The sun was already halfway across the sky by the time Sunny woke up, his mind hazy and slow. He blinked a few times, trying to shake off the lingering daze.
"Sunny! You're awake!"
Cassie's voice reached him, bright and full of relief. She rushed toward him, her sightless gaze fixed on some invisible point beyond him, and threw her arms around his shoulders, pulling him into a tight embrace.
"I'm so glad you made it back safely."
Sunny flinched slightly at the sudden contact but quickly suppressed the instinct, hugging her back with a rueful smile.
"I made it back safely? Of course I did."
He tried to sound light-hearted, but his voice was a touch strained. His head was still spinning, his chest tight with breathlessness—as though he had been wrestling with something far larger than himself, deep beneath the surface of his own mind.
But he let none of it show.
Whatever had happened in the depths of his soul sea... it had drained something out of him. Something vital. And no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember what.
Only the fragmented memory of his encounter with the Echo remained—and the chilling message it had left behind.
Sunny shook his head to clear it and glanced around.
The ground was littered with shattered coral and the butchered remains of scavengers. Blood soaked into the broken stone. The whole area looked like the aftermath of a brutal battlefield.
His gaze found Nephis.
She was slumped against a jagged half-shattered coral, her posture weary, her hands caked in grime and blood. Her sword rested loosely across her lap.
She had fought them all. Alone. While protecting two helpless Sleepers.
Their eyes met for a brief, silent moment. Nephis looked away almost immediately, lowering her head. A faint smile flickered across her face—so small it was almost invisible.
"...Welcome back," she said, so softly it was almost a whisper.
Sunny exhaled through his nose and ran a hand through his hair.
"How long was I out?" he asked, forcing his voice to remain casual.
In his memory, the encounter with the Echo had felt like mere minutes. But the devastation around him told a different story.
Cassie tilted her head thoughtfully.
"How long? Umm..."
She lifted her fingers and started counting, her expression animated.
"I'd say... a couple hours?"
She paused, frowning.
"Maybe a bit more."
Sunny stiffened, his body tensing before he could stop himself. Half an hour. Much longer than it should have been. Far too long.
He opened his mouth to ask more—but shut it quickly. Something had happened while he was gone. Something he couldn't remember.
He gently placed his hands on Cassie's shoulders, guiding her to sit beside him.
"Cassie," he said quietly, "what exactly did you see?"
"Tell me. Every little detail."
Cassie hesitated, tapping her finger thoughtfully against her lips.
"Um... shouldn't we eat first?" she said, glancing toward Nephis. "She's been fighting all this time to protect us."
Sunny followed her gaze.
Nephis, as if on cue, slumped forward, her chin dropping to her chest. A second later, she slid down the coral wall and collapsed to the ground.
Sunny grimaced and closed his eyes briefly.
"...Yeah," he muttered. "You're right."
He stood up, summoning the Azure Blade with a thought, the familiar weight settling into his hand.
Without a word, he made his way to a nearby scavenger corpse and began carving it apart with quick, precise strokes, slicing through carapace and muscle to retrieve strips of usable meat.
Then he moved to gather some twisted coral branches and dried seaweed, building a small fire.
Nephis lay still, stealing occasional glances at him through the curtain of her hair. After a while, she hugged her knees to her chest and buried her face, whispering something inaudible to herself.
The fire crackled to life.
Soon, the mouthwatering scent of roasting meat filled the air, mingling with the lingering tang of blood.
Sunny took a deep breath, letting the tension drain from his body. He pulled a strip of meat from the fire, blew on it briefly, then bit into it with a satisfied grunt.
A small, crooked smile touched his lips.
"...If only we had a little bit of salt."
"Such a delicious smell!"
Cassie crawled toward the burning pit, a wide smile lighting up her face. She stretched out her hand eagerly, trying to snatch a piece of meat—only to nearly burn herself on the crackling fire.
"Ouch!"
She yelped, pulling back her hand and hastily summoning Endless Spring to splash a stream of healing water over the reddening skin.
Sunny sighed and shook his head.
"Easy there."
He pulled a strip of meat from the fire and handed it to her. Cassie snatched it eagerly and took a hearty bite, her face blooming into a radiant grin.
"Wow, Sunny!"
She tore into the meat like a starved beast, devouring it with alarming speed.
"If you ever open a restaurant or a café when we get back to the waking world," she said through mouthfuls, "I'll be your first—and most loyal—customer!"
She polished off the last scrap of meat and wiped her face with the sleeve of her tunic.
"You'll give me a discount, right?"
Sunny chuckled.
"Sunny's Brilliant Emporium doesn't discriminate..."
Cassie's face fell into a mock pout.
"...But," he added, smirking, "I might make an exception for my first customer."
Her laughter rang out, bright and musical, filling the dreary air with warmth.
Sunny smiled, then grabbed another piece of meat and turned toward Nephis.
"Are you not eating?"
Nephis hesitated. She pressed a hand against her stomach and lowered her gaze.
"...I don't have an appetite."
There was something... off about the way she said it.
Before Sunny could speak, Cassie pushed herself up and took the strip of meat from his hand.
"Come on, Neph," she said lightly, moving toward her. "You're not really going to let Sunny's cooking go to waste, are you?"
There was a subtle pull beneath her words. Not a request. Something closer to insistence.
For a long moment, Nephis didn't move. Then, slowly, almost reluctantly, she reached out and took the food.
"...It's good," she murmured, nibbling at it without much enthusiasm.
Sunny's eyes narrowed slightly.
'Something's off.'
Cassie made her way back toward him with a bright, practiced smile, brushing nonexistent dust from her skirt.
"Don't mind her," she said easily, sitting down beside him. "She just got really worried. You took longer than expected, and well... we thought you might not-"
Nephis coughed suddenly, choking on the small piece of meat she had been chewing. She wiped her mouth, rising shakily to her feet. Without a word, she grabbed another strip and settled back down at their side, eyes locked on the fire.
Sunny shifted uncomfortably, a knot tightening in his chest.
The thought of Nephis worrying about him — enough to lose her appetite — was strangely... almost painfully, sweet.
If only it were that simple.
Above them, the wind howled through the crimson labyrinth, hollow and cold. Somewhere distant, the faint rumble of shifting stone echoed.
Sunny sent one of his shadows crawling toward the sound. It didn't take long before he caught sight of them.
Another group of scavengers.
He raised an eyebrow and gave Nephis another glance. Her pale face remained blank, her motions mechanical as she chewed. She showed no reaction to the approaching threat.
It was... unsettling.
Moments later, the scavengers appeared at the edge of the clearing. Their eyes gleamed with a frenzied, maddened hunger.
Fools.
Did the scattered remains of their butchered brethren inspire no fear? No dread? Of course not. They were mindless beasts.
The first scavenger stepped forward—
—and its body split cleanly in two, collapsing to the ground with a wet thud.
KREEEEE!!
The Centurion Echo loomed behind it, scythe raised high.
With a violent jerk, it flung the blood from its blade, the crimson arc catching the firelight.
Without hesitation, it dropped into a battle stance — one scythe at its shoulder, the other low at its hip — and waited.
The scavenger horde hesitated for a breathless moment, then shrieked and charged, pincers clattering in a frenzy.
They never stood a chance.
The Echo moved, and the world bled.
Cassie threw her arms into the air, shouting at the top of her lungs:
"Go, Spiky! You can do it!"
...Spiky?
'She... seems to be in a really good mood considering what happened.'
Sunny blinked, then looked at the Centurion Echo.
The creature didn't even flinch at the ridiculous nickname.
Instead, it raised one gleaming scythe high into the air — and brought it crashing down in a devastating arc, splitting bone and chitin like a hot knife through butter.
Then, in a blur of savage motion, its forelimbs planted firmly into the ground. Raising its rear, the creature exploded into a violent burst of motion, pivoting on its forelegs and spinning into a whirlwind of death, like a thorny wheel of slaughter.
Bones crackled like firewood. Flesh ripped apart with a squelch. Blood splattered, and marrow bled into the earth. The scavengers crumbled like dominos and tore like cloth. The twelve crumbled to seven, and the seven dropped to four.
A sickening lurch followed, and only two were left standing.
With a final, bloodcurdling screech, the Echo stomped down its legs and launched forward like a predatory beast. Its scythes slammed into the remaining scavengers' skulls with a sickening crunch.
Splat—
Blood and bone splattered like rain, painting the ground in a gory mosaic. What remained of the scavengers was no more than broken rubble.
In a swift, mechanical movement, the Echo carved through the carcasses and extracted the soul shards from the remains, presenting them to Sunny with a strange, almost ceremonial gesture.
Cassie clapped her hands, beaming.
"Your Echo's gotten stronger," she said, her voice bright against the grisly scene.
Sunny clicked his tongue, gazing at the Centurion thoughtfully.
"It has," he muttered. "Maybe a little too much."
The Echo stood still, scythes glinting in the firelight.
Fortunately, even after the symbol had completely enveloped its face, the Echo showed no signs of rebellion. Not yet, anyway. And not that Sunny could do much if it did turn against them. The strength it had just displayed without even being augmented by his shaodw—the sheer devastation and technique—was enough to make him lose hope.
He let his gaze drift to Nephis.
She hadn't even looked up. Still chewing her food in small, methodical bites, as though oblivious to the massacre that had just unfolded a few steps away.
As though... she wasn't really here at all.
Sunny bit the inside of his cheek, a gnawing unease growing in his chest.
'Something happened while I was gone.'
Something much worse than just a horde of scavengers.
He leaned closer.
"Nephis," he said quietly, reaching out to touch her shoulder. "What happened?"
The fire crackled. The ruins groaned around them. She didn't answer immediately, just kept chewing slowly, her eyes shadowed by her hair.
Finally, she glanced at him — then at Cassie — and said, in a soft, almost detached voice:
"...It's like she said. I was worried."
Sunny stared at her, feeling a cold weight settle in his gut.
She was lying. She was lying. She had to be.
Nephis wouldn't admit something like that outright unless—
Before he could press further, she moved. Suddenly, Nephis leaned into him, burying her face in his chest.
A hot, wet trail of tears slid down his shirt. Her body trembled against his. Her voice came out in broken, furious sobs:
"What took you so long? We thought you would never return, idiot."
Sunny froze. The smell of blood and gore clung to her hair.
For a moment, he just stood there, stunned. Then he slowly wrapped his arms around her, steadying her.
Could it really be that simple?
Could it really just be... worry?
He exhaled, low and heavy.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I don't know what happened. One moment I was talking to my Echo, and..."
His eyes slid sideways, locking onto Cassie.
"...Wait. Is that what you saw?" he asked sharply, pointing at the Echo still standing vigil nearby.
"The symbol — merging with it?"
Cassie licked the last crumbs of meat from her fingers, her brow furrowing.
"It's..." she hesitated, searching for the right words. "...More complicated than that."
Sunny frowned.
Cassie slowly got to her feet and crawled toward him, her movements deliberate.
"Give me your sword," she said.
Sunny hesitated for a heartbeat, then handed her the Azure Blade, its surface catching the firelight in a cold, pale gleam. Cassie took it and immediately began drawing on the ground. A large circle emerged, surrounded by wavy lines—an ocean, still and vast.
"What I saw..." she said, voice soft, "was a surge in your soul sea."
Sunny's eyes widened slightly as she continued, sketching stick figures scattered across the ocean's surface.
"You might not know it, but..." she pointed to the figures, "you're not alone in there."
A cold breath slid down his spine as he stared at the simple figures she had drawn.
How did she know? How could she know?
"You have had them for a while," Cassie said lightly, as though commenting on the weather. "I don't think they're malicious."
Sunny instinctively grabbed her hand, freezing her in place.
"Did you see them?" he asked, voice low. "Or are you guessing?"
Cassie didn't flinch. Instead, she smiled — a little too warmly.
"Oh, so you do know about them," she teased. "What I saw were mere silhouettes... hazy shadows of what they might be." She gently freed her hand from his grasp with a patient, almost fond motion. "I thought they might be hollows. Echoes left behind by those who perished. Was I right?"
Sunny brushed his hair back, frowning deeply. There was no point hiding it anymore—Cassie already knew too much.
He brushed a hand through his hair, gathering his thoughts, and then muttered:
"My soul sea is filled with the shadows of the things I've killed."
He turned to Nephis, helping her lie down gently. She didn't resist. Eyes closed, face pale... she looked more exhausted than wounded.
As if even hearing their conversation was too heavy a burden.
Sunny stared at her for a moment longer, uneasy, then turned back to Cassie.
"I can't see them," he continued, "but I can feel them. I know they're there."
Cassie's smile widened, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.
"That's... rather interesting," she murmured, touching her temples lightly.
Like someone trying to force scattered puzzle pieces into place.
After a moment, she asked:
"Does that include... only the things you've killed after gaining your aspect?"
Sunny frowned, crossing his arms.
"I don't know," he said after a moment. "I hadn't killed anyone before that."
For a fraction of a second, Cassie's smile faltered. Then she tapped her forehead lightly, regaining her cheerful smile.
"Right. Of course," she said brightly. "Silly me."
She shifted, dragging the sword across the ground again. This time, she drew a figure—tall, human-shaped... but grotesque. Its proportions were distorted and wrong, as though caught mid-transformation into something monstrous.
"You see," she said quietly, her tone suddenly somber, "there's a particular shadow among them."
She turned toward him. For the first time since he had returned, the smile vanished completely from her face.
"And it's been there for a very, very long time."
AN: Thx for the comments in the last chapter. Glad yall liked the story.
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