It was done.
The Vile Thieving Bird was dead.
Sunny stood before its corpse, staring at its grotesque form with no particular emotion.
Of course, that was only on the surface.
There was a storm of thoughts raging in his head, but he didn't pay much attention to them. Instead he was focused on what was happening inside his soul, on what was happening to his spirit and his existence as a whole.
His soul seemed to come alive, as if it had been lifeless before, an empty shell of a once brilliant thing.
His existence felt firmer.
Grounded, like he hadn't been in a long, long time.
Like he wasn't about to lose himself at any moment, should he misstep.
Sunny had expected pain, like a drill turning his brain to mush, or perhaps steel wires tearing up his soul or some other terrible experience.
Instead, he felt…
He couldn't describe what exactly it was he felt.
But he knew what was happening. He could visualize it as clearly as though he was wearing Weaver's mask and had activated the [Where is my eye?] enchantment.
With the death of the Vile Thieving Bird, the fate of Lost from Light had finally returned to its rightful owner, Sunny.
And now, the silvery strings of fate of Lost from Light were binding him once more to the broken tapestry, linking with countless other people's fates. Weaving itself back into the fabric of existence, and filling in the missing parts of both the past and present.
Reality seemed to ripple and shudder around him, pulsating outwards from where he stood in waves.
The effects of Sunny reclaiming his fate was felt all over the world.
Two worlds, even.
Sunny closed his eyes, breathing in deeply.
He reveled in the sensation of once again becoming a part of the world, of fate, of existence.
And he welcomed the return of the Spell.
Or rather, it welcomed his return in its usual fashion.
He heard the familiar voice of the Spell speak in his mind.
[Welcome back, Lost From Light.
Your treachery truly knows no bounds.
Even Fate cannot bind you to its designs.]
- - -
Cassie was sitting behind her desk in her office in the Ivory Tower. She looked up from her reports, sensing a disturbance.
A subtle rippling in the fabric of reality.
Most Saints, whose souls were fused and connected to the world to an extent, would be able to feel it like vibrations pulsating in the air.
Perhaps select Masters could feel it too.
But then there were people like Cassie, whose affinity to fate made them more susceptible to changes in its tapestry and the world.
They were able to sense much more than others, and Cassie was particularly attuned to such things.
To her, the ripples in reality were akin to tremendous waves, towering dozens of meters above in the sky and rushing forward with unfathomable speed.
Her eyes widened in awe and wonder.
She could feel that something profound was happening to fate and existence itself.
As though something that was lost had at last been found and replaced in its proper place.
As though the fabric of existence was whole and complete and right again.
Reality continued to shudder in waves. The air trembled and the winds stirred.
A brilliant smile bloomed on her delicate face.
'You did it.'
There was a short pause, then Sunny's voice echoed in her mind.
[Yeah.]
There was a little laughter in his voice.
[I really did it.]
Sunny had at last taken back his stolen fate, and the world was now feeling its impact all over.
In fact…
Cassie looked toward something beyond the walls of the Ivory Tower.
A few moments later she heard a loud boom outside and felt the whole island shake, as if a huge boulder had crashed into it.
"Oh dear…"
Someone was very, very angry.
- - -
Sunny turned his attention to a particular set of runes in front of him.
Name: Sunless
True Name: Lost from Light
And further down…
Innate Ability: [Shadow Bond]
Master: Changing Star
Sunny sighed.
He had expected himself to be filled with all sorts of emotional turmoil. Instead, he felt… strangely calm, now that it was done.
He was neither sad nor angry about the bond, and he wasn't whooping with joy either.
He felt at peace with it, a stark contrast to his mentality from so long ago, a lifetime ago.
A pale smile formed on his lips.
'Is this that 'character development' thing people always talk about?'
Then, he winced.
'Now… How should I do this?'
He glanced behind him to look at Nephis.
Her eyes were glazed over, as though she was looking at something that wasn't there.
Was she looking at her runes?
Had she noticed the new set of runes beneath her own?
Nephis swayed on her feet, her hand rising up to hold her head, as if in pain. Or was it just confusion? It was probably a headache, Sunny decided.
He instinctively reached out to steady her, sliding his arm gently around her waist.
Nephis held onto his arm, blinking rapidly. She turned to look at him, her expression unreadable.
Sunny held his breath. He was suddenly very nervous. Anxiety welled in his chest.
What was she thinking?
Was she angry?
Disappointed?
But what happened next was completely out of his expectations.
Nephis didn't say a word. She just bent down and laid her head on his shoulder, one arm snaking around his back.
He felt a cool sensation spreading on his tunic.
He froze.
Nephis was crying.
Silently. With tiny tremors that shook her shoulders and barely audible sniffles.
Nephis was crying.
How long had it been since he had last seen her cry?
Not since all the way back in the Forgotten Shore, after they had killed the Carapace Centurion. And even then, it was due to the pain of her Flaw, not overwhelming emotion.
Seeing Nephis, usually so strong and stoic, weep like this…
Sunny wrapped his arms around her. He didn't speak, and he didn't need to.
He just held her against him, to comfort her, ground her.
To let her know he was here with her.
Always.
- - -
There was no one word to describe what Nephis felt in that moment.
It was as though someone had opened the floodgates in her, and everything she had held back for so long was pouring out all at once.
Unstoppable.
Overwhelming.
With so many warring emotions.
She was sad that Sunny chose to leave.
She was disappointed that he hadn't trusted her.
She was sorry for the price he had to pay.
She was happy that she remembered him again.
And she grieved, for the time they had lost.
But above all else, she was angry.
She was angry at herself.
For forgetting.
For not being trustworthy enough.
For not being good enough.
She was angry at Cassie.
For going behind her back.
For not consulting her, for not telling her.
For leaving her in the dark.
She was angry, too, that she couldn't give Sunny what he wanted.
Not then… and not even now.
He had wanted to be free so badly, he had betrayed the cohort, betrayed her.
To be free from the bond.
To be free from her.
Yet, years later, here he was.
Holding her, as she wept her sorrow into his shoulder.
Choosing her and the cohort.
Giving up his freedom for all of them.
And somehow, knowing that felt worse than being burnt alive.
It filled her with joy.
It filled her with sadness.
It filled her with relief.
It filled her with regret.
Her whole body trembled with the weight of her emotions as she clung onto the man she loved.
His arms, wrapped around her, were like anchors grounding her, comforting her, soothing her.
And she held on tighter, afraid that if she let go, he'd disappear like wisps of smoke.
She could not bear it if that happened.
Not again.
- - -
There was no need for words. No need to explain.
Because Nephis knew why Sunny had done what he did. And Sunny knew Nephis would understand and would never hold it against him.
If anything, she'd blame herself instead.
So he held her close, to show that he was sorry, and show that she wasn't alone.
After a few minutes, Nephis' silent sobs subsided. She simply breathed. In and out.
Eventually, she spoke, softly.
"…I'm sorry. For what you had to go through."
She paused.
"But I'm happy for you, too. I'm glad that you got to experience freedom."
Sunny was quiet for a while.
"Freedom… is a nice dream to have. But it's just that in the end, a dream. True freedom isn't all that wonderful in reality. I found that out the hard way."
He sighed, long and heavy.
"'Be careful what you wish for', as they say. I regretted not listening to that advice for a long time. But looking back, I would've made the same choice even if I had known the price of it. It's better than never knowing what freedom was really like, you know?"
Nephis hugged him closer.
"Yeah."
After a while, Nephis turned slightly and said, "I missed you."
Her breath was a soft whisper against Sunny's neck.
"Me too," he breathed. His voice turned a little hoarse.
"I missed you, too. I missed you so much, Neph."
He added, "Which is funny, because I've spent the past four years right by your side. It's odd how this stuff works, isn't it?"
Nephis only gripped him tighter. A comfortable silence settled around them. They stayed like that a long while, holding each other, both unwilling to let go.
"…By the way, don't be too angry at Cassie."
Nephis shifted.
"I'm not angry at her."
Sunny pulled back slightly to stare at her. She looked away, almost bashfully.
"Maybe a little…"
He chuckled. "Just go easy on her. She feels bad enough about it as is."
Nephis turned back to him.
"Did she know before this? Remember, I mean."
Sunny nodded.
"It's how she became supreme."
"I see… and she told me she just managed to overcome a powerful mind hex."
He laughed.
"Well, she wasn't exactly lying."
"Still…" Nephis huffed, pouting slightly.
'Cute.'
Sunny gave her a quick kiss on the lips and grabbed her hand.
"C'mon. I'm sure Cassie has just about reached her limit dealing with the others by now. Why don't we go save her?"
Nephis smiled, and it was as though all the darkness in this cruel, cruel world had been erased by her brilliance.
"Okay."
And he pulled them both into the shadows.