Tyris did not make a sound as she walked behind Saint Madoc.
It had been two days since her "battle" with Changing Star's cohort, and Valor had finally come knocking to demand answers.
Outwardly, her face was just as calm and composed as ever, but inwardly, she was grimacing. The wounds were more than believable, and currently, they were giving her no small amount of grief.
"He's not in a good mood," Madoc warned.
Tyris nodded without making a comment. She had already expected such a thing.
Anvil of Valor wasn't a jovial man to begin with, and his mood had been steadily worsening over the last few weeks, if her contacts within the Valor household were to be believed.
Taking her silence as acceptance, Madoc kept walking, offering her no further words. The other Saint looked better nowadays; gone were the many injuries inflicted by Saint Sunless, and while his left arm was unsalvageable, he had been provided with a replacement. The arm was made of black matte steel, shining faintly under the light of the torches. Under the same light, she couldn't avoid noticing a stain of paint on one of the metal fingers.
Minutes passed in silence as they crossed the hall, time stretching both impossibly short and impossibly long as she prepared herself for what was to come. She did not think that Anvil would punish her too harshly, not with the explanations she had prepared, but in this world, there was no such thing as complete certainty, much less when it came to a Supreme.
"We are here," Saint Madoc announced, stopping before a pair of ornamented doors. The man turned around, regarding her with an almost pitying look. "Good luck."
"Thank you."
She did not bother knocking. The man she was here to see knew of her presence from the moment she set foot inside Bastion. Instead, she pushed open the doors and stepped inside the room without a word.
The office wasn't what one would expect from someone of Anvil's status. It was bare to the point of being Spartan. A desk, a pair of chairs, and a simple banner behind it showing the emblem of Clan Valor were the only things of note, besides the man himself, of course.
He was currently writing something in a journal, his focus completely dedicated to the task.
She wasn't offered a seat, so she remained standing. No word was spoken by him, and thus she didn't speak either.
They remained like that for minutes on end, him writing on the aged paper while she patiently waited. Whether he was truly busy or merely applying pressure, Tyris did not know, nor care.
She could stand there for days on end without flinching if that was what it took.
Eventually, Anvil finished whatever he was working on. First, he neatly placed down the pen he had been using; next, he closed the journal and pushed it aside. Then he leaned back in his chair and stared at her silently, his eyes as grey and cold as the steel he forged.
"Tyris."
"My liege."
Silence returned to the room, almost deafening in its absoluteness.
Anvil kept studying her, his keen eyes easily spotting the wounds on her body despite them being covered by layers of clothing and armor.
"You failed," he stated simply, his words echoing across the room like the gavel of a judge.
"I did."
"Explain yourself."
Tyris's expression did not flinch at the order; she still regarded the Supreme before her stoically.
"I went to the Ivory Tower alone to confront Changing Star and her cohort," she began, only to stop immediately when she felt the quiet pressure he emanated starting to press down on her.
"What of Saint Cormac? Why didn't he join you?" he asked, his voice as devoid of emotion as before.
Her voice remained steady. "Saint Cormac was indisposed and could not join me."
Tyris had made sure that he would be too preoccupied with other matters to participate.
Anvil tapped lightly on the desk, the mere touch making the wood groan dangerously.
"What of your clan?" he asked next, a faint clench of his jaw the only outward sign of his displeasure.
Cormac would receive a summons of his own, one that wouldn't be as polite as hers had been. And hers hadn't been polite at all.
"A horde of Nightmare Creatures attacked shortly before the assault. While we managed to repel the attack without incurring losses, my clan wasn't in any state to engage in battle. I left my husband and the few who were in good shape guarding the Sanctuary of Noctis, in case there was a repeat."
It had taken Roan and Telle a great amount of effort to lure in such a number of Nightmare Creatures. She would have to find a way to reward them for that.
"That happened two days ago, correct?" He did not sound like he was asking. "Why didn't you strike before, as ordered?"
"I sent a team to test in depth the memory graciously provided to us by Your Grace to resist the Crushing. They were waylaid on the way back by the horde of Nightmare Creatures and had to delay their return."
She did not comment on the fact that she had implied there was no rush, or that she wouldn't have minded if they had decided to take a leisurely tour across the Isles while they were at it.
Anvil narrowed his eyes dangerously but did not argue.
"Continue," he ordered instead.
Tyris resisted the urge to look aside nervously and resumed speaking, meeting his steely gaze without flinching. Her voice showed no sign of recognizing the dangerous pressure encompassing the room, which was slowly increasing under the wrath of the Supreme before her.
"Changing Star's cohort disabled the Crushing, so I was able to approach unimpeded. There, I found out that Saint Sunless had already reunited with them within the Dream Realm."
"Which was a possibility we had already contemplated," he remarked coldly, his eyes promising cruel retribution if she did not have a good explanation in hand.
"Yes. What we hadn't anticipated was the fact that Changing Star has also become a Saint," she replied simply.
Tyris wasn't particularly keen to reveal that fact, but it would surely come out soon, so it was better to say it now and avoid dangerous questions later.
His composed mask cracked for a fraction of a second, and Tyris managed to glimpse -if only for a moment- what looked like genuine surprise and... excitement?
The moment passed, and his face became once more a mask of steel, but she was sure of what she had seen.
"The possibility of more Saints being present was also contemplated." Even his voice sounded slightly excited. "Did Black and Changing Star defeat you and the dozen Supreme echoes I lent you on their lonesome?"
She was still surprised by that fact.
Supreme echoes were so rare as to be almost a myth. In fact, she suspected that the dozen she currently held were the only ones within the Sword Domain. It spoke volumes about how determined he was to get this task done.
"Yes. Changing Star struck me down herself, and the echoes were of no help. Fortunately, they all survived, and I managed to escape before they could kill me."
Tyris did not comment on the fact that she had allowed herself to be injured, or that the echoes were of no help because she simply hadn't summoned them.
Anvil tapped lightly on the desk once more, and the wood emitted a low, pained groan, like that of a dying animal. He looked into the distance, lost in thought. The pressure increased further.
Tyris could feel her heart rate increasing as it kept rising slowly but steadily.
Seconds later, when she started becoming truly concerned, Anvil sighed tiredly.
"You failed me," he repeated.
"I did," she echoed.
Anvil regarded her coldly for another long second and then sighed one final time.
"The Antarctica campaign will start during the first half of next year." The weight pressing down on her shoulders multiplied tenfold. "You and your clan will join."
She bowed her head in acceptance. "As you command."
He gestured toward the door. "You may leave. Return the echoes to my brother before you do."
Tyris nodded. "As you command."
She turned around and left without another word.
In comparison to death, exile to what would soon become a war zone -both between humanity and the Spell, and between the Song and Valor domains- it could almost be considered a lenient punishment.
Almost.
-------------------------------------------
"You sure look comfortable," Effie commented lightly.
Sunny didn't bother opening his eyes to look at her. "That's because I am."
With his arms cupped behind his head, lying on a hammock made of shadows strung between two tall trees, he looked like the very image of relaxation.
Beside him, seated on a chair, was another Sunny, silently weaving what looked like nothing. It wouldn't be too strange if not for the fact that he currently had four pairs of arms, all of them moving swiftly and with a coordination she didn't believe herself capable of.
It still amazed her at times, the kind of things that Doofus had learned while he was away.
Her own spear had already been upgraded by him to Transcendent rank, and she was raring for a fight to properly test it out.
If she remembered correctly, he was currently working on an arrow for Kai, one that he boasted could bring down anything below a Supreme.
Effie did not dare to interrupt the weaving Sunny and instead addressed the other one.
"Mind if I join you?"
The Sunny on the hammock shrugged, and without making any outward move, it grew to twice its size, more than enough for both of them to fit comfortably.
"Go ahead."
Never one to make herself wait, Effie plopped down on it and let out a contented sigh.
She had been right, it was really comfortable. The sun hit them just right, enough to feel warm but not enough to be stuffy. The breeze was also perfect: cool and refreshing, but not annoyingly so. The entertainment was great, too.
Right above them, Princess was learning how to fly from Kai.
It wasn't going well, not at all. Princess was learning incredibly fast, probably thanks to already having wings during their Second Nightmare. That didn't mean she was perfect, though. Effie lamented the lack of a functioning camera when she almost crashed into the Ivory Tower.
"It's kind of impressive, isn't it?"
"What is?" he asked.
"Princess." Effie winced when she crashed into the tower this time. "Well, not at this particular moment."
Sunny snorted.
"I mean, look at her." Effie gestured vaguely toward the sky. Nephis had recovered and was currently practicing evasive maneuvers. "I'm not even close to figuring out what my source element is, and meanwhile, she has already done it. Hell, not only has she figured it out, but she has also become a Saint."
"Yeah, it is impressive," he agreed, his voice more than a little bitter.
"Jealous?" Effie teased, lightly elbowing his side. "You are cool too, I guess."
He made an annoyed grunt and elbowed her back.
"No." A slow exhalation followed his curt answer. "I'm not even surprised, if I'm honest."
She turned her head to look at him. Sunny was staring up; his face was inscrutable, but his eyes... his eyes did not lie.
"Yeah, me neither," Effie agreed, turning back to the spectacle. However, she did not turn enough to lose sight of Sunny's face. "If anything, I'm surprised it took her so long."
Sunny's face twitched minutely. "She always does things like this."
"Yeah."
"Neph sees something so hard it might as well be impossible. Something that nobody sane would try to do. Something that, by all means, should get her killed," he continued, gathering steam.
"Yeah."
"And then, somehow, against all logic, she succeeds," he finished, his voice full of annoyance. "Honestly, the fact that she's still alive is a miracle of the utmost caliber."
"Yeah," she agreed once more. "I guess that's just how she is."
Effie stared at Nephis up in the air. Her wings, made of pure white flame, shone like a newborn star. With them, she could pass for an angel sent to bring salvation and justice to the world. They made her look radiant, almost divine.
Her movements were already far more controlled than they had been minutes ago, a hint of grace starting to show itself as she got reaccustomed to flying.
She was aware of the plan proposed by Noctis, making Princess pass for the Sun God's avatar to fool the inhabitants of the Ivory City. Looking at her like this, one wouldn't need to utter any lie to make people think that she must be a goddess.
"It makes me wonder how far the two of you will go."
"What do you mean?"
Effie shrugged. "I mean, just look at the two of you. You aren't even twenty yet, and already a Saint. Meanwhile, Princess only needed a few weeks to catch up. Knowing her, that won't be the end of it, not even close. She will keep climbing higher and higher or die trying."
"Sounds like her," Sunny agreed, snorting in amusement. "But why include me? What makes you think I'm not content with my current strength?"
She barked a laugh, genuinely amused. "Have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately?"
"You know very well I haven't."
"Well, you should. You have that look in your eyes, there's hunger in there. Hunger for something more, for something you seem desperate to reach." It was eerily similar to Princess's own hunger. "I don't know what it is, but I sure know that you are not strong enough to grasp it yet."
Sunny's eyes grew sharper, an almost dangerous look passing briefly through his expression before he masked it. "What makes you so sure of it?"
"You haven't taken it yet," she replied honestly.
Sunny remained silent.
"I know it's personal, so I won't ask what it is, but at least answer me this: will it bring us harm?"
He didn't answer immediately, and while she waited, Effie could almost hear the gears grinding inside his head.
"No, or at least I don't think so," he answered after a long pause, not meeting her eyes.
If Kai were there, listening to the conversation, she was sure he would say Sunny had just told the truth. It did not reassure her.
-------------------------------------------
Kai's brows were furrowed in absolute concentration.
His eyes were fixed on Lady Nephis's, taking in every single twitch of her mouth as she spoke, his ears open wide to listen carefully.
"####," she pronounced slowly, every syllable exaggerated to make it easier for him to hear.
The wind picked up instantly, creating a small gust over the palm of her hand, rotating almost lazily for a few seconds before it dissipated.
It was the sixth time she had invoked the name of the wind in this session, and he still hadn't managed to catch it. The word felt -ironically enough- just like wind, floating out of reach the moment he felt like he could finally grasp it.
"Do you need another attempt?" she asked calmly upon noticing his disappointed expression.
Kai took a deep breath and then exhaled, willing away the irritation he felt at himself.
"No, thank you. I think I need some time to get into the proper mindset before trying again."
"As you wish. Call me over when you are ready."
Having said her piece, she invoked her wings once again and smoothly flew away to the edge of the island. Looking at her now, one could scarcely believe that mere minutes ago, during the flying lessons, she had crashed into the Ivory Tower.
Then again, Lady Nephis always managed to surprise him.
Kai was almost sure that if he looked away for a minute, she would become a Supreme too. Or maybe Sunny would be the one to do it. Though most likely, it would be both.
In his eyes, the two of them were equally crazy.
After all, a normal person would never dare jump into a Nightmare Seed as a Sleeper, much less one of the third rank.
In the same way, a normal person wouldn't dive into divine flames with the vague hope that they would have their source element stored inside.
It still amazed him to think that she had grasped hers so fast when he hadn't even started properly considering what his could be. Hell, he didn't even know how to start.
He was just a normal person, someone who should already feel proud for becoming a Master and for whom becoming a Saint should be a pipe dream. And yet, here he was, trying to master a long-forgotten sorcery and also trying to figure out how to learn his own element.
It might not be the most noble of reasons, but Kai did not want to be left behind. Neither did he want to become the weak link, the one their enemies would target, because it would be easier than facing them head-on.
Effie was already trying to figure hers out, a task she had not yet succeeded in, but one he was sure she would accomplish sooner rather than later.
As for Cassie, he was sure she had already figured it out and was only looking for the appropriate moment to act. After all, they couldn't just transcend willy-nilly; the fact that Lady Nephis alone had already done it would be very hard to explain.
Which only left him. Kai could admit without shame that he was the weakest among the cohort, but just because he could admit it did not mean that he wanted to stay that way.
"I will master shaping and become a Saint, too," he reassured himself, and then, because he couldn't stop himself, he added, "If that is my will, then who dares stop me?"
"Well said."
Kai almost jumped out of his skin.
He turned around to see Lady Nephis. She had returned at some point and was giving him an approving stare that somehow also looked teasing. Effie was a terrible influence.
"How long have you been there?" he asked, afraid of what the answer would be.
Her lips twitched upward. "Long enough."
Kai hung his head low, his cheeks turning red. At least it wasn't Effie who had caught him.
"Is there anything you wanted?" he asked, desperately looking for a change of topic.
"I thought that you might find a demonstration more useful than just rote repetition, so I returned to ask for your opinion." Her lips twitched again.
Afraid of what might come out of his mouth if he spoke, Kai nodded, desperately wishing that she would forget what had just happened.
He detected one final twitch of her lips before she schooled her expression, and her voice adopted her teaching tone.
"This is something I have been working on for a long time." She raised her left hand, and on her open palm, a tiny flickering silver flame came to life. "If you remember, back during the Second Nightmare, with Noctis's help, I created a sun that destroyed the first waves of the enemy fleet."
Kai's eyes shone in amazement. "You mean to tell me that you have finally learned to do it all alone?"
"Yes, I think so. For safety purposes, I will only make a small-scale reenactment, but from here it's only a matter of using more essence to make it stronger. Watch carefully and try to listen to my words."
Lady Nephis took a deep breath and then uttered two names. He knew them to be the names of fire and wind, but he was just as unable to grasp them as he had been before.
The flickering flame swelled instantly, tendrils of molten silver rising into the air swiftly to form a sun as big as a tennis ball. The star rotated in the air, straining to keep its form under the weight of its own power. Nephis uttered another name, and short streams of fire started to erupt from it at fixed intervals, creating harmless pillars of silver that died out before coming into contact with anything.
Finally, when the essence used was nearly expended, it swelled one last time and then exploded like a firework, bathing the surroundings in silver light.
"That was beautiful," Kai praised, genuinely enchanted by the sight. "I only hope there won't come a time when it will be needed once more."
"So do I," she agreed, but he had the sensation that she did not believe such a thing.
Nephis stared at the place the miniature sun had occupied, an almost wistful look passing through her eyes.
"I miss him at times," she admitted.
Kai tilted his head, confusion running through his mind for a moment before he finally understood. "Noctis?"
"Yes." She shook her head. "As much of an infuriating scoundrel as he was, I cannot deny that he was a friend of mine."
He chuckled, remembering the eccentric Saint. "He would probably say something like, 'Of course you miss me, I'm the most personable man in all of the Kingdom of Hope.'"
A faint smile touched her lips. "You forgot to add a few more self-aggrandizing adjectives."
"You're right," he admitted with a smile of his own. "I could certainly use the wisdom of the best sorcerer in all of the Kingdom of Hope right now."
"He would say, 'Kai, my charred friend, you are overcomplicating this. The only thing you need to do is learn to flow as the wind does, empty your head of unnecessary thoughts, and just grasp what you need, no more, no less. Oh, and please, don't smile, you are making my flowers wither.'"
Kai laughed at the fairly accurate impersonation and, despite himself, tried just that.
He banished every single thought -all of his doubts, all of his insecurities- and kept his mind carefully clear, not allowing any thought to linger and distract him.
"Can you please repeat it?" he asked when he was sure that he could maintain it.
Lady Nephis nodded. "Wi##"
The wind stirred one more time, creating a small gust over her palm.
A wide smile took shape on his face. He had only managed to catch half of it before it slipped from his grasp, but the improvement was clear.
"Better?" she asked upon noticing his expression.
"Yes."
This wasn't the first time he had achieved that level of success; it wasn't even the third. He had gotten that far before, only to see all of his progress vanish.
Kai did not allow that thought to discourage him. The path ahead was long, and while Nephis and Sunny could walk it faster, he was certain of his own ability to at least watch their backs while they did.
-------------------------------------------
Screams echoed all around her. They belonged to humans and Nightmare Creatures alike, big and small, strong and weak. The calamity made no distinction, reaping life after life without compassion.
Cassie could smell the overwhelming scent of blood; whole rivers of it had been spilled, and rivers more would be soon enough. She could smell other things too: rotting corpses, the stench of countless bodies desperately pressed against each other, and, if she tried hard enough, she was sure she could also smell fear and desperation.
Within her visions, she could see, but she kept her eyes firmly closed. There was no need to add more sensory input to the tragedy she was being made a witness to. The elegy for this end would already be a sad one; there was no need to make it even sadder.
Yet another condemned future. Idly, she wondered how many of them she had already seen.
Cassie had stopped counting when they reached three digits.
With a weary sigh, she decided to stop it there. A simple thought was all it took to forcibly bring the vision to an end.
"The more you try to control Fate, the worse it will become."
The words echoed in her mind as usual, but she paid them no heed.
Seconds later, her consciousness returned to her body, and she stood up without showing any sign of what she had just witnessed. Another thought had the [Mask of Lost Echoes] dissipate -it had been very expensive to buy it from Sunny, but she had found a way- from her face. The enhancement to her other senses was normally a valuable boon, but currently, it would only worsen her headache.
She rubbed her temples, trying to will the pain away. Her mind went once more to what she had seen, but she discarded the thought again.
That future would break, just as dozens of others had done without her input. Only if it persisted would she try to take measures.
Cassie walked toward the Ivory Tower, seeking shelter before the horde of Nightmare Creatures reached them in a matter of minutes. There was nothing to worry about; Sunny would spot them long before they could become a threat and, together with Nephis, eradicate them.
Her steps brought her to the kitchen, where she retrieved a pitcher of water and poured herself a glass. She truly missed her [Endless Spring] at times. It had been such a convenient Memory.
Through Gorn's mark, she saw Sunny's head snap in the direction of the incoming danger. He raised the alarm instantly, ordering all of them to take shelter inside the tower before the creatures arrived.
She sipped her water calmly as she watched the rush that ensued, as all the Firekeepers lingering outside, along with her own cohort, quickly collected everything important and ran inside.
A mere minute later, only Sunny and Nephis remained, standing side by side at the edge of the floating island in preparation for the danger to come.
Looking at the two of them together, she could almost feel a smile tug at her lips.
Nephis had become a Saint much earlier than predicted. It was a surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one. Her plans would have to be adjusted, but that was a complication she did not mind for a change.
Like this, they would stand as equals, fight together against the incoming danger, and little by little break down the barriers between them through blood, sweat, and tears. She would make sure of it.
Maybe she should bring forward her own transcendence. It would ease things quite a bit.
Filing the thought for later, she returned her attention to the present.
Both of them were staring grimly at the incoming danger. The fight would be hard, but they would come out victorious, and more importantly, stronger for it.
She had made sure they would meet this particular horde when tracing the trajectory the Ivory Tower would take on its journey. Whatever future awaited them, both of them had to be strong, and she couldn't afford to skip any chance to make them more powerful.
Cassie took another sip of water and mused for the nth time how much easier everything would be if she just killed Sunny.
It would be hellishly hard -almost impossible- but it could be done.
Sadly, there was no future in which she managed to convince Nephis, so instead she would need to enlist the help of both Sovereigns to ensure he couldn't escape, and also play things just right so that he wouldn't become a Supreme in the middle of the fight and turn the tables.
Of course, she would also have to pray that he wouldn't change fate once again. She would also need to ensure that Nephis never learned of her involvement. Cassie never survived in any of the futures where she did.
Difficulty aside, if she succeeded, most of the danger would disappear. Oh, different dangers would arise, but at least they wouldn't be dealing with the end of the world at the smallest mistake.
She took another sip, and just like every time before, decided that she wouldn't.
Cassie had been searching for a perfect future ever since that day. One in which every single one of them would be happy in the end, one in which nobody would have to be sacrificed.
She had yet to find it, but that did not mean she would give up.
If it came down to it, if the end of the world stood before her and the only solution was sacrificing Sunny, she would do it.
Otherwise? She would rather burn it all down.
Sunny and Neph were greedy? Well, so was she.
-------------------------------------------
In a shower of sparks, a Memory appeared on his outstretched hand.
It was a simple stone lantern, its modest appearance the opposite of the deadly danger it represented.
Danger that would be put to use soon enough.
Sunny looked ahead and felt his blood chill. The incoming horde of flying Nightmare Creatures was numerous enough to blot out the sky. Hell, a few of them were big enough to be considered flying fortresses.
"No rest for the wicked, huh?"
Nephis did not answer.
She was standing beside him, her gaze fixed forward. Was she worried, perhaps? It would be her first real fight as a Saint. Her luck was just that terrible.
Then again, Sunny himself wasn't one to talk. His own could be considered even more catastrophic.
"I expected worse," she said at last.
Sunny tilted his head in confusion. "What do you mean?"
Nephis turned just enough to look at him while keeping the enemy within sight.
"The kind of things we tend to face when fighting together are usually far worse." She gestured lightly at the Nightmare Creatures. "This seems manageable."
"Only you could look at this situation and think that it is manageable."
"We are here. Of course it is."
Sunny regarded her confident voice and posture and found himself a little -only a little- reassured. It was a superpower of hers, almost on par with her craziness and nigh-immortality.
"We should find the Tyrant and kill it as soon as possible. The remaining horde should weaken immediately after, or, if we are lucky, disperse entirely," he stated, his eyes already roaming in search of that specific creature.
"Agreed, though if we have the chance, I also propose we kill them all, if you want to."
"Why?"
"Some Nightmare Creatures are intelligent enough to develop grudges. A horde this huge should have plenty of them." She summoned her sword and pointed it in the direction of the incoming danger. "Better to end them all now and avoid the risk of them taking revenge."
A snort left his throat before he could contain it. "Better to nip things in the bud rather than risk future danger, huh?"
"Yes."
It was only a moment later that she caught the hidden meaning behind his words.
"No, I don't intend to do the same to you," she said firmly, not even giving him time to voice the thought.
Sunny shrugged lightly, calculating that they would have to engage in a matter of seconds. "Sure sounded like it."
He did not give her the chance to answer before he flew off, his black wings quickly carrying him into the air and on a collision course with the incoming horde.
A mere second before impact, and close enough for him to feel the breath of the Nightmare Creature before him, shadows erupted from the lantern to form a massive battering ram that killed dozens of them in a single blow.
[You have slain...]
The words of the Spell echoed faintly in the back of his mind, but Sunny paid them no attention.
More creatures rushed to fill the gap, their grotesque forms blotting out what little sky remained. Up close, they were even more unsettling, avian bodies swollen with muscle, ragged wings beating frantically, and snarling, beast-like heads snapping at him with rows of jagged teeth.
Sunny commanded, and the shadows surged once more from inside the lantern.
They answered his will like a living tide, coiling around him before lashing outward. Spears, blades, and writhing tendrils tore through the front ranks, impaling and swatting the creatures aside. At the same time, six identical figures split from his body, each one moving with deadly precision as they dove into the swarm.
The sky erupted into a chaotic melee.
Each Sunny fought independently, shadows forming weapons in their hands, cutting through the abominations in a relentless dance of death. They moved like a pack of predators, weaving between the creatures, carefully orchestrating their actions to maximize damage and minimize risk.
And yet, for every one that fell, two more seemed to take its place.
A burst of blinding white light cut through a vast swath of them.
Nephis had joined the battle, plunging straight into the thick of the combat.
Wings of radiant flame unfurled behind her, and in the next instant, her body dissolved into a vast tide of white fire. It spread outward like a rising sea, swallowing dozens of creatures whole. Their shrieks were brief, drowned in the roaring inferno.
Then, above her blazing form, a miniature sun ignited.
It expanded rapidly, growing from a spark into something vast and oppressive, radiating unbearable heat. Streams of white flame erupted from its surface, lancing through the swarm and carving burning paths across the sky.
"Show-off…" he complained.
He adjusted instantly, his shadows shifting positions, herding the creatures toward the expanding inferno. The sun swelled to twice its size before he had even fully begun his efforts, almost as if she had expected it all along.
Sunny felt a pang of irritation arise in his chest. Their understanding of each other was just as perfect as always, capable of predicting what the other would do and acting accordingly.
A part of him hated the fact that even now, that understanding still stood.
He cast the thought aside immediately and resumed fighting. He would die of embarrassment if she managed to kill more Nightmare Creatures than he did, despite having far less experience as a Saint.
It was while fighting one of the fortress-sized creatures that he noticed it, a flicker at the edge of his vision.
Sunny's gaze followed the flicker, and he finally saw what had caught his attention. Far beyond the swarm, a massive raven watched him.
The creature had two heads, both of them staring directly at him, calculation clear in its black eyes.
For just a fraction of a second, Sunny was distracted by the sight.
That was enough.
A hulking creature burst through the chaos, its massive body barreling straight into him. He twisted at the last moment, but it was still too late; the snapping jaws of its dog-like head grazed his side, tearing through armor and flesh alike.
The impact sent him spiraling down, his wings broken by the collision.
Sunny's expression darkened. To think he would commit such a rookie mistake as being distracted in the middle of a fight.
New shadows erupted from the lantern and caught him before he could fall far, twisting into wings that stabilized his descent. Around him, two of his bodies were already moving, intercepting the creature before it could follow up.
They struck in unison, a pair of shadow-forged blades crossing through its neck, severing it cleanly. The corpse tumbled away, vanishing into the chaos below.
Sunny straightened slowly, one hand pressing briefly against his wound before shadows sealed over it like a second skin.
His gaze flicked back to where the raven had been, but it was gone, as if it had never been there to begin with.
"Great."
Vowing to remain on guard, he dived back into the fight. There was no time to think about that now.
A surge of heat washed over him as Nephis's flames intensified, the massive sun above her pulsing brighter. The swarm was beginning to thin under their combined assault, but not fast enough.
Sunny exhaled, wishing he had a better tool to deal with groups like these. Maybe if he were bigger, or if he could take another shape as Serpent did. He shook his head; there was no time for lamentations either.
"Nephis!" he called out, his voice barely cutting through the chaos. "I'll find the Tyrant. Cover me!"
The sea of white flame shifted instantly, carving a path through the swarm as if acknowledging his intent. Creatures that tried to cross it were reduced to ash before they could even scream.
Sunny smirked faintly. "Good enough."
His wings snapped wide, shadows gathering around him like a storm as he shot forward, straight into the heart of the horde.
-------------------------------------------
[You have slain a Corrupted Tyrant...]
[You have obtained a Memory...]
Sunny took a harsh breath, doing his best to calm his madly beating heart.
His opponent was already plunging straight down, its whole body punctured by countless shadow weapons. The damn thing had resisted to the very end.
In the end, Neph's wish had come true. Not a single Nightmare Creature remained in the sky. The Tyrant had the ability to instantly absorb its minions to heal its wounds and had not hesitated for even a moment to abuse that fact.
"Note to self, find a way to create a memory that negates healing."
A soft beating of wings made him turn to Nephis. She had regained her human form, retaining only a pair of wings to stay suspended in the air. Unlike him, there was not a single wound on her, but he knew perfectly well that hers ran far deeper.
The fight had taken a whole hour. Sunny couldn't even begin to fathom the kind of pain she must have endured throughout all of it.
Not for the first time, his mind went to the [Painkiller Rock]. He had created it himself and knew how to craft another Memory with the same enchantment. It wouldn't even be hard.
She hadn't asked, and he hadn't offered.
"You are injured," she said plainly, her voice devoid of emotion.
"I have faced worse."
He did not want her to feel even more pain to heal him. Gods, he was such a hypocrite.
As if capable of reading his mind, she flew closer. "I've faced worse, too."
Her hand landed on his shoulder, and white radiance engulfed his body, knitting the wounds shut in a matter of seconds and leaving unblemished skin behind.
Sunny breathed a little easier, but her brows scrunched just a little tighter.
Without making a comment, another shadow came out of the lantern, and he shaped it into a platform for both of them to stand on. Her wings dissipated instantly, and despite her attempt to hide it, Sunny noticed the way her shoulders dropped just slightly in relief.
"Thank you."
Sunny turned away, unable to face those infuriatingly sincere eyes of hers right now.
"You were right. It was manageable," he said when the silence grew a little too heavy.
"I was."
Sunny did not begrudge her curt answer. He wasn't in much of a mood to speak either.
It was almost amusing.
Once upon a time, he had thought that all of his problems would disappear the moment he managed to return to the Waking World. He was wrong.
He had also thought that they would disappear once he made a choice about what to do about the woman beside him. He hadn't managed to make one yet, and even if he did, he had the feeling that they wouldn't.
Not when he could see clear as day that it would never be so simple nor so easy.
Sunny had found out that he had good days and bad days.
On good days, he could smile honestly, joke with Effie, mess with Kai, be the brother Rain deserved, tolerate Cassie, and even pretend that there was nothing wrong between himself and Nephis.
On bad days, it took everything he had just to get out of bed. Every word and every gesture harder to pretend than the one before.
Ah, well, what could he do about it? It sure beat his time alone in the Dream Realm. All days were bad days back then. He would just have to deal with it.
"It's not helping."
Sunny turned back to Nephis. Her expression was just as devoid of emotion, but her brows were lightly scrunched.
"What isn't?" he asked.
"Whatever you are thinking about, it's not helping," she replied evenly. "Whenever you have that look on your face, you perk up for a little and then get twice as bad right after."
"Oh?" He made a mocking sound. "Is my dear master worried about her pitiful slave?"
She did not rise to the bait. "I'm worried about you."
"Nobody asked for your concern," he shot back immediately.
"I didn't ask for help with my flaw, and you still made this platform for me."
The angry words he had prepared died in his throat, unable to find a good argument against that. He almost dispelled the platform out of spite, but relented when he realized it would only prove her point.
Silence returned, twice as oppressive as before, as they stared at each other.
"Sunny..."
"What?" he replied, his voice more forceful than he intended.
"You don't have to face it alone."
A mocking smile appeared on his face. "Should I ask for your help instead? Tell you my every thought? Come clean with the things that haunt me at night so that you can use them against me in the future?"
"No." She shook her head for emphasis. "There is your sister, your friends. You don't have to fight it alone if you don't want to."
"All of whom will tell you if you ask."
Nephis regarded him silently and asked a simple question. "Am I that vile in your eyes?"
Those eyes. Those damn honest eyes. Like they could see through him. Like they could see deep within him and, instead of being repulsed, find something to feel compassion for.
He hated those damn eyes and the way they made him feel.
"No," he answered when his flaw became too much. "But then again, I also didn't think you were vile enough to use my True Name against me, so I have been wrong before. For all I know, you are just waiting for the perfect moment to strike."
She did not look away. "You would have already left if you truly thought that."
"Maybe I should have," he retorted.
Nephis did not flinch, did not speak. Instead, she stretched her hand outward for him to grasp, then gestured in the direction of the Ivory Tower with her free hand, where the others were waiting for them.
She stood there, hand outstretched in invitation, waiting patiently for his answer.
Sunny hated Nephis.
He hated her arrogance, that infuriating self-assuredness of hers, her ability to see through him with ease.
But most of all, he hated himself for grasping her hand.
-------------------------------------------
Anvil brought the hammer down.
The metal rang; the sound was pure, almost melodic. The shape was perfect so far, red-hot metal being shaped by his will, Aspect, and hands at the same time.
Maybe this would be the one.
He brought the hammer up and let it fall once more. Another strike, just as pure and melodic.
While he worked, his mind couldn't help returning to the conversation he had held hours ago with Saint Tyris.
She was one of his most competent Saints, a blade as sharp as she was reliable. That hadn't stopped her from failing him.
The hammer came down again, and the metal bent just slightly out of shape. With ease born of decades of experience, he rectified the error.
Maybe she had told the truth, maybe she had lied. Whether it was one or the other -or both- he did not care.
Results were everything for Anvil, and the fact was that Changing Star and her cohort were still safe and sound, traveling unimpeded through his territory.
Anvil hammered one last time and dropped the sword into the barrel of oil for quenching.
He did not make a sound, his expression did not change, but in his heart of hearts, he couldn't help feeling that all of this was pointless.
Decades of work, and not a single worthy blade to show for it. Every one of them had flaws, either too dull, too brittle, inflexible, or any of a thousand other defects.
The one that had come closest was Morgan, and in the end, she had failed as well.
A sliver of him, a portion so small as to be insignificant, felt a pang of concern for her. All of Clan Valor was on the lookout for his daughter, and he still had no hint as to what had happened to her after she left Bastion.
The disappointments never ceased.
Maybe he truly had to look outside to find what he was searching for. Black and Changing Star were promising, their steel worthier than any he had seen so far.
Yes, maybe they would be the perfect swords he had been looking for for so long.
The next step was obvious. He had sent his blades to do the work twice, and both times they had failed. There wouldn't be a third.
He would personally make sure of it.
Anvil retrieved the sword from the barrel, hope rising in his chest despite himself. His keen eyes ran over the metal, and almost instantly, disappointment settled once more in his chest.
Without another look, he threw it onto the towering pile along with the others.
Another failure.