Shadow Slave: Foreign shadow

"This way, hurry!" Sunny whispered urgently.

He and Cassie moved swiftly across the swampy terrain and crimson maze of the Forgotten Shore, with Myriad Shade taking the point as their vanguard. The sun had just crested the horizon, and the dark sea had only recently receded to reveal the labyrinth beneath.

Roughly eight hours had passed since he witnessed that towering pillar of silver flame piercing the darkness of the night. Absolutely certain it was Nephis—and whoever else might be unfortunate enough to be caught in her fiery wake—Sunny had hastily shaken the blind seer awake at the crack of dawn, simply telling her he had spotted survivors.

Miraculously, their path through the labyrinth was entirely devoid of abominations. It was highly likely that every Nightmare Creature in the vicinity had been drawn like moths to the blinding beacon of the fire tower the night before.

'Please, Neph, tell me you didn't just get yourself killed. You and your fucking obsession with setting things on fire!'

Sunny prayed silently, his eyes locked dead ahead. Lost in his anxiety, he inadvertently squeezed Cassie's hand a little too tightly. Feeling his tension, she turned her sightless face toward him, her brow furrowed in deep concern.

They pressed on, balancing desperate haste with extreme caution. And then...

"Sunny?" she whispered, her unseeing eyes widening as a visible shiver ran through her small frame. Her fingers tightened fearfully around his.

"I know," he replied instantly, swallowing a heavy lump in his throat.

The ground beneath their boots was beginning to tremble.

Through his shadow, Gloomy, who was scouting far ahead, Sunny saw it. A massive, frenzied horde of Carapace Scavengers and various other abominations was stampeding directly toward them in a blind, chaotic panic.

"Move!"

Without wasting a single second, Sunny scooped Cassie up into his arms, carrying her like a princess. He mentally barked a command at Thene, who was a few paces ahead, ordering her to fall back immediately. Pushing his physical limits with a burst of adrenaline he didn't know he possessed, Sunny sprinted behind a thick, jagged coral wall. Myriad Shade followed seamlessly, instantly manifesting a reinforced dome of solid shadows to conceal them. Cassie buried her face in his chest, clinging to his shoulders for dear life.

Rumble. Rumble. Rumble.

Loose pebbles and bits of coral began to literally dance across the muddy ground. Then, the stampede arrived.

RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!

"Sunny!" Cassie whimpered, pressing herself as tightly against him as possible, terrified by the deafening noise.

Sunny didn't speak; he merely tightened his protective grip around her to anchor her in place. He shot a tense glance at Thene, who stared back with utmost vigilance, her shadowy hands pressing against the dark dome to maintain its structural integrity. The cacophony of thousands of heavy, armored limbs battering the earth sounded like a battery of jackhammers firing directly into their eardrums. The violent tremors shaking the ground made Sunny grit his teeth so hard his jaw ached.

RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!

After what felt like an eternity, the tremors slowly began to fade. The deafening roar of the stampede drifted away into the distance. The horde had passed.

Sunny slowly lifted his head. Thene dissolved the protective shadow dome. Looking around, aside from the heavily churned and devastated mud, there were no horrors in sight.

"Sunny? Is it over?" Cassie asked tentatively, lifting her pale, worried face from his chest as the eerie silence settled back over the maze.

"It's over. We're safe, Cas. They're gone," Sunny replied, letting out a shaky breath and forcing a reassuring smile, mentally cheering their miraculous survival.

But then... a grim realization struck him like a physical blow, instantly shattering his momentary relief.

'Wait... what if they were running away from something far worse, and they were actually the smart ones?' he realized with dawning horror. 'Which would make us the idiots standing completely still, just waiting for whatever terrified an entire horde of Nightmare Creatures to catch up.'

Driven by that terrifying logic, Sunny slowly turned his head to look in the direction the stampede had come from. His entire body instantly froze.

"Oh, GREAT HEAVENS!"

A colossal, roaring tidal wave of blazing silver-white flames was barreling inexorably down the coral corridor, rushing straight toward them.

It seemed they had indeed found Nephis.

***

[Welcome to the Dream Realm, Nephis!]

Splash!

Before she even realized what was happening, Nephis was plunging into a body of water—deep, pitch-black, and as freezing as the embrace of death itself. Kicking hard to break the surface, she gasped for air, frantically scanning her surroundings. Above her stretched a starless black sky; around her lay an endless dark sea that threatened to become her very grave. It was the drop of water meant to extinguish her faint, tiny flame. Then, in the next instant, she spotted a tall rock formation on the horizon.

Without a second thought, Changing Star swam toward it with powerful strokes. Besides the biting cold gnawing at her bones, she deeply feared an ambush from the unseen horrors lurking in the depths below.

"Haa... haa..."

Finally reaching solid ground—a circular stone platform whose surface had been worn smooth by the passage of time—she collapsed, her chest heaving heavily as she caught her breath.

"Sob... sob... mom... sob..."

As she lay on her back recovering her breath, Nephis's head suddenly snapped up. The faint, nearby sound of weeping had reached her ears. Swiftly, she rolled over, pushing herself up onto her knees while simultaneously summoning her [Dream Blade] and a Memory armor for defense. It was common knowledge that certain Nightmare Creatures could mimic human voices to lure in prey.

In a shower of white sparks, her body was instantly covered by a simple tunic, light leather sandals, and a sea-water colored cloak. The hilt of a pristine silver longsword materialized in her palm. Rising to her feet, Nephis advanced slowly toward the crying, keeping the flat of her blade leveled vertically near her shoulder.

"Sob... sob..."

Circling to the other side of the stone platform, Nephis stopped. There, shrouded by the darkness of the night, wasn't a Nightmare Creature—or at least, it didn't look like one. It was a completely naked young girl with flowing ocean-blue hair, sitting on the ground with her knees pulled up to her chest, crying softly. Her hands were pressed over her face, hiding her tears from the night.

Sensing Nephis's piercing silver gaze, the girl looked up, revealing two beautiful, tear-filled sapphire eyes set in a delicate, exquisitely soft face. She was undeniably attractive—as graceful and fragile as a blooming flower.

"You... you're Changing Star Nephis, aren't you?" she asked, her voice trembling as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Nephis tilted her head, her grip on her sword unwavering. "Are you... human? How do you know my name?" she asked cautiously, refusing to lower her guard.

The girl sniffled, wiping away a salty tear that rolled down her left cheek. "I was at the Academy with you during the Winter Solstice, don't you remember me? I'm Luna. We were in the same combat class before you left. You picked up an eraser I dropped once."

Changing Star thought for a moment, sifting through her memories. "Yes," she nodded shortly after, finally lowering the tip of her sword. "I remember you. Do you know where we are? At first glance, this looks like the Stormsea, but there are no stars in the sky."

Hearing that, Luna broke down into sobs once again. "Sob... you don't understand. This zone isn't on any of the maps! We ended up in an uncharted Death Zone, and I'm afraid there's no way out. There's nothing here but an endless, monster-infested ocean that stretches for miles. We're trapped. We're going to die here, either from starvation or torn apart by some abomination... sob..."

Nephis was about to reply, but then she noticed fresh, bleeding wounds on the girl's legs. Luna's knees were heavily scraped and bruised—who knew how she had gotten them. Slowly, Changing Star knelt beside her, placing the [Dream Blade] on the stone as she hovered her hand over the injuries.

Instantly, pure, silver white flames ignited from her palm. While a sharp, agonizing pain seared through Nephis's very soul—burning her without physically consuming her—the fire washed over Luna's wounds. Instead of burning flesh, the flames mended it. Luna opened her eyes, her tears stopping as she watched, mesmerized by the sheer, warm beauty of those white flames. She felt the stinging pain vanish as her skin knit back together flawlessly.

"Luna," Nephis said once she finished, locking eyes with the girl. A wisp of white flame, as vibrant as hope itself, still danced on her palm. "We are not going to die here. So what if there is no exit? So what if we are trapped in a Death Zone? No. I am telling you that you will go home, Luna. Both of us will. And if there is no exit... then I will create one myself. Because if that is my will... who dares to stop me?"

Those words, spoken with such unapologetic, absolute conviction, made Luna's ocean-blue eyes shine brightly, reigniting the determination she had lost.

"Mm," she nodded, offering a beautiful, grateful smile. "Okay."

Following that, Nephis transferred her Memory armor to Luna. The girl initially protested, but ultimately accepted. Now, Changing Star simply had to summon another one to cover herself. Perhaps one of the many Memories her brother had passed on to her through Sunless?

There was just one problem: driven by her personal pride, Nephis had stubbornly given away every single one of them, keeping only the Memories she had personally earned during her First Nightmare.

Left completely naked, and needing something to wear for the journey ahead, Luna helped her weave a makeshift outfit out of some nearby tough seaweed. It was barely sufficient to cover her modesty, but it would have to do.

Afterward, the two girls sat down, analyzing their dire situation and sharing what they knew. During the conversation, they exchanged information about their respective Aspects. As it turned out, Luna was a scion of House of Night. However, her abilities had nothing to do with water or the like. Luna could weave ambient light to create glowing butterflies that carried her voice. It was utterly useless in direct combat, but an incredible tool for communication and scouting, as her little constructs could also capture sounds, amplify them, and transport them over vast distances.

The next morning, a pale sun rose, and the dark sea rapidly receded. It revealed a vast, mind-bogglingly complex crimson coral labyrinth below. Furthermore, the circular stone platform they had spent the night on was actually the flat stump of a decapitated giant knight statue, its massive stone hands resting on the hilt of a longsword planted into the seabed.

"We can move now," Nephis said, turning to look at her.

"It seems the sea is afraid of the light, retreating during the day only to return at nightfall," Luna analyzed.

Changing Star was pleasantly surprised; the girl possessed an unexpectedly sharp eye for observation. In fact, during their late-night conversation, Nephis had already noticed how articulate and rhetorically brilliant Luna's speech was.

The two climbed down from the statue and made their way into the treacherous labyrinth. The terrain was swampy and brutally difficult to traverse. Nephis had to personally deal with every single Nightmare Creature that blocked their path, fighting entirely solo. As it turned out, Luna's Flaw, [Glass Maiden], rendered her bones and body quite literally as fragile as glass, making it incredibly easy for her to suffer severe fractures or injuries from even a minor trip.

Luna felt genuinely terrible about this, wracked with guilt for leaving all the heavy lifting to Nephis. However, Changing Star didn't mind in the slightest. If Sunny considered a blind girl an invaluable asset, why couldn't a fragile girl made of glass be one too? Besides, she genuinely didn't mind the combat. She had made a promise, and if that was her will... who dared to stop her?

Despite the extreme difficulties, the two fared exceptionally well, avoiding too many Carapace Scavengers along the way.

Until... they ran into him.

Rustle.

Nephis stopped dead in her tracks, raising a hand to signal Luna to halt. Her grip tightened on her sword, instantly alarmed by the sudden sound of rustling from a nearby patch of crimson coral foliage.

"What's wrong?" Luna whispered from behind, leaning slightly to the left to peek past her.

"Someone is here," Changing Star replied simply, as blunt and straight as ever.

Rustle.

Both girls locked their eyes on the bushes, watching the fronds clearly part before them.

"Who are you? Show yourself!" Nephis commanded, leveling the tip of her [Dream Blade]. Intense silver flames ignited in her eyes, eager to consume.

The surrounding air grew thick, fraught with tension, and suddenly much hotter.

A moment later...

Rustle. Rustle.

"Hold on! Wait! Don't shoot, I'm human!" a young man with pale blonde hair and striking amber eyes called out, emerging from the thicket. He had both hands raised high in clear surrender, keeping a very healthy distance from the shining tip of Nephis's sword.

He possessed an undeniably handsome face with sharp, captivating features. However, there was a certain toxic charm laced into the very tone of his voice. He wore a heavy suit of black iron armor, highly likely forged by the master smiths of the Valor Clan. Scanning the two girls, his amber eyes lingered just a little too long on Nephis's makeshift seaweed outfit, which left very little to the imagination. A bold, sly smirk crept onto his face—the exact kind of smirk that made Changing Star's skin crawl.

'Disgusting,' she thought coldly, her hands tightening around the hilt of her blade. Every instinct Nephis had found this man utterly repulsive.

"It is a pleasure to see you again, Miss Changing Star, Miss Luna. Even if our current circumstances are... less than favorable," he purred, his voice as smooth and enchanting as a viper's. His eyes danced playfully between the two girls and the glowing edge of the [Dream Blade]. "I am Sleeper Jayden. But you ladies may simply call me Jayden, if it pleases you."

He added a dazzling smile that caused Luna to blush brightly behind Nephis.

"Now, given that I am clearly not your enemy and we are all stuck in the same boat, Miss Changing Star... would you be so kind as to gracefully lower your weapon, please?"

Nephis stared at him in cold silence for a long moment. Then, exchanging a quick glance with Luna, she finally lowered the glowing blade, albeit with heavy reluctance.

"We'll see."

And so, their journey continued as a trio.

After Jayden joined their ranks, the dynamic of their group shifted drastically.

Nephis felt a deep, skin-crawling revulsion toward him. Perhaps it was because she remembered him as the arrogant Dreamer who had tried to force himself on Yukino back at the Academy, or perhaps it was because Sunny had once pointed him out in the cafeteria as a vain peacock constantly surrounded by fawning sycophants. Whatever the reason, she couldn't bring herself to like him.

To make matters worse, Jayden was virtually useless. He possessed only a single suit of Memory armor and a single weapon: a set of heavily embellished iron plate and an intricately crafted greatsword. The armor was far too heavy for the muddy terrain, turning him into dead weight, and he lacked the skill to wield the greatsword properly—it was almost too heavy for him to even lift, let alone swing in combat.

Luna, on the other hand, was no longer hiding passively while Changing Star fought. She had stepped up, providing crucial backline support with a longbow to cover Nephis's flanks. Together, they had even devised a brilliant way to utilize her Aspect.

"Nephie, more coming from nine o'clock," a glowing butterfly would whisper gracefully near her ear, dissolving into a flurry of blue and white light the moment the message was delivered.

"Got it," Nephis would nod, turning toward the new threat only to find the foremost creature already blinded in one eye by a well-placed arrow from Luna.

Meanwhile, Jayden, seething with resentment at being relegated to the sidelines and desperate for attention, would frequently spout arrogant nonsense.

"Tsk! So much boasting over a couple of roasted crabs," he would mutter, crossing his arms. "If I had access to my Clan's true relics, I would have wiped out those freaks in seconds."

The very next day, Nephis and Luna bound him with ropes, hung him off the side of a cliff, and used him as live bait to lure out Nightmare Creatures.

Yet Jayden's outbursts weren't just aimed at boasting or seeking attention. Nephis had long noticed his desperate, constant attempts to insinuate himself into their good graces, as if scheming to gain something from them. She saw it in the way he tried to sit uncomfortably close to them at night while they cooked, the lingering gazes he cast their way during his watch shifts when he thought they had lowered their guard, and his persistent, clumsy advances toward them.

Nephis knew exactly what Jayden wanted, and she didn't trust him for a second. Yet despite keeping her distance, a core part of her stubborn nature simply refused to entertain the thought of abandoning someone in need.

Luna shared her distrust of the young man, but she placed absolute faith in Nephis. Changing Star had promised to bring her home safely, and she meant to keep that promise. After all, if that was her will... who dared to stop her?

Eventually, Nephis slapped Jayden with a glare so saturated with unadulterated murder intent that he finally got the message and backed off. Unfortunately, it only drove him to direct his sleazy charm toward Luna instead.

Despite the tension, their journey progressed smoothly. At one point, they spotted smoke rising in the distance. Someone was deliberately lighting campfires every day to signal their location. By logical consensus, all three agreed to head toward the signals—though, in truth, Nephis and Luna hadn't really bothered to ask for Jayden's input.

Then, one evening, gathered around a small campfire—built just high enough to cook their meat, but low enough not to attract nocturnal Nightmare Creatures—something happened.

"Is everything alright?" Nephis asked softly, approaching Luna and sitting down beside her during a rare moment of vulnerability. Recently, the blue-haired girl had tried her best not to appear fragile despite their harrowing ordeal, as if she had decided her own pain didn't matter and had simply stopped showing it.

Luna turned to Changing Star, wiping moisture from her eyes. "No, I'm fine," she replied with a faint, shaky smile, shaking her head.

The three of them had just finished eating and were waiting for the last embers of the fire to die out before setting their night watches. The two girls sat together on one side, while Jayden sat further off on his own, his expression hidden in the shadows.

"Are you sure?" Nephis pressed gently. Spending so much time around Sunless had taught her how to spot a lie instantly.

"Yes," Luna nodded firmly, before her shoulders slumped. "...No."

Nephis watched her silently as Luna hugged her knees to her chest.

"I miss my family," the girl whispered. "My mother, my father, my brothers... all of them."

Nephis opened her mouth to comfort her, but the words died in her throat. She genuinely didn't know what to say.

'What would Sunny do in a moment like this?' she wondered. 'He'd probably claim that the last time he felt sad, he slew a Corrupted Terror with a finger and then celebrated with a bowl of ice cream.'

The thought brought a small, affectionate smile to her mind, offering her comfort, though it hardly helped her friend.

Finally breaking the silence, Luna looked at her. "What about you, Neph? Do you miss your family? The Immortal Flame clan?"

At the question, Changing Star's silver eyes grew distant, drifting toward the dark horizon.

"No, not really," she admitted softly. "I don't miss anyone in particular."

"Oh..." Luna murmured, instantly feeling guilty for touching upon a painful subject.

Eager to make amends and distract Nephis, Luna began chatting with an enthusiastic energy that Nephis wished she possessed herself.

"I miss my mother's cooking the most," Luna giggled softly. "My dad is a disaster in the kitchen, so we never let him anywhere near a stove or a pan."

She spoke warmly of happy memories with her parents, her friends, and her everyday life before the Nightmare—a stark, painful contrast to the grim reality they were currently trapped in. She even talked about her dreams. Hours passed in quiet conversation, with Luna sharing her life eagerly and Nephis listening with profound interest.

Eventually, Changing Star opened up as well, speaking briefly of her non-existent relationship with her father, Broken Sword, and her distant bond with her brother. Unintentionally, her melancholy story seemed to deflate the cheerful mood Luna had built up.

Noticing the shift, Nephis immediately apologized, visibly embarrassed by her severe lack of social grace. The awkwardness dissolved, and the two friends shared a quiet laugh.

The next morning...

"I think I've finally spotted the location of those campfire signals," Jayden announced as soon as he stood up, gazing toward the horizon under the pale morning sun.

"Where?" Nephis asked. After her conversation with Luna the night before, she was in a remarkably good mood, feeling surprisingly willing to extend a hand of trust and not judge Jayden solely by his reputation at the Academy.

After all, in a place like this, mutual trust was vital. If she wanted Jayden to trust her, she had to show him trust first. Besides, aside from mediocre flirting and a silver tongue, Sleeper Jayden hadn't actually attempted anything hostile against them. She was Changing Star, and what could change a person more than surviving a dangerous situation?

That was her reasoning. It was a shame Sunny wasn't there to warn her that people almost always changed for the worse.

"About seven kilometers southwest of here," Jayden said, pointing in that direction. His expression was unusually serious.

"Good. Then we head there immediately," Nephis said with conviction, adjusting her makeshift seaweed attire as she stood up.

"Actually, Miss Changing Star," Jayden interrupted, stepping forward. "I don't think it's a good idea to go meeting these people."

Nephis turned to look at him, her gaze firm. "Why?"

"Thinking about it... he might have a point, Neph," Luna added cautiously. "Who's to say they're good people, or that they have good intentions? If there really are Sleepers who have survived in a hellhole like this, who knows what this environment has done to their minds? There's a very high chance they're completely insane."

Nephis paused, weighing her words for a moment. Then, feeling a renewed sense of unyielding conviction swell within her chest, she spoke.

"Even if that's true, we can't just leave them there." She looked at both of them. "Luna, Jayden... I promised to bring you home, and I will! How can I abandon someone in their hour of need? No. I'm going. I'll take the risk. You two stay here where it's safe. If it turns into a fight, at least you won't be caught in the crossfire."

She turned and began marching toward the labyrinth.

"Nephie, wait!" Luna called out, running after her and catching her hand.

Nephis turned back to look at her.

"Take me with you," Luna pleaded, concern filled her voice. "You need someone to watch your back."

Nephis shook her head gently, placing her hand over Luna's. "No, stay here. Moving alone, I can escape much faster if the worst happens. Besides... you've seen what I can do. You know how strong I am."

"...Alright," Luna reluctantly agreed.

With a final nod, Nephis set off alone toward the coordinates Jayden had indicated.

***

Two hours later, Nephis arrived at the destination.

There was no one there.

'Did they already move?' she wondered, advancing cautiously with her [Dream Blade] held tightly in her grip.

She scanned her surroundings, but saw no signs of human activity—not even a single footprint. There were only the crushed tracks left behind by Nightmare Creatures.

As she looked closer, however, a sense of eerie familiarity struck her.

'Wait... we've been here before.'

Nephis froze, recognizing a tall, jagged coral formation. It was the exact spot where they had strung Jayden up as live bait a few days prior. She reached out and touched the scarlet wall, remembering how many beasts they had drawn in using that strategy.

She circled the area, searching for any actual trace of survivors. Finally, she spotted something near the base of the coral.

'Is this...?'

Nephis approached what appeared to be the remains of a campfire. Jayden hadn't lied about seeing something; however, as she knelt down to inspect it, she found cold, waterlogged ashes.

The fire was days old.

Then... SNAP.

'What—'

Before Nephis could even react, a taut tripwire snapped beneath her right foot.

CLANG!

A heavy, mechanical spring-trap—a cruel, human-engineered weapon—snapped shut with brutal force, its serrated iron jaws biting clean into her leg!

"AAAAAAHH!"

Changing Star collapsed onto the muddy terrain, a sharp scream tearing from her throat as blood sprayed onto the ground.

Rumble. Rumble.

The Dream Realm was unforgiving. Drawn instantly by her scream and the fresh, metallic scent of blood, a pack of Carapace Scavengers broke into a violent frenzy, rushing toward her from the shadows of the labyrinth.

***

"Haa... haa..."

Nephis was alive. Somehow.

Armed with her silver flames, her unyielding sword, and pure, spiteful will, she had carved a path out of that hellish ordeal.

Changing Star limped forward, using the flat of her [Dream Blade] as a makeshift walking stick. Her seaweed attire was practically shredded to nothing. While her soul flames had reknit her shattered leg and replenished her lost blood—leaving her body whole—her ragged breathing and hollow, exhausted eyes betrayed the immense strain she was under.

'Naturally, no armor,' Nephis thought, her blood boiling at the treacherous greed of the Nightmare Spell. 'That wretch gave me only a charm Memory like a giant, mocking middle finger.'

That very day, her deep-seated desire to watch that damned Spell burn to ash grew tenfold.

She pressed on, making her way back toward the campsite where she had left Luna and Jayden. The sun was dipping below the horizon, and their camp was still far off.

'If those Sleepers were truly trying to find survivors, why set a brutal trap directly over the campfire? Were they trapping Nightmare Creatures instead? But if so, setting multiple new fires every single day made no sense. Wait... could it be—'

Her train of thought was shattered by a fluttering, glowing speck drifting into her field of view. Alarmed, Changing Star raised her sword, ready for another fight. But as her eyes locked onto the delicate construct glowing with a soft blue light, she recognized Luna's Aspect.

The butterfly drifted gently before her, delivering a frantic, desperate message before dissolving into blue sparks:

"Nephis, help!"

Her eyes widened in horror.

Forgetting her exhaustion and discarding every ounce of restraint, Nephis sprinted.

'I should have known!' she berated herself, no longer caring about any abominations lurking in the dark. 'I should have seen through his intentions from the start. Jayden!'

She had been naive, careless, and foolishly superficial. She should have noticed the insidious darkness surrounding him—the predatory way he glanced at Luna whenever the girl turned her back, the subtle way he licked his lips, the twisted desire hidden behind his amber eyes.

'Hurry! Hurry!'

Fueled by a sudden surge of adrenaline, Nephis accelerated, running until her leg muscles burned as if on fire. But her soul flames burned hotter, driving her forward past beyond her limits.

'Please... please...'

Night fell, and the dark sea began to swell, swallowing the base of the ruins.

'Please, let me be in time!'

Nephis scrambled up the cliffside, ignoring the jagged rocks that scratched her bare skin, instantly cauterizing her new wounds with agonizing white fire. She prayed with every fiber of her being that Luna had managed to resist, that she was safe, that this was all just her paranoia.

Finally, she hauled herself over the ledge onto the plateau. The dark sea was already lapping at the stone step beneath her feet. But the moment her eyes landed on the campsite...

'...'

Nephis had failed to keep her promise.

Everything that followed devolved into a haze of hollow, muted memories.

She remembered the edge of her [Dream Blade] flashing in a brutal arc, severing an arm in a spray of blood. She remembered Luna's lifeless, sapphire eyes staring blankly at the dark sky, the dark bruises purpled around her delicate neck, her fragile legs shattered like fine glass. She remembered the world turning a blinding, apocalyptic red, and Jayden desperately trying to crawl away through his own blood with his single remaining arm, weeping and begging for mercy.

And then... there was only the Fire.

***

​"Mh... mmh..."

​Nephis woke slowly. As she calmly opened her eyes, she was greeted by the pitch-black embrace of another night on the Forgotten Shore.

​"Well, well. Look who's finally awake."

​Her vision was still swimming, her mind clouded by a heavy fog. But as her gaze finally sharpened, Nephis met the pitch-black eyes of a pale boy with ink-dark hair. Beside him, a delicate girl with smooth, golden hair was resting peacefully against his right shoulder.

​"About time, too," Sunny added, a smug smirk playing on his lips. "You've been asleep for three whole days, princess."

​It took a moment for Changing Star to register her surroundings. She suddenly realized her head was resting in his lap, and a thick, scarlet cloak had been draped over her bare body.

​"So," he continued. "If we're done lazing about, would you mind enlightening me? Why exactly did you think setting the ocean on fire was a good idea?"

​Through the haze of her bitter resentment and the searing fire of regret, his words sounded distant, breaking apart before they even reached her. Nephis felt a fierce, burning pain in her chest at the memory of her failure.

A life, snapped away right before her eyes.

The trap she had walked into like an absolute idiot.

The crushing rage of her own inadequacy, and the agonizing weight of a broken promise.

​Without a second thought, Nephis summoned her [Dream Blade]. In a blur of motion, she lunged at Sunny, pinning him down with the cold edge of her sword pressed hard against his throat.