"So let me get this straight," Zachary said as he placed a piece of monster meat into his mouth, the savory crab flavor flooding his senses as he continued speaking. "You had a vision—a dark city full of Nightmare Creatures and a Bright Castle full of Sleepers."
Cassie nodded excitedly while munching on another piece of meat. At her side, Nephis listened carefully while tending the meat near the fire. "Yes!"
"Okay, good. Anything else you want to add?" Zachary asked, feigning curiosity. He already knew about this vision, but the details involving him were unknown—and therefore, the most important.
Cassie paused for a moment, trying to remember something more. Then her eyes widened, and she said in a cheerful tone, "Yes, that's right! You were leading me through the gates of the castle. Nephis was following behind, too!" She smiled brightly and took a sip from her Memory.
"That means we'll arrive safely!" the blind girl finished happily.
Meanwhile, Zachary was deeply contemplating her words.
'I mean, it makes sense if you take a moment to think about it. Contrary to the novel, I know that entering the Bright Castle requires soul shards, so we can certainly prepare them in advance. But now that I think about it... I feel kind of uncomfortable being in her vision. With the way Fate works in this world, I don't like the feeling of being tied to it...'
Zachary sighed deeply as he stood and patted the dirt from his pants. 'But there's not actually much I can do at the moment.'
"So we go west, then," Zachary said, looking at the girls.
***
After finishing their breakfast and going down the pillar Zachary was watching Nephis helping Cassie tie the rope around her waist, so he decided to ask. "So, how are we going to do this?" This question came after a moment of contemplation —after all— Zachary's abilities were completely different to Sunny's.
Nephis turned to him with her usual expressionless face, clearly thinking through their situation. After a few seconds, she said, "I'll take the front, Cassie will stay in the middle, and you'll guide her from the back. That way, if we encounter Scavengers or other Nightmare Creatures, they won't notice you immediately, and you can put Cassie somewhere safe."
She turned back, ready to begin their march, but Zachary quickly interrupted her.
"Actually, I don't think that's the best plan. While it certainly keeps Cassie and me safe to an extent, you'd be taking the full brunt of any attack."
Nephis looked at him without blinking. Cassie, meanwhile, stood back quietly, knowing she couldn't contribute much to the planning.
"I don't have a problem with that," Nephis replied flatly, making her way to resume the journey.
Zachary gently held her wrist to stop her. "Don't be rash," he said as he let go. "Just hear me out. While your plan works, it's not the most efficient. Let me take the front, with you a few steps behind, guiding Cassie. If we run into a Scavenger, I'll create distance and draw the aggro. Then you can hit them from behind—it worked pretty well last time, remember?"
Nephis frowned slightly, but didn't argue immediately.
'What does she have against this plan?' Zachary wondered. Logically, it made sense—they could weaponize his cursed Attribute and gain an advantage with minimal risk. Nephis had always been rational in the novel, so she should be able to see that. Still, since he wasn't sure what she was really thinking, he decided to add more.
"Also, there's a good chance we won't run into anything. Remember my Danger Sense? I can sense if our path contains danger, so we can change our direction to avoid monsters." He ended with a slightly smug expression.
"The same sense that led you into three Scavengers?" Nephis asked, skeptical.
"Tss, low blow—but yes, that same one," Zachary said, feigning injury. "In my defense, it wasn't calibrated back then. The whole labyrinth screamed danger at the time, so I couldn't recognize the specific threat. But now that I've had some practice, I can say it'll work fine going forward... Trust me."
Nephis looked at him for a few more moments. Zachary still couldn't quite tell what her hesitation was, but after a sigh, she finally said, "Alright. Lead the way."
"Perfect," Zachary said with a smile as they began their march toward the statue. Thanks to his Mind, he remembered most of the turns he'd taken the previous day, so he had no trouble finding the path forward.
While guiding the group Zachary began to think; while his Danger Sense was able to replace to some extent Sunny's Shadow Sense or Shadow Helper, at the end of the day his abilities where completely different than Sunny's. This realization nested deeply in his mind.
'While my Danger Sense is certainly useful, it lacks the versatility of his Shadow Helper. The ability to share senses with a shadow and scout ahead is just objectively better.' Zachary sighed quietly.
'My Danger Sense can hold the same role for now, but… eventually, I'll find myself in a situation where I can't take Sunny's place. And I don't know what I'll do then.' With a heavy heart, Zachary forced himself to focus on the present.
Coming back to reality, he noticed he was taking more turns than the day before—there were clearly more Scavengers in the labyrinth now. As he turned left to avoid a corridor that radiated danger, he noticed something new: sometimes, the warning signal from his Danger Sense arrived sharply and intensely; other times, it was muffled—same direction, but with less weight.
'Wait—can I feel the number of enemies?' Zachary was stunned by the possibility. But he didn't have time to explore the thought further—he had arrived at a crossroad, and both paths ahead radiated danger.
Nephis, noticing his sudden stop, asked, "What's going on?"
"Well, you see..." Zachary began, rubbing the back of his neck. "Seems like there are more Scavengers in the labyrinth than yesterday. Both paths ahead are triggering my Danger Sense... So I think we'll have to fight."
Nephis stared at him in silence, prompting Zachary to add quickly, "One path gives off a much stronger warning than the other, which probably means more Scavengers—maybe five or more. The other feels weaker, but I don't have a way to precisely gauge the numbers, so I can't be sure."
Her silence continued for a few moments before she finally asked, her voice carrying genuine curiosity, "We'll have to fight either way, right? So why explain all that?"
"Oh, well... I just thought you should know what to expect." He coughed awkwardly. "Ahem. So... I'll take the lead, then."
With that, he sprinted down the coral corridor. 'Man, the novel really underestimated how awkward it was to talk with Nephis in the beginning,' he thought, but quickly pushed the lampooning aside to focus.
Zachary took the lead while Nephis placed Cassie in a safe spot. The blind girl had remained silent throughout the journey—Zachary guessed she was trying to avoid drawing attention, making things easier for the two of them.
He quickly arrived at the point where danger was radiating, and in front of him, three Carapace Scavengers were devouring a piece of tentacle—likely from an unfortunate Deep One. The moment Zachary saw the Nightmare Creatures, they noticed him too, immediately shifting their attention toward him.
"Well, maximum effort, I guess," Zachary muttered, shedding his playfulness and focusing entirely on the enemies ahead. Summoning Ender's Solace, he slid beneath the first pincer, using the slickness of the muddy floor to propel himself behind the creature. The second Scavenger's attack came immediately after.
Trying to visualize the attack line, Zachary attempted to parry the Scavenger's pincer. But to his surprise, the appendage opened mid-strike, aiming to bisect his torso. The change in the attack was unexpected, but not enough to catch him off guard. Riding the momentum of his previous slide, Zachary veered left and, tensing all his muscles, delivered a heavy upward strike to the inside of the pincer.
The blow made the pincer ricochet, narrowly missing his head. A sharp clang rang out, and pain shot through Zachary's hand, but he was still unharmed.
Just as the third Scavenger was about to close in, Nephis emerged behind the first one. Like a well-drawn bowstring snapping forward, she struck cleanly at the joint between its pincer and body. The appendage dropped to the ground, severed. At the same time, Zachary managed to slice through the front leg of the third Scavenger, allowing him to slip free of their encirclement.
Now the Scavengers were trapped between both Sleepers—still fixated on Zachary, completely ignoring the real threat behind them.
"I feel like I should make a comic remark here, but nothing really comes to mind," Zachary muttered, and with that, he sprinted off with the Scavengers in pursuit, Nephis silently following behind.
For the next few minutes, a cartoonish chase unfolded. Zachary would gain distance, only to suddenly stop, land a blow or two, and then resume his retreat. All the while, Nephis followed, picking off the Scavengers one by one until she finally dealt the killing blow to the third.
Zachary was breathing a little heavily as he began bisecting the Scavenger's corpse, searching for the Soul Shard and enough meat to fill his seaweed bag. With an honest laugh, he turned to Nephis.
"Nice plan, huh? I might even say we make a good team." Zachary probed the stoic girl, maybe hoping for a small reaction.
Nephis just looked at him for a few moments before returning to her own search for the Soul Shard. Zachary was about to sigh in defeat when he heard her mutter:
"I guess so."
That answer made Zachary smile a little, but his expression quickly turned more serious as something weighed on his mind—something he had finally admitted to himself during the fight: the development of the Simple Sword.
'Fuu, I've mastered this swordsmanship completely... But I still can't find a way to develop it further. I know it's possible, I know I have the potential. Hell, even [The Fool] Attribute says I have "infinite potential," but this fight made it clear—I lack the Insight to wield said potential, to move beyond the Limits of the Simple Sword.' With a shake of his head, he glanced at Nephis, who had just finished gathering the useful parts from the Scavenger.
While they made their way back to Cassie's hiding spot, Zachary remained deep in thought. 'Will I need to do the same thing Sunny did in the novel? Ask for guidance from Changing Star... I mean, Broken Sword's swordsmanship was revered throughout the story. Maybe experiencing it firsthand will help me form an image of what I'm aiming for. And I certainly can't use any Soul Shards at the moment, so instead of hoarding them until I reach Balance, it might be better to trade them for something that helps now.'
"Are you there?" Cassie's quiet, slightly trembling voice pulled him back to reality.
"Yes, Cass. We killed three Scavengers. Nephis is safe too—she's just up ahead," he said gently, taking her hand and guiding her forward.
'There's not much to think about. Learning from her will bring more benefits than problems.'
When they reached Nephis, the group continued toward the Statue. The sun still hung high in the gray sky, but they decided to make haste. Along the way, they encountered a second group of Scavengers, and using the same strategy, they were able to defeat them without trouble.
Finally, they arrived at the Statue.
***
After climbing up with practiced ease, they made use of the last rays of light to begin cooking dinner. Zachary was carefully tending to the roasting meat while Nephis distributed the Soul Shards fairly. She placed three in front of him, three in front of Cassie, and kept three for herself—courtesy of both groups they had fought today and the ones from the previous day.
Zachary looked at the shining stones in front of him and, with a deep sigh, extended his hand to push them back toward Nephis.
The girl arched an eyebrow slightly and looked at him intently. "Won't you absorb them?" she asked, as Cassie raised her head in his direction, a curious look on her face.
"It's not that I won't," Zachary said, "it's more like I can't—at least for now."
Nephis's eyebrow rose a little higher, showing her questioning skepticism. Cassie tilted her head slightly, clearly not understanding either.
"Okay, let me explain. Yesterday, I said my ability allows me to control my body better, right?" Receiving nods from both girls, he continued. "Well, that was only a half-truth. My Ability is called [Balance Control]. It forcefully creates a balance between my Body, Mind, and Soul, letting me control these aspects of myself more precisely. And let's just say that… during my First Nightmare, I absorbed a considerable number of Soul Fragments. Now, my Body and Mind are lagging behind my Soul."
Cassie's eyes widened, and even Nephis's impassive expression shifted slightly—perhaps surprised by the Ability, or by Zachary's honesty. Probably both.
But Zachary wasn't finished. "Please don't misunderstand. While I'd like to think of myself as a Noble Soul in pursuit of a Clear Conscience, I'm certainly not charity. What I'm proposing… is an exchange."
Nephis narrowed her eyes, visibly more interested. "Exchange of what, exactly?"
"Nothing too serious," Zachary said with a calm smile. "I'll give my share of any Soul Shards we gain in the future to you. In return, I'd like to learn swordsmanship from you. While the swordsmanship I've learned is good, its only focused on the basics—and the basics won't be enough going forward."
He extended a hand to Nephis in a gesture of partnership. She stared at it for a moment, her expression unreadable. But behind her gray eyes, Zachary could see she was seriously considering it. "So, what do you say? Do we have a deal? It'll only be until I reach Balance."
Nephis paused for a long time, Zachary could guess she was trying to find a hidden agenda behind his words, but after another minute she simply answered."Fine."
She reached out and shook his hand, her grip lacked strength. She inmediately took Zachary's shards and gave two too Cassie, keeping the remaining one.
"Perfect!" Zachary said, clapping his hands. "So when do we begin?" he asked, already expecting the answer.
"Now," Nephis replied as Zachary gave her a questioning look. "We'll start with some words. That will be enough for today."
The day was coming to an end, and the sea was returning. After putting out the fire, they sat around the camp. After a moment of consideration, Nephis invited Cassie to listen—just like in the novel. And, just like before, she began to recite the familiar statements: about the mastery of body and mind, about repetition, and about combat through the mind. Then, she looked straight at Zachary.
"If what you said about your Ability is true, you might have an easier time refining your mastery of the body and mind… but you might also have the most trouble with it." Her eyes narrowed slightly.
Zachary was about to ask why, but then paused and thought about it himself. After a moment, he felt he understood. "Because while I might have better control over my mind, that control could also become an obstacle when I'm close to a breakthrough, right?"
Nephis's eyes widened slightly, clearly surprised he had found the answer on his own. "Yes. Control is different from mastery. And to master the mind, the first step is to understand the essence of combat. However, very few people truly do. What do you think the essence of combat is?"
Zachary fell into deep thought. He knew what answer she expected. But he didn't feel like giving it—not yet. He hadn't truly experienced real combat in this world. Dahrio, Eddard, even the Carapace Scavengers… all of it had happened in a somewhat controlled environment, one way or another. He realized that if he wanted to truly master his mind, he would need to form his own worldview—one that would grow, sharpen, and evolve alongside his journey. So, with that in mind, he found his own answer.
Just as Cassie answered softly, "Victory," Zachary said, in a deep and firm voice: "Selfishness."
Nephis was about to correct them both—until she turned to him, caught off guard by his answer. Zachary continued, sharing his thoughts.
"Combat is nothing more than the clash between two beings—two souls, two Egos. Both carry something: a desire, a duty, a need to protect… maybe even just their Name. But in the end, the one who holds it more firmly, who doesn't sway before the other, the one who stands unmoved by anything—that person prevails. Victory, survival, murder… every single outcome depends on who is able to Will their existence over their opponent's."
He announced his answer while gazing into the starless sky, a little proud of himself for coming up with such a perspective.
The girls remained silent for a while, until Nephis finally said: "No. It's murder."
"Oh, come on!" Zachary raised his voice lightly, feigning offense. "I went through the effort of delivering that whole monologue. You could at least give me an opinion on it!"
Cassie muffled a laugh before replying, "It was a good monologue, Zachary." But he could feel she was mostly humoring him.
Zachary noticed how Nephis opened her mouth to say something, only to fall silent. After a few awkward moments, her impassive mask returned, and she continued her lesson.
"At the core of it, there is only this: you are trying to kill your opponent, and they are trying to kill you. In the end, one of you will be killed—and the other one will be the killer. Everything else is just noise. Style doesn't matter. Weapons don't matter. Reason and intent don't matter. The only thing that matters is being the last one standing. In that sense, everything you do in combat must serve only one of two purposes: either to kill your enemy or to prevent them from killing you."
The group remained in silence as Zachary reflected on Nephis's words. He already knew this lesson—had read it before—but understanding it was one thing; making it his was another entirely. Still thinking, he lay down, knowing the night would not pass without disturbance.
***
Zachary was on watch when it happened. Cassie's scream tore through the night air. Even though he had been expecting it, the shriek still sent goosebumps down his spine. He immediately sprinted toward her and managed to grab her before she reached the edge of the statue.
Nephis jolted awake, her weapon already in hand. She scanned the darkness, ready to face any threat, only to hear Zachary's voice as he was holding Cassie tightly.
"Shh, shh. It's okay, Cass. I'm here." Zachary's voice was low and soothing as he held the trembling girl. He was caught off guard by how violently she was shaking, so he simply stayed with her, gently comforting her while Nephis stood nearby—impassive as always, but her eyes darted sharply around their surroundings.
"The blood, Oh god! There was so much blood!" Cassie began mumbling, half delirious—half lucid.
Nephis gave a frowning look towards the girl before turning to Zachary. "What happened?" Nephis asked, scanning the perimeter of the platform, the darkness of the starless night making the job harder for her.
Zachary took a moment to think, he decided the truth was best. "There were no monsters in sight. I was on guard when she suddenly stood up, screamed, and began walking towards the edge. That's when I caught her."
Nephis turned her gaze on him, outwardly calm—but Zachary could tell she was shaken. Her eyes gave her away.
They both tried to calm Cassie and get her to say anything useful, but the girl remained silent, her face pale and her body curled up in fear. Eventually, they gave up and gave her some space.
Nephis gestured for Zachary to follow her to the edge of the platform. He obliged, though his thoughts were already racing. 'This is the moment I've been waiting for. I know the original prophecy Cassie dreamed of in the novel. If things have shifted… and they clearly have… then I need to know exactly how. Only then can I prepare for what's coming.'
Nephis's quiet voice pulled him back to reality. "You say you've learned the basics of the sword, right?"
Zachary glanced one last time at the curled-up Cassie before answering. "That's right."
Nephis gave a brief nod. "Show me."
Zachary raised an eyebrow but complied without protest. He began demonstrating the movements he had learned from Eddard—basic attacks, defensive forms, and finally, the five special techniques that defined the boundaries of the Simple Sword. Nephis watched attentively, her hand resting lightly against her chin as she studied him.
"I see. What you said about it being a foundational style is true. Its sole purpose is to serve as groundwork for more advanced teachings... The man who developed it must have been insightful." She nodded slightly, assessing the flow of his movements.
'So she doesn't recognize this swordsmanship, huh?' Zachary mused silently, listening to her next words.
"I asked you to show me so I could know where to start teaching you. I already have an idea." But before she could begin the lesson, Cassie stirred.
'That's a little sooner than I thought,' Zachary noted, his brows drawing together. Still, he quickly walked over to the blonde girl as she slowly sat up. After a few moments, in which she caught her breath and took a sip of water from her Memory, she began to speak.
"What happened, Cass?" Nephis asked gently, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder.
Cassie trembled but began to describe her vision. The beginning matched what Zachary remembered from the novel: the sealed darkness, rivers of blood, a sea of fire, and a corpse clad in golden armor. He listened carefully, mentally mapping each symbol, tying them to future events. But then the dream took a turn—one that sent a chill down his spine.
"In the end, I saw a colossal, terrifying crimson spire. At its base, seven severed heads guarded seven locks. And at the top… a wheel—of light, or some unknown material. Suspended in static motion, its eight spokes trembled and shimmered." Cassie's voice began to break, her body shivering.
"The Wheel was burning in white flames. But every time it seemed like the Wheel would surrender to the flames… it turned—with a terrible cracking noise that made the Spire tremble—and reverted to a pristine state. Oh Gods…" Her voice faltered as she sank into herself.
"This repeated… over and over… until suddenly, the Wheel stopped. And then—" her voice cracked again, "it broke."
Her next words came in a whisper, thick with dread. "It opened into an eternal darkness that should not exist in this world. That darkness… a gate. A gate to something that shouldn't be welcomed by this Reality, something undeserving of a Name."
Cassie began laughing. A raw, broken laugh that didn't match her usual demeanor, as tears streamed down her cheeks.
"And I laughed... Because I lost what shouldn't have been lost. And I was powerless to stop it."