As they were leaving, Sunny turned towards Solaire.
"The two of us will follow Nephis. Come back to this area in the evening."
After walking a couple of steps, Sunny turned back once more.
"Oh! And pack all your things from the castle. You will no longer be welcome there from today."
Before Solaire could even reply, the trio had already left, making their way towards the castle. Nevertheless, heeding Sunny's words, he made his way back to the castle, ready to pack up his things. As he was walking out of the room, he heard commotion in the main hall.
"Kill her, Andel! You got this!"
Pushing his way through the crowd, he saw Changing Star standing face to face with one of the Pathfinders. But what he saw next truly shocked him. In one swift move, she dodged the charging man, summoned her sword, and beheaded him.
She then smiled at the leader of the hunters, Gemma:
"It was nice meeting you as well."
Grabbing the lifeless head of the man, she started walking back. Solaire left the castle and caught up to them. Tapping Sunny's shoulder, he asked:
[What happened? Why did Lady Nephis kill that man?]
Sunny sighed.
"It's a present. For Effie."
The squad made their way back to the giantess's shack. When Effie opened the door and saw the head, she called them in.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, princess? Do you know who you just killed?"
Nephis replied calmly:
"Oh... this man, he is the Pathfin—"
Effie cut in:
"I know who he is. But you've angered Gunlaug now, and he's going to come after you—and there'll be nothing you'll be able to do about it."
Nephis did not bother answering and asked:
"So, have I proved my strength? I'll ask once more: will you be our Pathfinder?"
Effie burst out into laughter.
"Hahahaha! Oh... gods!! I will. I will join your hunting party!"
Sunny and Solaire looked at each other and silently nodded.
"They are mad! All of them!"
The next day, as the five of them were making their way towards the hunting grounds, Caster interjected.
"Lady Nephis, Huntress Athena, Cassie, Sunny, and Solaire—will you let me join your hunting party?"
Nonchalantly, Nephis answered:
"Sure, if that's what you want."
Together, the six of them made their way towards the cursed ruins of the Dark City.
The first hunt was uneventful. Guided by Effie, and with Sunny's trusty shadow, they avoided any Fallen creatures and arrived at the location. Hiding in the nearby rubble, they waited for the prey to show up.
When it eventually did, Nephis was the one to lure out the creature, while Caster delivered the finishing blow. The creature was a scorpion-like monster—Solaire had hunted one of these before, and he remembered well how tough their shells were.
"I wonder if I'll be able to break through them now."
With his Aspect Legacy empowering him, he felt confident he could handle one alone. The fight itself was uneventful, but Solaire was still slightly taken by surprise. While the battle hadn't lasted long, he was sure he could've taken the creature down much faster.
"They must be hiding their strengths," Solaire thought. He noticed that Changing Star seemed extremely cautious of Caster.
As they made their way back, Effie exclaimed:
"This is the easiest meal I've ever earned!"
After giving away a good share of the spoils to the huntress, Nephis glanced at the rest of them and asked:
"I would like you to entrust me with your share of the meat."
Sunny seemed about to question her, but before he could, Cassie interjected:
"Of course, Neph!"
Even Caster slightly bowed.
"As you wish, Lady Nephis."
Finding no reason to object, Solaire also nodded in agreement. Seeing that everyone else had accepted, Sunny eventually nodded too.
When they returned to the outer settlement, Nephis quietly divided the remaining monster meat into two portions. One — a modest bundle — she handed to Cassie. The other, a significantly larger pile, she laid out on the white stones in front of their lodge.
Effie watched the process with interest, as did the gathered slum dwellers who had come to greet them.
Sunny frowned, confused.
"What are you doing?"
Changing Star met his gaze briefly, then nodded toward the smaller bundle in Cassie's hands.
"This is our share — enough to sustain us until the next hunt."
From the crowd, someone called out:
"And the rest? You selling it? What's your price?"
It was normal for hunters in the outer settlement to sell some of their spoils. That was how many survived — bartering meat for goods, services, and, occasionally, shards.
Nephis turned to the onlookers, her expression unreadable. Once the murmurs died down, she spoke — calm but firm.
"My hunting party won't be selling any meat. Not now. Not ever."
Gasps rippled through the crowd, confusion spreading like wildfire. But before anyone could object, she stepped aside and gestured to the large pile of meat.
"...Instead, we'll be giving it away. For free."
A stunned silence fell over the settlement's edge. The slum dwellers — many drawn by hunger, others just hoping to see Changing Star up close — stared at her in disbelief, their faces a tangle of mistrust and confusion.
Then a voice rose from the crowd, sharp with accusation:
"What kind of game are you playing? People here are starving! Shame on you!"
Nephis folded her arms, her eyes hard.
"There's no trick. Anyone who needs to eat is welcome to take a fair share. Enough to fill their stomach."
The same young man scoffed.
"Why would you give it away for nothing? What do you take us for — fools?"
Nephis replied, her voice loud and steady:
"Why would I not? Aren't we all humans? Why would we not help each other out? Shame on you for thinking like beasts. Be it the Dream Realm or the real world, we are all humans."
The next few days flew by like the breeze. The party was now much larger, and they went hunting every other day. Solaire joined many of these expeditions, but never had the opportunity to showcase his strength.
Sunny, on the other hand, seemed to be purposefully ignored. His opinions were often rejected or outright disregarded. Solaire didn't like this. While Sunny might not have believed they were close, he was Solaire's only friend — the only person who didn't ignore him because of his flaw.
The following day, after the hunt was over, Solaire made his way toward Sunny's place. He wanted to talk to him — Sunny had seemed down lately.
"Huh? He isn't here… maybe in the dining area."
Not finding Sunny in his room, he made his way to the mess. On the way, he heard chatter coming from one of the rooms. As he approached the sound, he saw Caster entering.
Reaching the window, he saw Harper lying down — dead. An iron knife was plunged into his chest, and Sunny was standing in front of his body. He overheard Caster, who was telling him they would hide the body.
Solaire couldn't find Sunny anywhere else the rest of the day.
Night passed. The next day was the same. No sighting of Sunny at all.
"His Aspect ability is such a pain."
On his way back, he saw Nephis and Sunny talking to each other.
"Finally. I kept searching for this bastard."
Making his way toward them, he overheard Sunny.
"Fuck you, Neph."
Solaire stopped and blinked.
"I said go fuck yourself with that bullshit… Saint Nephis. You might have fooled everyone else, but I know you. I know you better than anyone else. So I don't buy your whole savior act even for a second."
Sunny continued without taking a breath:
"Help these people? Please! What are you going to help them with? Help them turn into corpses? You and I both know how this ends. Cassie already told us. Fire and rivers of blood, right? Is this what you're planning?"
Solaire turned back and walked off. This was not the time for him to speak.
Sunny's POV
He walked through the ruins, Harper's dead body weighing on his shoulder. He was alone in the darkness, left to his thoughts — but he couldn't be bothered. It was all too much for him, and too sudden.
Throwing the body into one of the empty houses, he turned his back on the encampment. His part here was finished.
It was time to go back — away from everyone. He turned toward the darkness, ready to leave.
But he just stood and blinked.
Solaire was there, leaning against one of the walls. Sunny tried to walk past him, but he felt a hand on his shoulder.
[Where are you going, Sunny?] Solaire asked calmly.
Sunny laughed — he was just too hurt.
"I'm leaving all of this behind me. Don't try to stop me."
He turned toward Solaire and glared at him, murder still lingering in his eyes.
Solaire replied in a neutral tone:
[I am not here to stop you. I'm coming with you.]