The next morning, they were preparing to go hunting. A small group of residents from the slums gathered to see them off, their dark eyes burning with a mixture of hope and anguish.
Ash felt a bit uncomfortable being watched by the Sleepers who had heard about his actions the previous day, which turned out to be somewhat awkward.
When they were ready to leave for the ruins, suddenly the Sleepers stepped aside, revealing Caster approaching them.
"Lady Nephis, Hunter Athena, Cassia, Sunny, Ashfall. Good morning, everyone. I, Caster of the Han Li clan, would like to join your hunting group. Will you accept me?" asked the legacy.
Several seconds passed in tense silence until Nephis answered.
"If you want."
Thus, the group of five became a group of six.
---
The hunt was surprisingly easy. Ash didn't even have to lift a finger, as all the risk was taken by Caster and Nephis.
The fight itself lasted no more than one or two minutes, compared to the nearly three hours of travel they had to cover.
Ash just yawned, leaning against a wall to watch. His main job was to use his ability to sense if any abominations beyond Demon class were approaching and warn them.
After the nightmare creature's death, they butchered it, taking all the meat. Before sunset, they were already near the marble arch at the foot of the hill.
After giving a good portion of the loot to Effie, Nephis looked at the other four.
"I would like the four of you to entrust your share of the meat to me."
After a second, Cassie agreed. Ash also had no reason to refuse, knowing what Changing Star was planning, and then Caster agreed. Out of the corner of his eye, Ash glanced at Sunny for a moment but said nothing.
In the end, Sunny agreed.
When they arrived at the outer settlement, Nephis divided the remaining portion into two parts. The smaller part she gave to Cassie, and the larger portion she placed on the white stones in front of the cabin.
"What are you doing?"
Nephis looked at Sunny and then pointed to the small package of meat in Cassie's hands.
"This is for our sustenance. We'll eat this meat until our next hunt."
Ash silently moved away from the spot, ignoring the rest of Changing Star's words. In the end, he stopped at the side of the enormous white stone arch, looking at more ruins of the city while the shadow of the Spire covered all the surrounding space.
He could still feel the Dawn Fragment thousands of kilometers from his current position within the underworld.
With the help of his flying echo, it would take him about a month or two, as he planned to grow stronger along the way.
After about two hours, Ash returned to the rest of the group. They had finished distributing the meat for free to the Sleepers, who now looked with a bit more desire to live.
"Where were you, Ash?" Cassie asked.
"Just walking for a while," Ash replied.
"What happened? What did Nephis do?"
"A speech." Cassie smiled slightly. "Do you want me to repeat it?"
"No thanks."
---
After that day, things moved quickly. Every two days, they had to go hunting. Since there weren't always beasts, they had to fight awakened monsters. Ash even had to join the fight to kill a really annoying awakened monster with extremely tough, cut-resistant skin.
He had to use his mist and the Pale Needle to destroy its soul after multiple attacks.
Though he had to admit the meat was delicious when roasted.
They went hunting after that fight, and then again. Each time, they gave their share to Effie, kept a small portion for themselves, and distributed the rest to the Sleepers in the outer settlement.
After about two weeks of this, the cohort had gained considerable renown.
First, there was Nephis, who was known as a fearsome fighter, easily one of the strongest Sleepers, rivaling the Hunters' lieutenants.
Then there was Caster, who earned respect and adoration thanks to his affable personality.
With Nephis, Caster, and Effie acting as the core, they drew all the attention, leaving Ash in the background. He was considered one of Changing Star's followers, as well as a skilled warrior for killing Andel.
Cassie had earned trust by distributing meat for free, added to her appearance as a sweet and tragic girl. For most, she was the kind heart of the group; her recognition was equal to or greater than Ash's, who didn't really care about fame.
Then there was Sunny, who went unnoticed. Without any notable feats, most considered him a mere support member of the group. Useless at best, a burden at worst.
Ash could easily guess the emotions the destined boy felt as he saw all his efforts relegated, ignored, pushed to an outer plane that didn't fit the image.
---
That night, Ash was sitting at the edge of the road before standing up, sensing a dangerous abomination approaching.
Summoning his echo, he climbed onto its back and moved forward. After a few minutes of flight, he encountered a large Fallen Demon.
The battle was tough, but in the end, they won.
When Ash returned, he was about to get some sleep when Sunny, Nephis, and Caster came out.
"Something is heading this way," Nephis said.
Ash used his ability, and one of his eyebrows twitched.
"It's a devil. About two kilometers away and approaching," he reported, pointing in the direction it was coming from.
The three tensed upon learning they would be fighting a devil, but they had no choice; they had to fight.
In the end, Ash fought again, this time against an Awakened Devil accompanied by a small group of abominations. He had to use his echo to eliminate the minions while he, Sunny, Nephis, and Caster dealt with the larger one.
The fight was fierce and brutal. Each of them received a serious wound from the devil.
In the end, Nephis delivered the final blow with her flames, killing the abomination.
When morning came, Ash was sitting on some rubble with his Sword of Seven beside him. His Cloak of Mist was stained with abomination blood; his wounds had been treated thanks to blood sacrifice.
---
A few days later, Ash was reviewing his Memories, sitting in his favorite spot at the edge of the stone plateau. The sun had set long ago.
Hearing footsteps, he turned his head to see Changing Star approaching him.
"Hey, Neph," he greeted with a slight smile.
"Ash," Nephis said, sitting down beside him.
"I see your plan is working," he commented lightly.
Nephis was not surprised by this; after all, the idea of being the girl in shining armor, the heroine, or the savior in this cursed place had come from Ash nearly a month ago when they were in the ruined library.
"So it seems," said Changing Star.
"Is it very demanding, isn't it?" Ash asked.
"All the Sleepers in the outer settlement, or at least most of them, see you as a savior who will bring them hope, who will save them from this place. They see you as someone invincible," Ash commented, grabbing his Memory, the long Pale Needle. It felt cold to the touch, with a comfortable grip.
"But in the end, you're also afraid, aren't you? After all, Changing Star is only human."
Nephis didn't answer immediately, knowing perfectly well that Ash's words were true.
"I suppose so," she murmured, more to herself than to him.
"Do you want me to tell you a story?"
Nephis looked at him for a moment.
"It's been a while since you offered to tell one."
"I do it on special occasions. Besides, I think you're the only one I haven't told a story just for you."
Nephis raised an eyebrow.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Ash blinked.
"What do you think it means?" he returned the question, tilting his head.
Nephis didn't respond.
"Well, let me see. I suppose it'll be a short story." Ash thought for a few moments before finding one.
---
Once upon a time, there was an island lost in the middle of the sea, a small, gray place always wrapped in a thick mist that never lifted. The sea beat against its rocky shores with a constant and sad rumble, and the inhabitants, few and quiet, lived looking at the ground, devoted to fishing and tending to their small stone houses. No one remembered a clear sky or a distant horizon anymore. The mist was their world, and their world ended where sight was lost in the haze.
On that island lived a girl with large, dark eyes, as curious as the deep sea. From a very young age, she would sit on the shore and stare intently at the white wall that surrounded them. One day, she dared to ask an old fisherman mending his nets:
"Sir, what is beyond the mist?"
The man looked up, surprised, and then quickly looked down, as if he had looked at something forbidden.
"Nothing, child. Just more mist and more sea. There's nothing else."
But the girl was not satisfied. She asked her mother, who was making bread, the woodcutter returning from the forest, the woman who tended the goats. The answer was always the same: a gesture of fear, a shrug, a hurriedly whispered "there's nothing." They were terrified of the unknown, of the idea that their small world was not all that existed. The girl, on the other hand, felt that the mist was not a wall, but a question.
At the highest point of the island stood a lighthouse. It was an old, solid tower, built from the same gray stone as the houses, but much taller. It had been dark for years, mute and alone, for what was the point of lighting a light if there was no ship that could see it through the mist? One day, the girl, driven by her curiosity, decided to climb. The wooden door gave way with a push, and she began to ascend a spiral staircase that seemed endless. When she finally reached the top, her heart beat strongly. She peered out onto the balcony that surrounded the great lantern.
And then she saw it.
There, where the mist thinned like a worn veil, she glimpsed a dark, firm line. It was not sea, not haze. It was land. A great, vast land, stretching away on both sides. The girl held her breath. It had not been a dream. Beyond the mist, there was a new world.
She ran down, the news burning in her chest. She gathered the people in the square.
"There is land!" she shouted, pointing to the horizon. "Beyond the mist! I saw it from the top of the lighthouse."
The inhabitants looked at each other. Some shook their heads sadly. Others smiled condescendingly.
"They're just imaginings, child," said one. "There's only mist."
"The lighthouse has been dark for years," said another. "You can't see anything from there."
No one believed her. They took her for a dreamer, a girl with her head in the clouds. And life on the island continued, gray and silent, while the girl looked each day toward the lighthouse, keeping her secret.
But one night, everything changed.
A fire started in one of the houses; no one knew how. The wind, which sometimes blew strongly, fanned the flames and spread them with terrifying speed. The dry forest crackled and burned like a torch. The inhabitants ran from side to side with buckets of water, but the fire was larger than them, faster, crueler. When dawn tinged the mist red, the island was a smoldering landscape of ash. The houses, the crops, the forests… everything had disappeared.
Fear, a new and paralyzing fear, settled in their hearts. They had no food, no shelter, no hope. They huddled on the beach, coughing from the smoke, looking at the sea without direction. The crying of the children mingled with the lament of the adults.
Then, the girl stood up. Her face was smudged with soot, but her eyes still shone.
"I know where we can go," she said, and her voice, though soft, echoed in the desperate silence. "I told you about a land beyond the mist. It's not a dream. It exists."
The faces, once incredulous, turned toward her. There was no longer skepticism in their gazes, only a desperate need to believe in something. The girl spoke of the land she had seen, of a place where fire had not taken everything from them. And as she spoke, the hearts of the desperate began to fill with something they had forgotten: hope.
Little by little, they began to approach. First a few, then many. She gathered those who wanted to follow her and promised to lead them to a better place. A man, still doubtful, asked:
"But how will we go? We have nothing. The sea is vast and the mist will not let us see."
The girl pointed to the silhouette of the lighthouse, rising black against the smoking hills.
"By the lighthouse. Its light is very powerful. If we light it, it will open a path through the mist. We will follow its light to the other land."
A spark of energy returned to the island. With the remains of burnt trees and wood salvaged from the houses, they began to build boats. Small, fragile, but sufficient. They worked tirelessly, driven by the girl's promise. When they were finally ready, a flotilla of small vessels waited on the shore.
The girl stood before them, beside the path leading up to the lighthouse.
"Get into your boats," she said. "I will light the light. Follow it without doubt. I will follow behind, in the last boat. Go now. I will be with you as soon as I can."
Blind trust. The inhabitants, now her followers, obeyed. They got into the boats, children in their mothers' arms, the elderly holding on with steady hands. When everyone was ready, a blinding flash came from the top of the lighthouse. For the first time in decades, its light pierced the mist like a hot knife, opening a corridor of calm, bright waters toward the horizon.
With cries of astonishment and joy, they rowed toward the light. The strip of land the girl had seen grew larger and larger, more defined. At last, their boats touched a beach of golden sand, bathed by a warm sun they had never felt. Behind them, the mist remained closed, but the passage of light remained open for a long stretch.
They disembarked, crying and laughing, embracing each other on the shore of this new world. But minutes passed, then hours, and the girl did not arrive. The last boat, hers, was empty on the island's shore, visible as a tiny dot in the distance. Concern grew. Why had she not come?
It was then that an old woman, the eldest of the island, burst into tears. Not with tears of joy, but with deep, ancient pain.
"I know," she whispered between sobs. "I remember now. My grandmother told me. The lighthouse… its mechanism is very old. For its light to ignite and stay lit, someone must remain inside. Someone must… sacrifice themselves so that others may find the way."
A horrified silence took over the beach. Everyone looked back, toward the patch of mist hiding their destroyed home. The girl had known. From the beginning, she had known. That was why she said she would go last. So that no one would hesitate, so that no one would want to take her place. She had given them her life in exchange for theirs.
The men and women, strong and rugged, knelt in the sand and wept like children. They wept for her courage, for her kindness, for the light that had guided them. In time, when they built their new home in that fertile, sunny land, they erected a statue at the highest point of the cliff facing the sea and the distant mist.
It was the statue of a girl, with large, open eyes, looking toward the horizon. And they called her, with eternal gratitude, their savior. The light of her lighthouse had gone out, but the light of her memory would shine forever in their hearts.
---
"What do you think about this story, Nephis?" Ash asked.
Nephis was silent for a few moments before answering in her usual calm tone.
"The girl knew she would die," Nephis said, turning her gaze back to the fire. "She knew lighting the lighthouse meant her end. And she did it anyway."
"Yes."
"Why?"
Ash smiled, a small, sad smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"That's the question, isn't it? Why does someone sacrifice themselves for others? Why does someone choose to help when they could simply... not do it?"
Nephis was silent. She was a girl who understood sacrifice better than anyone. She herself carried a destiny that would force her to burn again and again for others. But her sacrifice had a purpose, a goal. Unlike in the story, where the girl only wanted others to live.
Changing Star wanted to do things her own way, to achieve it without betraying herself.
"There's a saying: 'He who saves one life, saves the entire world.' I don't know if it's true. Probably not. But..."
He shrugged again.
"But sometimes one life is enough. You don't have to change the fate of humanity for your existence to have been worthwhile. Sometimes you just have to be there for one person who needs it."
Ash stood up.
"I'll go to sleep now. See you, Nephis." With that, Ash entered the cabin to go to sleep, leaving Changing Star thoughtful.