Her blade flashed again. And again. And again.
Each strike carried years of resentment and hate, sharpened into something heavier than steel. It bit deep, carving red lines into the body of her hated opponent, lines that should have been fatal long ago.
Its mocking voice slithered through her mind, echoing without source or direction, as though the sound itself had learned how to propagate without a mouth. It laughed at her effort. It laughed at her wounds. It laughed at the very idea of being hurt.
The thing before her was grotesque beyond words. Its shape shifted when she tried to focus on it, limbs bending at impossible angles, surfaces crawling as though its flesh were remembering other forms.
Looking at it too long made her head ache, as if she wasn't meant to witness the being before her.
And yet, she did not waver in her conviction, neither did her sword. Not against it, not after so many sacrifices.
Flames began to dance around her, white radiance painting the world in divine fire.
This had lasted long enough; it was time to bring it to an end.
The fire embracing her grew brighter, hotter, heavier. The air screaming as it warped her surroundings. She channeled the names of fire and destruction, dozens more followed, overlapping and stacking atop one another, exalting the blaze until it no longer felt like mere fire but divine retribution.
She stared at the creature one last time before unleashing her attack.
This was it. The end of the line. What she had been striving for all of this time.
After so long, she was finally going to do it.
Nephis had spent countless nights thinking about this very moment. She had come up with speeches, insults, taunts, and so many more things to say.
But now that she was face to face with it? She found herself unwilling to say anything.
It had taken enough things from her; She would not let it take even a single second more.
"Burn," She ordered with an impassive voice.
The flames swelled outward in a blinding surge, and night became day. White fire drowned the horizon, erasing color, sound, and shape in one swift motion.
[You have sla#%&/·"]
The mocking voice cut off mid-word, collapsing into static and fractured noise, syllables twisting, unraveling, dissolving into meaninglessness. Whatever it had been trying to say never finished forming.
[...]
It had gone silent.
The tyrant was slain.
Nephis laughed, the sound tearing itself from her chest, raw and unrestrained.
She had done it.
She had actually done it.
She had destroyed the Spell at last.
Her laughter grew louder, harsher, until her chest burned and her throat ached. When she finally stopped, all it took was a glance at the smoldering corpse of her nemesis for the laughter to start again.
She laughed for what could have been hours, days, or all of eternity. She had never been so happy as she was at that moment.
When she stopped at last, tears of pure joy were flowing freely down her cheeks. She did not care to wipe them away. What need was there to project an image of force anymore?
At her feet, there were more corpses.
Asterion, his body reduced to a blackened ruin, barely recognizable as human. He had thought to control her. The flames had answered that arrogance with annihilation.
Anvil, impaled by countless swords of his own making. He had thought himself capable of winning in a clash of steel and found out just how wrong he was.
Ki Song, nothing but coal remained of her body. She had foolishly trusted that her regeneration would outlast Nephis' flames, and paid the price.
From the corner of her eyes, she could see more.
Hope, radiant and abyssal, Nephis had returned the favor before killing her.
The Lady of the Lake, an eerie smile still present on her face even in death.
Mordret, reduced to warped, molten glass, frozen mid-reflection.
Gunlaug, the golden tyrant replaced by the pathetic man who had been hiding underneath all along.
Laughter threatened to erupt once more. It would have, were it not for a sudden sound.
Soft steps echoed behind her, approaching unhurriedly.
Nephis turned around to see a young man walking toward her. He was short, with dark hair and pale skin, his eyes like pools of darkness that seemed to devour light around him.
He smiled warmly, an expression of pure affection settling on his face upon seeing her.
Nephis was covered in blood and soot, her armor cracked and blackened, and yet, he kept approaching nonetheless, completely unconcerned by the ghastly image she must have made.
"Sunny...?" She began, almost afraid of what he was going to do.
He kept walking, the same warm smile still painted on his handsome face.
The distance kept closing, and in no time, they were face to face, he smiling warmly while she had a nervous expression.
When Sunny raised his arms, she flinched, expecting an attack, only to freeze when they enveloped her in a comfortable embrace.
"Congratulations, Neph." He whispered softly, almost lovingly. "You won."
Her own arms rose to return the embrace, a smile taking shape on her own face.
That's right, she had won.
"Was it worth it?" He asked in the same soft tone, no accusation or reproach to be found.
"Yes." She answered without hesitation.
"Good."
The arms grew tighter around her, almost suffocating.
"Sunny...?"
"You will remember me, won't you?" He asked, his voice was still soft, but there was something darker underneath.
"Of course I will."
The arms grew tighter just as the embrace suddenly turned cold.
"I'm glad to hear that," He said, voice still warm despite how cold he was. "I don't think anyone else will, now that I'm dead."
The words struck her like a hammer, and she immediately let go, opening distance between the two of them.
What she had failed to see before was made clear now.
His skin was not pale; it was grey, dull, and lifeless. His eyes were gone, replaced by empty holes that drank in the light. Dried blood stained his body in jagged streaks.
And still, he smiled, not a worry in the world.
"Remember me." He pleaded again.
"Remember me."
"Remember me."
"Reme..."
-------------------------------------------
POW.
Nephis woke up startled, her heart pounding like a runaway horse.
POW.
Her gaze snapped towards the door, the origin of the noise that had woken her up.
POW.
The heavily reinforced door was bending outward, unable to handle the merciless beating it was taking.
POW.
Fury drowned her mind. Someone dared to attack her mansion? Her home? And not content with that, they were trying to breach the one place where she didn't have to hide herself?
She rose from her seat, the [Undying Chain] taking shape as she did, encasing her in black, lusterless iron.
On her hand, the [Blessing of the Moon] formed from starlight, a slender, curved sword of pale metal, gleaming beneath the cold light of the room.
She afforded herself a second to look at the pod before focusing on the soon-to-be-dead intruder. Sunny was in his pod, sleeping peacefully, and most importantly, alive.
POW.
A final deafening crash could be heard, and the reinforced door meant to stop the assault of Masters gave up.
For a moment, it stood there, frozen. Then it tilted backward and crashed to the ground with thunderous finality.
Why isn't the alarm ringing yet? She wondered.
Nephis archived the thought for later and lunged toward the entry, ready to make those who dared attack her home regret it.
The dust settled just in time to reveal Effie's frowning face. A frown that turned into an expression of fear when she saw the blade approaching her neck.
Nephis halted just in time upon seeing the person she was attacking, the sword lurching to a stop, mere millimeters away from severing Effie's head.
"Princess, what the Spell is wrong with you?!"
Nephis took a step back, taking the blade away from her friend's neck, where a thin red line had been carved.
She took the momentary pause to survey the situation. Hiding behind Effie's tall form were Rain, Kai, and Cassie, as well as some of her Firekeepers.
Just what was going on?
"Why did you destroy the door?" She asked, a frown settling on her face.
It would be expensive to repair. It was made from the best materials and technology in the world. The fact that it had lasted so long against Effie's assault was a testament to its quality, not a flaw.
She would still have to get a better one, if a Master -even one as strong as Effie- could get through, so could any of her enemies.
"Why did I destroy the door?!" Effie echoed incredulously. "You weren't answering! We have spent hours trying to get in contact with you, and we received no indication that you were even alive!" The huntress threw her arms in exasperation.
Hadn't she answered a little while ago? It had only been a day or two; her concern seemed exaggerated.
Cassie, as if capable of reading her mind, spoke calmly. "You have been inside for almost two weeks already."
Nephis blinked, suddenly hit with a wave of exhaustion.
After reading Sunny's message, she was completely unwilling to leave his side. Time had blurred together as she watched, waited, refused to sleep. She had been too afraid of missing anything to.
She wanted to be there when he returned, so it made sense to stay until he did.
But two weeks?
Had that much time really gone by?
It must have, if she had fallen asleep without even realizing. It was further confirmed by her growling stomach.
Kai approached, smiling nervously, looking like a man tasked with talking down a hungry dragon.
"How about we go up and eat something while we talk about this?" He proposed, arms raised up in a placating gesture.
"Big Sis, you need to rest." Rain added, looking like she wanted to be in any place but here.
Nephis blinked, realizing that she still hadn't dismissed her armor or weapon. As well as the fact that her body was still coiled as if about to attack.
She could use some rest and food, but...
Nephis turned around, the pod was behind her, and the person inside had not stirred at all. He hadn't so far, but she still dreaded that he might the moment she looked away.
A firm hand clasped her shoulder and started pulling her away. It was only endless hours of practice that stopped her from instinctively retaliating and cutting off the arm.
"Doofus will still be here after you get some food in you," Effie spoke, her voice not tolerating any dissent. Then, she sniffed the air and turned her face away. "And a shower. Definitely a shower."
"I..."
Cassie interrupted her before she could protest. "Sid and Gorn will stay to guard Sunny."
Nephis turned to the blind Seer, who met her stare with calm indifference, just as unwilling as Effie was to bend on the matter.
In the end, she sighed and allowed herself to be dragged away.
She kept looking at the pod until they reached the stairs and left the basement behind.
-------------------------------------------
The food was excellent, one of her favorite dishes, prepared exactly the way she liked it. The seasoning was precise, the meat tender, the aroma rich with familiarity. Every element spoke of care and devotion; their cook was one of her most loyal followers, someone who had memorized her preferences down to the smallest detail.
Nephis noticed none of it.
She ate mechanically, shoveling forkfuls into her mouth with single-minded efficiency. The goal was simple: finish as fast as possible and go back.
A fist smashed into the table, the crack sharp enough to cut through her thoughts.
"Are you listening at least?" Irritation colored the voice of the Huntress.
Nephis blinked, momentarily disoriented. Her mind felt sluggish, weighed down by exhaustion and hunger that had gone ignored for far too long. She looked up, confused.
Had Effie been talking to her all this time?
Kai grimaced, looking like he didn't want to get involved but was doing so nonetheless. "Don't be too rough, Nephis doesn't seem to be in good shape."
The placating words only seemed to incense the Huntress further.
"And whose fault is that?" Effie snapped, spinning toward him before refocusing on Nephis. Her jaw was tight, fists clenched so hard her knuckles whitened.
Cassie sighed deeply, looking exhausted by the conversation. "Acting like that is not going to help her."
"Then what will?" Effie asked, looking even more exhausted than the Seer was. "Everything is normal one day, and the next she refuses to leave. She barely answers what we have to say. And in the end, stops doing it altogether."
Nephis stared down at her plate. She could feel the weight of her concern so clearly that it was almost suffocating. Each word landed like a quiet accusation, even though she didn't mean them that way.
The huntress clenched her teeth upon seeing her reaction, fists closed so tightly her knuckles popped.
"What am I supposed to do?" She asked, looking genuinely lost. "How am I supposed to react? Should I have just let it be? To do nothing as a friend seemingly decides to just waste away from one day to another?"
Cassie cleared her throat, about to reply. "You should..."
Effie's fist smashed on the table again, cracking it this time.
"Don't," she hissed, hazel eyes blazing. "Don't you dare tell me to calm down."
Kai raised both hands placatingly. "We've been patient," he said, his tone carefully even. "We know something's been wrong for a long time. We waited. We offered help. We didn't ask questions, no matter how badly we wanted answers."
He hesitated, then looked directly at Nephis; there wasn't any accusation in his eyes. Just a deep concern.
Somehow, that made it worse.
"And that ends now," Effie finished for him, her voice quieter but far more dangerous.
"Lady Nephis, Cassie, we need to know. We have to know." He pleaded, his voice so sincere it hurt.
The Seer looked startled, unsure of what to say.
"Sunny sent me a message." Nephis spoke calmly, one hand holding the plate of food in the air while the other was still forking the food.
All of them blinked, caught off guard by such an answer.
It seemed like her diversion had worked.
In the end, the first one to recover was Kai. "How?"
Nephis shrugged, still eating calmly. "I don't know, only that he did."
"What did it say?" Cassie intervened before they could continue with that line of questioning.
The blind seer looked afraid of the answer she would receive.
"He's going to challenge a Nightmare Seed," she said evenly. "Or rather… he already did. The message was almost two weeks ago."
Silence settled in the room after her words, thick and heavy.
"Why?" Effie asked, looking seconds away from shaking her as if that would make her answer faster.
"There wasn't much in the way of options." She answered honestly.
They frowned, trying to understand why someone as risk-averse as he would make such a dangerous decision.
Rain spoke up softly. "Was there anything else?"
The girl, who had been silent so far, intervened at last. She hadn't felt like it was her place to get in between them, but since the topic had shifted to her brother, she had every right to know.
Nephis looked away, unable to meet the gaze of her student and little sister - at times, she still blushed when thinking of her like that- at the moment.
"When he comes back," Nephis answered quietly, "he wants to be a big brother to you."
Rain looked startled, her eyes growing wet immediately after.
She knew that her student was insecure about their relationship. She was just a Sleeper -though there was nothing 'just' about her- while Sunny was seen as a heroic figure.
Rain did not know just how much Sunny loved her, and as such was afraid that he might not care about her when he returned.
Nephis had tried to reassure her many times that it wasn't the case, but it was hard to get the message through. Even now, it seemed like she still had doubts. Maybe this would be the time she would be convinced.
In the end, she left Rain to come to terms with her emotions while she turned towards Kai.
"He wants to go to a concert with you and see your reaction when he tells you about his adventures."
Kai smiled charmingly, eyes growing wet too. He laughed softly, looking far away, as if he could already picture the outlandish tales that Sunny was sure to bring back with him.
His shoulders seemed to relax slightly, as if tension had been relieved momentarily, only to return immediately after.
A frown etched on his face, concern clear for the world to see. Few knew better than him the kind of absurd feats that their shady friend could pull, but a Second Nightmare as a Sleeper was one that could not be understated.
Her gaze went to Effie next.
"He will prepare a feast for you and won't allow you to eat any of it until you apologize for teasing him so much."
The Huntress laughed bosterously, the wicked grin on her face telling clearly that there would be no apologies to be found. If anything, she would probably be worse than ever. She looked away, seemingly deep in thought, but Nephis did not miss the glassy quality that her eyes took on.
Finally, she looked at Cassie, whose hands were trembling uncontrollably.
"He wants to hear what you have to say before deciding anything."
The Seer merely nodded, no indication of what she thought to be found on her expression. If any of them noticed the fact that her blindfold grew two dark patches right where her eyes were, they did not comment on it.
Silence settled over the room again, none of them willing to break it, clearly busy within their own minds.
Nephis kept eating, strength returning to her little by little. Her plan was set: a shower, maybe a little nap, and then she would go back.
He had been alone long enough; she wouldn't allow him to be when he returned at last.
A little commotion drew her back to the real world, just in time to see Effie hoist up Rain as if she were a puppy.
"Don't worry, Rainy girl, Doofus will come back." Effie proclaimed cheerfully. "He learned from the best after all," She finished, proudly puffing up her chest.
"Yeah, Big Sis is a great teacher after all." Rain replied cheekily, looking completely unconcerned with the way the Huntress was handling her.
Effie laughed, softly rapping a knuckle against the girl's head. "You were cuter when you mumbled every word."
Rain grew red in the face, pointedly looking away from everyone in the room.
Kai smiled softly, seemingly at ease. "I prefer it this way."
It was easy to understand why. The poor girl could barely look at him without growing red when they first met.
"I also prefer it this way," Cassie chimed in, her blindfold having been replaced at some point with a fresh one.
Rain pouted, pointedly still looking away. "I wasn't that bad." She mumbled.
"You were," Nephis couldn't resist retorting.
The betrayal in her little sister's face was so comical that it brought a smile to her face.
"Not you too," She bemoaned, looking as if the world had just fallen on her shoulders.
They all laughed, the tension between them disappearing completely.
Effie kept teasing while Rain tried to defend herself, Kai, as usual, played the beleaguered mediator, and Cassie observed with barely concealed amusement. Nephis watched all of it, a barely visible smile on her face.
I should tell the truth, she thought.
If there was a moment to come clean, it was this one.
She should say it all, reveal the guilt that had been gnawing at her for almost two years already.
Nephis opened her mouth, ready to deliver the words. Then, she saw Rain's happy face, the content smile on Kai's, Effie's laughter, and even Cassie's concealed mirth, and couldn't do it.
She couldn't ruin such a moment with the ugly truth. Not now.
When Sunny comes back, she decided. When he returned, she would tell the truth.
He would be there too, capable of sharing his own thoughts about it, to say whatever he wanted without their friends and sister having a preconceived notion.
It made sense.
It was logical. Fair. Sensible.
So why did it feel like yet another moment of weakness?
-------------------------------------------
"Has he sent any new message?" Cassie's voice cut through the silence, quiet but deliberate.
They were back in the basement now, just the two of them. The others had refused to let Nephis be alone again after what had happened before, so watches were arranged in pairs. It was meant to be reassuring.
It wasn't.
"No," Nephis answered. "None so far."
She didn't add that she had checked dozens of times already. That she had stared at the runes until they were burned into her vision, pulling them up again and again as if sheer repetition could force Sunny to send another message.
Cassie nodded slowly, as though the answer confirmed something she already knew. Her expression remained neutral, but Nephis could tell that Cassie had hoped to be wrong.
For a moment, the Seer was still. Then she tilted her head slightly, her posture subtly shifting, as if she were listening to a distant voice only she could hear.
Nephis watched her from the corner of her eye. It was unsettling, no matter how many times she had seen it.
After a few seconds, Cassie spoke again. "A gate will open tomorrow," she said calmly. "Two or three kilometers from here."
Nephis frowned immediately.
"Tomorrow?" The timing was terrible. Everything about it was terrible. And that close, too, far too close to be ignored. She exhaled slowly, forcing herself to think past the spike of irritation and unease. "What category?"
"Three," Cassie replied. "My mark in the Government has found out that Clan Valor has volunteered to deal with it."
The asnwer made Nephis' frown deeply. Valor wasn't so generous, not without reason or some profit to be found.
Foreboding settled in her stomach, deep and heavy. Something was about to go wrong, and she had the feeling that she couldn't stop it.
And she hated that.
"I'll be ready," Nephis said after a moment. "Whatever they're planning, I won't let it catch us off guard."
Cassie didn't respond immediately.
Instead, she turned her head toward Nephis, her sightless gaze settling squarely on her. There was no concern in her expression. No urgency. Just quiet certainty.
"When they arrive," Cassie said, "I need you to stall for as long as you can."
Nephis blinked, caught off guard by the sudden request, then her eyes narrowed slightly as she studied her friend.
"Why?"
Cassie answered without hesitation, her tone perfectly even. "Because if you don't, the world will end."