On this Forgotten Shore, only steel remembers.
Nephis read those words before she transferred the memory to Sunny. There was something nostalgic about the words, even though she had never seen them in her past life. When Sunny last got the blade, it was the first time any of them had seen the name of the region. Back then he had had to face a carapace scavenger on his own, without training, and he hadn't escaped unscathed. It was a testament to his talent that he had not only survived, but managed to slay the beast.
Nephis thought back to her fighting today. She had always liked combat, and now that she didn't need to use her aspect all the time, it was even more enjoyable. She had almost forgotten her dissappointment at the start of this second life... but not completely. She was still unbelievably weak. Even a carapace scavenger could kill her if she was not careful. She had forgotten that in the heat of combat, but she couldn't make the same mistake again.
Clarity. It was what distinguished real warriors from simple foot soldiers and it was what Nephis had told Sunny about at the start of their nightly sparring sessions in the academy. Yet somehow she herself had forgotten about it when facing scavengers, getting away with it only because she was fighting against lesser opponents. That could not happen a second time.
Night was upon them. Nephis turned to her companions.
"We should probably rest."
The rock was still wet, and there was no good place to lay on. Nephis remained where she was, sitting legs crossed, looking west. She listened to the sounds around them. Dark Sea was, as always, too still to appear natural. There was not much wind, but even still, there should have been larger waves. Then again, the whole sea was a nighmare creature the size of a continent, most likely a Great Titan. Would it be possible to kill it when she was a Sovereign again? She would like to try, preferably with Sunny.
Speaking of Sunny...
"Are you awake?" she asked evenly.
She heard something shifting in darkness and Sunny's voice came back to her.
"Unfortunately... "
Nephis smiled softly, her back to the camp. She was regaining more and more of her memories, mostly about their journey to the Dark City. It was a bittersweet thing and it made her melancholic. It was almost enough for her to just tell Sunny everything. But she couldn't do that, not yet. She had to built trust. She knew that Sunny was a paranoid person, more so when he was just a young boy. He was probably puzzled by the fact that a Legacy like Changing Star had shown interest in him. So Nephis opted to say something simple instead.
"I was thinking about our training. I worried that it would come to an end as soon as we left the academy, but now that we are here together, would you like to continue it?"
"... I guess? It would probably be beneficial", Sunny said finally. Nephis heard him shift, and then he heard soft steps coming from her right side. Sunny was suddenly much closer, but he didn't yet say anything.
"What are you thinking about?" Nephis asked. They both spoke quietly, partly because of the Dark Sea and partly because of Cassie, but also because it just felt right.
"I was just thinking about how strange you are", Sunny said. It seemed that his Flaw was working against him, because he spent much time formulating the answer. Nephis pretended not to notice.
"What do you mean?"
Sunny chuckled darkly. "Well, many things. For one you are a descendant of a Legacy clan — yet you chose to train me and you chose to befriend Cassie. Secondly, even though you are a Legacy you don't seem to have many memories or any echoes. Isn't that supposed to be your thing? And also, how the hell are you so strong? I don't care that you are a daughter of Broken Sword and Smile of Heaven, no one should be able to treat awakened beasts like training dummies. It doesn't make any sense."
Nephis thought about her answer. Finally she said: "You are right. Many things about me seem strange, but that is only because you don't know enough of me. For example, you and Cassie. Others might not see it... but you are not really the weakest two sleepers this year, are you? I think you both have tremendous potential. Cassie might seem like a hindrance, but in reality she will be very important for our survival. We are in an unconquered region of the Dream Realm and we need to find a way out. In this situation a seer is much more useful than a combatant."
Sunny seemed to think about her words. "What about me?" he asked.
"I think you might be even stronger", Nephis said honestly. "You can use your shadow to augment yourself and scout. That's not a low level Aspect. Yet you choose to remain unnoticed. Don't you think that raises questions about your true powers? And lastly, about my strength... I was indeed trained by Broken Sword and other powerful awakened before our clan fell. But I also received a Divine Aspect from my first Nightmare."
Nephis could feel Sunny's eyes suddenly drill into the side of her head. His breath hitched.
"You have a Divine Aspect?"
"Indeed, as well as a True Name, which I think is a necessary byproduct of such an Aspect. When you count those in, it's not so surprising that I am able to do what I do."
It was silent again. Nephis enjoyed the silence. For some reason she even enjoyed the darkness. Maybe it was because of the company she was in, or maybe it was because of a similar night they had shared a long time ago... she tried to remember the exact details for a moment, but they were hazy. She looked to the blackness that seemed peaceful but was in fact full of otherworldly horrors.
"Do you know the story of Odysseys?" she asked, startling Sunny.
"What? No, I don't think so. How is it relevant to anything?"
"Would you like to hear it?"
"Why not?"
And so Nephis began painting a picture from her mind, a picture of an ancient hero. Not the strongest, not the fiercest, but most cunning. He won a war but was doomed to lose himself to the sea, endlessly seeking his homeland with no hope. Nephis found herself strangely emotional. Wasn't she herself like Odysseys? Taken from her home by the will of gods, wandering in the pursuit of something she could never reach. Like Odysseys, she had lost most of those dear her — all of them in fact, for none of them would be the same in this life. As for whether she would break the will of gods and find her homeland again like Odysseys had done — that she didn't know yet.
Nevertheless, she was happy at that moment, in the company of one she loved.
*******
Cassie had lot to think about. She didn't even know where to start...
Nephis had a Divine Aspect! It was too much for her to comprehend — no one in the whole world had claimed one before. It certainly made sense as Nephis was probably the only person to ever get a True Name as a sleeper. And she was unnaturally strong. She was someone Cassie could always rely on, as long as Nephis herself didn't decide to leave her behind. Which, if hers and Sunny's conversation was anything to go by, she didn't intend to do.
It was good to be seen as useful. Cassie had thought for a long time now that she would be a burden to any group of awakened that would let her in. But Nephis didn't think like that. To her, Cassie's ability was not just important, it was paramount. It was a strange thought. But maybe — just maybe — Nephis could really see something no other did, not even Cassie herself. For now she had only had one prophetic vision, in which she saw her other friend, Sunny celebrating his birthday. It didn't seem useful at all and served to only strengthen Cassie's notion that her Aspect was useless. But maybe the next one would be better... would be useful. Maybe she could even have one tonight! Cassie tried to fall asleep, but was met with little success. There was still far too much to think about...
She had done a lot of thinking ever since she received her Flaw. What else could she have done? She couldn't read - she could barely even walk! Instead she tried to gather information, form connections. When you didn't see anything, you had to map out the world differently, based on facts, data, logic. You had to make it all make sense again.
Even now she could glean information from the two of her companions. She didn't feel great analyzing them like they were puzzles to be solved, but then they were probably doing the same. Despite Sunny's silliness and Nephis's dullness they were both calculating, cool-headed people. They saw world in similar ways, Cassie realized. That was probably why they got along so well. She even felt a little left out listening to Nephis's story (which, by the way, was very un-Nephis-like) and the conversation before. She tried to chase that emotion from her head as she thought about what she had learned.
Nephis thought that in order to have a Divine Aspect one had to get a True Name from their first nightmare. How did she come to that conclusion, when she didn't have anyone else to compare herself to? It was strange, but Nephis seemed to be good with her predictions. She had known that Cassie's Aspect rank was really high, for example. But then again, she also said that Sunny's Aspect was even higher...
Higher than Sacred? There was only one possibilty... Yes, Nephis definitely knew far more than she let on. But Cassie wasn't about to question her as long as her intentions seemed good. Who knew what world-ending secrets a Legacy like Changing Star was hiding?And with that thought, Cassie finally plummeted to sleep.
And in the next second, she was surrounded by darkness. It was endless, boundless, and it continued on and on in every direction. But it was also contained within a deep well, so deep in fact that she wasn't sure it had any bottom at all. She didn't dare to look at it, for it would drive her mad and leave her clawing her own unseeing eyes out.
The darkness churned on the well, trying to break free, but something held it — for a time. There was seven locks, seven keys, and just as she had comprehended as much they all broke one after another.
No! Don't let it free! she cried out, but her plea was not heard. The darkness consumed the world and her mind was broken like a shard of glass, fractured into thousands of pieces, and each piece contained a thousand images, most terrible. She could not hope to remember them all. She saw a sky so cold it could freeze rays of sunlight and a sky that stretched both up and down, and she saw a sky burning with white, annihilating fire. Then she saw a a grey sky, and under that sky sprawled a red maze of sharp coral. Castle was atop a hill, surrounded by dark city. She was overjoyed for there was humans in the castle, but then she screamed in agony as howling flames consumed the high towers. She saw blood flowing in rivers, an archer and a woman with a bronze spear.
In then end she saw a colossal crimson spire...
Cassie woke up and screamed.