Jet resisted the urge to smack her head against the table.
Centuries ago, some scientist whose name she couldn't be bothered to remember had elaborated the theory of relativity. In that theory, he had posited that time, among others, was relative to the perception of the observer. Following that theory, it could move incredibly fast or incredibly slow depending on the situation.
She felt like that theory was being put to the test right at this moment. It had only been half an hour, she knew because she kept checking the clock. However, the meeting was so boring that it felt like an age had passed already.
"...and with this, we conclude the forecast. Any questions?" Leah asked.
The worst part? There were questions.
A lot.
Jet hated her life at times.
"...that would be all," Leah concluded, having answered the last question.
Saint Thane nodded. He had asked about how the Dreamscape would be affected by the budget cuts brought by the imminent Antarctica Campaign, and while he did not seem satisfied, he took it in stride. The Government had many things to worry about, among which funding for the Dreamscape was, while not quite at the bottom of the list, still quite low.
Jet should try it herself one of these days; some of the things she had heard about the virtual space were rather interesting. A pity she did not have the free time necessary for those kinds of things. Neither did she think she would have it any time soon, not with the incoming disaster.
When nobody voiced another question, she perked up subtly. Was the meeting over? Could she go do literally anything else?
As if capable of reading her thoughts, Angela -the president- cleared her throat and said. "Thank you, Leah. Now, before we go, there is another topic to discuss."
Only through a self-control born out of years of training did she manage to stiffle a groan.
"We have come to a conclusion about how to handle the Antarctica matter." Cor intervened, his voice as tired as he looked.
There were deep bags beneath his eyes, and his shoulders were sagging as if the weight of the world were pressing down on them. Nowadays, the old man looked like he lived solely on coffee and spite. Mostly the second at that, too.
"Hadn't we already?" Randall asked, furrowing his brows in concern. "Go in, handle the chain of Nightmares as well as possible while we evacuate the people and leave long before the Category Six Gate opens."
As far as summaries went, it was quick and dirty, but it got the point across, so Jet wouldn't begrudge it.
"We did," Angela agreed, then tapped on her communicator and the screens before all of them came to life, displaying a variety of graphs and lists. "Given the conclusion of the talks with Ki Song, we have updated the plans with the distribution we are going to follow."
Jet checked it carefully and saw her own name displayed prominently.
It wasn't surprising; she was the one saddled with leading the effort for the Antarctic Center, after all. She would be in charge of the army, with Winter and Dale operating as her right and left hand, respectively. She wasn't all too surprised either to see Sunny's name displayed just as prominently beside hers, since he had already informed her of the fact during their previous conversation.
She hadn't participated in the talks with the head of Clan Song, but according to Cor, they were lucky she hadn't demanded more. In fact, according to the old man, she had been surprisingly reasonable. Somehow, that worried Jet more than if she had been a tyrant about it.
Her shortcomings with the head of the Great Clan aside, things didn't seem half-bad. The combination of the Song delegation and her own would amount to six Saints handling the region. It was, by all means, the largest force ever fielded by humanity against a single conflict, which almost made her think things would work out well. Almost.
West Antarctica had already been evacuated, as it was barely populated, while East Antarctica would be handled by Cor, Jesse, and Randall. They were in talks with Clan Valor about their assistance, but so far, they had yet to come to an agreement. At least the negotiations with the House of Night had concluded on a very positive note.
Saint Thane would be the only one left in NQSC to handle possible emergencies. The flamboyant man did not seem all too thrilled to be left behind, despite being the second most veteran Saint of the Government, but that, too, he took in stride.
"What of the next step?" Jet asked after she was done reading. "Are we set on abandoning all those routes?"
"Yes," Angela answered grimly. "We cannot afford to risk attracting the attention of whatever comes out of the Category Six Gate, so it is the only option we have left."
Jet grimaced but did not discuss.
An Unholy was something that humanity simply couldn't handle in any way.
It was why they would abandon Antarctica long before the Gate could open, and also why they were going to be giving up on all the trade routes that would pass even remotely close to it.
A part of her was saddened by that fact. With this decision, humanity grew a step closer to being isolated within their respective quadrants. Up to now, Antarctica had been acting as the hub between NQSC and South America, something that would become impossible soon enough.
Alternative routes would be charted, sure, but Jet did not let herself be fooled. It wouldn't be long before humanity would stop being safe in the Waking World.
And if the Unholy decided to end them all, even without provocation?
Well… there was a reason why the Government had been so accepting of Ki Song's decision to relocate so many people to the Dream World.
-------------------------------------------
Nephis regarded her opponent with razor-sharp focus.
He returned the stare with the same intensity, his dark eyes drinking in every detail of her posture, cataloguing strengths and weaknesses, looking for openings, both real and false, coming up with hundreds of plans and discarding them just as fast as he did. She knew, because she was doing the same.
Standing to the side, Effie held a handkerchief up in the air. The moment she let it go, they would start the sparring match.
Nephis steeled herself mentally, ready to give one hundred and ten percent in the upcoming duel. She saw Sunny doing the same, and fought against the smile that threatened to break past her defenses.
This was going to be fun. No aspects, no underhanded tactics, just a simple dance of steel to polish their skills.
"Aren't you guys going to engage in some pre-battle banter?" Effie asked, her face filled with disappointment.
Sunny blinked, looking at her in confusion. "Why would we?"
"Come on! It's a classic. Throw in some insults, boast a little, it will be funnier like that."
Nephis just barely managed to hold herself from rolling her eyes. "This is not a movie. Besides, we are only going to spar a little, not engage in a life-or-death duel for the fate of the world."
The Huntress pouted. "You guys are so boring. Flirt a little at least, that way I can laugh at how awkward you two are."
This time, she couldn't stop herself. "We only asked you to act as the referee, not as the commentator, too."
"Your mistake was to think I would agree in good faith." She replied cheekily and then turned to Sunny. "What about you, Doofus, don't you want to say anything? Make a bet about the winner getting a kiss or something?"
Sunny facepalmed. Hard. "No, and no."
"Boooring."
"Get it over with already!" He snapped.
Effie pouted again. "Fine, fine, you two are no fun."
Her arm rose higher, handkerchief held tightly within her grasp. She looked at each of them in the eye with a serious expression, then stepped back to a safe distance.
"10, 9, 8, 7…" She started counting.
Nephis banished all thoughts from her head, leaving space for nothing but battle.
"6, 5, 4, 3…"
Sunny leaned forward, his whole body taut like a string, ready to erupt into motion. She did the same.
"2, 1, 0!" Effie let go of the handkerchief.
She launched herself forward in a single move and was met halfway by Sunny. Her curved sword collided with his Odachi in a rain of sparks as both of them fought for dominance. They pushed at each other, leveraging their incredible strength masterfully.
In the end, Nephis's taller stature and advantage in reach granted her the victory, managing to push his Odachi out of the way to go for a slash against his collarbone. However, before she could, he had already stepped back, her blade coming millimeters away from making contact.
However, instead of retreating fully, he stepped into her range again, the motion abrupt enough to seem reckless at first glance and yet far too deliberate to truly be so.
Nephis' eyes sharpened immediately, catching the intent behind the movement as his odachi twisted in his grip and snapped back toward her in a tight, brutal arc aimed at her ribs. She met the strike with perfect timing, her blade sliding against his with a sharp ring of steel, redirecting the force past her body as she stepped forward instead of away, closing the distance until their shoulders nearly brushed.
Her counter came in the same breath, a precise thrust meant to end the exchange decisively… and she overshot it.
The tip of her blade passed closer than intended, her arm extending just a fraction too far as the sheer strength behind the motion carried it beyond the optimal line. It was a tiny mistake, one that would have gone unnoticed against a lesser opponent.
Sunny was not a lesser opponent.
He bent around the thrust and slipped inside her guard, his elbow snapping toward her ribs in a compact, punishing strike. Nephis adjusted instantly, rotating her torso to disperse the impact, but she still felt the force of it more clearly than she should have.
She corrected her stance at once, realising the problem immediately. She wasn't used to her new strength yet. It hadn't been long since she became a Saint, and she was yet to properly master her physical prowess.
Paying no attention to her thoughts, Sunny's blade rose again, and she met it, sparks scattering between them as they broke apart in unison, each taking a single step back as if guided by the same instinct.
For a brief moment, they simply watched one another.
Nephis exhaled slowly, her mind already dissecting everything she had seen in that short exchange. Sunny had adapted almost instantly, nullifying her reach advantage by manipulating distance in a way that forced her longer weapon into awkward positions, stepping in just enough to disrupt her leverage and slipping away before she could capitalize. His style had been savage in its intent and elegant in its execution, every motion carrying the singular purpose of killing as quickly and efficiently as possible.
And yet, beneath that deadly refinement, there were flaws.
They were subtle, almost imperceptible, but Nephis saw them clearly, tiny inconsistencies in timing, transitions that were just a fraction too abrupt, angles that suggested habits formed under different circumstances. It was as if parts of his body were acting on instincts that did not fully belong to him, like muscle memory that belonged to someone else.
Sunny moved again before the thought could settle, advancing with deceptive calm before bursting forward without warning, his blade sweeping low in a strike meant to take her legs.
Nephis stepped out of reach by a hair's breadth and struck back, their blades meeting once more as the tempo of the spar rose sharply.
She met that pressure head-on, her style shifting constantly in response to his actions, adapting with each passing moment as she matched his rhythm, countered his changes, and closed the openings he tried to create before they could fully form.
A thin line of red appeared on his arm when her blade slipped through his defense, and moments later, he returned the favor, the edge of his odachi grazing her side in a shallow cut that mirrored the first. Neither acknowledged the wounds, their focus absolute as they continued to test and refine their movements against one another.
Sunny's attacks grew sharper, more unpredictable, a heavy downward strike suddenly shifting direction mid-motion to snap upward toward her throat. Nephis leaned back just enough to avoid it, the blade passing so close that it severed a single strand of her silver hair, and in the same instant, she stepped forward to retaliate and nearly overcommitted again.
Her counter carried too much force, the follow-through threatening to pull her off balance if she allowed it to continue. She corrected mid-motion with practiced control, but the adjustment cost her just enough time for Sunny to slip inside her guard. His shoulder drove into her, disrupting her stance, and his blade carved a shallow line across her shoulder before she could fully recover.
They broke apart almost at once, taking a moment to recover their breath.
A second was all it took them to recover and engage once more.
Time seemed to blur as the spar continued, each exchange building upon the last as they learned, adapted, and countered in an ever-tightening cycle of action and reaction.
Still, her new strength betrayed her in small, infuriating ways.
A step that carried her a fraction too far. A parry that deflected more than intended, opening a narrow line of attack. A strike that required last-second correction to avoid overextending.
Sunny did not hesitate, exploiting those fleeting imperfections with the cold efficiency of someone who had survived by doing exactly that.
And yet, he was not flawless either.
She saw it again, the faint disconnect in his movements, the way certain transitions leaned on patterns that did not fully align with his current body. When he shifted weight during a rapid exchange, there was a fraction of a second where his balance was not where it should have been after cutting at her arm. Her blade found him before he could recover, drawing another shallow cut in return.
They separated once more, both breathing a little heavier now, though neither showed any sign of slowing down.
Many more exchanges followed, and before she knew it, his blade rose toward her throat at the exact moment her own sword aligned with his heart. They froze there, perfectly balanced on the edge of mutual destruction, each fully aware that any continuation would result in both of them landing a killing blow.
Awareness set in right at that moment. Not of the blades, or the danger, but of the distance between them.
Their faces were close enough that even the smallest movement would—
"Oh, for Spell's sake," Effie groaned loudly, throwing her hands in the air. "If you're going to stand like that, at least commit to it!"
They sprang apart as though burned.
"What is wrong with you?" Sunny snapped, glaring at her.
"Effie," Nephis said at the same time, her voice carrying clear menace.
The Huntress only grinned, utterly unapologetic. "What? I'm just saying, opportunities like that don't come around often."
"Shut up!" they both shouted in unison.
Belatedly, they realised that only now did the handkerchief touch the ground.
Effie took a step back, raising her hands in mock surrender before waving one dismissively. "Fine, fine. It's a draw."
The tension bled out of the moment slowly as Nephis lowered her sword and Sunny dismissed his, the echoes of their clash still lingering in the air.
Her eyes collided with his, and she saw in them the same thought that was running through hers. "Next time, it won't be a draw."
From the sidelines, Effie watched them with poorly concealed amusement. "Next time, try not to almost kiss mid-fight. Or do, actually. It'd make things way more interesting for me."
-------------------------------------------
Nephis brought the [Blessing of the Moon] down on a Nightmare Creature, cleanly splitting it into two.
[You have slain…]
She ignored the Spell's mocking voice with practiced ease, that was the last of many, and she was more than exhausted of listening to it. Instead, her attention went to the other fight, just in time to catch the end of it.
"They are getting more numerous," Sunny complained, gazing down at the remains of his opponent, plunging down to the ground.
"Yes."
They had left the Chained Isles behind, and were now closing in on the Black Mountains instead. The closer they got to the massive chain of mountains, the more they were attacked by flocks of Nightmare Creatures.
As of now, they had dealt with three assaults already, each of them led directly by a Corrupted Tyrant, forcing them to work together or risk letting some of them slip through to attack directly at the Ivory Tower.
"I'm going to leave one of my bodies constantly on watch; these ones almost caught us unaware," Sunny said, glaring in the direction of the rapidly falling Tyrant.
"Don't burden yourself too much, if you don't want to."
Without acknowledging her request, he gestured in the direction of the Ivory Tower before flying off.
She followed silently, taking it as the rebuke that it was.
They arrived shortly, landing just before the lake where the Chainbreaker -a name that Cassie had insisted on- was moored.
Nephis stepped beside him, matching his gaze on the ancient ship.
"Is this the flying ship you guys intended to use to cross the Hollow Mountains?"
"Yes." A self-deprecating smile appeared briefly on her face. "Though in the end it wasn't necessary."
Sunny was silent for a moment, his eyes roaming silently across the deck before exhaling slowly. "What was the plan?
"I would become a Saint and then, whether the others joined me or not, I would cross the Hollow Mountains and whatever other region it took to reach you."
He turned -just slightly- to look at her from the corner of his eye. "What made you sure that you would find me? Spell, what made you think that I would survive, however long it would take you to become a Saint and then come find me?"
"It's you." She replied simply, as if that was all it took to explain it. "An Unholy Titan could come crashing down on us right at this moment, and I'm sure you would still find a way to survive. You sort-of-did already, now that I think of it."
A short laugh escaped him despite his best attempts to restrain it.
"As for your other question…" her lips twitched upward. "I only have to follow the mayhem, and I will eventually find you."
He glared at her. "Like you are one to talk."
"Never said the contrary."
This time, both of them laughed.
By the time they were done, a smile was drawn on her face, and he seemed a little less guarded.
"Sunny…"
Before she could continue speaking, a surprised expression appeared on his face, one that developed into a delighted smile that shocked her so much she stopped talking.
His shadow detached from his feet, drawing away at a little distance from them.
She turned around to follow it, just in time to witness how it grew wider, and something started coming out of it.
The first thing she saw was a pair of ruby red eyes, burning like crimson flames. A body next, fully encased in dark stone armor that hugged a feminine form. A sword and a shield followed, held tightly within a grip that would break before bending.
In less than a second, there was a woman standing before them, as majestic as she was intimidating.
Her gaze briefly roamed around before landing on Nephis.
A chill traveled through her spine when those ruby eyes were set on her. In them, she saw a hint of confusion, then recognition, and finally a bottomless pit of rage and hatred that she could not even come close to quantifying.
Darkness erupted out of the Shadow that Sunny called Saint. It was thick and suffocating, bleeding out of her armor like blood, encasing her in a shroud that dimmed reality around her as if it dared not shine in her presence.
The stone woman took a step forward, sword held high and murder in her eyes.
Nephis did not let herself be intimidated, summoning her own sword in preparation for battle.
"Saint!" Sunny exclaimed happily
Before any of them could make another move, he quickly approached the shadow and embraced her tightly.
The woman glared at her one more time, and then she let her eyes drop down to take on the man hugging her. Awkwardly, her own arms rose to return the embrace, and the darkness retreated back beneath the armor as if it had never left.
Nephis almost got whiplash upon seeing the scene.
All the hate and rage in Saint's eyes when gazing at her were replaced by a love and adoration just as profound when her eyes landed on him.
A minute later, they separated, though they remained so close they might as well still be in contact.
On Sunny's face, she saw a smile so bright and sincere it almost blinded her. There was none of the vigilance he usually carried himself with in it, no hidden tension, no edge of distrust.
It was just a pure smile that made her heart flutter.
And it was directed to someone else.
"Look at you! You have grown again." He complained lightly, a smile clear in his face. "There is so much I have to tell you about…"
Though her face was hidden behind a helmet, Nephis was sure that she was smiling indulgently at Sunny, who was excitedly talking about the events that had taken place after she started her evolution.
Only a few times did their eyes meet during the one-sided conversation between Sunny and Saint, but Nephis saw clearly the very same hate written in the stone woman's eyes.
Despite it, a smile found its way to her face.
Saint knew, and she seemed more than willing to take action on it, but she neither couldn't nor wanted to deny the happiness that was clear on Sunny's face when he gazed at the shadow.
Nephis left silently, not wanting to barge in on their reunion.
-------------------------------------------
Sunny hummed a song while he took in the sight.
He was seated at the edge of the flying island, his feet dangling over the abyss, peak after mountain peak passing below quickly. It was still strange to think that he had nothing to fear about heights anymore. Or about so many things, now that he thought of it.
"I guess a lot has changed since then, right, Saint?"
His dutiful shadow nodded faintly, standing protectively behind him with sword and shield in hand, as if an attack were imminent.
"We did it." He said, not for the first time.
A part of him still couldn't believe it. A part of him never would.
He gestured upward next, at the sun shining brightly on them, bathing them with its rays and warmth. "Be honest, did you believe in our chances?"
Saint nodded once more, not a second having passed before she did.
He chuckled, genuinely amused. Of course, she didn't; for her, any possibility but victory might as well not exist. He wiped away the tears that formed at the corner of his eyes, not having realised until now just how much he had missed the taciturn shadow.
"What about you guys?" He asked his shadows next. "Did you believe in our chances?"
Gloomy waved its hand dismissively, as if it couldn't be bothered to care. The bastard.
The Happy shadow was with Rain, but he was sure it would have given an effusive thumbs-up.
Creepy mimicked a laugh worthy of its name. He chose to interpret it as an affirmative gesture for the sake of his sanity.
Haughty lifted its chin imperiously, as if saying, "You had me, of course, we would triumph". Hah, of course, it would think like that.
Naughty winked and gave no other answer. Yeah, that tracked.
Crazy laughed too, somehow managing to look even more sinister than Creepy did. He also chose to take that one as a yes.
Lazy, not having been present and too lazy to answer anyway, merely shrugged.
Finally, there was Serpent, stretched over his lap. It hissed softly, tongue peeking out of its mouth to lick his face before retreating back.
Sunny smiled as wide as he could, suddenly finding his chest tight with emotion.
"Thank you, all of you, I could have never done it without you."
Saint placed her right hand over his shoulder and squeezed softly, the simple gesture enough to almost bring tears back to his eyes.
They stayed like that for a long time, allowing themselves to bask in all of it. The rays of the sun, the breeze caressing their bodies, and the simple freedom of being able to stare at the sky without fear.
A snort escaped him, then a chuckle, and finally a full-blown laughter.
"We did it."
His shadows nodded.
"We did it."
His hands shook, filled with emotion.
"We did it."
So why did he feel like a part of him was still stuck there, in that damp darkness?
-------------------------------------------
Sunny put a hand over his eyes to shield them from the sun and gazed forward, looking out for danger.
He found none; the peaks of the Black Mountains were eerily silent, not a single Nightmare Creature in view. He kept looking anyway, unwilling to let his guard down even for a moment.
While he still did not find any danger, he spotted something else.
Far in the distance, almost beyond the range of his impressive sight, and on the peak of a very familiar mountain, there was a temple made of black marble that he could recognise anywhere.