[A/N: Extra chapter because... WE HIT 100K WORDS! Holy shit, I actually did it. For all those who said I might drop this, LOOK NOW! I DIDN'T!!!]
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Though Nephis hated to admit it, humiliating herself in front of everyone had worked. The soldiers' grim resolve remained unshaken, but the heavy dread clinging to them had lifted. Laughter had scattered the shadows. Fear had burned away.
With a faint sigh, she turned toward the cohort, gathered around a low fire. They were still talking about the battle plan—again. For the hundredth time. Their voices were steadier now, less strained. Even so, the seriousness lingered like steel beneath the flame.
One by one, they drifted off to prepare, until only she remained. Nephis stared past the crackling fire, her gaze inevitably drawn toward Asher. He was keeping to the edges, dodging the throng of Sleepers who crowded him with comments about some 'speech'.
He smiled at them, laughing, occasionally chuckling to himself which made her eye twitch.
'When should I kill him?'
Before she could chase the thought further, Sunny sat down beside her. He said nothing at first, just watched the fire burn. When he finally spoke, his tone was oddly soft.
"…Strange, isn't it?"
She raised an eyebrow. "What is?"
Sunny shrugged, his eyes catching the firelight.
"All of it. If someone had described this scene to me a year ago, I would've thought them insane. And yet… here we are."
He lingered for a moment, then added quietly:
"We've come very far. The four of us."
Both of them glanced at Cassie and Asher, both of whom engaged in small talk.
After a while, Nephis nodded.
"Yes. And now, we just need to make one last step."
Both of them remained silent for a bit, thinking about how this final step was going to be the hardest yet. Incomparably so…
"So Saint Zerei forced Sir Nephis to do that?!"
"We were worried for no reason!"
"Yes! He had been quite gloomy after losing that dear friend of his."
"It's a relief he is better now."
The two of them had accidentally eavesdropped on a knot of Sleepers nearby. Nephis' eyes grew solemn. "Asher has changed a lot."
Sunny gave a slight nod.
It was true. Asher was not the same arrogant, yet cowardly, boy who first set foot on the Forgotten Shore. He was a public hero who has been shattered and reassembled himself into something far more dangerous. Two months trapped in the Labyrinth. The death of Hou. The killing of Gunlaug. Piece by piece, it had all left cracks in him, fractures that never fully healed.
And yet, Sunny smiled faintly. "At least he still wears that stupid smile."
Then, Sunny sighed:
"So, what do you want me to do? From how you kept avoiding the subject for these past days, I'm guessing that it's not something trivial."
Changing Star smiled, then looked at him with white sparks dancing in her eyes.
"A really small thing, really."
***
Very soon, the sun rose higher, and the dark whirlpool surrounding the Crimson Spire became a little smaller. Several bridges of red coral rose from its depths, connecting the island to the rest of the Forgotten Shore.
And out there on the island, countless silhouettes suddenly began to move, crawling out of the crimson mounds. They were the Nightmare Creatures guarding the cursed tower.
All of them moved together in strange harmony, devoid of the usual territorial aggression that forced the Nightmare Creatures of different tribes to fight each other. They were subjugated by the Crimson Terror and now served to guard the Spire.
Like a terrible wave, the horde of monsters rolled over the bridges of crimson coral and flowed toward the human army.
From his position at the back of it, Asher could clearly see the bodies of those standing in the front line tremble and take an involuntary step back. Someone even dropped their weapon. A moment later, Effie's loud voice rolled over the rows of Sleepers:
"Stand your ground, wretches! If anyone runs, I'll kill you myself!"
Strangely, her irritated shout calmed down the fear in their hearts.
A moment later, however, it was drowned in the cacophony of the approaching horde.
Asher carefully studied the scene, turning to his side. Aiko, Stev and Kido stared down at the army with somber eyes. Kido in particular looked at Gemma with worry in her eyes.
All around them, the chaos of preparation churned. Runners darted back and forth—some carrying the wounded from the bloodied first and second lines toward the makeshift hospital behind. Others relayed orders, their shouts swallowed by the roar of restless steel. This was the fourth line—their last reserve. The one under Kido's command.
He was in charge of the entire army, in general, just like Nephis.
And yet… she hadn't moved. Not yet. She sat in perfect stillness above, meditating amidst the storm, while Sunny and Cassie flanked her in silence. No one dared disturb them, but the weight of that silence pressed down like stone.
Asher tore his gaze away, summoning Boomlet with a sharp breath. The tiny orb trembled in his palm, glowing faintly,
"Till this makes a loud shout to run, stay here... Please."
They nodded without a word as he rose into the air. But Aiko stepped forward suddenly, catching his wrist.
He turned, startled. Her jaw was clenched tight, her eyes glassy with the shimmer of unshed tears. Her voice cracked as she forced the words out.
"Please, Asher."
She held his gaze, trembling but refusing to let the tears fall. "You have to come back. You have to meet us… on the other side."
For a heartbeat, he just stared at her—her desperate eyes, her trembling shoulders, her stubborn refusal to break. His chest tightened.
His lips curved into a sardonic smile, but it faltered halfway, never reaching his eyes. His voice was quiet, almost hollow.
"…I'll try."
And then he pulled free, letting himself drift upward into the sky.
Aiko's fists clenched at her sides as she watched his figure rise. Her teeth sank into her lip, holding back the sob threatening to break.
"Please…" she whispered, trembling. Then louder, the words spilling out through grit teeth—words half-prayer, half-command:
"Don't end up like Hou. Please."