Kane led Sunny deep into the broken remnants of the slums, a grotesque maze of twisted metal and rotting concrete. The environment itself was a graveyard, the air thick with the dust of collapsed aspirations and the faint, metallic scent of dried Nightmare Creature blood.
"Tell me, Sunny," Kane commanded, turning, his gaze heavy and uncompromising.
Sunny didn't mince words. "Explain what happened between you and Nephis?"
Kane sighed, the sound grating like stone on stone. He narrated the events that happened between Nephis and Kane.
Sunny listened, stunned, his face a mask of complex emotions—disgust, pity, and a terrifying comprehension.
"Well," Sunny finally said, his voice measured, "you never trusted her, and she certainly upheld your distrust. But can you cut her some slack? I'm not saying you should trust her, but her life has always been this way. Driven by an obsession with her damn goals."
Kane scoffed, a genuine, raw sound of dismissal. "Seriously? You're taking her side? I don't care about her tragic, self-imposed destiny. You may feel differently about her, but I am done trusting her. She's lucky I haven't sunk the blade into her throat." The memory of the fight, of his own near-death, made his hand instinctively clench into a fist, the ghostly feeling of the second pair of hands on his back almost palpable.
"I should say the same thing about you," Sunny countered, his eyes narrowed, suddenly shifting from emotional support to strategic aggression. "You hid most of your abilities and spied on my conversation."
Kane's face contorted, a flash of the monstrous rage he now contained. "For starters, you spied on my personal conversation with Cassie while traveling here, remember?" Kane stepped closer, his shadow engulfing Sunny's. "Moreover, that distrust is what has kept me alive in a world full of smiling devils like her. And everyone has secrets, Sunny. You should know that better than anyone."
Sunny held his ground, realizing the futile nature of the argument. Kane was right. Survival was the ultimate justification.
"Well, are you joining the expedition?" Sunny asked, shifting back to the pragmatic.
"Yeah... apparently, I struck a deal with her, so yeah," Kane confirmed, the taste of the agreement bitter.
"Are you still staying in the Dark City?"
"For now, yes."
Sunny hesitated, chewing on his lip. "Can you let Effie stay there? Just for a week, until we leave. She needs a secure place away from the castle's eyes."
Kane looked at him, the request landing heavily.
"No," Kane stated flatly. The single word was absolute, cutting the conversation short. He turned to leave, then paused, looking back at Sunny's hunched, weary figure.
"Sunny, about your sister..." Kane's voice softened, losing its monstrous edge for a brief, human moment. "You made the right decision. Even if it is hard for you."
Sunny looked up, the thanks caught in his throat. "Thanks," he managed, and Kane left him alone in the suffocating gloom of the ruins.
After his tense exchange with Sunny, Kane returned to his camp to inform Shakti that he would be bringing Linia—now renamed Philanias—to the outer settlement, needing her medical expertise even if the plants were a long shot.
As he was about to depart, he saw Sunny, Effie, and Kai waiting near the boundary, discussing their immediate plans.
"Well, aren't you guys leaving for Sunny's hideout?" Kane asked, crossing his arms.
Kai, looking slightly uncomfortable under the weight of the secrets he was now privy to, replied, "We are leaving now."
The four of them—a monstrous recluse, a cynical scout, an arrogant warrior, and a nervous young knight—started navigating the hostile, twisted arteries of the ruins. The path was treacherous, haunted by the shadows of creatures that should have been dead but moved in the periphery of vision, drawn by the psychic noise of Dreamers.
Kane's hideout came first. "Well, mine came first," he said, preparing to enter alone.
Suddenly, Effie stepped forward, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Well, let us visit for a while and then leave. We need to see how the Monto-Maniac lives."
Kane looked at the trio—the curious, the calculating, and the naive—and reluctantly conceded. "Sure." He navigated the final, hidden path, stopping before a massive, slab-like door disguised perfectly to look like a collapsed section of a wall.
Effie, impatient, spoke up. "What are you waiting for? Break the thing down."
Kane ignored her. He knocked in a complex, rhythmic pattern against the stone. A soft, feminine voice responded from within, startlingly clear against the backdrop of the ruins. "Kane, come in."
Sunny, Effie, and Kai were all shocked. Sunny's face was a mixture of disbelief and intellectual alarm. "You weren't alone? You gave us the impression you were a lone wolf."
Kane shrugged. "When did I tell you I was alone?" The slab slowly groaned open, revealing Philanias, her turquoise hair a splash of vibrant color in the gray gloom, wearing a simple white tunic.
She looked at the strangers with cold, clinical scrutiny. "Who are these guys?" she asked Kane.
Kane made the introductions, emphasizing the immediate need for privacy. "Meet Sunny, Kai, and Effie. Let us inside. We need to discuss things."
As they all entered and the massive slab door slid shut, Kane formally introduced her. "Guys, this is Philanias. We have been staying together here for a while."
Every reaction was a study in surprise, but Effie's was the most immediate and vulgar. She gave a dirty smirk, looking between Kane and Linia, her eyes full of scandalous innuendo. 'Hope she doesn't get any dirty ideas,' Kane thought, already bracing himself for her inevitable outburst.
Kai, trying to be polite, looked around the clean, spartan cavern. "It is neat."
Linia offered a ghost of a smile. "Thanks."
Effie, meanwhile, spotted the meticulously stacked food storage. "You guys are having this much food?" She lunged forward, about to start a raid, but Kane's hand shot out, grabbing her shoulder.
"Nope. Not now. You're a guest, not a locust."
As they settled into the unsettling silence of the concealed chamber, Effie, unable to contain herself, leaned forward. "Did you guys do the deed?"
Kane's eyes flashed with pure, murderous anger. "No. What the hell are you thinking? You better not ask her that question!"
Effie laughed, the sound loud and grating in the small space. "Well, Cassie will be mad at you after learning about this."
Kane was utterly confused. "What would she be mad at me for?"
Effie giggled, enjoying his distress. "You will see, Monto-Maniac." 'Why the hell would she be mad at me for having a roommate?' Kane wondered, already feeling the cold dread of future complications.
Sunny, observing quietly, suddenly noticed something on Linia's arm. "What happened to your hand?"
Linia looked at the spreading darkness on her skin, her expression distant. "I got infected while fighting a Nightmare Creature. It is spreading."
All three visitors were shocked. Kai spoke, his voice filled with disbelief, "How? Awakened are not inflicted by any sickness! Our Aspects should protect us."
Kane stepped in, explaining the horror he faced. "This disease seems to be different, specific, like a particular Attack—from the Nightmare Creature we Fought. Don't worry, it won't spread to you, or else I would have also gotten infected for it."
Sunny, always focused on the practical, asked, "Found a cure?"
"No," Kane said, the word heavy with his desperate need for the Dawn Shard. "I am still working on it. "
After a brief, tense conversation, the group departed for Sunny's hideout. Kane looked at Linia, his gaze intense. "Pack up. We are leaving for the outer settlements to get you help."
Linia simply nodded, her turquoise hair swaying, trusting him completely.
Meanwhile, back at the makeshift lodge in the Bright Castle, Nephis had already sent a terse, coded message to her informant, Seishan. She returned to her chamber, where Cassie sat, silently caressing the rim of her empty cup. Cassie's posture was one of profound sadness and deep rumination.
"I have sent the message to Seishan about Kane's return," Nephis informed her, her voice flat. "Soon, she will respond to the update."
Cassie looked up, her blind eyes unsettlingly focused on the space where Nephis stood. "Nephis, I can't see Kane's runes."
Nephis's face didn't completely falter—her self-control was absolute—but a minor, almost invisible shock caused her fingers to twitch. "How? You used to see his before. His runic signature was blinding."
"My guess is that he might have acquired an anti-divination Memory," Cassie speculated, her voice laced with fear.
Cassie then delivered the news of Kane's confrontation. "And he asked whether I knew anything about your fight with him—about the stabbing."
Nephis's jaw clenched. "What are you planning to tell him?"
Cassie shuddered, the memory of her complicity causing visible distress. "I'm thinking. I don't want to piss him off. His rage is no longer human, Nephis. We need him for the expedition, but if he knows the truth about my vision, everything is over."
As they were conversing in hushed, conspiratorial tones, a person knocked sharply on the door and immediately entered—Sid, one of the lower-ranking members of their faction.
"What is it, Sid?" Nephis asked, annoyed by the breach of decorum.
Sid was breathless, fear distorting his features. "Lady Nephis, Kane has come here and is waiting outside. And... he brought a girl with turquoise hair. They are asking for the healing power immediately."
Nephis and Cassie was utterly stunned.
=================
Kindly gve your review