"I can't wait to brag about how the famous changing star had ridden me!"
Suddenly, a burst of flames leapt at his head, singing off some strands of hair.
"I dare you to repeat those words, you mutt."
Walking through a forest, they left a pile of burnt and cut-up nightmare creatures behind them. They were attacked as soon as they had found shore, but sadly for the nightmare creatures, they still had some fight in them despite the long journey. Sadly for them, that was the last bit of fight they had in them, so now they were searching for temporary shelter.
"Did you really waste essence on that! This is what I'm talking about, legacies are so pompous!"
Cutting through the branches blocking their path with her Dream Blade, Nephis threw a glare at him.
"Of course we would seem that way to such a scoundrel like yourself... Scoundrel, that fits more than I thought..."
A slightly forced smile popped up on his face as he took a glance at her.
"And how long did it take you to think of that one, my ever so humble highness? I guess that brain has more in it than just burn and swing after all, ahaha!"
As a nightmare creature that was twice the size of Sunny jumped out, its wide circular mouth full of jagged teeth ready to suck them in, he jumped into it, letting the creature tear into his throat before using his aspect to replace it. Once replaced, flames shot out at it, incinerating it.
Feeling his throat, he was met with a leather but scaly-like skin comparable to a snake's.
"Ah, thank the gods, it was getting hard to breathe."
Nephis's eyes narrowed before she let out a sigh, as her voice took on a different tone than usual, something he couldn't quite put his finger on.
"Please stop doing that... Not only could you never get those parts back, but it irks me to see you injured like that."
A smirk split his face as he tried to suppress a laugh.
"Are you worried for little ol' me, ahaha! Don't wo—"
"Yes. I would say I am."
Well, that was surprising.
---
Taking the washed and dried skin of a small snake nightmare creature, she wrapped it around her injured ankle. It was the dead of night—not that she could tell. The only thing she could feel was the heat of the flames and the sounds coming from this merciless land.
She had thought she was somewhat used to being robbed of her senses, but now that she was actively trying to survive while robbed of one of her main senses—and one of the most, if not the most important one—the reality had truly sunk in.
In the academy, while she struggled, it was never like this. Of course, the main reason for that was her life wasn't at risk at every moment there. But there was also another reason. Two individuals popped up in her mind. Those two individuals had protected and essentially coddled her.
It was disgusting. Not them—no, they were the furthest thing from disgusting in her heart—rather, she was disgusted with herself, at her weaknesses, a weakness she spent no time trying to make up for.
What had she done in the time they had spent in the academy? Sure, she had done some basic training with them, but what else? She couldn't think of a single thing.
She missed them so much it caused an ache in her very heart. But what if they were to meet up once more? Would things go back to the same? Would she just be spoiled by them with care she couldn't think of a reason she deserved?
How long had they known each other? Despite the three of them knowing each other less than a year, it seemed as if they had already taken up a large portion of her heart.
Due to this, her heart was partially beating because of those two. Perhaps that was the problem. She had let them be the sole reason her heart was beating; she had forgotten to let it beat on its own.
That's why just for tonight... Just until the morning.
She had to let it beat on its own.
And then, in the midst of her slumber—
A vision had struck.