Nephis and Sunny soon returned to the island, with plenty of food that could last them nearly a week.
Without stopping for rest, Nephis soon got to work on building the boat. Since she couldn't use the wood from the burnt-down tree, she used the armor from the Carapace Demon that originally guarded the tree.
Leon approached Nephis silently. She stopped working on the boat as she turned toward him.
"Hey, um...sorry for the uh..." he said, unable to properly form an apology.
Unlike Sunny or Cassie, who would've usually interrupted him by now, Nephis simply remained silent, staring at him.
'Goddamn it, Neph, say something!'
He sighed.
"Sorry for lashing out earlier."
Nephis nodded and lowered her head.
"Sorry... for burning your hand."
She reached her hand out and slowly touched his burnt arm. As white flames enveloped his hand, Leon could feel the pain recede slowly.
A spark of electricity travelled through their point of contact.
Nephis froze, while her eyes widened. "Leon...this..."
"Think of it as...a gift from me."
Nephis hesitated for a while. But she then reluctantly nodded as she summoned the armor.
Spinning sparks of light appeared around her. A moment later, they covered her porcelain body and turned into a black, skintight bodysuit made out of an unknown, durable material.
Then, intricate pieces of pristine white plate armor materialized over the black bodysuit. A breastplate engraved with seven shining stars appeared to protect Neph's torso, short enough to pose no hindrance to her mobility.
The engraving of the seven stars was identical to those carved into the giant knight statue's cuirass.
"Thank you."
Nephis stared at Leon with a tiny frown. By now, he could use Gaze of Unmaking to read people's faces and their emotions. Even though Nephis was usually stoic, he could tell.
Guilt.
Frustration.
Confusion.
These were the emotions Nephis felt when she was looking at him.
Why was she confused?
"Your eye..." Nephis muttered.
"Right. It can't be healed anymore, don't bother." Leon said.
The wound — or rather the missing eye was not healable anymore. He tried with the newly ascended crown, with Neph's flames, but no matter what he did, it didn't heal. Perhaps the fog creature had permanently taken his eye away.
He then went back toward the tree and rested more.
Sunny sat beside him.
"I didn't know you were so generous."
"Who are you calling generous, bastard? I'm just making her think she owes me." Leon said as he frowned.
"Just watch. When she gets a super cool memory in the future, she'll give it to me."
Sunny chuckled. "Sure, sure."
Leaning forward, Sunny transferred the Crown of Ember back to Leon. Leon smiled mechanically.
He didn't know whether to feel glad that the crown was back with him, or to feel conflicted that Aurelia was back in his soul sea again.
Leon smiled as he summoned the Endless Spring. "See this one for example. Sweet Cassia gave it to me as an apology."
Sunny's eyes twitched as he stared at the Endless Spring.
After taking a greedy sip from the bottle, he passed it to Sunny.
"So I was thinking."
Sunny took his own time to drink the water as he lowered the bottle. "What?"
Leon smiled.
"We should open a shop."
"A shop?"
"Since neither of us needs to absorb soul shards. We sell it instead."
Leon then looked at Nephis and Cassie, who were busy building the boat. "Combined with the memories we gain in the Dream Realm, just imagine..."
Sunny and Leon both looked up as they imagined their own version of being filthy rich.
Sunny was living in a house he owned, with a refrigerator filled with food. Leon thought of all the entertainment systems he could buy, all the variety of foods he could try out.
They both giggled as they had a sly grin on their faces.
"Combine it with a restaurant, we would be so rich, Leon." Sunny said as he licked his lips.
"I know, buddy. Great minds think alike after all."
Nephis and Cassie both gave confused looks, as Sunny and Leon continued to laugh.
Leon noticed how different it felt. Rather than creating jokes in his head or trying to meditate, he simply had to talk to his friends. It felt peaceful.
***
Leon looked at the boat and was impressed.
The hull was made out of curved plates of polished metal, with sharp spikes protruding from them in all directions. The plates were held together by the golden rope that was tied tightly around them. Changing Star had managed to make the gaps between the different parts of the hull so thin that no water could slip through.
The mast was made out of the demon's spine and ribs, with Cassie's enchanted cloak hung on them to serve as the sail. There was even a steering oar, fashioned out of the tip of the giant's scythe.
Since the boat was finished, the cohort had decided to leave the same night.
"Let's eat and then depart," Nephis said.
Sunny nodded as they began cooking the meat they had bought, before the sun had time to set.
After having a nice meal, Leon passed his bottle of water around.
After that, they pushed the boat to the edge of the island.
Right before they departed, however, Nephis tugged at Leon. She was holding a piece of cloth, made from seaweed and the crimson leaves from the tree which remained.
"What's that?" He asked.
"A gift."
She said, handing over the piece of cloth to Leon.
'Ah. An eyepatch.'
He examined it more closely. Bringing it to his right eye, he struggled to wear it. Without a word, Nephis stepped forward and tied it for him.
"Thanks, Neph."
Nephis nodded.
"You should thank Cassie. It was her idea."
The blind girl seemed to shudder at her mention, as she sheepishly smiled at Leon.
***
As the dark sea rose, it consumed the crater at a terrifying speed — almost as if some vast entity was filling a cup to its brim. The boat slowly slipped from the ashen sand into the embrace of the dark sea.
Cassie followed Sunny's earlier instructions and aimed her staff, activating its enchantment. A strong gale filled their modest sail.
At first, the boat moved slowly, the mast creaking under pressure. But Neph's craftsmanship was meticulous and reliable. The demon's spine held, and little by little, the small vessel began to gain speed.
Leon took the moment to check on his newly ascended crown.
[Crown of Ember]
Memory Rank: Ascended (Dormant)
Memory Type: Relic
Memory Description: [A faint fragment of divine flame once burned in the heart of a young maiden who longed for a family. She was raised an outsider, yet she continued to protect her people. She never kneeled, not even to the will of gods. She was fated to become a beacon of humanity. Yet her flame was extinguished by a cunning will unworthy of it.
Yet the ember of her will refused to yield. Even now, it continues to burn.]
Enemies Slain [34/1000]
Staring at the crown in his hands, his expression hardened.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, he kept reaching for the soul sea — then stopping himself, never quite sure whether he wanted to talk to her or just didn't know what to say.
***
In the absolute darkness, a small vessel was gliding on the black surface of a restless sea. Its mast, made of a demon's spine, was straining under the assault of the winds.
Sunny sat at the oar, steering the carapace vessel. Several times, Sunny felt gargantuan shadows moving close to the small boat, attracted by the sound of its passing.
He gritted his teeth and kept his senses sharp. So far, luck was on their side. Perhaps they were too small and feeble to satiate the hunger of these ancient leviathans.
Hours passed as the cohort remained deathly silent, to not attract any creatures. Everyone but Leon, who kept trying to make conversation, only to be silenced multiple times.
Eventually, he gave up and just stared at the vast expanse of the sea around him.
At some point, Cassie had moved beside him. She couldn't see the darkness stretching in every direction, but she seemed to feel the weight of it anyway. She didn't say anything. Neither did he.
Her shoulder pressed lightly against his arm. Leon didn't move away, as he smiled softly.
His thoughts then drifted as the silence stretched.
He looked at Nephis. Although he trusted her to an extent, he was still wary of her. There was also her true name, Changing Star. It could also be interpreted as Star of Ruin.
Nephis seemed weird around Leon — as though she recognized him in some way he couldn't explain. He was also wondering how Nephis was so potent at combat, when she was also a sleeper like the rest. She noticed his gaze and raised an eyebrow, not wanting to voice her concern in the dark sea.
Leon shook his head. "Nothing."
He then thought about Cassie. She was physically weak, and emotionally weaker. But her prophecies... her prophecies saved the cohort's lives several times. In the future, Cassie would probably grow into a future-seeing prophet. And if that was true, then Noah's comment about her being a monster would make sense.
Then there was Sunny. Leon had placed more trust in him than anyone — mostly because of his flaw.
He couldn't lie, which meant that just a few good questions and Leon would be fine. But most importantly, he really did think of Sunny as his best friend.
Leon's thoughts were cut off by the boat lurching violently beneath him. He summoned the crown as he was thrown off the boat in a swift motion.
Sunny was falling into the water just like him, while Nephis was at the helm of the boat with her longsword, fighting away giant tentacles.
He plunged into the ocean as he lost his sight again. He tried to grab onto Cassie, but his hand was met with nothing but water. He immediately swam up to see Nephis getting dragged away as a tentacle coiled around her.
He saw Sunny afloat, but couldn't find Cassie.
"Go get Nephis. Sunny will save Cassia." Noah's voice cut through the splashing of water around him.
He looked at Sunny.
"I'll go after Nephis." He said in a high enough tone so that Sunny could hear him.
He exhaled slowly.
"I promise to save Nephis right now," he muttered under his breath.
Instantly, his entire body burst with strength. He could feel his control grow over every single muscle.
But the strength had a cost. He could feel his hearing grow weaker. The water's splashes felt muddier, as if he were already underwater.
He then plunged into the ocean as he tried swimming in the direction where Nephis was. He wanted to avoid Nephis being forced to fight off the tentacles. Summoning his scythe, he relied on his intuition to find her, as the darkness of the sea obscured his vision completely.
Leon swam deeper and deeper before he felt a hand reach for him. He grabbed the arm and pulled on it, and used his scythe to cut the tentacle. It loosened its grip, letting her pull free.
Using the crown, he detonated explosions beneath them, pushing toward the surface. Soon, the two shot out of the water. His grip around Neph's arm tightened as he used one final explosion to throw them both toward a stone platform.
Crashing onto the platform, he immediately felt all the strength from Oathbound disappear. He looked around to find Sunny and Cassie. Sunny was on his feet with the Midnight Shard gripped in his hand, while Cassie was lying down nearby — unconscious.
The four were safe.
Leon groggily got up, his knees were injured due to the fall.
Sunny smiled as he was gasping for air. Nephis was exhausted, but her eyes showed worry as she looked at Leon. Leon stood up — then his breath hitched. His eye caught something behind Sunny, Nephis and Cassie.
Behind them, a dark expanse of land was rising above the slope of the colossal crater. And on it, a tall city wall of grey polished stone rose against the dark sky.
They had made it.
Leon smiled.
"Guys—
But before he could speak, a giant tentacle shot from under the water and tightly gripped Leon's body.
'Oh shit...'
Leon's eye widened as he stared at Sunny and Nephis.
He opened his mouth to say something, but suddenly paused.
More tentacles shot toward Sunny and Nephis. Gritting his teeth, he activated the crown. A chain of explosions sounded across the vast empty sea as the tentacles were swatted away from the two.
Sunny and Nephis widened their eyes as they rushed towards him.
But before they could...
Crack!
They heard the sound of bones snapping, and this was undoubtedly Leon's bones.
A mountain of pain hit Leon all at once. He could feel his ribs, arms and legs all get crushed. Leon screamed in agony, his voice echoing through the empty sea.
Both Sunny and Nephis froze in fear for a moment. They wanted to move, but couldn't.
Today was the first time Nephis saw Leon in agony. The seemingly cheerful and fearless Leon was screaming in front of them while his face twisted.
This second long hesitation cost them heavily, as the tentacle then dragged Leon into the water, his screams dying out.
Sunny gritted his teeth as he rushed towards the edge of the platform, but before he could jump off, he was grabbed by Nephis.
Nephis looked at him with a face of agony.
Sunny knew. No human survives getting their bones crushed like that. He knew Leon was the weakest among them physically. That scream had confirmed it.
There was no point diving in after him — he would just end up dying too. But he couldn't just let it happen.
He looked at Nephis for a while with an expression of disbelief before relaxing his shoulders.
Leon was dead. He had sacrificed himself yet again for the three of them, and he had been the one to suffer.
Sunny screamed as he punched the platform multiple times till his hands started bleeding. Nephis frowned while she tried to heal him, but her hands were swatted away by Sunny.
Nearby, Cassie jolted up. Carefully moving her hands around, she approached the two slowly.
"Guys? What happened?"
Sunny stopped his venting, as he looked at Cassie.
He opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. How could he possibly explain such a situation?
Nephis was similarly silent.
Cassie grabbed them and shook them.
"What happened? Wait..."
She tried to sense something but failed to.
"Sunny? Nephis?"
They held her small hands, as if confirming her doubts.
Cassie looked around as she tried to hear footsteps, or another voice, but the sea seemed to swallow everything.
"Leon? Where's Leon?"
The grip on Cassie's hand tightened as Sunny felt his mouth getting dry.
"Leon's..."
Neph's voice cracked.
"He's gone..."
Cassie froze.
"No, no wait. No!"
Cassie's entire body shook.
"No, he'll come back. He always does."
Nephis frowned, and Sunny dropped his head.
"He promised! He can't die!"
Sunny gritted his teeth as he pulled Cassie closer into a hug.
Cassie began sobbing against Sunny's chest as her voice filled with despair.
That's when Sunny looked beyond and saw it. The castle.
Nephis also noticed as Sunny helped Cassie up, and explained what he saw.
Nobody cheered. Nobody spoke. They just stood there, looking at the walls they had crossed an ocean to reach.
They had made it.
But at what cost?
[End of Volume 1: Reader]