Asher face turned a bit stern. Whatever 'the void' was, it sounded serious.
Cassie frowned, no that's not right. "It looked like a void." Cassie shivered again. "When the shadows consumed the angel, it was embraced by 'the void.'" Asher frowned.
This was new.
What could have embraced Nephis? In the Forgotten shore? Asher suddenly shivered, looked at the crimson lybriath.
He gulped.
'Did Sunny fail to seal the Dark sea?'
The sea, it certainly looked like the void, right?
But, something else popped up in his mind.
"Cassie, but why did you tell this to me? Like before the others."
Cassie didn't flinch, but a frown showed up on her face.
"It was intuition." She paused. "So? Any idea what that means?"
Asher sighed, "I'm not sure..." He shivered again. "But, the angel might have been consumed by the Dark Sea."
Cassie flinched. Then she chuckled a bit, "maybe that's why this place is a death zone.." mumbling to herself.
Before Asher could respond, Nephis' voice rang out behind them, sharp and clear.
"Hey, guys! Guess what."
Cassie turned in the direction of the voice, her smile widening. "You finally found an armor-type Memory?"
Simultaneously, Nephis said, "I found something decent to wear."
Asher wanted to laugh how fast the witch could change her persona.
He turned around.
She stepped out from behind the coral tree, clad in the Starlight Legion armor. The polished plates gleamed faintly in the dim light, casting her in an otherworldly glow.
Asher's breath caught for a moment. Nephis looked... incredible. Though he couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment—so much for his one chance to see her "as she was."
'Don't influence my thoughts you damned flaw!'
"You look good," he managed to say, his tone sincere but awkward.
Nephis glanced at him, her gaze lingering as if expecting him to say more.
"You look... Manly."
Nephis frowned.
"..."
Nephis frowned deeper.
"Thanks for the first part." She managed to say but turning away.
Then, the two girls began talking about the armor, their voices blending into the background, Asher felt a faint tap on his arm. He turned to see Sunny standing beside him, his expression unreadable.
For a fleeting moment, Asher thought Nephis might pout—like some cliché heroine from a novel. But, of course, this was real life, and she was far too composed for that.
Asher shivered for a second, imagining Nephis pout.
"Woah."
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Asher sat cross-legged on the cliff, his face scrunched in concentration. The coral beneath him felt alive as he stretched his senses, trying to map the contours of objects by tweaking the gravity around them. It was... sort of working. Except now his brain felt like an overheated engine with too much data streaming in at once.
"Asher," a voice called from behind.
Startled, he lost focus. The coral splinters hovering in the air around him crashed down in a messy heap.
He turned to see Nephis standing there, her expression calm but her eyes carrying something heavier. "You saved our lives yesterday… and today."
Asher blinked, tilting his head. "Yeah, I guess."
Nephis gazed at the horizon, her pale hair catching the light as if she were lost in thought.
Then she turned to him, her voice soft and uncharacteristically tender.
"Thank you."
For a moment, Asher froze.
And then tears welled up in his eyes.
Not because he was moved—no, absolutely not.
Pfft—
His damn flaw just wouldn't let him hold back the laughter bubbling inside him.
Nephis frowned, clearly thrown off by his reaction. "What's so funny?"
Asher began with a few giggles. "You… copied Sunny, didn't you?!"
Nephis' stoic mask cracked for the briefest moment as a faint crimson blush crept across her face. She quickly averted her gaze, her voice barely above a whisper. "Y-You heard that?"
He couldn't hold it in anymore, he clutched his sides, laughing. Hard.
This wasn't even the first time she'd done this! She did he same with Caster too!
Nephis' eyes turned cold, but it was clear she was more embarrassed than angry. If it had been anyone else, Asher was sure they'd have been reduced to tears by now. But this was Nephis. She stood tall, her icy stare boring into him as he struggled to catch his breath.
Finally, Asher wiped a tear from his eye, still grinning as he walked over to her. He placed a hand on her shoulder, ignoring the frost radiating from her glare. "Nephis, it's fine. Really. Trying to copy others isn't a bad thing."
"Huh?" Nephis appeared to be caught off guard.
Asher gestured to his sword. "Okay, think about fighting styles. Let's say I combine your precise, calculated strikes with let's say... Caster's chaotic speed-based technique. It might seem cool at first, but…"
"It would create an unnatural battle style," Nephis interjected, her tone thoughtful.
Asher nodded, he had to connect his analogy with battle for Nephis to understand and he felt as if it was working. "Exactly! And it's the same with personalities. If someone keeps copying others without understanding the deeper context, they end up seeming fake—like a weird social Frankenstein. People notice that, and it makes them uncomfortable."
As an introvert, he noticed these kinds of things in cliches, it was weird how people copied ones cooler than them and thought they would get similar recognition.
Nephis frowned, her gaze sharpening. "So, what should I do?"
Asher smiled, his deep-blue eyes glinting. "Simple. Keep copying—but only to learn. Right, your just repeating what someone says, and use it in contexts that make sense." He paused
"Sure it seems to makes on the surface, but your expressions come out too robotic. Understand how emotions and interactions work, then let go of the traits once you've got the hang of them. Eventually, your own unique personality will shine through."
Nephis mulled over his words, her brow furrowing. Asher added, his grin widening, "Or, you know, just ignore me. I'm kind of a yapper to people I am close with. Either way, you've already got a pretty cute personality if you ask me."
Nephis blinked, caught off guard. For a moment, she said nothing. Then, a faint smile curved her lips, so fleeting that Asher almost missed it. he couldn't even celebrate the smile, causing he was busy dealing with his own issues.
'The hell?! Did I just call her cute by mistake?! Why did he roll of my tongue so easily??' His brows twitched as he did his best not to grimace.
He began to walk away, he glanced back over his shoulder, calling out, "And hey, about your thanks—don't sweat it. We're friends."
He turned around immediately to not allow Nephis to see his grimace.
Nephis froze, her eyes widening.
Friends.
When Sunny had thanked her, she had replied with a: "We're allies."
But now, with Asher, the word felt different.
She bit her lip, glancing at her shoulder—the same one he had touched. His warmth still lingered there. "What a naive guy," she murmured under her breath, though there was no malice in her voice.
Her fingers brushed her shoulder as a small, genuine smile crept onto her face.
"I don't dislike it, though."
_____________________________
A few seconds later...
Asher repeatedly banged his head to a tree.
"Why did I say cute?!"
Bang!
"Why?!"
Bang!
"WHY?!"
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[A/N : This is the 600 collection chapter! Thank you!]