The world was consumed by fire.
White fire danced across the broken landscape and Nephis danced with it. Wind blew heat and ash from the tops of the hills. Dust rained from the sky like snow, only to melt in the crucible of her flames.
Nephis was only source of light in the darkness of the battlefield. It was night, but moon was hidden behind the black clouds, as were the stars. It was eerily beautiful, absolute darkness pierced by flashes of pure, white light, like a beautiful yet terrifying painting. If only it didn't hurt so much...
Nephis was long accustomed to pain — she welcomed it, even. Pain grounded her, it made world stark and simple, black and white, as it now was. In the world of pain, things became clear and crisp. She didn't have to think or feel. She merely had to act. There was no hesitation, only Will.
Nephis had always been proud of her determination — of her Will. It defined her, really. It had been forged in countless battles and in the torturous moments of white radiance, until it became sharp as a blade and unmovable like a mountain. Now, as a Sovereign, she reaped the rewards of this process.
Only this time, it seemed even her Will was not enough.
Wasteland around her had been NQSC only couple of days ago. Now it was a forest of blackened, broken buildings, rubble, shattered glass and concrete, illuminated only by lonely star shining in the depths of the merciless darkness.
Darkness...
Nephis glanced to her left. Somewhere in the ocean of darkness was Sunny, fighting his own hopeless battle. Nephis's heart ached. She had not known Sunny for long. Only one and a half years had passed since they reached Supremacy, and before that... couple of months of Realm War in Godgrave. It was not much, especially considering Nephis's introverted nature. But somehow, ever since she had met Lord of Shadows in the Nameless Temple, she had felt in peace like never before. It was probably due to Nephis finally having an ally who not only understood her frighteningly well but was also able to keep up with her relentless ambition — something which had never happened before. But there was also something else, something she couldn't quite...
Nephis frowned and looked up. She felt something vast looking back at her with malicious intent and sighed. Blessing shone in her hand as she readied herself for the inevitable.
What had she been thinking? She was in the middle of the battlefield.
And so the battle continued. Nephis burned and her form restored itself, only to be burned again. The heart of the whirlpool of darkness was coming closer by minute — the Gate Guardian. It was... it was at least a Cursed Titan. But Nephis had the suspicion that it was actually something much worse. The space around her seemed to ripple and her mind became foggy. The creature... whatever it was... seemed to influence space and time itself.
Nephis felt bitter. She had dedicated her life to eradicating the madness that was the Nightmare spell. There was hardly any that could match her determination — she literally burned to death everyday. But everything she had done was still insignificant. She was exactly as she had always been: lonely, scared child, incapable of even comprehending forces that had turned her life into misery.
Powerless.
She knew deep down that she could not win this battle, but she was still unwilling to give up. She wouldn't have been Changing Star of the Immortal Flame if she did. Nephis straightened her posture and raised her sword.
At that moment, she felt something landing on her shoulder - a hand.
Nephis looked back and saw Sunny. He was in sorry state, his Mantle pierced and coated with blood, his other arm missing. And yet, she could sense his desire burning inside the broken armour.
Love, grief and — something else?
Hope?
Unlike at the start of the battle, Sunny wore Weaver's mask now. Nephis did not see his face, but she could picture it perfectly, full of frantic urgency. His voice was not composed like usually. Instead it was pained, like he was speaking through gritted teeth.
"Nephis... "
"What is it?"
He suddenly collapsed to his knees, taking Nephis with him. At the same time Sunny dismissed his mask and Nephis could see his face. It was dark and determined, and his eyes had a strange gleam in them.
"The mask... I saw a way!"
Small ember of hope ignited in Nephis's heart. She looked at Sunny intently, trying to dismiss the notion that the Gate Guardian was coming closer every second they spent talking.
"What way?"
"You have to... find the heart. Get close and... run! Or, well, fly."
Sunny's voice was pained and dry, but a small chuckle still escaped him. Nephis felt amusement bleeding through his emotions. How could he find humour in this situation? Nephis wasn't known for her comical talent but still, was this a little too much?
"A heart?" Nephis frowned, trying to understand. The heart of the dark creature — the Gate Guardian?
"Yes! You have to find it... you're the only one who can. I can't follow. Though... we might meet again on the other side... "
Nephis felt new determination bloom inside her. She pressed her hands to Sunny's chest, but before she could begin to heal him, he shook his head. Sunny's face was buried behind layers of blood and sweat and tears, but he was smiling. The moment they were in made his smile seem rather crazy - which it was - but it still felt good to see it. In fact, it was the the most beautiful thing Nephis had seen in days.
"No! Go. As I said, it's not over. Don't worry about me! I will be okay."
When Nephis still hesitated, he pulled her into tight, one-armed hug.
"You know that I'm the most honest man in two worlds, right?"
He paused a bit and kissed her. She kissed back and felt lonely tear falling to her cheek. What caused it, she didn't know, as she never cried. Before the tear had time to drop off her jaw, it was evaporated by the heat of her skin.
"If you say so... it must be true... "
She looked to darkness ahead and said something she had never thought she would say someday.
"I love you, Sunny."
"I know."
Then she spread her wings and flew. She felt the darkness coalesce around her, time and space bending and her sense of self dissolving into the inky blackness. She knew that she would most likely meet her end in the darkness, but she didn't care. It was their only hope. Pain spread through her entire being, not just physical pain, but also metaphysical. It pulsed somewhere deep inside her, deeper than her Aspect or her soul. But still she flew, until everything became black, and then white, and then black again. And then -
Nephis dreamt of a lighthouse.
*******
She knew the lighthouse very well, even though she had only spent a short time there. She recognized it immediately; old grey stonewalls, warmly lit, narrow windows and bright guiding light shining from atop the tall structure. It was the lighthouse from her first Nightmare.
Am I hallucinating?
She had been in the battle only a moment ago... at least, that's what she thought. She remembered the darkness, the hopelessness and dead ruins of the NQSC. She had never been particularly attached to the waking world — it was merely a resting place between the harrowing ordeals of her life. But seeing it like that had been disheartening to say the least. Had the pressure of the moment made her mind collapse, unable to focus on the surrounding world? Was she mad now?
That had to be it. Nephis was dissappointed at herself. She had surrendered to the despair to the point of locking herself away from the reality of her failure... even though she couldn't recall the last moments. She only remembered meeting Sunny at the end and flying to the maw of darkness.
Maybe that was the power of the Gate Guardian? Had it driven her insane?
Nephis sighed. She was so tired. What should she do?
She tried to force herself to open her eyes and come back to reality. Nothing happened. She tried to pinch herself to no avail.
Was there actually another possibility beyond this all being a dream conjured by her own psyche? What if she actually was still in her First Nightmare and had been all these years? Maybe the future she remembered was just another trick by the Spell, intended to keep her from awakening? That thought was so scary it made cold shivers run down her spine...
But no, it wouldn't make any sense. She could not have imagined it all.
Then it left only one final possbility.
She really was back. She had been sent back in time.
What kind of creature could have pulled off such a feat? It was a stuff of gods. She was unsure if even the powers of an unholy titan were enough to mess with reality to such extent. But she couldn't really deny it. And she knew just how to test this theory. All she had to do was to clear this Nightmare and emerge victorious. Then she would know for sure. If she woke up at the police station...
Nephis shuddered, her life flashing in her mind. All those trials, challenges and battles, all her suffering and sacrifice had been for nothing. It was crushing thought. She felt her knuckles go white and her heart begin to thump loudly.
Do I really need to do it all again?
She looked towards the door of lighthouse. She stood, unmoving, for a long time before taking the first step.
Don't think. Don't feel. Just do what you must.
She made her way to the lighthouse quickly, wanting to come back from the Nightmare as soon as possible. She endured the greetings of her "parents" and when the moment came, climbed to the uppermost chamber of the tower.
She looked at the dancing flames for a long time. This had been turning point in her life — nothing had been the same ever since she lit herself on fire for the first time.
Nephis was strangely hesitant. Not because she feared the pain — she had lost that fear long ago. But because she feared what would come next.
If she really was back in time, she would be only a month away from Winter Solstice. Then she would be sent in the middle of Forgotten Shore with Cassie. She would have to do everything all over again. It was bit too much, even for her.
She felt like one of the characters of old myths, Sisyphos. Sisyphos was cursed by gods to roll a large boulder uphill for an eternity. Every time Sisyphos reached the top of the cliff, boulder would roll back down and he would have to start his quest again.
Would it be wrong to just rest for once? The lighthouse was only an image conjured by the Awakened Terror she would have to later kill, but it was still a nice image. Peaceful. She would have time here, time to come to terms with everything that had happened.
Nephis allowed herself a moment of doubt. But she knew already what she would decide.
She would burn.
When lifting a large oil can she suddenly remembered something: mysterious description of her sword, Blessing.
You have to light yourself on fire to reap the blessings of fire. That was what my grandmother used to say, so that's what I did --
-- The -Unknown- listened.
Nephis was know certain that the -Unknown- in the description was Sunny. She didn't remember ever telling the story of her First Nightmare to him... but she was certain.
Would she be able to find Sunny on the other side of this Nightmare?
That thought gave Nephis some hope.