Nephis observed the scene before her with mixed emotions she couldn't fully process. It was a feeling similar to what Sunny must have experienced every time he saw her use her aspect to heal his injuries. He always tried to stop her, avoiding it at all costs because he knew how much pain it caused her. And though she healed him without hesitation, the emotional weight of seeing him suffer was immense.
This time, the circumstances were different, but the emotions flooding her were the same. She knew Sunny was a ruthless killer, just like her, but there was one key difference: he almost never fought in the vanguard. That wasn't his usual place. Today, however, something had changed. Sunny had thrown himself to the front lines, bathing himself in the blood of nightmare creatures. He killed as many as his body and essence allowed.
Even though his divine aspect wasn't designed for exterminating hordes of enemies like hers, he had surpassed every expectation today. He had likely killed more nightmare creatures than she had, and while she should have felt proud of how much stronger he had become, she didn't. Seeing him in that state, surrounded by death and chaos, reminded her of everything he had told her about his five months in Antarctica. Although Sunny had been more open with her than with the others, she knew there was still so much he hadn't said. Four months of trauma couldn't be summarized in two rushed days of confessions.
Now, Sunny stood in the center of the battlefield, back in his normal form but surrounded by a suffocating aura of darkness. The shadows around him rose like extensions of his will, and the ground, covered in a sea of crimson blood, seemed to be his natural domain. The contrast was terrifying: the smile on his face didn't match the scene.
He looked like a demon.
Nephis couldn't suppress a shiver. Before she could think further, something caught her attention. A colossal shadow began to descend from the sky, its enormous size blanketing the battlefield in darkness. Its silhouette was as tall as a mountain, and its mere presence was enough to crush any lingering hope. To make matters worse, new nightmare gates began to open in the distance, unleashing even more hordes of creatures toward them.
The situation was dire. In the rear, Jet, Effie, and Kai, along with their squads, were holding the line. Hundreds of civilians, awakened fighters, and Fire Wardens fought desperately to hold back the flood. Someone had to stop the advancing hordes, at least for a moment, or retreat would be impossible.
Nephis clenched her teeth. She knew she couldn't do it alone. Not this time. But before despair could settle in, she felt something unusual: a surge of strength coursed through her body. It was an overwhelming sensation, as if a part of her had been ignited all at once.
She turned her head and saw him. Sunny was standing beside her. One of his shadows, grinning and mocking, had detached from him and now clung to her body.
Her skin, already pale, seemed even whiter under the influence of the shadow. But that didn't matter. All that mattered was the strength she now felt, as if the weight of the world had suddenly been lifted from her shoulders. It was as though Sunny had shared his own essence and determination with her.
—"I'll cover your back. You take the front,"— he said firmly, without hesitation.
Nephis nodded quickly. But before rushing forward, she extended the white flames of her divine aspect toward Sunny, wrapping him in their warm glow. She knew he would need help too, and if she could make him stronger, she wouldn't hesitate.
Together, they advanced. She, shrouded in her celestial fire; he, surrounded by his relentless shadows. A brilliant light and an overwhelming darkness moving as one, destined to confront the chaos ahead.
Nephis fought with the last reserves of her strength, surrounded by abominations as far as the eye could see. Sunny, as always, stayed behind her, ensuring that no nightmare creature attacked her from behind or caught her off guard. She trusted him completely, so much so that she never had to glance back. She knew he wouldn't fail, which allowed her to focus entirely on the oncoming wave of enemies.
In the distance, the rear guard was retreating. Veterans like Effie, Jet, and Kai stayed back, finishing off any creatures that managed to slip past Nephis. But then, she felt it—a colossal shadow descending from the heavens. There was no time to escape.
The shadow belonged to one of the fallen titans, defeated by Saint Tyris and Saint Wake of Ruin. The problem? The corpse was plummeting to the ground at high speed. She braced herself, knowing the impact would be catastrophic. It wouldn't land directly on her, but—
Prepare yourself. Sunny's voice echoed in her mind.
Before she could react, the force of the titan's impact sent both of them flying high into the air. The world became a blur, and then the storm arrived.
The fallen titan had emitted an aura of decay and death, a putrid mist that spread like wildfire. This miasma, so toxic that it killed everything it touched, had been temporarily contained by Saint Tyris, who used her mastery over wind to gather it and send it far from the human forces. However, Sunny and Nephis had been caught directly in its path.
Nephis didn't hesitate. She concentrated and infused herself with the white flames of her divine aspect, creating a small burning field around her. Anything that entered the radius of her flames—be it the miasma or nightmare creatures—was incinerated instantly. But maintaining this shield drained her essence at an alarming rate.
Sunny was in worse condition than she was. She could feel it. His flames had likely already been extinguished, and she could only imagine how much pain he was enduring. Suddenly, she felt the shadow Sunny had lent her, Happy, detach itself and rush toward its master.
She didn't hesitate to follow.
Guided by the shadow, she moved through the dense fog, burning everything in her path. The miasma thickened, and the nightmare creatures grew more relentless. Her essence reserves were dwindling, and her body screamed for rest, but she pressed forward, knowing Sunny's life depended on it.
Then, a shiver ran down her spine. Something was wrong.
[You have killed a Fallen Titan.]
[You have received a memory.]
Nephis ignored the notification. It didn't matter. None of it mattered until she found Sunny.
Finally, she spotted him.
There he was, lying on the ground, his body battered and covered in blood. His shadows flickered weakly around him, barely holding on. His figure, always so commanding and unyielding, now seemed so fragile.
Nephis didn't think twice. With every ounce of strength left in her body, she grabbed him and pulled. Mustering the last reserves of her essence, she expanded her flames one final time to carve a path out of the miasma.
With a desperate shout, she hurled Sunny out of the toxic cloud. The two of them crashed into the frozen, unforgiving snow of the Antarctic.
The cold bit at her skin immediately, but she didn't care. They were alive. Gasping for air, Nephis turned to Sunny, who lay motionless beside her. His body was drenched in blood, and the shadows around him seemed to shiver with exhaustion as they tried to shield him.
Closing her eyes, Nephis let a wave of relief wash over her.
They had survived... but just barely.
Nephis gradually lost consciousness. The last drop of essence she had left had been used to save Sunny. Now, she lay on the frozen snow, her body motionless and her vision fading into a blur. She could feel the weight of exhaustion dragging her into darkness.
But then, she saw him.
Her dear Sunny was alive—at least, he seemed to be. Before her, his figure stood tall, though something about him looked different. In her state of extreme fatigue and with her vision blurred, Sunny's snow-covered hair appeared white.
Nephis let out a faint smile. "White hair suits you," she said in a barely audible voice. "You look a bit like Mongrel."
If she'd been fully conscious, she would've noticed the way Sunny's expression shifted from confusion to a sly smirk. But in her current state, she saw nothing more. Finally, exhaustion claimed her, and everything went black.
When she opened her eyes, Nephis found herself in a comfortable bed, wrapped in soft blankets. It took her a moment to realize she was clutching something tightly in her hands, though she didn't have the energy to figure out what it was. When she lifted her gaze slightly, she saw him.
Sunny was sitting by her side, his elbows resting on his knees. His expression was strange, almost as though he was holding something back. Nephis, who prided herself on being able to read Sunny's emotions, noticed a mix of mock anger and genuine amusement behind his eyes.
Sunny broke the silence. "I thought you liked my hair. And here you are, comparing me to some weird, famous guy."
He paused dramatically, a faint smirk curving his lips. "I guess I'll have to pay Mongrel a visit."
Nephis, still not fully awake, froze for a moment. When Sunny's words finally clicked, a small wave of embarrassment washed over her. Had she spoken about Mongrel out loud?
"Besides, Mongrel is a woman," she replied without hesitation.
Sunny's reaction was immediate. His face displayed a mixture of disbelief and resignation. "It can't be... you think that too, huh?"
The situation was absurd. Ever since Mongrel had appeared on the scene, strange theories about their identity had abounded. Because of the mask and the stature of his alternate persona, many people had assumed Mongrel was a woman. To make matters worse, after Sunny used Saint in Antarctica, rumors spread like wildfire. The legend claimed that Mongrel, the "beautiful Stone Saint," had come to save humanity from disaster in the icy continent.
Sunny let out a long sigh, clearly exasperated by the situation.
"Nephis... you know I'm Mongrel, right?"
Nephis raised an eyebrow, skeptical. Before she could respond, Sunny lifted a hand to stop her.
"Technically, there are two Mongrels."
In one smooth motion, Sunny summoned Saint—the imposing, stone-clad figure—and the mask he had once used as part of his disguise appeared in his hand. Silently, he placed it on his face and looked at her.
For the second time in a long while, Nephis was left speechless.
The idol she had admired, the mysterious and heroic figure she had looked up to... was her boyfriend in disguise.
Life, Nephis thought, was truly curious.