Grey sky above, black mud below, an endless sea of crimson in between. On this dreamlike backdrop, two beautiful girls were walking across the labyrinth.
One was delicate and fragile, with blond hair and cerulean, aimless eyes. She was dressed in a simple tunic, with leather sandals on her feet and a cloak the color of sea waves draped around her shoulders.
The other was tall and lithe. She had silky silver hair and clear, grey eyes. Her revealing clothes were crudely made out of black seaweed, leaving her fair skin and athletic build exposed. She was poised, alert, and barefoot.
A golden rope connected two girls together.
'Wow. What a sight…' Sunny thought.
He suddenly regretted that he was not an artist. The picture just begged to be made into a painting.
'Wait… why am I thinking about that? People! I found people!'
His heart skipped a beat. If Nephis and Cassia were here, then the orange light from before, most likely, had something to do with them. Which meant that they knew how to get to the tall hill.
Which meant that Sunny didn't have to be crushed to death by the high tide!
'Uh… so what do I do now?'
He wasn't the best at ingratiating himself to other people. In fact, he was the polar opposite — people usually instinctively avoided him. And that was in normal circumstances. This time, however, he had spent a whole of four weeks making sure that everyone in the Academy hated his guts…
'Good job, Sunny!'
Still, he was at least useful. In this situation, an additional body was already a great boon when facing hungry monsters. And he wasn't just anyone: his ability to scout ahead alone was worth a lot. Surely they'll understand that… right?
With a heavy sigh, Sunny stepped into shadows and hurried to the clearing. He reached it in a minute or so, hiding and observing the two girls before making a final decision.
Helping herself with the wooden staff, blind Cassia slowly approached the middle of the clearing and extended her hand, finding Nephis and touching her on the shoulder.
"Why did you stop?"
Nephis supported the blind girl and glanced at the sky.
"It's getting late."
An awkward pause hung between two girls. After some time, Cassia asked:
"So you think we should turn back?"
Nephis blinked and cleared her throat.
"Yes."
Sunny was a bit amused by their exchange.
'What is she, a strong silent type?'
Then he returned to his dilemma and grimaced.
'How do I approach them? Damn, why is this so hard! It's not like I'm trying to ask them out on a date. I mean, one of them… both of them? What am I thinking about?! Just go and say hi!'
But then, if he suddenly appeared out of the shadows… not at all like a creep… how high was the probability of them getting spooked and attacking him before noticing that he was not a monster?
Wait, why would they… argh, to hell with this!
Deciding on the safest approach, Sunny commanded his shadow to abandon its hiding place and move to a spot where Nephis could clearly see it. He could clearly sense the shadow rolling its eyes as it obeyed the order.
As soon as the shadow started to move, Nephis suddenly snapped her hand sideways. Immediately, a long sword appeared in it, cutting the air as it assumed a defensive position. Before the shadow could even take two steps out of its hiding spot, it was already pierced by Changing Star's grey eyes.
The shadow froze. It seemed a bit startled.
Cassia took a step back.
"Neph? What is it?"
Nephis didn't answer immediately, carefully observing the shadow. Then she simply said:
"There's a shadow."
Cassia's doll-like face paled.
"A shadow? Scavengers?"
The tall girl tilted her head a little.
"No. It's a human shadow."
This was clearly not what Cassia expected to hear. With an expression of surprise, she asked:
"A human shadow? What… what is it doing?"
Nephis hesitated. After a while, she answered in a flat tone:
"...It's waving at us."
***
After a whole minute of silence, Cassia finally found the words to react.
"What?"
"I said: it's waving…"
"Yes, I know! I mean… why is it doing that?"
Nephis opened her mouth, then closed it again.
"I don't know. Maybe it's a distraction to lure us into a trap."
At this point, Sunny decided that it was time to talk. He inhaled deeply, then said in a friendly tone:
"Actually, I just sent it ahead to make sure that you don't stab me with that sword before realizing that I'm human."
Immediately, Nephis turned her head, pinpointing the exact location where Sunny was hiding in a blotch of shadows. Her sword slightly shifted, aiming at the new threat.
"If you're human, why are hiding in the shadows like a creep?"
'Goddamit! I'm not a creep!'
Sunny сhoked. But his Flaw was merciless: he had to provide an answer, and a truthful one at that.
"I mean, you're Changing Star Nephis. To be honest, I'm a little afraid."
Nephis did not answer. Because of her hard-to-read face, it was almost impossible to determine whether she believed him or not. However, he included her True Name in his answer for a reason: if he was some monster pretending to be human, he wouldn't have known it.
Luckily, Cassia was more expressive.
"Are you the boy who sat with me in the cafeteria?"
Sunny smiled. Meanwhile, Nephis glanced at the blind girl.
"Do you know him?"
Cassia nodded.
"I recognize his voice. His name is Sunless. He was in second-to-last place in the rankings, right above me."
The tall girl frowned, as if trying to remember. Then she asked:
"The pervert?"
The smile disappeared from Sunny's face, replaced by exasperation.
'Oh, come on!'
Cassia hesitated and didn't answer.
"Hey! I'm not really a pervert, you know! I just… uhm… said a few things. To a few girls. It was all a misunderstanding."
Nephis was silent for a few seconds, and then, finally, dismissed her sword.
"Okay. You can come out."
Sunny limped out of the shadows, summoning his own back. It flowed to his feet and reattached itself, visibly shaking. The bastard was laughing at him...
Stopping a few meters away from Nephis, he raised his hands, showing that he didn't mean the girls any harm. Changing Star gave him an inquisitive look.
"What happened to you?"
She was referring to his limp, bruises, and overall banged-up look. Sunny sighed.
"Carapace Scavenger."
Nephis raised an eyebrow:
"You managed to get away alive?"
'You bet I did!'
Sunny subconsciously straightened his back.
"I didn't get away. I killed it."
To prove his point, he gestured at his rucksack, full of delicious monster meat. Nephis looked him over again, reevaluating her opinion of him. Now, there were hints of approval in her eyes.
Carapace Scavengers were only beasts, but they were still awakened. With the addition of their mighty physique and natural armor, defeating one was not an easy feat for any Sleeper, who all had a dormant core. Let alone someone from the very bottom of the ranking list.
Come to think of it, it was even a bit too outstanding.
Sunny lowered his eyes.
"Eh… it was already wounded."
Nephis shrugged.
"A kill is a kill. You did well."
After that, she fell silent, as though not planning to say anything else. Sunny also wasn't sure what to say. Luckily, Cassia came to the rescue.
"Are you seriously injured?"
He shook his head.
"No, it's just that my ribs and leg are bruised — I'll be fine in a day or two. My armor is pretty resilient."
He wasn't worried that they might be tempted to kill him to get the Puppeteer's Shroud. That was because Memories were destroyed at the moment of their owner's death. So they only could be transferred voluntarily by a living person.
Well, there was always torture and blackmail. But he doubted that any one of the two beautiful girls would stoop to that.
Sunny cleared his throat.
"Before stumbling on the Scavenger, I was heading for the tall hill with the massive coral pillar on top. But after the fight, my speed decreased. Now I'm worried about not making it in time. Do you perhaps know the way?"
Cassia smiled.
"Actually, we spend the last days on that hill. We were just about to go back."
Nephis didn't say anything, looking at the sky.
Sunny licked his lips.
"Well… can I come with you?"
'They're not going to say "no"… right?'
The blind girl turned he head to her companion, a clear question written on her face.
"Neph?"
Nephis lowered her eyes, staring at Sunny. After a while, she said:
"No…"
'What?!'
"...problem."
No problem.
'What's wrong with you, princess?! Can't you speak faster?!'
Feeling his heart beating wildly in his chest, Sunny smiled.
"Well. Alright…"
The rest of the way to the tall hill did not take a lot of time. With Nephis leading the way, taking all the right turns at all the right places, there was no need to explore the labyrinth and backtrack after encountering a dead end. Additionally, there were no scavengers around.
In fact, they could have moved ever quicker if not for Cassia, who walked slowly even with the help of her staff. Guided by the golden rope, she carefully explored the ground ahead before taking each step. The uneven paths of the crimson forest were not an ideal surface for a blind person to walk on.
Sunny didn't say much, periodically casting an incredulous glance at the strange pair. No matter how he looked at it, Cassia seemed to be dead weight. Perhaps it was cruel to say, but in the merciless reality of the Dream Realm, misguided kindness was a sure way to end up dead.
Before meeting and observing the girls, he still had hope that Cassia's terrible Flaw hid an unexpected and powerful Aspect. But from what he saw, it wasn't the case. If she couldn't even walk properly, what kind of power was there to hide? Nothing could outweigh the ruthless fact that the blind girl couldn't protect herself, and thus would only drag her companions down.
One had to be a fool or not fond of living to allow that to happen. So… which one of these descriptions suited Nephis? Somehow, he felt that neither did.
The sunset was not far off when they reached the hill. After climbing it and approaching the massive growth of coral, Nephis dismissed the golden rope and immediately summoned it again. This way, it was untied and appeared in her hands in a neat bundle.
'Ah. So it's a Memory.'
Sunny wondered what qualities the magical rope had. Soon, his curiosity was satisfied: right in front of his surprised eyes, the length of the rope suddenly began to increase. Soon, it was thrice as long as it was before.
Nephis calmly tied both ends of the rope into loops and then threw one of them into the air, accurately coiling it around a prominent protrusion near the top of the coral pillar. Then, she tested if the rope would hold, swiftly climbed up and waved from above, giving Sunny the signal to follow.
After hesitating for a second, Sunny approached the rope and grabbed it.
He couldn't help thinking that this would be the perfect opportunity to cut his head off. With him helpless while climbing and Nephis standing on the top of the pillar… yeah. The vivid picture appeared in his mind.
'Stop being paranoid!' Sunny thought, trying to calm himself down.
It's not that he was sure of Changing Star's impeccable moral qualities. Instead, he was certain of one thing: if Nephis really wanted to kill him, she wouldn't have needed to wait for an opportunity. She could have just cut him into ribbons whenever.
Simultaneously scared and reassured by this thought, Sunny nimbly climbed up and joined Nephis at the top of the coral mound. He then turned around and watched curiously, wondering how Cassia was going to get to them.
The blind girl dismissed the wooden staff and approached the rope. Then she caught it in a hand, traced it down to the loop at the end, and placed her foot inside. As soon as she was done, Nephis grabbed the rope and started pulling, lifting Cassia little by little until she had reached the top. She only had to grab Nephis's hand and make a step to join them.
'Huh. Efficient.'
The coral mound was much larger than the circular stone platform of the giant knight's neck. In fact, it was almost like a small island. At the highest point of the island, hidden behind some coral blades, the girls had made a little camp. There were piles of seaweed to sleep on, strips of scavenger meat drying under the sun, and a firepit.
Sunny pointed to the makeshift firepit.
"Was it you two nights ago? I've seen an orange light in the distance."
Cassia's face darkened.
"Yes, this was the first time we made a fire. But it turned out to be a really bad mistake."
Nephis sighed.
Sunny raised an eyebrow, surprised.
"Why?"
The blind girl touched her hair and turned her head to Nephis.
"At night, any light will attract monsters. We were attacked by scavengers first. And then… then…"
She paled and didn't finish. But she didn't have to: the memory of the colossal tentacle was still fresh in Sunny's mind.
It seemed that he was lucky to meet these two when he had. If not, he was certainly going to make a fire tonight to roast some scavenger meat.
"Uh. I see."
Nephis looked at the sky and cleared her throat.
"It should be fine now. We still have time before the sun sets."
After that, she got busy making the fire. Cassia simply sat on a pile of seaweed and waited. Not knowing what to do, Sunny lowered himself to the ground and let his tired, bruised body rest.
After a while, he said:
"I have fresh meat in my rucksack. Do you have water?"
Cassia smiled.
"Yes!"
After that, she extended an arm to him. A second later, a beautiful bottle made of patterned blue glass appeared in her hand.
"That's a Memory I have. It's always full."
Sunny took the glass bottle and looked at it with envy.
'An endless supply of water, huh? Sure beats my super loud bell!'
"Thank you."
He brought the bottle to his lips and greedily drank the cool, delicious water. Indeed, no matter how much he drank, the amount of water inside did not seem to decrease.
"Is it really endless?"
Cassia touched her hair again.
"Uh… not really. If you turn it upside down and let the water flow, it will stop in half an hour or so. But then it will be full again pretty soon."
At that time, Nephis was already done making the fire. Without looking up, she took Sunny's rucksack and opened it. Immediately, the soul shard rolled out. The tall girl looked at it, then at Sunny. Then she put the shard back in and pulled out the meat.
Sunny became tense, preparing a misleading answer. But Nephis did not ask. So, he pretended like nothing had happened and continued his conversation with Cassia.
"It's still a great Memory. Getting drinkable water is not an easy task!"
Cassia nodded and smiled, pleased by his words.
Soon, the rich smell of roasting meat permeated the air. At the same time, the sun was beginning to approach the horizon; a loud rumble came from somewhere beneath, and first traces of the black water began to appear between crimson walls of the labyrinth.
Sunny looked east, where the skies were already growing dark. Then he uncomfortably shifted.
"Do scavengers come all the way up here?"
Nephis turned the meat and nodded.
"Yes. But… only at night. In the day, most of them seem to disappear."
Sunny grinned, having an idea of why there weren't a lot of monsters in the labyrinth in the day.
"That's because they all gather near the place I had been spending my time recently. You should have seen it — the tall cliff to the west of here. Well, it's actually a statue."
Cassia opened her eyes wide.
"A… a statue? But for you to survive, it should be…"
"Yes, it's a giant statue of a knight, at least two hundred meters tall. He is missing his head, so I hid on top of the neck. Anyway… the day we were sent here, two sea creatures fought each other near that statue. When the water receded, I saw an enormous carcass lying there, with hundreds of scavengers slowly tearing it apart."
Nephis nodded.
"That would explain the lack of Nightmare Creature in the day. How long?"
Sunny blinked.
"How long what?"
Changing Star stared at him for a few seconds, making everyone feel uncomfortable.
"How long... until they are done devouring the carcass?"
"Oh. One day more, two at most."
Nephis turned away, took the meat away from the fire, and then quickly extinguished it.
'There's definitely something wrong with that girl!'
The three of them ate in the dimming light of the twilight. The meat was juicy, tender and indescribably delicious. It was better than anything Sunny had ever tasted, even back in the Academy's cafeteria. Of course, his excruciating hunger played a part in that.
From time to time, they would pass the glass bottle to each other.
When they were finished with their meal, the dark sea was back, and the night was upon them. Everything was consumed by absolute darkness.
Of course, Sunny could easily see both Nephis and Cassia. Under the cover of the night, Changing Star remained pretty much the same. The blind girl, however, allowed her true emotions to show, thinking that no one would see. She seemed much more lost, lonely and frightened than she did in the day.
As if trying to resist these feelings, Cassia said in a bright voice:
"How about we formally introduce ourselves? I'm Cassie."
Nephis glanced in her direction and shrugged.
"Neph."
Next, it was Sunny's turn. He exhaled, glad that they didn't ask his name directly. Most likely, he would still have been able to provide his human name — however, it also might have depended on the wording of the question.
Relieved, he smiled and answered:
"I'm Sunless. But you can call me Sunny."
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