Changing Star stared at the man for a moment. Swearing to offer strength — that was a tough promise to fulfill. Not many forms of it came without strangling conditions or an equal sacrifice, so what could he offer her that she could really value? He most certainly would not give up a Memory, so what?
Nico was still a largely elusive figure. Besides his Flaw and Attributes, they knew nothing of his Aspect besides its relation to souls.
'Will it be an ability?'
"What kind?" she asked at last, leaning forward slightly.
The ethereal tendrils retreated back into his hand as he let the limb drop back to his knees. His voice came out deep and dark from behind his helmet.
"An augmentation, which can quadruple the strength of your soul, your weapon, or your crown — or even all at once for a lesser effect. Take your pick before departing to find Gunlaug, and I will imbue you."
There was a beat of silence.
Then another.
Stunned gazes twisted everyone's faces following his words. Kai found himself squinting in disbelief — a hard thing to achieve due to his Flaw. Sunny's head turned to the archer for a moment, then scowled as he returned to staring at Nico.
Effie whistled.
Changing Star narrowed her eyes. She had a suspicion as to the rank of Aspect already, but, well, that was an impressive ability that pretty much confirmed it. There were probably facets of it he wasn't sharing too.
"I see. That will be useful, but what would you want in return?"
He shook his head.
"Nothing. We are working towards the same goal, aren't we? Why should I require anything of you?"
Nodding, Nephis continued her questions, and he answered each of them dutifully, his words confirmed as truth by Kai. They discussed the timeline, the situation they would deal with following Gunlaug's death, the strategies to handle the possible decisions of the other lieutenants and their factions.
They shared as much of their abilities as they deemed necessary to each other.
As a result, the cohort discovered that the Fallen Beast Nico had somehow tamed was actually the possession of an Awakened Devil, and that the rogue did hold a True Name, though it wasn't the title Seishan had referred to him by. Other than that, his long disappearance had actually taken him into the depths of the labyrinth, returning only after nine months when they were preparing to take over the castle.
These, however, were details he shared willingly, and they did not pry. What he did inside the crimson maze was anyone's guess, and so was his relation to the daughter of Song and his True Name.
Eventually a couple of hours had passed, and they were nearing the deadline before they had to leave.
The Black Knight's death was imminent, and so, Nephis asked:
"Will you help us slay a Fallen Devil?"
Blunt, straight to the point, and utterly shocking. Right out of the blue. The rest of the cohort stared at her aghast. Did she have no tact?
Nico, however, didn't skip a beat.
"Why?"
"What reasons we have do not concern you."
"Why, then, should I bother? I have no reason to believe this endeavor concerns our plans."
Nephis picked up Effie's Memory bag beside her and tugged it open. If he was the man she thought he was, then this was an offer he couldn't refuse — soul shards.
The crystals gleamed dangerously within the pouch.
"Fifty of them."
He stared at the bag, then lifted his head.
"A hundred."
Nephis frowned. Was he going to haggle her?
"Seventy-five."
"Eighty."
"Acceptable."
Sliding the exceptionally heavy bag to him — a result of its enchantment — Nephis shot a look at the rest of the cohort.
It was time to depart.
Beside Nico, the Spire messenger roused, its large head lowered and maw open as if it might bite his head clean off.
Instead, he picked the bag up off the ground, pulled handfuls of shards from it, and placed them all inside the possession's mouth. Exactly eighty, and he pulled it closed.
Effie watched with mischievous intrigue, trying to figure out a way she could end up breaking the stern Sleeper's distant personality.
Kai, walking to the entrance, stopped and stared with a confused expression.
"You feed your Echo soul shards?"
Nico spared him half a glance, then watched as tendrils of fog enveloped the piled shards, drained them of essence, and were spit back onto the floor.
"Yes."
Leaning on the archway at the exit, Sunny's thoughts turned wary. He fed his own Shadow Memories instead of shards, but that didn't change the fact that he had done it in the first place. His Shadows were a result of some form of his Aspect, so what were his?
The lieutenant hadn't given the Awakened Devil any proper title, after all. Whether it was really an Echo like Kai assumed or something else was anyone's guess.
Nico's deep voice thrummed again as he announced:
"My Devil will travel with you to fight that Devil, so don't bother briefing me. Integrate it into your existing plans however you wish. I have some business to take care of back at the castle before you all return — securing alliances with the remaining adversaries and snipping off loose ends. If all goes well, you'll return tomorrow, and our coup will be successful."
Everyone's thoughts instantly turned wary. Sunny was indignant. When they made a deal asking for help it was almost instinctive that he would be joining them and not his servant. Now, after its conclusion, they were supposed to settle for less?
Before they could say anything, though, the mist that clung to his armor wept from the crevices, swirling and condensing into an almost human figure right beside him. It waved harmlessly, two flames not unlike that of its possessions on its featureless face.
"The Devil is not an Echo, but a Specter. I created it with my Aspect. Its intelligence is comparable to mine and no doubt more than sufficient enough to follow your commands. This is the best aide I can offer you, rest assured."
A couple moments passed.
"If you have any doubts you can ask it a few yes or no questions."
Then, Effie laughed. Her teeth glinted in a wide grin as she stared down at the… fog human? Silhouette? Wraith? Whatever it was, who would expect something so menacing before to be so… cute looking!
Nephis resisted the urge to roll her eyes at her companion's antics and absently replied:
"What are its Abilities?"
Nico turned his head to see her, a glowing whirlpool of azure light revealed from under his visor since his Specter had stopped shrouding him.
Nephis had to stop herself from shuddering when she saw those eyes. They seemed to see straight through, into, and past her all at once, as if he were a man made puppet.
"Mental manipulation and possession."
His hand passed through the center of the wraith's chest as he walked towards the archway, veins of suffused light spreading from the point of entry and wrapping through its entire frame like an elaborate, internal nervous system.
"While its real Abilities won't be of the most help against a being such as that, it will at least slow it down, and the Messenger will be a paramount ally."
Nephis nodded.
Sunny, Cassie, Kai, and Caster all stared with steely expressions. Before, they had seen the morbid trial of Jubei — watched his torturous execution. Faltering mid-strike, he had fallen to the ground in a heap of useless blubbering, screaming agony and tearing at his own face.
That was this Specter's power.
Caster even realized that the Devil Nico was proclaimed to have slain not a month or so before was most likely where he had acquired it.
Sunny, on the other hand, couldn't help but think grimly of the Soul Devouring Tree.
Before long, they had descended the wall and made the trek to the ruined cathedral. There, Nico said his last parting words to the cohort and left Shaman and them to battle the Devil.
Once again, he was returning to the Bright Castle.
There was one more person he had to convince to join his scheme.