=== CHAPTER 164: FAREWELL ===
Chapter 164: Farewell
Caster brought him water, strips of cloth, and a crude tunic.While Sunny was washing the blood off his body, the proud Legacy carefully moved Harper's corpse into a corner, buried it under the pile of seaweed thatch, and wiped the blood off the floor as much as he could.This way, an accidental glance inside the hut would not reveal too much. Of course, even a little bit of scrutiny, and the signs of what had happened here would become apparent.While doing all this, Caster was speaking: "The easiest way to get rid of a corpse is to simply toss it off the platform. With luck, it won't land on the road. But even if it does, no one would pay it a lot of attention. People die all the time out here in the Dark City, especially those living in the outer settlement."He paused, then continued:"However, we can't do that — because Harper isn't just a random slum rat, but someone who was working for the Bright Lord. The Guards will become interested in his sudden death, and they'll use it to create trouble for you and Lady Nephis. So we need to make him disappear completely. That won't be easy."Sunny glanced at him and frowned."What's the big deal? I can just carry him down the hill and dump the body somewhere in the ruins. It's night outside. No one will see anything."Caster shook his head."Castle Guard has various types of observers watching the road day and night. You will be noticed. Unless someone persuades them to look the other way, of course."He sighed."It won't be cheap, but I can make it happen. Tomorrow after sunset, you will have about an hour to carry the body to the ruins and return. Sorry, but I can't buy you more time… this will wipe what little shards I have left already."His voice sounded as though the handsome young man was genuinely concerned for his comrade, but in reality, he was just reiterating how much Sunny owed him now.And if that message was not enough, he could always threaten to reveal the secret of how Harper died in the future.Caster had him in the palm of his hand.Sunny smiled darkly."And what do I do until then?"The Legacy shrugged:"Just act natural and try not to speak to anyone. You're kind of a loner as it is. No one will suspect anything."After that, he thought for a few moments and added:"Oh. This... no one should enter this hut for a long while. Harper lived in the castle for these past few months, so people in the slum won't notice his absence yet. Neither will Guards, since he made a report recently. We should be fine."Sunny stared at him with a strange expression. Do you want to read more chapters?"What?"He shook his head."No, nothing. I'm just wondering how many bodies did you make disappear already."Caster frowned."This is my first, actually. In the Dark City, it is usually more advantageous to leave the body somewhere where everyone can see."Made sense. Why kill someone if not to make others think twice before attacking you in the future?Sunny was a real amateur when it came to murder. He really could not compete with the Legacies.Just like that, they left the pitiful hut behind and returned to the lodge. With no one paying him any attention, Sunny returned to his room and sat quietly on his narrow cot.He thought that he wouldn't be able to sleep this night, tormented by both the knowledge of what Nephis was planning and the memories of Harper dying by his hand.But in the end, his exhausted consciousness slipped into oblivion as soon as his head touched the pillow.***In the morning, he woke up with a start, expecting a crowd of furious slum dwellers to be rushing inside, all eager to…Well, what could they really do? If push came to shove, very few of them could actually harm him.But no one was there.After hesitating for a while, he decided to act as he would on any other day. Leaving his room, Sunny walked outside to wash his face.Neph's little helpers either greeted or ignored him, just like usual. Their smiles were friendly and fleeting.No one looked at him twice.Strangely disturbed, Sunny escaped the lodge and looked up at the sky.Nothing had changed. Everything was the same as it had been yesterday, and every day before that.How could… how could this be?He had violently murdered someone, but no one seemed to care. The world had moved on without Harper, indifferent to the pain and horror that were now frozen forever in the dead eyes of the timid, pitiful young man.Even the Guards did not seem to notice the disappearance of their spy.Sunny rubbed his face, hiding a pained grimace. His head hurt with a terrible migraine.'If they don't care, why should I? Forget about that fool.'But he did care. Irrational as it was, he felt compelled to mourn the death of his victim, even if he was the only one who would. Maybe because this situation was eerily identical to how he had always imagined his own death to happen, utterly unnoticed.Discarded and forgotten, with not a single soul to care that he had ever existed.'Pathetic.'Returning inside, Sunny entered his room and sat on the cot, staring at the wall.He spent most of the day there, going out only once to pretend to train with the Midnight Shard. While he was repeating the katas, he thought that he caught sight of Nephis observing the movements of his sword with a frown on her face. But a second later, she was distracted and drawn away by the neverending torrent of tasks required of her.'Good riddance! Go chat with Caster, see if I care!'His sudden anger surprised Sunny.Well, at least it was better than the grim apathy that reigned over him this whole day.'What's wrong with my mind lately? It's like I'm back on the Ashen Barrow.'Frowning, he dismissed the Midnight Shard and returned to his room.However, someone was waiting for him there. It was Cassie.The blind girl stood silently with her back to the door, holding the wooden staff in her hands. Her face was unusually still. It almost looked… bleak.Sunny's heart skipped a bit.'Did she… did she find out?'Forcing out a fake grin, he made his voice sound cheerful and said:"Oh, hey Cas. Do you want something?"She turned to him and, after a moment of hesitation, smiled. However, something about her smile was off.It was almost as though it was as forced as his own.The blind girl lingered, then said:"No, nothing in particular."Sunny blinked a couple of times.'What's up with her today?'Meanwhile, Cassie raised her hand and found his shoulder."No… actually, I have a present for you."He raised his eyebrow."A… present?"She nodded. In the next moment, a spark of energy suddenly traveled from her body into his.Sunny flinched.[You have received a Memory: Endless Spring.]Wasn't it… that pretty glass bottle of hers, one that contained an almost endless amount of water?Why was she giving it to him?"Why are you gifting me this all of a sudden?"She was silent for a few moments, then gently shook her head."I just wanted to. Why? Can't I give you something, after everything that you have done for us?"Sunny hesitated."I guess you can. I just didn't expect it."Cassie gripped his shoulder and remained motionless for a weirdly long amount of time. Then, she looked away and said, her voice light and even:"We'll meet again soon, Sunny."'Weirdo.'He patted her hand and said, a little embarrassed."Of course we will. Where would I go? This lodge is too small for us not to bump into each other all the time anyway."She slowly removed her hand and chuckled."Yeah. You're right, of course. I'll… I'll go now."With that, she turned away and headed for the door.Sunny stared at her back and shrugged."Alright. Bye."'What has gotten into her?'Reaching the doorway, Cassie froze for a second. Without turning her head and letting him see her face, she lingered for a while, then quietly said:"...Goodbye, Sunny."
=== CHAPTER 165: POWER ===
Chapter 165: Power
For the rest of the day, Sunny had nothing to do but count the hours until sunset. When the night descended, he would have to return to the scene of the crime he had committed, retrieve the body of his victim, and carry it into the ruins under the cover of darkness. 'How did it come to this?'Alone in his tiny room, he stared at the wall and waited. Soon, the fear of going into the Dark City at night overpowered the bleak and hollow feeling that reigned over his soul. People rarely risked leaving the hill after the dark. In the starless void of the Forgotten Shore, any source of light was bound to attract the attention of creatures that no human would even want to meet. Countless horrors stalked the streets of the city at night. Only a madman would risk entering the ruins after the sun was gone....Of course, there were plenty of madmen in the Dark City. Sunny, at least didn't need any light. He also knew the area surrounding the Bright Castle well enough to avoid most danger. The weeks he had spent learning from Effie didn't go to waste.'I should be fine.'With the shadows hiding his every movement, Sunny was sure of his ability to at least run away should something happen.Still, with each passing minute, his heart felt colder and colder. When the shadow of the Crimson Spire drowned the world and colored his thoughts with the eerie feeling of dread, he gritted his teeth. 'It's almost time.'However, before the sun completely disappeared, another unexpected guest appeared at the doorstep of his room.Looking at Sunny with a scowl, Nephis gestured for him to stand up and said in an even tone:"Come with me."Sunny's heart skipped a bit. 'What… what does she want?'Suppressing the sickly fear of being caught, he lingered for a few moments, then slowly stood up and followed Changing Star out of the lodge.Together, the two of them walked to a secluded part of the slum. Neph remained silent, not even looking in his direction. She seemed calm, like always. Sunny, however, struggled to keep himself from panicking. Various thoughts, one darker than the other, found their way into his head. 'Did that bastard, Caster, tell her everything?' Do you want to read more chapters? Finally, they reached the remote alley where no one would have been able to overhear their conversation. It was filled with nothing but the crimson light of sunset and deep shadows. Turning around, Changing Star looked at him with a frown. Sunny met her gaze, his face grim. He felt as though he was staring at his judge and executioner. "I've seen you practicing with the sword today. Your moves were weak and aimless. It was as if you had lost all clarity. What were you thinking about?"Sunny slowly exhaled. So, that's what this was about. She didn't know anything. She just picked up on the turmoil raging in his mind. He should have felt relieved, but for some reason, Sunny felt anger rising in his chest instead.With a crooked smile, he looked away and answered:"Murder. I was thinking about murder."Nephis tilted her head, waiting for an explanation. Sunny remained silent for a few moments, the said, his voice strangely cold:"You once told me that the essence of combat is murder, didn't you?"She gave him a nod.He stared at her, then said:"Well, how come you know so much about murder, Neph? Huh? I wanted to ask you that since the day you cut off Andel's head without so much as batting an eye. You are out here preaching about how we are all fellow humans, not some beasts. Was Andel not human?" She scowled. "Is this what it's all about?"Sunny gritted his teeth. "It's a part of it."Nephis was silent for a long time. At some point, she absentmindedly raised one arm and rubbed her neck. Finally, she said:"It's not that I have murdered a lot of people. It's that a lot of people have tried to murder me."Sunny blinked. "Why would anyone want to kill you?"She smiled. "Why? All kinds of reasons, really. My family was really powerful once, don't you remember? But power… it's a dangerous thing, Sunny. You can't reach its peak without creating a lot of enemies. And when your power disappears one day, all those enemies remain."Turning her face away, she said with her usual indifferent voice:"I think I was what… five, six years old when someone tried to kill me for the first time? It was my nanny. She led me to an empty room, put her hands around my neck, and tried to strangle me. I thought that it was a game. For the first few seconds, at least."Neph looked at him with white sparks dancing in her eyes. "That was how I learned what weakness is. And when my teacher, who happened to walk by, rushed inside and used his Aspect Ability to kill her… that was how I learned what strength is. So yes. I'm not a stranger to severed heads, Sunny. Is that what you wanted to know?" He stared at her, then slowly shook his head. How frightened she must have felt, how powerless. Powerlessness… he knew how it felt all too well. Somehow, Sunny had never imagined that proud and indomitable Changing Star had tasted it, too. Was shaped by it.Just like he was. Meanwhile, Nephis smiled. But there was no humor in her eyes."So then, what did you want to know? Huh, Sunny? What is this all about? Do you think I haven't noticed the way you were staring at me ever since we fought the Spire Messenger? Come clean with it. You owe me at least this much."He glared at her for a long time, a storm of emotions written on his pale, grim face. Finally making a decision, Sunny gritted his teeth and said:"I want to know what your real goal is. I want to know if it's all worth it."