Gehrman sat staring at the wall for a few minutes. During that time, he silently mulled over everything Sunny had told him. There was so much to sift through that it hurt his head. Furthermore, the phenomenal influx of Insight that he got from the explanation of the universe and cosmos was the greatest he had ever experienced.
That single rant put him back over 100 Insight, meaning that when he made it back to the New Workshop, he could bestow a good amount of Caryll Runes on the most promising Hunters. Now that Caster was a Saint, the whole operation retained full legitimacy even with Gehrman gone.
He wouldn't be surprised if he could get some other Hunters to succeed the 3rd Nightmare within a few years. Caster's original cohort – that he took on the 2nd Nightmare with – was always quite capable, though he wasn't sure if all of them could be Saints.
Still, there were a few that ought to be at that level. Oskar had a Supreme Aspect, and though it was largely utility based, with preparation he could do some serious damage.
Of course, Milo could also reach such a level, but Gehrman would never ask him to take on any more Nightmares. He didn't deserve that torment.
There were a few other youths with Transcendent Aspects, those were the ones he trusted the most to take on the 3rd Nightmare.
Though one's Aspect Rank did not dictate how far they could evolve (several of the Mercaneries who were now Masters had Awakened or even Dormant Rank Aspects, after all) it was a good indicator of their potential.
Of course, he would have to be subtle. As a Prince of Song, he didn't have the right to reclaim the Workshop just yet.
He imagined that once Ki Song was the sole Supreme he would be able to do so.
"What's the situation with the Domain War, have there been any more conflicts since I died?" Gehrman asked.
Sunny got an uncomfortable look on his face.
"Ah, that is…something I wanted to talk to you about. You should know that they vastly accelerated war preparations. That was all supposed to slow down with them going public. Supremes are able to manifest Dream Gates, and the remainder of Antarctica was evacuated to Ravenheart and Bastion respectively. Though they are mundane, the people in both cities have led to something of a renaissance. I expected the Sovereigns to focus on solidifying their new status quo. But that isn't the case. After you died, it became obvious that there was limited time in order to start the war. Anvil wants to get things going as soon as possible in order to gain even more strength before your return. Ki Song, of course, has to match his preparations."
With that revelation, there were even more things to take in.
Gehrman leaned back, a bit disturbed that his absence was upsetting what should have been the birth of a new civil era in the Dream Realm.
"What is the official reason for my disappearance?"
At this question, Sunny's discomfort seemed to grow more potent.
"Uh, well, it's a bit upsetting. Even back when you were public and became a Prince, a lot of Awakened of Valor had started something of a smear campaign. Calling you crazy and what not. The fact that those of the Workshop couldn't really deny that didn't help. Using that, Anvil made an official announcement immediately after your death. He says that you fell to Corruption while fighting one of the Gate Guardians, and that you died shortly thereafter."
"Oh," Gehrman said plainly.
That was not ideal. Not just because it would be especially weird explaining his reappearance, but it also put the Song Clan in an impossible spot.
If Ki Song were to deny that her new song had fallen to Corruption with no evidence, it would seem flimsy at best and downright naive at worst.
Additionally, it was obvious that if Gehrman managed to return, the chain of events that would follow would immediately start the Domain War.
Gehrman was sure they could manufacture an excuse to fight without him, but it didn't help that this excuse would plant Song in a pretty negative light.
It wasn't enough to force the Government or the House of Night to choose a side, but it would make it so they wouldn't need much more to side with Valor. A well placed bribe may be all it took to totally turn the tables on Song.
It seems my Mother-In-Law got outplayed quite handedly. Though, I can't imagine she doesn't have a plan in place for when I return.
"There is something else too, though I don't want you to take it the wrong way," Sunny said tentatively.
Gehrman nodded, encouraging him to speak his mind.
"I don't think you should stay with Song. I know it is difficult since you seem to genuinely care for Seshian, but there is no world in which either one of those psychos winning leads to a favorable future."
Gehrman frowned, and then turned his gaze away. He knew from the start that allying himself with a Great Clan was dangerous. In the back of his mind, he always assumed that once he helped win the war for Ki Song, she would turn on him to ensure no one could usurp her throne.
That being said, he wasn't sure if that would be the case anymore. She had shown real growth in re-developing humanity, using her daughters as an anchor. The fact that she desired to, and was able to, walk down the aisle with Seishan was proof of that.
Then again, was such a thing sustainable? She was literally split between tens of thousands of corpses. Her consciousness was so different from humans that he doubted that even her daughters could keep her grounded forever.
Perhaps the most damning issue with remaining a Prince of Song was something she had told him a long, long time ago.
When they had first met and he had shared his intentions of achieving godhood in order to traverse the Void and return to Yharnam, she had flat out told him that she would not let him do that.
There was a reason that she feared a human becoming a god. He also felt that the reason was applicable to everyone, and not just him.
However, he now knew of what threat truly faced this world. The Forgotten God was a being stronger than the ancient Daemons and his 6 siblings.
And the time of his awakening would spell the ruin of all existence if there were not equally powerful gods to match him.
Divinity was no longer just a desire, it was a must.
Still…
"I believe in her. I think she can change," Gehrman said, returning his gaze to Sunny's.
The shadow's gaze darkened.
"I should let you know something else then as well. Do you know about Broken Sword, Nephis's father?"
Gehrman was caught off guard, not expecting this sudden change in topics.
"He was the first one to become a Saint, if I recall. Though he is dead now."
Sunny nodded.
"He was also the first to become a Supreme. Anvil, Song, the Dreamspawn, and him took on the 4th Nightmare together, and they succeeded. However, after they accomplished that feat, the others turned on him. It is because of those three that Neph's dad is dead."
Gehrman's resolve cracked a little.
"Why would they do that?"
Sunny shrugged.
"Greed, jealousy, something else, I don't know. It doesn't matter. The fact remains that they killed a Supreme human who could have saved countless lives. He was a hero, and now he's gone because of them. Nephis knows this too, and that is why she burns so brightly. Her sole reason for growing stronger is killing those three and avenging her family."
Gehrman blinked, a dark feeling creeping its way into his chest.
"Shit."
Sunny let out a sigh, his face turning into a grimace.
They said nothing for a while.
Each musing about the future.
Gehrman only had a vague notion of Nephis's purpose. He knew that she detested the Supremes, but he couldn't have imagined the reason was so personal.
This disturbed him a good deal.
Nephis was one of the few with a Divine Aspect, and hers was almost wholly related to causing mass destruction.
Gehrman believed himself a cut above the other Divine Aspect users (though he wasn't exactly sure what Sunny was capable of yet).
He was confident he could beat Nephis with moderate difficulty, even if she was a Saint now.
Admittedly, he had never been especially close with Changing Star. Though he had worked with her on the Forgotten Shore, they hadn't fought side by side since then. Her intensity and drive were admirable, but there wasn't much more than that as far as he could tell.
Still, she was a decent person. Decent enough to make sure no innocents were harmed, which was more than he could say for Ki Song and Valor.
Plus, as a Divine Aspect user, she had the potential to be one of those gods who fought against the Forgotten God in that distant final conflict.
However, he knew for a fact that she was not the type of person to let Ki Song live, even if she did prove to change.
A tough decision came into his mind then.
In that final battle, would it be better to have Ki Song on his side or Nephis.
The answer was obvious. The experience his mother-in-law had was valuable, but in terms of pure power a Changing Star of the same Rank would decimate the Queen of Ravenheart.
"Shit," he said again.
He wanted them both to live, but it seemed impossible.
"I don't even know if Ki Song will be able to regain humanity, it may be that she is a lost cause and letting Nephis kill her would be the best course of action. Still, I would rather them both survive. Her Aspect is too valuable in fortifying humanity, every corpse in her Domain becomes a worker and defender, after all, such a thing would be disastrous to lose."
Sunny studied him for a while, noting the internal conflict in him.
"I don't think there is any way to change Neph's mind…but you're right. It would be best if Ki Song could become an ally, though I doubt I, or anyone who knows the truth of her past, could ever trust her."
Gehrman's body was tense.
He kept thinking, trying to find a path forward in which a peace could be called between them.
In hindsight, it was a bit laughable that he was treating Nephis's triumph as a sure thing. Of course, his presence on either side would likely dictate the winner, but even without him being there he found it difficult to imagine Nephis losing.
Naturally in a one-on-one fight Ki Song would destroy her as she was at the moment, but there was no way that she could stop Changing Star from becoming Supreme. She would take on a 4th Nightmare Seed by herself if she had to.
That was difficult though since her absence would likely lead to Ki Song's victory, and fighting a Supreme whose Domain was all of humanity would be near impossible, even for a newly Supreme Changing Star.
Still, she would find a way, that was her whole "thing". Gehrman had seen enough of her to know this to be true.
"Alright, I can mull this over a lot later, for now, I need to decide my next steps," Gehrman refocused himself.
His last fight with Anvil revealed a lot of things.
Despite many, many things amplifying his power, there were still things he wasn't utilizing to his full potential.
During his time in Antarctica, he had done a lot of work to improve his personal power, but in truth, he had the majority of his focus spent on making sure that the humans there did not suffer a single casualty.
If he was being honest, there were four things he was not appropriately taking advantage of.
The first was Phantasm. Even as a Supreme Devil he had managed to contend with Anvil for a bit.
And that was off pure power. Since becoming a Devil, he had manifested a new Ability, something impossible in Echoes, but natural for Nightmare Creatures who rose in Class.
Gehrman had not experimented with that power, and he had not trained with Phantasm as much as he'd like to.
The nature of the [Formless] allowed his Echo to take on any shape, and though Phantasm had a moderate understanding on how to use that to enhance his attacks, he would really excel with true combat training and instruction.
Gehrman was a teacher, after all, yet he hadn't really given his Echo the training it deserved in order to truly thrive.
The second thing that he wasn't taking advantage of was the Chalice Dungeons that had been manifested in his Soul. As an extension of [Walking Workshop] the boons in that place would undoubtedly be great, yet he never had a chance to fully explore.
Now that he knew that with a partial deployment of his Transcendent Ability he could be within his Soul Sea and active outside of it without issue he ought to be constantly exploring that new region.
Finally, the most egregious failures on his part went hand in hand. The Memory that could eventually be Soulbound, and thus become an Attribute with all the Enchantments constantly at his disposal, and his Aspect Legacy that remained largely unexplored.
Madness had proved the most effective weapon against Anvil, and he would be a fool not to try and extend those powers through advancing in [Incarnation of Madness].
Slowly, a map of future tasks started to appear in his mind.
"I don't want to go back just yet, though Seishan will probably be mad at me, it's not yet time for that Domain War. First, I'm going to take care of some things that I have been neglecting…with that being said. I wouldn't mind some company while I take care of that," Gehrman offered Sunny as warm a smile as he could muster.
"Do you mind if I tag along with whatever you're doing for a little while?"