The rain had slowed down to a drizzle, by the time the crowd began to thin.
Nephis stood where the fight had ended. The noise of celebration drifted through the air around her — praises from everyone reaching her ears.
She was trying to understand what she had just done.
However, she did not have the time to.
Caster quickly approached her, his expression carefully arranged into concern.
"Lady Nephis, are you alright?"
She was more than alright. Near the end of the battle, she had been healed by Leon's crown. She was certain of that, considering Leon's face when it happened. Whatever the crown had done, it had not been on his orders.
From somewhere in the crowd, a voice shouted.
"Saint Nephis won!"
She slowly lifted her head. The Sleepers around her wore the faces of people who had witnessed a great triumph. Their eyes were bright, filled with excitement and admiration — as though she had just slain a Fallen Beast.
"Changing Star is the strongest Sleeper!"
Another one exclaimed.
Nephis looked at them for a moment, then lowered her gaze.
She knew that wasn't true.
If Leon had decided to use his Echo, or if his crown had responded to his call, she might not even be standing right now. She had won because his tools had turned against him.
There was no glory in that.
As the crowd continued shouting cheerful remarks over Changing Star's glorious victory, she began walking back to the building.
Caster silently followed her.
Along the way, Nephis stopped when she saw Effie standing right by the building, with a serious expression on her face.
The large woman was standing just beside the entrance, arms crossed, expression flat and unreadable.
She expected her to sing praises, or perhaps even throw curses at her. To her surprise, however,
"Are you alright, princess?"
Nephis blinked.
She slowly nodded.
"Yes. I'll go rest now."
Effie nodded back.
The next day, as if nothing had occurred, Nephis was in her office. Documents spread across the table in front of her. Her eyes moved across them without reading anything.
Her mind kept pulling her elsewhere.
She thought about why they had fought.
Was it because he killed someone innocent?
Leon had killed someone without her knowledge or permission. He had done it in her settlement, created a scene, dragged a body into the open and made a declaration — and he had done all of it without once asking what she wanted.
Nephis exhaled quietly through her nose.
No. When Leon had claimed the man was a spy, and Sunny hadn't contradicted it. With his aspect, Sunny had eyes in many places. If he had stayed silent, it was because he agreed.
So that wasn't it.
Her hand traced across the documents in front of her mindlessly. She was not in the mood to work right now.
She pressed her lips together. There was something sitting in her chest that she couldn't describe — something small and persistent.
Was it... guilt?
She shook her head.
'Why should I feel guilty?'
Leon had been the one acting out of line. He always was. Pulling people into danger without explanation, disappearing without warning, keeping pieces of himself hidden from others.
And yet.
She noticed the silver armor she wore. The Starlight Legion Armor, which was a gift by Leon — without asking for anything in return, without even seeming to consider what it cost him. He had simply handed it over and moved on.
She pulled her gaze away from the desk.
It didn't change anything. He had given her the armor before the hut. Before the conversation. Before she had made the shape of her goals clear to him — which meant it proved nothing about his intentions.
Nephis clenched her fists. Her mind went toward Leon's words last night.
"Song," he said. "And Valor."
Was Leon the assassin sent to kill her?
He had to be. How else could he have known all of it, if he wasn't from the great clans. Him and Caster must have been sent from two different clans.
But.
Would someone trying to kill her give her armor?
Would someone who simply wanted to use her waste a Memory of that quality on her safety?
Nephis's gaze darkened.
Yes. If it bought trust. If it made her lower her guard.
Nephis sat back slightly.
Would someone trying to kill her fight the way he had fought last night? She thought about it carefully. The way he held back. The way he ordered his Echo not to interfere.
She thought about the conversation in the hut. She had walked in with a conclusion already formed and had proceeded to confirm it.
She had not asked. She had not waited.
She had moved straight from suspicion to accusation. And Leon — Leon had been angry. Not afraid, because he didn't know how to be afraid.
You made me trust you
She could still picture Leon's face after she had said that. Guilt, so much guilt.
The ache in her chest sharpened.
She remembered the sight of Leon staring at her as his body lay bloody and beaten. The very sight of his gray eyes gazing at her made Nephis shudder.
She exhaled quietly and turned the next document face-down without reading it.
But what concerned her more was the fight itself.
Leon had used her silver flames during the fight. He had also used Caster's speed. She knew it was impossible for others to notice — they would have assumed Nephis was using her flames to burn him.
But she knew. He was augmenting himself.
He had lied about his aspect. Or rather, he had not told the full truth.
'Can he copy other aspects?'
Nephis straightened in her seat. Her eyes slowly widened.
'Does he... have a divine aspect like me?'
A knock sounded on her door.
Nephis exhaled slowly.
"Come in."
The door opened. A frail looking girl with blonde hair entered the room. Cassie closed the door and looked in the direction of Nephis.
"Nephis."
She smiled as she spoke her name.
Nephis loosened her shoulders.
"Hey Cas."
Cassie walked toward the desk. The way she moved couldn't be differentiated from a person with eyes.
She settled into the chair across from her.
"Have you seen Leon or Sunny? I was thinking we could all have breakfast together."
Nephis froze.
The feeling in her chest grew more painful.
She was always used to pain. Her entire combat revolved around it. She would constantly heal her wounds, walk through injuries that would have broken most Sleepers
This was different.
This was a kind of pain even her bright silver flames couldn't reach, let alone touch. They didn't know where it was.
Nephis frowned.
"Anyways, forget that for now." Cassie's head tilted slightly. "What was that commotion yesterday? Was there a Nightmare Creature?"
She stood and walked closer to Nephis.
Nephis could not find words. She thought about explaining it — about the spy, the hut, the rain, the fight. But the words died in her throat.
How did you tell someone that you had fought to the death with the person who returned after a month of isolation.
Her fists clenched tightly, her knuckles growing pale.
Cassie didn't seem bothered by the silence. She tilted her head slightly, then continued.
"Actually," she said, after a moment. "Forget it. There's something I need to tell you first."
Cassie's hands trembled as she gripped the table.
"What's wrong, Cassie?"
Cassie gulped slowly.
"A vision..."
She immediately stood up and approached Cassie, grabbing her shoulders.
"Are you alright?"
The words came out without thinking.
She froze.
Why hadn't she asked that last night? Why had she walked into that hut and started with accusations instead of questions?
Cassie shook her head.
"It's not — I'm fine. It's the vision itself. I just... don't know how to tell you."
"It's alright, Cas." Nephis steadied her voice. "Whatever it is, you can tell me."
Slowly nodding, Cassie let out a shaky breath.
"Actually—"
But before she could finish, the door suddenly burst open.
Caster barged into the room.
"Lady Nephis."
Her eyes twitched.
"What is it." She said in a cold tone.
"It's Tessai."
Nephis slowly pressed against her head.
'Someone is going to die today.'
Looking back at Cassie, she slowly whispered.
"I'll be back."
Cassie nodded, and Nephis left the room.
***
Nephis stood in front of Tessai. His giant figure loomed over her, yet she was unfazed.
He looked at her for a moment and smiled.
"I see he wasn't with you after all." He shrugged one enormous shoulder. "I suppose the rumors were false."
"That man," Nephis said, keeping her voice flat. "Was he one of yours?"
Tessai shrugged.
"I don't know who you're talking about."
He leaned forward and crossed his arms.
"I'd say there's a position open with Lord Gunlaug."
Looking at her, he smiled and continued.
"Think about it Changing Star, you could become a lieutenant."
"Perhaps Lord Gunlaug might even give you a more..."
His eyes moved toward her chest.
"Closer position."
A longsword formed in her hand. Nephis gave him a cold look.
"Does your head feel too heavy on your shoulders?"
Tessai grinned. "No worries. You'll comply eventually." He turned to leave. "Everyone does."
"I expect great things from you."
He said, walking away.
Nephis stared at him leave. It was obvious why he was here.
He was probing. Testing whether last night had cost her anything, whether Leon's absence was a weakness she was trying to hide.
***
Inside the office, a meeting had been called.
Nephis stood at one end of the table. Caster, Effie, Cassie, and two other Sleepers positioned themselves around it, heads angled downward, waiting for her to begin.
She cleared her throat. "When do we need to leave for the next hunt?"
One of the Sleepers glanced up. There was something in her expression that Nephis had seen before — the quiet light of someone looking at a person they admire.
"The Fallen Monster you slayed has helped us considerably, my lady. I'm sure we can last a few more days with it."
Nephis looked down at the table.
The Fallen Monster. The one that had taken lives — including one of her pathfinders — before they had brought it down. They wouldn't have managed it that day without Leon's interference. Without his reckless tendency to walk directly into danger.
He hadn't even asked for the soul shards.
She nodded slowly. "Anything else?"
Everyone remained silent, before Caster spoke up.
"Lady Nephis, if I may?"
Nephis nodded.
"I think it's best we send out a search party for Leonar and Sunless."
As those words left his mouth, Cassie lifted her head slowly and looked at Caster.
"Those two are too dangerous. Especially after last night."
Nephis frowned. "Why Sunny?"
Caster cleared his throat.
"I think it's best you learn that alone."
He looked at the two Sleepers in the room. They took the signal and hurriedly left the room.
He glanced at Cassie and Effie.
"They can stay," Nephis said.
He nodded.
"To be honest, Lady Nephis."
Caster arranged his expression into one of reluctance.
"It was not Leonar who killed that man yesterday."
The room went quiet.
"What do you mean."
Cassie simply listened in, without questioning anything.
"I did a thorough investigation after that night." He paused. "It turns out the man — Harper — may have been innocent. He was likely just an admirer. Sunless suspected him of something and led him into his hut."
He lowered his gaze.
"The poor man likely asked too many questions. So Sunless killed him. And..."
Effie went still. Her hand closed around the edge of the table slowly, until the wood gave a faint creak.
Nephis widened her eyes.
She stared at Caster with a lost expression on her face.
Caster seemed to hesitate as he fidgeted in place.
"Leonar then happened to be there, so..."
"He took the blame."
Effie spoke up, crossing her arms as her expression grew darker.
Caster nodded.
His expression continued to grew grim as he clutched his head in his palm.
Nephis did not know what to say. But what was on her mind, wasn't who killed the man last night.
She had suspected since this morning that Caster was managing her — feeding her information at the right moment, arranged in the right order, to produce the right emotional response.
The question was not whether he was manipulating her. He obviously was. The question was what he wanted her to feel.
Guilt, obviously. A debt to Leon. A reason to want him back — and once he was back, a reason to trust the person who had delivered him.
Caster then stopped talking, and looked down at the table.
Afterall, he was possibly the only witness right now, and his words would have been worth more compared to Sunny or Leon at the moment.
Nephis took a deep breath.
The Han Li clan was a branch to the Song clan. Caster was obviously a Song assassin. She had deduced that a while back.
And yet...
She thought about Sunny in the hut. The silence, the way he had watched Leon without saying a single word to contradict him.
Which meant it was true. Caster was using the truth as bait.
Nephis exhaled.
"Caster."
Caster looked up.
"Yes, my lady."
She frowned slightly.
"I have a task, that I can only trust you with."
Caster smiled brightly, as he nodded like a lost puppy.
"Anything for you, Lady Nephis."
"I want you to find them. Search the outer settlement, the dark city, the castle if you have to." She met his eyes. "With your aspect, you're probably the only one who can."
Caster's smile froze on his face.
He frowned.
"But, my lady, to leave you at such a critical moment."
"No. In fact, now is the best time. If the settlement believes I defeated the man who beat Harus, what does that suggest about how I compare to Gunlaug?"
Caster couldn't argue with that. She could see him trying to form words and fail.
The same question must have been rotting in the minds of countless Sleepers.
"Leave now," she said. "I need to speak with Cassie and Effie."
Caster realized he couldn't change her mind.
Bowing slightly, he left the room.
And with that, she had removed an obstacle from her path. She had sent him away because he was a variable she couldn't currently control.
Nephis sighed as she sat down on a nearby chair.
Cassie's voice came softly across the room.
"Mind explaining everything to me?"
She looked up at Cassie, who had a serious expression on her face.
But Nephis was too tired.
Her emotions and thoughts were a mess, she could not even hold a simple conversation right now.
"Let me."
Effie said, as she looked at Nephis.
Nephis did not argue, as her gaze fell to the floor.
***
"Then doofus grabbed Leon and left on the giant bird."
Effie ended explaining the entire story of last night to Cassie.
With the exception of the worst details of the battle, of course.
Cassie stood very still. Her expression already lost.
Lowering her head to the floor, she spoke in a serious tone.
"Could you give us a moment, Effie?"
Effie nodded. She walked to the door and closed it behind her without a word.
The room was quiet.
Cassie slowly turned toward Nephis.
"Why?"
Nephis opened her mouth.
"I... I thought—"
"You thought!?"
Nephis flinched.
She had never heard Cassie's voice fill a room like that. Cassie, who was gentle and quiet, was now shouting. She wasn't crying, just looking at her with her bright, furious blue eyes.
She had never heard Cassie speak like that. In all the months she had known her, Cassie never sounded like that.
"I'm sorry, Cassie. I—"
"Alright."
Cassie said as her expression softened.
Nephis blinked. "Alright?"
Cassie slowly approached Nephis, dragging a chair opposite to her.
Sitting down, she held a hand over Nephis's and softly spoke this time.
"Tell me what happened," she said. Quietly. "From the beginning."
Nephis looked at her.
Why hadn't she done this? Just — this. A chair pulled close. A hand offered. Tell me what happened.
A small doubt was planted in her heart.
She didn't ask herself that question. But the question was obvious.
Are my goals truly worth it — if I simply destroy everything in the process?
She remembered Leon's words.
"You are becoming no different than the ones you want to destroy."
She had hated him for saying it.
"What have I done Cassie..."
Her voice cracked at the edges, yet remained steady.
Cassie shook her head.
"Tell me first."
Nephis slowly nodded.
***
Nephis gave a brief explanation on why they fought. The conversation in the hut, to her standing in the rain, with a hollow pyrrhic victory.
She kept some things away. The details of her clan, the kind of suspicion she placed on Leon. It wasn't because she didn't trust Cassie.
Anyone could be listening. Some things were not safe to say out loud in any room.
Cassie sighed softly.
"Nephis."
Nephis nodded.
"I know. I—"
Cassie shook her head.
"Not that. Remember I told you I had a vision?"
A soft breath left her mouth.
"Yes. What was it about?"
Cassie cleared her throat as she grabbed Nephis's hands tightly. Cassie's hands were cold.
"Do you trust me?"
"Of course." Nephis gazed into her eyes. "You're my friend."
The word sat strangely in her mouth. She thought about the last time she'd used it, standing in the rain, telling someone she'd never considered him one.
Cassie tightened her grip.
"So this is from the past."
She paused for while and took a deep breath.
"Your past."
Cassie leaned forward towards Neph's ear. She whispered softly.
A woman was holding an infant against her chest. The baby slept in her arms, his face peaceful and quiet, unbothered by the world he had just arrived in.
The woman smiled brightly. Her smile was simply too beautiful, as though it had come from the heavens.
Beside her stood a tall man with sharp gray eyes, and in his arms — a dark-haired girl. She was watching the infant in her mother's arms with focused, unblinking curiosity.
"Nephis." The woman spoke softly. Her voice sounded angelic.
"This is your little brother."
The man that stood beside her smiled.
"He is seven whole minutes younger than you."
The mother looked down at the infant and smiled brightly.
"Leonar."