Sunny stared at Nephis's alluring figure. He couldn't looked anywhere else, mesmerized by her bloody body.
She walked toward him with steady steps. While he still looked at her, he couldn't avert his eyes from her.
She stopped just a few steps apart from him. A mischievous grin appeared on her face.
Nephis looked at his eyes, and asked.
"What are you looking at?"
"You."
A little bit of confusion appeared in her eyes, clearly not expecting an answer.
Before she could ask any further questions, he took a step forward, closing the distance even more.
He extended his arm toward her. She didn't back off. He put his right hand on her cheek, gently, the one that had more blood.
His face leaned closer, and he said with a soft tone.
"...You know how much...hot you're currently looking.."
Nephis's mind went blank, the..
she blushed hard. Hot pink blush covered her face.
'D..did I hear it right? Of course I heard it right...whe-..when did...he become so bold!?'
Sunny looked at her reaction, and a satisfying smile appeared.
'Uhff..that was embarrassing, but worth it. I should try to say my mind more.'
Yes, he was also a little embarrassed. He thought about a gamble, to say his thought out loud. If she didn't react, he would've died of embarrassment.
But if she reacted the way he thought she would, then it was worth it.
He looked at her smugly.
"Neph, would you like to say something?"
Nephis already composed herself, though there were still some pink shades on her ears.
She understood what he was trying to do. And she would take her revenge. Though that doesn't mean she didn't like it when he said...she is hot.
'I'm Changing Star, I can change sometimes. So, that means, I can also be petty sometimes.'
She took a step forward and came face to face with him. Only a few centimeters apart.
He looked at her curiously, trying to understand what she was doing.
She opened her mouth and said in a calm tone.
"Of course. I would like to say something."
Then she smiled dangerously. Sunny's instincts told him to stop her. But it was already too late.
She turned herself to the side a little. Her head moved forward, and reached his ear, just a few centimeters apart.
She then whispered into his ear in a...seductive tone.
"Thank you so much for...compliment...baby~ "
Now this time it was Sunny's turn to blush. His face got red like a tomato.
'Wha...what she said!?..This....this is not Nephis! Like...how can she say that..I mean yea this is not a..big deal. We should get used to calling...each other by this. But...why did she say it in that tone!?'
These two are grown adults by the way.
After Nephis said this, something in Sunny stirred. He tried to control his urge to throw himself on her.
He turned around.
"...Cassie is still waiting for us...I'll get there and tell her that we had won."
With that he went to Cassie.
Nephis let out a low chuckle.
'You're done, just like that, baby?'
She shook her head.
She also felt a bit embarrassed, because of what she said. But she wanted her revenge, and...wanted to say that word for a long time.
With this she also went toward Sunny and Cassie.
...
"Hey, Cass. We had finished the battle."
Cassie, who was nervously hiding behind a boulder, let out a deep breath.
"..Good. I was...getting worried, because you guys were taking longer than usual."
Since the last time, Cassie had gotten comfortable with them. She didn't have that anxious and tense voice anymore when talking to them.
"Well...you see it takes more time to cut out the meat and soul shards than to kill them." Technically true.
Well, Cassie one time got suspicious of them, because of their behavior toward each other. Like how they talked to one another.
But she quickly discarded it. Because Sunny and Nephis just met in the academy. Plus Nephis is a legacy. And Sunny is from outskirts. Even if they had feelings for each other, it was gonna take them a while to realize that.
At least that she thought....well she was not wrong though.
She sighed.
"I still couldn't believe it that you guys are just sleepers. Disposing awakened beasts left, right."
"Yes, because we are supreme sleepers!"
This let out a chuckle from her.
"Yea, yeah you guys are supreme sleepers among sleepers."
This exchange continued, until Nephis came up, and they started moving toward the next hill.
...
The atmosphere between Nephis and Sunny was a little awkward at first, but quickly returned to normal.
Nephis teased Sunny a little bit. Which Sunny said that he will take his revenge.
They were faster and stronger than last time. They almost killed anything they saw.
It didn't matter if it attacked them or not.
After they killed another group of Carapace Scavengers, they received an Echo for Cassie to ride.
Their journey became faster.
For moving so fast, they encountered the Carapace Centurion, an awakened monster, sooner.
It was going in the direction where they had killed it last time.
They made a simple plan.
Sunny would distract it. He already knew all its movements. With Shadow Dance, he could predict all attacks in advance.
Nephis would come from the back when it was distracted, and cut its back legs with Blessing.
Blessing is most effective against corrupted creatures, that's why she was the one who would attack it.
After it lost balance, everything was over.
...
Sunny was taking out the soul shards from it.
Nephis summoned her new armor, Starlight Legion Armor.
She now felt comfortable. It's not like she felt uncomfortable before.
It's that she wanted to be dressed properly when fighting. Unless she was in shower or doing the...thing with..Sunny.
Then she didn't want to be dressed. Of course, who wanted to be dressed at that times.
Sunny finished his harvest and went to her.
She looked at him, and noticed a small cut on his arm.
They hadn't been injured a single time since coming here. Only some bruises left and right.
She moved her hand toward his arm, to heal it.
He stopped her hand, with his other hand. He didn't hold it tightly. Instead, he held it gently and softly.
"You don't have to do it. It's just a cut."
She hesitatingly nodded.
They went back to Cassie. Though Nephis was a bit irritated.
After arriving here, this always happened. He got hurt a little bit, but didn't want to be healed by her.
And she knew exactly why.
He didn't want her to feel pain. He didn't want her to feel like she was burning alive. But he also knew that it didn't matter, she needed to use her Aspect.
When using her Aspect, she would feel like she was burning alive.
So he thought that the best he could do was not be healed by her, if he only received small injuries.
'It's not like I'd die by this. Plus I'm already used to the pain. It will take a maximum of two seconds to heal, I could endure that much easily.'
But she felt warmth in her chest. She was more happy than irritated.
Happy at how much he cared for her, that he could endure so much pain, just so that she could suffer less.
'...But..I don't want this."
But she also couldn't see him suffer, because of her. She also wanted him to be free from pain.
...
Because of them being so much stronger, they left the storm area before the storm even came.
This time they also hunted awakened monsters.
Nephis had over 300 fragments and Sunny had over 200 fragments, just some fragments away from reaching 300.
...
Currently it was night.
Cassie was right now sleeping on the platform, above a tall cliff.
A few distances away, two people sat on a platform. Their backs leaned against a wall of stone.
Their lips pressed against each other. Tongues intertwined, exploring one another's mouths.
Placing hands on the back of each other's heads and necks, deepening the kiss even more. Their tongues moved like they were a hungry beasts. Saliva slipping down from corner of their mouths.
After a few minutes, they finally parted.
A thin string of white saliva stretched between their mouths.
Breathing heavily, Nephis, who was sitting on the left side of Sunny, leaned closer and rested her head on his shoulder.
Her left hand rested on her own lap.
Her silver hair touched his neck.
Sunny, who was also breathing heavily, extended his left hand from behind her back, and gripped her left shoulder.
They held each other's right hands, gently. Fingers intertwined.
They settled in a comfortable silence. The cool breeze of night touched their faces.
After a few minutes Sunny broke the silence.
"One month earlier, huh?"
Nephis tilted her head a little.
Just enough to see his face, without removing her head from his shoulder.
"Yes. We're one month earlier. If we maintain the same speed as now, we'll reach...Ashen Barrow..in a week."
With that she moved her head from his shoulder, and sat straight.
She turned her head and looked into his eyes.
"You're worried about something, aren't you?"
A smile appeared on his face.
"I can't hide anything from you, can I?"
A small pause, then he again started speaking.
"Yes, I'm worried. Because we don't know what would happen when we go back to the waking world. What would happen in future, when we change something big? Fate will hundred percent would go in a direction we can't predict. So I'm a..litlle bit scared. I...fear that we'll fail again."
Nephis didn't say anything at first.
She softly squeezed his hand, with her hand.
She then opened her mouth and said in a steady tone.
"...I can..understand you. I also fear what would happen after we left. What happen after big changes. Trying to find a solution, so that fate didn't go in an unknown direction. Yet,...I found nothing. Seems like..there is no solutions. But..."
She closed her eyes for a second then again opened them.
This time there was fire burning in them.
Sunny had seen her like this before. But the fire in her eyes, this time was brighter than ever.
She then said with a tone of determination in her voice.
"If that is our will, who dares to stop us?"
....
Sunny looked at her for a few moments..then...
A low and suppressed laugh escaped his mouth. Because he didn't want to wake Cassie up. Still a suppressed laugh left his mouth..
Red shades appeared on her cheeks.
"..Why are you...laughing? Did..I say something wrong!?"
"Hehe....No it.. that..it's very much like..you. Of course if it is our..will who dares..ha..je..ha"
Still trying to suppress his laugh.
Nephis didn't say anything. Trying to remember something that would embarrass Sunny.
'I'm not going down alone.'
She put a small smile on her face.
"Oh well, I'm surprised that the mighty rightful heir of death and bastard son of fate can also feel fear of something."
Now it was time for Sunny to become embarrassed.
Red shades spread on his face.
He coughed.
"Ah! I...said that in a moment of heat. Forget about that already!"
"I'm never gonna forget that."
Sunny looked into her eyes, and smiled dangerously.
"Oh, okay, you want like this..okay. So..do you remember that you had fallen for me four times! Even in different personas!"
Nephis's expression cracked a little bit.
"..No that doesn't..count. Mongrel was someone that I just found impressive, because of his skills. Lord Shadow was someone who I thought...that, it would be nice to have my back in a battle. Master Sunless is literally you. So you're the only person I have loved and still love, in my life."
She said, talking more than usual.
After saying that she blushed a bit.
Sunny also blushed.
Because they had told each other, how much they loved them.
But hearing from her mouth, how serious she was, made this quite different.
Same for Nephis.
Because of how seriously she said it, it was embarrassing to say it out, face to face. With a serious voice.
They said this before, but they didn't say this with a serious face. They said it when they acted all lovey dovey, but never with this serious tone.
After a few seconds, Sunny sighed.
He extended his arms forward, wide open, toward Nephis.
Silently inviting her.
She didn't hesitate for a second and stepped into his arms.
He wrapped them around her, slowly brought her into his chest.
She didn't resist. Sinking herself in his embrace.
His legs wide open, stretching forward. She settled in between them. In front of him.
She relaxed into him, resting her head on his collarbone.
She placed her body diagonally against his.
Her entire left side leaned on his. Her legs bent on the ground as she settled more comfortably.
His right arm went across her back, gently holding her right shoulder.
His left arm circled around her waist, and wrapped around it, pulling her closer.
She also wrapped her arms around him.
She shifted a little, leaning herself even closer.
Her right hand also went from under his right arm, and wrapped around his back, holding him in return. Left hand went behind his neck, wrapped around it.
Her hair brushed against his jaw, and forehead pressed on it. She buried her face in his smooth neck.
They both held each other, pressing their bodies together, feeling one another's warmth.
Both felt comfortable and relaxed in each other's embrace. A sense of secureness washed over them.
Her warm breath faintly touched his neck.
Sunny lowered his head, and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, whose head was resting on his collarbone.
In response, she moved her face up a little, and softly kissed his cheek, then again settled back in his neck.
After that no words had been spoken. They Settled in a comforting silence.
Both can hear one another hearts beat.
Their hearts beat in sync.
Embracing each other like they were the only warmth in the cold of the dark night.
They slowly drifted toward slumber.
...
Sorry for the bad chapter. I don't know what was I thinking while writing this