Nephis decided to stay with Sunny—at least for a while. His presence was strangely comforting. She ate, trained, and talked with him, just like they used to back on the Forgotten Shore.
A lot had happened since her return.
Klaus had kept his promise. He didn't just help with money or restoring her manor—though he did that too. He also supported her in gathering Soul Shards and Memories, using his vast influence and power to aid her.
She was a bit shocked at first, but Cassie quickly reassured her. Apparently, since they were friends, she'd receive plenty of benefits from Klaus—as if it were perfectly normal.
Well, it wasn't normal. And it felt suspicious, too. Even if she was Cassie's friend, it didn't make sense for Klaus to go that far for her.
There was definitely something she didn't know.
Still, all that could wait.
Sunny had shown her his parents' graves, so she decided to return the gesture—showing him her family's resting place. While Sunny had seen her mother before, he'd never visited her grandmother's grave... or her brother's.
That's why the two of them found themselves wandering through the old graveyard.
The air was cold and bitter, a light snow falling, making the ancient stones look even more solemn and timeless.
Than again, it was an ancient place.
Behind the graves stood a lone white willow tree. There weren't many of those left in the world. She only knew someone had gifted it to her. She still remembered the letter that came with the saplings—an odd, almost cryptic note that read:
"White Willow symbolizes a guardian, offering protection against malevolent forces. I wish you safety and peace in life.
Sincerely, S. "
She never found out who sent it. Now that she thought about it, she'd received many gifts from unknown sources over the years. It was bizarre, considering her entire childhood had been a constant fight for survival against assassins.
Those strange yet heartfelt gifts were what kept her going—what pushed her not to give up and to keep moving forward. It felt comforting, knowing that at least someone hadn't forgotten her. Someone still wished her happiness, peace, and success.
It was like having her own guardian angel.
But, alas, that was just a childhood fantasy.
Maybe someone felt guilty for betraying her and sent those gifts to silence their conscience. Or perhaps it was something else entirely—she didn't know.
But if they truly cared… then they wouldn't be cowards hiding in the shadows. They would have met her already.
She shook her head, a faint smile softening her lips as she glanced at Sunny.
They stood there, in front of the graves of her family—just her grandmother and brother.
"This is it," she whispered, voice tinged with quiet reverence. "I wanted you… at the very least, to see them."
Sunny looked at the graves with curious eyes. He knew Nephis had a grandmother, but he didn't know whose grave lay beside hers.
"Who's that?" he asked softly.
Nephis smiled, her usual fierce gray eyes—often alight with furious white flames—now gentle and calm. The flames flickered softly, like a quiet longing for someone lost long ago.
"That's my brother."
Sunny's eyes widened in disbelief. He stared at the grave for a long moment, then quickly straightened, his posture stiffening as he composed himself.
No longer casual, he stood with the solemn respect the moment demanded.
Nephis chuckled softly as she knelt to clean the old graves, her hands moving with practiced care—as if she'd done this a hundred times before. Sunny stood nearby, watching her with a touch of awkwardness.
What was he supposed to do now? Just stand there? Say something?
He coughed, clearing his throat before reading aloud from the nearest gravestone.
"Icarus S. of the Immortal Flame.
Firstborn of the Smile of Heaven and the Broken Sword.
Heir of the Immortal Flame Clan.
The Morning Star…"
His voice trailed off, surprised by the titles.
"So… you weren't the original heir?"
Nephis nodded quietly, her fingers tracing the engraved letters of her brother's name with a reverent touch.
"Yes. My brother was supposed to inherit everything. Until he… left and than died."
Her voice didn't waver, but there was a weight behind the words—a silent grief buried beneath years of acceptance.
Sunny fell silent.
Yeah… not the best question to ask at a grave. But he couldn't help it—his curiosity always got the better of him.
"How did he die?" he asked gently.
Nephis shook her head, her expression softening with nostalgia.
"I don't know," she said quietly. "No one does, really. He just… disappeared."
Her voice carried a strange mix of fondness and sorrow.
"From what I know, he was a traveler. Even as a child, he had already seen more of the Dream Realm than most seasoned Awakened. He wandered far—so far that no one truly knows how many places he reached. There's a chance he discovered regions no one else has found… maybe even ones that still remain hidden today."
She paused, gazing at the name carved into stone like it held a thousand unspoken stories.
"He was always chasing something. Knowledge, purpose… maybe freedom. Or maybe just the horizon... Well, i don't really know."
Sunny felt a bit overwhelmed. He wasn't exactly a scholar, but he was curious—especially about the history of the Dream Realm. Still, something else had caught his attention.
"Icarus S...?" he asked, frowning slightly. "What does the 'S' stand for?"
Nephis rose to her feet, brushing the snow from her gloves. She'd already cleared the graves, melted the snow with soft flames, and made sure everything was in order.
"You mean the 'S' in his name?" she asked gently.
Sunny nodded. His onyx eyes darkened a little, shadows stretching around the graveyard like they were listening too.
Nephis chuckled, a soft, melodic sound that felt strangely out of place in a cemetery.
"His full name was Icarus-Samael of the Immortal Flame Clan," she said, her voice growing quieter. "My father gave him that name."
She paused, gazing at the carved letters with a faraway look.
"Samael..." she murmured. "He was once said to be the most radiant and beautiful of all angels. The Morning Star. God's most beloved."
She knelt again, touching the name on the stone.
"But Samael was also the one who planted the first seed of doubt—the whisper that led to pride, and from pride, to rebellion. Because of that, he was cast down from Heaven… and became the Devil."
Sunny blinked, stunned.
"Why would anyone name their son after the Devil?" he asked quietly, almost to himself.
Nephis frowned, her gaze returning to the grave as if searching for answers carved in stone.
"I don't know," she said softly. "From what I've heard… my brother's birth almost killed our mother. And so, our father gave him the name of the most wicked being in the world."
She paused, brushing snow off the gravestone with a slow, deliberate motion.
"But even after that… he never looked at Icarus with warmth. Maybe it was guilt. Maybe it was fear. Or maybe… it was hate. My brother was rebellious, defiant. He questioned everything. He challenged our clan's traditions. And slowly, what began as distance became conflict. And that conflict… grew until he left."
She straightened up, snowflakes drifting through her silver hair.
"He walked away from it all. From the clan. From power. From everything. He became a wanderer… and he never came back."
Sunny didn't know what to say. The story unsettled him in a strange way—it added cracks to the pristine image most had of the Immortal Flame Clan. Even Nephis, of all people, didn't seem to know the full truth. Samael, huh... Sin, the original sin. The most beautiful... and the most prideful.
He frowned thoughtfully.
"What about Icarus, then?" he asked. "Why did he have two names?"
Nephis smiled, and for the first time since they arrived, her expression softened into something tender—nostalgic and fond. It was clear she preferred that story far more than the other.
"When my father named him Samael, my mother was furious," she said, voice laced with quiet amusement. "She refused to let that be his only name. So she gave him another... the name of a foolish dreamer. A boy who flew too close to the sun."
"Icarus," Sunny whispered.
Nephis nodded.
"Icarus and Samael… both were proud. Both tried to reach something impossible. And both fell. But Icarus's story… it was beautiful. It wasn't about corruption or sin. It was about chasing dreams, even when it meant risking everything. That's why she gave him that name—so at least one part of him could be remembered for something beautiful."
Nephis glanced at Sunny, then reached into her coat and carefully pulled out a worn, leather-bound book. Her fingers ran over the aged cover with reverence, giving it a soft pat—almost like a silent greeting to someone long gone.
"My grandmother told me this was my brother's diary," she said softly. "Do you want to hear what he wrote?"
Sunny tilted his head, curious despite himself.
"If it's from someone that smart… I guess it couldn't hurt. Might even learn something useful."
Nephis gave a faint smile and nodded. But opening the diary wasn't as simple as just turning the cover. Her brother had been a Sorcerer, after all—one powerful and cautious enough to leave behind protections.
She pricked her finger with a small dagger, letting a few drops of blood fall onto the cover. The leather pulsed faintly as it absorbed the blood, and a soft click echoed through the cold air. The clasp released on its own, and the diary slowly opened.
Sunny raised a brow, watching the process with interest. "Blood-locked? It's not... Yes, it's not Memory."
Nephis nodded.
"Yes. From what I've been told, if anyone without his blood tried to open it… it would've self-destructed. There was another layer of protection too—only an Awakened could read the contents. That's why I couldn't open it until recently."
She looked down at the pages, her expression unreadable. This was the first time she was opening it, too. Despite all the years that had passed, despite her rank, power, and fame… this small, old book had remained a sealed part of her brother's legacy.
A relic of someone lost—and perhaps, finally, a way to understand the shadow he left behind.
[The Beginning:
My name is Samael… or Icarus. My earthly name no longer matters—I've worn a hundred faces and gone by a hundred names.
I don't know who will end up reading this. Maybe no one.
Still… here we go, I guess.
I'm about to do something insane. Maybe I won't survive it—but that doesn't matter.
There's no greater purpose in life than to attempt the impossible, to reach for something no one else dares to.]
***
Well, here we are, guys! Surprised? Actually, this was foreshadowed quite a while ago.
Remember when the specter showed Klaus's nightmares? It included the past — when he met Nephis — and there, on the grave, was that name too.
There were other hints as well, like his attribute, Law of Original Sin, and his title, Morning Star.
By the way, Nephis doesn't really know why Icarus left. Her stories are just rumors she's heard. She has no idea it was actually Asterion who took him.
Alright, that's probably enough for now. Hope you enjoy it!
***