[8 days later.]
On a hill overlooking the horizon, two sleepers sat side by side, their eyes fixed on a monolithic structure in the distance.
The black haired sleeper, Sunny, let out a small sigh as he regarded the spire, a humorous smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"Uh, Audun? What do you think our odds of survival are?"
Hearing Sunny's question, the other sleeper, Audun, punched his shoulder playfully.
"Don't jinx it, man. I didn't spend the past week shuttling hundreds of sleepers through the labyrinth just to watch them all die."
Sunny threw his hands up in mock surrender.
"My bad, that wasn't my intention~ I was just a bit curious why you seemed so relaxed."
"Relaxed? Me?"
Speaking with a questioning tone, Audun pointed a finger at himself, his expression utterly carefree.
Sunny rolled his eyes.
"Who else would I be talking about? Everyone here looks like they're about to shit their pants."
Audun let out a genuine laugh as he leaned back, glancing at the bustling crowd of sleepers assembled behind him.
For the past week, the Dreamer Army had marched through the labyrinth to arrive at their destination, all of them somehow surviving the trip.
Normally, a miracle of that level would warrant some level of celebration, but any of the joy they might've felt for surviving was quickly snuffed out by the horrifying visage of the Crimson Spire.
That towering, bloody pillar emanated an aura of utter despair, inspiring a sense of fear so profound that it fueled the constant cycle of prayer and preparation the Dreamer Army had found itself trapped in.
Audun couldn't help but smile knowingly as he watched the sleepers scramble around the camp, his eyes misty with reminiscence.
"It's not my first time... Not my first time being a part of something like this, I mean."
Sunny's gaze flickered from the distant spire to the swordsman.
"Right. I almost forgot how old you were."
Letting out another laugh, Audun flashed him a smirk.
"Still look younger than you, don't I?"
Sunny scoffed.
"You definitely act younger, you bastard."
SMACK
Slapping the back of his disciple's head, Audun let out a sigh.
"Seeing as you're able to joke around, you're also clearly unbothered by this whole situation."
Despite having been smacked, Sunny looked completely unfazed
"I've done my fair share of preparations, too. I might not be confident enough to guarantee the lives of everyone here, but I'm at least somewhat confident in my own survival."
Audun regarded his disciple curiously.
"Preparations?"
Sunny nodded.
"Just before we started the trek, Neph and I went out hunting and formed our third cores."
Having been taught by Audun for the past few weeks, Sunny and Nephis's relationship had gotten closer- close enough to where they had shared some information about their respective aspects.
Of course, they had only been willing to do so after Audun basically read out all his runes.
Still, though, while Sunny might not've shared the secret of his True Name, at the very least, Nephis and Sunny now knew that the other possessed the Divine heritage of one of the gods.
Audun let out a small hum.
"Ahhhh~ I see. Your confidence is warranted then."
"Well, I'd hope so. That Third Core was a pain in the ass to form~"
Sunny flopped onto the ground and let out a long breath.
"I think I killed more nightmare creatures that day than I did during the week-long trip to get here."
With another sigh, Sunny turned to face Audun again, but both of them paused as the sound of approaching footsteps caught their attention.
They turned around to see that Caster had approached them, their expression shifting from friendly into something a little less amicable.
"Ah, Mr. Han Li... To what do we owe the pleasure?"
Sunny flashed the scion a practiced smile.
Caster responded with a similar expression.
"Sorry to bother you guys, but Lady Changing Star asked for the two of you."
"Ok. Thanks for telling us. We'll catch up in a bit."
Sunny waved Caster off with a dismissive gesture, his expression betraying his slight irritation.
Caster didn't seem to take any offense as he merely nodded and scurried off to join the rest of the cohort, clearly not wanting to be around the two any longer.
Audun and Sunny lingered for a moment longer before the black haired sleeper let out a small groan as he jumped to his feet.
"C'mon, man. We'd better go join them before Neph gets all passive-aggressive on us again."
Audun smiled knowingly.
"Good point. Let's make haste, my disciple."
Sunny rolled his eyes but didn't comment any further as he turned on his heel and began to walk towards the others.
The swordsman followed his disciple with his usual lighthearted expression, but for a brief moment, as Audun's gaze flickered to the Crimson Spire in the distance, his eyes gleamed with a small hint of sorrow.
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The cohort was gathered by a large fire, enjoying the warmth as they continued to discuss their plans.
Sunny and Audun quickly joined them, taking a seat around the fire just as Changing Star was wrapping up her brief conversation with Kai.
Nephis turned to the two, her expression utterly neutral as she regarded them.
"There you guys are. I was wondering where you went."
Sunny raised an eyebrow.
"Really? Caster didn't seem to have an issue finding us, though."
Nephis smiled softly.
"Then it seems like I asked the right person."
Sunny sighed as he held his hands up in surrender.
"Hah~ Whatever. Just tell us what you want, Neph."
Although Sunny tried to act indifferent, Audun could clearly see that the boy's attention was completely captured by the silver-haired girl.
Nephis nodded and stood up from her seat, gesturing for Sunny and Audun to follow.
Obliging, the two followed the silver-haired girl to a small, secluded area near the base of the hill they were stationed on.
Cassie was already waiting there, her hand resting on the pommel of Quiet Dancer.
Turning to face the approaching trio, Cassie smiled.
"Hey, guys. Nice of you to finally join us."
The seer walked over to them confidently, her movements far too steady for someone with her ailment.
"Hey, Cas."
Sunny brought his hand up to wave, but he was quickly smacked on the back of the head by Nephis before he could finish his gesture.
She shot him a small glare as he rubbed his head awkwardly.
"Ow...?"
Cassie giggled, her connection to Quiet Dancer allowing her to sense what had just happened.
Sunny shot a resentful look at Nephis, but ultimately let it go as he let out a short, frustrated breath.
"Hah~ So, what do you need from me? I assumed that I would be on the front lines, but now that you've lured me out here, I can't help but think you have something else planned."
Nephis nodded, acknowledging his claim.
"We have enough front-line fighters already. You're the only one who can do what I have in mind."
Sunny raised an eyebrow.
"Oh~? And what would that be?''
A small smile tugged at the corner of Nephis's lips as she held out her hand.
"It shouldn't be too hard for someone like you... Give me your hand."
Sunny did as he was told, his expression morphing into something more complex a beat later.
Changing Star gestured towards the abyssal waters of the dark sea with a knowing smile.
"You can do it, right?"
The black haired sleeper stiffened for a moment before smiling wryly.
"I'll do my best."
Nephis nodded before turning her attention to Audun, who had been standing there quietly, observing the interaction.
"Mm~? Did you need something from me, too? I thought we already agreed I'd be on the front lines."
"You still will be... I was just wondering if you could do one more thing for me."
Audun flashed her a quizzical look, gesturing for her to continue.
Changing Star briefly turned to face the Crimson Spire before returning her attention to him.
"... The Terror at the top of the tower. I need you to clear a path for me to kill it."
Audun stiffened for a moment, his expression freezing.
Nephis continued.
"If you could carve a path for me through the horde of nightmare creatures and allow me to-"
Audun cut her off with a slow shake of his head.
"Sorry, Nephis. That I can't do."
Nephis blinked.
"Why?"
Audun simply smiled.
"The Terror at the top of the Spire is mine. I shall be the one to kill it."