Chapter Summary: The emotional damage makes its triumphant return.
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The frown on Sunny's face grew deeper by the moment.
He was crouched on the ground, inspecting a patch of grass that was, as far as he could tell, like any other. And that was exactly where the problem lay. Not a single clue had been left behind.
Two days after they arrived at the Lake of Tears, the eighth disappearance had taken place. An Awakened of Clan Sorrow, there one moment and gone the next like a ghost.
"Tell me about him," Sunny ordered without tearing his gaze away from the patch of grass.
Even without turning around, he could tell from the way his shadow had shifted that Rogar, the young Master of Clan Sorrow, was clenching his fists furiously.
Part of Sunny could understand. The man behind him had been left in charge of the Citadel's safety while his father was away, and he had failed so thoroughly that his overlord had deemed it necessary to send someone else to get the job done.
He might have even felt some pity for the guy had he not noticed the subtle looks of disdain Rogar gave him whenever he thought Sunny wasn't watching.
A snort almost escaped him. Saint and heir of Song or not, some Legacies would never stop considering him an overly lucky Outskirts rat.
"His name is—" Is? He sure was optimistic. "—Liu. Twenty-two, single. His Aspect gave him enhanced senses. Liu has been in the service of my house for three years. No notable enmities or grudges that could justify this being the act of a human," Rogar detailed.
Sunny nodded while continuing to inspect the ground. There were footprints, but all of them belonged to the man who had disappeared.
"What was he doing here?"
Before him lay one of the many training grounds of Clan Sorrow, a simple clearing with nothing of note besides a small scattering of trees, some rocks, and a small pond of water that came up to his shoulders.
Interestingly, it had no connection to the Lake of Tears or the Grand River, which meant the Nightmare Creature could survive outside of water, at least long enough to move to another source. They already knew that it could conceal its presence incredibly well, but managing to do so when all the Awakened in the area were on high alert was impressive. Especially when he himself was watching, too.
Sunny heard some shuffling behind him as Rogar checked his notes.
"He comes to train here every morning."
"Alone?"
Rogar exhaled heavily. "I'm afraid so. He has already earned punishment twice for it, yet he refuses to listen to reason."
"Why?" he asked.
"Liu claimed that the way of the blade was a lonely one, in which only someone who cast aside any and all distractions could succeed." He shook his head. "He has always been full of conviction like that. Then again, so was everyone else who disappeared."
Sunny rubbed his chin in thought. Why did that sound so familiar?
Sadly, try as he might, he didn't have enough pieces of the puzzle to put it together.
"You can leave," he said absentmindedly. "I'll keep looking for anything out of place."
Even without Shadow Sense, he could have easily noticed the way Rogar bristled at the dismissal. It couldn't be helped. Outskirts rats didn't know about proper manners, after all.
Fighting the smirk threatening to break through his serious expression, Sunny decided to review what had happened.
It was morning, the sun barely starting to rise on the horizon, when he realized that a shadow had suddenly disappeared from his range of detection. Sure enough, when he Shadow Stepped to its last location, he found himself in this place, completely alone and with nothing but a sword left to mark someone else's presence. The sword disappeared shortly afterward, either because its owner had died -the most likely explanation- or because it had been unsummoned.
He couldn't tell with complete certainty. It was difficult with so many shadows around unless he was focusing on one specifically, but he was moderately sure that no other shadow had approached Liu's.
Could the Nightmare Creature mask its shadow somehow? Did it not have one to begin with? Was it using some kind of mind hex that made him ignore it?
Sighing, he continued looking for a lead.
To think that he had been so sure it would be easy to solve whatever was happening, and that he could spend the rest of his time lazing around.
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Effie pushed herself up despite the strain.
She forced herself to stay like that, her back straight as an arrow, before coming back down, where she held for a moment longer before going up once more. She kept repeating the same motion again and again, feeling the satisfying burn in her muscles that indicated a thorough training session.
On her back was the [Dusk Shard], the ancient shield set to its maximum weight. Its pressure felt as heavy as that of a mountain, which was precisely what she needed nowadays if she wanted to work up a sweat.
She still got whiplash at times. Just how strong she was now.
A full workout routine, and even now, in the final exercise and with the weight of a mountain on her back, she still felt like she could go for another round or ten. It was exhilarating, more freeing than anything else had ever been in her life.
She might just have, if not for the hunger already gnawing at her.
Taking that as the signal to stop, she dismissed the [Dusk Shard] and, with a minimal application of strength, launched herself high into the air before landing back on her feet with a perfect backflip. It had taken ages to perfect that little maneuver.
Following her lead, the other Firekeepers who were also exercising stopped as well, and they went to grab something to eat as a group. The rules were clear: nobody was to travel alone, no matter the reason.
The disappearance early that morning had more than hammered that lesson home.
After taking a well-deserved bath -separated by gender, much to the relief and disappointment of many- they moved on to the eating hall, which was packed with people.
A low murmur enveloped the room as everyone talked in whispers and worriedly gazed at their neighbors while pretending not to do so.
It sort of reminded her of that time in high school when a Gate had opened in the vicinity. That day was one Effie would never forget: seeing her fellow students trembling in fear, the way the teachers tried to calm them down despite being terrified themselves, and even one of her bullies suggesting that they throw the "dead weight" -namely her- at the Nightmare Creatures if they got in.
Nothing happened in the end, as it had been contained with minimal effort, but that fear had still permeated the school for weeks afterward. And now, she was seeing the same thing. Admittedly, they were handling it much better. Most of those present were Awakened, after all, people who had been tested by the Spell and not found wanting.
Still, she didn't think it would take much longer before they started to break. Fear had a way of turning even the strongest of warriors into monsters who cared for nothing but themselves.
Shaking away the gloomy thoughts, she plastered a confident smile on her face before picking up a tray, which she piled precariously high with food, and moved toward a free seat beside Cassie, who had already been in the room along with some of the other Firekeepers before she arrived.
"How's my favorite oracle doing?" she asked casually.
Cassie put down her fork, primly cleaned her mouth with a napkin, and took a sip of water before replying. All of it done glacially slowly.
Maybe teasing her so much was a bad idea? Nah, couldn't be that.
"Do you know another?" Cassie said.
"I actually do now," Effie replied through a mouthful of Nightmare Creature steak. "That Song princess, Hela or something. Fun girl, a little crazy, but which Awakened isn't?"
"Certainly not us," the blonde woman replied dryly.
"Certainly not us," she echoed cheerfully.
Silence briefly settled between them as Effie continued eating before deciding to ask another question.
"Hey, Cass, do you—?"
"No." She shook her head. "I keep trying to, but I'm unable to find any new details. The most I have seen was that vision of a disturbing shape lurking beneath the water, but both the Clans and Sunny have scoured the whole Lake of Tears and found nothing."
Effie's brows furrowed in concern. A part of her had hoped that Cassie already knew, and that she was only refraining from sharing because it would cause more harm than good to reveal that information before the right moment.
At some point, without even realizing it, she had started trusting Cassie to always know, if not the exact answer, then at least the way to get there. It was her lead that had brought them from the Forgotten Shore to the frontier of the Underworld and back again in one piece. Just like how it was her lead that had directed them to the Second Nightmare in the Chained Isles and finally granted her complete freedom from her chains.
For that alone, she would forever be grateful.
"Are you alright?" Effie found herself asking a moment later, noticing the tightness in her expression.
The blonde woman did not reply immediately, which was troubling in itself. She always had a reply ready.
Cassie let out a heavy sigh. "I'm not. It's incredibly vexing, finding myself so blind all of a sudden."
Effie opened her mouth—
"Yes, I know what I said," she interrupted, her voice drier than a desert. "You are a terrible influence for making me joke about my own condition. You know that, right?"
Snickering a little at the incredibly annoyed expression on her friend's face, Effie decided to let that one go.
"Guess we'll have to figure it out on our own," Effie said, taking another bite of her steak. "Not like we haven't before."
Cassie brought the glass of water to her lips before replying, her grip tight on it.
"I'm confident that we will," she said quietly. "But it doesn't change the fact that I hate it."
Unsure what to say, she settled for action instead.
Effie slipped an arm over Cassie's shoulder and pulled her into a tight side hug. Surprisingly, Cassie did not resist, choosing instead to remain there without saying anything.
Not wanting to spoil the moment, Effie said nothing and simply hugged her tighter.
It was easy to forget, given how self-assured she always acted and how she always seemed two steps ahead, but Cassie was the youngest among the Cohort.
There was one more factor that made it easy to forget.
Cassie, just like Princess and Doofus, had a tendency to try to do everything on her own without allowing anyone else to help.
Effie couldn't help but shake her head inwardly. It was like those three idiots couldn't fathom the idea that they didn't have to carry the weight of the world on their shoulders alone.
And they called her the immature one.
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Nephis rubbed her temples to stave off the headache already settling in.
She had spent all morning listening to the world in an attempt to accelerate her understanding of the True Name of Water, and while there was steady progress , reducing her estimate from a week to five days, it still wouldn't be enough.
The Nightmare Creature would strike again before she could grasp it.
It stung, being tasked with the protection of others, yet failing to ensure their safety. Even when the assignment came from one of the Ghouls.
"Tough day?" someone asked before taking the seat opposite her.
Nephis nodded without bothering to look in her direction.
Seishan had approached in complete silence, not even the rustling of her clothes producing any sound she could pick up on. It had still been futile, considering that Nephis could detect her desires long before she approached. They were in order: family, shelter, comfort.
Most days, she didn't bother to keep her desire sense active. There was far too much clutter for no real benefit, after all.
She had decided to forgo that habit these last few days, hoping to detect the Nightmare Creature's desires. It had worked, somehow, as Nephis could pick up on some vague, unrecognizable desires, but the moment she got anywhere close to finding the source, they disappeared. Worse, they kept getting harder to find to begin with.
"What can I help you with?" she asked calmly.
The other woman took a seat across from her, sitting on the plain wooden chair with an elegance that made it look like a throne. A part of her was impressed. Seishan could make even the terrace they were on look like an exclusive restaurant.
"Nothing much," Seishan replied lightly. "Just wanted to see what the progress is."
Nephis took a sip of her coffee and quirked an eyebrow. "I thought you didn't care about what's happening."
Seishan brought a cup of tea to her lips, drinking it slowly as though she had no hurry in the world.
"I have no intention of getting involved, that's true," the Princess of Song said after putting it down lightly. "But that doesn't mean I'm not curious about how the investigation is progressing."
Curious, or looking for more details to report to her mother?
"We are still investigating," Nephis replied noncommittally. "The current clues are not enough just yet."
Taking another sip, the princess nodded, seemingly caring neither one way nor the other.
"I have heard that people are getting nervous," Seishan commented almost as an afterthought.
"And I have heard that your mother is a delusional worm who insists on playing with dolls well into her middle age."
Satisfying as Seishan's reaction would have been, she decided against voicing her thoughts and instead looked for something more... diplomatic to say.
"Nothing we didn't expect," she settled on saying in the end. "Unless the Nightmare Creature is kind enough to show itself, we can do nothing but keep looking and hope for the best."
"Oh, I agree," the princess replied. "A pity that the masses do not seem to. I can only hope that the problem is solved before our heirs lose the trust of our vassals."
Quirking an eyebrow in mild curiosity, Nephis understood at last what the other woman was getting at. Even on vacation, Seishan couldn't stop herself from acting like the princess she was.
Ki Song had always been a scheming one, with plans within plans. Sending them here served to accomplish many purposes, among which putting them to the test could be considered paramount.
If they succeeded in solving a problem that had been stumping the local clans for weeks on end, then her choice of heirs would be proven right, as they would prove not to be just powerful brutes, and nobody could dispute it without an equal failure to point to. If they failed? Why, her precious heirs' reputations would take a serious hit, and they would have to rely on her authority rather than possessing authority of their own.
In the end, it all came down to the poisoned gift that was Nephis and Sunny's position as heirs. It carried plenty of chains, that was true, yet it was also too beneficial to reject. Riches, priceless artifacts, Citadels, and vassals, all packaged neatly in one bundle. A bundle that made Ki Song's interests their own; as the stronger Clan Song became, the better it would be for them when they inevitably decided to usurp the Ghoul leading them all.
Nephis was almost impressed by the move.
"Then we shall strive to avoid such a thing," she replied evenly. "If there is one thing we have proven, it is that we do not fear a difficult challenge."
Seishan hummed in agreement. "And what a challenge you two are aiming for this time." She took another sip. "Why, it could almost be considered impossible. A mountain so tall that only two others of its kind exist."
Nephis leaned back in her chair and took another sip of her coffee. What an interesting choice of words she had settled on.
"You don't sound like you are that against it," she commented indifferently.
Nephis had to admit that Seishan had surprised her.
She had expected hidden knives and poisoned words. It was almost refreshing to be approached so directly, even if Seishan was speaking in a roundabout manner.
The princess leaned back as well, her whole body taut like a wire. "It's not like I can stop you two from trying."
"What about your sisters, then?" Nephis took another sip of her now-cold drink. "Surely they must have their own opinion about this... challenge."
Seishan remained silent for a long moment, looking down at her cup of tea as though it held the answer to her plight.
Impressive as her control was, the Song princess couldn't hide her desires from Nephis, nor could she completely mask her body language. Looking at her, Nephis could easily tell just how conflicted she was about what she was about to say.
Right before Seishan opened her mouth, her desire flared. Family, shelter, comfort.
"We have talked about this," she confessed slowly, reluctantly, her voice laced with guilt.
Seishan fell silent after saying that, her cup trembling in her grasp. Nephis couldn't blame her for that. She didn't think she would have fared any better in her situation.
The moment stretched thin, the tension hanging in the air so thick it could be cut.
"And what did you decide?" Nephis prodded when the princess still did not continue.
There was another long pause before Seishan finally decided to answer.
"If the two of you succeed... then we will accept you as the rightful heirs."
Nephis narrowed her eyes, briefly considering whether she was being lied to. It was easy, far too easy.
The doubt was only brief, for even without her ability to sense the other woman's desires, she could read her face just as well. Seishan's face was perfectly composed, her expression placid like the surface of the Lake of Tears, but her eyes... her eyes did not lie.
They confirmed what Nephis already knew. Seishan wasn't a fighter, not in the same sense that Nephis herself was. She had spent more time than anyone else still alive on the Forgotten Shore, and all that time she had contented herself with living behind the walls of the Bright Castle, not daring to go out and search for salvation on her own.
Even when Nephis had come to her with the solution to all their problems in hand, she had still been reluctant, afraid of the risks involved. Seishan had refused to act directly, offering nothing but information until victory was all but assured.
In the end, Seishan valued her own safety and that of those she held dear above all else.
And now? She was doing the same.
Nephis nodded calmly, offering neither approval nor disdain toward her decision.
"As long as you accept it, there won't be any conflict between us."
Seishan let out a barely perceptible sigh of relief, the guilt behind her eyes even more palpable now.
They kept exchanging polite words, talking about nothing, as though they truly were sisters instead of possible enemies. Time passed at a snail's pace while they did so, until Seishan finally excused herself.
Nephis saw her off with the same polite words they had been exchanging and watched as her form drew farther away, her own expression remaining neutral.
Surprisingly, she felt no satisfaction.
By all means, this was a massive victory for her, one that would greatly facilitate her future plans.
And still, she couldn't help lamenting that it had come to this.
-------------------------------------------
"Anything?"
Nephis shook her head. "No. I think I found a glimpse, but it disappeared so fast I couldn't pick up on anything."
"That bastard sure hides well," Sunny complained.
Nephis couldn't help but agree. It had been three days already since the latest disappearance, and it still refused to show itself.
She let go of her sword, which turned back into a shower of sparks before hitting the ground. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Sunny's odachi turning back into shadows.
They had pretended to fight, hoping to bait the creature into attacking them while they were presumably distracted with each other. It had come close a few times, as she detected those faint, vague desires flaring up a little between exchanges. However, they never amounted to much, with the one that happened this very moment being the most notable.
"It won't work." Sunny decided, looking irritated. "It's too smart to fall for the bait."
"Or it isn't close enough to intervene," Nephis added thoughtfully.
Sunny dragged a hand across his hair. "Yeah, that too. We still have no idea how it moves. For all we know, it could be on the other end of the Great River right now, and you are only catching glimpses because of how far it is."
"It was worth an attempt." She reassured. "We just have to keep trying until we find something that will work."
He grumbled something unintelligible, but he didn't refuse.
Nephis hid the smile that was threatening to form. Sunny could be like a grumpy cat sometimes.
After seeing him settle down and summon his needle memory to start weaving, she copied him and sat down, ready to practice with her Aspect. She had been neglecting it a little with her recent focus on Shaping. Since she couldn't advance any further for the day, she might as well dedicate her efforts to something more productive.
"Wait."
The words reached her just as she was about to invoke the flames.
She gave Sunny a confused stare, who returned it with a complicated one. It didn't last, for a moment later he Shadow Stepped beside her, another Memory already starting to take form in his hand.
A second later, a small, jagged rock appeared in his hand. One that he motioned her to take.
"This is the [Painkiller Rock]," he said quietly. "It does what it says."
Understanding what he meant, she took it and, without waiting for a moment, activated her aspect.
The old familiar pain invaded her immediately. First, a lukewarm feeling travelled through her body, small, almost inconsequential. Always giving her the hope that maybe this time it wouldn't be so painful. Such a notion was proved wrong immediately as pure lava seemed to flow through her veins next, carrying a horrible searing pain on its way. Next, her skin itched as though countless fire-ants were marching atop it, followed by the sensation of all of them biting at the same time, again and again without an end in sight. Finally, fire covered her whole body in a cloak that burned her flesh black at the same time it restored it.
Her grip on the rock grew tighter, and Nephis immediately felt the difference. The pain was still there, as horrible and tyrannical as ever, but it felt a little... dulled now. Like its bite had been blunted. If she were to put what she felt on a scale of '1' to '10', the pain she normally felt would be a '10' while the memory turned it into something akin to '9.9'.
From an ocean of pain, the rock had only managed to drain a few drops, and still, that minimal difference was almost euphoric.
Nephis let go of her aspect, and the pain faded to nothing, the white flames that were her curse and blessing at the same time fading into nothing.
"Did it work?" Sunny asked, an eager look in his eyes.
Nephis nodded, putting a thankful expression on her face. "Yes, I felt nothing thanks to you."
The beginnings of a smile started to form on his face, but then he took a proper look at her and scoffed.
"You are lying." He declared without an ounce of doubt. "Did it work or not?"
Left with no other option, she confessed. "A little."
Sunny looked at her for a long moment, and then nodded, already stretching his arm to touch her shoulder.
[You have acquired a Memory, Painkiller Rock]
"Keep it until I can make you a better one."
Warmth filled her chest, but this time, it wasn't painful. Quite the contrary, in fact.
She looked upon him. His black eyes fixed upon hers, filled with so many emotions that always seemed to mesmerize her. His face, and that smirk he wore, as if to say that he would deliver something that would surpass all of her expectations. But most importantly, she looked upon his desires.
They were still divided down the middle, one bright and warm while the other was cold and dark. Once upon a time, they were locked in eternal battle, neither side capable of gaining an advantage. But now, ever so slowly, the dark side was growing weaker.
Nephis smiled and almost reached for him. For what she wasn't sure, only that she wanted to.
She didn't.
"I don't deserve it," Nephis said without emotion.
Sunny stopped mid-motion, about to teleport back to his original position in order to start weaving. He looked back at her, black eyes piercing straight into her soul.
He said nothing, allowing her to explain.
"I don't deserve it," she repeated. "Not after what I did to you. That... day I was weak, allowed myself to be overcome by pain, by the fear of not surviving. I did something horrible to you, something that by all rights you should have killed me for. Having you here by my side, and even to receive this gift from you after that... it makes me happier than you can imagine."
Nephis stopped briefly, so many words fighting to come out that she couldn't decide which ones to say. The temptation to stop was strong, too, but once the floodgates were open, there was no closing them back.
"But I cannot accept it. Not until you can forgive me. Maybe not even then."
Sunny looked as if he was about to speak, but she continued before he could.
"I love you," the confession came out unbidden, raw with emotion. "And yet I have already asked too much of you, cost you too much, caused too much pain. How could I accept a way to lessen my pain when you are still suffering so much yourself?"
He looked at her for a long time, his jaw flexing tightly every time he seemed about to talk, only to stop right after as though the words refused to come out.
Nephis waited, not making any effort to rush him. She had said her piece, and now it was his turn to speak. To tell her that she was right, that she had truly done nothing but make him suffer, and that the only thing she deserved was even more pain.
In the end, he did something that she did not expect.
Sunny let out a long, irritated sigh and dragged a hand across his hair.
"There is something terribly wrong with me."
Nephis tilted her head, confused by such an answer.
"Somehow, against all logic and good sense, I found that..." Sunny stopped briefly, throwing her a supremely annoyed stare. "I found that romantic."
A strange sensation built up in her stomach, like there were butterflies fluttering inside.
Sunny continued, throwing her another annoyed stare. "It also is the stupidest thing you have ever told me. Seriously Neph? How can you accept this? Easy, because I'm asking you. Because I hate seeing you in pain. And because I want you to."
"But..."
"I don't care." He interrupted. "Do you enjoy seeing me suffer?" She shook her head, unable to speak. "Good, then you should understand why I don't enjoy seeing you suffer either."
Nephis' mouth opened again, a counterargument already forming on her lips. She did not have time to let it come out before Sunny closed the distance, enveloping his arms around her in a tight embrace.
"You are an idiot." He said without heat. "I am an idiot. But like it or not, we are stuck together. We should try to make it comfortable at least."
A small, almost inaudible chuckle escaped her at that answer. It was so purely Sunny that she could do nothing but smile in answer and embrace him back so tightly a Supreme couldn't have separated them.
Nephis didn't know how long they stood like that, only that it wasn't long enough.
-------------------------------------------
Nephis barely registered what she was eating.
She lifted the spoon, took a mouthful, swallowed, and repeated the motion again a few moments later. Whatever it was that had been served for breakfast, she couldn't care less for it.
Her attention was fully focused on the scene before her, which she watched with a soft smile.
Placed by the lakeside and seated around a table, her cohort was eating breakfast. All alone for once.
On one side was Effie, chatting with Rain and Cassie, the latter two trying to explain their sorceries while she pretended not to understand. On the other, there were Sunny and Kai, with the latter attempting -futilely- to convince the former to try other colours when it came to fashion.
It was a scene that she was sure would never get old. The kind that she would always treasure.
Nephis was startled out of her thoughts by one simple realization.
She was happy.
Not just calm or content, but truly, unmistakably happy.
For years she had lived chasing distant horizons. Every achievement merely became another step toward the next impossible goal. Every victory only highlighted the mountain that still remained unconquered. Which was why the realization felt almost foreign.
Nephis had thought herself incapable of this. Of just enjoying a quiet morning enough to feel happy.
A part of her had been convinced that such a thing would never happen, that moments of happiness would be fleeting and far in between. At least not until her revenge was fulfilled. Maybe not even then.
Yet now, in a simple domestic moment, she had found that sensation blooming inside her.
The thought should have been absurd. She hadn't avenged her father just yet. She hadn't destroyed the Spell either. The only thing she had accomplished so far was hurting those around her.
And yet...
She was happy.
Her gaze drifted almost involuntarily toward Sunny. The phantom warmth of the previous day, holding each other tightly, still lingered pleasantly around her.
He was talking with Effie over something completely inconsequential now, speaking with exaggerated gestures while she grew increasingly more amused with every reply.
Watching him like this, the smile on her face grew wider.
There was still a heaviness behind him, one that she feared would never completely go away. Still, he looked lighter, the weight of an unmade choice finally lifted off his shoulders.
Her fingers unconsciously tightened around the spoon.
The Stormsea returned to her mind in flashes of lightning and the scent of blood.
Sunny standing before her with trembling hands that desperately tried not to shake. She remembered the look in his eyes, filled with rage, fear, love, and hate. Almost pleading with her to stop him by force, if only so that he wouldn't have to make a choice.
She had wanted nothing more than to hold him. Tell him that everything would be alright.
Instead, she had remained silent. He had to make his choice, and anything she said would only make things worse. So she had endured through the pain, the anguish, and how much she had just wanted to stop hurting the man she loved.
If Sunny decided that killing her was the only way he could truly be free... then she would accept it.
She didn't want to die, far from it in fact.
She wanted to live, wanted to complete her revenge, more mornings like this one, evenings like this one, watch their senseless arguments and quiet conversations beneath endless skies. Hold Sunny until she fell asleep, train with Rain, listen to Kai's singing, chat with Cassie, watch movies with Effie.
She wanted all of it.
And still, the decision belonged to him. A decision which she refused to influence.
In the end, he had made a choice.
And against all odds, he had chosen her. A part of Nephis still couldn't believe it. A part of her never would.
Sunny had finally stopped running from making that choice, and she could never be happier with what he elected.
The thought lingered in her mind long after the memory faded.
Stopped running...
Slowly, an ugly truth was unveiled to Nephis.
She had been doing exactly the same thing. Running away from a choice that she should have made long ago. Of a truth that should have been revealed from the beginning.
Nephis had watched Sunny attempt to do it himself after they reached Ravenheart, only to always stop right before going through with it. Afraid that at the moment of truth, they would rather choose her. She had been relieved each and every time he hadn't, as guilty as that made her feel.
She could practically read his mind.
Later, he could do it later.
After this mission, after Antarctica, after the inevitable war was done, after Fate was defeated, after he was free. There would always be another "after."
Hadn't she thought the very same? Thought it right now?
It would never end until external factors conspired once more to force their hand.
Sunny had already done it once.
Now... now it was her turn.
Nephis looked around the table once more, at the happy faces of her friends, their content expressions, and how relaxed they were despite the incoming danger.
Maybe it wasn't the right time; it wouldn't be right to shatter such a precious moment.
No, the right time would never come. She either did it now, or she wouldn't have the courage to try again.
Sunny noticed her gaze and looked back, his already pale complexion turning even more so upon noticing the look in her eyes.
"...Neph?"
Everyone looked toward her, but she only had eyes for him.
He could tell what she was thinking; they knew each other too well, after all. She noticed fear in his eyes, a demand to stop already forming on his lips. And yet, at the last moment, he stopped himself, a resigned look passing over his eyes before he closed them and kept his mouth shut.
When Sunny said nothing, she decided to do it herself.
"I have something to tell you all."