=== CHAPTER 168: OUTSIDE ===
Chapter 168: Outside
Sunny grimaced and turned away, feeling a terrible headache. The sun was almost gone, and the night was following in its footsteps. He didn't have much time left.With a desperate smile, Sunny looked and Changing Star and asked:"What can be so damn important? What can be so valuable that you are ready to condemn everyone here to death?!"He shook his head, guessing that he already knew."Don't tell me that it's some stupid crap like bringing the glory of the Immortal Flame clan back. Duty of the Awakened? What, you gave a terrible oath to become the first human to conquer the Fourth Nightmare, like your father conquered the Third, and your grandfather the Second? Or even worse, is it something even more foolish? Are you planning to save the damn world?!"Nephis stared at him for a few moments, and then grinned. Something dangerous and unfamiliar awakened in her eyes… no, not completely unfamiliar.It was the same strange, maniacal glimmer he had seen once before, right after saying the three strange words to her.Aster, Song, Vale.Back then, for a few moments, Changing Star had turned from a calm and composed young woman into someone he wasn't sure he recognized anymore.With a soft chuckle, Neph shook her head."Save the world? No, I'm not going to save the world, Sunny."Then, the smile disappeared from her face, and white flames suddenly ignited in the depths of her cold, grey eyes. With dark and frightening conviction, she said:"I'm going to destroy it."Her words echoed in the darkness, making Sunny feel an irrational feeling of dread. He stared at her, both failing to comprehend and afraid to believe in what she had just heard.Destroy... the world? What?Deeply inhaling the cool air, Changing Star looked up at the sky."This world, Sunny. This cursed place. The Dream Realm. No, I won't be the first one to conquer the Fourth Nightmare. I will be the first one to conquer every Nightmare. I'll go through them one after another, destroying anything and anyone who stands in my way. And when I get to the heart of the Nightmare Spell, I'm going to obliterate every part of it, I'm going to rip it to shreds, I'm going to decimate and bring it to ruin."She looked him in the eyes and said:"You think Gunlaug can stop me? You think a Fallen Terror can stop me? Those three ghouls can stop me? No, Sunny. Nothing will stop me. Anyone who dares will die. I'll kill them all."Taking a step back, Sunny stared at her with wide eyes. He shivered, feeling something cold touch the back of his neck. Then, he grimaced and asked, a hint of anguish in his voice:"Why? Why do you want to destroy the Spell so much?"A corner of Changing Star's mouth curled up slightly. After a few moments, she simply said:"Because I hate it."Sunny blinked, stunned by the simplicity of that answer. If it was someone else, he would have thought that they were lying.But Nephis lived in a strange, stark world. She did things simply because she wanted to, and apparently wanted to destroy an eternal, omnipotent existence simply because she hated it.Why the hell not?He closed his eyes and whispered."You are actually insane."Neph smiled."What does it mean to be insane in a world that has gone mad? I would be wary of anyone who remained perfectly sane in this hell."Then, she sighed."So, are we done here? Or do you have more questions? The sun is almost gone, so you'd better hurry up and ask them."Sunny shook his head and said, his voice hoarse:"...Yeah. Yeah, Neph. I'm done."With that, he slowly turned around and took a step forward.Left behind, Nephis frowned."Where are you going? Come back here."He waved a hand and said in a suppressed tone, refusing to turn his head:"Sorry. I have an errand to run. We'll... talk some other time."Her frown deepened. Looking at his back, Changing Star gritted her teeth and called:"I said come back, Sunny! This conversation isn't over! Come back here right now!"But there was no answer.Sunny had already disappeared into the shadows, leaving her standing alone in the alley that was brightly lit by the last light of the dying sunset.***Some time later, Sunny was walking through the ruins, Harper's dead body weighing on his shoulder. The young man was very gaunt back before he had been killed, so it wasn't much of a burden.…Physically, at least.It was the early hour of the night.Surrounded by nothing but darkness, Sunny was left alone with his thoughts and emotions. But, strangely, both his heart and mind were empty. He couldn't be bothered to think or feel anything right now.It was all just too much and too sudden.Plus, he would much rather concentrate on not stumbling on some horrific monster. Ending up eaten by a Nightmare Creature right now would be very ironic, but still unpleasant.He felt guilty about murdering Harper, but not enough to die while trying to dispose of the body. He would much prefer not to die for his sins.Luckily, the area he was traversing was familiar to Sunny. He knew which streets were comparatively safe, and which he needed to avoid. Where the really horrible monsters lives, and where he could pass without being sensed by anything.Finally judging that he was far away into the ruins, he found a partially collapsed house, climbed over the rubble, then hesitated for a few moments and threw the corpse inside. Harper's gaunt body rolled down the rocks and disappeared into the interior of the house, where no one would ever see it.Here, done. That part, at least, was finished.It was time to go back.Sunny turned around and stared at the distant silhouette of the tall hill, with the magnificent castle standing on its top.Right now, hundreds of people were sleeping there, either in the pitiful hovels of the outer settlement or in the safe and warm rooms of the ancient stronghold.Neph, Cassie, and Effie were there.Harus, Gemma, and Gunlaug the Bright Lord were there, too.And many, many others.And most of them were going to die.Looking at the white marble walls of the castle, Sunny could see his future vividly. Watching helplessly as Changing Star builds here sect. Helping her defend herself from Gunlaug. Going on hunts, being invisible once he comes back. Afraid to get close to anyone, lest the same thing that happened to Harper repeats itself. Up until the moment everything ends in bloodshed and terror.Caster was there, too, waiting to use his leverage over Sunny to make him his obedient minion. Sunny wasn't deceived by the amiable personality of the handsome Legacy. He knew that nothing good was going to come of accepting his help....In the end, he just stood in the shadows and looked into the distance, at the tiny human enclave that persevered against all odds in the cursed nightmare of the Forgotten Shore like a lone glimmer of light. After remaining motionless for a long time, Sunny quietly sighed, turned his back to it, and slowly walked into the darkness.
=== CHAPTER 169: BACK TO THE FUTURE ===
Chapter 169: Back to the Future
Three months later, Sunny was back at the castle.Well, to be precise, he had returned here once before, to buy a few items that were hard to come by in the ruins. However, back then, Nephis and her cohort had been away on a hunt.No such luck today. The moment he had been dreading for so long was finally here.Hearing Changing Stat's voice, Sunny slowly turned around, glanced at her, and forced out a smile:"Hey, Neph. Long time no see."He tried to sound casual, but a slight tremble betrayed the storm of emotions raging in his heart.Why did she have to be here?!The turmoil of their sudden meeting was exasperated by the fact of how different they looked. The past months only made Nephis appear more radiant and splendid. Her white armor was pristine and graceful, her silver hair clean and combed. Sunny, on the other hand, looked like a pile of dirt that had somehow come to life. Both he and the Puppeteer's Shroud had seen better days.He didn't want to see her, but even more than that, he didn't want her to see him in this sorry state. What if Neph gets the ridiculous idea that he was somehow miserable after falling out with her?Nonsense! He was doing better than ever. He lived in a palace, ate delicious food every day, and had even become incredibly wealthy. If anyone should be miserable, it would be her… "You do realize that you said that out loud, do you?"Sunny blinked, remembered where he was, and stared at Changing Star in shock:"Huh… what?"She smiled with a corner of her mouth."You just zoned out and mumbled "why did she have to be here" under your breath. That was not very polite."Sunny hid his embarrassment behind a grin and said."Yeah, well… I meant it."Neph sighed."I'm glad to see you too, Sunny. It's good that you're alive."Trying to conceal his discomfort, he shrugged."What, you didn't expect me to survive without you?"She looked at him for a while and slightly shook her head."No. On the contrary, I knew that you would be fine."Then, she paused for a moment and added in a flat tone:"After all, a cockroach like you is not easy to kill."Sunny scoffed."Now who's being impolite?"Nephis stared at him in confusion for a couple of moments, then chuckled."Oh, sorry. I meant it as a compliment…"***He was glad to see Neph, too. As much as Sunny wanted to deny it, he had desperately missed her calm presence. Somewhere along the way, without even noticing, he had grown reliant on having her by his side. But meeting her was also a nightmare.After all, nothing had really changed after their bitter quarrel. Even though the intensity of it all diminished, the future that Cassie had foretold was still inevitable.Now that the initial shock of running into Changing Star disappeared, Sunny took a closer look at her.Nephis looked… stronger. He didn't know how much soul essence she had been able to absorb while he was gone, but it seemed like it was a lot. Neph was always confident and arresting, but now, her presence grew to a completely new level.But then again, he was not the same weak fool either. The Dark City had made him into a fearsome creature as well. The months he had spent hunting monsters in the absolute darkness of the cursed ruins turned him stronger, smarter, and much more deadly.…If a little bit insane.Sunny doubted that any human on the Forgotten Shore had killed as many powerful Nightmare Creatures as he had in the same amount of time. At least not in single combat.'Don't go on a tangent and forget where you are again!'With a flinch, Sunny realized that he had been silent for a long time. An awkward silence hung between them, threatening to make him look bad.'Uh. I need to say something. Like… how have you been? No, that's a stupid question! How about…'However, before he could speak, Nephis asked:"So what brings you to the Bright Castle? Are you… are you back?"Startled, he scratched the back of his head and scrambled to find an answer:"Oh, you know. Just… doing some shopping."She blinked."Shopping?""Wait, did that sound weird?"Sunny's eyes widened."Wait, did I say that out loud again?!"He slapped his mouth shut and looked at Changing Star in horror.'Goddamit! Who knew that a habit of talking to myself would be so detrimental to keeping my dignity intact?!'On the ground next to him, the shadow was having a swell time basking in his anguish. It was shaking its head and dying laughing.Several seconds later, Sunny was finally able to speak again:"Uh, yeah. Shopping. I have some soul shards to spare, so I wanted to buy a Memory. Or few."Nephis looked at him for a while, then said:"I see."Then, she turned away and asked, her voice calm and even, as always:"Do you want to go somewhere and talk?"Sunny's heart skipped a bit. He gritted his teeth."Sorry. No can do. I'm… uh… waiting for someone."Changing Star lingered for a few moments, then asked:"You're hiding in that alley because you're… waiting for someone? Who are you waiting for, Sunny?"He waved a hand."Oh, you know. A friend. Well… more like an associate, really. An acquaintance?"Neph remained silent for a few moments, then said in an even tone:"You can just say no. No need to invent some…"But right at that moment, an enchanting voice came from the entrance of the alley:"Sunny? Hey, are you here?"Turning around, Sunny saw a beautiful young man with gorgeous auburn hair and mesmerizing green eyes enter the alley. He was wearing an armor made out of burnished brown leather and blue silk clothes beneath, all of which fit him perfectly. On his face, there was a bright smile.It was Kai… Night… whatever his name was!Sunny exhaled with relief."What do you mean, "invent"?! See, he's right…"However, the words died on his lips. Because, when he turned to Changing Star, he saw something that he had never seen before.Looking at the young man whom he had set free from the bottomless dark well, Nephis took a step back. Her face was pale, and her eyes were wide and glassy.She seemed to be consumed by absolute, utter horror…