Stunned silence enveloped the café as Sunny finished his explanation. Most of them couldn't fully grasp how the spell was made, yet no one dared to undermine the hardships he had endured.
The younger Sunny looked at his older self with a pained expression a mix of disbelief, and faint understanding. Nephis's gaze lingered on him as well, her heart aching. She didn't know why he had chosen to do this, but she knew that whatever drove him was a burden only he could bear. And it hurt her all the more that there was nothing she could do to help.
It was the older jet who broke the silence first, her voice stripped of its usual humor.
"Sunny," she said quietly, "you did all of this… for a drop of a dead god's blood? Your actions have consequences. You, of all people...a leader of humanity ..should know better than to act so recklessly."
Her words carried no venom, only weary disappointment. Yet in that tone lay the weight of a thousand responsibilities.
Her gaze fixed on Sunny as she said, " We have a lot of people to protect, Sunny, and a war is coming. Every life lost in that war piles up and weakens us for the end game, we can't afford any losses. " She turned her eyes to Effie, her expression softening. " And some of us have families we must return to."
Sunny met her eyes with a cold, distant calm.
"Mind your words, Jet. You don't know my burden and I don't expect you to. That drop of blood may seem meaningless to you, but it's the only redemption for my miserable existence" he added quietly, "That is my solace"
His eyes shifted to Nephis , both versions of her ,
"I've suffered far too long."The younger Nephis lowered her head, unable to meet his eyes.
He looked between effie and jet as he spoke his voice flat but strangely gentle. "And if it's the war you are worried about, I'll end it myself. So just take a vacation."
The silence that followed felt heavy, almost suffocating. Jet said nothing more, only looking away, her jaw tight.
Nephis she approached him. Her eyes were soft, yet heavy with unspoken worry.
"I… I know you've carried so much," she said quietly. "Maybe more than anyone should. You deserve rest.And no matter what you do ,I'll be always by your side. "
Sunny's dark eyes, usually sharp and vigilant, softened for the first time in years. "yes,i know and I'm tired," he admitted, his voice low, almost a whisper. "Tired enough to sleep for the first time in decades." He stood, slowly turning toward his room, his movements heavy with the weight of years.
The café fell quiet again. The sound of his fading footsteps seemed to echo in the quiet cafe.No one spoke for a while. The tension had drained replaced by heavy silence.
The younger Nephis watched as sunny walked slowly towards his room with an unreadable expression. She looked smaller somehow, like the weight of everything he'd said had settled on her shoulders too. Cassie shifted beside her, uncertain, then glanced at Nephis and nodded slightly.Both stepped forward, hesitant but determined, following Sunny as he walked slowly toward his room, a quiet weight in his steps.
Without a word, they both started toward the hallway.
The future cohort didn't stop them. Jet only sighed and rubbed her temples, while Effie leaned back, muttering something under her breath that no one caught.
Nephis spoke hesitantly as he reached sunny. "Sunny," she said softly.
He didn't turn, but his voice came, quieter than they'd ever heard it. "Shouldn't you both be resting?"
Cassie stepped closer. "We just… wanted to say we're sorry. For everything."
He was silent for a moment, then gave a faint chuckle. "There's nothing to be sorry for. You've already done what you could."
Nephis's voice trembled slightly. "Is… the Shadow Bond broken?"
Sunny paused, then shook his head. "I don't have my Fate anymore. Or my True Name. So the bond's still there… just not active."
Cassie blinked,a hint of hope in her tone. "You broke Fate?"
Sunny finally turned, his expression softer than they'd ever seen it. He reached out and gently patted both their heads, a ghost of a smile on his lips.
"Yes," he said quietly. "We did."
Without another word, he entered his room, closing the door behind him. Cassie and Nephis stood there in silence, Outside, the sun was setting over the mirror lake, its light spilling across the surface like liquid fire. The sky blazed in crimson and gold, reflecting off the water and painting the vibrant city below in shades of dusk.At the far edge, a luxurious brick cottage stood...until the shadows stirred, rose like a tide, and swallowed it whole.
****
Under the vast expanse of a starlit sky, the dark waters of the Stormsea raged. Towering waves rose like mountains, threatening to consume anything in their path. The wind howled like a living thing, tearing through the night.
Then, the heavens darkened. Clouds gathered, swallowing the stars whole. Lightning split the sky, followed by the guttural roar of thunder. Amidst the storm, a gigantic ship emerged from the darkness ,its hull carved from ancient wood, its bow cutting through the raging sea with predatory grace. The mast towered above the waves like a spire defying the tempest itself.
Within its depths, in a small chamber lit by flickering lantern light, a young man stood alone.
Around him lay corpses, strewn across the floor in twisted silence.
There was a faint smile on his face, calm, almost amused. His grey eyes gleamed like pools of dull silver, reflecting everything and nothing all at once. He ran a hand through his black hair, slicking it back with slow, deliberate ease.
One after another, the bodies rose to their feet, their movements slow, deliberate. Their faces no longer bore the pallor of death,color had returned to their skin, eyes gleaming faintly under the dim lantern light. Each wore the same faint, chilling smile on their faces,
The young man watched them with quiet satisfaction.young man's own smile widened as he spoke,"Let's not keep them waiting."
As the words left his lips, his form began to shift. Muscles twisted, bones reformed,the smooth skin of youth giving way to the seasoned features of a middle-aged man. When the transformation ended, he straightened his collar, calm and composed.
The others followed behind him, their steps unnervingly precise. Together, they moved through the dim corridors of the colossal ship
At last, he reached a grand chamber. The heavy doors groaned as he pushed them open.
Inside, the elders of the House of Night sat around an obsidian table, their faces half-hidden in shadow. One of the elders, his face lined with age and authority, glanced up from the obsidian table.
"You're late."
The man's lips curved faintly. "I had to wake the rest," he said quietly, gesturing to the figures behind him. "Some of them were... harder to rouse than others."
A few of the elders exchanged looks, unreadable expressions flickering in the dim light.
"Sit," one of them said curtly. "The meeting has begun."
He nodded, taking a seat among them and the rest of the people who followed him took a seat to.
The eldest of the group leaned forward, voice gravelly."Soon, Valor and Song will clash. When that war begins, neutrality will no longer be an option. We will have to choose a side."
A weary sigh came from another.
"If only we still had a Supreme among us… perhaps things would be different."
Low murmurs rippled through the table. Fear. Doubt.Then, one of them turned to the newcomer. "You've been quiet,what do you think?"
For a moment, silence. The man tilted his head, a ghost of amusement in his eyes.
"I think…" he began slowly, "when two wolves fight, the sheep need not choose sides."The words hung in the air like a whisper from the abyss.
The elders frowned, the air in the chamber turning heavy with unease. One of them narrowed his eyes, studying the man in silence.
The eldest among them shifted slightly in his seat, his wrinkled hand opening beneath the table. Golden sparks flickered to life around his palm, dancing faintly in the gloom. The air trembled with restrained power.
"Is that so?" he said quietly. His tone was calm, but every syllable dripped with warning.Then the elder stood abruptly, his chair scraping loudly against the stone floor. With a sharp flick of his wrist, a golden knife shot across the table and struck the middle aged man squarely in the forehead.
A sharp, wet crack echoed in the chamber, followed by an immediate, heavy silence.
The man's body went still, his head bowed. The other elders gasped, some pushing their chairs back in shock, their faces pale. The eldest elder himself was shuddering, his breath catching.
"I… I got him," he muttered, though his voice wavered.
Another elder whispered, his eyes wide with terror, "Did we… did we just—?"
Before he could finish, a flash of lightning tore across the sky, flooding the chamber with a cold, pale light. For just an instant, the reflections in the tall glass windows became perfectly clear, sending chills down their spine, in the eerie reflection.
The eldest elder's reflection wasn't that of an old man.Instead a handsome young man stood there ,with eyes that gleamed like polished silver. His lips were curved into a sinister smile.
The others tensed as they faced the eldest, their eyes widening in dawning horror, golden sparks swirling in their hands.
"W—–Who are you?" one of them aked his voice trembling.
Outside, thunder exploded across the Stormsea.When the lightning struck again, the table was red.The ship groaned as if the storm itself recoiled. Shadows danced along the walls, twisting into shapes that weren't quite right.
Minutes later, silence reclaimed the chamber. The young man stood alone. He adjusted his collar, straightened his coat, and smiled faintly.As be did, the corpses around the table stirred. One by one, the elders straightened in their seats.
"Now," he murmured, his voice soft against the thunder, "the House of Night has decided."
He paused, the smile fading slightly. A faint frown creased his brow."…Am I forgetting something?" he muttered, almost to himself.