Nephis saw Sunny stir awake in her arms. In fact, the position they were in was quite embarrassing... but in the end, it had worked.
She had been alarmed when she saw him trembling in his sleep. It wasn't cold, and he wasn't injured. So it was strange... if not impossible.
Her mind raced through several possibilities.
A Nightmare Creature nearby?
A Terror?
A Tyrant?
It only took her a few seconds to consider the simplest option: a nightmare. With that Echo of his, it seemed almost impossible... but it made sense. Sunny had run out of essence to summon Nightmare.
She also scolded herself for not thinking of it sooner. After all, part of her had dismissed the idea entirely—not because of the Echo, but because she knew how mentally strong Sunny was. The thought of him having a nightmare seemed ridiculous.
But in the end, she and Sunny were nothing more than human. Humans with their own traumas, each in their own way. Sure, ridiculously powerful humans... but sometimes, that very power came with deeper scars.
So she did the only thing she could think of.
Well... in truth, she did what Sunny often did.
She hugged him.
A warm, gentle, yet firm embrace. She stroked his hair in an attempt to comfort him. And, to her relief, it worked.
Sunny stopped trembling. Although still asleep, it wasn't long before he began to react. Nephis saw him blink slowly, trying to adjust to the cave's darkness... and to her touch.
She watched as Sunny scanned the cave with machine-like precision. His eyes moved in a calculated pattern, studying every corner as if expecting something to leap at them. No surprise there—after all, passing out in the middle of a fight and nearly dying tended to leave a mark.
Even more so if you woke up from a nightmare and the first thing you saw was a dark cave... or a bright one? Nephis wasn't entirely sure. What she did know was that she had always been curious about how Sunny saw the world. His eyes were strange: they could pierce the darkness, follow invisible threads of Memories, and detect the soul cores pulsing within living beings.
After finishing his inspection, Sunny seemed to realize something much more immediate: Nephis's closeness... and the fact that he was being hugged like a giant plush toy.
"Neph... did something happen?" he murmured, his voice so low it almost blended with his breathing. Even so, Nephis had no trouble hearing the hint of embarrassment in it.
She didn't answer right away. Instead, she observed him in silence, noting the tension creeping into his shoulders, the nervous movement of his fingers against her clothes. With each passing second, color crept into his cheeks, staining his pale skin with a subtle red.
"No." Her answer was brief, but her tone held something different than usual. It wasn't the cold, controlled voice everyone knew; there was a note of restrained amusement in it.
Because yes, Nephis was enjoying this. Seeing Sunny—usually so sharp and in control—reduced to a bundle of awkwardness was a small personal victory.
The silence that followed stretched like a taut string. Sunny's onyx eyes locked with hers and stayed there, unmoving, while he blinked with an innocence that didn't quite fool her. There was something in that look that seemed caught between fleeing... and staying.
Finally, his voice broke the silence again:
"Nephis..." he said, almost cautiously, as if afraid someone else might overhear.
"Yes, Sunny?" she replied with feigned casualness, as if she didn't know exactly where the conversation was heading.
"Why... are we like this?" His words were accompanied by a slight tilt of his head, indicating the odd, tight position they were in.
Nephis let the corner of her lips curve ever so slightly.
"Why? Does it bother you?" she asked, her voice soft, almost innocent—but laced with subtle malice.
Sunny stayed silent for a few seconds. She could see him struggling to choose his words, forced by his flaw to tell the truth. It was obvious he already knew the answer, but she liked drawing out the moment, as if by keeping him uncomfortable she might get more than a simple yes or no.
In the end, he averted his gaze and, in a nearly imperceptible murmur, said:
"No."
It had been a few hours since Sunny had woken up. He was surprised to open his eyes and find himself in a cave, but it was the only safe shelter. Besides, Nephis had warned him about the deadly windstorm outside.
Of course... there was also the small detail that he had woken up in Nephis's arms, like in one of those romance novels. Only, for some reason, he seemed to remember the roles being reversed...
He couldn't deny that Nephis's touch and embrace had helped him; in fact, they were what had pulled him out of that nightmare. And speaking of it... he decided to postpone thinking about its meaning.
Still, there was the matter of getting back at Nephis for the prank she had pulled on him earlier. His pride wouldn't let things end like that.
But something more urgent needed their attention: they were hungry. The turtle meat was running out little by little.
While exploring the forest with his shadow, Sunny spoke to Nephis. Fortunately, after so many years, exploring had become so ingrained in him that it came naturally.
He wondered what kind of ability he would gain once he reached the Transcendent rank after completing his third nightmare.
His internal monologue was interrupted by Nephis's voice:
"Sunny, why didn't you use the Twilight Crown?"
Sunny froze at the question. His new Memory, acquired just a few days ago, was without a doubt a valuable asset... and yet, he had forgotten to use it. He hadn't even looked at the memory he'd obtained. What was wrong with him? How could he forget something so important? It almost felt as if some all-powerful force had clouded his mind.
He grimaced and replied:
"It wasn't necessary," he said, avoiding her gaze, hoping she wouldn't catch the half-truth.
But more than just justifying his forgetfulness, he was curious to see his new Memory.
Memory: Ring of Darkness
Memory Rank: Transcendent
Memory Tier: III
Memory Description: Once, a brave warrior swore an oath to the light. He fought and hunted with devotion... until the light abandoned him. When it vanished, only darkness remained.
Memory Enchantments:
Rain of Light [The ring was created by the light, but succumbed to the darkness. When it surrounded by true darkness, the light gains strength and eradicates the darkness.]
Hunter [This ring allows the wearer to see in the dark. Like an experienced hunter, it can also detect and follow the scent of blood.]
Silence [It slows the wearer's heartbeat, helping them hide and move without making a sound.]
Sunny studied the runes of the Memory. It was useful... though, in truth, half of its enchantments would benefit Nephis more than him. He could already see in the dark and move through shadows with ease.
Only the first ability was truly valuable to him, but it was far more useful for Nephis to be able to see in a dark forest. So, with a hint of reluctance, he approached her and touched her shoulder, transferring the Memory.
He felt her shoulders tense, probably surprised by the sudden contact, but she quickly recovered.
And then, he heard it too:
[You have received a Memory.]
He was surprised for a moment.
Nephis had received a Memory too?
It seemed like it was his lucky day. And if she had given it to him, it had to be interesting.
He dove into his Soul Sea, where the four familiar radiant suns of darkness shone—representing his soul cores. There were also some new additions to the motionless shadows.
In the distance, he saw the two silhouettes of the dark hunters, as still as ever.
Walking through that dreamlike expanse, he found the threads of his newly acquired Memory. It was very similar to the previous one.
⸻
Memory: Ring of Light
Memory Rank: Transcendent
Memory Tier: III
Description: [The last warrior who lost her faith; in the end, even she succumbed to the darkness. Though she begged her brothers not to abandon hope, it was in vain. Yet, in her final moments, she found a flame—a burning light that purified her soul.]
⸻
Sunny read the description with curiosity. It seemed to hint that, before becoming corrupted demons, the dark hunters had been brothers led by a light... perhaps the Sun God? Or a leader?
He didn't yet have the full story, but the clues were starting to form a theory about the dark island.
Maybe, he thought, before becoming a realm of true darkness, it had been an island bathed in light.
But what truly made him frown was the last part. It was obvious who the spell referred to—at least, he hoped it wasn't meant in a bad way.
The only one who had ever been called that, as far as he knew, was himself.
That stupid spell always named him the treacherous, Lost from Light. Apparently, even enchantments had favorites...
Soon, he turned to the runes of his new acquisition.
There was still much of the island's history left to uncover.
⸻
Memory Enchantment
Enchantment Light: [When surrounded by true darkness, unleash a great burst of light that eradicates the shadows.]
Enchantment Shadow: [When the light fades, leave behind a colossal will-less shadow where once there had been light.]
⸻
It was certainly a useful ability, though he wasn't entirely sure what "will-less shadow" meant. Perhaps it referred to the shadows of inanimate objects, not the ones his shadow lantern summoned. Either way, it could be handy.
Unfortunately for him, the last enchantment was identical to the previous one. It made sense... in a strange way. He had never seen something like this happen before, but dark hunters were unique among the Nightmare Creatures he had encountered.
Still, he could always change the enchantment when he had time to weave it.
Curious, Sunny summoned the ring onto the ring finger of his left hand—it just felt like it would fit there.
At the same time, he noticed golden sparks forming on Nephis's hand as well.
⸻
He examined both rings.
Sunny had never been a fan of jewelry; in the Outskirts, it was practically nonexistent, and to him, it had always been a boring luxury.
But he had to admit they were beautiful.
His was forged from pure white metal, with an almost mother-of-pearl sheen. In the center rested a translucent gemstone, as clear as a diamond, catching the light and reflecting it in silver and gold glimmers—like a tiny star trapped within.
Nephis's was the opposite: a ring of dark, polished metal, elegant in its simplicity. At its center lay a deep, lustrous black gem that absorbed the surrounding light, making it stand out even more against her pale skin.
Sunny stared for a moment, inspected the Memory once more, and decided to leave it as it was; his second enchantment would be useful for hunting the creature they sought.
It seemed Nephis thought the same. Though, to his surprise, she changed the ring's position, placing it on the same finger he had chosen. The faint pink tint on her ears betrayed her, even if her expression remained neutral.
How curious... Sunny thought.
Maybe it was just a preference.
He had put it there simply because it looked good.
Thirty minutes later, they had found a perfect prey. It looked like a white serpent... except for the pair of eyes on what seemed to be its tail, and its grotesque appearance.
It was a corrupted monster at least ten meters long. Hopefully, nothing would go wrong—the plan was already in place.
Nephis at the front, drawing attention, and Sunny waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
As a precaution, he wrapped Glomy and Happy around Nephis; that would be enough... just in case.
Nephis leapt gracefully, The Sin of Guilt blazing with the intensity of her flames. The serpent reacted instantly, lunging at her with infernal speed.
Thanks to Glomy and Happy's reinforcement, Nephis was at least three times stronger than before. She reacted purely on instinct and skill. The creature tried to bite her neck, but missed by mere centimeters; Nephis rolled back, her sword still steady in her grip.
They locked eyes—or at least, that's what it looked like, though in reality, it all happened in seconds. Then, both lunged at each other.
Nephis, her gaze impassive, evaded every bite with lethal precision. Her sword sliced through the air with the same elegance as its wielder, leaving thin red lines across the serpent's flesh. The beast wasn't so fortunate—its body was already covered in deep cuts, white flames devouring every wound and wrenching screams of fury and pain from its throat.
The creature lashed out with its tail, the deformed eyes upon it snapping wide open, but Nephis deflected the strike with a turn of her wrist and a slash that tore away scales and flesh.
Then, as the serpent recoiled for one final charge, it happened.
It took less than a second: a shadow slid silently like a knife through darkness. Sunny appeared behind the serpent, his silhouette barely visible, but his blade gleaming with lethal intent.
The corrupted monster barely turned its many eyes toward him... too late.
With a precise, devastating motion, Sunny brought his sword down in a descending slash. Steel bit through scales, flesh, and bone with a dry sound, splitting the serpent in two before it could even scream.
A moment later, a hot wave of blood exploded outward, drenching him from head to toe. The thick liquid plastered his hair to his face, the metallic scent filling the air, and his shadow shivered with faint satisfaction.
"Great..." he muttered in annoyance, shaking himself off to no avail.
"I guess we're having snake for dinner tonight."