Sunny and Nephis stood opposite each other, holding training swords. Both felt more than a little disturbed by how much this scene resembled their bitter confrontation at the very top of the Crimson Spire.
Of course, today, the situation was completely different. They were just going for a friendly spar, not a battle to the death. There were no stakes in this training fight, no emotional investment… no complicated mixture of regret, fury, and resentment.
…So why did Sunny feel as though he had to prove something?
Forcing himself to relax, he glanced at Nephis and attacked. Their swords met with a deafening clangor.
A few seconds later, Sunny jumped away and shouted:
"Stop! Stop! Stop!"
Changing Star froze while he looked around, breathing heavily.
Sunny gritted his teeth and spat a muffled curse.
"Damnation…"