Nephis studied the runes of Sunny's new Memory.
[Amulet of Light].
Two enchantments... interesting, yes, but what truly caught her attention was the story. One that, unfortunately, made far too much sense considering that the spirits of their swords had guided them to this place.
The story hinted at a possible reflection—or worse, a possible future—between her and Sunny. It didn't take a genius to see it.
A light with a purpose far too great.
A loyal shadow following her.
A radiant queen... with too much blood at her feet.
It sounded dangerously close to them.
It had happened before. On the Forgotten Shore. After she killed Gunlaug... more than three hundred Awakened had died because of her decision.
Yes, she hadn't forgotten.
The hell of the Nightmare Desert had simply buried it beneath fresher guilt. But not even two years had passed since then.
Would she become that queen the painter had idealized?
She hoped not.
If she did, she would be no different from the Sovereigns she despised.
In fact, the only reason she stayed on the Forgotten Shore was because she regretted what had happened in the Bright Castle. Too many had died. She could have handled it better... but she had only been sixteen at the time.
Were the spirits of her swords hinting she would end up like that queen?
A woman feared, worshipped, but stained by unforgivable acts?
The resentment of that "shadow" felt far too personal. What had that queen been capable of doing?
Nephis knew she had many flaws.
Far more than she would ever admit aloud.
Would she become that?
And Sunny... if she ever reached that point?
Would he kill her?
The thought pierced her like an icy blade.
And then came the logical answer: he should.
If she ever lost what she had sworn to be... then she would deserve to die.
Deserve to fall like the Sovereigns she hated so much.
But even then...
Sunny killing her.
That would be too cruel for him.
Too cruel for both of them.
And her?
Would she be able to kill Sunny if the roles were reversed?
The thought surfaced briefly, like a poisonous shadow. She dismissed it immediately.
It was too painful to even imagine.
A single glance at him was enough. Sunny looked up, and their eyes met.
She looked away.
There was no reason to think about any of that.
She just had to avoid becoming what she despised.
And Sunny... if there was one thing she knew about him, it was that he never hesitated to contradict her when he believed she was wrong.
Even if it ended in an argument.
She was lucky, in a way.
She was different from that queen in something essential: she loved her shadow, and her shadow loved her.
If Sunny ever strayed, she would be there for him.
Just as he would be for her.
With that thought, the two of them fell silent.
A strange silence, not uncomfortable... but unnatural in a castle heavy with history, death, and true darkness.
Nephis decided to break it.
"Who would've thought killing a corrupt terror would be that easy?" she joked.
The question lingered in the air for a few seconds until Sunny replied:
"That's what happens when you've got the strongest Ascended on your side, Neph."
He gave her a small, proud smile.
Nephis blinked.
What a joke...
Wait.
Sunny couldn't lie.
The blow to her pride was immediate.
Was Sunny really stronger than her?
It wasn't ego; it was analysis.
Nephis had been, probably, the strongest Dormant in history.
A divine Aspect.
Heiress of the Immortal Flame.
A ruined legacy, yes, but a legacy nonetheless.
Sunny, on the other hand, had picked up his first sword at seventeen. That had been barely two or three years ago.
On the Forgotten Shore, even though both had divine aspects, her Dormant ability practically made her immortal. Sunny only increased his strength or scouted with his shadow.
But once they became Awakened...
They both grew, but the difference wasn't that significant.
The gap arrived when they ascended.
She couldn't use her ability in battle.
Sunny could manifest shadows, gaining versatility, mobility, control,
tactics...
And that wasn't even counting his Echoes.
Fighting Sunny meant fighting Saint, a transcendent demon, Nightmare—the very creatures she knew firsthand.
She knew exactly what they could do.
And then there was the serpent he'd left with Rain.
And his Aspect Legacy...
The realization struck her like lightning:
Even with two more soul cores... she was weaker.
Her competitiveness flared with childish ferocity.
She needed a new weapon.
She needed to unlock her Aspect Legacy as soon as possible.
And she hoped—no, demanded—that it be something spectacular. An incredible Echo. A divine Memory. Something worthy.
Her eyes gleamed with excitement... though her face remained as expressionless as ever.
Her daydreaming distracted her for a moment.
Because yes... they had killed the corrupt terror.
But... what now?
Swim to the next island?
Maybe build a ship.
Or find one.
They didn't have to.
Sunny stopped abruptly. She almost bumped into him.
She saw him freeze. Shocked. Something very unusual for him.
She heard him whisper:
"...How... how is this here?"
When she approached to ask if it was another horrible nightmare creature—ready to fight—Sunny only said:
"Follow me."
And she did.
It took them several seconds to leave the castle; it was larger than it looked, and both remained alert in case something else was lurking.
Finally, they slipped out through a back gate and reached a place similar to where they had first landed.
Black sand.
And an endless ocean stretching before them.
The ocean was calm.
Unsettlingly calm.
Just as Sunny remembered it.
The seven radiant suns hung high in the sky, orange and golden, giving light back to the world now that true darkness had dissipated.
Though not completely. At least a dozen corrupt creatures still lurked in corners the darkness refused to relinquish.
Nephis walked beside him, alert, sword still in hand.
And then she saw it.
The reason Sunny had turned to stone.
There, beached on the black sand as if the ocean itself had vomited it out... was the Chain Breaker.
⸻
It was impossible to mistake it, even in its ruin.
The long, narrow hull still held the fluid lines of a naval masterpiece. The wood, ancient and strangely incorruptible, looked as though it had defied time... but the forward bow was shattered, as if some colossal beast had bitten into it. Huge breaches ran along its side, and green vines grew through them, climbing the structure as if trying to claim it.
The mast still stood.
And the tree...
The tree they knew was dead.
Its dry, twisted branches rose toward the sky like bleached bones. No trace of the vitality they remembered remained: no leaves, no glow, none of that pulse of strength the ship once radiated.
Only silent death.
A ghost tree embracing a corpse of wood.
Nephis shivered.
Sunny... felt a hollow in his stomach.
Because the Chain Breaker was very far from where it should be. They had left it outside the nightmare—hundreds of kilometers away, in another corner of the Dream Realm.
For it to appear here, in the middle of a sealed nightmare, an island lost in the sea of time...
It was impossible.
It was wrong.
It was disturbing.
Something was very, very wrong.
⸻
Still, they advanced.
They climbed aboard cautiously, feeling the creak of the planks beneath their feet. The ship was exactly as they remembered... and yet different. From the stairs leading to the deck, the shadows and wood felt familiar—too familiar. Like a broken home waiting for them.
The first thing they saw were the spirits of their swords.
Both were there, leaning casually against the railing, with expressions that promised nothing good. The malicious smile they shared was worse than all their previous taunts.
They said nothing.
Which made it a thousand times more unsettling.
Sunny frowned.
Nephis tightened her grip on her sword.
It had been a hellish week without them, yes... but at least they hadn't mocked them.
Then again, they had nearly died five times; not a great trade-off.
They walked toward the rear section of the ship.
Toward where the helm should be.
Even though neither of them knew how to steer that flying monstrosity, the idea of having a ship—their ship—capable of taking them anywhere filled their chests with a strange sense of relief.
But when they stepped fully inside...
Sunny stopped.
Nephis did too, because he raised a hand to hold her back.
She saw it as well.
In the place where the helm should have been—or, rather, where the control oars and the rune circle between them should be—there was a figure.
A small humanoid silhouette, hunched, wrapped in a dark cloak.
Thin to the point of looking fragile.
White hair falling over its shoulders.
And on its face...
A mask.
A mask identical to Sunny's Weaver's Mask.
Black. Lacquered.
With bared teeth, four fangs, three twisted horns.
And in the eyes, an abyss of darkness.
Tension condensed in the air, becoming almost physical.
Nephis slowly raised her sword, ready to move.
Sunny didn't even breathe.
The figure, however, showed no fear.
No hostility.
It simply spoke.
Its voice was an ancient creak, like dry branches shifting in the wind:
"My name... is Ananke."
The echo of that name spread across the empty deck of the Chain Breaker.
——
Finally, we've reached the end of this mini-volume. It wasn't that long; at first, I was going to call it volume 2.5, but it lasted longer than I thought. I hope you liked it. As you may have noticed, many things changed from the third nightmare of the original story, unlike Antarctica or the previous chapters. And well, in general, it's going to change completely.
I hope you're enjoying the story so far; there are still many chapters to go. Just a small heads-up: I'm going to skip the whole part about the trip with Anake because, unless I add another arc like this one, it doesn't really make sense to change anything just because Sunny and Nephis are in a relationship here.
So, I've already spoiled a bit the next mini-arc: it's going to be about Mordred and Kai. Honestly, one of my favorite characters has always been Mordred, and I didn't like how he was wasted in the third nightmare and onward. So, here's my attempt to see if I can change that.