The kiss was… awkward.
Nice, warm, and dizzying, but awkward. Their noses bumped, their teeth clinked painfully causing Sunny to wince, Nephis leaned too far forward at one point nearly causing them to topple over and Sunny had to steady her by the waist.
But despite all of that, the nerves and the tension, it was still nice.
'We're going to have to practice this…' Sunny thought dazedly as they finally pulled apart.
Nephis's hands slid from his cheeks down to his arms, her fingers curling lightly around his sleeves as her shoulders tensed. She looked at him with anticipation in her silver eyes.
Sunny blinked.
'What is she…? Oh, I'm an idiot, she wants me to say it back.'
"I..."
Sunny tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come out, he could feel the heat in his face spreading from his ears down his neck.
'Come on Sunless! Don't be a Coward! You've faced down a Fallen Devil and hordes of nightmare creatures! You're the bearer of a divine aspect and a true name! You can say it back to her!'
He swallowed hard and tried again.
"I… I love you too." He finally managed to get out, the words trembling and unsteady as his head swam.
Nephis's shoulder relaxed the tension melting off her, and she smiled.
Not her small, polite smile.
Not her rare, soft smile.
But the brightest, most radiant smile Sunny had ever seen on her face.
Nephis wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a tight embrace, burying her face against his shoulder with a happy sigh.
Sunny stilled for half a heartbeat, then melted into her, arms sliding around her waist, holding her just as tightly.
They heard someone clear their throat nearby.
They both froze.
They slowly turned their heads to see Cassie standing just inside the mist bubble.
Sunny was speechless.
Nephis's ears turned scarlet.
"...How long have you been there…" Nephis asked, voice barely above a whisper.
Cassie tilted her head, listening to Nephis's quiet voice.
"I just got here… why?" she asked innocently.
Then her blindfolded eyes narrowed.
"Please tell me you still have your clothes on at least."
"I- Wha- Of course we do! Who do you take us for!?" Sunny spluttered.
"Two hormone filled teenagers in the middle of their angsty romance." Cassie deadpanned.
"We're not-" He tried to deny it, but his flaw betrayed him. "...that… angsty…" he finished weakly.
Cassie smirked triumphantly.
Nephis pulled away from Sunny, straightening her posture with forced composure, though her ears were still glowing red.
Cassie clapped her hands sharply.
"Alright! Now that you two have gotten your dramatic confessions out of your systems, can we finally talk about what our plans going forward are?"
"No."
Sunny's voice was low, almost a growl.
Cassie blinked, startled by the sudden shift in tone. Her teasing expression faded, replaced by concern.
"No? What else do we need to talk about that's more important?" she asked, genuinely confused.
Sunny's eyes were burning with anger.
"Oh, I don't know, Cassia," he said, voice cold as winter. "How about the fact that you shared my true name?"
Cassie flinched as though struck.
Her hands fidgeted, fingers twisting together.
"Oh… Sunny…" she whispered. "I'm truly sorry, I was wrong. I made a mistake and played right into Fate's hand."
Sunny's anger spiked.
"Fate?! What the hell does Fate have to do with sharing my true name?!" he shouted.
The privacy memory was the only thing keeping the entire hospital wing from hearing him.
Cassie lifted her head, and though she couldn't see him, she seemed to look straight into his eyes.
"Everything," she said with utter conviction. "Fate wants us all dead. It wants everything to fall to corruption."
She pointed toward Nephis.
"It wanted Nephis to be left behind in the Forgotten Shore."
Sunny stared at her, baffled.
"What? But she's not."
Cassie's lips curled into a manic grin.
"Exactly! She's not!"
She took a step forward.
"Do you know what this means?"
Sunny instinctively backpedaled.
"No—" he began, concern rising.
"It means!" Cassie interrupted, stepping closer, "that someone twisted Fate. Someone did what I thought was impossible until I felt it happen myself."
Sunny's back hit the edge of the mist bubble. He stopped retreating, breath caught in his throat.
Cassie closed the distance, her voice trembling with fervor.
"I didn't realize it at first. I was just happy the future wasn't doomed anymore. But I saw it happen."
She grabbed the front of his shirt, knuckles white.
"At first, I thought it was just darkness. But it wasn't. It was a shadow, Sunny."
Sunny and Nephis exchanged an alarmed look.
"A shadow of a shadow," Cassie continued, "yet still immensely powerful. It obscured my vision and stopped Fate's plan."
"Cassie, calm down," Nephis said gently, placing a hand on the seer's shoulder.
Cassie trembled beneath her touch, fear and awe merged into hysteria, Sunny swallowed hard.
Whatever Cassie had seen…
Whoever had twisted Fate…
Whatever shadow had intervened…
It was connected to him.
And they all knew it.
Cassie took in a deep breath, and let it out.
Then she did it again.
And again.
For a long, uncomfortable minute, the only sound inside the mist bubble was her breathing.
Finally, Cassie's shoulders loosened. Her grip on Sunny's shirt relaxed, and she blinked as though waking from a trance. She looked down at the wrinkled fabric she'd been clutching and began patting it down in a distracted attempt to smooth it.
"Calm… I can do calm." She said as she continued to absently pat Sunny's chest.
She tilted her head.
"Huh, Sunny, you've put on a lot of muscle." She stated.
Sunny blinked, caught completely off guard
"Um… thanks?" Sunny said, his previous anger fading to a clashing mix of mild annoyance and concern.
He glanced at Nephis.
She was narrowing her eyes.
"Cassie." Nephis's voice was firm.
"Right." She pulled her hands away from Sunny's chest. "Sorry, I got distracted."
She stepped back a couple paces, folding her hands neatly in front of her.
"Now. Where were we?" She asked.
Nephis gave her a long look.
"Perhaps we should have this conversation another day," she said. "I'm worried about you."
Cassie shook her head immediately.
"No. We need to get our plans sorted as soon as possible."
Nephis studied her for a few more moments, then sighed.
"...Okay, we were discussing our conversation with Master Jet."
Cassie nodded, urging her to continue.
"During that conversation she revealed to us the existence of the Shadow Clan…" Nephis paused as she gauged the seer's reaction.
The corner of Cassie's lip started to twitch upwards.
Sunny looked between them.
'Is it a good idea to tell her this? She looks like she's about to have another episode…'
After giving Cassie a moment to compose herself, Nephis continued.
"And she told us that they had been protecting me for years, but no one knows why because no one has ever… seen… them..."
Her voice slowed as she reached the end, because Cassie was vibrating.
Sunny and Nephis exchanged another alarmed look.
Sunny cleared his throat.
"I also managed to get some information from Caster."
Cassie went rigid, her entire focus snapping to him like a predator locking onto its prey.
"He asked why they killed someone named Asteri—mmph!"
Sunny's eyes widened as Nephis nearly shoved her hand in his mouth to quiet him.
She looked at him with deadly seriousness.
"Never say that name, it is dangerous,"
She waited for him to nod his head before she removed her hand.
She then registered what her had said, and her head snapped back to Sunny.
"Wait," she said slowly. "You said they killed him? How?"
Sunny shrugged helplessly.
"No idea, Caster only said that their sovereign did it."
Nephis mouth opened wordlessly.
"They… have a sovereign." she said incredulously.
"Yeah," Sunny said. "What is a sovereign exactly? Because I don't think he meant a king."
"No," Nephis said, shaking her head. "In a way, that's exactly what they are. A sovereign is someone who has conquered the Fourth Nightmare and formed their domain."
Sunny's eyes widened at her words.
"But… No one has conquered the fourth nightmare…" he said disbelievingly.
Nephis shook her head.
"Officially, no. But the truth is that there was a cohort of Saints who did just that years ago. They conquered the nightmare and have ruled from behind the scenes ever since." She said as she clenched her fists.
Sunny stared at her.
"What kind of insane cohort managed that?"
Nephis looked at him, her eyes blazing with fury.
"Broken Sword's cohort."
Sunny sucked in a breath.
"That's…"
Her shoulders started to tremble in rage.
"My father's cohort, they were his friends! And they killed him… they drove my clan to ruin, they sent assassins after me."
Nephis turned her head, blinking away a lone tear.
Her voice turned cold.
"And what do they do with the power they gained? Nothing… They suppress humanity They keep us stagnant… For what? To keep their position?"
The trembling stopped, and she looked Sunny in his eyes.
"They don't deserve the thrones they sit on."
She stood tall, voice resolute.
"So I'll kill them, I'll kill them for what they did to me, and then… I'll fix what they broke."
Sunny stared at her.
'Goddammit Sunny… good job falling in love with a girl hellbent on regicide.'
He sighed and scratched the back of his head.
"No." He stepped close and matched her stare. "We will. You're not doing this alone."
They looked into each other's eyes, tension building.
Nephis's gaze dropped to his lips, her own parting slightly. She moved to close the distance, reaching for his collar—
"That's right!" Cassie suddenly shouted.
Both Sunny and Nephis flinched as Cassie launched herself at them, wrapping her arms around the two.
Her manic grin was back.
Nephis closed her eyes and inhaled deeply through her nose before exhaling her frustration.
"We'll beat them!" Cassie declared. "And we'll get help from the Shadow Clan! Right, Sunny?"
Sunny blinked.
"How the hell should I know? I'm not part of the Shadow Clan." He said confused.
Cassie looked at him for a bit, tilting her head.
"You're not?" Now she was confused.
"No." Sunny said flatly
Cassie pulled away from the huddle, tapping her chin thoughtfully.
"How strange… I could have sworn I saw you…"
She trailed off, then shrugged.
"Oh well. Maybe in the future."
Sunny blinked.
"What? What does that mean? 'In the future'? Cassie, what are you talking about?"
Cassie raised a brow.
"Hmm? Oh, don't worry too much, just one of the futures I saw."
Sunny stared at her.
"What? One of them? What about the others?"
Cassie shrugged.
"I dunno. There are a lot of futures to look through now, Sunny."
Sunny opened his mouth, then closed it again.
Nephis let out a soft, incredulous snort.
Then she started chuckling, quiet at first, then warm, the tension in her shoulders easing as the absurdity of the moment washed over her.
Sunny looked between the two girls, one laughing, one smiling like a gremlin, and sighed internally.
'This is my life now… isn't it?'
He pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling slowly.
"I'm… going to get some water." He muttered
"Good idea," Nephis said immediately. "Bring the whole pitcher."
Sunny nodded and stepped out of the mist bubble. The moment he crossed the boundary, the muffled silence vanished, replaced by the distant hum of hospital machinery and the soft murmur of voices down the hall.
Approaching the table with the cups and the pitcher of water he noticed the tray of snacks next to them.
Putting the cups on the tray he picked it up along with the pitcher and entered the sphere of mist again.
Cassie and Nephis were sitting on the floor with their legs tucked beneath them.
He raised a brow at Nephis's faint blush and Cassie's teasing smirk.
Sunny raised a brow.
"What were you two talking about?"
"Girl talk~" Cassie chimed as he put down the tray and started to fill the cups.
"Right, I don't want to know then." He said, handing each of them their water.
Cassie giggled and Nephis looked away.
Sunny sat down cross‑legged, taking a sip from his own cup.
"So, We have a goal, but what's our plan?"
Cassie straightened.
"Our first step should be to build renown, the easiest way would be to expand humanity's domain in a largely unconquered zone of the dream realm. But we need to know who's with us first." Cassie said.
"...How many survived…" Nephis asked, her voice somber.
Cassie's teasing demeanor softened. She gave Nephis a sympathetic look.
"Two hundred and seven." she said gently. "The final count came through not too long before you dragged me and Sunny here."
Nephis nodded slowly, absorbing the number.
"And how many stand with us?"
"Excluding the cohort? A hundred for certain," Cassie replied. "Seishan will take the handmaidens to the Song Clan. The remaining guards seem to be leaning toward Valor."
Nephis nodded again.
"And the hunters and artisans?"
"The hunters are waiting for Sunny before making a decision." Cassie replied
Sunny, who had been munching on a power bar, pointed to himself before swallowing.
"Me? Why are they waiting for me?" He asked.
"Because you're their leader?" Cassie said questioningly.
"Since when?" Sunny asked.
Nephis and Cassie looked at each other.
"...Since Gemma named you their leader back on the forgotten shore?" Nephis said.
Sunny looked between them looking amused at their prank, when neither of their expressions changed his face fell.
They weren't joking…
"...That bastard…"
He groaned and dragged his hands down his face.
'Why me?! Gemma's been running the hunters for years! I'm no leader! I'm the scout! The sneaky assassin! I have no idea how to lead people!'
'Are the other hunters in on it?!'
Recalling the other hunters Sunny came to a single conclusion.
'...They are. They definitely are, those bastards must be loving this.'
He let out a long, suffering sigh
"...Fine… They want me to be in charge? Fine, I'll do it. But they better not complain when I squeeze them for every drop they're worth."
Nephis gave him a piteous smile and patted his knee.
"You'll do great Sunny, you lead the army up the spire after all."
"It's not the same." Sunny shook his head. "I'm going to have to do… paperwork." He shuddered
"It's not that bad," Nephis lied, a smug little smile tugging at her lips.
"As for the Artisans…" Cassie started, ignoring Sunny and Nephis's self-pitying.
"Not many made it, they were never really frontline fighters to begin with. I still need to talk with Kido and see what they want to do, but I'll be surprised if we manage to keep half."
"We'll need to find work for them." Sunny said thoughtfully. "It would be difficult in the more established Citadels."
Nephis nodded.
"The great and larger clans would want them for themselves so we'll need to bring them with us. And it would be easier for us to find materials if we're somewhere remote."
"So," Cassie said, tapping her chin, "a place far from the great clans, largely unconquered, with lots of independent Awakened. That way word of our deeds spreads naturally."
"I'll look into it." Nephis said resolutely.
"I need to write up an exploration report for teacher Julius." Sunny added.
Both girls nodded.
"And I'll try to get into contact with the Shadow Clan." Cassie said eagerly.
Sunny and Nephis looked at her oddly.
"Cass," Sunny said slowly, "no one has ever found the Shadow Clan. Let alone contacted them."
"Oh, I won't be able to find them," Cassie said cheerfully. "But they can find us. They already have in Neph's case. We just need to… encourage them to contact us."
She gave Sunny a sly smile.
A shiver run up Sunny's back.
Shaking her head Nephis picked up the marble and stood up.
"We all have our tasks, let's not waste any time."
She tapped it and the mist was absorbed into the small ball and the faint sounds of the hospital complex returned.
Sunny rose as well and offered Cassie a hand. She took it and stood, brushing off her clothes.
"Thanks," she said, then wandered toward the door, mumbling, "Should I start wearing black…?"
Sunny watched her go, bemused.
Then he turned to Nephis.
"Good luck with the research."
She smiled and stepped forward, she leaned in and kissed his cheek.
"Thanks, I might need your help with it later." She admitted.
Sunny nodded, a smile tugging on his lips.
"Gladly, just come grab me when you need me."
Nephis returned the nod and walked out of the room.
Sunny watched her go, his gaze drifting down to her swaying-
Sunny pinched himself.
'Focus! You have work to do.'
Once the door closed behind her Sunny flopped onto the couch and stared at the ceiling, a grin forming on his face.
Of all the outcomes he imagined when he was sent to the Forgotten Shore, getting a smoking hot girlfriend was the least expected.
Still grinning he tried to clear his mind of impure thoughts as much as he can, pulling out his communicator to start typing, but he paused, his grin fading.
'Wait… I was meant pissed at Cass…'
His brow furrowed, she had shared his true name, and he was rightfully furious about it.
Then she had a manic breakdown and… he wasn't angry anymore?
No, that's not quite right, he was still angry, just… less so…
The anger was there, simmering under the surface. But it wasn't the wildfire it should have been. It wasn't the kind of rage that made his hands shake or his jaw clench.
Sunny frowned deeper.
'Why am I not more furious?'
He sighed, he knew why.
It was because it was Cassie, he would have killed almost anyone else if they did the same.
And despite what she did, nothing came of it. If anything it was what pushed him and Nephis over the edge and into each other's arms…
Sunny rubbed his face.
'Damn it… I can't stay mad at her.'
He tried. He really did.
But the anger kept slipping through his fingers like sand.
He sighed, resigned.
'…I'm such a pushover.'
Shaking his head, he finally forced himself to focus and began typing his report to Teacher Julius.
***
A/N: Hey all, long time no talk, let me know what you thought of the last couple chapters, it's the first time I've tried writing this long emotion heavy kind of stuff.
Also, give me some ideas for things the cohort can do in the waking world. Writing only about the dream realm feels like I'm ignoring half the setting.