Sunny blinked, pausing as a cold breeze stirred the snow beneath the white willow tree.
"Well… that wasn't ominous at all," he muttered.
Nephis didn't respond. Her gray eyes were locked on the diary, her expression unreadable. She flipped past a few pages—daily observations, fragmented thoughts, the kind of wandering reflections found in most journals. But then her hand slowed.
There were markings.
A handful of pages stood out from the rest—bookmarked, annotated, even outlined in faint gold ink. Unlike the casual entries, these seemed… deliberate. Intentional. As if her brother had wanted someone to find them.
She turned to one of the marked pages, her fingers brushing the edge of the paper with unspoken reverence.
Sunny leaned in slightly.
"You gonna read those?"
Nephis gave a small nod.
"These pages… they feel important. More than just memories."
There was something about this moment—about standing in the graveyard with snow falling around them, reading the thoughts of a dead brother who once dreamed of touching the sun. It felt like the beginning of a revelation… or a warning.
[Day 78:
Fools! They're all fools!
They don't realize it… Traitors! Filthy traitors!
But it doesn't matter.
I will still do it.
My will must be realized, and the world will have no choice but to dance upon my palm!]
Nephis blinked, her breath catching. This wasn't the hopeful, inspiring voice she had expected.
[Day 95:
I did it! Hahaha!
Who dared challenge me?
I am the Great Morning Star!
I am the Lightbringer!
my strength is made perfect in weakness!
They're nothing!
Just pathetic reflections of my brilliance!
Hahaha! Lowly mongrels… Sovereigns, huh?
All of them are idiots.
They actually fell for it!]
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The word Sovereigns hung heavy in the cold air.
Sunny's mind raced, a dark suspicion growing like a shadow beneath his skin. He didn't say it aloud, but he knew why her brother had disappeared… why his story had ended in mystery.
Nephis's eyes ignited suddenly, fierce white flames blazing to life—furious, unforgiving, and ready to scorch anything in their path.
[Day 102: Circumstances… What are circumstances? I make the circumstances.
Those pathetic monkeys... they don't know, do they? The best way to keep a prisoner from escaping is to make sure he never realizes he's locked in.
Enjoy your exile on the moon. I've enjoyed our little game far more than you know.]
Sunny's breath caught, the words twisting cold inside him. He couldn't hold it in any longer.
"Neph… this isn't what we expected. What are these? It doesn't read like a diary — it's more like the fractured ramblings of a madman."
Nephis nodded slowly, her eyes shadowed with confusion and unease. Yet beneath it all, a quiet hope: maybe, just maybe, the answers lay buried somewhere within the madness.
"Let's continue," Nephis muttered, though her voice had lost its confidence. "Maybe we'll find a clue…"
Her eyes skimmed the next entry, her fingers tightening slightly around the brittle edge of the diary.
[Day 127:
Destroy me? Me?
There is no man, beast, or god born worthy enough to destroy me.
I will build an army so terrible, so absolute, that none will dare speak my name aloud.
Let them try.
Let's see how this ends.
He who laughs last… dies first.
Your arrows found only my flesh, courageous archer…
But my spirit?
My spirit now burns where even the stars dare not shine.]
[Day 218:
Hilarious.
What a fools… They actually believed it?
Good.
Let them dance in the ashes of my illusion.
Let them dance on the ashes of the corpse they think is mine.
It's always double the pleasure… to deceive the Deceiver.]
Nephis frowned, her lips tightening as she reread the final line.
"To deceive the Deceiver…" she murmured. "He's talking about someone specific... but who?"
Sunny's expression darkened, the shadows clinging to him like smoke as he whispered, "This doesn't sound like someone planning a journey…"
Nephis looked down at the grave—her brother's name carved in ancient stone—and for the first time… she wasn't sure if he was lying beneath it.
She turned another page, but her hands were trembling now. The soft whisper of snow falling through the white willow branches above felt heavier than before. The graves, once solemn and sacred, now felt like silent witnesses to something far more sinister.
"…What exactly did you do, brother?"
The deeper they went…
The more it felt like they were reading something that wasn't meant to be read.
[Day 476:
I did it...
I finally finished it all...
Ahh, I'm so tired...
And I'm hurt, too… but whatever.
I am the winner. That's how it always is.
That's what it means to be me.
Still…
This void is lonesome.
I walked away from their lies…
and into my own truth.
Oh, Mother…
Do you still smile?
Your shadow, cast away from the radiance of the heavens…
Is it still called Smile of Heaven?
I wonder how little Neph is doing…
I hope she's doing fine.
She'll have to overcome a lot of challenges.
But it'll be alright.
Are you reading this madness, Nephis?
If you are...
Listen carefully.
You have to burn yourself in your own flames.
How could you ever rise anew...
if you have not first become ashes?]
Nephis's hands trembled as she held the diary. Her eyes, bright with white flame, shimmered as tears formed—but never fell. They evaporated instantly from the heat radiating from her very soul.
Those words…
Her grandmother had whispered it in her dying breath.
In her first Nightmare, those very words had saved her…
And now it was here, written by her brother's own hand.
Why… why does it feel like he's still watching?
"…My dear brother…" she whispered, her voice raw.
[Day ???:
The Void is vast… everchanging and everlasting.
It was endless—until the gods contained it.
What have I done? Why?
Why was I so afraid to do it?
How many times have I already tried?
Why was I so afraid of dreaming about endless chaos?
Had I done so, perhaps I would've gained the power I sought...
But none of that matters now.
Better to turn it all into illusion...
And give the next one a chance.
Everything has become meaningless.
And i walk through this endless, senseless chaos.
It matters not how far I go,
Nor how fast.
I have no destination.
I have known the heady exaltation of victory.
I have known the gnawing agony of defeat.
So many sins. So much madness. So much chaos...
What sin have I committed to deserve this suffering?
The story of my own creation did not end in joy...
Only in more pain.
And amidst countless worlds
and endless stars...
I am forever—
alone.]
As Nephis spoke the last words, the entire diary began to burn in her hands. She tried to control the flames with her power.
After all, her Awakened ability allowed her to control all kinds of fire—whether it was her own or not.
But the flames continued consuming the diary until only ashes remained in her trembling hands.
Nephis stared at them for some time, her expression darkening. She had more questions than answers… but she had also learned a lot.
First, Sam—Icarus—had attempted something suicidal and impossible… and he succeeded.
But because of that, he was also targeted by the great clans.
Second, he had managed to trap—no, imprison—someone on the moon? Was it literal? A metaphor? She didn't know.
Third, he spoke about building a great army… but had he succeeded? What kind of army was it? Did it even exist?
And then there was his battle with the archer. Who was that? An assassin sent after him? Courageous Archer, he'd said... Your arrows found flesh, but my spirit is far beyond your reach. That was definitely a fight.
He also mentioned deceiving someone… and Nephis had a good idea of who those people were.
Was there a chance he was still alive?
But even if he was… it was his final words that disturbed her more than she dared to admit.
Walking endlessly in the void? Everchanging and everlasting?
Afraid?
My brother was fearless... What could he possibly have been afraid of? Dreaming of endless chaos?
So many questions… Why are there no clear answers!?
Where is he? Where did he go?
What did he mean by "having no destination"?
And amidst countless worlds and endless stars... I am forever...
I don't even know what those words truly mean.
Is he alive? Dead? Lost? Damn it!
Nephis didn't know what to make of this diary. But one thing she understood clearly now—his death… it wasn't random.
It was caused by those old fiends.
So they did it.
Her eyes began to glow with a brilliant white light, and across the entire graveyard, the snow and ice started to melt, turning into steam that rose into the air. Flames licked at her skin as she stared at the grave—her expression indifferent, but her eyes blazing with fury and cold resolve.
To burn.
To annihilate.
To incinerate them all.
She would—
Sunny placed a firm hand on her shoulder.
The shadows around the graveyard deepened, shifting unnaturally, as if drawn to him. They curled and stretched, becoming more ominous... more sinister.
"That's enough, Neph," he said quietly. "I think it's time to go back."
Nephis blinked, stunned for a moment. Then she nodded hesitantly, slowly reining herself in.
"Hmm. I'm fine," she said softly.
Sunny sighed and began walking her out of the graveyard.
He looked back once more, his eyes falling on the grave.
Icarus... no, from what he had just learned...
Samael was the more fitting name.
Prideful, wicked and Powerful.
Still, there were many things they didn't know. And maybe… they never would.
He sighed, unable to shake the thoughts from his head.
He had never met Nephis's brother, but just from those words in the diary… he felt like he had come to understand something about him.
And for some reason...
Why did he feel so unsettlingly familiar?
Hmm... Maybe I'm overthinking it.
Some time later...
Klaus frowned.
That white willow tree… it wasn't just a sentimental gift. In truth, it was a cursed relic—something he had created long ago through ritualistic magic. It served a specific purpose: to silently record the history of the graveyard. A safeguard, in case someone ever tried to uncover the truth behind his supposed death.
But now…
Now, it had revealed something far more troubling than he'd ever anticipated.
Diary? What diary? Klaus had never created one. In fact, he despised the idea of leaving behind traces of himself. And yet… that book existed And it contained fragments, strange hints that seemed eerily close to his own life. Who wrote it? Was it truly him?
And those words... Endless Chaos. Everlasting and everchanging. Did they hint at corruption? Madness?
Klaus shivered.
There was something deeply wrong about all of this. If he had written the diary, it wouldn't be filled with such ominous language. He would've masked it in jokes, irreverent commentary… not cryptic, prophetic madness. And besides, he never left trails. He made sure of that.
Yet, somehow… more and more people were starting to suspect that he was still alive.
First it was Ki Song… then Amelia…
Strange. Very strange.
More than anything, what unsettled Klaus was the spirit essence lingering on the diary.
He could feel it clearly.
There were countless kinds of spirit essence in the world—each strengthening Transcendents through their source elements. Fire, shadow, dream, ice, wind... But this? This was something else entirely.
The essence of time.
Faint… but undeniable.
Why? Why would the essence of time cling to that diary?
Bloody hell...
***
Well, that's it for the Diary, folks. We've uncovered quite a bit… but also, not everything. I've scattered plenty of hints throughout this chapter for future developments. though don't expect answers just yet.
For those wondering why Nephis hasn't figured out Klaus is Icarus... well, let's be honest, Nephis isn't exactly the sharpest sword in the rack. She's determined, sure, but a little dense when it comes to certain things. Plus, Klaus is nothing like he used to be. With that scar and his attitude, he's practically a different person. He used to be a little menace as a kid and now he's more like a trolling clown.
Nephis does have one more reason to go after the Sovereigns now, by the way. She was suspicious before… and now? She's certain.
Funny enough, Sunny is way more perceptive than Nephis. Even without all the pieces, he already suspects something. He just doesn't have the full picture, no evidence and no clear hints. so he can't quite figure it out yet.
Anyway, everything's already in place. from Antarctica, to the Third Nightmare, to what happens four years after Sunny becomes fateless… and yes, even Klaus's rise to Supremacy. I've got the roadmap, though it might still shift a bit depending on how things evolve.
That's all for now.
Hope you enjoyed and as always, stay tuned!
***