The scene, to be honest, had an almost comedic air. How was it possible that Sunny always ended up in situations like this? She doubted that his aspect was the only one to blame for his endless list of misfortunes and absurd events.
Or maybe it was.
After all, who else could find themselves floating in an endless sea, being chased by a massive, fifty-meter-long sea serpent with terrifying intensity?
Nephis narrowed her eyes, watching calmly as the disaster unfolded before her. She couldn't help the slight curve of her lips as a small smile appeared.
Things were never boring with Sunny around.
Of course, there wasn't much she could do at the moment except wait. But Sunny's arrival was, without a doubt, excellent news.
For many reasons.
First, because she would finally have another human to talk to. And what luck—this particular human happened to be her boyfriend.
Second, because it meant she wouldn't be completely alone anymore.
Third, because Sunny had water.
That last one was the most important.
Nephis could no longer stand the dryness in her throat, an irritating sensation that made even speaking feel like an unnecessary effort. It was a silent torture, more exhausting than she would ever admit out loud.
And then, there was the scene itself.
Sunny's majestic black wings flapped weakly in the air, and for a moment, it seemed like he might manage to land with some dignity.
But no.
A second later, the shadows supporting him abruptly dissipated.
He had run out of essence.
And Sunny began to fall.
At full speed.
Straight toward the island.
Nephis blinked.
—...
She let out a small chuckle.
Of all the ways she expected him to arrive, that was not one of them.
The only thing she hoped was that his crash landing wouldn't wake up the monster they were standing on.
Because then they would really be in trouble.
For some reason, her mind conjured up an absurd phrase: "Don't worry, Sunny, it's just a Great Monster."
Fantastic.
What was next? "Don't worry, Sunny, it's just a Cursed Titan."
No, that would be way too ridiculous.
Even for them.
Although, if she had learned anything over the years, it was that with Sunny, there was always room for the impossible.
Nephis sighed.
She had gone more than three days without human contact.
Not a single conversation. Not even an animal nearby to break the monotony. Just the sound of the wind and the endless ocean stretching as far as the eye could see.
She was bored.
Even for someone used to solitude, this was becoming unbearable.
So...
She decided to have a little fun.
With a mischievous smile, she lay back under the shade of the tree and closed her eyes, pretending to be fast asleep.
Scaring Sunny after his fall?
Sounded like a fun idea.
What could go wrong?
—
And yes, unfortunately, it went wrong.
Seriously, how cautious could that idiot be?
Okay, she understood the situation. A massive island, a strange forest in the middle, surrounded by an endless sea he had arrived at while being chased by a nightmare creature. Not exactly ideal.
But an hour?
Really?
Nephis had been pretending to sleep for longer than she had been alone on this island, and she was already losing her patience.
Hurry up, Sunny.
Or had she miscalculated?
No, that couldn't be. When she saw him in the air, he didn't have any serious injuries. He just looked tired. And a fall like that shouldn't have been a problem for an Ascended.
Especially not for him.
Seriously... what were those attributes of his?
The blood of a demon that prevented him from bleeding. An aspect that let him see memory threads and extract their properties. He had even eaten a demon's phalange to make his bones stronger.
Nephis narrowed her eyes.
What is Sunny, the protagonist of a novel?
Lucky idiot.
She imagined how ridiculous it would be if she had those attributes.
Blood Weave alone was enough.
But an aspect like hers, which made her nearly immortal, combined with something that prevented her from bleeding out?
That...
Would be useful.
Nephis smiled in her mind.
Fortunately, she finally heard him.
Her prey was near.
And, if it was even possible, she shut her eyes even tighter, trying to appear as convincingly asleep as possible.
She waited patiently.
Even though Sunny's footsteps were as silent as an assassin's, her Ascended senses and years of training picked them up easily.
She waited for the perfect moment.
She could already imagine his expression.
Confusion, perhaps. After all, not every day did you find Nephis, the last daugther of the Immortal Flame clan, sleeping peacefully under a tree in the middle of an unknown forest.
Nephis kept waiting.
She could feel his gaze on her.
She could hear him stepping closer, even quieter now, probably trying not to wake her.
Step by step, he approached.
Until she felt his breath against her neck.
But not yet.
Not yet.
She waited just a little longer...
And then she felt it.
Sunny relaxed.
And in that instant, she pounced on him.
Like a tiger hunting a deer.
She moved with terrifying speed and let out a small sound—something between a growl and a shriek—trying to make it even more startling.
And it worked.
Because then, she heard it.
The small, almost silent yelp that escaped from Sunny's lips.
Almost...
Feminine.
Nephis opened her eyes and, for the first time, saw an expression on his face she never imagined she would see.
Fear.
But not the kind of fear Sunny was probably used to dealing with.
Not the fear of death.
Not the fear of an overwhelmingly powerful enemy.
No.
It was pure, instinctive fear.
Her plan had worked.
Nephis couldn't hold it in.
She burst into laughter.
A beautiful, melodic laugh, clear as crystal, accompanied by a genuine smile.
Not one of her small, fleeting smiles.
A real one.
Nephis' laughter echoed through the air as Sunny remained frozen beneath her, still processing what had just happened.
With laughter still dancing on her lips, Nephis lost her balance and tumbled forward, landing on top of him.
To be honest...
She hadn't expected her little plan to work so well.
Neph, you...
Sunny's voice was quiet, barely above a whisper, carrying the weight of pure betrayal. His face—if it were even possible—looked even paler than usual, his shock still evident. But it seemed that seeing Nephis' radiant smile was enough to grant her an unspoken pardon.
Still, was he... mad?
Nephis wasn't sure.
She had never seen Sunny like this before. She doubted he was actually angry, which meant...
This was the perfect chance to tease him.
A rare opportunity like this didn't come often.
She leaned in slightly, her grin widening.
"Come on, Sunny. I never expected the youngest Master to be so cowardly. The great Devil of Antarctica... screaming like a little girl?"
The look he gave her was nothing short of murderous.
"Shut up, idiot," he muttered under his breath.
Unfortunately for him, Nephis was close enough to hear it perfectly.
Her smile only grew.
Oh, this was so much fun.
To be honest, seeing Sunny like this was incredibly amusing. His usual impassive mask had been replaced with a mixture of embarrassed irritation, his lips pursed slightly—like a child pouting after losing an argument.
Nephis tilted her head.
...Cute.
"Alright, alright. I'm sorry, Sunny. I won't do it again..."
She let her voice linger on the last part, deliberately teasing.
And then—
As if this would magically fix everything, Nephis employed an ancient technique, one she had read about on her communicator a long time ago.
"If your boyfriend is upset, give him a kiss."
And, well—
Nephis decided to follow that advice.
Without hesitation, she leaned in and pressed a soft kiss against his lips.
And just like that, the last traces of irritation vanished.
Though, of course, Sunny pretended otherwise.
"That doesn't fix anything. I'm going to get my revenge."
His voice was firm, but Nephis could see the truth.
His ears had turned bright red.
From the unexpected kiss?
Or maybe...
From their current position?
After all, Nephis was still on top of him.
Nephis watched him curiously, her gaze flickering over his expression.
He was trying so hard to keep a straight face.
She grinned.
"Revenge for what? I didn't do anything wrong," she said, her voice perfectly innocent as she looked into his eyes.
Sunny narrowed his gaze at her, clearly not fooled.
And so—
That was how Nephis and Sunny's summer vacation began.
Or, in other words—
The war between Lost from Light and Changing Star.
Because, after all, Sunny was a very vengeful person.
And so was she.
...But first.
Nephis sat up and gave him a serious look.
she asked Sunny for water, which he swiftly and agilely snatched away