"How the hell did I end up in this situation?" Zachary muttered under his breath, panting harshly as he ran through the coral labyrinth. Behind him, three Scavengers furiously pursued him, madness clouding their eyes. No matter how many turns he took, the bastards remained on his tail. By some sick stroke of luck, he hadn't encountered even more of them.
But before we continue—how did our blasphemous friend end up here? For that, we have to go back a few hours.
Zachary had been standing at the edge of the towering coral walls, a makeshift bag slung over his shoulder. It was crafted from seaweed and Scavenger remains, filled with chunks of meat, salt scraped from the statue walls, and two Soul Shards.
The idea of consuming the Shards had crossed his mind—briefly. But it wouldn't be smart to add more essence to his already unbalanced body. With a sigh, he took a step forward—and immediately, his Danger Sense fired off a sharp warning. 'Fucking hell. I know the labyrinth is dangerous, but most beasts should be south of the tower, busy devouring that corrupted shark.'
He drew in a deep breath, trying to settle his nerves and regulate his senses.
'Most of the Scavengers are occupied with the corpse. The labyrinth should be mostly empty. I know that. But still, I register it as dangerous...' If he wanted to refine this sense, he had to learn to recognize the subtlest nuances. Precision was the key. Right now, Danger Sense was just yelling: "Careful, bro! That labyrinth is dangerous!"
'No shit, Sherlock. The freaking huge labyrinth made of coral hides danger. Who would've thought.'
Zachary finished his bitter lampooning with another sigh. He would've loved to take a couple of days to properly calibrate the sense—but unfortunately, he was already behind schedule. Steeling his nerves, he stepped into the labyrinth. The Danger Sense instantly fell quiet. Apparently, taking a step into a previously marked danger zone without suffering any harm was enough for it to recalibrate.
'But that's not entirelly correct, I don't need the Danger Sense to feel safe inside the laberynth, I cannot allow it to turn itself off thinking I'm alredy safe. I need it to be active and alert of the particular dangers...'
He moved forward, step by cautious step, trying to identify which directions carried actual danger. The deeper he went, the more he tried to listen—not just with his ears, but with that new sixth sense.
'Well, practice will tell. The only thing I can do now is take it one step at a time. Most of the Scavengers are away… so, hopefully, I won't run into trouble.' He turned a corner with a wary smile.
***
"Did I really have to think that?!" Zachary shouted as he took a sharp left turn. He'd been running for a few hours alredy, thanks to his status as a Sleeper he still had enough stamina, but the Scavengers were still hot on his tail. At the edge of the labyrinth, he hadn't encountered any other beasts, but the deeper he went, the more the Danger Sense flared.
It first happened just as he was about to turn left—his Danger Sense spiked violently, and he chose a different direction. He didn't register it at first, but after realizing the only Scavengers he'd come across were the three behind him, it hit him: his Danger Sense had finally calibrated.
He could now tell which paths led to danger—and he avoided them. 'Well, one problem solved. But how the hell do I get rid of these bastards?! I could maybe handle one—but three?'
Zachary rounded another corner and stumbled into a clearing. No—more like a basin. Towering coral walls encircled it, and muddy sand sloped down to form a shallow depression at its center. Probably carved by the Dark Sea's currents pushing sediment inward during the night.
But the geological formation wasn't what grabbed Zachary's attention—it was the two girls standing in the middle of it. 'Hey, it's them!' Zachary thought with excitement, only for a far more awkward realization to replace it.
'But man, what terrible timing. I wanted our encounter to be smooth... Nephis and her compulsive suspicion are already working against me. First the gate incident at the Academy, then the combat class... Fuck, the only image I have given her is of some dude randomly tweaking, one way or another.'
Still, he entered the basin—and Nephis immediately turned to him, eyes narrowing.
'Well, spilled milk and all that. Better now than never. If we work together, we might be able to take them down.' With that thought, Zachary smiled wide and ran toward them.
"Hey—" he started, but the words died in his throat as he saw in horror how Nephis grabbed a startled Cassie by the arm and began running in the opposite direction.
"HEY!" Zachary yelled, giving chase. "Don't leave me here!"
"Leave us alone! Don't come near us!" Nephis snapped back, never looking over her shoulder.
Zachary suddenly saw it from their perspective—what a terrifying sight he must've made: mad eyes, wild smile, bloody blade, three monsters on his heels. 'Fuck. Good job, Zachary.'
Trying to salvage what little dignity he had left, he veered off in a different direction within the basin and shouted again: "Please wait! They won't go after you—look!"
He wasn't just guessing. When the first Scavenger he'd killed abandoned a perfectly good meal to chase him, he'd begun forming a theory: creatures affected by [Blasphemer] would ignore everything else, obsessed solely with him.
And now, that theory was proving itself. The three Scavengers didn't even glance at the girls as they continued their relentless pursuit. Nephis did finally stop. She turned, expression tight and unreadable, and raised a single eyebrow at the bizarre scene unfolding before her. She placed Cassie on higher ground and quickly returned to the center of the basin.
A plan was already forming in Zachary's mind, so focusing his mind to its limit; he turned to face the oncoming Scavengers. Just as Eddard had taught him, he tried to imagine the Attack Lines of the Scavengers. Thanks to his enhanced senses and the support of Danger Sense filling in the gaps, he was able to create an imaginary line where the attack was supposed to travel, just in time to dodge one of the Scavenger's pincers.
He rolled cleanly between their scythe-like legs and emerged behind them. A faint headache throbbed behind his eyes from the sudden mental strain, but he was unharmed. He sprinted toward Nephis.
"I'll run around the basin. You attack them when they're close!" he shouted mid-stride, not waiting for a response.
Nephis didn't need one. She moved like a honed blade, the moment an opportunity presented itself, she struck—severing the first Scavenger's leg in one fluid motion. In the same breath, she rolled away from the charge of the second and slashed clean through the third's pincer.
'Damn, she really knows what she's doing,' Zachary thought with admiration, his lips curled in a grin as he completed another lap around the basin. The Scavengers chased him blindly, their growing injuries ignored as they focused solely on him.
Eventually, Nephis felled two of them, leaving the last one bloodied and staggering. Zachary saw the opening and went for the kill.
He darted forward, diving toward the injured side, his Danger Sense whispering warnings in his head. He parried the creature's desperate pincer strike with the edge of Ender's Solace, and in the same motion, drove the blade into the wound in its broken carapace.
[You have slain an Awakened beast, Carapace Scavenger.]
Zachary let out a long breath and collapsed onto the muddy ground. He tilted his head to finally take a good look at Nephis—and then immediately looked away with a sharp, embarrassed cough.
'Yeah... when the novel said makeshift clothes, it really wasn't exaggerating,' he thought as he rubbed the back of his neck. Nephis, meanwhile, was calmly collecting the shards from the fallen Scavengers. Once done, she turned to look at him.
"Hello there," Zachary offered with an awkward smile.
She didn't respond. Her expression remained unreadable, and after a beat, she turned and walked toward Cassie.
"You know," Zachary muttered, mostly to himself, "people usually answer with General Kenobi when greeted that way."
Still grinning despite himself, he stood and followed after her.
"Neph? Are you there? What's going on?" the blind seer asked, her voice trembling slightly as she crouched and reached out, trying to grasp something in the air.
"I'm here," Nephis replied calmly, summoning her rope Memory and placing it into Cassie's hands.
"What happened? You suddenly grabbed me and started running while yelling?" Cassie asked, tying the rope around her waist with awkwardness.
Nephis was silent for a few seconds. Her expression remained impassive, but if the novel was right, she was probably choosing her words with care. "Some... Sleeper was being chased by Scavengers," she said at last.
'Did she just describe me like I'm some NPC?' Zachary thought with mock offense, though he couldn't help but smile.
"Hello, Cassie. I did say I'd see you around, but I didn't expect it to be this soon," Zachary said, his tone light and cheerful.
"Zachary!" the blind girl turned her head toward his voice, a broad smile blooming across her face.
"You know him?" Nephis asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, he used to sit with me at the cafeteria. He's... kind of strange—but a nice person!" Cassie corrected herself mid-sentence, laughing a little.
A flash of recognition passed through Nephis's eyes. "Aren't you the one with anger issues?"
Zachary grimaced while Cassie tried to stifle a laugh. "I don't have anger issues... anymore. And maybe that fellow deserved it. Anyway!" he clapped his hands dramatically, forcing a change of subject. "It's nice to see human faces in this forgotten hell. Even if it's only been, what, two days? Today should be December 23rd... time flies when you're running for your life."
The girls just stared at him as he rambled on. "Ahem. Where was I? Ah yes—human faces!" Zachary cleared his throat, inwardly cursing his tendency to spout bullshit. "So, what do you say, fine ladies? Shall we part ways? Although my last camp was quite cozy, I doubt I can get back there before dark."
He ended with a slight grin. "So... would you be so kind as to let this humble Sleeper tag along? I don't have much to offer—just some monster meat and a bit of salt."
Cassie opened her mouth to answer, but immediately quieted herself and turned toward Nephis—she was the one holding the reins right now. "Neph? He... has salt," the blind girl offered hesitantly, doing her best to support him.
There was a brief silence. Then Nephis finally spoke. "No..."
'Here it comes!' Zachary braced himself with mock dread.
"...problem," she finished at last. Cassie let out a quiet, relieved sigh.
'Gotcha.' Zachary couldn't help but smile inwardly.
***
The trip to the hill with the coral pillar was made in silence. Thankfully, they didn't encounter any more Scavengers. After the momentum of the fight wore off, Zachary lacked the energy to banter with the girls, so the rest of the way passed quietly. They reached the camp atop the pillar just as the sun began to set—there were still a couple of hours left before darkness fell.
Thinking of what to say, Zachary decided to stick close to the canon. "Was the light from two days ago your doing?"
"Yes," Cassie answered, her expression somber while Nephis only sighed beside her. "It was the first time we made a fire. But… it turned out to be a really bad mistake."
Zachary feigned surprise. "Why?"
"At night, any light will attract monsters. We were attacked by Scavengers first. And then…" She trailed off, trembling slightly.
Zachary just nodded in understanding as Nephis began setting up the fire. "I'll start preparing the meat," Zachary said, opening his bag.
He glanced briefly at the Soul Shards inside before deciding to store them in an inner pocket of the Witness' Mantle—pretty convenient, all things considered. "Even if the Dark Sea gives me the creeps, I have to admit the salt in its water is pretty damn good. If only we had some pepper…"
He started slicing the meat, then paused. "Speaking of which, do you have any water?"
"Yes!" Cassie said cheerfully as she summoned the Endless Spring. "It's a Memory—it's always full."
"Thanks. Great Memory, by the way. Utility ones are always undervalued, but they usually end up shining the brightest." Zachary took several deep gulps of the fresh water.
Cassie smiled as the scent of salted meat began wafting from the fire. They started eating while Zachary kept the conversation anchored close to the novel's events. He didn't truly believe small changes would derail the entire Forgotten Shore arc—hell, the main character was already missing—but still, he preferred to follow the established flow, just in case.
After sharing what he knew about the statue and the shark carcass, he decided to steer the conversation in a new direction.
"Well, I already know Cassie," he said, smiling. "But I'll still introduce myself properly. I'm Zachary. And once you get to know me, I'd say I'm pretty good company."
Cassie chuckled, recognizing the purposelessness of the formality. "I'm Cassie."
"Neph," came the curt response.
Without thinking, Zachary asked, "Immortal Flame?"—then immediately realized his mistake.
Nephis turned to him sharply, a frown forming. "How do you know that?"
'Fuck! I really had to open my mouth,' Zachary cursed inwardly, then quickly collected his mind.
"Well, it's nothing big," he said smoothly. "Caster was talking about it with his lackeys. Something about how they should respect you." Technically true—he wasn't sure if that conversation had happened this time, but it definitely had in the novel. And the circumstances seemed similar—he assumed they must've sparred during Combat Class.
Nephis stared at him for a few seconds, then gave a small nod. Zachary gave a small cough to clear the tension and spoke again. "Well, if we're going to move together for a while, it'd be smart to share our Abilities. I'll go first, if that's alright."
He collected his thoughts and began in a mock-somber tone. "Man, my Attributes are pretty terrible. One of them you've already seen—it makes me incredibly 'attractive' to Nightmare Creatures. I think it has a radius of about ten meters, and it works on Awakened ones. Maybe even Fallen…"
He was about to continue, but Nephis interrupted him. "Wait—you're saying that's an Attribute? Isn't that basically a Flaw?" she asked, incredulous.
Cassie chimed in. "No, it's- he's saying the truth." She quickly explained to Zachary. "I can actually 'see' other people Attributes."
Zachary narrowed his eyes slightly. "That's actually pretty useful. Can you see the full descriptions of them?" That question worried him the most—his Attributes gave away far too much about his situation. Thankfully, Cassie's answer was reassuring.
"No, I can't read the full descriptions. It's hard to explain, but I perceive them in a more… ethereal form. Mostly their effects or their most basic traits," she said, looking slightly flustered.
Zachary sighed in relief. "Good to know. Anyway, I'll continue. Let's see... I seem to always end up in strange situations. I can place some sort of… restrictions on myself, and my Soul is supposedly twice as potent… if only I could actually use it." He ended with a sigh, running a hand down his face.
He had thought he'd come to terms with his Attributes. But speaking them aloud only reminded him how truly burdensome they were.
"And as for my Abilities, I have enhanced senses, and something like danger perception. I also have better control over my body," he added with a tired smile, then suddenly remembered something.
"Oh, right—about my Memories. I have three: this armor, and two weapons." He summoned the hammer into existence. "I acquired the sword and the armor during my First Nightmare. The hammer I got after killing a Scavenger."
The girls looked at him with complex expressions. 'Are they... pitying me?' Zachary thought, slightly bewildered, just as Cassie gave a small cough to break the silence.
"Well, I already told you about how I can 'see' Attributes," she began hesitantly. "I also get, uh… 'visions.' They might be about the past or the future—I think. It's only happened a couple of times."
After that, Nephis shared her Abilities as well, keeping most of the details to herself—just like in the novel.
***
After eating and putting out the fire, Nephis offered to take the first watch. But Zachary found himself unable to fall asleep. He just lay there, staring into the starless sky. He was in a serious predicament.
He had decided to follow the canon as much as possible, but the conversation Sunny was supposed to have with Nephis at this point was something Zachary wasn't sure he wanted to replicate. Mainly because it was a key moment in their bonding—and using that moment, that knowledge, for his own benefit felt wrong. It would be unfair to the people of this world.
So instead, he chose to speak on his own terms.
"Hey, are you awake?" he asked, only to immediately palm his face in exasperation. He couldn't see Nephis from where he was lying, but he could easily imagine her expression.
"I'm standing watch. Why would I be asleep?" Nephis replied, her voice as impassive as ever.
"Ahem. Right. That makes sense. Can I ask you a question?"
She turned slightly and regarded him for a few seconds before shrugging. "Sure."
Zachary sighed. "Did your father ever mention a guy named Eddard?"
She turned her head fully now, eyes searching his face. "No. He didn't." After a pause, she added, "Who is he?"
Zachary propped himself up on his elbows. "Just a normal human. He was my instructor at the Academy. Apparently, your father made a strong impression on him—he taught him in the past." Nephis had already turned her head back toward the darkness, so Zachary couldn't see her expression. "Actually, learning your identity from Caster wasn't entirely true. I also heard it from Ned."
Silence lingered for a few moments, broken only by Nephis's quiet response. "I see."
'Well, I thought that would go better,' Zachary thought, frowning to himself. 'But I guess small steps are fine.'
He was just about to lie back down when Nephis suddenly spoke. "Can I ask you a question in return?"
Zachary sat up instead, sensing the shift in tone. "I mean, sure. But wouldn't that count as your question?" he teased lightly.
Nephis just stared at him without reacting.
"Ahem. Yes. Go ahead," he muttered, coughing awkwardly.
"You said you knew Cassie from the Academy, right?" Nephis asked.
Zachary nodded automatically, but she didn't react—until he remembered she couldn't see in the dark. "Yes," he answered quickly. "I used to sit with her and make small talk, too."
"Then here's my question." She shifted slightly, her eyes flicking toward the sleeping Cassie. "If you had found her instead of me… would you have helped her?"
Zachary was stunned. The question hit harder than he expected. In the early parts of the Forgotten Shore, Nephis had been awkward and reserved during conversations, so for her to throw something like this out of nowhere completely caught him off guard. But he quickly answered—or tried to.
'Would I? I mean… sure. Knowing the role she plays in the future, helping her is the logical choice.' But deep down, Zachary knew that wasn't the whole truth. 'True, but… if I didn't know that—if I didn't have knowledge of how important she'll become—would I still help the blind girl while I have my own problems to deal with? If things had gone differently, and Sunny was present, and I could've gone solo like I initially wanted… would I have gone out of my way to help her, with no guaranteed benefit?'
He thought about it, not because of the vow to stay true to his Penance, but because it mattered to him—to the kind of person he wanted to be.
Finally, he exhaled and spoke. "I don't know. I know that's not a great answer, but… I might have helped her. At the same time, I can't say for sure. I guess… I'll only know when I'm actually in that kind of situation."
Nephis stared in the direction of his voice. Her expression was unreadable, but the air around her felt… calmer. "I see."
A beat passed.
"Can I ask you another question?" Zachary asked, hoping to break the awkward tension. When she nodded, he decided to aim for something more personal—and something Nephis might actually enjoy.
"Do you know the myth of Sisyphus?"
Nephis blinked, then gave a rare look of curiosity. "Isn't that the story of the king who was condemned to carry a rock for eternity?"
Zachary smiled, noticing the slight spark in her voice—the most emotion she had shown so far.
"Yeah. Sisyphus loved being alive so much, he tricked the Underworld when death came for him. Twice, actually. Gained more years to live. The gods didn't appreciate a mortal mocking them, so they punished him."
Nephis listened intently, even though she already knew the story.
"They didn't kill him. No, that would've been mercy. If he loved life so much, they said, then fine—let him live. But in meaningless repetition. Push a boulder up a mountain, only for it to roll back down. Forever."
"I don't like that story," Nephis said quietly after a few moments, frowning in thought.
"Really? But I like to imagine Sisyphus happy." Zachary said without care. "I think thats a beautiful interpretation."
Nephis frowned deeper. "How is he happy? Sisyphus is just surrendering to Fate. He accepts the gods' Will. He gives up."
"Ah, but that's where you're mistaken dear." Zachary said, eyes glinting. "Firstly and foremost we need to revisit the opinion of this guy called Camus. He begins explaining that the universe; the existence in itself is cold, silent, indifferent and ultimately meaningless. And us humans are desperately seeking clarity, purpose and meaning. This clash creates a kind of existential tension — not because the universe is cruel, no no. But because it simply doesn't answer us; we cry out for meaning, and the universe gives us silence. That dissonance is the absurd."
Nephis had grown silent, listening to Zachary deeply. "That's where Sysiphus comes in. His absurd task mirrors the human experience: Struggle, effort, dreams, repetition, hope, disappointment — over and over."
Zachary sighed before continuing. "Camus argued that, when faced with the Absurd, we have two choices: the first is simple. Suicide." Nephis flinched almost imperceptible. "Surrendering to the Absurd, agreeing with it."
Zachary suddenly stood and walked to the edge of the camp before turning to Nephis. "Or we can embrace it. Like it or not, Sisyphus cannot change his fate. He's unable to escape from pushing the rock for eternity. But because he knows the truth of his situation—and still chooses to keep pushing—Sisyphus becomes greater than his fate. He isn't defeated by the absurd. The gods condemned him to suffer forever, but by finding joy in the task… he rebels. Being happy while climbing that mountain—that's his act of defiance."
Zachary walked back to his spot and sat down again. "The very effort to reach the peak is enough to fill a man's heart. You have to imagine Sisyphus happy."
"He was the first person to rebel against the gods." Zachary announced with a full heart.
They remained silent for a while, the low sound of the waves crashing into the pillar the only thing filling the night. Zachary could feel how Nephis was truly considering what he'd said, until she finally spoke.
"If we're talking about rebels... I like the story of Odysseus more." She turned away to continue her watch, ending their conversation.
Zachary returned to his resting position. Inside, though, he couldn't help lampooning. 'Man, how do I tell her that Ulysses was ultimately killed by his own son?' He finally drifted off to sleep with a faint smirk on his face.
The next morning, Cassie shared with them the Vision of the Bright Castle.