Nephis tilted her head.
"Don't you know Asher? tomorrow is the winter solstice."
Asher groaned, rubbing his temple. "I do, Neph. But like… ugh—forget it." He gave up trying to untangle the words. All he wanted was some rest.
"Good," she said calmly. "Then we have no worries."
Asher sighed, placing his hands on the table, "But there won't be new sleepers."
Kai raised a brow, but most of the room seemed to understand Asher's reasoning.
"Nephis, overs the past years, the amount of people people coming to the forgotten shore keeps decreasing exponentially. And I don't mean to state the obvious, but last year. Only five of us came here, all of whom are here."
Sunny, who was in the corner on the room nodded along with Asher, "I think he is right there."
Caster though, immediately refuting, "What if we are a start of a new cycle though?"
Asher thumped the side of his head and shot him a grin. "Listen here, Hang Li boy. The Spell may be cruel, but it's always fair. Sending us—or Nephis, for that matter—was probably its last-ditch mercy play for the people trapped here. You really think it would throw more Sleepers straight into a meat grinder after that?"
The young scion's eye twitched, offended by the first phrase. Asher grinned
'That's right give me the break I deserve!"
Nephis exhaled slowly. "Still… it's worth a try. Nothing is guaranteed."
Asher felt the metaphorical bucket of cold water hit him. He sighed, then looked at her with a resigned expression.
"Fine. I'll do it. But under one condition."
Her brow arched. "And what's that?"
He brightened suddenly, flashing a mischievous smile. "Let's make a bet! If I find no Sleepers in the Labyrinth, you have to ----------Bleep--------! Got it?"
Effie fell back on her chair, laughing, while Sunny's expression became a strong grimace due to the cringe.
Seishan And Gemma looked at Asher with wide eyes while even Cassie and Kai couldn't help but giggle.
Caster managed to stay deadpan while Nephis bit her lip slightly, she turned to Kai.
Exploring alone was dangerous… but if Asher went, Kai would be far safer.
Her frown deepened. Finally, she looked back at Asher. "If you do find Sleepers, you have to sing one of your Echo's songs in front of the entire Bright Castle."
Asher's grin widened. He thrust out his hand. "Deal."
Nephis hesitated, then clasped it firmly.
"Deal."
***
"I scammed her." Asher nodded to himself with arms crossed, staring straight ahead.
"You did. That deal wasn't even close to being fair," Sunny replied, his voice dry as he moved through sword forms, shadows twisting with each step like silent partners in his dance.
Asher's eyes lingered on the movements until Sunny finally caught him staring. Narrowing his eyes, he asked flatly, "Why are you even here?"
Asher smiled, "Are you not going to say bye to a friend?"
Sunny clicked his tongue, "I will, when you leave."
Asher exhaled a long sigh, shaking his head. "That's not why I'm here, though."
Sunny stopped mid-swing, annoyance flickering across his face—until he noticed the steaming cup cradled in Asher's outstretched hand.
He blinked, caught off guard.
"Happy birthday, Sunny!" Asher grinned, the words almost too bright for the dim weather.
Sunny froze, staring at him, then down at the cup he reluctantly accepted. He held it for a long beat before murmuring, "...Why?"
Asher tilted his head. "What?"
Sunny shook his head, still staring into the coffee's rippling surface. "I don't even know your birthday. Hell, I didn't even check on you when you were—"
"First things first," Asher cut him off, raising a finger. "The coffee's getting cold. Drink."
Sunny hesitated, then took a cautious sip. Bitter warmth slid down his throat. In the Forgotten Shore, coffee was nothing short of a luxury. Without Asher's string-pulling with Kido, it would've been impossible. He sipped again, slower this time.
"Now," Asher continued, "let me sum up what's rattling in that broody head of yours. You're wondering why someone you barely bothered to comfort during his worst would not only remember your birthday… but show up with a gift."
Sunny stayed silent, nursing his drink. He hated how accurately the idiot read him sometimes.
Asher smirked. "Well, simple. It's because you did care."
Sunny nearly choked, spitting a few drops back into the cup. Asher's grin widened.
"Yeah, don't give me that look. You think I didn't notice that sneaky shadow in my room? Or the one lurking by the wall at the funeral?"
"Yeah...", He pointed at Sunny's forehead, "The thing is... You are worried about me!"
Sunny didn't respond. He just sipped again, slower this time, hiding behind the rim of the cup.
Asher shrugged, his tone softening. "And since I spent my birthday alone in the Labyrinth… I didn't want you to spend yours the same way." He raised both hands, already turning for the exit. "Anyway. Enjoy it."
He was nearly at the door when a voice stopped him.
"Asher."
He turned back. Sunny's expression had shifted—a small, reluctant smile tugging at his lips before stretching into a dark grin.
"...Thanks."
Asher let out a short, weary chuckle, running a hand through his hair. "Glad you liked it."
***
A few hours later, the members of Neph's cohort gathered on the roof of the old hunting lodge, which still stood at the edge of the slum. Seishan was also there, which made Asher slightly uncomfortable. He didn't let it show on his face, however.
But so were Aiko and Stev, so it wasn't too bad.
They were here to see Asher and Kai off...
The charming archer was standing near the edge of the roof, checking his equipment for the last time. He was wearing a new stylish armor and a leather jacket with fur on its collar. On his back, there was a quiver full of arrows and a backpack with water, food, and other supplies necessary for a long journey.
Asher was storing most of his food in his latest memory he received as a gift.
The Box O' Plenty. It could store... a lot. It already had a couple of things in it when Asher had received it. The memory itself was from Stev, while inside Kido had packed quite a bit of apples and Aiko seemed to have spared some of her soul shards.
He whipped his head, looking to kai, before turning to other. "Alight.. We will be off!"
There faces looked solemn, at least a few.
As though reading their thoughts, Kai turned around and smiled.
"Really, guys, don't worry. I'll be fine. This is not my first time spending some quality time in the Labyrinth. Plus I am with Asher!"
Asher nodded, bringing Kai around his shoulders before grinning. "Yeah! Don't worry about us."
Effie shut her eyes tightly, "God that was dangerous to look at!"
It in fact was. Two of the best looking individuals next to each other, smiling?
She was lucky her eyes survived.
Sunny clicked his tongue, "Yeah, with that guy around, I doubt anything will happen."
Everyone slowly nodded.
No one could deny Asher's strength after what happen with Gunlaug, which was still quite a mystery how he killed him. Not to mention... How his appearance changed mid-fight.
With that, Kai waved them goodbye.
"Well… wish me luck!"
Everyone waved back as Asher smiled, closing his eyes. He let his awareness trace the outline of his body, tugging at the unseen force wrapped around him. With a subtle command, it lifted—his figure rising smoothly from the ground.
The air thinned as he pushed higher, the force bending to his will. His movements were clumsy at first, every shift jerky and unbalanced, but within moments his instincts caught up. The hesitation melted away.
He shot upward, breaking into the open sky. The wind roared past his ears, stinging his skin, but exhilaration blazed hotter than discomfort. Below, the lodge shrank into specks, the people mere dots waving from the rooftop.
This was the taste of it—of what he had gained… after becoming a monster.