Kane stood utterly dumbfounded, his mind racing. What had he just witnessed?
Beside him, Sunny, with a swift, almost imperceptible gesture, dismissed the hulking scavenger that had served as their mount. Deprived of her support, Cassie, the blind girl, stumbled, her hands flailing as she began to fall. In a move born of pure instinct, Kane surged forward, catching her in a classic princess carry, cradling her gently in his arms.
Without missing a beat, Sunny and Kane darted towards the shallow rise of the knoll. As they reached its crest, Kane carefully lowered himself to the ground, placing Cassie protectively between himself and the silently crouching figure of Nephis. Sunny positioned himself slightly ahead, his form a vigilant shield. Changing Star, her gaze intense, laid a hand on Cassie's shoulder and looked at Kane, a silent question in her eyes: "Danger?"
Kane's eyes flickered to Sunny, awaiting the crucial intelligence. Sunny, in turn, raised a hand, palm open, a clear signal for patience. Already, a tendril of his shadow, a silent, unseen scout, was peeking from behind the knoll, meticulously observing the source of the recent commotion.
After a moment of profound thought, Sunny finally turned to Nephis, his voice a low whisper. "A carapace centurion just emerged from the labyrinth."
Nephis's brow furrowed, a scowl marring her usually composed features. Cassie, meanwhile, gently touched Kane's hand, her voice a soft inquiry. "Where is it heading?"
Sunny blinked, then refocused, his consciousness extending into the keen senses of his shadow. A moment later, he exhaled, a visible wave of relief washing over him. "It appears to be heading for the Ashen Barrow. If we maintain our concealment behind this knoll and it doesn't deviate from its course, there's a high probability it won't detect us."
"Keep a close eye on it," Kane instructed, his voice firm. "I can't observe while staying hidden."
Sunny nodded, his attention immediately shifting back to his shadowy scout. Kane, despite the gravity of their situation, found himself mildly distracted by Cassie's soft form pressing against him. Stop thinking about trivialities, he mentally chastised himself. And this place is incredibly cramped for four people.
A stretch of tense silence followed, punctuated only by the distant whispers of the wind. Then, Sunny exhaled once more. "It's continuing its path toward the Barrow."
Nephis, ever vigilant, remained tensed, poised for any sudden turn for the worse. "Follow it," she commanded.
Sunny, however, seemed bewildered. He rubbed his eyes, a strange expression on his face. Kane, observing his confusion, asked, "What is it?"
"Wait," Sunny mumbled, his gaze distant.
Cassie and Nephis exchanged bewildered glances, wondering what in the world was unfolding. After a prolonged moment, Sunny slowly exhaled, a deep, shuddering breath.
"Sunny? What's happening?" Cassie's voice was laced with worry and a potent curiosity.
He looked at her, hesitating for a brief moment before finally speaking. "There's a new threat. Stay quiet a bit longer; I'll explain everything later."
A new threat, Kane mused, his mind instantly jumping to possibilities. That could indeed be a problem. Is he referring to the strange tree?
Another period of anxious waiting stretched between them. Finally, Sunny broke the silence. "It's safe to come out now."
Kane, Nephis, and Cassie cautiously rose, stretching and massaging their stiff limbs. A sudden wave of embarrassment washed over Sunny and Kane as they remembered how tightly they had been pressed against each other while hiding. They just barely managed to avoid turning a vivid red.
"What happened?" Nephis inquired, her eyebrow arched. For once, her customary indifference seemed to waver, replaced by a flicker of genuine concern.
Sunny glanced towards the not-so-distant Ashen Barrow, a shiver running down his spine. "There's significant danger ahead. We need to return to the Bone Ridge. I'll explain everything once we're safe and sound, back at the camp."
Nephis opened her mouth to speak, but Kane interjected. "Yes, there's something I need to share as well."
All three of them looked at him with curiosity, but simply nodded in agreement. Sunny then summoned the Echo, his loyal mount, carefully tied the golden rope around its torso, and replaced Cassie's makeshift saddle on its sturdy carapace. He gently helped the blind girl climb onto her seat. Picking up the saddlebags, he secured them back onto the scavenger's side and took a step back. They were ready to depart.
After what felt like an eternity, they finally reached their previous camping location within the Bone Ridge. Back inside the protective confines of the massive leviathan spine, they sat gathered around a crackling fire. The delicious aroma of roasting meat wafted through the air, causing Kane's stomach to rumble embarrassingly. However, it wasn't time to eat just yet. He was in the midst of recounting to Sunny and the girls what he had seen.
"...after the centurion knelt, another carapace creature emerged from the very top of the Ashen Barrow. Only this one was unlike anything we had encountered before. It was easily twice the size of the centurion, a towering six or seven meters tall. I can't even begin to imagine its weight. It truly looked like a moving house."
Kane and Nephis frowned, their expressions clearly betraying their displeasure at the prospect of such a behemoth barring their path.
"What's more," Sunny continued, his voice grim, "its carapace isn't made of chitin. Instead, it resembles some strange metal alloy. I seriously doubt we'll be able to cut through it. I also didn't notice any gaps in that monstrosity's armor, not even around the joints."
Cassie gulped, turning her head towards her friend. Changing Star, however, remained stoically silent.
Do I need to rely solely on pure mind and soul attacks? Kane wondered, a flicker of concern in his eyes. That would be a significant problem, as I wouldn't have the physical strength to engage it with my sword.
Sunny sighed, the weight of his discovery pressing down on him. "In addition, that thing possesses four arms instead of the usual two: a pair with formidable pincers and another pair with razor-sharp scythes. They're even larger than the centurion's. Its carapace is riddled with spikes, and it has long horns protruding from its head. It also looks… uh… more human-like. It almost has a face, albeit an extremely ugly one. And its eyes… well, I believe it's far more sentient than anything we've faced before."
Nephis remained thoughtful, her gaze distant. After a moment, she finally spoke. "It's likely an awakened demon."
Nightmare Creatures with one soul core were classified as "beasts," those with two cores were designated as "monsters." Three cores denoted a class of creatures known as "demons," with "devils" occupying the tier above them, possessing four cores.
Sunny nodded, confirming his agreement with her assessment. "Or perhaps even a devil. In any case, I think we should avoid that terrifying bastard at all costs."
A profound silence descended upon the group, all four of them staring at each other.
Finally, Sunny broke the quiet. "Let me guess, you want to kill it…"
Nephis continued to stare at him, her expression as unreadable as ever. Kane thought, Seriously, is she arrogant enough to confront a demon or a devil? After a prolonged moment, Sunny chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief. "You truly are insane. That's… that's an awakened demon we're talking about, remember? Have you forgotten that we're merely Sleepers?"
Then, he frowned, scratching his head. "Wait a second. I feel like we've already had this conversation before. Doesn't this feel familiar?"
Cassie glanced at the two of them, politely clearing her throat.
"Actually," Kane interjected, "you said pretty much the exact same thing right before we decided to attack that first carapace centurion."
Sunny's face lit up. "Yes! Exactly! And how did that end up? I nearly got myself killed!"
Nephis merely shrugged indifferently. "You survived, didn't you?"
Sunny froze, his mouth agape, too utterly flabbergasted by the sheer audacity of her remark to respond immediately. Kane, equally speechless, was dumbfounded by her thoughtlessness.
"That's not the point!" Sunny finally managed to stammer.
Cassie gently touched her friend on the shoulder and whispered, "Neph! That's not a very kind thing to say."
Changing Star's face flushed slightly. Glancing away, she hesitated before clarifying. "What I meant to say is… uh… we won in the end, didn't we? It was a risk we had to take, and it paid off. We've grown stronger since then."
Kane had an overwhelming feeling that the fight against the Carapace Demon was already inevitable, but he couldn't bring himself to stop protesting, purely out of principle. "But that thing… it's massive! It's so tall you won't even be able to poke it with your sword! What are we going to do, politely ask the bastard to lower itself to our level?"
Nephis frowned, looking at him with clear displeasure. "It's just an…"
"...awakened demon, I know!" Kane finished for her, a sense of exasperation in his voice. That's totally weird now, he thought. What exactly is her endgame? She's clearly more enthusiastic than any of us to reach the castle. She's definitely hunted, just like me, that much I can guess. What pursues her, and who is it?
As Kane pondered, Sunny spoke up. "Back when we agreed to fight the carapace centurion, we did so because there was no other choice. We were literally stuck on a rock with it. What about now? Don't we have a choice to avoid the Ashen Barrow?"
She stared at him for a while, then simply stated, "That's the only way west."
Kane exhaled slowly. "Actually, we should definitely avoid the Ashen Barrow. I agree with Sunny on this."
Sunny and Nephis both turned their heads towards him. Sunny's eyes widened. "Finally, someone who agrees with me. But it is the only way west, right?"
"We can go around," Kane countered. "There's no need to land ourselves in the Ashen Barrow."
Nephis, however, remained unyielding. "But we don't have any high ground to camp. We can defeat the demon, if it is our will…"
Kane immediately cut her off. "…who dares to stop us? I'm starting to get your catchphrase." Kane thought, Seriously, is that an Immortal Flame's trademark dialogue? It's bringing back some rather uneventful memories.
Cassie then spoke, her voice laced with curiosity. "Is this related to something you wanted to tell us, Kane? What is it?"
"Yes," Kane confirmed. "I'll explain."
He proceeded to recount what he had seen regarding the strange tree, describing in detail what made it so utterly bizarre. After his explanation, all three of them frowned, a clear sign of their unease.
"That's totally weird," Sunny admitted. "It's better to follow Kane's solution."
Nephis, however, remained resolute. "We can't do that. Yes, we don't know the exact threat, but we can't risk facing the dark sea. We can manage both the tree and the demon."
"We at least know there's a demon," Kane argued. "But with the tree, we have no idea what it is. It's better to stay away from the unknowns."
After a prolonged discussion, Kane called for a vote. Surprisingly, everyone except Kane voted for Nephis's solution. Kane glared at Sunny, a silent accusation of "Traitor!" in his eyes.
Sunny, seeing Kane's death stare, quickly spoke. "Alright, alright, Kane. That makes sense. But believe me when I say it, as the only one who actually saw the Carapace Demon and the tree… we won't be able to defeat it in a direct fight."
Nephis scowled. "Your point?"
Sunny spread his hands. "Don't misunderstand. Yes, we can't defeat it. But…" A dark smile slowly spread across his face. "That doesn't mean we can't kill it."
Kane pondered this for a moment, then raised an eyebrow, a flicker of intrigue in his eyes. "You have a plan?"
Sunny shook his head. "Not yet, not entirely. Let me sleep on it. However, there's one thing I know for sure." He looked west, the disturbing, bestial face of the Carapace Demon fresh in his memory. In the ensuing silence, Cassie turned her head to face him, asking with a hint of curiosity, "What is it?"
Sunny blinked, as if snapping out of a trance. "Ah? Oh, yes. It's pretty simple, really. Unlike the scavengers and centurions, that thing appears to be rather intelligent. Which means that it can be deceived."
They spent another uneventful night nestled inside the dead leviathan's spine. As far as their camps went, this one was probably the safest. There was a certain comfort in being surrounded by walls from all sides, even if they were made of bone. Camping on top of cliffs and coral mounds, just meters away from the surface of the dark sea, exposed to the elements, had certainly not been very restful.
Kane turned to Sunny. "Sunny, I need to speak with you alone."
"Sure," Sunny replied, rising to his feet.
Leaving the girls behind, Kane and Sunny walked a short distance away. Kane's voice, when he finally spoke, was sharp. "How long have you been spying on the conversation between me and Cass?"
Sunny gasped, his eyes wide for a moment. "How did you find out? The entire conversation?"
"Your shadow gave it away," Kane stated, his gaze fixed on Sunny's ever-present companion.
Both of them looked at the shadow, and Sunny visibly face-palmed himself. "Yeah, I did. Call it curiosity."
Kane looked at him, his anger barely contained. "Don't ever do that to me again."
As Kane turned to walk away, Sunny called out, "Seriously, how are you even so calm? Cassie told you that you wouldn't make it out alive. Why don't you accept her solution?"
Kane spoke without turning around. "Actually, I'm racking my brain trying to figure out what to do. Do you even know what her solution is?"
"Actually, no," Sunny admitted. "I didn't listen to your previous conversation. I know it revolves around Nephis, but what exactly is it?"
Kane turned, his expression serious. "Cassie told me to stick with Nephis and help her with whatever she wants, like an assistant."
Sunny thought for a minute, then replied, "I understand, but is it really worth risking your life?"
"Even if I lose my life right now," Kane stated firmly, "I have the freedom to do what I want, and that is my freedom."
Sunny was stunned into silence for a moment. Then, he placed his full hand on Kane's shoulder, a rare gesture of genuine camaraderie,especially from Sunny,Which shocked Kane. "I agree with that last point. Anyway, just don't die yet. You're an interesting person."Kane spoke,"Did I smell friendship here?,",Sunny spoke,"Like hell,I told about for the courtesy of saying."Kane laughed heartily,all the tension and anger he had vanished
"I'll try my best," Kane replied, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.