Two figures sat on a foggy shore, sharing a make-shift canteen containing purple liquid. Each sip burned going down, sweet at first, then bitter — leaving behind a strange, tingling numbness.
They were currently at the edges of the Nightmare Desert and the Hollow Mountains, right at where the two borders met. The native creatures here were weird, their blood, once distilled, was a highly potent intoxicant.
The first figure — Sunny, exhaled slowly, staring at the uneven waves of the sea. "This tastes terrible," he muttered before taking another sip.
Beside him, the other figure — Mahoraga, let out a low chuckle, swaying slightly where he sat. "And yet you keep drinking it."
Sunny leaned back, planting his hands on the damp sand, tilting his head to witness the fractured sky above — where the mountain peaks broke through the swirling fog and carved jagged silhouettes into the pale, shifting sky.
"Funny place to end up," he mumbled, slurring his words.
"Debatable."
Silence stretched between them, broken only by the distant, indistinct sounds of something moving far out in the mist.
Neither of them reacted.
Sunny shifted, leaning back onto his elbows, his eyes half-lidded. His body felt loose and sluggish as he sucked in a breath.
"If something comes out of that fog," he started slowly, "I'm not getting up."
Mahoraga smirked faintly. "Me neither. I'm done with this bullshit. From now on, I'm just going to take it easy. What was that old phrase again? …Hakuna Matata, I think."
"Mhm, we're definitely making bad decisions." Sunny added upon seeing their relaxed and carefree stance.
"Mahoraga, what will you do once this is over — once we've escaped this place?" he asked, then quickly clarified.
Mahoraga was quiet for a moment, taking a moment to gather his thoughts, "Ah, that's a tough question. I suppose I'd start by helping you settle your score. After that, I'll find an old friend of mine, try to enjoy a bit of peace before undertaking the Third Nightmare."
His voice trailed off, his gaze turning cold. "And then I'll deal with my father," he finished quietly.
Sunny was silent for a while. "Sounds great."
Mahoraga turned towards him and asked him the same, "What will you do after escaping Sunny?"
"I haven't really thought that far ahead," he admitted shyly, "Obviously, I'll settle things with Neph but after that," he hesitated, "I think I'll find my sister, prepare her for the Spell and after she awakens I'll live quietly. Make a living selling memories."
Sunny glanced at him from the corner of his eye, a faint, uncertain frown tugging at his lips. "You're not going to mock me for that?" he asked after a pause. "Sounds pretty dull, doesn't it?"
Mahoraga let out a huff, shaking his head as he took another slow sip from the canteen. "Dull?" he repeated, giving a small lopsided smile, "You've got it backwards."
He leaned back, propping himself up on his hands, "All that fighting, killing, chasing after power. People like to dress it up, make it sound glorious." His voice lost some of its earlier levity, growing quieter, "It isn't. It's exhausting. It eats at you."
Mahoraga sighed remorsefully, "A quiet life, having something to protect. That's not dull. That's something most people don't get."
"Funny," Sunny said after a while, his voice low, "for the longest time, I thought surviving was enough."His lips curled faintly, but there was no humor in it. "Then it became getting stronger. Then stronger than everyone else." He paused, tilting his head back to stare at the sky again. "Now, I'm thinking maybe not losing everything would be nice."
Mahoraga chuckled, "What have you got to lose?"
Sunny suppressed a snort, "Everything… and nothing."
A moment of silence passed, then suddenly a huge cackle echoed across the shore.
Mahoraga burst into loud, unrestrained laughter, doubling over as he nearly toppled onto the sand. "Real poetic, Shakespeare."
Sunny grimaced, "Shut up," he ran a hand over his hair, "I'm drunk."
Mahoraga only laughed harder.
After a while, he stretched his body across the sand, an exhausted sigh escaping him, as a distant roar ran through the fog.
Sunny didn't even bother looking toward it. "Still not getting up," he added lazily.
Mahoraga smiled softly, "Same here."
…
Night had fallen, and with that they set up a small tent and bonfire. Mahoraga had hunted a few Dormant Nightmare Creatures huddling around their encampment — slow cooking the meat with a crude skewer.
Just as Sunny finished his meal, a sudden pain shot through his skull, and the force sent him sprawling forward, face-first into the damp sand.
He turned his head, watching as Mahoraga picked up a rough spherical mass — the crushed head of one of the Dormant Nightmare Creatures he had hunted earlier.
"Playtime," he said mischievously as he crouched for the next throw.
Sunny groaned, brushing sand from his clothes, a reluctant smile lingered on his mouth. "Fine, but remember… you asked for it."
What followed next was the biggest ass beating Sunny ever received — Mahoraga had basically collared and dogwalked him for the rest of the hour with Sunny barely managing to earn a single point, and even that only came because an Awakened Monster had crashed into their chaotic match.
Sunny denied all accusations surrounding the spanking he received that day, claiming that he was drunk and was on alert for any Nightmare Creatures ambushing them.