Chapter Summary: The offscreener died, but the idea didn't.
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Sunny leaned back in his chair and looked closely at the woman seated opposite him.
Resting on a high-backed chair and wearing an exquisite red gown, Ki Song looked like an empress of old brought back to life, her very presence effortlessly commanding everything and everyone. He could easily admit that she was beautiful, easily within his top five, but in his eyes she held no attraction.
He knew too well just what kind of monster lurked beneath the tantalizing exterior, and had no intention to fall prey to it. Much less to someone who, the first time they met, had stared at him like a trophy to be mounted on her wall.
The Sovereign was looking at him now, her eyes alight with an odd mix of calculation and something else he couldn't quite place.
"So we are going back to the Waking World?" Nephis echoed in a mild tone.
She was seated to his left, leaning forward with interest as she carefully observed Ki Song. She was wearing black armor that contrasted sharply against her alabaster skin and silver hair, though not as much as the fire in her eyes did.
Even without activating her Aspect, her eyes were always like that in their "mother's" presence. Sunny would never admit that he found it quite appealing.
"Yes, there are some tasks involving the day-to-day handling of the Clan that I intend for the two of you to take over," Ki Song responded. "Besides, the number of Gates opening keeps increasing. One of the agreements I have reached with the Government is to increase our aid against them, so you can consider this killing two birds with one stone."
Sunny hummed quietly to himself, studying Ki Song's body language.
It was an incredibly difficult task. Not only was she an expert manipulator with decades of experience, but she was also a peerless warrior among peerless warriors, with all the mastery over her body that such a thing implied. It was so hard, in fact, that most people would be left stumped in their attempt.
He wasn't most people. And as well as her body could lie, her shadow couldn't. Not to him, their prince, at the very least.
From the minute movements of her shadow, Sunny could tell that there was more to his recent assignment than what she was telling them. Another test, perhaps? They had already proved themselves as warriors and investigators, so maybe it was time for them to play the role of politicians.
"Any directives we should follow?" he asked idly, playing the carefree role. "Or do we just have fun?"
It was one of the things he had agreed on with Nephis. He would play the extravagant, roguish heir. Sharp, yes; dangerous, for sure; but all too easily led astray by whimsy and his theatrical flair.
"This is no joking matter, Sunny," she chastised. "Please, take it seriously."
Meanwhile, Nephis got to play the serious one. Steadfast, led by duty, honor, and all those absurd things that Legacies liked to talk so much about whenever they wanted to put on airs.
Their arrangement played to their respective strengths and personalities, which was the whole reason he had suggested it to begin with.
"It's alright, little Nephie," Ki Song placated her, an amused smile playing on her ruby lips. "If I didn't trust your judgment, I wouldn't have decided on this course of action."
Nephis nodded without pause, her expression accepting and dutiful, but the fire in her eyes blazed just as intensely.
"Won't say I wasn't looking forward to this," he said, smiling brightly. "I have spent enough time in the Dream Realm to last me a lifetime."
"That, I can agree with," Nephis added solemnly.
"Same here," the sovereign added in amusement.
Ki Song tapped twice on her desk with a thoughtful expression, as though she were deciding whether to tell them something. Almost immediately afterward, she came to a conclusion.
"I'm afraid you won't be able to enjoy it much longer." All traces of amusement disappeared as though it had never been there to begin with. "Given how much the rate at which Gates are opening has increased, that is."
Nephis tilted her head, a conflicted expression appearing on her face. "How long?"
The Sovereign hesitated briefly before answering with a grim expression. "The current numbers point to eight years, though it will most likely be less."
Silence settled over the room as they all contemplated that particular revelation.
Despite himself, Sunny felt amused by the idea.
Was the world ending? So what?
What was so surprising or sobering about such a thing? He had been born into a dying world. To him, the idea that it would end sooner rather than later was as obvious as the fact that the sun set in the west.
He had always known that it would end, and before Awakening, he had always assumed that he would die with it. In fact, he had found the idea comforting in a dark, sick way. He was going to die, yes, and while the Legacy bastards and their Awakened would survive, all the other rich assholes would die along with him.
Death had been the great leveler in his eyes, caring not for whether you were a disgustingly wealthy magnate or an outskirts rat.
What was that idiom he had heard once? Misery loves company? Yeah, he certainly did back then. So did he now, but that was secondary.
Ki Song's words painted a grim picture, and yet, he couldn't find it in himself to care.
Ah, but the two women did not think the same, did they?
Ki Song was a Supreme, right at the top of humanity's food chain for almost two decades. To her, this wasn't just the Waking World falling, but also a personal failure for not being able to stop it, as ultimately powerless as she was to do anything about it.
And Nephis? He knew her better than most, and while she was even more powerless than Ki Song to stop it, her savior complex ran far deeper. In Changing Star's eyes, this was the Sovereign's failure, yes, but also hers for not being able to do any better.
Sunny resisted the urge to shake his head and said nothing, knowing full well that anything he could say would bring no comfort. Not that he wanted to comfort Ki Song, for that matter.
"Well, this has certainly brought down the mood," their "mother" said a few minutes later, a self-deprecating glint shining in her eyes. "I apologize for that."
"It happens," Sunny said with a light shrug. "Is there anything else you need to tell us? Or can we go prepare?"
Ki Song shook her head, her composure already restored. "No, you can go."
Never one to delay, he did just that, standing up and turning toward the door. While he did, a part of his mind couldn't help going back to what he had found out.
Eight years…
So that was how much time he had left.
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Nephis walked down the hall, already considering the things she had to do upon her return to the Waking World.
"Can't say I will miss this place," Sunny commented idly.
Turning her head to look at him, it didn't take her long to realize just how happy he was to put the Dream Realm behind him for a good while. It was to be expected, as he had, after all, spent more time there than most could claim.
"Neither can I," she agreed.
They kept walking in silence, one that felt surprisingly comfortable.
A part of her still couldn't believe it. Just how much better things were between them now. Not too long ago, they could barely be in the same room without tensions arising.
"Do you mind telling me what you want to do once we get there?" Nephis asked curiously.
He hummed thoughtfully at her question, rubbing his chin in an overly dramatic manner before answering.
"Guess I'll ask Aiko if she found a house that meets my requirements."
Sunny had already made clear his intention of buying a place he could call home, as little time the Waking World had left or not, but given how packed their schedules were and how little free time that left them, Nephis had offered to delegate the task to her agent.
Quite surprisingly, he had accepted, and after a quick trip to the Waking World to voice his requirements in person, he had left the task to the petite Awakened.
"She probably did. I promised her a bonus if she could get it done quickly, and she never fails to deliver when money is on the line." A small twitch betrayed the amused smile threatening to break through her composed expression. "A little after becoming a Master, I promised her a bonus if she could get me an appointment with a famous enchanter unaffiliated with the Clans. His schedule was booked for the next two years, and Aiko managed to get me one for the very next day."
He quirked an eyebrow. "Did she threaten him or something?"
"She only told me that everything was perfectly legal and above board, but you could almost see his blood freeze when Aiko walked in alongside me."
The enchanter hadn't been of much help, as she no longer had much use for the things he could craft after becoming a Master, but it had been an amusing sight. She had still bought a Memory from him and overpaid to compensate for whatever Aiko had done to him.
"Guess the search is in good hands, then," he said.
Nephis nodded, agreeing silently.
A small part of her was disappointed at the idea of not seeing him every day at her manor, but a bigger part accepted that he wanted, and even needed, some space. She also recognized just how important it must have been for him to have something he could call his own.
She was still going to miss him, though.
Nephis resisted the urge to shake her head at her own greed. They would still be seeing each other plenty, given their roles under Clan Song, but she wanted more.
Sunny scratched the back of his head. "Do I have to throw some sort of housewarming party or something like that? It showed up in webtoons, but I have no idea if that's a real thing or not."
"I don't know either," she answered, suddenly curious too.
The Immortal Flame Clan had had to move plenty of times to avoid the Sovereigns' pursuit, but those had always been tense and dangerous affairs that left no time for such frivolities. Effie had suggested they hold one after returning to the Waking World -and invited herself into her house- but Nephis had thought it was more of an Effie thing than an actual custom.
"Guess I'll have to ask Rain, then."
Her lips twitched again. "She will say 'yes' whether it is or not."
"True." A small chuckle escaped him. "But who am I to deny my adorable little sister?"
Nephis let out a small chuckle of her own. "I cannot blame you. She really is that adorable."
They continued walking down the corridor in companionable silence, one that neither of them felt the need to break.
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Minutes later, just as they were about to reach their quarters, where the others were resting after the long journey, Sunny suddenly stopped and adopted the look of someone checking his runes.
Nephis stopped too, curious about what had caught his attention so completely.
She didn't have to wait long before he nodded, turned toward her, and placed a hand on her shoulder.
[You have acquired a Memory, Ring of Ouchn't.]
[Memory Name: Ring of Ouchn't.]
[Memory Rank: Transcendent.]
[Memory Tier: VII.]
[Memory Type: Tool.]
[Memory Description: If you dare tell me that you don't deserve it again, I swear I will set your Night&Gale collection on fire. You know I cannot lie.]
Nephis gazed at the runes before her eyes for a long moment, and though she heavily considered destroying the Memory, if only so she wouldn't have to stare at that name, a smile still spread across her lips before she even realized it.
"That threat went too far, but... thank you," she said with as much sincerity as she could.
Sunny smirked, making no effort to look humble. "I did say I was going to make you a better one, didn't I?"
"That you did," she agreed quietly, suddenly finding her face very warm.
She turned to face him completely, so he could see her smile in full. Just how thankful she felt, the warmth that made her chest feel as though it would explode, the love in her eyes, and everything else she couldn't find the words for but wanted him to understand.
This time, he was the one to find his face very warm.
"Why a ring, if you don't mind answering?"
He shrugged nonchalantly and looked away, attempting to pretend that he hadn't noticed. "Easy to craft, small enough to fit under armor, and you can wear it anywhere without anyone complaining."
Deciding against stalling any longer, she dismissed her gauntlets and summoned the Memory.
It appeared amid a shower of silver sparks. A black band made of what looked like smoothed obsidian encircled the ring finger of her right hand. It looked plain, and it was, but to her it might as well have been the most beautiful Memory she had ever owned.
"I could have added some other enchantments, but I decided its shards were better dedicated solely to the task they were intended for," he explained, gesturing at the black ring.
Nephis nodded, already summoning her flames.
Pain flared across her body, as tyrannical and painful as it had always been. The instant it did, small, almost invisible script flared to life across the surface of the ring, shining faintly. She felt the pain falter at its presence, still tyrannical and oppressive, but diminished.
If she were to put it into numbers again, she would say it had gone from a "10" to a "9."
Nephis let go of the flames, and the pain disappeared with them, along with the script on the ring, which returned to its plain appearance once more.
"How is it?" he asked calmly, though Nephis could easily notice the expectant look in his eyes.
Sunny could be so cute at times.
"You didn't lie about making a better one," she replied warmly. "It's far better than I could have ever hoped."
Puffing out his chest, Sunny nodded proudly. "Of course it is. I made it, after all. Who knows? Maybe when we become Divine, I might be able to craft you one that negates it completely."
Nephis smiled, and though everything she knew about Flaws said such a thing was impossible, she decided to believe in him. He had already done the impossible so many times. What was one more?
Still smiling, they resumed walking.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the silver ring that Sunny always wore, and an amused part of her mind noted that their respective rings matched each other's colors.
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Knock.
Revel was sleeping.
Knock. Knock.
Revel was trying to sleep.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Maybe if she didn't answer, they would go away?
Click.
The sound of the door opening dashed that thought the moment it formed, sending her into despair.
Reluctantly, she raised her head from the desk where it had been resting and looked at her visitors through sleepy, bleary eyes. At first, she could only make out two vaguely human-shaped black-and-white figures. After blinking a few times to clear the fog from her vision, she finally managed to recognize them.
Changing Star and Sunless.
Revel blinked. What were they doing here? She wasn't meant to meet them until Monday morning.
A quick look out the curtain-covered window confirmed two things. One, it wasn't night anymore. Two, she had fallen asleep at some point.
With perfectly methodical slowness and under their confused gazes, she stood up, slowly surveyed the mess spread all around her office, nodded, and, while keeping a calm exterior, died a little inside.
She had meant to clean up a little -more like a lot- but then the novel she had been reading reached the good part, and she kept insisting on reading just one more chapter. The good news was that the book was great, and the ending even more so. The bad news was that she had fallen asleep right afterward, and now she looked like a slob.
Revel considered it for a moment, then decided it had been a worthwhile trade-off.
Upon hearing someone cough politely, she looked toward Sunless, who was giving her a flat stare.
"How about we get this done quickly and you go back to sleep?" he said in a voice as dry as his expression.
Black Star had officially become her favorite of the two.
"Let's," she agreed easily, sitting back down.
They took seats before her, both looking at her with faint traces of amusement on their faces.
Revel stifled a yawn behind her hand and opened one of her drawers, where she started looking for the folder containing the Gate opening schedule. After rummaging for a while through the pile of discarded wrappers, novels, and her old knife signed by Smile of Heaven, she finally retrieved it.
She gave the papers, filled to the brim with HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL stamps, a quick glance to make sure she had the right folder, which, thankfully, she did. They used to be sent through communicators, but those had been hacked -and the signal had gone out in proximity to Gates- far too many times to keep risking it.
"This is the schedule. The closest one is a Category Three Gate that will open in the Industrial District tomorrow at 17:00," she informed them, passing the folder to Sunless. "It's up to the two of you to decide who gets to deal with what."
While he looked through the papers, she decided to continue.
"Next are the appointments." She stifled another yawn. "President Angela and Saint Thane will visit this afternoon at 15:00 to discuss some details of the Antarctica campaign. Then there's one with the head of Clan Maharana tomorrow, as well as another with the First Elders of Clans Hu, Wu, and Chu on Wednesday. There are more, but those are the important ones this week."
She paused for a moment before adding, "Eunbin should be around to help you with the first few, since it was her turn in the rotation to handle the Waking World politics before mother saddl…" Noticing their dry stares, she coughed and wisely rectified. "I mean, delegated these tasks to the two of you on a more permanent basis."
Revel scratched her cheek thoughtfully, feeling like she was forgetting something.
"Wasn't there one with Valor too?" Changing Star prompted, her tone as cold as her flames were hot.
She managed to suppress another yawn and nodded. "Yeah, forgot about that. Saint Madoc has an appointment on Friday to work out some details of the alliance between our two Clans."
Whatever the other woman thought about said alliance remained hidden behind her emotionless expression, but Revel had no doubt it wasn't anything pleasant. Not that she could blame her. She hated the bastards herself.
"Very well," Nephis said calmly. "Is there anything else we should know?"
Revel shook her head and pointed at the stamp sitting atop her desk. "No, just take this one. All official documents are supposed to be stamped with it."
Changing Star did just that, and it was then that Revel noticed one simple fact.
She was wearing a black band on her right hand.
Slowly, almost mechanically, she turned toward Sunless, who was still riffling through the folder. Sure enough, he wore a silver ring.
Just like that, all of her drowsiness disappeared. At the same time, both Changing Star and Black Star shivered. Weird that.
Had they sealed the deal? Sunless had worn that ring ever since his return, but she couldn't tell when it came to Changing Star, since she was almost always wearing armor.
They sure didn't waste any time.
She couldn't wait to tease Hel about this.
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Rain walked nervously into the room.
It was an opulent one, as expected of a Great Clan, though thankfully not as gaudy as she had expected.
On the far wall hung a banner bearing the emblem of Clan Song: a black raven using a human heart as a perch against a white field. Next to it hung priceless artifacts from the Old World, like a lion skull, a rusted Viking axe with a real wooden handle, and even a preserved drop of the quasi-extinct ancient fuel known as "oil."
Though what drew most of her attention were Sunny and Nephis. They were both seated behind a massive red-brown desk made of real wood, working through the mountain of paperwork that Clan Song had unceremoniously dumped on them.
Rain had laughed when she saw Sunny take one look at it, manifest one of his incarnations, and Shadow Step away as quickly as possible. The incarnation was still cursing him even now, just as Nephis was muttering beneath her breath. She still remembered the sour face he had made when she asked how it was an improvement when his consciousness was still the same despite being in a different body.
The memory brought a smile to her face, one that almost made her reconsider -for the hundredth time- whether to go through with the conversation. She considered it, then decided to do it anyway.
Big Brother and Big Sister had been very patient over the last few days despite how much they wanted to talk about it, and it didn't feel right to make them wait any longer.
They both looked up at her and stopped what they were doing, immediately noticing that she had something to tell them.
"Hey," Sunny greeted lazily, idly flipping the pen he was holding.
"Did something happen?" Nephis asked, her brows furrowing just slightly.
Rain hesitated again, took a deep breath, and finally managed to gather enough courage to go through with what she had been meaning to tell them for the past few days.
"I'm ready to talk about it," she said with as much conviction as she could inject into her words.
For a second, they froze, their expressions going slack. Then they grew serious, and Rain could practically feel the tension in the air thicken.
Without saying a word, Sunny manifested a wall of shadows over the door to ensure no one could barge in uninvited, then summoned his silencing Memory.
Meanwhile, Nephis gestured toward the empty chair before their desk and offered her a reassuring smile. It calmed her nerves more than she cared to admit.
She would like to say that she started asking questions immediately, but that would have been a lie. She took a seat and then remained quiet for several minutes, all the things she had prepared to say all but forgotten.
Neither of them rushed her, and for that she was grateful. She also wasn't, because at least that way she would have had something to go on rather than awkwardly staring at them while her brain refused to cooperate.
In the end, still wanting to stall a little longer, she went with a different opening than the one she had planned.
"Sunny, can I borrow your lie detector?" she asked seriously.
Rain didn't like doing this. Distrusting them like this. But she wanted to be absolutely certain they weren't lying.
Her brother looked at her somberly and nodded. "Yes."
Without further ado, the geode appeared atop the desk and sat there innocently, as though it alone wouldn't be a deciding factor in the conversation to come.
"The desk is blue," Rain said immediately.
As soon as the words left her mouth, the geode lit up, its countless crystals shining brightly in a mesmerizing display. Rain nodded, satisfied that it was working. Then, just in case, she looked at Nephis.
Understanding the unspoken request, Big Sister talked next. "I don't intend to destroy the Spell."
The geode lit up again, far brighter than before.
Rain looked at Sunny last, only to receive a flat stare in return that made her cheeks burn.
Right. She had forgotten about his Flaw...
Taking a deep breath and applying the Calm and Composed epithets to herself once again, she gathered her courage one final time and finally asked the question. It was painfully simple, but also the one that had kept her awake the most.
"Why?"
Sunny's expression grew uncomfortable, and he briefly looked away, as though he would rather be anywhere but there.
Nephis regarded her quietly, her face carefully neutral, though Rain could tell her thoughts were anything but.
The silence lasted only a few seconds before Sunny leaned forward, his face still set in that uncomfortable expression, and answered.
"Well, I already answered that one last time." He chuckled lightly, as if trying to make it seem less important. "I was afraid."
"So was I," Nephis admitted.
Rain gritted her teeth, barely resisting the urge to slam her hand against the table as Effie would.
"I want more," she said coldly.
She found no satisfaction in the way both of them flinched.
Sunny smiled, a sad, helpless smile. "I guess you deserve that much."
He waved his hand, and atop the table a small building appeared. It looked oddly familiar, and a second later she realized why.
She was staring at her own home. Through a window, she could even see what she assumed to be her family, happily eating together.
Rain felt her chest tighten the moment the rest of the scene materialized.
It was raining, countless tiny black droplets falling upon another figurine lurking just outside the house, looking in. Though the shadow figurine had no face, she could almost feel the sadness emanating from it.
"I won't bore you with the details and go straight to the point," he said lightly. "Ever since you were adopted, I never stopped thinking about you. So once I had saved up enough money, I paid a private detective to find you." His smile faltered briefly. "He did, and so I went to find you, fully believing I was going to save you from a life as horrendous as mine."
Sunny shook his head, as though he still couldn't believe he had ever thought such a thing.
"And then I saw you. Clean clothes, a nice house, a full belly, a loving family, happier than I had ever seen you." He chuckled, and Rain couldn't ignore how raw it sounded. "Can you guess what I decided to do?"
Rain swallowed the lump forming in her throat and dedicated more essence to her epithets.
"You left," she answered quietly.
The shadow figurine turned around and walked away, its head hanging low as it walked beneath the rain. Just as it was about to leave the scene, it turned to look at the happy family beyond the window one last time, hesitated, and then disappeared completely.
Smiling sadly, he nodded.
"I did, because I knew the only thing my presence in your life would do was make it worse."
Without saying a word, Big Sister took his hand in a silent show of support. Though he flinched at the sudden contact, Rain could easily see the grateful look he sent her.
"But wh—"
"I was getting there," he interrupted. "I'm richer, sure. I'm quite strong too. But that doesn't change the fact that I'm a bastard through and through. A petty, resentful, selfish liar." He shook his head helplessly. "It might look nicer now, but the rat is still a rat. Why would anyone choose it when the time came?"
Rain had spent hours preparing herself for this. Steeling her heart. Applying epithets that should have kept her steady.
They did nothing to stop the tears from running down her cheeks.
"You… you should have trusted me," she said between sobs. "You asked me if I wanted you to be my brother, and I said yes." She choked on her words for a moment, but she forced them out anyway. "Just like I did every single time afterward."
Sunny's sad smile didn't waver. "I should have. But... if I could travel back in time, I still would have said nothing."
Rain dragged a hand across her face to wipe away her tears, then had to do it again when she couldn't get them all on the first try, and finally glared at him.
"Do you have so little faith in me?" she asked, hurt despite having an inkling of how he must have felt.
"I have faith in you, Rain," he answered immediately. "It's myself I don't have faith in."
Increasing the effect of her epithets to their maximum was the only reason she managed to stop herself from snapping at him.
Instead, she looked at Nephis, if only so she wouldn't have to face the awful truths he had just laid bare.
"What about you?"
Nephis, who had stayed silent so far, nodded calmly and, unlike Sunny, met her eyes directly.
"As I told you, I was afraid." The geode remained dark. "But I should also give you some context."
Big Sister gave Sunny a look, and after snorting, he complied.
The shadows shifted, turning into a great mansion. Through the windows she saw dozens of people mingling about, though the apparent focus of the scene was on two figures. They both looked female, one old but still formidable, while the other resembled a young girl.
"You already know about my mother becoming a Hollow and my father's death. But I suppose I never told you much about my grandmother," Nephis said, her voice wistful as she stared at the two figurines.
After shooting Sunny another look, time accelerated within the scene, the girl growing older with each passing second while the old woman became more frail, though never less wilful. As time passed, the other figurines gradually began to disappear, one or two at first, then more and more until barely any remained.
"The Sovereigns have been after my life for almost as long as I can remember, and through it all, she was my rock. The only person I could ever fully trust and rely on. Whether it was assassination attempts, the gradual ruin of my family, or my own nightmares, she was always there. Until..."
Suddenly, the old woman disappeared from the scene, and the girl, now almost a woman, remained alone in an empty manor. The figurine stood still, its expressionless face emanating cold fury. And still, Rain felt the mourning coming out of it in waves.
"The day she died, a part of me died with her," Nephis confessed, staring intently at her miniature self. "She was my rock. The last family I had left in this world. If I'm honest, I believed that was it. That I would never have such a thing again. That I would live and die by the sword, surrounded by nothing but enemies. I was wrong, for I found allies... no, friends I could trust." Nephis paused to glance briefly at Sunny and squeezed his hand. "Even someone I love, though I failed him more than I can ever atone for. I didn't believe I could ever have a family again, not after what I did to the only person with whom I could ever imagine building one with."
Both of them blushed slightly, and Rain barely managed to restrain herself from commenting.
"And then... you appeared."
Her gaze, so serious until that very moment, grew much warmer. In the miniature scene, a small feminine figurine appeared beside the young woman.
"At first, I only accepted being your sister to assuage my guilt. To make myself feel better. To have a substitute for Sunny."
The geode remained dark, and Rain's chest tightened painfully.
"And then, as I told you before, I got to know you. I grew to love you for who you are, not for what you represent. Someone I enjoyed spending time with, teaching, reading with, watching movies with, and so much more. You are like a little sister to me, Rain. I know I might not be the best at showing it. And I know my original intentions weren't good, but I genuinely love you like one."
Shaking her head, she smiled at Rain, full of remorse and guilt, but also love.
"I was afraid, Rain. Afraid of losing you."
Throughout it all, the geode hadn't lit up a single time.
And Rain...
Rain couldn't find the words to say.
There had been too many emotions, too many revelations, too many truths that she hated and loved at the same time.
She spent several minutes like that, struggling to come up with something -anything- to say.
In the end, she found nothing.
Fortunately, Sunny decided to break the silence before it could stretch any longer.
"So, who are you picking, and why is it Neph?" he asked lightly, shrugging as though to say, No hard feelings.
Against all odds, that was what she needed to finally gather her courage.
Rain stood up and, faster than she had ever moved before, vaulted over the desk before pulling both of them into a tight hug that she hoped would make them feel at least a little of the pain they had caused her over the last few minutes.
"I choose both of you," she whispered, hugging them even tighter.
Sunny looked as though he wanted to say something, but the glare she sent him convinced him otherwise.
So did Nephis, but another glare kept her silent.
Good.
Had either of them said anything, she would have slapped them both.
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Slowly, methodically, her arm arced back and then came down.
Bam.
Her arm arced back again, and it came down once more.
Bam.
Again.
Bam.
Again.
Bam.
And again, and again, and again.
Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam...
Until finally, the Spell decided to bless her with its scornful, indifferent voice.
[You have slain a Transcendent Human, Leolida.]
[You have acquired a Memory, Executioner Sword.]
[Your blade grows sharper.]
Morgan stared down at the remains of the Saint.
Countless cuts covered the woman's body; some patches of her body were covered in frost, while others were burnt to a crisp, her skin broken and purple-tinged. However, the most harrowing part was her head, laced with jagged cuts in some parts and crushed in others, reduced to a pulp by her last effort.
Morgan wasn't much better.
Her body was holding itself together through sheer will and a refusal to give up. The unbroken bones in her body could be counted on one hand; there wasn't a single muscle not screaming in pain, her clothes had been all but torn apart and clung to her in tattered rags, and she was covered in blood from head to toe.
And still, she felt nothing but triumph.
Leolida had entered the fight suffering from a lethal dose of the strongest poison Morgan could find, burdened by every disadvantage that Morgan could reasonably pile on. Despite all of that, she had almost won anyway, breaking her every weapon and shield until she had nothing left to rely on but her own body.
Morgan smiled through bloodied lips.
Who cared about almost? Morgan had won, and the Saint had lost. Not even Changing Star could claim to have killed one as a Master.
As if to validate her thoughts, the Spell chose to speak at that very moment.
[Your nightmare is over.]
[Prepare for appraisal…]
Morgan listened with half an ear to the Spell, paying just enough attention to hear her appraisal -it was Excellent- before casting it out of her mind.
She had wasted enough time in this dreary place.
Now it was time to get out and show the world what she was capable of when she wasn't cowering beneath her failure of a father.