***
"Be Gone!" Sunny said as he watched his mental problems in the appearance of his past self vanish into the darkness.
It was about time, time for him to be free of these shackles.
While walking through the darkness of the estuary and entering a strange white tunnel, he kept smiling.
Suddenly, an elegant voice, like a divine whisper, echoed in the white space, taking him off guard.
"Stop right there..."
Sunny's heart raced; the voice...is too familiar to him. The same voice that stripped away his freedom, the same voice of the emotionless princess.
And also the same voice, he loved to hear, though the reality of his enslavement barely ever let him enjoy the feeling.
According to his speculation, all of them had taken the role of someone within the Great River of Time, Mordreat and Kai as the Soldiers of the Serpent King, Effie as a Warrior of that Tribe, and Cassie as one of the oracles in Fallen Grace.
Then who were they, him and Nephis? In the middle of nowhere, who were the two people they took the role as?
It was simple, it was themselves.
Specifically, it was their future selves who somehow entered the Tomb of Ariel.
The Nephis of their current selves were still with the Cohort, trying to end the nightmare by defeating the first seeker.
In other words, the person in white inside the estuary with him was none other than Nephis from the future.
"So...Why are you here, Nephis?" He asked, his mind racing with all sorts of possibilities of their future, the most common was 'What is our relationship in the future?'.
To his question, the other side was silent. It was him saying "Hello?" that the other side seemed to break from some kind of trance.
"You look...happy?" The other side asked, avoiding his first question.
It only took Sunny a second to realize that she was asking about him abandoning the cohort. He tried to explain,
"You know how important this is to me, right? I can and will do anything to achieve it." He said with a determined look.
The other side stayed silent, eventually saying, "I'll take my leave." As the white space began to dim, Sunny asked her.
"Wait! A-Are we still together in the future?"
"The dim white space halted, its brightness dimming a bit more.
"Yes, we are." She said in a wistful tone. The white space receded, bringing back the familiar darkness of the estuary and a silence.
Sunny showed a genuine smile, a happy and genuine smile that maybe his la-
Sunny walked deeper inside, images filled with happiness with Nephis came to his mind.
It has been a while since he realized his feelings, maybe after all this, they can be a family, together...
At the back of his mind, he picked up a distant voice of the future Nephis, "I'm sorry..."
What was she apologizing for? It should be him apologizing for abandoning them, isn't it?
Deciding to think about it later, Sunny kept his pace. He has limited time as Nephis, and the cohort might be nearing the first seeker on their end.
Soon enough, the tunnel ended, revealing a large space of water with a single island enhabiting a shimmering tree and what looked to be a coffin.
The tree gave him a sense of desperation; he could find whatever truth was lying there later, but his main target should be the fruit of the tree, which should be the key to his freedom.
He rushed towards the tree, his face showing a raw desperation and excitement.
As soon as he reached it, he plucked up one of the shimmering fruits. He did feel a great and sinister presence in the darkness, but he was desperate for his freedom, so he ignored it.
He was about to take a bite when his vision suddenly faded into obscurity. A mad sense of helplessness took over his heart as soon as he realized what was happening; the fruit was right under his lips; only a second would have been needed for him to change his fate.
The Nightmare was ending... and confirming his obvious guess, the rotten spell spoke.
[Wake up, Sunless! Your Nightmare is Over!]
***
At the gate of the Estuary, a woman in silver armor and hair like shimmering light sat on the stairs, looking over the sky, at the six divine shards radiating like the sun.
"Did you see something?" She said to apparently no one.
Then, her shadow falling on the stairs stirred, and the voice of a man echoed in the silence of the river.
"I did," the man said. The shadow behind her came alive, slowly manifesting into the figure of a man very much similar to Sunless.
He walked ahead and sat two steps below her feet, a smile on his lips.
"What did you see?" She asked with a curious look.
"A...A serene and happy scene."
Surprisingly, a tear made of pure radiance slid down the woman's cheeks. She looked at him, "Why are you smiling?"
"...."
"Maybe because....I want to."
The reply shocked her, looking at him with a wide eye, she curled up and buried her face in her knees.
"I'm Sorry..."
***
To be Continued...