Nephis looked at the runes describing her progress. Her speed of growth was terrifyingly fast. After days of experimenting, she and Sunny had found that Nephis could absorb about 10% of the soul fragments from nightmare creatures she burned with her fire. Naturally, this number was multiplied for those of a higher class than her, which were all the creatures in the forgotten shores. Outside of the carapace tribe, the team had encountered other types of creatures. None was below awakened rank, though. Because of this, Nephis would earn from fifty to two hundred shards per kill, which allowed her to grow strikingly fast. Comparatively, Sunny only got two fragments from awakened beasts.
At first, Nephis could not handle the cruel embrace of her flaw for long. She would train with her aspect often, meditating and enduring. She also used it during battles, but could not last long, causing her to burn only three scavengers, but after the fight with the centurion, enduring the endless pain became easier and easier. After that day, not a single kill went by that was not absorbed by her flames.
Sunny was still hesitant about using her aspect. He was still scared about the prospects it might bring. Nephis did not care about his worries at the start, but as her emotions slowly returned, she began to take his words to heart much more. Now, she would only ever call forth her flames in difficult battles or to finish off wounded beasts.
With hunting taking most of their time in the day, they had killed almost a hundred creatures in the labyrinth. With Sunny being able to control dormant shadow essence and her being a higher class, they could handle two or sometimes even three scavengers simultaneously.
Shadow dance had been a huge help to Sunny as well. He had shadowed all the creatures in the labyrinth and had gotten the hang of fighting them. He even swore that he could feel the second step of his mastery settling the more he shadowed.
With that, they had gotten much stronger, with the echo carrying Cassie, they had made substantial progress in the labyrinth. Unfortunately, the spell had gotten quite stingy and had not granted them anything new.
Eventually, they had reached a place that was not endlessly covered by the red, coral-like vines. Instead, it was entirely filled with ash-like sand. In the middle, there was a barrow built from it. On top of the barrow, a tree with bark as black as the dark sea and leaves as red as the coral was resting majestically.
Sunny felt an ominous feeling.
"This is weird…"
Nephis gave him a look, nodding. She had already regained most of her feelings and had returned to her old, seemingly indifferent, but caring self.
"The coral had been everywhere before, it is unusual that there is none of it here."
Sunny frowned.
"It's not only that… My shadow cannot find any enemies around here." Maybe an inexperienced sleeper would assume that was a good thing, but for Sunny and Nephis, they knew that the place had to be dangerous if even the awakened creatures avoided it.
"Stay alert." Nephis said in a sharp tone.
Sunny nodded slightly, taking her advice seriously. Moving slowly through the ashen barrow, Sunny tried choosing the paths that hid them most from sight. Fortunately, the area was covered with various knolls that they could hide behind.
"You think those eater worms come from here?" Sunny asked in a whisper.
Nephis slowly shook her head.
"It is unlikely…"
Sunny found himself agreeing with her again. They had not found any of them here, and the place was littered with holes. Those creatures had been especially deadly for them in the labyrinth, so Sunny was still keeping an eye out.
'Maybe there really are no enemi-. D-damnation!' Sunny's line of thought had been quickly cut off as he noticed a carapace centurion hauling a transcendent soul shard towards the barrow.
"What is it, Sunny?" Nephis, who had noticed his expression immediately, asked.
"It's a centurion… one of those that were at the shark carcass. It's carrying a transcendent soul shard with it towards the barrow."
Nephis's eyes shone with a determined light. Looking directly at them, Sunny sighed.
"…Let me guess. You want to kill it."
She curled her lips upward slightly and summoned her sword.
"You know me so well."
Cassie on top of the echo had a forlorn expression.
"You guys are really leaving me alone again? Just to kill something?"
Nephis gave her a quick look and responded in her version of a comforting tone.
"Don't worry, Cassie, it will be quick."
Cassie sighed, knowing that nothing she said would change her mind,
"Alright, then, do it fast!"
Sunny summoned his azure tachi and the soul serpent, getting ready for battle.
"We will…"
***
Sitting on top of the centurion's corpse, Sunny was playing with the transcendent soul shard it was carrying. This had been the third centurion they had killed, and safe to say it went much better than the others. The first time was a disaster, and the second time had been relatively easier, but this time, they didn't even have to use the echo. The fact that the beast seemed overprotective of the shard did not help it one bit. The two had been quick to exploit that weakness.
Fidgeting with the shard that was more radiant than any he had fished out himself, he wondered if they would kill a monster of the demon class as sleepers. Considering how easy monsters had gotten, maybe it was possible.
"Hey, Neph! Catch!" Sunny called out, throwing the radiant shard in her direction.
Nephis claimed her sword back from the monster's weak spot, turning around and catching the shard. The steel of her blade still had hints of being heated up, and white flame was still dancing where the sword had just been a second ago.
"Isn't it crazy that we are so nonchalant about all this? …I mean, you just threw me a transcendent soul shard, and we are just sleepers." Sunny's lips curled upwards into a smile as he jumped down from the corpse.
"Yeah… and we are both divine aspect wielders, you have formed a demon core, and not to mention that this is the third awakened monster we have killed." Nephis smiled back.
"You are are forgetting that shadow of yours that allows you to control essence as a dormant."
"Of course! How could I forget about me and my mighty soul serpent? This dormant beast is definitely good enough to cover my lack of fragments." Sunny said in a slightly sarcastic tone.
"Stop comparing yourself to me…" Nephis retorted in a cold tone as she absorbed the shard. Then she added.
"…You are strong in your own regard."
"Yes… and when I kill something, I get only two fragments. Come on, you know that's not fair."
"…Sure, it's not fair in the slightest." Nephis admitted, "But every single time I use my innate ability, I am subject to excruciating pain. Would you rather that happen to you?" Her voice was more somber, almost to the point of breaking. Her retort in their petty argument put Sunny in a bad mood.
"…You should go easier on yourself." He responded after letting silence settle in. Nephis nodded slowly, clearly not in the mood to continue their bickering.
"Fine, let's go."
Sunny and Nephis harvested what they needed from the centurion and returned to the knoll where they had just hidden. Cassie was patiently waiting for them. After the fight with the first centurion, having to wait for both of them to return had become a common occurrence for her, and Sunny could see that she felt left out and annoyed, maybe even a little bit useless. Sunny could not blame her at all. He had felt annoyed at first with emotionless Neph dragging him around, as well.
"Hey, Cassie." Sunny said, notifying the blind girl that they were back.
"Already?! …I know you said you would do it quickly, but I did not expect it to be this fast."
"The monster had a clear weakness we exploited to get rid of it swiftly." Nephis cut in.
"Is that so… thats great! Did you guys get anything?"
Sunny shook his head, knowing that she could not see it.
"No, the spell seems to be awfully stingy after the first kill." He stopped speaking for a moment, then he added.
"On the topic of the weakness, isn't it weird how it was handling the soul shard? It was almost as if the things entire being depended on it."
Nephis nodded, fully sharing his sentiment. "It is… strange. The centurions have no use for the shards, but this one carried it with strange reverence. The way it was handling it was almost like it was holding a toddler and not just a soul shard." She looked towards Cassie and opened her mouth.
"Any ideas on what it could be?"
"Maybe they are bringing it to the barrow in the center of this place… one with the tree on it. Didn't Sunny describe it moving towards it?" Cassie answered in an excited tone, happy to be included.
Sunny curled his lips in approbation, "a plausible theory. I feel like it is, or at least is very close, to the truth."
"That… I can't argue with." Nephis said as she looked towards the barrow. "I guess we won't know until we go there."
Cassie pursed her lips. "Go where? The barrow? Don't you think that place is… I don't know, dangerous? …creepy?"
"It is the only way west. We have no other choice. Whatever danger lurks there does not matter. If it is our will, nothing will stop us." Nephis cut in coldly. Her voice carrying determination of a thousand valiant knights.
Cassie and Sunny did not argue. They both knew she was right. No matter how ominous that place felt, and how chilling that tree was. It was the only way west.