Sunless, Nephis, Ariandel, and Cassia sat on the branch of the great tree, awaiting sunset.
The branch was broad enough to hold twice as many people, so they did not worry about being seen from the ground. Even so, they remained silent and still, wary of the giant monster that sometimes appeared beneath their hideout.
The sound of its steps sent shivers through the tense bodies of the four Sleepers.
Never, since they arrived on the Forgotten Shore, had Sunless waited for nightfall with such eagerness. But there is always a first time for everything.
They could only proceed with the next stage of the plan once darkness fell, so there was nothing to do now but wait.
...
Sitting with his back to Nephis, Sunless glanced sideways at the pair holding hands... very pleasing to the eye. It was like seeing a friendly Peregrine and his beautiful angel, or a demure princess and her elegant gentleman...
'Our destiny (choice), huh...' Sunless recalled.
Despite Ariandel's casual ambiguity and off-kilter sense of humor, Sunny knew that his bizarre friend was somewhat obsessed with authenticity and, therefore, there was truth behind even his most casual statements...
The understanding that, in truth, they were nothing more than puppets guided by a vast and intricate celestial tapestry provoked a maddening revolt in the Shadow Slave. A bitter taste filled his throat.
After all, destiny (fate) did nothing to please him.
Sunny stared at the darkened skies, barely visible through the thick canopy of the great tree's crown, and heard the rising roar of the sea... In the somber twilight, the sudden thought of gently squeezing Nephis's hand beside his made Sunless tense painfully.
'Idiot. What am I, a child? Holding hands isn't going to solve anything...
Argh...
Damn it! Did Arian come into this world just to make me feel like a failure?'
Yet, despite these grumbling thoughts, Sunless reluctantly realized he felt a little less nervous... without any coherence.
Maybe they would succeed; one way or another. If this was their 'choice', who could stop them?
Soon night descended, drowning the world in absolute darkness.
...
The Ashen Barrow had become an island in the black, undulating void of the dark sea.
The branches of the great tree swayed gently in the dark, their vibrant scarlet leaves now indistinguishable from the obsidian surface of the wood. The leaves whispered and rustled, creating a soothing melody amidst the ominous murmur of the swelling waves.
Sunless sighed, knowing the moment of truth was drawing near... Soon he felt Ariandel's shadow shift—he turned his head and looked in his direction.
... There was a certain hidden melancholy in the depths of his mystic eyes.
Tonight, Sunless could see in him—again—the same malnourished, dreaming youth from the fringe who should have died in his First Nightmare yet survived against all odds... just as he had.
Although the Artisan of Fantasy could see nothing in the absolute darkness of the Starless Void, he knew Sunless would perceive his encouraging gaze.
Sunless closed his eyes—took a deep breath—then opened them and exhaled slowly.
"Let's begin."
Nephis moved carefully to the side, performing a rehearsed series of movements. Making space for what needed to be done. Sunless gently placed the seaweed-pack between him and Nephis, then opened it.
His movements were slow and cautious.
Inside the pack, two large clay jars lay nestled in several layers of soft seaweed fiber.
These jars had been made by the enthusiastic Artisan of Fantasy and, as such, were particularly sturdy—though all his knowledge of ceramics came from Professor Julius's rants about the importance of clay in the development of human civilization.
Inside the jars, all the oil they had extracted from the centipede monsters sloshed, making Sunless's heart beat unevenly.
A centipede monster had two sacs in its body, each containing a different oily substance. When mixed, these substances produced an incredibly corrosive and deadly oil that could eat through a scavenger's carapace in seconds.
It was also highly flammable.
The jars contained the two components of the centipede oil. If they broke during the dash to the great tree, allowing the components to mix… well, there was a good reason the pack had been entrusted to Nephis, even though she already bore the responsibility of leading the climb.
Centipede oil was the linchpin of the plan.
Setting the clay jars on the branch, Sunless retrieved one more item from the pack. It was an unnecessarily well-crafted torch made of bone and… yes, more seaweed.
Traditionally, torches were made of wood, but on the Forgotten Shore, bones and seaweed were far more readily found than anything else.
In the darkness, he found Nephis's cold hand, took it in his own, then placed the torch in her open palm. Sunless had to fight the urge to hold her hand longer than necessary.
He inhaled deeply.
"I'm ready."
Nephis nodded and then stood.
Standing, she held the torch and closed her eyes as if in prayer. Clad in a white tunic, her silver hair dancing in the wind, she looked like a pure, beautiful, solemn angel.
Soon a white glow flared beneath her eyelids. In the next moment, a brilliant fire erupted from her hands, igniting the top of the torch. Star of Change opened her eyes, extinguishing the light that shone within them, and lifted the torch high above her head.
In the lightless world, that small flame looked like a solitary star drowning in a sea of darkness.
Simultaneously, Sunless moved to the edge of the branch, drew a deep breath… and screamed at the top of his lungs.
"HEY, YOU COWARD! COME GET ME!"
Then chaos ensued.
...
Drawn by the sudden burst of light and Sunless's belligerent shouts, the Carapace Demon appeared from nowhere in a storm of fury.
Its imposing legs tore through the ashen sand, sending clouds of it into the air. Two scarlet eyes immediately burned into the yelling human, sending a nervous chill through Sunless's legs.
"That's right, right here, you heap of scrap! Come and get it, fat lobster! This is my island now!" he shouted, feigning fearlessness.
The demon charged at him. This colossus was as tall as a house but still not high enough to reach the great tree's branches with its scythes.
Sunless was safe.
For now.
After all, he was almost certain it wouldn't last long, although long enough to follow through with the plan.
If he didn't blunder...
Just as the Carapace Demon was about to reach the branch on which Sunless perched, he inhaled deeply, aimed, and hurled the jars at the raging monstrosity.
The creature reacted lightning-fast, slicing both jars to pieces with its terrifying scythes. Yet it was to no avail: the oily liquids inside still rained down upon its carapace in torrents, followed by a spray of clay shards.
In fact, this only increased the impact area, allowing the oily liquids to cover most of the corrupted knight's metallic carapace.
The two components mixed, producing the deadly corrosive substance, which then ate into the glossy armor.
Sunless held his breath.
… However, the centipede oil, capable of destroying the unbreakable chitin of both scavengers and centurions, proved completely ineffective against the strange alloy covering the Carapace Demon's body.
It didn't even leave a scratch.
Sunless's face darkened.
'This is...'
Nephis appeared silently at his side, raising an arm.
'... exactly as expected.'
Fortunately, to begin with, they had not expected much from the oil's corrosive properties.
They needed it for its other use.
To burn.
Guided by the loud noises produced by the enormous monster, Nephis moved and threw the torch down with a powerful swing of her arm. Whirling, the torch sliced through the air like a meteor and landed squarely on the demon's carapace.
… In the next second, the giant creature was engulfed in flames.
They had not expected the fire to harm the demon either—after all, if not even a hail of lightning could wound it, how much less mere flames or much more.
But now, covered by burning oil, the Carapace Demon blazed brilliantly in the dark night like the pitch black of the Starless Void.
It became a flaming beacon, calling all the monsters of the cursed dark sea to crawl from their profane depths.