[Slave: Lost from Light]
[Shadow Cores: 3/7]
[Shadow Fragments: 345/3000]
She had checked ten times in the last two hours and still no change. He had been inactive for almost a week already. Did something happen to him?
An image appeared in her mind—Sunny bleeding out, face growing paler as the light slowly left his eyes, and as he died, cursing her with his last breath. It was not the first time this specific scenario had come to mind. It wouldn't be the last either.
Nephis exhaled slowly and dismissed the runes. She had to trust him. He was a cockroach, true and true, and that was before she ordered him to survive. If that command was even half as powerful as the one that made him stop, she didn't have anything to worry about.
And yet, worry she did.
Not wanting to check again so soon, she settled her eyes on his sleeping face instead. As always, he seemed calm, endearing, vulnerable. It made her dread all the more that one day she would wake up and find him a Hollow. She had settled his pod facing her own just so she could see for herself that he was fine before going to the Dream World and after coming back.
It was only for that reason. The fact that his face was the last thing she saw before going to sleep and the first after waking up had no relation, no matter what Effie or the Firekeepers—the traitors—said on the subject.
A quiet noise snapped her out of her morose thoughts—someone was approaching the gate. A quick glance at the monitor showcasing the feed from the outside cameras showed it was Gorn and Cassie.
Cassie inputted the password to initiate the opening of the door, and Nephis entered her own password to allow access and avoid the alarm from activating. It was one of the safety measures they had introduced after the attempted kidnapping. Someone had to always be inside the room standing guard, and in order to access or leave, both sides needed to input a password—changed weekly—or the alarm would activate.
"Is it the hour already?" Nephis asked.
"Yes. If we leave now, we'll arrive late enough to avoid most of the interviews, but not so much as to cause trouble," Cassie answered. She was wearing the armor Nephis had gifted her so long ago, back when everything had been far simpler. Aside from the armor, she had also summoned her rapier and a half-mask that covered her eyes while leaving her mouth uncovered.
Nephis sighed and summoned the [Starlight Legion Armor], the [Dawn Shard], and [Dream Blade]. Tonight was the premiere of the movie made by the Government portraying the events of the Forgotten Shores. She would have rather not gone, but it was one of the events she had agreed to participate in to smooth things over with them. They wanted her in full Changing Star persona, which meant using the memories that had become an iconic part of her image instead of the ones she currently used.
She was already dreading it. A Song of Light and Shadows—the name alone was worrying. And according to Kai, who had some involvement in it as far as she could tell, they had delayed it—from early June to late July—for reshoots after Sunny's almost-kidnapping. Whatever changes they had in mind, she doubted they would be for the better.
Unwilling to go but not wanting to delay it any further and create more problems for herself, she got up and ceded her seat to Gorn, who would keep watch while she was gone. She took one last glance at Sunny's peaceful face before leaving, worry still present in her mind.
They went up and retrieved Effie from her room, who, given her current bodily situation, was spared from having to show up in full regalia. She had all the luck sometimes.
-------------------------------------------
It had only been a few minutes and she was already regretting all the choices that had led her to the current situation.
The noise alone could be considered a mind hex, the crowd was suffocating, and representatives of various news outlets were hounding her with a ferocity that had nothing to envy from a Nightmare Creature. She was starting to consider summoning her flames—it would at least grant her some space.
It would have been far more tolerable if Effie and Cassie didn't look so smug. They had both been left alone and made absolutely no effort to help her.
She would remember this betrayal.
At least Kai was suffering too.
In an attempt to distract herself from the murderous thoughts running through her mind, she summoned the runes once more, hoping to see a difference, no matter how small. She heard one of the reporters ask a question just as she summoned them, but she paid it no mind.
[Slave: Lost from Light]
[Shadow Cores: 4/7]
[Shadow Fragments: 2069/4000]
…What the fuck?
She froze, followed by an almost imperceptible tremor of dread. What could he have faced that was so dangerous as to earn that many fragments? She rubbed her eyes, as if hoping that would change what the runes displayed. It was not meant to be—they were still the same. There wasn't even a new memory or echo to give her a clue.
What had the crazy shadow done?
As she wondered what kind of adventures Sunny was going through, she missed the sudden hush that fell over the hall. Unbeknownst to her, the question asked by the reporter had been rather sensitive.
"Lady Changing Star, is it true that you and Sir Sunless, the Black Star, are in a relationship as the movie implies?"
Of course, nobody expected her to offer any answer, or at most to politely deny it. What they saw, however, was the usually stoic and composed Changing Star freeze, her body trembling in what couldn't be anything but emotion, and then covering her eyes—surely to hide the tears that were about to follow.
Within an hour, the hashtag #TwilightStar would top the charts across all media. The relationship that until that moment had been nothing but speculation on social networks and trashy TV shows was seemingly confirmed by none other than Changing Star herself.
Nephis noticed none of this, too preoccupied with her worries to care. Effie, Kai, and Cassie noticed, but in an unprecedented show of unity, none of them mentioned it. One because of how fun it would be when she realized, another because he thought she was finally being honest about her emotions, and the last because she already knew it was too late—any attempt to rectify the situation would only make it worse.
And because it would be fun too, of course.
-------------------------------------------
Nephis felt all of the energy leave her body as she took a seat. The interviewers had stopped bothering her after she checked Sunny's runes, but the way they looked at her was almost worse. What was wrong with them? And why was Effie grinning so much?
At least all she had to do now was sit there and pretend to like the movie. The Government had wanted her to give a speech afterward, but she had managed to talk them out of it.
At her left sat Effie, followed by Cassie and finally Kai, while on her right were the director and the main cast.
The director was beside her, occasionally stealing glances at her as if afraid she would get up at any moment. He seemed downright giddy to have her there. He almost ripped her hand off with how energetically he had shaken it, which was quite impressive considering he was a mundane.
At the director's side was the woman portraying her. She didn't want to judge so soon, but she was ready to be disappointed. The actress looked like she hadn't lifted a single sword in her life—or anything at all for that matter. Nephis had more muscle in one arm than the woman had in her whole body.
Seated to the right of the disappointing actress, there was… a child? He had to be thirteen at most. Who was he supposed to portray?
She tried to look further, but sadly, Griffin was nowhere in sight. A pity—the famous composer was the only one she would have liked to meet.
The lights went out while she was searching, signaling the start of the movie. She settled back and prepared herself mentally for what she was about to see.
Somber music started playing, the screen brightening to reveal a girl with silver hair playing on a carpet. Accompanying her was a handsome man with dark circles under his eyes.
Was that supposed to be her? Her hair had only turned silver after her First Nightmare! It had only just begun and she was already annoyed. Her annoyance grew as the actor playing her father chided her for trying to play with his broken sword. She was offended in her father's name; as distant as he had been at times, he had never been so neglectful as to leave unattended weapons within her reach.
"One day you will wield a sword too, darling. When you do, remember one thing: we, Awakened, only raise arms to protect humanity. As long as we don't give up, no matter how dire the situation is, there will be hope. Just like this sword, humanity is more resilient than it seems!"
Nephis facepalmed. Hard. Effie, the traitor, was laughing. Even Cassie and Kai were trying to hold back their laughter. Did they really have to go with the most cliché speech possible? Thankfully, she was distracted from her irritation by a change of scene.
It was a dark and rainy night. Music started playing in the background—sad but with an undercurrent of hope—as the camera slowly panned over a dirty street, moving toward an alleyway. Inside, a small, painfully thin child in tattered clothes was holding tightly onto a slightly moldy loaf of bread as if it were the most precious thing in the world. As he moved it toward his mouth to take a bite, a low growl interrupted him.
From deeper in the alley came out a pitiful-looking dog, its fur ragged, a piece of its left ear missing, looking minutes away from death. A small cub followed behind it, even more pitiful than its parent. The larger dog stared intently at the loaf of bread as it opened its mouth to show its teeth.
The child looked at the bread in his hands—still held tightly as if it were a treasure of incalculable value—and then back at the pitiful dog.
"Is this what you want, little buddy?" the child smiled as he threw the loaf toward the cub, who snatched it midair and quickly started eating. The parent barked happily as it joined its child. All too soon, it was gone, with both dogs looking a little livelier.
Then, the cub approached the kid and settled in his lap, while the parent whined in apparent worry at how emaciated the child looked.
"Don't worry about me." The kid smiled again, somehow managing to look even frailer while doing so. "It's my duty as a human being to make the world a better place—or at least that's what my mother always said." He carefully patted the cub's head, the mere action making him look healthier. "The world doesn't know it yet, but I'm Sunless, and one day, I will make this world a safer, warmer place."
The child smiled once more as he said it. Behind him, dawn was rising. As the rays of sunlight slowly enveloped him, he seemed almost angelic.
Her armrests started creaking dangerously; she was holding onto them so tightly they were beginning to bend. The director stared worriedly at her, a stare she returned with no small amount of fury. From the corner of her eye, she saw the cohort doing the same.
She did her best to stop herself from snapping at him. This was a propaganda film first and foremost. She understood they wanted to portray Sunny as a paragon. It did not stop her from hating it—not when it made light of his all-too-real suffering. She exhaled slowly and turned her gaze back to the screen, trying very hard not to let her emotions get the best of her.
Nephis, now a beautiful woman with prominent curves, long eyelashes, and mesmerizing gray eyes, was standing in front of the Academy's gate, gaze focused as she took in the scene with stoicism.
She groaned inwardly. The actress looked even more fragile and thin on screen. That woman would get killed by a stray breeze! The internet was full of images of her—how could they get her so wrong!?
Effie's giggle and Cassie's barely perceptible smirk made it even worse. At least Kai was polite enough to hide his reaction.
At her side stood Sunless. Unlike Nephis, he didn't seem to have grown much, appearing thirteen at most and still painfully thin.
Nephis mechanically turned her head toward the child actor. He was Sunny? How!? She was only one year older than him, and they didn't have anything resembling the height difference portrayed in the film.
"Princess, you're scaring the poor kid. I get that he looks identical to Sunny, but that's no excuse," Effie said, an annoying smirk on her face.
"He looks nothing like him," Nephis hissed back.
Effie answered with a handwave, as if to say the difference was negligible.
Sunless blushed as he caught Nephis's focused gaze, the sound of a loud heartbeat overtaking all other sounds. Nephis ignored him, her gaze still fixed unwaveringly on the gates as they slowly opened. As they entered the Academy, Sunless kept surreptitiously stealing glances at her, obviously enamored by her beauty and the conviction she exuded.
Her right eye started twitching.
A training montage played: Nephis lifting weights, running, practicing her swordsmanship, and finally in combat class, where she defeated every opponent while doling out advice and encouragement like "Never give up hope," or "Remember your duty," or "We are humans!" Her winning streak was finally ended by the appearance of a handsome, muscular man presenting himself as Caster. He eventually managed to win by a hair's breadth. After the fight, they developed a close friendship with plenty of romantic undertones.
Her eye twitched harder.
On the other side, little Sunless was training even harder, every scene depicting him going through extreme exercises or studying as hard as he could, all the while complaining about his lowly outskirts education. At times, while he was at the cafeteria, the movie showed him stealing glances at Nephis but never managing to gather the courage to approach her. Instead, he sat with a petite blonde woman wearing a blindfold, neither of them saying anything.
The audience booed while giving words of encouragement to the kid, especially after he made a particularly sad face upon seeing how close Nephis and Caster were. She would burn down the theater if they so much as held hands.
The scene changed again, showing all the characters entering their sleeping pods. Nephis took the chance to deliver an encouraging speech to her fellow Sleepers, exhorting them to return as humanity's defenders. Once the speech was done, she entered her pod, followed by everyone else.
Ominous music started playing as darkness filled the screen. When it dissipated, a split screen showed both Nephis and Sunless hitting the water, swimming desperately in search of land. They barely made it, with a gigantic shark and an octopus almost reaching them before they reached safety.
Nephis found Cassie atop the mound of coral she had reached in her mad dash. The blind girl started crying, loudly lamenting her own uselessness as she clung to her.
"Do not fear, fellow Awakened, for as long as my flame keeps burning, I promise that no harm will befall you," Nephis said. White flames danced in her eyes as she raised her fist with conviction, as if daring the heavens to oppose her words. As if in response, the sun suddenly came out, and with it the sea retreated, revealing the labyrinth of coral below.
"The first scene in which I'm not a background character and this is what I get," Cassie groused, covering her face in embarrassment.
Nephis did not have the heart to tell her that while not as pathetic as portrayed, the scene wasn't that inaccurate. Back then, she had felt mortified as the seer clung to her desperately.
At least the labyrinth was decently made, though it lacked something. It couldn't properly translate the sense of danger the red coral had instilled in her back then.
They reunited with Sunless days later, who proudly proclaimed that through his scouting abilities and the wisdom learned in the outskirts, he had managed to avoid all Nightmare Creatures.
Another montage followed as they traveled through the Forgotten Shores—one in which they could see how their relationship developed, his confidence growing as he became stronger, and Nephis teaching him how to fight. The montage was filled with gruesome and bleak scenes, showing just how close the three of them had come to death on many occasions, saved only by Nephis's peerless skill and flames or Sunny's incredible cunning.
In those scenes, they saw how Nephis slowly warmed to him, going from indifference to great care, and even saw her blush as he took her hand to help her run faster while they were fleeing a horde of Nightmare Creatures. Once they finally escaped, she gave him a small smile. A loud heartbeat replaced all sounds, the camera focusing on Sunless's face, allowing them to witness through his expression how the crush became actual love.
The twitching of her eye was starting to grow concerningly strong.
Cassie complained vehemently as she kept being treated as a background character despite the fact that only the three of them were on screen.
A few moments of levity were sprinkled here and there, as young Sunless repeatedly shouted in a funny voice, "Are you crazy!?" at Nephis's plans.
"At least that part is accurate," Nephis nodded, all the while internally lamenting the fact that they only seemed accurate when portraying Sunny's criticism of her plans. Even worse, at some point the audience had started yelling along with him.
They made camp atop a hill with the setting sun as backdrop, its orange rays covering them as they cooked. A melancholic mood settled over the group.
"What do you miss the most about the waking world?" Cassie asked, speaking for the first time in almost ten minutes despite being on screen the whole time.
"Nothing. For as long as I am here, facing the tides of darkness, my heart is filled with joy," Nephis answered, voice full of conviction as white flames danced in her eyes.
"Damn, they really know you, Princess," Effie said, her voice so full of awe it was obvious she was making fun of her.
"I'm not like that at all," Nephis insisted, looking at Cassie and Kai for support.
"You might be a little… intense sometimes," Kai said diplomatically, looking uncomfortable at being put on the spot.
Cassie didn't even say anything.
"I miss my mother," Sunless said softly. He was hunched over, hugging his knees, looking even smaller than usual.
Seeing their surprised stares, a sad smile appeared on his face, his tone full of nostalgia.
"She was the best, most loving mother I could ever ask for. I can still remember her warm smile, or her dauntless sense of justice. She always said it was our duty as humans to make the world a better place—to leave it safer than how we found it so that one day, a peaceful world could come true. If not for her, I probably would have become a thug like my fellow outskirts rats."
Could they stop calling him a rat for even a second!? It was getting annoying. He was a cockroach—a noble one at that.
Sunless's voice slowly became more confident as he unfurled himself from his seated position and stood up, somehow looking taller. Determination filled his eyes as he stared directly at Nephis.
"She also told me one thing: 'My little Sun, one day you will find something you'll want to protect above everything else. When you do, you must not fear. You must not deny it. Instead, be glad—for you have finally found your purpose in life.'"
Then he bent to one knee as he slowly took Nephis's hand, giving her the chance to deny the contact. When no rejection came, he smiled—a beautiful if shy smile.
"And now… I have finally found it. What I want to protect is you, Lady Nephis. I love you." Red covered his cheeks as he uttered the words, and then, before she could answer, he stood up, shaking his head. "But please… don't answer now. There is no need for you to say anything for me to know that a lowly boy from the outskirts like me cannot hope to win your heart." Sadness filled his eyes, but then he closed them and clenched his right fist. When he opened them, burning conviction shone within. "Which is why I ask you to give me time to become worthy of you."
Cassie gasped while Nephis covered her mouth, her face reddening until it matched his. Then Nephis fluttered her long eyelashes and gave him a coquettish smile.
"Hurry up then. I don't know how long I can wait."
Loud cheers erupted in the theater as the audience took the answer as an indirect acceptance of young Sunless's love. Some of them shouted, "They are crazy together!"
"Damn, if I had known that Doofus could be that charming, I might have stolen him from you," Effie whispered. Nephis could practically hear her eyebrows wiggling.
She was going to kill Effie. Then revive her. Then kill her again. And again. And again.
The director looked worriedly at her as her armrests bent even further. Sunny would never be that honest with his feelings, and she would never flutter her eyelashes like that! She was honestly starting to consider suing for defamation.
The poor armrests were spared further abuse by a change of scene showcasing the outer walls of the Dark City.
They arrived at the Dark City, where they met a beautiful, charismatic, athletic woman who presented herself as Effie. However, it quickly became obvious that while powerful, she was kind of… dull. All brawn and no brains. All she knew how to do was fight, eat, and break things.
Nephis withdrew all her complaints. Effie's mortified face made this film great all on its own. She was going to treasure this memory forever.
A loose interpretation of the events in the Dark City followed—filled with encouraging speeches, harrowing battles against the Nightmare Creatures encroaching on the outer settlement, and Nephis's attempts to inspire hope in the Sleepers who had all but given up. There were also a few moments of brightness, with Sunless trying his best to become stronger and making small gestures of love toward Nephis.
Along the way, they reunited with Caster, who excitedly joined them and seemingly rekindled the budding romance between him and Nephis overnight—to Sunless's obvious disappointment.
The audience booed at that—some even shouting "Fuck Caster!" She agreed. If they were going to portray her as indirectly accepting a confession, then at least they should stop portraying her as flirting with the Legacy idiot.
Sunless approached the room in which Nephis and Caster were training, a beautiful piece of white jade hidden in his hand—one he had found while hunting for food for the settlement. He smiled, clearly hopeful the gift would please her.
Nephis tripped and fell, only to be caught by Caster just in time, their faces so close they could almost feel each other's breaths. Sunny entered at that exact moment. He opened his mouth to say something, but when he saw their faces slowly getting closer, a heartbroken expression appeared, and he hurriedly left, the jewel falling to the ground and breaking in half.
Had he stayed a moment longer, he would have seen Nephis quickly pull away. A confrontation followed, as Nephis openly rejected Caster's feelings and proclaimed her love for Sunless. Caster protested, insulting Sunless as he did, but Nephis stayed firm in her decision as she retrieved the broken jewel and went in search of the boy.
A chorus of "Fuck Caster!" erupted in the theater. Nobody could prove she had also joined in.
The theme accompanying Sunny played again—sad and mournful—as Sunless stared silently at the Dark City, his eyes wet as the image of Nephis and Caster's near-kiss replayed on screen.
"Am I crazy? Of course she would choose a Legacy of renown like Caster instead of an outskirts rat like me." As he looked down, trying not to cry, a Nightmare Creature lurked in the distance. He stared at it for a long moment, emotions flashing across his face.
Something in the creature seemed to spark a determination within him. He clenched his fists and wiped away the tears.
"So what if he's much better than I am? I haven't given up yet. And just like humanity will never stop fighting for a better future, I will not stop fighting for her love." A sword memory appeared in his hand, which he raised toward the creature. "Wait for me, Lady Nephis. I will come back worthy of your love."
The audience erupted in cheers, telling him not to give up and to fight for her heart. Despite not showing it, Nephis was deeply embarrassed. Did they forget she was in the theater too?
Then Sunless jumped down, disappearing into the shadows. Just seconds later, Nephis arrived—far too late to clear up the misunderstanding.
Of course they missed each other by a matter of seconds.
Time passed quickly, showcasing how Nephis was starting to reach the Sleepers in the Outer Settlement, managing to give them back hope for a better tomorrow. It all culminated in a fight within the Bright Castle where Nephis faced Gunlaug, the golden tyrant. The scene was tense, filled with close calls as she slowly but surely lost ground.
Just as all seemed lost, a voice distracted both of them. They turned to see Sunless, who had finally returned—looking more muscular and even a little taller. The sight of him seemed to reinvigorate Nephis, who fought back harder and even managed to put Gunlaug on the ropes. Another tense minute followed, and Nephis finally managed to land the killing blow, ending his tyranny once and for all.
Did they seriously need to make it look like she needed him there to win? She could admit his presence had encouraged her, and she could admit that without him watching her back she couldn't fight as freely as she did—but she would have still won!
A speech followed, in which Nephis declared that while the path ahead was deadly, she had found a way out of the Forgotten Shores. She made clear that even if they died trying to grasp it, it would still be a more honorable death than cowering in the dark. Thunderous applause broke out as all the Sleepers joined her, former allegiances forgotten.
Nephis groaned in embarrassment. Was she truly that preachy?
She thanked the dead gods that the movie was nearing its end. She couldn't handle this embarrassment much longer.
A mad dash followed as preparations were made to attack the Crimson Spire. While they tried, both Nephis and Sunless were far too busy to talk alone. In their only brief moment of privacy, Nephis gave him one piece of the jade while she kept the other. Then the day of the battle arrived.
The final act unfurled, showcasing in great detail Sunless's attempt to reach the Crimson Spire, Effie's desperate battle against the horde of abominations, Kai battling the Crimson Messengers in the air, and Nephis slaying Nightmare Creatures.
As all seemed lost and water was swiftly rising, the beautiful chime of a bell echoed. The water receded and the storm dissipated. When the army of Sleepers turned their sight toward the Spire, they saw Sunless standing proud at its base—wounded but full of vigor—as he beckoned them toward salvation.
A small smile appeared on Nephis's face—not at the movie, but at the memory it triggered. It was cute how proud he had looked of his achievement back then.
Once they reached the Spire, Sunless led the Sleepers toward the Gateway while battling the remaining creatures. Nephis climbed the Spire to fight the Crimson Terror.
Once everyone else had evacuated, Sunless climbed up too, where he found Nephis desperately battling the Terror. A glimmer of hope appeared as together they managed to wound it. However, it was still too strong to be defeated by just the two of them.
She decided they were doing it on purpose. Every time she told the story, she had made clear she defeated the Crimson Terror on her own—and now they were portraying the two of them losing? As if a mere Fallen could stop them when they fought together!
Right as a deadly blow was going to be delivered to Sunless, a figure pushed him out of the way—taking the blow instead. The figure revealed himself as Caster, apologizing to Sunless for how he had treated him and urging them to finish the Crimson Terror with the chance he had given them.
She had to hide a snort of amusement. Caster had to be turning in his grave at the idea that he would sacrifice himself for Sunny and her. She bit her tongue to keep from laughing when she still heard audience members shout "Fuck Caster!"
Together—Nephis cloaked in bright flames and Sunless covered in shadows—they delivered the final blow, their contrasting elements merging beautifully.
With the Terror dead, they retreated to the Gateway—only to despair at their discovery. Only one of them could use it; the other would have to stay behind.
It was in this moment that Nephis finally confessed her feelings.
"Since my father died, there was a hole in my chest—one I tried to fill with justice and conviction. But no matter how hard I tried, and no matter how invaluable these qualities are for the future of humanity, I could not fill it. It was as if something was always missing. I prayed and wished on shooting stars to find what I lacked, but I never got an answer." As she spoke, she approached him, their faces close enough to kiss. "It is only now that I realize my mistake. My shooting star is you—a Black Star that is invisible in the night sky, yet has always been by my side."
As they smiled, their lips closed the remaining distance in a pure and chaste kiss. The music swelled triumphantly, everything else seeming to fade from their world.
Her armrests snapped off.
Against their will, they separated to regain their breath, but stayed close—foreheads touching, embracing with desperation as if they would disappear from each other's grasp if they were to let go.
"Now that I've found you, I cannot let you die. There is nothing in this desolate land that can smother the flame of my conviction—and even if there were, I would heal and come back stronger. So please, I beg you, leave. I will come back to you no matter what happens."
Sunless smiled sadly, his embrace tightening.
"Did you know your true name can also be translated as 'Star of Ruin'?" Seeing her confusion, he continued, "I think it's true—because you have truly ruined my heart." When her face fell, he smiled again and gave her a quick kiss that seemed to melt her pain away. "You've ruined it, because I don't think I will ever be able to love someone as strongly as I love you. You are my world, Neph—the person who makes me believe in my dream of building a better world. My better half. The only reason I bother getting up at dawn. The only star in my sky. The light to my shadows."
White flames began enveloping her.
Sunless held her tightly, his body trembling as if in the midst of an internal battle. Seconds later, the trembling stopped—he had made his choice. His hands moved, positioning themselves at her sides as if to push her.
"Which is why… I hope that one day you will forgive me for this." Before she could react, he pushed her into the Gateway, which activated instantly.
"Sunless, no!" Nephis tried to get back up, but it was too late.
"I love you, Neph. No matter what happens next, that will always be true." A bright flash burst from the Gateway, and then he was all alone.
The fire grew stronger, almost blinding in its intensity.
Sunless kept smiling as he left the Spire. He stared at the piece of jade in his hand, a single tear running down his face as images of their time together flashed on the screen. His theme returned—sad, yes, but filled with hope.
"In the end, it turns out that I am the craziest of them all." His smile turned self-deprecating as he walked away from the Spire.
A wounded Spire Messenger appeared, menacing and hungry. The creature was met with a defiant smile.
"I'm sorry, foul creature, but I have someone to return to, and no one in this world can stop me from reuniting with my star." His smile widened. "If that is my will, then who dares stop me?"
Shadows covered his front—a sign of the harrowing path ahead—while his back was still embraced by light, a reminder of the purpose he had found and why he would keep fighting. With that image, the screen turned black.
Nephis rose immediately and left, still covered in flames, leaving burning footprints behind. She waited for no one—not her cohort, not the movie staff, not the reporters. She ignored all attempts to get her attention, her feet never stopping even after leaving the theater.
"What are you waiting for? Go on, leave. I still have to escape this place once you're gone."
It wasn't meant to go like that.
"No, what? You won't abandon me here?… Or is it that you didn't want to enslave me in such a situation? How pitiful—the perfect slave, and you have to waste him in this spell-forsaken piece of trash of a tower."
She only intended to use her power to save him—but then her traitorous will had betrayed her.
"You didn't what?… You didn't want to steal my freedom? The only thing I have left in this cursed world? You didn't want to betray every single moment we spent together?"
She loved him. She finally allowed herself to fully and openly admit it to herself. It only made the betrayal worse—crueler—that she could abandon someone she loved like that. But she had to do it… the Spell… the Ghouls…
"Spare me, Neph… Justify it to yourself however you want. I don't want to hear it. Go, just… go already."
No. No more justifications. No more lying to herself. She had done it, and it could not be taken back.
Now, only making amends remained.
And she was going to make them. After all, if that was her will, then who dares stop her?