement.
The masked man slumped in his seat.
"Now, now, Lord of Shadows, there is no need to be so teasing," the Heir of Weaver said.
The Lord of Shadows stepped off his Citadel altar again.
"As if," he said as he looked at the Heir of Weaver.
"While I was busy fighting the Great Gods and Daemons—"
He then pointed at the masked man.
"This bastard was busy seducing them."
The masked man froze.
Then his voice rose in indignation.
"Lord of Shadows, I've said so many times, I did no such thing."
The Lord of Shadows turned to him, still on the altar.
"Oh, really?" he said mockingly.
"Did Storm not chase you? Did Beast not wish to bed you? Did the Daemon of Hope not desire you? Did the Daemon of Repose not offer to protect you?"
The masked man's shoulders stiffened as he looked uncomfortable, some light grumbling coming from him.
He grumbled something before straightening up.
"Let's..." the Heir of Weaver began. "Let's not add the Daemon of Hope to this?"
He sounded uncomfortable.
The Lord of Shadows scoffed before turning away.
"I'm leaving," he said as shadows surrounded him until he disappeared.
A moment of silence settled in.
Then the Seer of Paths chuckled lightly.
"Do not take it to heart. You know how much the Lord of Shadows despises the Great Gods and Daemons."
"Yes, I do," the masked man sighed. "He truly is a kind one, is he not? No matter how he acts."
"Indeed," the Heir of Weaver spoke.
The Seer of Paths turned to the masked man.
"Are you not the greatest of storytellers? Are you willing to remind us of the mercy of the great Lord of Shadows?" he asked.
The masked man looked at him, a smile behind his mask.
"Very well then," he said as the Heir of Weaver looked on.
"Let me tell you the tale of one of the great Lord of Shadows' Divine desecrations."
He paused.
"Hear the tale of when the great Lord of Shadows carved out the Great Beast God's avatar's heart."
...
CLANG.
CLANG.
CLANG.
There are some stages to a man going through grief.
First is when everything falls apart and you can do nothing.
The second is where everything becomes so calm and logical that you can enter a trance like no other.
CLANG.
CLANG.
CLANG.
Sunless was in one such trance at the moment.
The King of Swords was the only known smith right now whose skills were so great that he could force the ruined portions of metal to come together and raise its quality higher than that of the initial material.
Right now—
Sunless was in a state where his mental cognition was at a hundred and thirty percent of his maximum emotionally.
As he hammered on the ore that he had ruined, he felt the weave move.
The Transcendent Tier One material had fallen to Ascended Tier Three.
It was now at Transcendent Tier Two.
"Not there..." Sunless mumbled.
CLANG.
CLANG.
CLANG.
The golden threads hovered around him, now reaching about seventy thousand.
Sunless didn't stop.
His eyes were eerily calm.
His focus absolute.
Nothing existed in that moment.
Not the air.
Not the heart stinging his eyes.
Not even the ground beneath his feet.
Just pouring the precise amount of essence into the ruined material to control heat and water.
Sunless pulled the metal and dipped it into water as bubbles came.
Sunless stared at the bubbles as his hands moved.
Both hands grasped the threads around him as he moved them.
The weave was coming along well.
Sunless's eyes didn't go off the water as he watched with frightening apathy.
Sunless let go of the threads he held as his hands hovered close to the metal.
His fingers moved lightly as if waiting to pull it out.
Though his mind didn't waver as the threads behind him moved, arranging themselves for the next moment his hands could grab them.
Then—
SWISH!
Sunless put the blade on the forge as he began hammering it again.
"A little more," he muttered as his eyes burned from the heat.
He didn't care.
He was beyond caring when his craft was reaching a point where he'd recovered an entire class and risen from the initial rank to higher.
This was the moment that would decide if he could reach—
CLANG.
"..."
A victorious smile came to his lips as he felt the metal reach the purity of a Transcendent Tier Three blade.
Still...
CLANG.
CLANG.
CLANG.
He did not stop.
There was a little more coaxing possible.
Just a few more hammer strikes.
Then the instinct came.
His arms moved before realization came.
This strike was vital.
Very sensitive.
So much so that this alone could let it fall to Transcendent Tier Two again.
SWISH—
Sunless's hammer remained three centimeters away from the blade, stopping in time.
For a moment, it stayed there in focus before he put the hammer away.
Then the blade floated into the air as the weaves moved.
The weaves were annoying.
Essence threads cut skin when they touched it.
So much so that Sunless had made an ointment that was curing most of his body as he weaved again.
This time—
Not a single thread touched his body as he moved, weaving through the threads.
They reached painfully close, yet never harmed him.
Such was his skill when focused.
Soon, seventy thousand became a hundred and twenty thousand.
And a hundred and twenty thousand became a hundred and ninety thousand.
This time, he did not need many threads.
However, the enchantments themselves were so complex that the threads might as well have been twice as many.
And yet—
He found it easier than normal to deal with the complexity.
Such was the nature of the trance he was in.
Not magically.
Simply too focused that it was what he could enter.
Soon, the weaving was done.
Sweat from his waist made it seem like he had exited a bath as his cuts were healed.
He picked up a towel and wiped his torso as he looked at the finished blade.
He was pleased.
And annoyed.
Pleased that he managed to not only recover the blade, but place complex enchantments while raising it to a higher class than initially possible.
Annoyed that he could have taken the class to the fifth tier if he had not damaged it.
Then again, the damage had annoyed him enough to enter the trance.
"Whatever," he mumbled as a light pout came.
He shook his head as he looked at the enchantments.
A long sword with silver.
A small emblem of fire at the base of the blade.
He smiled.
He triggered the enchantment as a faint fire came.
He smiled.
While the enchantment itself was useful, it was especially designed to empower Nephis's Aspect itself, meaning it would require less essence on the blade.
It was the stage he was testing so he could make the final Soul-Bound sword good enough to withstand the power of her Aspect to a potent level and be harrowing on the battlefield.
He looked at the blade.
Then grabbed it by the flat and snapped it in half.
He pushed essence into it as the broken blade flew back and came together.
Of course...
This blade finally had the actual enchantment he wanted to put in the first one.
There were some more small things, but he didn't have the mental capacity to think of that at the moment.
He sat on the stairs as he thought about the morning.
Then—
"Argh!"
He sighed.
It did not sound sad, but more like tiredness.
"What am I even doing here, crying like a little boy..." he muttered.
His gaze drifted upward.
"I doubt she left Orphany unsupervised," he muttered.
He trusted her that much—
No.
He trusted her more than anyone else...
So he wasn't worried about Orphany.
"Ahh, a little weird, huh?" he muttered.
He leaned back.
"After raising her alone all this time... I have someone I can trust..."
Moreover, children were hard to deal with sometimes. They didn't particularly stay patient for everyone either.
Nephis was the first person Orphany trusted as much as Sunless.
In the past, he'd take care of Orphany the entire day and handle the café, then work at night when he could.
Now he didn't feel that worried.
And it all happened on the Winter Solstice.
His face softened with emotion as he sighed tiredly again.
The day had not been a good start.
"Argh, whatever."
He paused.
"What an inefficient plan," he said.
"The King of Swords is already interested in me enough to offer an apprenticeship. They will obviously keep an eye on me and see who hires me," he paused.
"I'm busy with this complex task. If they follow my accounting, taxes, and match them with last year's records, they'll realize I'm not taking as many commissions..."
His eyes narrowed.
"Meaning I'm busy with something more... time-consuming."
He sighed.
"Nothing is more annoying than half-baked plans..."
He looked up sharply.
"But more than that..."
He thought for some time.
Then—
"Yeah... no. I'm not having it."
Picking up his things, he took a shower in the small forge bathroom before going upstairs.
"Take responsibility, Sunless... you're obviously the smarter one here."
...
The masked man smiled behind his mask as he spoke.
"The great Lord of Shadows is as merciful as he is fierce," he began.
The Seer of Paths leaned in.
The Keeper of Fate turned to him.
There was something close to mild excitement and happiness at hearing the tale.
"The great Lord of Shadows committed many Divine desecrations, yet not all were out of selfishness."
He paused.
"One can say his path was carved by his will. No matter what Fate awarded him at the end of the road, he was, at the least, determined in achieving what he desired."
"However, the great Lord of Shadows despised one thing," he said.
"When a stronger being with more power merely acts on their whim, uncaring of those who are crushed beneath them," he explained.
"So when the Great God of War and the Great God of Shadows battled each other, the great Lord of Shadows appeared in the Shadow Realm to steal something very great from the Great God of Shadows."
"What was it?" the Seer of Paths asked.
The masked man paused before smiling.
"Now, now. You asked to know the mercy of the great Lord of Shadows. Let us go over his Divine desecrations some other time," he said.
The Seer of Paths paused, then nodded in amusement.
"As you wish."
The Heir of Weaver watched in slight amusement, as if looking at something close to siblings chattering like the elder sibling.
Quite fitting, considering he was the heir of the eldest of the Daemons.
The masked man continued.
"When the great Lord of Shadows took the Divine relic, he turned around."
He paused.
His voice became somber.
"And the sight the great Lord of Shadows saw was harrowing."
"For the battle of the Great Gods destroyed many realms as countless mortals fell to their demise," he said.
"The sight brought great grief to the great Lord of Shadows, so much so that guilt filled his heart as a lone tear slipped past his eye."
He paused as the three let the words settle in.
"The sight was giant, harrowing, as billions and billions of souls—men, women, children, mundane, Awakened, Ascended, and Transcendent alike—came."
"There were not many Sovereigns among them, especially ones weak enough to die in a small mortal realm. Considerably few who were called demigods..."
"..."
"..."
"...So when the great Lord of Shadows saw the sight, his conviction shone in the Realm of Shadows."
'I refuse to be the reason those filthy gods ruin so many lives!'
"He proclaimed it and used a Divine relic to slay all the souls before they dissolved into the essence of the world."
"From there, he carried the souls of many for centuries until he reunited with his ally, the one who had once been called Mongrel, and asked for his help."
"Together, the two prepared for nearly three decades and eventually ambushed the Beast God's avatar."
A pause.
"The battle was harrowing and went on for several dozen dawns and dusks."
"Until eventually, the Lord of Shadows found his way to the Beast God's chest and tore out her heart."
"Why did they seek her heart?" the Seer of Paths asked.
The masked man smiled in amusement.
"But you already know, oh great Seer of Paths, don't you?" he said.
But answered nonetheless.
"The Great God of Beasts governs primal instincts, nature, and the carnal cycles of life and death," he said.
"Life and death," the Heir of Weaver pointed out.
The masked man nodded.
"There, in that harrowing battlefield, as the Beast God's avatar fell, the great Lord of Shadows, with one step on her chest and another on her head, pushed the heart into his soul and forced all the shadows into the cycle of rebirth, letting them live once more."
The Heir of Weaver smiled faintly behind his mask.
"Some of their souls remembered thoughts of past lives. Many did not. But the Beast God's avatar's power blessed all those souls with healthy and prosperous lives, as many were born before and after the Doom War, nearly all living fulfilling lives."
A pause followed by a wistful smile.
"Of all the Divine desecrations the great Lord of Shadows committed, nearly all were done, or became the reason, to protect mortals from the wrath of the Great Gods and Daemons alike."
The masked man spread his arms wide.
"Such is the nature of the aloof Lord of Shadows, the Heir of Shadow, who not only represents indifference and death, but also solace and peace, hiding his mercy and kindness in the mystery of his aloof nature..."
The Heir of Weaver and the Seer of Paths smiled behind their masks with the masked man.
"Such is the benevolence of the great Lord of Shadows!"
"Such is the benevolence of the great Lord of Shadows!"
"Such is his benevolence!" the Seer of Paths joined as the Heir of Weaver raised one hand with a gentle smile.
The Seer of Paths turned to the Heir of Weaver.
"Oh great Keeper of Fate, did you not once stand alongside the great Lord of Shadows in one of his acts of Divine desecration?" he asked.
The Heir of Weaver sounded amused.
"Me? How could I be able to stand alongside the great Lord of Shadows in one of his harrowing deeds?"
"Oh, but you yourself committed an act of Divine desecration alongside him, did you not? In the land of the floating chained islands? When you two rebelled against the Great God of Sun and tore apart a Divine decree?" the Seer of Paths asked.
The Heir of Weaver smiled.
"Well... I suppose something like that did happen?"
The Seer of Paths turned to the masked man.
"Oh greatest of storytellers, will you tell us another of the great Lord of Shadows' tales?" he asked.
The man smiled softly.
"Ahh, but we have already heard one such tale of the great Lord of Shadows, have we not?" he said.
His voice was undeniably both amused and knowing.
"How about I tell you about how the one once known as Mongrel formed his legend in the Golden Age?" he asked.
The Heir of Weaver turned to look at him, his interest returning.
"Ahh, that one..." he said.
The Seer of Paths leaned in.
"Who did he defy?" he asked.
The masked man leaned back.
"Let me tell you the tale of when the one called Mongrel, who survived a death blow from the Great War God and turned that Divine weapon against the one banished from Death."
A pause.
"The king who once ruled the first of human domains, the very first human to achieve Supremacy in all of time. He was the very first of humans to be born right after the birth of the Great Gods, one of the few who were the first of humanity across all existence."
"You speak of him, do you not?" the Heir of Weaver asked.
"Why, who else could it be?" the masked man asked with a smile.
"The one he fought?" the Seer of Paths asked as he looked at an empty throne.
The masked man smiled.
"Why, of course," he said.
"Let us recall how the one mocked and called Mongrel not only survived a blow from the Great God of War, but also became the only one in existence to defy the curse of the Great God of Shadows."
A pause.
"When Mongrel fought—and not only fought—the cursed immortal king Kanakht, but put him into the eternal slumber of Death despite being banished from it... despite the will of the Great Shadow God."
...
Nephis was pacing back and forth slowly.
Sunless had disappeared into his forge in the morning and had not come out once after that conversation.
Well, he had prepared everything but dinner before going, but that was not the point.
'Did he eat?' she thought.
Her eyes wandered to Orphany, and for a moment, she stopped.
Slowly, a smile came to her lips as she looked at the girl.
Orphany was—with utter focus—drawing a letter in her notebook.
Nephis had been helping her with her studies.
And she had to say, the girl, despite her adorable and seemingly overly energetic behavior, was a patient and hardworking learner.
And a fast one as well.
Nephis couldn't take her eyes off the girl until she remembered Sunless.
The morning conversation had gone beyond just a misunderstanding, and she wanted to fix that.
If she could go back in time, then she would have done so and stopped the whole thing from happening.
She shook her head.
Now was hardly the time.
Sunless hadn't even talked to her properly, and more than that—
He hadn't even looked her in the eyes.
Each time that happened, her chest hurt in a way she now understood all too well.
'What do I do...?'
However, before she had to wonder for long—
"Ahh, my lady."
The voice came as Sunless rounded the corner.
Nephis's pupils widened at the sudden appearance.
Despite herself, she took in Sunless's appearance, her face warming at his moist hair shining before snapping herself out of it.
Now was hardly the time.
Nephis looked at Sunless hesitantly.
'What will he—'
"Sorry, I'm running a little behind on dinner. Give me a little, I'll get to it," he said as a gasp came.
"Papa!"
Orphany shouted as she ran out of the room to him and ran straight into him.
"Papa!" Orphany exclaimed as she hugged him.
Sunless smiled as he hugged her.
"Hello there, Birdy," he said as he kissed her forehead. "You didn't bother Pretty Miss, did you?" he asked.
Orphany shook her head.
"No, I was a good girl!" she said, and Sunless smiled.
Sunless smiled as he looked at her, then—
Nephis's breath caught.
At her.
And once again, the flood of emotions that was always directed at her was back.
Actually...
Something about it told her that there was something bubbling behind it.
He was planning something.
And whatever it was—
Hints of excitement were already rising.
Nephis didn't know what to think.
This was confusing to her.
Sunless smiled at her with that gentle, familiar smile, and she felt her heart melt together.
"My lady, you're having dinner with us, right?" he said as he set Orphany down and the girl walked to Nephis's side.
Nephis could only watch.
He turned to the kitchen, not even waiting for an answer.
"I'm making it for us all."
And disappeared into the kitchen.
He didn't need to ask her.
He knew what she wanted without her asking.
Like he did yesterday—
No.
Like he always did.
It was just that this morning, he felt like he didn't.
Well...
Whatever happened in that forge, she was grateful.
As long as he wasn't hurt in there...
...
It was after dinner when Nephis and Orphany were talking at the table as Sunless finished taking care of the dishes.
Soon, when he was done, he joined them, getting updated on what Orphany did.
She played with Pretty Miss, drew with Pretty Miss, and studied with her.
Sunless was acting like his usual self.
That was the real confusion.
'What is happening?' she wondered.
Eventually, Sunless sat there as Orphany finished her hot chocolate and bedtime arrived.
Both Nephis and Sunless smiled at the adorable yawn.
"Alr—" Sunless stopped.
"Orphany, it's bedtime now, okay?" Nephis said with a gentle smile.
"Okay~" Orphany said as she became sleepy.
"But you have to brush your teeth first," Nephis added.
Orphany groaned lightly but nodded.
Sunless just watched as Orphany hopped off and Nephis followed.
"I'll take care of this..." Nephis said, for a moment slipping into their usual rhythm before she paused and looked back hesitantly.
However, Sunless was just smiling at her.
To her relief, he nodded and turned around to do something in the kitchen.
Nephis stared for a moment before smiling faintly and turning around to help Orphany.
...
Sunless stood there as he rested his hands on the marble counter.
Then he raised one hand to cover his face as warmth crept onto it.
He dragged the hand covering his eyes through his hair and threw his long hair back.
"Yeah..." he muttered as he looked forward.
"I'm not standing for that stupid plan. Not one bit," he said.
...
Nephis had just finished tucking Orphany in and walked out of her room when she looked at Sunless.
He was smiling at her with that familiar warmth as he held two cups in his hands.
Nephis closed the door behind her as he raised them.
"Hot chocolate?"
Nephis smiled.
Soon, they were sitting at their usual porch as the moon stood high.
For some time, they chatted about some meaningless things, carefully avoiding the morning's conversation.
Until—
"My lady."
Nephis looked at Sunless.
The man was not looking at her directly.
But there was a small smile on his face, his gaze seeming somewhat focused and lost in thought at the same time.
As the atmosphere shifted, Nephis knew this was becoming serious.
He turned to her.
"My lady, do you remember what I told you when we first met? That I don't lie?" he asked.
Nephis blinked but nodded.
"Yes..."
Sunless looked back at the lake softly.
"Well, I'd like to confess that I lied," he said.
Nephis blinked.
"...What?" she asked softly.
"I lied," Sunless repeated.
"I lied to myself, my lady," he said as he looked at her again.
"...Master Sunless, what are you..."
"...This morning, when you asked me to join that plan... I told myself that I was fine... that if you need me to act, I can act..."
He paused.
He looked straight into her eyes.
"I can't."
Something about those words both scared and pleased Nephis.
Sunless spoke again.
"I can hold your hand in public... I can call you beautiful in front of others, and I can be mesmerized by your presence for the world to see..."
He paused.
Nephis's heart raced as Sunless slowly looked away, his gaze falling on the lake.
"But not one bit of that moment could be an act..."
Nephis's breath caught.
Sunless didn't stop.
He looked at her.
And he spoke.
"I said to you that I won't pursue you because I didn't want to pressure you. I didn't want you to feel like something was expected of anything here... not here... not with Orphany, and not with me..."
He paused.
Something in his eyes shifted tenderly.
"...Never with me..."
Nephis's face warmed and her heart hammered.
Yet strangely...
She could focus on that.
Her emotions were simply not drawn out.
And yet, they felt calm as her eyes met Sunless's.
She did not need her abilities to feel his sincerity.
In fact...
In that moment, it felt as if she herself could see more of Sunless's heart than anything her abilities allowed her to...
Because Sunless was once again opening his heart for her to see.
Again...
Despite...
'No! Not the time to care about this morning.'
Sunless was, in this moment, focused only on her.
Not the past.
Not the future.
The present.
And Nephis was going to meet him here.
Not in the morning that had passed, and not in the morning that would come.
Here.
This porch.
This evening.
This night.
Nephis turned to face him and moved her chair without minding as their chairs scraped lightly.
Neither cared.
Their eyes held each other.
"My lady," he called.
"Yes..."
"I am not forcing you, and I will not ask you to do or accept anything. Never. Not now, not ever."
Whether the words strung together coherently didn't matter.
He was losing track of some wording because his heart was moving faster than his mind in that moment.
And strangely, each word from his heart was reaching Nephis's heart too.
"So promise me you won't feel forced because of what I do next..." he said.
Nephis was confused, but her eyes didn't wander.
"Master Sunless, I—"
"Promise me."
A pause.
"Please."
Nephis didn't speak for a moment.
This was the first time Sunless had asked her for something like this.
And she was willing to give what she could.
"...I'll try..." she said.
Sunless regarded her for a moment before he let out a light exhale of acceptance.
He understood how uncertain the promise he was asking for was and accepted what he got.
Then—
A Memory manifested as he placed it on the table.
Nephis's breath caught.
It was a drawing.
The drawing Orphany drew the first day she played with her.
'Will you be my mama?'
Orphany's words came back.
And the drawing where she had filled the outline of a mother that didn't exist with her...
Nephis's eyes rose to meet Sunless's.
He was looking at her.
There was hesitation, uncertainty, and...
Guilt.
He did not want to force her to accept an answer she didn't want.
But he was worried that the action required to convey his feelings might come off as pressure.
So Nephis did the only thing she could.
She raised her hand and placed it on Sunless's, resting on the table.
His hand twitched as his eyes widened slightly.
But he didn't pull away.
Nephis's ears reddened, but she stayed with Sunless.
Sunless looked away again.
"I... I have felt this way for a long time. So long it feels like an eternity, my lady..." he said.
"So... let's keep Birdy out of this for now."
He looked at her.
"This is about you and me..."
He paused as Nephis exhaled lightly but sharply.
"And the us I want so much it feels like a need..."
Nephis felt a lump form in her throat.
"A need that can only be fulfilled if your heart chooses me..."
Nephis felt her eyes warm slightly.
It was not unwelcome...
"I told myself I'll be fine. That I just want to see you happy..."
A pause.
"And that's true. I always will, no matter what," he said.
His gaze wandered down somewhere.
"But a very ugly and selfish part of me that I don't know whether I am supposed to accept or hate... I want to be the reason you're happy."
Nephis's breath calmed...
But her heart didn't.
He already was.
Sunless already was...
And he could only ever be the reason.
Something in her heart already knew that.
Because no one like Sunless could exist.
In this realm.
Any realm.
In this age.
Any age.
Not to her.
Never.
To her, only Sunless could exist in that place in her heart, a place she didn't know she so desperately needed fulfilled...
A missing piece of her that only Sunless could ever fill...
A place she only wanted Sunless to have.
Only for him...
So she spoke.
To tell him.
However—
When Sunless turned to face her...
With that strange, tender calmness...
When Sunless spoke—
Her breath caught.
Her eyes widened.
Her heart hammered.
"Nephis."
He spoke her name.
For the first time.
No title.
No honorific.
No formality.
Just that.
Her name.
From Sunless.
And he poured his heart out.
"I like you."
He paused.
"I love you, Nephis."
Nephis's throat went dry.
Her mind slipped for a moment.
Her heart slammed against her rib cage.
For what felt like an eternity, she couldn't speak.
Yet Sunless didn't take that as denial.
He didn't take that as acceptance either.
He just sat there calmly, not making any continuation.
There was no choice for him to make.
So he would wait for the one whose choice it was.
Eventually—
"Sunless."
She called.
His eyes snapped up.
Nephis didn't explain or expand.
"I like you," she said.
"I love you, Sunless."
She let it out.
Sunless's eyes widened.
Then—
His lower lip trembled.
Slightly.
For a moment.
But then it didn't.
His eyes warmed for a moment.
"I've loved you for a long time, Sunless," she said.
"I... I didn't know how to say it..." she answered truthfully.
"But I love you. I-I fell for you, Sunless, and I feel happy with you..." she answered as she let out a shaky, relieved exhale.
For a moment, Sunless only looked at her.
Then—
A smile broke out on his face as a light, excited, relieved laugh came from his throat.
Then—
Nephis followed with a smiling exhale.
They didn't say anything.
There was no need to...
Sunless pulled her hand gently from the table as Nephis followed.
Both their hands joined each other as they leaned forward.
Their lips rested against the backs of their gently joined hands as they gazed into each other's eyes.
The moon at their backs, which illuminated the sky, did not matter.
The peaceful lake did not.
The quiet of the night did not.
In that moment—
There was no need for any more words.
What needed to be said was said.
Now, to Sunless, only Nephis existed.
And to Nephis, only Sunless existed.
...
It was some time later when Sunless and Nephis were standing in front of the café door.
It was night. Not terribly late, but night nonetheless.
As the lone light above the café entrance glowed, Sunless and Nephis stood there with warm faces and joy-filled smiles.
At one point, Sunless had explained to Nephis just how bad the plan was, and Nephis had genuinely been confused and then shocked at how bad of a plan Cassie had actually made...
And for that, both Sunless and Nephis knew their open act of retaliation at the back of their minds was—
Petty.
But relatively harmless.
Anyways...
Sunless and Nephis stood there.
Sunless had once again stored some sweets for her in a storage Memory and handed it to her.
But this time, it neither felt friendly nor professional.
It was—
"Think of me when you eat these sweets," Sunless said with a wink.
Flirting.
Nephis took the Memory with warm cheeks as she looked at Sunless.
A moment passed.
But Nephis didn't turn to leave.
And Sunless didn't ask.
They were smiling, looking at each other, only for their smiles to widen, forcing them to look around.
Sunless rose onto his toes for a moment.
"So..." he began as he looked up, his smile painfully obvious, and so was his blush.
"So..." Nephis repeated with a similar expression.
Ahh, they were bad at this.
And adorable too.
Sunless looked at her.
"So now, we're..." he paused.
"You know... dating?"
Nephis's cheeks warmed as she blushed more.
"...Yes..." Her heart flipped. "Yes, we are."
Sunless looked away, and Nephis followed the other way.
Soon, he looked back.
"Ahh, so... now... Nephis is my girlfriend," Sunless said a little bashfully.
Nephis bit her lip as her heart skipped a few beats again.
"And Sunless is my boyfriend?" She looked at him.
Then both of them looked away again.
Sunless cleared his throat as he reached for her hands, hovering close for permission.
Nephis did so as she held his hands.
Sunless smiled and brought them to his face.
Nephis bit back a smile.
Then—
Her eyes widened as her smile became unrestrained.
Softly.
Gently.
Lovingly.
Sunless brushed his lips against the backs of both her hands as his eyes held hers.
When he pulled back, he was smiling with his face flushed.
Nephis wasn't faring any better...
Probably worse than him.
Sunless pulled back as he looked at her.
"...You should get going... it's really late..." he suggested.
Nephis nodded.
Neither really wanted to part just an hour after their confession, but both needed to let out their excitement in their own ways.
They couldn't exactly do that in front of each other.
Nephis nodded.
"I should," she said, but there was nothing hesitant in the words.
Because now they knew.
She wasn't a customer.
Definitely not that.
And she wasn't just a friend either.
Sunless and Nephis were lovers and in a relationship with each other.
Coming back to each other unannounced had the very basic permission that was granted now.
"So..." she began. "I'll try to come back tomorrow if my schedule allows, or I'll let someone let you know when I can come."
"Got it," he said.
Neither smile dropped.
A moment passed before Nephis looked away, then glanced back.
"I'll come back as soon as possible," she said with a blush.
"Don't leave at all?" Sunless teased.
Nephis's shoulders lifted slightly before she looked away.
Nephis took a step back.
"Make sure no Transcendent Titan comes in the way," he said.
Nephis blinked.
That was a callback to the first night he asked her to stay over.
She smiled again.
Gosh, so many smiles in one day.
This was getting out of hand...
As Sunless took a step back, Nephis stopped.
Sunless looked at her as he blinked in confusion, but with interest.
Then—
Hesitantly, Nephis stepped forward.
Sunless's eyes widened slightly as she stepped in and wrapped her arms around him.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Nephis was about to pull away.
But Sunless's arms wrapped around her as well.
Nephis stiffened only for a moment before relaxing in Sunless's hold.
Sunless's chin rested on her shoulder as he held her close.
The embrace was gentle, sincere, yet in a sense desperate too...
For a long moment, neither moved, basking in each other's warmth.
Even Sunless didn't move until Nephis stepped back.
"I should get going," she said.
Sunless nodded.
"Right. See you soon?" he said.
"As soon as possible," she said back with a smile.
...
Nephis appeared in the Ivory Tower and went straight to her bed.
For the first time in her life, she did not act like a warrior, but a woman in love.
A woman in love with Sunless.
She buried her head in the pillow as she let out some joyful sounds and rolled over.
Sitting up with a flushed face and happy smile, Nephis pulled the covers over her body and face.
Then she pulled them low enough for her eyes to be visible.
"Master Sunless..." she said, eyes closed in delight.
"Master Sunless is my boyfriend..."
She covered herself again.
...
Sunless closed the door of the café as he let out a shaking exhale followed by a broken, joy-filled laugh.
"Ahhh!"
He let out a delighted exhale as he smiled brightly and sank to his knees.
"Yes!" he let out.
"Papa?"
Orphany walked down, rubbing her eyes.
Sunless looked up with a smile as the sleepy Orphany appeared.
She looked around.
"Did Pretty Miss leave?" she asked.
Sunless smiled as he got up and walked to her.
"She did, but she'll be back."
A pause and a bright smile.
"As soon as possible."
Orphany looked up.
"She promised?"
Her sleep disappeared when Sunless picked her up with a huge smile.
"She promised!" he said as he fast-paced to the kitchen.
"Papa?!" Orphany let out, both confused and excited at what was basically a ride to her.
Sunless set her on the table as he pulled out a tub of ice cream from the cooling Memory working as a refrigerator.
"Papa?" Orphany asked, confused.
"Here, you want ice cream?" he said as he made a spoonful and took it to her mouth.
Orphany blinked but brightened.
"After bedtime?"
She moved the ice cream to her mouth and took it.
"Today is an exception!" he said.
"Why?" Orphany asked with another bite.
"Because it's my birthday!" Sunless said.
Orphany gasped with some ice cream at the corner of her mouth.
"It's your birthday?! You never told me!" she said.
"It is!"
Sunless said as he fast-paced around the entire table, nearly skipping as Orphany moved her head around.
"Did you get a present yet, Papa?!" she let out a yelp as Sunless picked her up and spun around three times.
"The best one, Birdy! It's the best birthday ever!" he said as Orphany giggled in confusion.
...
The lives of Master Sunless and Nephis, which had been intertwining all this time, had finally merged.
And there would follow some hardships and difficulties...
Some hard moments.
But never separation.
Not ever.
It never did, and never would.
As Sunless sat eating ice cream with Orphany in his humble café, and Nephis ate Sunless-made sweets on her bed, both awaited the next moment they would get to meet.
Because the next time they did—
Sunless and Nephis would be meeting as each other's lovers.
Although they would both make sure to let Song of the Fallen have it.
For Cassie would not be told of what happened that day and would believe her plan was being followed.
And Cassie's sweets sent by Master Sunless would have the most bizarre combinations of tastes, and sometimes salt, for several weeks.
Petty.
But very deserved in their eyes.