It was two figures he knew well, considering he had spent a fair amount of time with them.
Sunny hurried through the twisting paths of the labyrinth, afraid they might move before he reached them. Just in case, he sent Gloomy ahead to get their attention.
Soon enough, a dark figure emerged from the shadow of one of the crimson corals.
Nephis noticed immediately.
She turned toward it, lifting her weapon.
"Cassie, get ready," Nephis said calmly.
The blind seer stiffened and took a few careful steps toward the sound of Nephis' voice.
"W-what's there, Nephis?" Cassie asked, her voice trembling slightly.
Even though she had received some basic training from Sunny, she was still mostly helpless. Especially after learning that Awakened beasts roamed the area, and that, according to Nephis, they had been dropped into an unexplored region of the Dream World.
Nephis remained steady, ready to face whatever abomination might crawl out of the blood-red coral.
But when she saw the figure clearly, she froze.
It wasn't a monster.
It was a boy's shadow... waving at her.
Her eyes narrowed.
She had seen this shadow before.
Then realization struck.
"Sunny...?" she muttered hesitantly.
The shadow immediately nodded vigorously and pointed in a random direction.
Nephis understood.
"He's that way?"
The shadow nodded again.
Cassie quickly spoke up.
"Wait... Sunny? Is he here?"
Nephis nodded, then corrected herself.
"His shadow."
Her short answer gave Cassie little explanation. Just as the blind girl was about to ask what she meant, a familiar voice echoed from the coral.
"She doesn't elaborate much. You'll just have to get used to it."
Sunny stepped out from the shadows of the crimson coral, appearing just as his shadow had.
Nephis lowered her guard slightly.
Cassie, however, stiffened.
"Wait... if you're here too... then that means..." she lowered her head slightly. "...you're stuck here with us."
Sunny scratched the back of his head.
"It seems like it."
He glanced at the labyrinth around them.
"From what I've seen, we've been dropped into a death zone somewhere in an unexplored region of the Dream Realm. But I'm sure you two already figured that out."
His words carried a heavy weight, and even Nephis felt a flicker of helplessness.
But she spoke calmly.
"It doesn't matter. As long as we find a gateway, we can escape."
Cassie's shoulders lifted slightly, hope flickering in her chest.
Sunny, however, shattered the illusion quickly.
"From what I've seen, Awakened creatures are the norm here. And the things in the sea are even worse." He looked directly at Nephis. "What makes you think we can kill whatever is guarding the gateway?"
Nephis didn't answer.
She simply looked toward the horizon.
He was right.
There was nothing to suggest the guardian wouldn't be something like the horrors they had seen the previous night, those monstrous beings that lurked beneath the black sea.
They had only survived by sheer luck.
But before the silence could grow heavier, the sky began to darken.
The sun was setting.
Soon the sea would return.
"Let's go," Nephis said.
She immediately turned and began running.
Cassie was pulled along by the golden rope in her hands, struggling to keep up.
Sunny followed behind them.
They moved quickly through the labyrinth. Thankfully, Nephis had memorized the route previously. She led them through the correct turns without hesitation, saving them from backtracking.
Soon, just before the sun completely vanished, they reached the tall hill.
Climbing it was slow.
Both Sunny and Nephis had to help pull Cassie upward using the golden rope.
Still, they managed quickly enough.
After all, two Legacies were leading the way.
Sunny collapsed onto the ground once they reached the top, letting out a ragged breath.
Nephis sat down on the opposite side of the hill.
Sunny had already realized that the golden rope Cassie held was a Memory. It could extend at will, changing length whenever she wished.
He glanced at the blind girl standing nearby, then shifted his gaze to the white-haired beauty.
Without a word, he grabbed the seaweed bag he had made to carry meat and soul shards and tossed it onto the ground in front of him.
Two Awakened soul shards rolled out, clinking softly against the rough stone.
Nephis' eyes immediately moved to the shards.
Then she looked at Sunny.
Cassie tilted her head toward the sound, her blue eyes filled with curiosity.
Sunny broke the silence.
"Do either of you happen to have water?"
Cassie turned toward his voice.
"Yes, I do."
She extended her arm.
A moment later, a beautiful bottle made of patterned blue glass appeared in her hand.
"That's a Memory I have. It's always full."
Sunny stared at the bottle with undisguised envy.
Then he grabbed it and took several long gulps.
After lowering it from his lips, he smiled slightly.
"Well," he said, glancing between them, "who wants food before the sun goes down?"
_______
Soon the waves came crashing against the tall hill, and the world was swallowed by endless darkness.
Cassie had long since fallen asleep.
Only Nephis and Sunny remained awake, sitting silently while the waves of the black sea battered the hill beneath them.
For a while neither of them spoke.
Sunny glanced at Nephis before finally breaking the silence.
"Nephis... can you do me a favor?"
She turned toward the sound of his voice. Her eyes flicked downward for a moment before returning to him. If Sunny had to guess, she had been looking at her runes.
"What?" she asked calmly.
Sunny hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"Could you show me your battle art?"
The answer came instantly.
"No."
Sunny blinked in surprise.
There had been no hesitation at all.
"What if I offer you soul shards?" he tried again.
"No."
Sunny stared at the stubborn woman in silence.
'Does she not want to saturate her soul core as fast as possible?'
His brow furrowed slightly.
There's probably more to it...
After all, she was a Legacy. Her decisions were rarely simple.
Sunny eventually looked away and slowly stood up.
If he was being honest with himself, he had expected her to refuse. No Legacy would willingly reveal their battle art to someone who could one day become an enemy.
But were they really enemies?
Right now, they were trapped together in some unknown region of the Dream Realm, cut off from any help.
Sunny let out a quiet sigh.
Then he summoned his weapon.
The familiar weight of the blade settled into his hand.
He wasn't particularly worried about anyone watching him train. Cassie was blind, and Nephis—
Well, unless she summoned her flames, she wouldn't be able to see him in the darkness anyway.
With that thought, Sunny began to move.
He practiced throughout the night.
His blade cut through the air again and again, repeating the same motions until they became instinct. Footwork, balance, breathing—every strike was deliberate.
The rhythmic sound of steel slicing through the air mixed with the distant roar of the sea.
Nephis remained where she was, silent and unmoving.
Watching.
Or perhaps simply listening.
Either way, Sunny continued to train beneath the endless darkness, refining each movement with stubborn determination.