The omurice disappeared from the plates with a speed that made Sunny a bit full of himself. Hesmiled proudly, and then looked at Nephis: "So,what do you think about the mess we're in?"
She put down her utensils, looked at the emptyplate with a hint of regret, and then asked: "That Mordret… the Rank of his Aspect is the same as ours?"
Sunny nodded, prompting her to frown. While she thought, he reluctantly added: "He is also older and more powerful than us, and possesses more knowledge than anyone in the waking worldshould have. Other than that, he is… actually, Idon't know what he is, I just feel that something isvery
wrong with that guy. Regardless, he is dead set ondestroying Clan Valor. It is just hard to tell how he is going to go about accomplishing that goal."
Changing Star remained silent for a fewmoments, then said evenly: "He is going to search for allies."
Sunny's expression grewa little darker. "Mordret isnot exactly a teamplayer." Nephis slowly shook her head.
"It doesn't matter. No matter how powerful he has become, it won't be enough to reach his goals.The… the enemy is too strong. Their power is too absolute."
She did not say it, but from the grim expressionon her face, Sunny could guess what Changing Star was thinking about. That she was in the exact same position.
Which did notbode well… He grimaced.
"So… do you think that we should expect to findthe bastard on our doorstep one day? The enemy of my enemy, and all that."
Sunny was not looking forward to meetingMordret again, let alone getting entangled with him in any shape or form. As far as he was concerned, the Prince of Nothing would bring nothing but trouble.
Nephis frowned, then said with uncertainty:
"No… I doubt it." 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖
Well, if she was right, that was a relief.
At that moment, Cassie deactivated hercommunicator and turned to face them.
"The Fire Keepers have reached the Immortal Flame manor. They are putting on a show to makeit seem like there are all kinds of activity going on inside. Hopefully, that is going to make most people think that you are there with them. Youshould not be bothered by anyone here, for awhile."
She paused for a moment, then sighed.
"But that is not going to last long. Maybe a week…the rest of us should not linger, as well. It would be strange if Kai, Effie, and I are not seen at the
manor. We will leave shortly and jointhe Fire Keepers." Which would leave Sunny and Nephis alone...
He did not know how to feel about that.
Effie, meanwhile, glanced at the empty plates andsaid in a petulant tone: "I live here as well, you know!"
Cassie turned to her with adeadpan expression. "Not for the next week, you don't."
As the huntress let out a sigh, the blind girlhesitated for a few seconds, and then said: "I am also in contact with the government representatives and Clan Valor. They understand the pressure you are facing so soon after you return, so they are willing to be… patient. For now. That will buy you a short buffer before they come knocking. Be ready to receive some requests for public appearances and so on in a week or two, as well as demands to
resume the negotiations. We can stall for atime, but not forever." Nephis looked at her calmly, then asked:
"What about Song andNight?" Cassie frowned.
"Clan Song might try to get involved in thenegotiations, but I don't expect them to be too forceful. They are in a more advantageous position than
Valor right now, after all. As for the House ofNight… they are remaining strangely passivethese days, for some reason. Maybe they justknow that they have less to offer than the other two great clans, and don't want to
bother."
Sunny had a different explanation for why theNightwalkers had less time to participate in the schemes of the two greater clans, but chose to remain silent. The information provided to him by Master Jet had been shared in confidence. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't go around spreading it.
The blind girl sighed, then rose from her seat.
"Try to rest well during this week, Neph. Don'tneglect your recovery. We
know that you are strong… but no one is truly infallible. Perhaps none of us
has experienced as much pain as you had in thesepast few years, but we faced our share. Some more than others…"
She briefly faced Sunny, then turned away andlowered her head.
"So, we understand how precarious it is to go on as if nothing happened without giving the old woundsa chance to heal. Don't be stubborn and have some pity on yourself, for a change."
Nephis looked at her. After a few moments, a palesmile appeared on her face.
"You don't have to lecture me, Cas. You areoverestimating my resolve. I am more than willing to rest for a while. Happy, even."
The words rest and happy hardly fit in the image of Changing Star they were accustomed to, but noone said anything. An ordeal like the one she had gone through was bound to change anyone, even someone as determined and unflinching as Nephis.
Cassie smiled, and then addressed Effie and Kai: "Let's go, then. There's a lot of work to be done atthe manor. We need to renovate it a little and make some adjustments to convert it into a proper clan headquarters."
Soon, they said their goodbyes and left. The PTVcame online and swiftly disappeared from view.
Sunny and Nephis were left alone in the cozy grey house.
He hesitated for a bit, and then looked at her with a bit of awkwardness.
"Well… make yourself at home, I guess. Actually,let me give you a tour…"