"Look at what has been done," Nephis began, voice clear and steady, carrying across the square of dirt and stone. "Not by monsters from the dark, nor by the storms beyond the Sea—but by men who choose cruelty, who are blind to honor, and deaf to justice. They wield power as a shield to hide their cowardice, and yet they will not stop us, not if we refuse to bow to fear."
Her words were measured, deliberate, striking the nerve of every person gathered. She paused, letting the silence fill the air, her gaze sweeping the crowd like a huntress evaluating her prey. Then she continued.
"Bravery is not born from comfort. It is not the quiet life that defines a man or woman, but the courage to act when all others look away. To stand, even when the ground beneath you is stained with injustice, even when the world says you must remain silent. Those who wield cruelty and injustice seek to convince you that obedience is safety—but it is a lie."
Her voice rose slightly, carrying a weight that made even the strongest Settlers shift uncomfortably under its truth. "We do not obey to survive. We act because survival is not enough. We act because life, for all its hardship, is worth claiming. We act because injustice left unchecked is a wound that festers in the heart of all who live under it. And those who wield power without honor will meet the reckoning that we bring with us—not through their own hands, but through the strength and will of those they sought to crush."
Nephis's eyes swept to the front row, resting briefly on the closest of the younger, frightened Sleepers, before lifting again to the crowd. "It is not death we fear—it is cowardice. It is not pain we flee from—it is weakness. Stand, not for glory, not for reward, but because the world demands courage. The ones who carve fear into your hearts believe you are weak. Show them you are not."
Her shoulders straightened, and she took a single step forward, letting her words resonate in the tense air around them. "Remember this day. Remember that the strong only stay strong when the weak refuse to kneel. And let those who would hurt you know this truth: you will not kneel, you will not hide, and you will not obey injustice."
She let the silence stretch a heartbeat longer, then began walking down the center of the gathering, each step deliberate, unhurried. The crowd parted before her like the tide, the tension in the air palpable, a mixture of awe, fear, and renewed resolve. Some of the Sleepers' faces shone with determination, others with anger at the cruelty they had witnessed—but all of them were roused.
By the time she reached the edge of the crowd, the murmurs had grown restless, almost electric. Eyes followed her every movement, hearts quickened with the stirring of a hope they hadn't dared feel before. Nephis's presence, her voice, and her unshakable composure had done more than intimidate—they had awakened something in the hearts of the Forgotten Shore.
Sunny watched from the edge, his chest tight but his mind racing. The stones of fear had been shaken loose, and even if the path ahead was perilous, Nephis had made it clear: she would not stop, and neither could anyone who wished to follow her. The crowd parted completely, letting Nephis walk through them like she had parted a sea. It should have been awe-inspiring. Instead, it filled Sunny with fear.
Sunny's chest still heaving from the intensity of the scene, he sat alone on a wooden crate nearby, biting his nails as he furiously tried to think of a solution. The clash between Gunlaug and Nephis was inevitable—she had rebuked him just once, and the Bright Lord had responded by murdering two of her followers. Nephis' retaliation had been with words alone, but the impact was far stronger than any act of violence. Sunny had heard of Gunlaug's obsession over power, how he struck down anyone who tried to claim it from him, but even so, he had been unprepared for the level of calculated brutality Gemma and the Bright Lord had exhibited.
No, he had to do something. If Gunlaug and Nephis fought, one of them might survive, but what about himself and Cassie? That they would be dragged into it, there was no doubt. Gemma had already called them Nephis' "aides" when he saw them. He was tied to her chariot, and it was racing headlong off a cliff. He'd be damned if he allowed her to drag him any further, friendship or no friendship.
He sat up and began walking toward where Nephis stayed, but he had only gotten halfway when he saw a figure leaning against the wall. In the fading sunlight, shadow covered their upper body, so it was only when he got closer that Sunny recognized Cassie. The blind girl had both hands clasped in front of her stomach, and she seemed to be muttering something to herself.
"Cass?" he asked.
She startled, head shooting up, fixing on his general area. Sunny stepped closer, gently reaching out to touch her shoulder. "Hey Cass, it's me."
"Sunny," she sighed, a small smile forming. "What are you doing here?"
"I can ask the same of you," he chuckled. "I'm off to see Nephis; I need to talk to her about something. Are you heading somewhere?"
"Ah, no, I actually just got back from seeing Nephis myself…she's in, in case you were wondering."
"Really," Sunny blinked. "Well, that's a coincidence. Need me to drop you back?"
"Ah, no, thank you."
Sunny walked past her but had only taken a few steps when she called out again. "Sunny?"
There was something in her voice that made his stomach twist, and he looked back. "Yes, Cassie?" The sun had lowered just enough to change the angle of its light, revealing her lower jaw and mouth, but still hiding her eyes. "Can you…hold my hand, for a second?"
Sunny was confused but didn't refuse. He moved back to her, taking her soft hand in his own and holding it gently. Cassie smiled her gratitude at him, and then Sunny's eyes widened as he felt a current of warm energy flow through her arm, up into his, and into his heart. In his mind, the Spell spoke.
[You have received a Memory—Endless Spring.]