Noble had been in a few desperate situations of her own. Hadn't she escaped one just this morning?
She had survived then, and she would do so again this time, too.
The aching in her heart subsided. While the new Saint couldn't stop what tomorrow brought, she would continue to prepare for it as much as possible.
"Thank you," Noble smiled at the young man.
"For what?" Sunny hadn't remembered doing anything.
Child of Promise shrugged. "I don't know. For making me feel better."
The young man frowned. "Didn't I just say it was hopeless?"
Noble chuckled softly. "You did, but you also said you have a plan. I can feel your determination. You don't let things get in your way, do you?"
"I suppose that is true." Sunny smiled lazily. "Anyway, they are just a couple of Sovereigns. How hard could it be to oppose them?"
'Ha, he's either stubborn or foolish. Or both...' Noble felt an inexplicable fondness for the man. She, too, was both stubborn and foolish.
"Sh, they will hear you. You don't want to die before you've even had a chance to try." Child of Promise felt her connection toward him strengthen. She genuinely wanted him to survive and thrive.
Sunny laughed. "Dying? Ha! I have done that...." The young man held out his fingers. "....three times that I remember and likely countless that I don't. I even have my own little bit of Shadow Realm as a souvenir."
"You have part of the realm of death? How is that even possible?" Noble blinked. The few bits of lore that historians had been able to gather over the years about the Shadow God had told that their Realm was where all things go when they die, and not even their shadows survive there.
That fact was one of the reasons people called the god Shadow God in the first place.
"Ah, I may be an expert at dying, but it turns out I am very tough to kill. Most shadows love me, so having a fragment to rule over them makes perfect sense, don't you think? Why, in the Dream Realm, anything is possible."
'He's...not kidding! Is that how he became like a shadow himself?'
Noble wasn't sure which came first, his powers or his fateful encounter with the land of the dead, and she decided it was better to leave it a mystery. The man was too amused by her confusion to give her a straight answer anyway.
"And I thought I had seen everything there was to see in my Nightmare," Noble mumbled. "Two Bastions, and now a Fragment of a Realm? What's next…"
"Did you say two Bastions?" Sunny's dark eyes returned from their wistful state and focused.
"Yes. In my Nightmare, there were two Bastions, one whole like the one that people live in today, and another that was in ruins." Noble felt her companion's emotions spike.
"I knew it! That must be where it is hiding…" Sunny began to pace, his mind racing.
"Where what is hiding?" Child of Promise arched her brow, stopping the man in his tracks.
He pressed his lips together before answering. "I've been looking for something powerful in Bastion, but now I think I might have been looking in the wrong place. How do I get to the ruins?"
"Through the lake during a full moon." Noble's gaze narrowed. "Wait! I thought your incarnation in Bastion was just a humble Master trying to run an honest Emporium."
"What? I cannot multitask?" The shadowy man held up his hands. "It's for the greater good, I swear! It's part of the plan to…you know…"
"I see." Noble could feel his sincerity. "About that plan of yours. Should you need any help with it without, you know——"
"Exposing you and pulling you into a deadly war where no matter what, humanity loses?" Sunny crossed his arms.
"Yes, that. I would love to help how I can." Noble nodded, very happy to have an understanding between them.
"I may take you up on that." The young man's smile faded. "Just make sure to keep Rain out of it, if you don't mind."
"Deal," Noble held out her hand. Sunny regarded it for a moment before shaking it.
The weight on her shoulders, though still daunting, lessened considerably. She never had to bear the burden alone, of course. Fort was always in her corner and on her side.
Now she had another ally. Not only did the Saint's loyalty lie in preserving humanity over the power struggles of the clans, but he also had the power to back up his hubris. At least, Noble hoped he did.
Taking a deeper breath than she intended, Child of Promise let the cold air cleanse her lungs. Other than her husband, Noble normally would have unloaded her troubles on her mother, Julius, or Sarai.
However, her mother was too far to have a heart-to-heart, and the other two could not know she was a Saint…at least not just yet.
So the conversation and the crisp air had been exactly what she needed to decompress.
"This was nice." Noble looked at her companion, signaling that she had nothing else to discuss.
However, Sunny didn't immediately leave. Noble could feel he was enjoying the time together as well.
Come to think of it, did Sunny have many conversations?
Noble had heard him mention Aiko was a business partner, but hadn't insinuated they were close. And the women leering at him in the shop wanted to be a different kind of close.
Sunny's life here in Ravenheart was spent entirely in the shadow of his sister. He treated her as a student, so that relationship wasn't on equal footing from the start.
And certainly, the death zone guy was not a socialite.
'Does that make me the closest thing he has to a friend?'
That would explain his strange openness with her as well as his reluctance to depart.
'Well then, a friend I shall be.'
Noble looked out at the frozen tundra, staring out at the wasteland in companionable silence.
After a few moments, she hummed softly.
"Living separate lives, hm? Do you have a favorite?"
Sunny looked at her with a strange expression. "The one I used to have. The one where…"
Noble's mind began to wander. It was getting closer to the solstice all the time. There would be new crops of students each week starting now. Even with the ability to fill out paperwork and hire a Saint to bring them to a gate, many would still want to gain the skills the Academy had to offer. Perhaps she should double up her schedule since she had missed so many weeks.
She needed to have the Memories checked out and see if there were any rare finds in her absence…
"And in my search for freedom, I lost the love of my life and my friends…"
Noble's eyes opened wide. How had she lost focus on his words? He had been pouring out his heart to the only willing set of ears, and she had ignored him thoroughly with her own little thoughts.
Wasn't she supposed to be an empath? How could she have been so rude? The man was clearly devastated!
'Quick, think of a response!'
"I'm so sorry, Sunny." Noble offered him some emotional comfort.
Accepting the gift, the handsome man smiled. "You didn't catch a word of that, did you?"
Noble winced. "Just the last little bit."
"I see." Strangely, the man didn't seem upset by her inattentiveness. If anything, he had considered it a forgone conclusion.
Sighing, he took his dark eyes away from the landscape and placed them on the floating woman beside him.
"Congratulations on your Transcendence. You've earned it." He paused. "Please don't tell me your Transformation is a bee."
Child of Promise shrugged. "I'm not sure. I haven't tried it out yet."
"If it ends up being a bee, don't tell me. I have a thing about honey…" Sunny rubbed the back of his neck.
"Noted." Noble wasn't sure what to say. It wasn't like she could control what she would turn into. "Be well, Sunny."
"You too." He nodded. "Oh, when you try out your Transformation, don't be in a demolished building. It isn't the most sound option."
'What kind of advice is that?' Noble furrowed her brow.
"I wasn't ever planning to…"
"Good. Goodbye Noble. Or should I say Saint Noble?"
"You should not." Child of Promise instinctively checked again for any listeners.
Sunny smirked. "It won't happen again."
His companion smiled back. "Goodbye, Sunny."
With that, the man returned to the shadows, leaving her alone in the barren wasteland.
Noble felt a pang in her heart—a strange familiarity. But she shook it off. She had more things to do.
With a sigh, she lifted higher off the ground and headed back toward Ravenheart.