Sunny and Nephis had been on the back of the giant turtle —or rather, the corpse of the giant turtle— for at least more than five days. They already knew it had been a great monster, the kind that only appeared in the deepest of nightmares. But curiously, that wasn't the real problem.
It wasn't that a creature the size of an island wasn't terrifying. It was. Of course it was. But the fact that it was dead... that changed everything.
Watching a great monster die was a disturbing experience. Even for them. Even for Nephis. And yet, at the same time, there had been something strangely comforting about it. For someone like her, raised between battles and suffering, witnessing the fall of such an imposing creature was almost... cozy.
But of course, the terrifying part wasn't the death itself.
It was who caused it.
The one responsible for the giant turtle's death was none other than the serpent that had chased Sunny from the beginning. That marine monstrosity, long as a river, covered in black scales and nightmare eyes, had attacked the turtle without a hint of hesitation.
Sure, it was a nightmare creature. It didn't know fear. But even so, the dexterity with which it moved... the brutality, the strategy, the intelligence —all of it— was what truly made it dangerous.
Despite being weaker. Despite having one less core. Despite being unable to break through the turtle's shell by brute force, the serpent carved its way in with cunning.
It killed it from the inside.
Gutted it alive.
A battle they couldn't witness in full, only the beginning. But that was enough. Nephis, though used to combat, couldn't deny that the sight had been incredible. Unnerving, yes. But also fascinating. As if she were watching an expert assassin dismantle something far larger with inhuman calm.
The serpent came out wounded... but also more deranged than before. As if killing something so colossal had awakened something inside it.
"What an audacious snake," Nephis murmured softly.
She couldn't help but wonder what kind of nightmare creature it really was. It was rare —extremely rare— to see exceptions like that. So skilled, so strategic. Did it have an Echo? A master? A will of its own? Something didn't add up.
But she forced herself out of that thought. Because right now, they had a much more immediate problem.
They were out of food.
Completely.
And both of them... were hungry.
The shell, though vast, was covered only by trees and inedible vegetation. No small beasts, no fruits, nothing useful. Only rusted remains of old armor and terrain fragments the turtle had accumulated on its back over centuries.
So there was only one logical option left.
And disgusting.
"Beneath us... there's plenty of meat," Nephis murmured, thoughtful, staring at the ground as if she could see the massive corpse through the rock.
The dead turtle, though unrecognizable inside, was still an inexhaustible source of meat. Disgusting, sure. But functional.
The problem, of course, was something else.
The serpent was still there.
It hadn't left.
It circled.
As if it knew they were on the shell. As if it was waiting for them to come down. As if... it was waiting for Sunny.
Nephis frowned.
"Damn stupid boyfriend. Why do nightmare creatures always go after you?"
Of all people, it had to be him. Sunny had a special talent for annoying, provoking, or simply attracting the most terrifying things in the world.
But oh well... that wasn't an obstacle either.
Nephis had a plan.
One that was not dangerous at all.
One totally functional.
Or so she told herself as she started preparing.
Because in this hellish and seemingly infinite sea, the turtle and the serpent weren't the only nightmare creatures.
One day earlier, another opponent had arrived. Perhaps drawn by the spilled blood, by the distant echo of battle... or maybe by something deeper. Something neither Sunny nor Nephis could understand.
That's when they saw it.
A giant butterfly. Enormous. Colossal. Its wings, translucent like fractured crystals, radiated a strange glow across the cloudy sky. Its movements were silent, almost hypnotic, and its mere presence distorted the surroundings as if reality itself was being forced to adjust to its arrival.
Sunny had been afraid. Nephis too. And although she wouldn't admit it out loud, she accepted it internally. Facing one great monster was already terrifying... but another one, so soon, was a nightmare within a nightmare.
"What kind of damned Ascended has to fight things like this?" she muttered, irritated. "Stupid spell..."
Because this wasn't a trial anymore. It was a cruel joke from fate.
But just when they thought a confrontation was inevitable, the unexpected happened.
The serpent attacked.
It didn't hesitate.
It didn't fear.
Despite being wounded, despite being trapped in the sea while its opponent floated majestically above, it didn't flinch. It lunged with fury, driven by pure madness that only nightmare creatures could understand. And so, another battle began.
A violent dance between two giants.
The waters rose like walls, the wings slashed the air like blades. The sky was painted with the flashes of a relentless clash.
And for Sunny and Nephis, it was the perfect opportunity.
With both creatures distracted in the distance, they could act. They could use the moment to descend through the only visible access to the turtle's interior: a crack in the shell, formed after the internal destruction caused by the serpent.
That hole would be their entrance into the creature's innards. Their only chance to get meat before the battle ended... and one of the monsters turned its eyes toward them.
There was just one problem.
The hole was too small.
Neither Nephis nor Sunny could fit through it normally. Not without breaking something or risking getting stuck.
Well... unless one of them could, say, teleport through shadows.
Nephis sighed with resignation.
She wanted to go with him. She really did. Thanks to the Shadow Bond, Sunny could take her with him using his ability. But the essence cost was too high. Too risky to use now, when they didn't know what was waiting below.
So she yielded.
She watched him silently as he prepared.
Sunny knelt before the crack, focused. Then, a liquid shadow flowed from his feet and crept silently into the hole. It vanished between the dark rocks, as if night itself was sliding into the abyss.
But not without being empowered first.
Nephis narrowed her eyes as she saw the shadow enveloped in a layer of white flame: her power. A silent gift, a show of protection.
And then he was gone.
Sunny was no longer with her.
The only companion she had left was her own shadow... and the distant roar of the battle between titans still shaking the world around her.
She sighed with a heavy heart, letting the breath carry away the anxiety building in her chest. And then, a minute passed...
The battle between titans still raged in the distance, drowning the horizon in chaos. Nephis sharpened her ears. The sound of water being violently displaced, of wings flapping with thunderous might... and screams —not human, but from the creatures themselves. Sharp, primal, guttural.
She turned her gaze toward the sea.
There they were.
The serpent was moving with less agility than before. Open wounds ran across its elongated body, some still bleeding grotesquely. Its madness, however, hadn't lessened. If anything, it had intensified. It was obvious in its eyes: a blind, feral rage that kept it going.
The butterfly, on the other hand, seemed less affected. Though visibly damaged, its ability to fly had given it the upper hand. It could retreat whenever it wanted, strike from impossible angles, remain out of reach.
And yet... that wasn't what worried Nephis the most.
The second minute passed.
And she began to feel genuinely uneasy.
Sunny was supposed to be the paranoid one between them. He was the one who always imagined the worst-case scenario, who calculated every move, every consequence.
And yet, now she was the one who felt the pressure gnawing at her nerves.
A minute wasn't long for an Ascended. Breathing, moving, planning. But on the battlefield... a single second could decide everything. Life or death.
If the serpent won, it wasn't hard to guess what would happen next. That creature seemed obsessed with Sunny, and if it managed to defeat the butterfly, it would come for him. With that rage. With that madness. And if that happened...
Sunny would be in serious danger.
But if the butterfly won... that wasn't good either.
What if it decided that the island —the turtle's corpse— was the perfect place to rest after the battle? If it landed there...
Then they were screwed.
Nephis, as always, had a backup plan. Of course she did. She had considered all possibilities. Even this one. But she didn't want to use it. Not with Sunny still out there. Not with him down below, alone.
So all she could do was wait.
And trust.
The fourth minute passed.
Nephis, though outwardly calm, couldn't stop herself from biting her tongue in frustration. The metallic taste of blood in her mouth didn't surprise her. It was better than letting the anxiety win.
Neither of them had won.
The butterfly, as if it had grown bored, pulled away. It flew in spirals, gracefully retreating from the battlefield, perhaps to recover. The serpent, wounded but still furious, sank back into the ocean.
And then, as if following a primal instinct, it turned.
Straight toward the island.
Toward them.
With a low roar, the serpent submerged and then surged forward like lightning, aiming for the turtle's corpse with inhuman speed. Nephis felt the tremor in her chest before she could even move. Her whole body screamed danger. Every part of her sounded the alarm.
Her shadow, as if responding to that fear, suddenly stretched wide.
And from it emerged a figure.
Small, grinning, with a face eerily similar to Sunny's.
Happy.
But Nephis didn't even notice. She was too focused. Her mind raced, building one plan after another, discarding options, desperately seeking a way out.
Then —a crash.
A brutal impact.
The serpent had slammed into the shell with such force that the entire terrain shook. Stones fell. Trees trembled. And for a moment, even the air seemed to grow heavier.
Nephis braced herself for a fight.
But before she could move... someone appeared.
A drenched figure emerged from the shadows, right beside her.
Sunny.
He was breathing heavily, his body soaked in saltwater and streaked with blood. A wound crossed his arm, but his eyes... his eyes burned bright with clarity. At his feet, the Covetous Coffer pulsed with restrained energy, full of fresh meat.
He had done it.
He was wounded.
But alive.
Nephis let her shoulders drop as a long, shaky breath escaped her lips.
Relieved. Exhausted.
Then, pure and beautiful white flames began to form the moment she touched Sunny. They slid softly over his cheek, healing the wound with a warm glow. And to her surprise... Nephis didn't feel anything.
No burning.
No stinging.
Not even the usual pain of her Flaw.
In fact... she hadn't even activated her Aspect consciously.
She had simply wanted to touch him. To see him okay. And as if that desire were stronger than the curse she carried, the flames had simply responded — instinctive, protective.
Sunny frowned slightly. She knew that look. He didn't like it when she used her power to heal him — not for small wounds like this. Because he, better than anyone, knew what it cost her. The flaw she had borne since the day she Awakened.
Flaw: [Pristine Soul]
Flaw Description: [You must suffer to use your power.]
He had told her about it long ago, when she had already learned to hide the pain. When she could suppress the spasms, quiet the screams. When they met, she no longer showed signs of what was happening inside.
But Sunny...
Sunny had seen her when she couldn't hide it.
One of the first times she used her Aspect, he saw her faint.
He heard her scream.
He watched her vomit from the pain.
He saw her at her worst.
He saw her vulnerable.
What a shame, she thought, with a small, almost nostalgic smile.
After the flames faded, Nephis stood up without a word and began to prepare a small campfire. The air still smelled of salt and blood, but there was something comforting in the simple motions. In the crackling of the fire, in the way she pulled meat from the coffer and cut it with practiced precision.
Sunny, still lying down, watched her in silence.
Nephis said nothing, but made sure the fire stayed steady, that the meat cooked properly.
That her stupid boyfriend would eat something warm after returning — injured, but alive.
Because sometimes... love was also that.