Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The only way out of here is to let the world burn.

There was chaos. Nephis was surrounded by enemies from all her sides. A monster ones and a human ones, it didn’t matter, she sliced and burned them all. But to no avail. Regardless how many she had killed and how much she had grown stronger, she couldn’t see the end of them. It was as if for each foe she had slayed, two more came to its place – stronger and more cunning, than the previous one. And yet, regardless of the circumstances, she kept fighting, because that was all she had left. She was alone.

Right?

She turned her head over. There stood a blurry silhouette of a person right by her side. Her pupils dilated and her mouth slightly opened.

“Su- “

And then she woke up.

The first thing that she registered was an armored ceiling, which would look completely mundane, if not for the fact that such things weren’t supposed to be in the dream realm at all.

She instinctually tensed up and tried to make out her surroundings, but something was preventing her from moving. There was something very wrong with this whole situation. Moreover, her memories were in a mess. For example, she could by no means recall what had happened right before she woke up.

“Huh? Quite energetic, right after the morning. Well… maybe it’s already afternoon, but who cares.” resounded behind her a male voice.

She turned her head after the sarcastic guy, but he was out of her field of vision. How did they even manage to bind her? Had Asterion his fingers in it, or was there yet another hidden force in this world, about which they didn’t have any idea? But unless it had been divine being, Cassie should have sensed at least something. There were so many questions, but almost no answers.                             

While she was contemplating, whether she should try to burn this whole place down, or to wait little more, the man came to her and unbound her. Nephis was so perplexed by the absurdity of this whole situation, that she only managed to stare at him emotionlessly.

Weirdly, it gave her a strong sense of déjà vu.

The man looked like he was somewhere between his late 20s and early 30s. He had short dark brown hair and an unkempt beard. The most distinctive feature of his face was a big hawk nose. Although he couldn’t be compared to an average saint, his looks weren’t bad at all. He wore an outdated government uniform and insignia with two stars on his left sleeve.

“Welcome to the real world, sleeper. Hope you had sweet dreams, since from now on, everything will be nightmare. But… who knows, maybe if you’re lucky, you’ll die quickly enough to not realize what’s happening.”

Wait, sleeper?!

Nephis had finally realized why everything seemed so familiar to her.

This is… exactly like after my first nightmare. But h-how? And why? Is this a dream or reality? Was she transported here by some mysterious aspect? If so, what had happened with everybody else? There are so many questions and almost no answers.

Although she had still looked calm on the outside, she was slowly starting to freak out. Honestly, it took almost all her self-control to not break out of this police station and start searching for her friends.

She had to calm herself down. If she wanted to save anything, she couldn’t lose her rationality.

After settling her thoughts, she sat up. She had a slight problem with moving her body, since she was accosted to its older, supreme version of it. The change wasn’t great like in the body of Nethers child, but it was still noticeable.

“Hey! Are you even listening to me?”

Nephis blinked, pulled out of her thoughts and turned her head on the awakened.

“No,” she answered with a deadpan expression.

“What are- Nevermind,” the man sighed resignedly. “Lisen girl, I understand you had it hard, we all did, but you need to realize, that the world doesn’t rotate around you. Also, I was watching you for straight three days, so I want to get over with it quickly.”

Wow, is that really good way of dealing with a child who just probably went through a traumatizing experience?

But why does it feel that there is still something missing?

Although Nephis had her doubts about the professionalism of the grumbling Awakened, she did as he said and didn’t delay him for too long. After the short administrations and a little rest, the Awakened dropped her off in front of the red gates of the academy.

He didn’t even bother to give me his name. Well… Whatever, it is not that I needed to know it.

There was a lot to think about.

She summoned her runes and held her breath. It was exactly the same as it had been 15 years ago. But after a second glance she realized that she had gotten a new attribute.

Attributes: [Dreamspawn], [Nephilim], [Flame of Divinity], [The Fire], [Dream On]

[Dream On] Attribute Description: “Good luck, Nephis.”

She was staring at the attribute in bewilderment.

What? Does that mean the Spell wishes me good luck? I mean, that is preposterous. Why would it even want to wish me good luck out of all things? My luck has always been terrible, thank you for asking. Or was it perhaps somebody else who wrote that message? But how? And why?

She was so immersed in her thoughts; she didn’t even realize that another PTV made its way in front of the gate until it abruptly stopped nearly a meter behind her.

Is every awakened working for the government so irresponsible, or am I always running into the most defective ones? The previous one at least could drive-

Before Nephis could continue in her analysis, the door of the PTV opened and its passenger stepped out. He was a diminutive teen, with dark cautious eyes. His hair was dark and messy, and he wore the same police-issued tracksuit as her. Right now, he was anxiously looking around as though he didn’t want to be here at all.

As she was looking at the young boy, her hands started shaking. She finally remembered.

Hello, the author here. Hope you liked the first chapter. Please be little considerate about a grammatical and stylistic mistakes. This is my first novel I write in English, which isn't my first language. Feel free to write to me about any of your feelings from the chapter in the comment section. I will gladly take any chance to get better in writing. 

Chapter Text

Nephis was in shambles. There were so many unnamed emotions and so many overcomplicated thoughts. She felt like she would fall apart by the slightest push.

She remembered now. Although her memories were still in pieces, she knew.

How could I ever forget him?

He was her comrade. Her friend. Her lover. Her student. Her teacher.

He meant the world to her.

He was...

Sunny.

He covered her back when she stood against the hordes of nightmare creatures on the Forgotten Shore. He kept her sane when she was slowly turning mad from no human touch on the Nightmare Desert. He went through the thousands years of hell, just to see the end of their nightmare together. He stood by her side, even when everything was going to end.

Wait what? When was anything going to end? There is something wrong with my mind. The further into the future I try to look, the more my memories are dizzier.

Despite her best efforts, Nephis could not remember any details about the so-called end. She could just vaguely make out a terrible catastrophe, in which there would be no survivors.

Seriously, the more I think about this whole situation, the more shadier everything gets. If this isn't a dream and I truly moved back in time, somebody had to bring me here. But there is no way that somebody below divine could achieve such feat. Was it the Spell? Has a god or a daemon cursed me from theirs grave?

"Um, hi there, ehm, Miss? I know it might sound a little inappropriate, but... could I ask why are you staring at me?" an anxious voice brough Nephis back into the present.

Is he speaking to me? Why?! Did I stare at him for this whole time? Oh no! What should I say? We never interacted in the Academy.

Although Sunny was one of the few people around which Nephis could feel at ease, this version of him made her agitated.

She had opened her mouth to say something, but then quickly closed it again. It is not like that she could say that she is his wife to-be who has memories of the future.

Before she had managed to think of a proper response, Sunny hurriedly started talking again.

"Nevermind, it's OK if you don't want to talk. I understand," he hastily apologized and immediately made a distance between them.

Oh great, now he thinks I am a creep.

She missed her old Sunny, who could tell by glance what she had on her mind. No need for any difficult explanations.

But why does he act so tensely? He was never this way on the Forgotten Shore. Although his actions were sometimes questionable, he always appeared so self-assured when talking with others. I had always envied him this trait.

She stole a glance at him, only to find out that he was looking at her too. Sunny tensed and quickly looked away.

But seriously, what's up with him?

She didn't have time to ruminate over the problem, since the gates were slowly starting to open.

She sighed and took a step towards the Academy. Although she didn't turn around, she could tell that Sunny was quietly following her behind.

Nephis was currently contemplating how much she would get into trouble if she burned something. Or rather someone.

It turned out to be a big mistake not to bring her headphones with her. But with how much matters had been going on around, she didn't manage to think about it.

The fact was she had forgotten to take into consideration one small but important detail.

And that was Sunny's flaw.

She still subconsciously viewed Sunny as the older version of himself, who was almost perfectly accustomed to his flaw. In fact, firstly when she had seen him acting impudently, after being asked a completely normal question, she thought he was doing it on purpose.

Only later on, had she realized that it was his flaw acting up.

And now she had to listen to such sparkles as:

"Would you even believe that they killed them, without confirming that they were truly monsters?”

"Yes, since every rational person would do the same. You are the fool for believing them.”

Or:

“My girlfriend told me that after I come back, she’ll move out from her parent’s house, and we’ll live together. Isn’t it sweet?”

“I see nothing sweet on living in a cemetery.”

Or:

"I even received an armor-type Memory in my Nightmare. It's an enchanted robe. Would you like to see?"

"Actually, I would prefer to see you without a robe..."

Nephis vaguely remembered Sunny's reputation of a pervert, which she wrote off as a gossip, after getting more familiar with him. But now she could see that his renown was earned completely rightfully.

She was trying to rationalize that those feelings were completely normal for teenagers, and he didn't even know Nephis yet, but emotions were taking over.

Luckily, she heard only few of those interactions, since the hall was big and noisy.

If I had followed him around the hall, he would think I'm a creep definitely. Though I'm a little curious about what kind of reaction he would show.

Alongside listening to how poorly Sunny was managing his flaw, she had to deal with her own share of curious teenagers. Whether it was caused by the absence of her headphones or by something entirely different, the students didn't shy away from approaching her as they did last time. It made Nephis really uncomfortable.

Her communication skills were much better than before, but she still had big trouble idly chatting with complete strangers.

So now she was deciding if she should blow up Sunny, insolent students, or the whole Academy with everyone in it, including herself.

Overcoming all the social interactions (most of the Sleepers lost interest in her after realizing she can give only one-word answers) Nephis was standing exhausted in the less crowded part of the room, calmly observing it from a distance. She had already found Cassie, but after the incident with Sunny, she was quite reluctant to approach her.

What if she managed to say or do something inappropriate, destroying her first impression once again? Nephis wouldn't care if it was with someone like Caster, who didn't matter to her in any regard, but Cassie was one of her two best friends. She couldn't just go and introduce herself to her without any thoughtful preparation.

And speaking of Caster... He and some other legacies were now participating in an intense argument with a smug-looking brat.

Wait! What are you doing there Sunny?

Has this happened last time too, or was it a consequence of one of her actions? If so, should she intervene? Although there was a blood dripping from Sunny's nose, it didn't look like they got into fist confrontation yet. She knew Caster wouldn't hurt him for no good reason, but it didn't lessen her worries.

To hell with it.

She resigned her attempts to try acting the same as she did in the past. If she wanted to change the future, she would have to make some difference anyway, so why don't start now?

She took a step towards Caster's group.

"Hello, may I know what is going on here?" she asked respectfully.

Sunny surprisedly blinked in recognition. Unfortunately, it looked like he didn't forget their first meeting.

It was a misunderstanding! If you knew me better, you would see that I'm normal as one can get!

Caster smiled embarrassedly. "Oh, our friend right here," gesticulated towards Sunny, "was just describing to us his glorious deeds in the first nightmare."

The Sleepers around him coughed, while Sunny, regaining his confidence, just grinned.

"I was just lecturing them about how I killed a tyrant by a spat. Would you believe that after training their whole life, those simpletons got only an ascended aspect at best? Tsk, the world is truly coming to its doom. Luckily, there is still me. I had managed to get a divine aspect, without setting foot to a school for the last ten years. Legacies my ass. They are just bunch of clowns," while Sunny was talking, Caster had to hold one of his friends who looked especially flattered by the speech.

Nephis smiled. "Yes, then let's save the world together."

Scions frowned, while Sunny just stared at her, as if she was a complete idiot.

"Hey, you’re sarcastic, right? That shorty over here is from the outskirts. It's miracle even that he survived the first trial," the teen who had just spoken felt slightly familiar to Nephis, but she couldn't put the finger on why.

"No, I am completely serious. I believe that he will be a tremendous help in conquering the Dream Realm and destroying the Spell."

Sunny had made a grimace. "H-heh, yeah... Yes! Let's save the world! One would assume that person with a divine aspect would be the savior of the world. You can now throw all your worries away because I'm here!"

All the listeners clenched their fists, except Caster who was just feigning smile.

Sunny, you don't have to try, you know? You won't fool me. I know you better than anybody in the two worlds.

Nephis was having a good time inwardly, while she watched everyone being at loss of words.

"They are both mad, there is no use in dealing with them," the Legacies had finally seemed to lose their patience with them.

Only Caster had enough courtesy to at least smile at them apologetically. Nephis had returned him an insincere smile, waved at Sunny and them turned around and left.

It seems that if I wanted Sunny to be truly free of trouble, I would have to watch him the whole time at the Academy. But it's alright. I'm still forgetting that if there is something he excels in, then it's survival. And if I want him to grow into the man I used to know, I cannot constantly babysit him.

Nephis sighed. She had already realized the reason Sunny did all of this was to hide the existence of his true name.

What an irony.

But I will change it. I will fight against Fate itself, if it is what it takes to lead me and my closest ones to a better future. If Sunny is bound to be my slave, or being forgotten forever, I will find the third way. And I won't compromise.

Because if that is my will, who dares to stop me?

Hello, I just wanted to say that I really appreciate all of the support you show me in the comments. Thank you for reading this chapter.

Chapter Text

"Could you please repeat to me, what did you revealed to my colleagues?" a beautiful red-haired woman with three-star insignia sitting across Nephis asked.

"Of course. My true name is Changing Star which I got in my first nightmare. I completed the trial with glorious ranking, while getting divine aspect."

The Master swayed. "Yes, I have heard you clearly... But h-ave... Is it... Are y-yo..." she took a deep breath. "Have you really got a divine aspect? Are you completely sure?"

"Yes, I am," this was for the third time today she has answered this same question. Nephis didn't blame them though. She was the sole human in history who had ever got a divine aspect, after all. At least in the official version of it.

She was akin to a miracle.

What would their reaction be, if she had told them that there was not one but already three people of her kind?

They would probably call her a madwoman.

"So, you are really..." she seemed quite unfocused. Nephis understood that this reaction would be acceptable for a mundane human, or even an Awakened. But as a Master the lady was supposed to show more composure.

Well... Nephis probably shouldn't be one to judge.

After confirming the truthfulness of her statements for the third time, they finally let her go.

And now, she was laying motionlessly in her bed, thinking about all the events which had occurred today.

I really came back.

She still couldn't fully comprehend the fact.

Numerous thoughts were swirling in her mind, but she couldn't concentrate on any of it.

Sunny seemed a little off today, but it was probably just because he was thrown into an unfamiliar environment. I should also enroll in Wilderness Survival. After all, at this Academy there is no course which can really be of use to me. The Combat class could help me in getting use to this body though. Come to think about it, how should I make contact with Cassie? From what I remember she didn't take any courses, since she had to get use to her flaw in the quickest way possible. Approaching her on my own isn't an option. That would mean I would have to be the one who initiates a conversation...

Absorbed in her thoughts, Nephis had finally dozen off into dreamless slumber.

The next day, she woke up to the unfamiliar sound. She immediately opened her eyes, only to find herself in an unfamiliar place. Everything was unfamiliar.

Even her body.

Nephis got out of her bed and stretched out. She was still in her room in the Academy. The unfamiliar sound was just an alarm.

She washed up, combed her hair, and put on an academy issued clothing.

Everything was so weird and unnatural.

After morning hygiene, she went down into the canteen. It was already quite crowded, so she had a quite hard time finding a free place. While roaming around with a plate full of pancakes, she noticed Cassie sitting by herself, with only her assistant by her side.

Should I go sit there? Cassie must have a lot of problems with accommodating on her flaw. I shouldn't disturb her. Yes, I will talk to her later. Definitely.

She took a step towards an empty corner of the room, but then she turned around.

What I'm playing at? I used to fight with great abominations on a daily basis. I shouldn't be afraid of one human interaction.

She glanced towards Cassie.

But what if you mess up like with Sunny?

The cowardly side of her remarked.

She shut her eyes tightly.

Why can't there be winter solstice already? Then I would be alone with Sunny and Cassie, and no other human factor would disturb us. The only thing I will have to worry about is killing as many nightmare creatures as possible. Paradise.

Glancing between Cassie and the free corner, Nephis pulled a spare coin out of her pocket.

If it is a Saint I will go sit with Cassie, if a citadel I will eat alone.

She took a deep breath to calm herself down and flipped the coin. For a while, Nephis stood perfectly still with eyes closed. Then, without looking at the result, she headed out towards Cassie.

After arriving at the table, she sat down, making just enough noise to let Cassie notice her arrival. She turned her head towards the sound a little confused, then nodded towards Neph’s direction and got back to her food.

Before she could take a bite, another person made it to the table. Sunny quietly glanced at them and then sat down on the completely opposite side of the table.

Without appetite, Nephis was nibbling in the tasteless pancakes. She side-glanced at Cassie who was eating as refined as her flaw allowed, trying to hide an uneasiness on her face, then shifting her gaze towards Sunny who was gobbling up his food like he didn't eat anything in ages.

But he was from the outskirts, so maybe he truly didn't.

Neither of them spoke a word, eating their breakfast in utter silence.

It sucked.

Although Nephis was never a chatty type, she enjoyed the warm company of her cohort and liked to listen to their quirks. But now, the familiar faces were acting completely alien.

At some point she was even contemplating whether to start a conversation herself. What a desperate thought.

While she was finishing her breakfast, the mood in the hall suddenly shifted. It was as if through the crowd passed an invisible wave. Then, without any forewarning, it exploded in commotion. She felt countless gazes stuck on her back, although she did her best to ignore them.

They had finally revealed the results of the Sleeper rankings.

Unwilling to pretend that she didn't exist anymore; she eyed her companions.

Sunny was staring at her, his eyes full of shock and disbelief, while Cassie was simply confused, trying to figure out the reason behind the turmoil.

Usually, Nephis was accustomed to being the center of attention, but this time it was different.

Maybe it was because she was sitting next to her former friends, for whom she was just a stranger now.

I should've really eaten by myself. Why did I even decide otherwise?

If she could, she would happily sell her soul to Asterion, just to get out of this place immediately. Unfortunately for her, Asterion had currently important business on the moon and was unable to reach her, so she could only grit her teeth and try to survive.

Now all of the Sleepers were paying their attention to her, accompanied by an omnipresent whisper.

There was no way out anymore.

After carefully considering her options, Nephis came to the conclusion that the best way to avoid her problems was to pretend that there are none at all.

So, she just concentrated on her food, behaving like everything was perfectly normal.

But her act was soon interrupted by another intrusion.

"Lady Nephis. I am Caster from the Han Li clan. I see that your trial went well?" the proud legacy seemed to muster the courage to visit their table.

Hey, don't act suddenly so buddy-buddy with me, you bastard! You keep spoiling everything. If you want to kill me so badly then just go and attack me. If you don't then do me a favor and go kill yourself. Most importantly stop bothering us with your presence anymore.

Despite her violent thoughts, Nephis didn't let any of it show on her face. Instead, she just smiled politely but coldly, showing her unwillingness to continue the conversation. "It was alright. Thank you for your concern."

"Ah, I'm glad then," Caster seemed to be at a loss for a words. Did he perhaps still remember their yesterday’s encounter? He had to, unless he had senility, but he was too young for it.

She nodded shortly, indicating that their discussion was truly over and returned her attention to the food.

After their short confrontation, no one else came to bother her again.

Later on, she tried to make eye contact with Sunny several times, but he was thoroughly ignoring her for the whole time.

Nephis had arranged her schedule quite loosely. The main reason was that the Academy hadn't have any courses which could be useful to her. The only classes which she took were the Wilderness Survival class in the morning and the Combat class in the evening. The rest of her time she was planning to spend on individual training and working out.

She knew that the progress she can make would be limited. To truly get used to her current state, she would have to fight in numerous battles against superior opponents.
But right now she could only wait for the winter eclipse to come.

So now she was standing in front of the Wilderness Survival classroom. The course itself was useless to her since there was probably nobody in this Academy who knew more about it than her. At least for now.

The person who, sometime in the future, would become a true expert on the subject, was currently standing beside her, staring at her with open alert.

I have really messed up, didn’t I?

She forgot to take into account that Sunny was always a cautious person. Thanks to his secrets and the flaw, he had to be super watchful now. And the way she behaved around him could be called anything but natural.

The distrust he showed was in some aspects even worse than after he had become her slave. And since they were complete strangers now, they couldn’t talk it out.

But there was no use in crying over spilled milk, so she just had to cope with it.

Resignedly she walked into the classroom. It was spacious, but completely empty except an older man who was sitting behind a large desk. She had recognized Sunny’s teacher in him, who she knew by sight.

“Welcome, welcome! I was expecting you.”

He was quite energetic, for his age. Much more than Nephis would have been comfortable with.

“I’m Awakened Julius. You can call me Teacher Julius. Let’s sit down and introduce yourself,” the instructor presented himself while gesturing towards a comfortable-looking chairs.

They obediently sat down.

“My name is Nephis.”

“I’m Sunless.”

The teacher took a close look at them.

“What an unique names! But they are very nice. Truly. After all, to survive, person has to have at least a little bit uniqueness in them,” it looked like he wanted to make them feel less anxious. What a nice person.

“Um, teacher? When are other students coming? Are we here too early?” Sunny spoke up.

The teacher scoffed. “No, you two are only ones who will be coming. The other students are too preoccupied by mindlessly swinging with their swords. At the cost of the knowledge no less. What a barbarians.”

He seemed to hold a deep grudge.

Nephis smiled inwardly. For many inexperienced Sleepers, the ability to survive in the wild can sound rather unappealing, when compared to other, more interesting courses. But there is no use in being capable slayer if they aren’t even capable of taking care of themselves in the first place. Most of them would have to learn it the hard way.

The monologue still didn’t end. “But you don’t have anything to worry about. With taking this course, the probability of you going back to the waking world is 100 % at least. But tell me, why did you choose to pursue this kind of knowledge?”

For a while, Nephis considered how to answer. She couldn’t just say that she chose the course because she wanted to get closer to Sunny. There was no way to tell how low she would sink in their eyes.

Before figuring out a response, Sunny had already replied. “The Awakened that monitored me during the First Nightmare, Master Jet, had advised me to study it above all things.”

So, this is how he got to know her. I never found a chance to ask. Wait. Was it Jet who almost struck me down in front of the gates?

“A very wise advice! That Master truly knows what’s important… wait. Did you say Jet?”

His eyes widened.

“Soul Reaper Jet? That murderous savage?! Hm. Who would have thought that a barbarian like her would know the value of intricate knowledge.”

“Teacher, do you know Master Jet?” Sunny didn’t let the chance to get more information out of his teacher pass. Nephis felt a little left out.

They got so engrossed in gossip that they seemed to have forgotten the true purpose of this class. Only after a brief chatter Teacher Julius remembered that he had also a second student.

“What a manners to gossip with students. We didn’t finish our introductions yet and I’m already babbling. Moreover, badmouthing isn’t in my character at all!” he turned his attention back to Nephis. “I’m very sorry. It seems I have been carried away a little. Could you please tell us why you chose this course?”

“To know how to survive is the most important knowledge in the Dream Relam. The more of it, the better,” Nephis gave a neutral answer, silently thanking Sunny for teaching her how to lie. Well, technically she wasn’t lying, just deceiving.

“What a smart student. I can see lot of potential in you!”

Wow, he is really easy to please. Also, how can two sentences determine one’s potential?

But the teacher wasn’t done with asking yet. “Could you please tell me what other courses you are taking?”

“Only the Combat class. For the rest of the time, I’m planning to train individually.”

Her answer satisfied him. “Good, very good. If a person has a too busy schedule, they will learn less than when they look only into few matters thoroughly. You are very smart. We will think out your curriculum later.”

Then he glanced towards Sunny. “And what about you, boy? Where else will you be going in the next few weeks?”

“Oh, this is the only course I will be taking.”

His answer threw Julius out of his composure, but he quickly recollected himself. “Amazing, absolutely amazing. You are such a brilliant and bright young man. I can promise that your future will be truly successful. Don’t worry. In the upcoming weeks, I will make you immortal.”

He seemed to be in utter delight.

Nephis was really amused.

I think I know who your favorite student will be. And I’m sure he will surpass even your wildest imagination.

For the next few weeks, her goals were already set. She had to get ready as possible for the upcoming winter eclipse, become closer with Sunny and Cassie, and try to help them with their preparations as well.

But now, she had one more pressing matter to deal with. The matter in question was sitting right next to her.

How should I break the ice?

Chapter Text

They encountered the first problem, immediately after starting the lesson. Although Nephis didn’t reveal the full scope of her knowledge, the gap between her and Sunny was still tremendous. It was even hard to believe that somebody so uneducated could survive the first Nightmare. For example, he didn’t have an idea how to distinguish common features of poisonous vegetation or how to acquire potable water.

But when the teacher tried to explain to him some basic knowledge, he found that Sunny lacked some other, even more basic knowledge. And that is how it went time and time again.

“…and that is why is important to always check the population of a small mammals and insects in the area before creating a campfire.” Julius just finished an intricate explanation about how to find an overnight place as safe as possible in the Dream Realm.

Then he looked apologetically at Nephis “I’m very sorry, Nephis, it seems I am a bit neglecting you. I hadn’t expected that your mastery level would be so different. But I can promise you that I will come up with a curriculum which will help both of you to expand your horizons. Now, let’s give you some lessons to assure that you won’t die from boredom.”

“It’s alright. There is never harm in going over in basics and besides, Sunless needs that knowledge much more than I do,” if teacher started to overlook Sunny’s studium in her benefit, it would contradict the whole purpose of why she wanted to be there in the first place.

“No, you don’t have to do it. You’re not at fault about my lack of knowledge. I don’t want to waste your time,” for some reason, Sunny didn’t seem to like her idea.

Since when is he so selfless?

But then, it made sense. He was always the type who hated being dependent on others and Nephis was now willingly giving up part of her lessons for his sake. Of course he would think she wants him in her debt.

“Don’t worry, you won’t owe me anything. It would leave a horrible taste in my mouth if you died somewhere because of my greed. After all, I’m far better prepared to face the Dream Realm than you are in all regards. You don’t have to worry about me.”

Sunny opened his mouth to retort but Teacher Julius, who got finally fed up with their strange dispute, interrupted them. “Could you two please stop arguing over such triviality? I have already said that I will manage to think of curriculum that will fit all your needs. Let’s just make the first day a bit unique. I will depict a situation in which both of you will find yourself and then you are going to think about how to handle it. There is no boundary in your imagination. That way, you can learn much more than if I just showered you with dull information.”

Nobody had an argument against his suggestion, so they went along with it.

Teacher Jullius had amazing talent for description. Until noon, they had lot of fun thinking about various narratives and how to resolve them in the best way possible. They had explored various locations, such as a thick jungle with numerous lifeforms or a vast tundra where food and water were more sacred than in the dark ages on the earth.

Nephis also discreetly brought up a situation in a water zone, which Julius immediately seized.

He was truly a good teacher unlike some others Awakened. They maybe were seasoned fighters and explorers but if they were unable to pass their message, they failed as a mentors.

Sunny also seemed to enjoy himself, although he tried his best not to let it show, but she saw right through the act.

Since Nephis was the silent type and he couldn’t dodge any questions, the work was usually up to him. He came up with numerous ideas. Some of them weren’t really practical, but the teacher had always patiently explained why it wouldn’t work. Nephis had only occasionally brought up some point or thought.

When lunch time came, Nephis had tactfully reminded Julius that her time here had already ended, and Sunny should go to eat something as well. The teacher had unwillingly let them go, but only after he reminded them to definitely not forget to come back.

I wonder if some of his students actually ran away. They would only be hurting themselves though. Julius is an amazing teacher.

In the canteen they sat together in their usual place. Cassie wasn’t there yet, since they had arrived quite early, so for now they were alone.

Although they were still eating in silence, the atmosphere wasn’t so awkward as at breakfast.

Several students stared at the weird duo though. But it wasn’t something to be surprised about. After all, Nephis was supposed to be the strongest Sleeper with the seemingly impossible aspect. Sunny meanwhile was an infamous pervert who ended up the second weakest, surpassing only a blind girl. Of course they would stare.

Idiots, what do they even know?

Sunny meanwhile was thoroughly ignoring the intrusive gazes, fully focusing his attention on the food, which he was gulping down at speed of light.

He often talked about, how he tasted the real food only after becoming Sleeper.

I wonder how he feels now. It must be quite a shock.

Setting aside her own pair of chopsticks, she smiled. “You seem to really like the meal. Do you have a bibimbap for the first time?”

Caught off a guard by an unanticipated question he choked on his food. “Binbamp? Y-yes, I have never eaten anything so good before.”

“You didn’t have many opportunities to eat a decent food, right?”

 With his mouth full again, Sunny just shook his head.

“Don’t worry. I’m sure after you’ll become Awakened, you are going to have so much money that you could buy the whole restaurant.”

He gave her a doubtful look. He was an outskirt rat after all. The probability of him going back is even lesser than that some of his outrageous lies would turn out to be truth.

“Thank you,” he mumbled and averted his gaze.

For a while, they had immersed themselves in the food. The silence broke only after the third member of their party arrived.

Cassie, with a little help from the social worker sat down.

Sunny rather uneasily stared at her, and it looked like as if he was carefully considering something.

“Hello,” he greeted her and then quickly started eating again.

Cassie seemed to be cached by surprise that someone had voluntarily talked to her.

“Hi,” she murmured.

What kind of absurd situation is this?

Nephis was dumbfounded by the turn of events. She had always thought of herself as the most antisocial person in their group, but it turned out to be quite a miscalculation. Although she was usually the worst at dealing with people, in the current circumstances her friends had enough problems to not to be eager about talking with others. After all, the last time they overcame those barriers was only after the Spell forced them to collaborate for survival.

It gave her a mixed feeling.

“Hello,” she greeted Cassie too, to not to be left out. “How was your day?”

She had long realized that if she wanted to get closer with Sunny and Cassie before the winter solstice, she would have to be more proactive and initiate the interactions by herself. It was still something that was against the core of her nature though.

But for her goal she would have to make many great sacrifices.

Cassie meanwhile looked flustered by the abrupt rush of attention. “Oh, my day? It was alright, I guess. For the whole morning, I tried to walk without assistance in an empty classroom to get used on my flaw. It was a lot harder than expected. I had fallen countless times. If I was still a mundane human, I would be full of bruises. Actually, when I’m thinking about it, it was a terrible day.”

“You still have a half of the day before you. I’m sure it can get better.” Nephis clumsily tried to lift her mood.

Cassie gave her a faint smile. “Yes, it is still to early to give up.”

It didn’t seem like she had managed to cheer her up, but least, while talking, Cassie seemed to lose a little bit of her insecurity.

Good. One step at the time.

Nephis knew that it was impossible to restore their relationship all at once. Sunny and Cassie were still too immature, and they didn’t have any shared memories.

But little by little, she could prevent the worst mistakes from happening and change the future.

For the rest of the lunch, they were chatting together about their lives, academy lessons, and other at first glance irrelevant stuff. They weren’t talking about anything too personal, but for Nephis it was enough. She wasn’t greedy and knew it was a good start.

With such foundation it should be a piece of cake to defeat the fate, right?

Chapter Text

For the whole afternoon, Nephis was carrying out various exercises, in order to get used to her body. Although she had no problem with basic tasks like running and jumping, the real combat was entirely different thing.

Even though on the outside she looked like the younger, more plain version of herself, on the inside everything was different. Her muscle structure, her strength - it was as if she was occupying the body of an entire stranger.

So, although her combat experience was immeasurably bigger than one of her 17-year-old self, right now, lacking her Supreme enchanted mind, she was still weaker than her.

In order to get accustomed, she was running, swinging her fists and stretching out in various positions, while figuring out how much is she capable of. For now, she had prohibited herself from using her Aspect, since it would feel like a taking shortcuts and because she didn't want to burn the Academy down.

After the evening came, she postponed her mentally exhausting exercise and headed down for dinner. After all, without food she wouldn't be capable of learning a lot.

She sat to Cassie, at their usual table. Sunny was nowhere to be found.

Did he perhaps failed to escape from our over-enthusiastic teacher?

Knowing Julius, the possibility wasn't small.

While eating, she idly chatted with Cassie, asking about her family, and her life before she became infected with the Spell.

Cassie seemed happy that someone sincerely shows their interest in her life, and she talked quite a lot.

She talked about her family, which must be now worried sick about her. She talked about how she almost won a school fencing tournament, but because of an injury she couldn't participate in the final match. She told her about a popular classmate who had asked her to be his girlfriend. She rejected him since he hadn’t known anything fundamental about her. He only wanted her for her looks, lighthearted nature and popularity.

Most of those things Nephis already knew, but it still made her feel warm inside to hear them again.

She was also delighted to hear that Cassie was gradually getting used to her flaw, not stumbling as often as she did in the morning.

They parted their ways in a pleasant mood.

Later in the large dojo, with her fellow classmates she was performing a set of simple motions, while getting evaluated by Instructor Rock. This was fundamental for their future training since their power levels were all vastly different.

But this method wasn't flawless, and that was why they would make them fight against each other at the end of the lesson. Although this kind of sorting wasn't perfect as well, it could give the instructors a better idea about a Sleeper.

Even if they miscalculated, they would just send the Sleeper into a different level group later on.

Finally, after measuring their strongest punches, Instructor Rock called out for two volunteers to spar.

Nephis was obviously the first one who stepped out.

The more practice before the solstice the better.

The other volunteer was a tall teen, who clearly preferred the workout over an actual training.

This will be quick.

All of the spars ended up being quite monotonous for Nephis. A new challenger came in, she defeated him in one or two moves, the challenger left and then another one entered. After some time, she started to even forget their faces.

Although some Sleepers weren't really bad, none of them possessed actual challenge to her.

Then, after no other challenger had remained, Caster finally stepped out.

"Lady Nephis. Please excuse me in advance."

Idiot, I forgive only after the death.

She didn't have any more time to be occupied with those thoughts, because Caster had already attacked.

She had managed to avoid the blow, but he had disappeared again.

Despite the situation looking bleak, she still had a silver of hope on winning.

Because even if she wasn’t adapted to her own body, she still held over him crucial advantage. Since unlike him, she knew his fighting style very well. She could predict his moves with high accuracy and think of an effective counterattack.

Although it was already over a decade when she saw him fight for the last time, those memories weren't so easily forgotten.

The next attack would clearly be from the back.

But if he wanted to feint then she could too!

Pretending to be oblivious to his plan, she shifted her stance as if preparing for the front attack. Then at the last moment she changed her posture a little, letting Caster's fist pass narrowly by her body. Simultaneously she firmly grabbed his arm and pulled, making him lose his balance. Without giving him time to recollect, she twisted her body and punched him hard in the face.

And again.

Without letting her do anything more, Instructor Rock hurriedly ended the match and declared her the final victor.

So, I've actually won. Heh, it serves him right.

Despite their spar appearing determined as soon as it had started, Nephis wasn't confident with the outcome until the final moment. There were so many unknowns in the play, so all she could do was to bet on her luck and hope it would pay off.

But she would have been satisfied even if she didn't win. After all, what she was after the most was to get accustomed to combat. Their short spar gave her more than all of the other matches today at once.

Nephis glanced over her audience. Instructor Rock nodded approvingly, but all of the Sleepers were looking at her in the complete silence with mix of fear and reverence in their eyes. She knew that kind of look very well, but it still made her uncomfortable.

However, the one who seemed to be flabbergasted the most was currently standing right in front of her. A genuine dread and awe were shifting on Caster's bloody face. His lips were uncontrollably shaking while he was staring at her in horror.

She smiled at him. "It was a good fight."

Bath in your shame, you loser!

Although it was an insignificant victory, she felt incredible. Maybe because the last time she had lost, and her current victory was irrefutable evidence that her efforts could truly pay off.

She had left the training ground first, being in a good mood, although no one would be able to recognize it from her impassive face. Well, future Sunny would, but he wasn't here. And future Cassie probably too, if she could see.

After Nephis had left, the whole room resonated with astounded whispers.

For the whole time, nobody had noticed a small lone shadow, observing them silently.

Nephis was sitting in her room, with too much energy in her to fall asleep.

Heh heh, it would be all worth it even just for seeing that face. I would pay a fortune just for an opportunity to take a picture of him at that moment.

She stood up and walked over to a bed and sat on it.

And the situation with Sunny and Cassie looks great too. I'm sure we will be best friends before the winter solstice comes.

It was impossible to calm down. She tried to perform some breathing exercises, but it was for no use.

She stood up again.

If things continued this way, she would stay awake for the whole night.

Giving up her attempts to calm down, she left her room to wear herself out with an intense training.

But when she arrived at the dojo, she found out that it wasn't empty.

By the punching machine there stood a little figure, unsuccessfully trying to deliver a strong blow. Nephis didn't see it clearly, since the lights in the hall were turned off.

"Oh, come on! I deserve a ten, at least!" Sunny didn't hold himself down from expressing his frustration.

"You won't ever deliver a strong punch with such shallow posture. Even with the lights off I can see that it's all wrong," Nephis commented on his poor performance.

Sunny looked like he saw a ghost. "It's you! I mean, I didn't expect you, L-lady Nephis. Sorry. Don't worry I won't bother you anymore."

Since when am I lady? And why is he so taken aback?

Nephis switched the lights on to see him more clearly. Sunny narrowed his eyes, blinded by the sudden light.

"You are not bothering me in any way. Also don't call me Lady Nephis. It sounds weird. Just Neph is alright."

Sunny did his best to not meet her eyes. "Ok."

He was clearly at a loss.

Nephis nodded. "Now, throw a punch."

"What?"

"Throw a punch. I want to see clearly your fighting style."

Sunny raised his hand in puzzlement prepared to strike, but she interrupted him before he even managed to land a blow.

"Stop, you are doing it all wrong."

"Then how am I supposed to do it," Sunny started to sound a little irritated.

"Firstly, you have to change your posture. Don't stand so tightly. Turn around slightly and bend your knees a little," she explained while showing him the correct posture. "Also don't hold your fists like that. You have to put your thumb over your other fingers and keep your wrist as straight as possible."

He tried to repeat her posture. It wasn't perfect, but compared to his previous stance, it was great progress.

"When throwing a punch," Nephis continued. "You have to remember that you aren't throwing it only with your arm, but with your whole body. You have to use your hips and legs to maximize the striking force."

She struck at the machine, slowly enough for Sunny to discern her moves.

Sixteen.

He quietly observed her with great attention. Then he walked over to the machine, carefully fixed his stance, and punched it with all his might.

Ten.

His face lit up.

"I've really did it!"

Although for an amateur one point difference would look only like small progress, actually it was an outstanding result for the first try. Many people would even do worse than before, until they got a grip on the technique.

The fact that Sunny managed to grasp it on his first attempt was truly exceptional.

On the one hand the score was bigger than what she expected, but on the other, it was exactly up to her expectation. After all, it was Sunny's specialty to absorb new skills at the astounding rate. It could be said that he was a genius among geniuses.

Nephis smiled sincerely. "You made great progress. With enough practice, you can become an outstanding fighter."

"Then what should I do next?" Sunny asked, full of anticipation.

She looked around. The practice swords were locked up in the storage and the only equipment at hand was too heavy to carry around, like the punching machine.

"For now, keep throwing punches, after you get a little grip, we will move to the next point."

Sunny nodded and enthusiastically started practicing eager to learn a new thing.

Although when teaching him with a sword she made him repeat the same move every day for a thousand times, she decided otherwise with the fistfight.

The main reason was that it wouldn't be his primary style, and they hadn't had enough time to do it thoroughly. Also, it was because she would be teaching him only basic moves, which are crucial in every kind of fight.

After a while, when she concluded that he had got enough grip for now, she stopped him.

"That's enough. We will move to the next part."

Sunny stopped, breathless, with sweat dripping from his forehead, but his eyes shining brightly.

"I've got eleven!"

She nodded in approval.

He avidly asked. "Then what's my next target?"

Nephis looked in his eyes. "Me. You will have to hit me."

"Y-you?! But there is no way I can defeat you!"

"When have I ever said about defeating anybody? Don't worry, I won't attack you. I will just evade, while you will try to hit me." she assured him.

"Never," he mumbled.

"What do you mean?"

Sunny gritted his teeth and blushed. "I was answering your question."

She blinked.

Oh, his flaw.

Nephis quickly returned to the main topic. "Anyway, all you'll have to do is try to punch me. But I assure you, it won't be easy to land a blow."

Facing her, he nodded, his eyes burning with determination.

And attacked.

In the next few minutes, Sunny was fruitlessly trying to hit Nephis, who looked always close enough, yet he was still unable to reach her no matter how hard he had tried.

She was of course doing it on purpose. She wanted him to test his limits and try different tactics when attacking her. It was important to learn how to read an enemy and calculate the best way to defeat them.

And right now, Sunny seemed to slowly lose his temper. He had tried every way and trick he could think of and yet it was to no avail. So, he had given up on a complicated strategy and just tried to be as fast and unpredictable as possible.

Despite his failures he was grinning.

Suddenly, when throwing another fist, his shadow stirred and warped itself around its owner. In the course of second, Sunny became quicker, sharper and stronger.

Nephis knew what was going on very well. After all, she was fighting alongside him for more than half of her mental age. But since she was holding a close distance, just far enough to be able to evade in a timely manner, she couldn't react to the sudden change of pace very well. All she had managed to do was to take a hit to the arm instead of the chest.

Sunny halted, astounded by his success.

"I did it." he stated dumbly, still unable to comprehend his victory.

He did it.

She looked in his eyes with a hint of the smile. She was proud of him.

"You did it," she acknowledged.

"What now?"

"Now?" she gave it a thought. "Now you will learn how to evade."

For some reason, Sunny shivered.

They had trained together for hours, losing track of time. Sunny was still knowledge hungry as he had been in the future. He wouldn't be stopped by any strain or bruises, if it meant that he could learn new interesting things.

Nephis felt a little nostalgic. She missed the days when they were together exploring the endless possibilities of how to utilize their powers while sparring. But those times were gone.

But at least Sunny was still with her. Although he wasn't the one she knew yet, she was grateful for him being here.

She showed him how to move while fighting, how to preserve more energy, or how to be as unpredictable as possible. Those were simple advices, which were easy to learn with a bit of practice, but for beginners, they were priceless.

There was so many to learn.

And without even realizing it, the morning came. If it wasn't for Sunny's shadow sense, they would be caught by an instructor, who came to prepare for the next lesson. Although they managed to sneak out of the dojo, they didn't have time for clean-up, so the instructor must have realized that there had been intruders.

Well, it wasn't their problem anymore.

Only teacher Julius noticed that they looked more like walking corpses than human beings, while he tried to stuff at least a little knowledge to their sleep deprived brains. At least Nephis was the lucky one to have a free afternoon, when she could catch up on sleep.

After this experience, they decided to train only two hours a day. Although the schedule wasn't ideal, it was the best one she could think of.

Moreover, even Sunny's abnormal learning ability had its limits and if he had overdone himself, it could have a bad consequences.

She also had to think about Cassie. Right now, the blind girl must had felt hopeless and yet she didn't give up. Her will amazed Nephis even after all those years.

Sadly, there weren't many things Nephis could do for her, but at least she kept her company, reminding her she is not alone and occasionally giving her some piece of advice, which could have a use to her.

In the rest of her free time, Nephis was also trying to improve her own condition. Her progress wasn't as fast as Sunny's, but it wasn't insignificant. Her advantage was her experience from the second nightmare and intricate knowledge of human anatomy.
Slowly, step by step, she was moving towards her goals. Even though sometimes there were failures, and she had to alter her plans accordingly, her resolution didn't wane.

And before anyone could realize it, the days turned into the weeks and the winter solstice was finally here.

Chapter Text

Nephis woke up into the sound of the alarm, now completely accustomed to her new room. She quickly did her morning routine, trying to be early on breakfast.

Although the start of her day looked like any others, today was special.

It was her last day on the Earth as a Sleeper.

Funnily enough, it wasn't her first last day.

But after all, she was an exception from the other Sleepers.

The cafeteria was emptier than usual, even in the early hours. Nephis walked over to her usual table, enjoying the pleasant silence.

Out of all present people she was probably the only one who felt at ease. All of her peers couldn't tell if they will ever come back alive, to their families, or if they perish in the Dream Realm in the maw of some terrifying nightmare creature.

Although she couldn't know if she would come back either, for her it was nothing out of the ordinary. It was only another challenge to overcome. She was actually quite looking forward to it.

Sunny and Cassie hadn't come yet and she had a lot of time on her hand. She ordered the pancakes; the same ones she ate on her first day here. They were as bad as before, but she enjoyed them, nevertheless.

She reminisced about the past weeks. So many things have changed since day one. For example, her condition had improved enough, to be on par with the most common creatures inhabiting the Coral Labyrinth. Now, the only way she could make a significant progress was to fight in serious battles.

Without being able to immerse herself in her food properly, an uninvited guest interrupted her.

"Lady Nephis, it seems like our time at academy has finally ended."

What do you want, freeloader?

Despite seeing each other every day, Caster hadn't talked to her since their first spar. Perhaps it was foolish from her to hope it would stay this way forever.

"Hello Han Li Caster. I hope they managed to teach you how to hit properly," she nodded at him politely.

Caster's hand twitched as he forced a smile. "You are humorous as ever, my Lady. Nevertheless, I hope our upcoming journey will turn out as best as possible."

Isn't it a contradiction?

"I hope you will be alive when I get into the waking world as well."

He chuckled politely, not knowing how to continue.

They stared at each other for few seconds, until they were interrupted by Cassie who came for breakfast.

"Hi, Neph! Uhm, who are you talking to? It's not Sunny," she broke their awkward silence.

She was here alone without her social worker, orienting only with a cane. It was because she couldn't grow dependent on others, since in Dream Realm it would mean death sentence.

Not that anybody believed she could come back on her own. Her only chance to survive was to appear in the Citadel or near a powerful Awakened willing to help her.

But her presence immediately helped Nephis to become more relaxed. "Hi Cas, don't worry. It's just some acquaintance of mine from the class. He came to wish me good luck."

Cassie smiled facing towards an empty chair, next to Caster. "Really? That's great! I'm delighted to hear that Neph has another friend."

Caster coughed, making Cassie fix her glance embarrassedly.

"Yes, I'm glad too. You are truly a noble person, Lady Nephis. Taking care even for powerless. You really are worthy of the name of Immortal Flame."

He bowed slightly to them and headed towards his table.

"Another thing Caster," Nephis stalled him, with voice devoid of any emotions.

"Yes?"

"I'm not a selfless charity worker. I would never help a useless person. And I am worthy of my name no matter what you say."

He seemed a bit caught by the surprise, but he regained his composure immediately.

"You are right. You truly are," he smiled and then he quickly walked off.

She worriedly glanced towards Cassie. It looked like Caster's small remark hit her deeply.

Thanks to Sunny, she now had no problem with lying and she had even used to be able to read true desires of others. Although it still was uncomfortable, she could deal with people on daily basic.

But when it came to true emotions, she was lost. Whenever it was expressing herself or finding the best way to console others, she was lacking in what was natural for the majority. Who knows? Maybe if she had expressed her feelings more, Sunny would have never run away.

Opening her mouth, she tried to comfort Cassie, but she couldn’t find the right words.

"What does the bastard think to talk like he's above us? I bet he says that only because he wants to hide his own incompetence!" Sunny had suddenly joined their duo, with a cup of coffee in his hand.

Cassie cheered up a little. "Sunny! Since when are you here?"

"Oh, I just came."

The answer confused Cassie as she furrowed her eyebrows in bewilderment.

Neph's mouth twitched.

Did he listen to the whole thing from his shadow?

"Whatever. Let's just eat our breakfast. There is no point in letting that degenerate to spoil our last day here," he grinned at them, but Nephis noticed a hint of uneasiness hiding in his tone.

But before the solstice it was only natural to feel anxious. There was no need to panic yet.

The best thing she could do is to pretend that today was normal as any other day.

"By the way, Sunny, this is the first time I have seen you with coffee here. How do you like it?"

She was curious. In outskirts he shouldn't have a lot of opportunities on drinking coffee. Was this perhaps the day he had fallen in love with it?

Sunny scratched his head. "It's not as bad as it was without sugar and milk."

The reply threw her out of composure.

This is... not the answer I was expecting. Just please don't tell me you actually hate pancakes. Then my understanding of the world would truly turn upside down.

Cassie meanwhile giggled. "You just have to give it some time. I felt similar. As a child, I couldn't understand at all why everybody loved it so much."

"I guess you are right," Sunny took another sip and grimaced.

"Also..." Cassie hesitated for a moment. "Happy birthday!"

Sunny choked. "H-how do you know when my birthday is?!"

"W-well, it is my Aspect ability. I sometimes receive visions of the past or the future. It's useless though, since I can't control it," her mood immediately darkened as she recalled the bleak situation she was in.

"Don't worry. I'm sure... you will manage to master it, with enough time. Just because right now it has no use, doesn't mean in the future it will be the same," Sunny stumbled upon his words as he tried to make her feel better.

"A-anyway, thank you for thinking about me. It has been several years since anybody wished me a happy birthday. So, I appreciate it. Really."

Nephis watched their conversation unfold, waiting for the right moment to intervene. She was glad that Sunny was here to console Cassie.

Every time she tried to make others feel better or clarify some delicate dispute, she messed up. So, she avoided such complicated matters by all her might whenever there was a chance.

After she concluded that it was safe, she joined them too. "Then what about having a little birthday party? Although I have to apologize, since I don't have any gift for you."

Sunny stared at her for a bit, dumbfounded. "Party? For me? Here? And right now?"

"Of course, right now. When and where else would you want to party? In the Dream Realm?"

"No, here is fine. But really? Do you truly want to party with us on your last day here?"

She smiled. "Why wouldn't I? Or, if you want, we could sneak into the dojo together. At least I would have one last chance to beat you up."

"You can have plenty of reasons. But, if you are serious, then let’s go with the first option," surprisingly, he preferred the partying over a thorough beating.

I wonder what the reason could be.

"But how do you even party?" Sunny brough up a crucial question.

"I don't know," without considering balls held by the legacy clans, the only time Nephis did something what could be considered partying was when Effie kidnapped her into a shady night club.

Sunny was stunned. "Then why did you even brough it up?"

Nephis utilized all of her knowledge of human rituals.

"Don't worry, there should be nothing hard about it. When partying, people usually go through a set of intricate movements, while searching for potential mates. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to unravel the exact pattern behind them yet, so we will have to leave it out,” she educated her clueless pupil while trying to remember all of the vital points.

“But there are lot of other things you can do; for example, eating delicates, drinking good drinks, wearing luxurious clothes and debating over profound topics. If you follow these steps correctly, then you should have fun. However, I have to warn you that partying leaves one extremely vulnerable, so you should do it only in heavily guarded areas.”

He hung on every word of her.

“Ah I see. This is very interesting. People from the city have truly unique forms of entertainment. Although I can hardly understand how anyone can find this kind of activities fun. Except eating delicates of course. There is no way I could get tired of it,” he analyzed the subject.

Cassie meanwhile just listened to the whole speech with a weird look on her face.

Is there perhaps something wrong with the Sunny’s observation? In my opinion he summarized the whole issue almost perfectly.

“Um, Nephis? You are overcomplicating the whole problem a bit. There is no need to go to such lengths just to celebrate Sunny’s birthday.”

“Is it not?” Nephis was doubtful, but she decided to believe Cassie for now. “Then what we are supposed to do instead?”

“It’s easy. Let’s just sit together, snatch some nice food and talk about stuff. Nothing hard,” Cassie patiently explained.

“But it’s Sunny’s birthday! Such special event can’t be so… so…” she paused, since she didn’t know what to add.

"Simple? Or halfhearted?" Cassie completed the sentence. "Those all things you were talking about are just some extras. We don't even have any means or time to achieve them right now. The most important thing is to have a good time together. It doesn't matter how exactly do we do it."

Nephis wanted to retort, but in the end, she was forced to acknowledge that Cassie was right.

After some time, Sunny spoke up. "Then if there is nothing else to discuss about my birthday party, can we go? I still want to pay a visit to my teacher."

Cassie nodded. "Let's go together. I have nothing to do anyway."

When teacher Julius saw them, he was almost moved to tears.

"Dear children, so you remembered your old teacher even on your big day. What a great students!"

"Thank you for your time, teacher. Your lessons were priceless," Sunny sincerely expressed his gratitude.

"Heh heh. It is the duty of the elderly to pass their knowledge on to the younger, inexperienced generation after all. You don't have to thank me," the teacher said not so modestly.

"But do you have a little time? Since you two were my best students this year, I can spare one or two more advices for you.”

Nephis wanted to decline his offer, as they had only a few hours spare and she knew teacher Julius well enough, but Sunny was faster. “Of course, teacher, we would be grateful for it!”

Hey! Do you even want to celebrate, or not? Wait. Don’t lose your composure. There is still a slight chance that we can get over it quickly.

Thinking about the most convenient ways to wriggle out of this predicament, Nephis gradually calmed down.

But the teacher was already in motion.

“Wonderful, just wonderful. Wait a moment. I will bring some cookies and tea. This is our last day together after all,” he immediately rushed into his office for snacks.

Fine. Now it’s time to panic.

There is no way that she could withstand the full assault of her teacher's enthusiasm.

She looked at Cassie in desperation, who ignored her. Not that it was something to be surprised about since her flaw considerably complicated her perception of non-verbal signals.

Although she still foolishly held a little spark of hope that they would somehow manage to have the party on time, the odds were slight.

Sunny and the teacher deeply immersed themselves in discussion and Cassie also attentively listened, while munching on cookies.

But the worst thing about it was that Nephis also unknowingly started to enjoy herself. It was as if it was just another normal day, with no winter solstice inevitably approaching. Tomorrow, there would be just another lesson, following up to where the last one had ended.

She found herself participating in the debate more and more.

It felt a little humiliating.

Ultimately, it was teacher Julius who pointed out their lack of time, ending their whole session.

When all the emotional goodbyes were done, the teacher sent them off and now they were waiting in the foyer for the next instructions.

Nephis, who was in silence since they got out of the wilderness survival classroom, finally spoke up. "I'm sorry."

Sunny looked at her in surprise. "What are you apologizing for?"

"Your birthday party. We messed it up. I wanted you to have a great birthday, but I failed. So, I am truly sorry."

He blinked in bewilderment. "Why are you disappointed though? We ate delicates, drank good drinks, wore luxurious clothes and debated over profound topics. Except for that weird dance we did everything you wanted, Neph! So don't be sorry."

Now it was her time to be dumbfounded. She completely forgot that they had grown up in an entirely distinct environment. His understanding of luxury and fun was also utterly different from hers.

The mentality of other people had been always an unsolvable riddle for her. Even if she managed to make connections in human behavior, she could rarely grasp the true reason behind it.

So, although she never enjoyed the social events, she subconsciously convinced herself that this was a definition of fun for all mundane people no matter of their origin or personality.

Maybe Cassie was really right, and fun isn't only about all those shallow things. After all, Nephis ended up enjoying their small tea party with Julius too.

She wistfully thought about all those times when she crossed her sword with Sunny in friendly match. That was fun too.

But that was future Sunny. The one beside her couldn’t even hold his sword properly.

There was no use in contemplating about the past when there was a future still ahead. Although in her case it sounded a little ironic.

But she haven’t managed to think about the absurdity of the fate for too long, because instructor Rock already arrived to give them a final goodbye.

The winter solstice was here and there was nowhere to run.

It was 19:00 NQSC time.

Far away in the dream realm, in a ruins of an abandoned city a tall huntress was lurking on her prey.

And in a castle in the middle of that city, a beautiful archer was examining two armors, deciding which one he should buy.

And a golden king was giving a long speech to his subjects in a throne room.

And a gaunt boy in a slum below the castle was desperately searching for food.

And a group of experienced hunters was coming home from an unsuccessful hunt, in a foul mood and fewer numbers than they left.

And in the waking world, at the Academy, a blind girl was sitting on her knees in a small room while uncontrollably sobbing.

In the next room, identical to the previous one, the treacherous Lost from the Light determinedly glanced on his shadow, as he walked over to a sleeping pod.

And finally, in a different, more luxurious room, Changing Star was standing in front of her sleeping pod.

She had her usual impassive look on her face, but her hands were trembling slightly.

Why so nervous? You have already done it once before.

Slowly, a smile crept on her face.

And I could do it a thousand times for all they care. I won’t back down and I will never have enough.

It was 19:01 NQSC time and the true fun was finally starting.

A little laid-back episode before the true show will truly begin. But before it starts, I have a few words to say. Firstly, I want to thank you for all your support. It gave me motivation to not drop out in the middle of the third chapter.

Also, I would like to ask you to leave feedback about how you like my fic so far, or what I should improve or change in the future. It can be anything. If you like or dislike the pacing of the story, the conversations, the character writing, and any other stuff you would like to point out. Or you can just write to me about your expectations from the story in the future. It will be a huge help for me. Although I can’t promise I will change everything you ask for, I will take into consideration every review.

Chapter Text

[Welcome to the Dream Realm, Nephis!]

The first thing what greeted her was water. A lot of water. Even though she knew what to expect from the start, it still wasn't a pleasant feeling to have her whole body suddenly submerged in the cold dark sea.

Luckily, she didn't appear too deep in the sea, so it didn't take her long to orient herself.

With two strong strokes she emerged from the surface, gasping for breath. It was so dark that she couldn't tell where the sea ended, and the sky started.

Last time she found the safe ground only by a sheer chance, by blindly swimming forward. But her senses were so disoriented that it would be almost impossible to find the right direction again.

However, now she knew that she wasn't alone.

"Hey! Is anybody there? Hey!" she screamed out of her lungs.

After a while, when the echo of her voice died out, behind her resounded a weak response. "Neph? Is it really you?"

"Cassie!" Nephis swam towards the voice. "Don't go anywhere, I'll be with you at any moment."

She reached the cliff and climbed it. Immediately the cold breeze hit her naked body.

"Neph!" Cassie tried to get to her as fast as she could manage. "I'm so glad you are here. Are you injured? Where are we?" overwhelmed by emotions, her voice was getting more and more hysterical.

"Calm down. There is no immediate danger and I'm here with you," Nephis cooed her. "As for your questions, I'm alright. We are probably in the middle of a sea or ocean, but I can't say for sure, because there is no moon or stars."

"Ocean? Could we then be somewhere in Stormsea?"

"We don't have enough information to make an assumption. But I don't think we are in Stormsea, or at least in any region I know of." she dismissed Cassie's theory.

"Then what should we do?"

Nephis considered their options. Making the same decisions as the last time was feasible, but she was reluctant to do so. If utilized correctly, with her current knowledge she could accomplish much better outcome.

Her first objective was to reunite with Sunny and reinforce the party as soon as possible.

"We will wait for the morning to come. After the first rays of light appear, I'll make a signal, to signalize Awakened or other unfortunate Sleepers that we are here."

Cassie was a little confused by Neph’s train of thoughts. "But won't we be risking attack from Nightmare Creatures? And why to do it in the morning, and not now? We can't even be sure if a sunrise will even come."

Nephis quickly came up with an excuse. "There is obviously some risk, but it's small compared to chance of gaining another ally. And if something comes, I want to be able to see it, but I also want people to notice my signal. Thats why to do it at sunrise."

The main reason for not doing it now was obviously because she didn't want to allure the being from the depths of the sea. But she couldn't tell that to Cassie.

It seemed that Neph's response somewhat satisfied her, and she didn't press any further.

"Um, Neph?"

"Yes?"

"Could we try to explore this place a little? Maybe we will find some sheltered spot to rest. Here it is too cold," Cassie suggested.

Nephis knew very well that on this desolate cliff there was no such place. She got up and briefly touched Cassie.

"W-what?" Cassie paused for the moment. "Why are you giving me your Armor? That's an A-awakened rank! Why would you do it?"

"You need it more than I."

Cassie was silent for a moment. She understood Nephis well enough to recognize when there is point in argument and when she should just give up.

"Whatever. Let's rest for the few hours. If the day won't come by then, I'll send out the signal regardless and then we'll think about what to do later," Nephis quickly ended the debate, since she didn’t wish to quarrel.

When the sky slowly started turning grey, Nephis got up from her watch. Without waking Cassie up, who finally fell asleep around an hour ago, she climbed to the highest point of the cliff. Then she ignited the brightest flame she could manage.

She held it for two seconds, dismissed it and summoned it again, this time for five seconds. Then she lit it for two seconds twice more. After a ten-second pause she flashed with the shorter flames for the three times in row.

Nephis waited for half a minute and then she repeated the entire process once more.

This was a code commonly used by the Awakened. It had to be used with caution though, since they weren't the only residents of the Dream realm and nobody could ever tell what would see it. But if used in the right situation, it could be life-saving skill.

The signal she had set out right now was meant to be used for lost Sleepers to inform others about their presence.

After she was done, the sea had already started surging and she could see the first rays of sunlight. Now, the worst thing what could attack them were scavengers.

When the sea was almost gone, she went to wake Cassie.

She briefly explained the situation they were in and suggested exploring the coral labyrinth below them. Cassie was astounded by the bizarreness of this place but couldn't hide her disappointment of still not knowing where they were.

Last night, they spent most of the time explaining their abilities, memories, and theorizing about the best possible follow-up actions, so it took them only a short while to prepare on the descend.

Naturally, Nephis knew Cassie's capabilities lot better than Cassie herself and had countless time bigger experience in almost every aspect. It would be more practical just to tell her what to and not to do, but she wanted to listen to her insight and treat her as an equal.

This way Cassie would prepare much better for the rough reality of the Forgotten Shore.

Cassie also gave her the rope memory because for herself it had no use.

So, after the short preparation, they departed into the depths of the labyrinth.

They headed towards the west, but since Nephis didn't remember the exact way to the headless statue, they advanced very slowly.

Luckily there wasn't many creatures yet, and they encountered only lone scavengers. They managed to evade most of them, only trice she had to fight.

They harvested as much monster meat as they could bear. Their pace slightly lessened, but it was still plausible.

Nephis also received a memory; a long dagger called Sting. It was sharp and sturdy, but its only problem was that it shone with a faint blue light anytime a Nightmare Creature got nearby – a perfect weapon for a silent assassin. It was useless to her, since her current weapon fitted her much better, but she kept it for Sunny.

When the sun leaned towards the horizon, Nephis figured that they won't be able to make it to the headless statue till the evening, so she decided to go back and try tomorrow.

But then, she halted.

There stood a lone shadow right in front of them, waving.

She smiled at it. "Would you mind leading us to your base?"

Shadow enthusiastically shook its head and gesticulated to follow him.

Huh? So, this time there is only his shadow? What a coward.

"Neph what's going on? Who are you talking to?" Cassie was perplexed by her weird demeanor.

"Oh, it looks like our signal was received."

"What, is there someone else?"

"Yes, a shadow."

"What? Shadow? But whose? A Nightmare Creature?"

Nephis looked at the shadow, who silently observed them. "You are Sunny's, right?"

Of course, she knew perfectly well it was Sunny’s shadow, but it could raise suspicion if she sounded too confident.

Shadow slowly nodded. If it had a mouth, she was sure it would hang it open.

Cassie meanwhile was still perfectly confused. "Sunny is here?"

"No, only his shadow. It will lead us to him."

Cassie blinked. "Oh… alright."

She understood it pretty quickly. That's good. I'm glad that I won't have to explain anything else.

"Let's go, then."

With the shadow’s help, the speed of their advancement increased twofold. Since their sneaky companion was already familiarized with the way and could sense the danger far ahead, they managed to arrive at the statue before the evening.

A scrawny teen greeted them at the top.

“Wow, I can’t still really believe you are actually here. What happened to you?”

“Sunny!” Cassie ran towards the voice and then, to Sunny’s great discomfort, hugged him tightly.

Nephis felt a pang of jealousy.

Not that she was worried that Cassie would try to steal him, but she wanted a hug too.

Another reason for me to procced faster. I can’t wait for another ten years to actually kiss him.

But wait. I can’t proceed too fast. He is still a minor after all. I mean, although we are technically the same age, it would be still weird.

She postponed the solution of the complex moral dilemma for an indefinite period and returned her attention to her friends.

“I’m glad to see you too, Sunny. It seems you had a good time.”

Sunny grinned at her remark and gently broke free from the Cassie’s hug. “What can I say? I haven’t even managed to settle down and you were already sending out that damn signal. Have you completely lost it? You couldn’t have even known what kind of region this is. I thought teacher Julius told us countless times to be extremely careful about drawing attention. That’s why I send my shadow to explore first. There is no way I would ever approach to such stupid idiot on my own, with not knowing what trouble they might bring upon themselves.”

Nephis stared at him with a deadpan expression.

He was, of course, right. Without her knowledge of the future, it would truly be an irresponsible move with no excuse. And she could in no way tell him the truth.

And that’s why she did the only reasonable thing she could think of.

She exploited his flaw.

“But Sunny, what’s with that shadow of yours? Is that your aspect? How does it work?” she showered him with questions.

“Yeah, it’s my aspect,” Sunny gritted his teeth. “It is sort of like a sixth sense. I can perceive the world from shadows and explore it through my own shadow. The perfect scouting ability. But how did you know it was me from the start?”

“I glimpsed it several times on the Academy,” she quickly fabricated an excuse. “And in my clan, there used to be an Awakened with a shadow aspect, so I’m a little acquainted with it. And that it was you I just guessed.”

“Shadow user, really?” Sunny’s eyes beamed. “Can you tell me more about him? I can’t understand my aspect very well myself and your information would be a great help.”

In what kind of predicament did I get myself into again? But wait. I actually can help Sunny to accommodate on his aspect better. There really used to be a shadow user in my clan after all. Or rather will be.

“I can tell you. But my knowledge about it isn’t vast, so don’t expect any life-changing information.”

“That’s alright. I’ll gladly take anything you have to offer,” he accepted her help. “By the way, since I have already told you about my aspect, don’t you two want to share yours?”

Although they had spent a lot of their time in the Academy together, they had never actually shared anything about their own powers. Only Cassie had told them a little about her aspect on their last day.

This time, Nephis had told them everything about her capabilities, except her flaw. She also gave Sunny the knife memory. He didn’t argue, since he knew well it would improve the survivability of them all.

Cassie shared what she could, but it wasn’t much, because she herself was confused about her strange Aspect.

Lastly, Sunny told them a lot, but he omitted many vital details. Nephis didn’t blame him, though. She understood his position and knew it would be really naïve of her to expect immediate trust from him.

With the information, they planned the best strategy for their advancement. Nephis wouldn’t have any problem with fighting by herself, but then Sunny’s learning progress would stagnate significantly.

In the end, their formation didn’t differ much from the original one. Nephis would distract their foe, Sunny would finish it off from the cover and Cassie would wait for them in a safe distance.

Thanks to Sunny’s shadow, nobody had to take the night watch, but Nephis was still awake and although she couldn’t see in dark, she knew that Sunny hadn’t fallen asleep either.

She wanted to start a conversation, but she was unable to find the right way. Despite lying next to each other, he felt so distant, and so foreign.

Maybe that was how felt every normal teenage girl, being alone with her crush. She had no way to know, since she had never been a normal teenage girl.

In the end it was Sunny who broke the silence.

“I can’t really make you out, you know?”

“Do you think I’m weird?” Nephis inquired.

“Yes. But as if it was ever something to be ashamed about.”

“Humans are flock creatures. Not fitting in sometimes means the death sentence.”

“Then you are lucky to encounter such an openminded and smart individual like me who would never judge people based on such superficial thing like a personality,” joked Sunny.

“Then why are you saying you can’t make me out?”

“Because I don’t understand your intentions. You were always kind to us, even though we have no use to you. Truth to be told, it feels a little unsettling.”

“Maybe you are just underestimating yourself. People will never know who they truly are and what they are capable of, until they are forced by the situation to look into the very bottom of themselves. And as I said yesterday, I would never help a hopeless case.”

“Perhaps…,” he hummed and then fell into a silence.

They stayed like this for some time, but then Sunny spoke out once again.

“Why me? There were countless other Sleepers, but from the very start, you, the last member of the mighty Immortal Flame clan, chose to waste your time on outskirt rat like me.”

“Maybe because you reminded me one long lost friend who I held very dear to me.”

“Am I a replacement?” Sunny scoffed.

She paused for a moment.

“No, you aren’t. There is nothing what can ever replace him to me.”

“Mhm.”

Nephis sighed. She didn’t say a word anymore and Sunny didn’t continue in the conversation either.

And just like this, each of them succumbed into a dreamless slumber.

On that night a storm suddenly came. Thanks to Sunny’s shadow, it didn’t catch them by surprise, but it was still terrible. They clung together on the small flat platform, supporting each other from the fierce winds to not to get swept into the sea.

When it finally ended, it was almost sunrise and they collapsed on the ground, sore and numb.

Nephis told Sunny to wake them after an hour. Both she and Cassie were exhausted, since they didn’t sleep properly in the two days in row. It would be madness to descend into the labyrinth, while being sleep-deprived.

But, the next morning, instead of Sunny or an alarm, she woke up into the sound of a frightened scream.

Chapter Text

Nephis instinctually summoned her sword, searching for danger. Then she saw Cassie, blindly stumbling across the platform, dangerously getting closer and closer to its edge.

Before processing the whole situation, Nephis was already rushing forward. She caught her, while nearly colliding with Sunny who arrived a moment later.

She dragged her back to the safe distance, hugging her tightly.

Cassie's heart was beating rapidly, and she was hysterically gasping for her breath.

Nephis didn't say a word, just held her tightly and let her calm down a little.

Sunny was squatting next to them, unsure what to do.

He took Cassie's hand and squeezed it. "It's alright, there is no danger. Me and Nephis are here with you. It's alright," He turned his head to Nephis. "Is she injured somewhere?"

She shook her head. "No, I think she had a vision."

After a while, Cassie's panic attack stopped, but she was still shaking. Nephis released her from hug and stepped aside.

"We should give her some time and space to compose herself."

Sunny looked at her dubiously, but he went along with her.

She led him to the edge of the statue, while still keeping an eye on Cassie.

"Tell me," she altered her gaze to Sunny. "What do you think the essence of combat is?"

Knowing the look on her face very well, Sunny just grinned nervously.

While Cassie was collecting herself, Nephis gave Sunny the first lections about sword combat.

Even though their academy training definitely paid off, his ability was still on the beginner level, not much different from his other self at that time.

Her teaching method was the same too, at least in the first steps, since he had to instill basic moves into his muscle memory.

So now he was relentlessly swinging with the Dream Blade which she lent to him.

Around the time Sunny finished his thousandth move, Cassie composed herself enough to be able to lead a normal conversation.

They sat beside her, eager to find out what exactly happened. Nephis was particularly curious about whenever the vision changed and how.

For a while they sat in silence, unsure how to start.

"Um, can I have some water?" Sunny asked, tired out from his training.

Cassie stared at him for a bit but then her eyes widened.

"Oh. Of course," she hurriedly summoned the Endless Spring and handed it to him.

He thirstily drank and then passed it back to her. "You too."

She sluggishly obeyed and took a sip.

"Good," he nodded, satisfied, and patted her shoulder. "Could you tell us then what really happened? Did you have a vision?"

"I'm not really sure. It's all in fragments. As if it was only a normal nightmare," she bit her lips.

"You can just tell us what you recall. Then we can try to find the meaning together," encouraged her Sunny to continue.

Trying to remember the exact content of her dream, Cassie furrowed her eyebrows. "At first, I saw a... a boundless darkness locked behind seven seals. Something vast was churning in the darkness. I felt like if I directly saw it, I would lose my mind. As I watched, terrified, the seals broke one after another, until only one remained. And then that seal broke, too."

She trembled a little.

"After that... I don't know. It was as though my mind shattered into a thousand shards, each shard reflecting its own image. Most of them were dark and scary. Some I have already forgotten. The other..."

Taking a deep breath, she paused for a moment.

"There was a human castle. It was surrounded by a city full of monsters, but the castle itself was full of people and with no danger around. I saw three of us going through its gates," she smiled faintly for a moment, but then her expression became serious once again.

"Then it changed. I'm not sure whether it was a past or a future, only that it was night. There were no humans anymore. Only a bunch of small ugly lizards, bathing in the sea of blood while devouring the body of its dead mother. The choir of angels with horns was smiling and observing the whole feast from the distance."

Her voice started to get more and more stiff and monotone. As if she was just reading a words she didn't understand from the paper.

"A fly with an expressionless mask concealing its face, trapped in a spider web. The more it tried to get out, the more entangled it became, while the spider was slowly approaching to its feast. A human army appeared, marching towards a mass of black water. But there is no way to win. The foreign demon wearing a stolen skin of a mouthless monkey is leaving its peer."

Then, terribly pale, Cassie abruptly shat up, narrowing her pupils and screamed out.

"NO! NO! It's all fake! Don't listen to me! NO! It's not my fault!" tears started uncontrollably rolling down from her face while sobbing.

Nephis grabbed her hands and clutched them. They were freezing.

Cassie spoke up again, this time her voice was timid and weak, "In the end, I saw a colossal, terrifying crimson spire. At its base, seven severed heads were guarding seven locks. And at the top, a... a dying angel was being consumed by hungry shadows. When I saw the angel bleed, I suddenly felt as though... as though something so precious that it can't be described with words was taken from me."

Now she just whispered.

"Then, I felt so much sorrow, pain and rage that what little remained of my sanity seemed to disappear. That was when I woke up... I think."

Sunny tried to comfort Cassie, saying it could be just a normal nightmare, but Nephis listened to them only with half an ear.

It did change, though only a little. But that's what upsets me the most. As if fate was telling me that I can change the circumstances, but the real outcome will always stay the same.

Maybe I should concentrate on the meaning of the individual symbols. The marching army is quite obvious, but what about all others?

The lizards devouring their mother could mean that some group steals the legacy of their creator, making it stronger. And their actions would be convenient for a third party, which is most likely stronger than them and which pretends to be good, although the truth is not so simple.

Then the spider and the fly. The first thing that came to my mind was the Weaver or fate, but it could be some other manipulator, trapping their prey. I'm too afraid to think about who the fly could be.

And lastly there is a demon wearing stolen skin. There is no way that it is Mordret unless the vision is from after we will get out from here. If it’s skinwalker, then I don't see any way to escape from it. But maybe the stolen skin is more of a metaphor for someone being two-faced. Then leaving its peer would mean their betrayal. Caster? It's unlikely. His intentions were too evident. There is no way the demon would be someone who is so easy to see through. Maybe I should focus on the monkey part. The only monkey I know of is Effie, but she is anything, but mouthless. Should I be wary of silent and inconspicuous people then? Ah, my head hurts.

"Neph, are you alright?" Sunny asked concerned.

Interrupted from her train of thoughts, Nephis returned her focus on more pressing matters. "Yes, of course I'm alright. Why wouldn't I?"

He smiled awkwardly. "It's just that you seemed to be spacing out for some time. At first, you weren't even answering our questions."

"Oh, sorry. I got caught in my mind," she reassured them.

Then, after a short consideration, she added. "Also don't take that prophecy too seriously or preferably, don't think about it at all. Even if it was real, the depiction is too vague and can lead to many misinterpretations."

If they had any objections against her suggestion, they didn't voice them out.

"Shouldn't we stay here for another night? To accommodate better on this labyrinth before heading out and give more time Cassie to recuperate herself," Sunny proposed.

"No. Let's get out of here as fast as we can. I don't want us to stay here any more time than we have to," she turned down his idea.

But Sunny still hesitated. "We don't even have any idea which direction we should head. It's only our second day here. We can't make a rash decision."

Nephis turned to Cassie. "Can you please tell us where that castle lies?"

"I can but..." she fiddled with her fingers. "Are you really sure about it? Sunny's idea doesn’t really sound bad to me."

"It would be under the given circumstances, but we have to get out of here while the scavengers are still occupied. Also, there is something wrong with this statue. I don't want to stay here any more night."

Although reluctantly, in the end they went along with Neph's plan and headed out on that day already.

Thanks to it, they encountered only a few beasts and fought only against lone opponents for two days.

They also acquired a decent sword memory, thanks to which Sunny could finally stop using just a knife. Sadly, the same couldn't be said about armor, so her sole option was to stay settled with a super eco-friendly organic bikini. All it managed to protect was her chastity and even in that regard it did a poor job.

But their advantage couldn't last forever. After they got far enough from the giant corpse the number of labyrinth residents started to slowly increase.

At some point of time, they stopped being able to afford avoid all their enemies and they were forced to fight more and more. Together with Sunny they took on groups of two, and once, with a little help from her aspect, they somehow managed to defeat even three scavengers.

Slowly but surely, their teamwork started improving and they learned how to deal with opponents and move through the labyrinth more swiftly and effectively.

But their luck was prone to run out one day.

In the afternoon of the third day after they left the statue, they were, as always, exploring the depths of the Coral Labyrinth. On the day before, their progress had been limited, because they had been caught off guard by a sudden storm.

Currently, they were taking a short break from a rough fight and studying their spoils.

“Neph! I’ve finally got another memory!”

She looked at her little pupil, with pride hidden in her eyes. “Good, what kind?”

“It’s a tool. But I’m not really sure what’s the use of it,” his expression darkened. “It’s called the Kitten, and all the description says is Developed in the darkest point in history of the Forgotten Shore. Though not without side effects, it saved countless lives.”

He summoned it. It took a shape of a small phial, not bigger than his hand. He opened it and sniffed to its content. “It’s a liquid, but it doesn’t smell like anything I know of.”

“The description says it has some side effects. I wouldn’t try to drink it till we are in some safer area,” she warned him.

Sunny frowned and dismissed the phial. “Do you have me for some kind of idiot. Of course I won’t drink it.”

No, I don’t think you are an idiot. I just think that when you get truly curious, you lose even the last bit of self-preservation you have left.

Come to think of it, when does he gain the ability to see the enchantments of memories? I can’t really remember.

She opened her mouth to remark, but she was interrupted by Cassie who looked pale and terrified. “There is a great danger quickly approaching.”

They immediately stopped joking and got serious.

“What kind of danger? From which direction? How much time do we have left?” Nephis bombarded her with questions.

“It’s a Nightmare Creature. A strong one. It comes from the east, and it’s quickly drawing closer. Though I don’t know the exact time, I don’t think we will manage to run away from it. Our best chance is to hide and hope it will miss us.”

Nephis considered their options. There were no sideroads anywhere near and the corpses of the scavengers were eye-catching. Their chance to successfully hide was low.

“We will have to prepare a trap.”

Sunny grinned at her. “From your tone I assume that you have already some little plan. I guess I should at least listen to it, before deciding whether to leave you as a bait or not.”

She ignored his cheeky remark and explained. “I will hide in front of the dead scavengers and you two behind them. If the creature is at least a little intelligent, it will definitely pay attention to them first and it won’t notice me. Then I will attack it from the back and give you an opportunity to kill it.”

“Are you crazy? This won’t be any scrappy scavenger. Even if it were only an Awakened Monster our chances on survival would be extremely low.”

“Do you have any better idea?”

Staring at her for a bit he sighed. “Fine, let’s not waste any more time. I want to get over with it quickly.”

They hurriedly started preparing for the assault. But before they left to their assigned positions, Nephis whispered to Sunny’s ear. “If anything goes wrong, just take Cassie and run without looking over. I promise I’ll catch up with you later.”

He didn’t comment on her request, nor looked at her, only clenched his fists.

Just after they managed to get into their hiding places, their not too long awaited foe finally came to join the party.

It was much larger than the scavengers, with jagged spikes growing out of its thick carapace. Its chitin was black and crimson, like an ancient armor splattered with fresh blood. Instead of pincers two terrifying bone scythes were protruding from the joint of its arms.

It took her an effort to not to make an expression.

When thinking about it, the chances weren’t too low.

It was an old friend.

It was Carapace Centurion. The very first Awakened Monster they ever slayed.

Chapter Text

As the Centurion passed her, she held her breath. So far, everything has been going according to the plan.

Nephis felt weirdly excited. She knew it would be normal to be afraid, but she couldn't help it.

When they had fought it last time, they had barely won even with the help of an echo. And now their situation was even more disadvantageous.

They had almost no preparation time and were in surrounding with less resources for them to utilize.

Cautious of a potential enemy, the Monster approached the dead scavengers. Luckily for them, humans weren't very common enemies in the coral labyrinth and the Centurion wasn't used to face such threat.

It sank its teeth into the snack and wasn't particularly interested in the oddness of the whole scene.

But before managing to swallow the first bite, the meal suddenly exploded straight to its face. Although the flame itself did very small damage, its purpose fulfilled perfectly.

The Monster, caught in surprise by the foreign and unpleasant light, furiously roared. It couldn't see properly since its vision was perturbed.

It started to quickly regain its composure, but at that moment, Nephis was already behind its back, piercing its weak point with all her force. Along with the blow, she sent the strongest flame she could manage into the wound.

Although the Carapace Centurion's defenses were almost perfect on the outside, on the inside it couldn't be said the same. And although the brute force or her aspect wouldn't be able to wound it properly, when combined, it became a whole different story.

The Monster roared again, this time from terrible agony. It seemed to dislike the feeling of being cooked alive from the inside.

Unfortunately for her, the wound wasn't fatal. Furious, the abomination grabbed the annoying ant and tossed it down from its back.

Nephis – the ant in question – crashed down in astonishing speed, breaking several bones from the impact.

The damaged enemy lunged at her, but then it halted, when seeing her healing up from the injuries. It seemed to grow a healthy dose of respect for fire.

Before it could decide what to do, another intruder interrupted it.

Sunny finally concluded that it was time to help and attacked the Centurion from the back, striking the same wound as Nephis. Without waiting for its response, he jumped back to a relatively safe distance.

Now utterly mad, the Centurion started furiously smashing into everything around it.

They hurriedly tried to get out of its range and although neither of them was directly hit by its fists, they were unable to escape from the shockwave.

Each in the opposite direction, they were sent flying, while trying to take as little damage as possible,

Suddenly, Nephis saw a hunk of carapace flying towards her in astonishing speed. Unable to evade, her vision darkened, and her head started throbbing strongly.

Without waiting for anything, she started to heal herself up once again, but the Centurion had already started to calm itself down from the burst of rage.

And now it was scrutinizing its pathetic enemies with the hateful eyes, deciding which one to kill first.

In the end, it concluded that it would go after the easier prey and turned towards Nephis, who was temporarily immobilized.

With the astounding speed, it lunged forward. She barely avoided the first attack, and the second terrifying scythe was already hurtling towards her. Unable to dodge, it pierced her abdomen. She gasped and coughed up a mouthful of blood.

The blow was fatal enough to kill a normal Sleeper in an instant, but Nephis started healing already. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Sunny to slowly getting up and moving forward.

Although he was stealthy, she doubted that he could sneak up to the now cautious monster.

Idiot, now was the perfect moment for you to run away.

Cursing herself for not being able to communicate telepathically, all Nephis could do was to summon her remaining flames and blow it to the Monster's face. It shrieked, aroused by that pesky fly while ignoring Sunny until it was too late.

He jumped on its back once again and started stabbing its injury continuously. Centurion writhed in pain, trying to sweep down the source of it, but Sunny held tightly, somehow withstanding the Monster's clumsy attempts to get rid of him.

Nephis stood up, ignoring the pain from the half-healed wound and rushed to aid him.

From the ground, she grabbed a handful of mud and threw it into its eyes. Then she started to zigzag in front of it, from time to time launching a fireball.

Her attacks didn't harm it in the slightest, but Centurion's mind was too primitive to be able to ingest so many new information at once while being in harrowing pain and injured.

At some point of time, the speed of the Monster started gradually decrease, albeit only subtly. It slowly started to realize the direness of the situation it was in and halted. Nephis didn't miss the opportunity and went on the offensive, but the abomination ignored her. Instead, it grabbed Sunny, who wasn't as flashy as Nephis, but currently possessed a much bigger threat.

Sunny screamed in agony as the Monster crushed his bones and brutally tossed him away.

His body crashed into a crimson coral as if it was just a puppet.

In that moment, Nephis felt as if something snapped inside of her. She discarded all her defenses in the favor of the only purpose.

To kill.

She shot forward, narrowly evading the attacks. With the sword imbued with her flames she slashed its eyes. Then, without waiting for anything, she leaped on it's back and attacked.

And once again.

The Centurion tried to get rid of her by all means, but she ignored it, seeing only her goal.

Slowly but surely, Monster’s attempts started to reduce, until they stopped completely. But she continued to pierce and burn, until the Spell finally whispered into her ear.

[You have slain an awakened monster, Carapace Centurion.]

Nephis languidly climbed down from the corpse, not paying the attention to the Spell anymore, and with all her might she dragged herself to the unconscious Sunny.

On the periphery of her blurry vision, she noticed something red.

Huh? When did my arm fall off? Whatever, it's not important.

All she could concentrate on was the limp body, which was so close yet seemed to be endlessly far away.

From her last strand of power, she trudged over to him.

Unable to hold herself standing anymore, she tumbled down right on top of Sunny. She hugged him tightly with the remaining arm and healed him.

Despite her flaw acting up and her grave injuries, she felt as if she was in heaven.

I did it.

She smiled, while her mind started to slowly drift away, and she submerged into unconsciousness.

A sweet melody entered Neph's ear.

Her tired, naked body lied there in a gentle embrace of someone. Instead of being frightened by the foreign situation, Nephis stayed as she was, enjoying the warmth and feeling of security.

The unknown person hummed and caressed her hair.

She had an inexplainable feeling that she knew the melody, but by all the dead gods she couldn't remember where or when she heard it.

Nephis had a feeling that there was something important to do, but at the current moment, she couldn't help but give into the blissful feeling.

Smiling, she let the arms lull her into sleep.

But before her mind could fully drift away, a small cold hand grabbed her tightly and a pitch child's voice said in a monotonous tone.

"If you will not wake up now, you will sleep forever."

It jolted Nephis awake.

Right in front of her, she saw countless eyes.

Some of them were no bigger than an eye od rat, yet others were as big as Nephis herself. And all of them were looking at her, as if she was just a piece of meat to be sold.

She turned her gaze down to her hand.

There, a dead body of a little kid, which couldn't be older than six years, was holding her. Worms were swirling inside of its open wounds and its glassy eyes were staring right into her soul.

It didn't say anything, yet Nephis instinctually knew what to do.

The flames enfolded her whole body, burning away the eyes, the kid and all of her nightmares, until all what remained was ashes.

And she woke up.

The first thing what welcomed her was the bright sun, which was already slowly leaning towards the horizon.

Then she noticed her companions. Sunny was staring at her as if he saw a ghost and Cassie was nervously standing right behind him, holding the rope.

They seem to be alright. Good.

She inspected her body.

Her wounds were quickly closing up and her arm was halfway on growing out again. It looked like by summoning the flames in the dream, she summoned them in reality too.

Huh, what dream?

Whatever, it didn’t matter. Nephis had more important things to think about.

Judging of the position from the sun, some time passed while she was unconscious. Their surroundings changed too, although they still were somewhere in the labyrinth. Sunny must have carried her on his back, not wanting to waste time.

"What happened?"

As if woken up from the trance, Sunny, red as a tomato, averted his gaze. "After that Monster tossed me away, I lost consciousness, regaining it only after you healed me. Thank you by the way."

He paused for a moment, as if unsure how to continue. He was firmly looking onto the ground.

"You were extremely injured, and the dawn was quickly drawing near. We had no time to spare. All I could do was to give you some basic treatment so you wouldn't bleed out, take you on my back and hurry to the next high point. Honestly, if you didn't wake up, I don't think we would manage to make it on time."

Then he chuckled. "Honestly, you gave me quite a fright when you suddenly started burning on my back."

"I see. Thank you for taking care of me," she sincerely expressed her gratitude.

Sunny smiled embarrassedly and quickly turned away, without sparing her a look. "We have to get moving, it's almost dawn."

Why does he act-

But then she looked at herself once again and blushed. Of course, her temporary bikini wouldn't be able to hold on in such fight. And in the heat of the moment, she must not have noticed it.

She side-glanced at Sunny who was looking anywhere but at her.

Neither of them brough up the fact that she had fainted on top of him, completely naked.

No. But why does he act so disinterested? Is my body not good enough for him?

Instead of being occupied with useless thoughts, Nephis rather went to check her runes.

At the end of her short list of her memories she saw new, yet familiar runes.

Memory: [Starlight Legion Armor].

Memory Rank: Awakened.

Memory Type: Armor.

Memory Description: [Born in the all-consuming darkness, seven valiant heroes made an oath to return light to the cursed land. Time has erased their names and their faces, but the memory of the defiant oath still remains.]

This really brings back my memories.

Grateful for finally having a proper set of an Armor, she immediately summoned the Memory.

Why do I feel a little disappointed though?

Not wanting to linger anymore, she decisively stood up.

"Let's go. We still have a long way to go."

Hi, author here! As you can see, I’m alive and well despite my little pause. Unfortunately, in the next two months I won’t be able to write as often as I used to, since my exams are dangerously drawing near. I’m not dropping it, and I will probably sometimes write even in the meantime, so stay alert. I hope you are still enjoying it. If you want to share your thoughts about it, please leave a comment. I will appreciate it. See you in the next chapter!

PS. Just found out I hate writing combat scenes.

Chapter Text

"Are you completely sure you haven't lost your mind?"

Nephis sighed, answering the same question for the third time. "Yes, I am."

Sunny narrowed his eyes, still doubting her mental health. "Then why do you think it’s a good idea to build a boat, out of all things?! Don't you realize how dangerous it is? And why did you come up with it only now?"

"Because" Nephis shifted her glance to the only tall hill at the sight which looked as if it was made from ash. "I don't think it's safe for us to travel like this anymore. So far, we have been lucky, but one bad day and it will be an end for us. And that big tree gives off dangerous vibes. Don’t forget that plants can be dangerous nightmare creatures too. Moreover, by boat, our pace would increase by severalfold."

The argument threw her companions into a dilemma. Both options were full of uncertainty and risk. On the one hand, the tree was clearly abnormal, but on the other, they had no idea what kind of danger could await them in the vast dark sea.

No matter what they would choose, it would be a gamble. Nephis could only thank to dead gods, that in this round they hadn't encountered any creature from the depths yet.

If that wasn’t the case, then it would be nearly impossible to persuade them to sail away.

Eventually, they decided to trust Neph's judgment and go along with her proposal. After all, when it came to the Dream Realm, her knowledge vastly exceeded theirs.

"But do we even have the means to build a boat? In school they taught me basics, but we don't have suitable materials," Cassie inquired.

"We can hunt down and use a shell from a Carapace Centurion. If we get lucky, we will be able to finish it and head out in two days."

Sunny frowned. "If you want to get out of here so much, then we should start to prepare now."

From that fateful day in the Labyrinth, they grew much stronger and their teamwork got a lot better. As though motivated by his failures, Sunny started to train even more diligently, becoming a true ally.

Cassie meanwhile managed to adapt… well if not enough to help then at least good enough to not get in the way.

A great boon was also Sunny's new echo - a three-meter-long centipede type monster which they killed a two days ago.

In contrary to carapace scavengers, it was really fast and agile, but its offensive and defensive qualities weren't as great. But it had also a handy ability to produce corrosive oil which could melt even through Carapace Centurion Armor given enough time.

And so, though still dangerous, their opponents gradually became less difficult to face.

In the end it took them three days to make enough preparations for the departure. Their boat was also a lot smaller than the one created from the Demon’s armor, but they had to settle with it.

Nephis didn't want to get anywhere near the tree and depend only on her luck again.

At least not while being only a scrawny dormant beast.

With Sunny’s help she lowered the boat on the sea as soon as the artificial sun disappeared from the sky. Then, they helped Cassie to embark and set off.

Since Nephis didn’t have the ability to see in the dark and Cassie didn’t have ability to see, it was only on Sunny to guide their makeshift boat to the safety. Or at least to somewhere where it is safer than above the roots of a mind sucking tree.

None of them made a sound, as though afraid they would wake up something terrifying slumbering in the depths of the sea.

Even though everything went relatively well, Nephis still couldn’t shake down bad premotion.

After some time, she soundlessly whispered. “Where are we?”

“We sctill sail along the tree island. It will take a while to pass it completely,” hushed answer resounded behind her back.

Too slow.

She uncomfortably shifted.

There was nothing out of the ordinary to fear of, so why couldn’t she shake off that unsettling feeling. This was nothing like her.

Trying to calm down her disruptive thoughts, she slowly closed her eyes and deeply inhaled.

Well, in the end, it doesn’t matter. I will deal with anything what has enough nerve to try to mess with us.

Just as she finished her thought the boat swayed, as if responding to her mental challenge.

Sunny muffledly shrieked with panic in his voice.

“There is something under-” but he was interrupted in the middle of the sentence by the loud crash.

Everything what came after, felt like a feverish dream.

Nephis only remembered that she fell into the freezing sea and fought with wild currents.

But despite all her efforts, the raging waters toyed with her as if she was a rag doll, making her barely hold herself above the surface.

She was unable to tell how long it took her to blindly crawl out. She only knew that after some time of desperately holding out, the currents around her started gradually to quiet down and soon she found solid ground under the tips of her toes. After a while, she could comfortably stand on her feet without drowning and later, the water level didn’t even reach her waist.

Finally on dry land, Nephis exhaustedly collapsed on her knees, coughing out salt water. She tried to stand up, but her legs refused to listen to her.

Despite trying to resist it with all her might, the fatigue quickly overcame her.

The situation was truly bad. Not only did they land in the place to which she wanted to avoid at all costs, but they also ended up there in the most inconvenient way she could imagine.

Well, maybe not the most, but it would certainly be in the top ten.

They were all scattered in absolute darkness, exhausted and without any plan. And as a bonus they were surrounded by an unknown horror from the sea and almost uncomfortably familiar demon-tree duo.

Wait, can Carapace Demon see in the dark?

Nephis somehow hoped not to find out.

After recuperating a little, she got up, supporting herself with her sword.

A sharp pain resonated in her right leg, but summoning flames in this situation would be akin to suicide.

She wanted to do something, anything, to help, but right now she was lost and powerless.

All she could do was to grit her teeth and wait either for aid or for doom. Not that she would go down easily if push came to shove.

I wonder if this is how Cassie always feels…

In the absolute darkness, as a freezing wind pierced into her face, a cacophony of sounds overwhelmed her.

Behind her, she could hear the raging sea and also the sound of something, which didn’t feel like it belonged to this world.

She had to get as far as possible from its vicinity. By now, the Carapace Demon should have noticed the uninvited visitor and Nephis wasn’t very thrilled by the idea of being cached between two abominations exchanging pleasantries.

Ignoring her aching leg, she limped along the shore with no goal set in her mind, using her sword as a cane.

Before she could walk even a hundred meters, something started silently rustling behind her, and it was quickly drawing closer. It sounded like an army of tiny creatures was marching towards her. There was no point in running, since her pursuers were a lot faster than her and clearly knew that she was there. Nephis vigilantly turned toward the sound, estimating her opponents.

Against numerous weak opponents, her flames held a great advantage, but she wanted to refrain from using them unless it was an absolute necessity.

As the little beings approached, Nephis noticed something odd. The sound of marching legs was too synchronized and also strangely familiar.

Then, the voice she wanted at that moment to hear the most resounded.

“For love of the dead gods, please don’t shoot at us your flames Neph or you will kill us for good this time.”

“Sunny! Are you ok? Where is Cassie?” she suppressed her excitement and lowered volumes in her voice to not alert their enemies.

“Except a few bruises I’m alright. Cassie is right here with me. But we don’t have time to stall, so please stop pointing your sword at us and climb on.”

Oh.

She hurriedly lowered her Dream Blade and let Sunny help her to mount onto the Echo while he himself jumped off.

Despite having many great uses, the Centipede monster wasn’t strong as scavengers and was able to carry a lot less weight. To sustain reasonable speed of their advancement, it was more effective for them to let Sunny run along.

Even though she knew that this was the most practical solution, she still felt a little pang of regret about being the carried one.

But in the end her emotions didn’t matter. She couldn’t afford to be selfish if she wanted to achieve her goals. So, she just settled behind Cassie and turned her head towards the place where she presumed Sunny was.

“What’s the exact situation?”

He answered with slight hesitation in his voice. “I’m not really sure either. Everything happened in such a hurry. I only saw something big flash by and in the next moment we were all drowning. I managed somehow to crawl out in one piece. Luckily, I landed near Cassie. Then we went searching for you.”

Nephis furrowed her brows in puzzlement. “What about that thing?”

“That’s the strange part. It destroyed our boat and scattered us, but it didn’t pursue us. In fact, I haven’t seen any part of it out of the sea. It only howls and swirls water.”

“How big do you think is the possibility the boat survived?”

“Slight. But have you really gone crazy?” even though right now she was unable to see his face, Nephis could swear that he was looking at her with completely dumbfounded expression. “Do you really think that we have any chance now to get out of here by boat? There is no way! And-” he abruptly stopped.

 “We have to run now.”

Without any warning, the centipede hurriedly started moving away from shore.

Nephis wanted to protest, but before she managed to say a word, a spine-chilling roar resonated over the entire island.

A few moments later, she heard a strong splash and then a slight tremor spread through the ground. All around them echoes of dreadful howls could be heard. It seemed that the resident of this place finally decided to throw a proper welcoming party.

And Nephis didn’t want to be anywhere near it.

They were moving as fast as they could, while trying to make as little noise as possible.

“Where are we going?” Nephis whispered toward Sunny.

“Isn’t it obvious. Towards the tree.”

“We can try to find some other way.”

“I don’t know why you are so reluctant to approach that tree, but right now it is our only hope to survive the next day. You didn’t see the thing what lives under it and if that monster comes back, we don’t have anywhere else to hide,” he silently retorted, with a hidden irritation in his voice.

She wanted to argue back, but Cassie suddenly broke into the conversation.

“I think Sunny is right this time. We don’t have an idea what will happen next, but I think by hiding in the tree we have the best chance of survival.”

Nephis remained silent. Of course, from their perspective the suggestion was perfectly logical, and Nephis was the one who was acting unreasonably. Their boat was lost and on the edge of the island two terrible creatures were fighting till the last breath. The tree indeed posed tempting shelter. But they didn’t know what she did.

Yet no matter how hard she tried to deny it, they had truly no other feasible options. In the end she had no choice but to give up.

“Fine but we will be leaving with the next sunset.”

Though she doubted that after today’s disaster her friends were quite content with sailing once again, they didn’t bring out any remarks anymore.

They managed to get to the tree without any more troubles, but the real challenge began from now on.

Before they climbed on, Nephis stopped them.

“Wait. Before we go up, remember that no matter what’ll happen, don’t fall asleep. It could be the end for us.”

After slight hesitation, she briefly touched her friends and sent a healing flame into their wounds. Then she cured her own injured leg.

She was contemplating the chances of being spotted, but in the end, she decided that the risk was now low enough. Most importantly, they had to be fit enough to be able to face tomorrow’s challenges.

Sunny dismissed the Echo and helped them climb the tree. Then they hid on the lower part of the branches, where they planned to spend the night.

In the best-case scenario, the horror from the sea would injure the demon enough for them to being able to kill it in the morning. Then they would spend the next day building another ship from its carapace. Then they could-

Wait, what could we to do?

Nephis shat her eyes firmly while faint flames started dancing on her arm.

Get out of this island by the next night, Changing Star. You can never forget your goals.

The tree started to make weak attempts to control their mind already. The influence was still easy to shake off, but with more time they lingered here it would be harder and harder to get rid of the mental hex.

She instinctually turned her gaze to the place where she knew Sunny was.

Should she tell him?

It was him after all who saved them from its claws last time they ended up here. But how could she explain where she got all this information? On the other hand, if she stayed silent now, there would be no guarantee that she would be able to remember for enough time.

Before she could decide what to do, something changed.

“N-no way,” she heard Sunny gasp in horror.

“What’s happening?”

“That mad… We have to climb higher. Quickly.”

This time Nephis didn’t argue back. She knew Sunny well enough to recognize when the situation was truly serious.

Thanks to Sunny’s navigation, they somehow managed to thread the way through the branches, to upper parts of the tree.

But then a terrible blow resounded somewhere from behind them, followed by a quake strong enough to make Nephis nearly lose her balance.

“Shit, we have to go even higher, or we will die from the impact!” Sunny firmly grasped their hands and increased their pacing even more, not bothering to describe the situation a little better.

By then Nephis had already decided. She had to tell him now when there was still a chance.

“Sunny,” she took a quiet breath to calm herself down. “This tree is extremely strong and dangerous mind-controlling nightmare creature. It will slowly suck out our brain and we will unknowingly become its slaves. Our only chance is to build another boat and get out of here immediately after sunset. Do not ever fall asleep on this island. Use sharp pain to keep your thoughts intact instead.”

She stopped for a bit. Sunny didn’t interrupt her, seemingly processing the flood of new information she dumped at him.

Now she got to the part she feared the most.

“Also never forget your true name. It’s an anchor to oneself and with repeating it will be harder for you to lose yourself.”

The hand holding her shook.

“How?”

She guiltily lowered her gaze. “Now isn’t time.”

Sunny didn’t react to her revelation anyhow, but she knew that he was in turmoil on the inside.

For a few minutes they walked without saying anything, but then, another especially strong shake resonated through the tree.

Nephis tried to hold herself, but a small branch broke under her feet.

The last thing she managed to do was to let go of Sunny’s hand to not to drag him and Cassie down with her.

As you can see, I somehow managed to survive the exams, so I finally have more time for writing.

Enjoy the new episode!