Nephis woke up slowly.
Her mind felt sluggish, as if it were submerged in tar. Her entire body felt sore, and even the mere action of opening her eyes left her more exhausted than she thought possible.
The first thing she saw was a white, familiar ceiling. She allowed her sight to drift, and ever so slowly, thanks to her sluggish mind, she realised that she was inside her room within the Ivory Tower.
Sensation returned little by little, accompanied by a tingling feeling that made her feel like her whole body was suffering from the worst cramp of her life. Nephis found herself lying on a bed, covered with a dark cloth that felt warm and comfortable.
For a while, she just stayed there, lacking the drive to do anything but just exist.
Right as she started considering going back to sleep, she detected movement from the corner of her eye.
Reluctantly, Nephis flipped onto her side, an action she regretted immediately when a spike of pain hit her like an electric current and spread across every millimetre of her body. She lay immobile for a long few seconds, eyes closed in the hope that it would all go away if she pretended not to be awake.
When that did not happen, she opened them once more to take a look at what had attracted her attention before.
Sitting beside her bed was Sunny. He wore dark clothes that stood in stark contrast to his pale skin, and under the sun's rays, he looked ethereal, ghostly. Almost as if he were the Grim Reaper, patiently awaiting her final breath to take her away.
Her addled mind conjured an image of Sunny carrying her in his arms and setting off into the sunset toward a whole new adventure. She discarded the thought as soon as it came, but she couldn't deny the appeal it had.
With no small amount of relief, she realised that he wasn't staring at her, but at the air. His hands danced around, looking like he was weaving something out of it with invisible strings. His fingers were a blur, moving so fast she couldn't follow in her exhausted state. Sunny's face was a mask of concentration, staring straight at the air like there was nothing in the world that could break his focus.
Nephis let go of the tension she hadn't even known she had been holding onto, relaxing completely. He was here; she had nothing to worry about.
Unwilling to interrupt, and too exhausted to do so anyway, she lay her head back on the pillow and just remained like that, observing Sunny as he wove.
For a long time, she simply lay there, and little by little, the events started returning to her in small, broken fragments.
The agonising pain of diving into the flames of the Sun God, becoming a Saint, following the sixth sense-like sensation back to the Ivory Tower, and finally falling unconscious.
Her humanity had been burned down to a sliver by her flames and flaw, but she could still feel her cheeks heating up when she remembered fainting and being caught by Sunny.
It was so embarrassing!
She had wanted to make a proclamation, tell him that he did not need to protect her anymore and that, instead, they would fight side by side as equals against any and all dangers. Instead, she had fainted right into his arms.
There went the speech she had prepared. She couldn't come up with any way to salvage it after such a display.
Damnation.
She shook the embarrassing thoughts away and focused back on that sixth sense. It had been in the back of her mind since the moment she transcended, telling her exactly where to go in order to reach him.
Now, with barely any distance between them, it was silent. However, she knew that all it would take to awaken it was a mental command. What was more, she knew with absolute certainty that no matter how far apart they were, she would always know where he was.
Nephis couldn't avoid wondering what he thought about that fact. Was he indifferent? Did he like it? Did he hate it?
Yes, he probably hated it. It was another tool at her disposal, another way she held control over him. Even running away wasn't a solution now, and neither was hiding. Not when a thought would be all it took to know exactly where he was.
To her, it felt comforting, a quiet certainty that no matter what, they would find each other once more.
To him, it was yet another leash around his neck.
Nephis sighed, knowing very well that she would think the same if their positions were reversed.
She archived the thought for later and returned her focus to Sunny. His fingers were moving faster, probably close to completing whatever it was that he was weaving.
The silver ring he wore caught her attention when a ray of light hit it, making it shine brightly. Nephis knew that this Sunny was the original one because he always wore that ring.
It was the first Memory he had summoned after he returned, and she had yet to see him dismiss it.
She remembered its description perfectly; she had read it enough times to remember every single word. It spoke about defeat, about finding a sliver of hope and having it crushed. Of someone who fought relentlessly, only to find that there was nothing but a dead end at the finish line.
She had imagined that scene countless times. Imagined rage, imagined tears and heartbreak, imagined complete defeat. She imagined it and was amazed by the fact that he could still rise up once more after such a loss.
"What are you thinking about?"
The question came quietly, so quietly that she almost missed it amid her churning thoughts.
Nephis blinked her eyes blearily and finally noticed that his fingers had stopped moving. What was more, he was staring straight at her, those pools of darkness he had for eyes, not missing a single detail.
Now that his focus was on her, she felt two strange sensations emanating from him. She couldn't pinpoint either, but one of them felt warm and comforting, almost like she was being embraced. The other felt cold and sharp, like there was a blade poised at her throat.
The mystery of the paradoxical sensations banished what little was left of her drowsiness. Nephis tried to move into a seated position, but barely managed to lift her head a centimetre before it dropped back onto the pillow.
With a quiet sigh, she gave up on the idea and resigned herself to speaking like this. It wasn't even that bad, the bed was comfortable, and the cloth covering her was warm and soft. It also smelled a little like...
"This is the [Shadow Cloth], right? Can I keep it? I will pay you for it."
Sunny quirked an eyebrow, staring at her with amusement clear in his dark eyes. "It is, and no, it's not on sale. Find your own millennia-old abandoned temple and take a cloth from there."
"Greedy," she muttered morosely.
"I see you are well if you can make comments like that." He shook his head. "So, what were you thinking about?"
Nephis' eyes drifted back to the silver ring resting on his hand. "Why are you always wearing that ring?"
Sunny's gaze followed hers, and a hint of wistfulness touched his face as he stared down at the ornament. His expression became softer, almost vulnerable, as if it brought back memories both good and bad.
"It's a reminder," he answered, and after taking a shallow breath, he continued. "A reminder of what happens if I ever allow someone else to dictate my path."
His fingers traced its metallic surface. Faint lines were inscribed on the ring, forming the runes for Sorrow and Loss.
Sunny looked at her next, and the cold sensation spiked briefly. He closed his eyes, exhaled, and when he opened them once more, the sensation returned to its previous intensity.
"I wish I could have been there with you," she said softly, unable to meet his eyes.
The cold sensation spiked once more, but this time, so did the warm one.
"You know what?" The wistfulness on his face grew deeper. "So do I."
With a Herculean amount of effort, Nephis managed to lift her hand. It approached him slowly, but when Sunny shook his head, she relented immediately, letting it rest against her side once more.
Had her humanity not been as diminished as it was, she might have felt a deep ache settling in her chest. Instead, all she felt was a dull pang of guilt.
"Do you regret it?" she asked quietly. "Being unable to leave through the Temple, I mean."
He did not speak for a long time, staring past her, past the very room and the Chained Isles themselves. Nephis did not need a compass to know he was staring northwest.
Sunny smiled once more, it was wide and sincere, yet filled with a mix of bitterness and love that sent another pang of guilt through her dulled heart.
"Do I regret it? Yes, I do, at times." He chuckled softly, eyes wistful. "But if I were given a choice, I would change none of it."
"Why?"
His eyes met hers, and she was left speechless by what she found in them. "Because I would have never met Eirene if not for that."
Another pang, jealousy and regret both, deep enough to hurt even through her dulled heart.
Sunny noticed her reaction, small as it was, but did not comment. He inhaled and then shook his head, setting aside whatever thoughts were swarming his mind.
"But enough talking about me." His tone made clear that it wasn't a request. "What happened? How did you transcend?"
Briefly, she considered pressing the issue. A question would be all it took to make him answer, but she didn't. Eirene was an open wound still, and the last thing she wanted to do was pour salt on it.
"I figured out what my source element is," she replied simply. "It's desire, and I realised that the flames of the Sun God would be a great source of it, so I descended into the Obsidian Tower to absorb it."
Despite himself, Sunny looked impressed.
"Congratulations are in order, I guess." There was a hint of bitterness in his voice. "You might very well be one of the youngest -if not the youngest- natural Saints in history."
She could admit to feeling a little proud. "Thank you."
"I'm a little impressed," he admitted reluctantly. "Absorbing essence while not in direct contact with the element is quite a bit slower than if you were. You might have set a new record in that aspect, too."
Nephis stared at him, confused. "What do you mean?"
It was his turn to stare at her in confusion. "Exactly that. You pulled the flames closer to you and absorbed their essence from a distance, right?"
She did not answer.
"Right?" he asked again, almost pleading.
She could feel her cheeks heat up. In all of the emotion, she had forgotten that little detail.
"Neph, what did you do?"
"I dove into those flames," she admitted at last.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...are you crazy?"
Nephis did not answer.
His face was that of a man who had given up on making sense of the world. "Why do I bother asking? Of course you are."
Still embarrassed, she asked a question to change the topic. "How long have I been out?"
He sent her an unimpressed glare, but answered anyway. "Fourteen hours. Though with what you just told me, it should have been a lot longer. You sure that I'm the cockroach here and not you?"
Nephis, in an action she blamed entirely on her dulled humanity, making her act without consideration, winked at him and smiled.
"We can be noble cockroaches together, if you want."
"..."
"..."
"...you should go back to sleep," he said after a long pause.
She felt a small smile tug at her lips. "I feel very awake."
He quirked an eyebrow and stood up, refusing to acknowledge her answer in any way. Sunny left the [Endless Spring] on a table within reach and started walking toward the door.
Nephis made one more attempt to stand up to stop him and failed. However, her attempt made the cloth slip a little, revealing the white pyjamas she was wearing. Pyjamas, she was sure she hadn't been wearing before falling unconscious.
Her cheeks grew red immediately.
"Did you...?"
Sunny turned around, expression confused. It only took a look at her face to understand, and heat invaded his too, climbing all the way to his ears, which took on a cherry-red hue.
"No," he said hurriedly, and then added, "It was Sid who dressed you."
Effie was a terrible influence. If asked, that would be her answer as to why she said what she said next.
"I wouldn't have minded if it were you."
Sunny blinked slowly, a complete lack of understanding clear on his face. He blinked again, opened his mouth to say something, closed it, then opened it again. The warm sensation spiked.
The shadows swallowed him, and by the time they returned to normal, Nephis was alone in the room.
She only regretted not having a camera on hand to immortalise his expression.
-------------------------------------------
"Soooooo..."
"Nothing happened," Nephis answered before she could voice whatever it was that she had in mind.
Effie quirked an eyebrow, showcasing that infuriating smile of hers. The one that said, I know I'm about to say something outrageous and you can do nothing about it.
"Please don't," she pleaded, a hint of desperation entering her voice.
As merciless as an executioner wielding an axe, Effie was not swayed. "So you didn't tell Doofus that—"
The Huntress did not get to finish before Nephis covered her mouth. She also threw her a fierce glare, just in case.
Effie was not intimidated; if anything, she seemed even more eager. She threw a look at Sunny next, who was doing his best to exist as quietly as possible, as if that alone would save him from the vile clutches of their friend.
It had only taken a look at Sunny's embarrassed face for her to smell blood. Ever the implacable huntress, she pursued the lead, sinking her claws into the helpless prey that was Sunny's inability to lie.
"We already know Princess' opinion." Impossibly, Effie's smile widened. "But what about—?"
Sunny interrupted in a hurry before she could finish the question. "Oh, look, there is a Nightmare Creature approaching. I'd better go deal with it!"
Left with no other option, he went with the only strategy available that would let him come out alive and with as much of his dignity intact as possible: a tactical retreat.
The shadows swallowed him, and he disappeared.
Even from the other edge of the island, he probably still heard Effie's uproarious laughter.
The Nephis of the present blamed the Nephis of two days ago. She regretted everything.
"I think that's the fastest I've ever seen him Shadow Step," Kai mused, looking at Sunny's vacant spot. "He did it so quickly I almost saw an afterimage."
"Probably," Cassie agreed, sipping from her tea.
Nephis did not make a comment -Effie would pounce on her again if she did- so she chose to take a sip from her coffee instead.
While the others spoke, she took a look around.
The grass was a little worse for wear. If she focused, she could still perceive the faint smell of burnt vegetation, with many patches blackened or outright reduced to ashes. The stone by the arch was also blackened and cracked in certain sections. Fortunately, that accounted for all the damage she had done while in the fugue state she was left in after transcending.
They were minor issues that would have to wait until they arrived at Ravenheart to be fixed.
It wouldn't be long, a month and a half, by their estimations. Whatever awaited them there would be the problem of their future selves.
The current ones were watching the Chained Isles pass by. It almost felt surreal, the Ivory Tower was incredibly big, and yet it flew so fast and so smoothly that she could swear it wasn't moving at all.
Yesterday, when she finally felt in good enough shape to engage in combat in case of need, they had set out right away. The more they waited, the more time they gave Clan Valor to strike at them, after all. Just because they hadn't so far did not mean that they wouldn't.
Nephis, through her connection to the Ivory Tower, felt a Nightmare Creature quickly approaching the pagoda. When she took a look, she saw what looked like an aberrant mix between a chameleon, a dog, and a hummingbird descending toward them from high above.
Before it could come any closer, a pitch-black arrow nailed it in the right eye. The creature froze mid-air for a moment, and then, when gravity reasserted itself, it plunged down.
She noticed Kai giving a thumbs-up in Sunny's direction. The archer had been helping him train, and it showed in how much better his aim had become.
None of them was willing to risk harming the unaware Awakened, so they made the decision to disable the Crushing.
Sadly, that meant opening themselves to attacks from Nightmare Creatures, though none so far had managed to get within striking distance. It was possible to shape the Crushing so as to only affect a certain area, but she had yet to achieve enough mastery of the process to want to take the risk.
"I'm going to miss this place," she heard Cassie say.
Nephis turned to the Seer, pulled out of her thoughts by the words she uttered.
"I will miss it too," she admitted.
"So will I," Kai agreed with a wistful smile. "I almost feel like I'm leaving home."
Effie nodded. "Yeah, me too. The views are awesome, I bet Ravenheart cannot compare in that aspect."
"There is an active volcano there," Cassie piped up. "Apparently, it erupts from time to time, expelling dangerous Nightmare Creatures."
A thoughtful expression appeared on Effie's face. "I've never tasted a lava-cooked Nightmare Creature before."
Of course, her mind went straight to food.
"I'm more interested in the hot springs," Kai interjected. "They have some great health benefits, according to the Awakened stationed there."
"You think we will have hot springs of our own?" Effie pointed at Nephis. "We are the cohort of their Princess and Heiress, we should totally get exclusive access."
"Sorry, I forgot to ask for that when we negotiated," she answered dryly.
Effie threw her an exaggerated, disappointed look. "Seriously? What's the point of all that fancy Legacy training if they don't teach you to always secure VIP access to hot springs before agreeing?"
"My teachers were a little more focused on making sure I would survive," she replied flatly. "Hot springs were a little low on the priority list."
"Probably for the best," Cassie commented.
"Of course you defend her," Effie complained in a joking manner. "Ah, well, I love you the way you are, Princess."
Nephis smiled faintly. "Thank you, all of you."
"For what?" Kai asked, a small frown appearing on his face.
"For everything." She took a deep breath before continuing. "I know I don't say it enough. I know I can be hard to deal with at times. Stubborn, selfish, arrogant, and more than a little reckless. So thank you. Thank you for standing by my side, for being there when I need you, and for... for being my friends."
Effie flashed her an affectionate grin. "Always."
Kai nodded, smiling softly. "You can count on us."
Cassie smiled brightly. "Thank you for being my friend, too."
Nephis could feel it, their sincerity. She could feel it through their desires, the strange sensations she hadn't been able to identify upon waking up days ago.
Effie was bright and honest, tinted with a little mischief. As she herself would say, she was a simple woman. She desired food, fun, and for things to stay the same between them.
Kai's was warm and just as sincere, with an undercurrent of respect. He desired safety, someone to stand by his side and tell him that everything would be alright, for their bonds of friendship to last through any and all storms.
Last but not least was Cassie. Hers felt the most vivid, so bright she could almost see it. She desired for all of them to be happy, to create a fate in which all of them could be content with their choices.
Nephis smiled, touched by the affection she felt from them.
Her own desire was the strongest, so overwhelming that it offered her a steady source of essence even while she was all alone.
Nephis desired many things -the destruction of the Spell, the death of the Ghouls, repairing her bond with Sunny- but right now?
The only thing she desired was for this moment to last forever.
-------------------------------------------
Sunny hummed a song he had heard Kai sing as he watched the clouds pass by.
Effie hadn't been exaggerating; the view was really nice. The combination of a black abyss, populated by stars in the sky below, made for a great backdrop against the flying isles bound together by massive chains.
"I wouldn't mind settling here for a while and writing an exploration report or two," he mused quietly.
A pity he didn't have the time to do that.
"Maybe I should draw this place?" He kept humming as he pondered the question. "It would be a nice hobby to draw all of the interesting places I have seen on my journeys."
Sunny could admit to having enjoyed drawing his family within the dreams, as well as the drawings he had added to his reports of the Forgotten Shore and the Tears. It was relaxing in a way that neither Weaving nor training was, letting his mind run free instead of keeping it so busy that it couldn't come up with more poisonous thoughts.
Yes, he could already visualise it: a book compiling drawings of all the places he had visited and all the people and monsters he had faced, drawn in exquisite, lifelike detail. He could also picture people lining up, credits in hand, to buy it from him.
Sunny could almost taste the fortune he was going to make!
A faint pair of footsteps broke him out of his fantasy of diving into a pile of credits right as he was about to jump in. He had seen an anthropomorphic duck do it in a webtoon long ago, and it was one of his dreams to try it out.
He turned around to see Nephis approaching, carrying a bow of her own, her expression straight and full of focus, just like always. It was her turn to stand watch, and she was as punctual as ever.
Just as he was about to step away from the edge of the flying island, he felt it through his shadow sense. Something was approaching. Fast.
Sunny looked down and immediately spotted a giant bird with white feathers, a sharp beak, and even sharper talons forged out of polished steel. The creature had enormous wings wreathed in thunderclouds. It was flying in a straight line, directly toward them.
He recognised her immediately, Tyris of the White Feather Clan, the Saint in charge of the Chained Isles. He had studied the region in depth while he traversed the Dream Realm, and she was near the very top -second only to the Crushing- when it came to the dangers posed by this land.
Had she decided to strike at last? Valor wouldn't let them get away so easily, so it made sense to send the one in charge of the Chained Isles, as well as their Saint, specialised in aerial combat, whose Aspect would make her a harrowing opponent while they were stuck defending the Ivory Tower.
Sunny let the shadows flow, sculpting a pair of black, feathery wings on his back and an odachi in his hand.
Before he could set off, he felt a hand gripping his shoulder and pulling him back gently. Puzzled, he turned to Nephis, who had already closed the distance.
She gazed down at the still-distant Saint, observing her silently for a long time before turning back to him.
"Can you let me handle this?" she asked.
Quirking an eyebrow in surprise, Sunny shrugged. "Sure."
Before long, Saint Tyris arrived, landing before them in a storm of white feathers. Her form changed immediately after, shedding the massive bird of prey and being replaced by a beautiful blonde woman with an impassive face.
"Saint Tyris," Nephis greeted evenly.
The Saint studied her silently for a moment, a hint of surprise visible in her stony expression for an instant before she schooled it once more.
"Saint Nephis," she said just as evenly. "Congratulations are in order."
That was it? He had heard rumours from both the cohort and the Firekeepers about how stoic the woman before him could be, but to think she would remain so composed even after finding out that Nephis had become a Saint...
"Thank you."
In the brief silence that ensued, Sunny had the bizarre feeling that there were two Nephises before him.
"What can we help you with?"
Tyris' expression twitched minutely, and Sunny felt the wind pick up. "Anvil of Valor has sent orders to apprehend you at any cost. Kill if not possible."
Nephis nodded, already having expected that. "Will you?"
The wind picked up further. "Six years ago, I was ordered to look aside as Valor carried out their odious scheme against an Awakened under my care. Every day since then, I have regretted obeying that order." Thunder rumbled above. "It won't happen again."
Nephis stared at her somberly, concern bleeding through her composed expression. "You will be punished for disobeying."
Tyris did not seem worried. "Song has gained two new Saints, and the public standing of Valor is at an all-time low. Any punishment he chooses to dole out under these circumstances, I can handle."
A hint of a smile appeared on Nephis' face. "Thank you."
Tyris' face did not twitch, but the sensation she gave off felt like she was smiling too. "I accepted you and all responsibilities that come with your presence on my lands when you asked to be anchored here. There is no need to thank me for doing what I should have been doing to begin with."
"Is there anything we can do to make it easier on you?"
The Saint tilted her head in thought, then nodded. "Yes, strike me down."
"We fought, and you were defeated," Nephis deduced immediately. "There might still be a punishment, but he cannot fault you too much if you were defeated. Not when his most veteran Saint and his own brother were too."
Tyris nodded. "Correct." She pointed at two different spots on her body. "Strike here and here, if you would be so kind."
Under his baffled gaze, Nephis stepped forward and attacked exactly where Tyris had indicated without a second thought. Her sword flashed twice, and arcs of blood flew outward, delivering a cut right above her right hip and another across her chest.
Still as impassive as before, Tyris stared down at the ghastly wounds that had been inflicted on her. "It's not believable yet."
Nephis nodded, and her sword flashed one final time, delivering a deep gash to her side.
"That should be enough. Thank you," she stated plainly, not a hint of the pain she must have been suffering showing in her expression.
"I owe you a favour," Nephis replied with absolute certainty, almost as if daring the other Saint to deny her words.
Tyris did smile this time, so faintly he almost missed it. "Live well, and I will consider it repaid."
Nephis nodded resolutely. "I will."
The Saint turned to him, her bird-like eyes evaluating him in detail. Under her amber gaze, Sunny felt like his very being was being judged meticulously, every action and thought seen and catalogued with absolute precision. Whatever she found in him must have convinced her, for she nodded approvingly.
"Please, take care of all of them."
Too unsettled by the situation, Sunny could do nothing but nod.
The Saint took one last glance around, nodded thoughtfully, and transformed back into the giant bird of prey. In that form, the wounds appeared even more harrowing, and yet she did not seem any more affected than she had been in her human shape. She left silently, without offering any parting word.
The whole encounter had taken only a minute, two at most.
"What just happened?"