Julius hummed quietly to himself as he wrote.
The sun shone brightly outside, and the temperature was warm, as befitting early September. In his youth, he would have listened to the singing of birds, but sadly, those had long since been extinguished. Instead, he made do with soft music.
He flipped to the next page and kept writing, elaborating on a new report.
It would have been faster to write it directly on his communicator, but he liked the feel of leather and paper beneath his hands, even if both were of the synthetic variety. It also felt easier like this; his hands moved more freely, as if they didn't need his constant direction.
Many of his best reports had been born from what his hands had chosen to write instead of what his mind dictated. Many of his worst had too, but that was another matter.
He stopped briefly to take a sip of his coffee, allowing his hands to rest. He much preferred this, but he couldn't deny the fact that he was getting old. His hands cramped with appalling ease nowadays.
A knock on the door made him flinch, breaking him out of his thoughts.
When he called to the person outside to enter, he almost spat out the coffee he was drinking.
Standing there, right on the threshold, was a young man with dark hair and pale skin. He looked older, not quite physically, though he had grown a little, but mentally. To others, it might have been hard to spot, but Julius was, if nothing else, old enough to have learned a thing or two.
He could tell from the quiet tension in his frame, as though he were ready to react to any danger. His student might have left the Dream Realm, but the Dream Realm hadn't left Sunless.
It wasn't the only difference. His face was different, more angular, more symmetrical, almost resembling a porcelain doll.
It didn't belong to the boy who had been cast into the Forgotten Shore by the Spell almost three years ago, but to the man who had returned triumphant.
And yet, despite all these little differences, Julius had no trouble recognizing him. He wasn't one to ever forget a student of his, after all.
"Sunless, my boy!" he exclaimed happily. "Please, come in!"
His student smiled bashfully as he stepped inside, closing the door behind him.
Julius gestured to the chair in front of him and stood up to prepare a coffee for his Awakened student. No, that wasn't correct. He was a Saint.
A part of him still couldn't believe such a marvelous fact. He had promised to make the boy immortal, but never, in his wildest dreams, did he think that he would surpass his expectations by so much and in such a short time frame.
Sunless sat down awkwardly, looking as though he wasn't sure what to do while he waited.
"What are you doing here?" he asked warmly, turning his back to fiddle with the old coffee machine. "I'm sure you have much more important things to do than spending time with your old teacher."
He heard the quiet shuffle behind him, but he didn't turn yet, still trying to make the old machine work.
"I wanted to thank you," Sunless answered. "Without your teachings, I would be long dead."
Julius smiled and, since his back was still turned, wiped away the tears threatening to form at the corners of his eyes.
"Young man, you already thanked me more than enough by returning safe and sound."
The old machine finally decided to turn on, and soon enough, the scent of fresh coffee enveloped the room.
While he prepared the cup, he heard a small thud coming from his desk, as though something heavy had been placed on it.
"All do—"
Julius stopped abruptly when he turned around and gazed at the contents resting on his table.
Three heavy notebooks had been placed on top. Their leather covers were fresh, and he could faintly perceive the distinctive smell of ink on real paper. The cost of that alone, in this day and age, was not to be underestimated.
"What is this?"
Julius set the cup in front of Sunless and grabbed one of the notebooks, opening the first page. Right there, written in surprisingly neat letters, the title made itself known:
The Exploration Report of the Forgotten Shore.
He quickly flipped through the pages, finding them filled with more neat writing and even some drawings of locations and Nightmare Creatures. When he grabbed the next ones, he found them written in the same careful hand.
The Exploration Report of the Tears and The Exploration Report of Aleras.
"I did promise to make a report of my findings, didn't I?"
Through a titanic effort of will, Julius managed to tear his eyes away from the notebook in his hands and stare back at his student, who seemed relieved that he liked them.
"You did not need to do this," he muttered, moved by the gesture.
Despite his words, he was barely restraining himself from diving straight into reading the first one. There had been many accounts of the region from the survivors, but sadly, none of them went into much detail beyond the battles themselves, which was the part he was least interested in.
If all of the reports were like the first page he had skimmed, Julius was in for a long, sleepless week, tearing through the pages of the three books.
Sunless smirked knowingly, not failing to notice his reaction. "You also didn't need to dedicate so much effort to teaching me, so you can say we are even."
Julius smiled, mentally clearing his agenda for the week. He wasn't going to allow anyone to tear him away from learning everything his student had to say!
"Oh, and before I forget."
Sunless extended his hand and placed it on Julius's shoulder.
[You have acquired a memory, Encyclopedia of Aleras.]
"I acquired it within the Nightmare, and while I didn't have the chance to read it all, it should have plenty for you to research."
"This... I cannot accept this," Julius muttered in awe, eyes already racing through his runes to reach the memory. "It's just too much."
Sunless shrugged, completely unconcerned. "I don't have much use for it, so why not let someone who does -and will truly appreciate it- have it instead?"
He took a deep breath and dismissed his runes upon confirming that the encyclopedia was there. He wanted nothing more than to start reading at this very moment, but he knew that if he did, there would be no stopping him until he was done. He made a mental note to ask him later for permission to publish his findings.
"I thank you from the bottom of my heart," Julius said warmly. "You truly humbled this old man by being such a good student."
He smiled awkwardly. He wasn't one to accept praise easily.
Julius paused then, studying Sunless more carefully. Up close, the differences were even harder to ignore, not the physical ones, but the way he held himself. The tension in his shoulders was all the more vivid.
Julius had seen that kind of posture before. It never boded well.
"But enough about a past long gone." He said, studying him carefully. "Tell me, young man, are you well?"
Sunless stared at him, and Julius could immediately tell that he wasn't.
"As well as I can be, I guess."
Julius shook his head. "Meaning that you are not."
Sunless did not answer.
"I know we don't have that kind of relationship, but if you feel the need to talk..." Julius smiled reassuringly. "...I'm here."
His student looked aside for a moment, and when he turned back, there was an uncomfortable expression on his face. Julius did not pressure him to answer; whatever was ailing him couldn't be easy to confide.
A minute later, Sunless decided to speak at last.
"Tell me, Teacher Julius, what would you do if you were stuck between two choices? One in which half of you want to do one thing and the other half wants the opposite?"
"I'm afraid I cannot answer without more information." He peered at Sunless, noticing the increasing discomfort. "Are you willing to share more about the problem?"
He clenched his jaw and answered with a simple, "No."
Julius nodded, having already expected such a response. "Then I will have to decline to give an answer. Well-meaning but uninformed advice can do as much harm as bad advice does. Maybe more."
Sunless nodded too. "I understand."
Julius forced a smile onto his face, already regretting that he couldn't be of more help. "Please forgive me for bringing up such a sore topic. Would you rather hear about some of my later findings?"
A quiet "Yes" was his answer, and Julius needed no more to start lecturing, expounding on the many secrets of the Dream Realm.
As he did, he did not fail to notice the slight relaxation of the tension in Sunless' shoulders. He might not be able to help him with whatever troubled him, but he could at least make him forget about it temporarily.
-------------------------------------------
Margaery of Valor did not want to be here.
That thought had been circling her mind for the past hour, repeating itself over and over like a broken record. Not that it helped. It did nothing to slow her racing heart, nor did it make her trembling hands any steadier as she crouched behind a garden wall.
The Immortal Flame manor loomed ahead, vast and quiet, almost inviting.
Looking at it, one couldn't tell that a mere week ago, a Third-Category Gate had opened in its vicinity.
The battle had ended with minimal casualties for the defenders. The Gate had been sealed. One of the paragons of humanity had returned, and a new Saint was born. By all accounts, this should have been a moment of celebration for humanity.
And it was, for most of humanity, that is.
For Clan Valor? It couldn't have been a more disastrous event.
Dozens of Awakened and Masters were dead. Two of their Saints injured enough to leave them out of action even now. The damage to their reputation couldn't be understated, either. Even worse, the heiress, Morgan of Valor, had disappeared shortly after and hadn't been seen ever since.
As if all of that wasn't enough of a mess, she had been sent to gather information.
"Become a Master, Mom said," she muttered angrily. "You will be an invaluable agent they won't risk, she said. It's just a recon operation; it's not like anyone dies in those, she said."
Margaery hated her mother at times.
She kept whispering angrily even as she crept through one of the holes in the garden wall, careful to keep her steps silent and not to disturb anything.
The moment she was through, she spotted her quarry. Margaery looked away at that very same moment and -carefully- dived behind a bush.
A minute later, when there wasn't any reaction, she decided that she hadn't been spotted and allowed her racing pulse to slow down. She carefully peeked through the bushes, and there he was in the same spot. She made sure not to focus on the man himself, but on his surroundings.
Just like Nightmare Creatures, Saints could tell when someone was looking at them. Fortunately, just like Nightmare Creatures, that uncanny perception only applied when someone was directly staring at them, which meant that it could be circumvented by focusing on their surroundings rather than directly on them.
Margaery swallowed, her throat dry.
The reason she kept reminding herself of this? The man himself was staring in her direction right at that moment.
A moment later, he turned back to what he was doing, and she allowed herself a sigh of relief. Her aspect might make her nearly undetectable to anyone who didn't know what to look for, but the day she trusted in that alone was the day she would die.
Now, if only her heart would stop beating like a drum, everything would be perfect.
It felt wrong. Everything did.
Every instinct she possessed screamed at her to turn around and run. To abandon the mission, flee as far as she could, and pretend she had never received those orders in the first place.
Unfortunately, she knew exactly what would happen if she did.
Her lips curled bitterly. Between whatever fate awaited her here and the consequences of defying Clan Valor… this might actually be the kinder option.
"…I'm going to die," she whispered to herself, hugging her knees for a brief moment.
Her flaw did not help.
It magnified fear. Twisted it. Fed it back into her in a negative loop that would leave her a wreck for weeks after she completed a mission. To her, every shadow looked like a lurking monster. Every creak of the floor sounded like approaching footsteps. Every second stretched into an eternity of anticipation.
It made her good at running, at hiding, at staying so still nobody could tell she was even alive.
It also made her second-guess every single decision she had ever made when mere meters and a bush were the only things separating her from death.
Margaery forced herself to move.
Slowly, carefully, she crept along the bush, sticking close to the shadows and vegetation, her eyes darting in every direction. Her objective was a gazebo that would allow her better sight while also serving as a more reliable hiding spot.
Upon arrival, she waited once more for any sign of having been discovered. A minute later, she decided that she was as safe as she could be and risked a glance. She spotted him easily.
Saint Sunless, the newly transcended nightmare who had single-handedly turned the tide of battle. The one whose patience, according to the last reports, had been… dwindling.
Her stomach twisted painfully. The previous operatives had been found, but she wondered if they would find her.
The first had simply disappeared, later recovered unconscious kilometers away, chained to a lamppost. They had been caught even before setting eyes on the manor.
The second had been returned… broken. She had read the medical report, and as far as the doctors could tell, the operative would be lucky if they ever walked again. They were yet to wake up from the medically induced coma.
The third...
Margaery shivered. The third had been found the quickest.
Hard not to, when they had been thrown through a window of the headquarters. Dead, their body a dissecated husk. She still shivered when she remembered that specific hallway.
Margaery did not want to think about the third.
"…Just observe," she muttered under her breath. "Just observe and leave. That's it. That's all you have to do."
Simple.
Easy.
Absolutely not suicidal.
Carefully, she leaned just enough to peek once again.
There they were, the cohort of Changing Star and the Black Star himself. She had studied them meticulously, down to being able to recite their profiles from memory.
Nightingale, elegant and unfairly handsome, even as he desperately avoided the half-hearted blows coming at him. He was shooting his bow even in that precarious position.
The towering Raised by Wolves furiously stabbing at the Saint in a flurry of strikes.
The quiet and unassuming Elegy of the End attacking through the gaps left by her companions.
Changing Star, her flames nowhere to be seen as she clashed directly with the horror she had been sent to investigate.
Off to the side, there was a teenage girl sitting on an ornamented chair, cheering both sides while she idly scratched the scaly chin of a pitch-black serpent her senses told her was an Ascended Echo.
And at the center of it all…
Him.
Saint Sunless, facing the woman who had, on her lonesome, fought a Saint to a -brief- stalemate and her cohort with the ease of someone taking a stroll in the park.
She had seen the video countless times already. In it, he was a monster, facing the calamity he had woken up to with a calm and poise that made her blood chill. She was sure that if she were found, he would kill her with that same calm and poise.
Unlike the video, he wore an easy smile during the spar. He seemed, if not relaxed, then at least at ease, batting Changing Star away with a sweep of his shadow odachi while catching the arrow shot by Nightingale without turning, and even avoiding the ambush attempt of Raised by Wolves and Elegy of the End.
Looking at him like this, he didn't seem like a monster. His expression was calm. Peaceful, even. The shadows around him were still, pooled quietly at his feet like obedient hounds.
For a moment, Margaery's fear faltered.
He looked… normal.
Just a young adult who was having some fun with friends, completely unaware of any intrusion.
"Maybe…" she whispered, a fragile hope forming despite herself. "Maybe this won't be so bad…"
"Maybe what won't be so bad?"
Margaery died.
At least, that was what it felt like. Her entire body locked up. Her heart stopped. Her mind went completely blank as a calm, quiet voice spoke right behind her ear.
She did not scream. She wanted to -gods, she wanted to-, but her voice refused to work. Instead, she jerked violently, nearly tripping over her own feet as she spun around.
He was there, standing right behind her in all of his abyssal glory.
Saint Sunless.
Up close, he was even more terrifying. Those eyes -dark, bottomless, like a pit- regarded her with mild curiosity. His expression was neutral, almost bored.
Margaery opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
"You know..." he said calmly, tilting his head slightly, "I was wondering how long it would take for the next one to show up."
Her knees nearly gave out.
"I... I..." she stammered, taking a step back, only to realize there was nowhere to go.
The shadows behind her had shifted, forming a black wall that was just as unbreachable as the one she had in front.
Sunless watched her struggle for a moment, then sighed softly. "I'm not in the mood for this."
His voice was still calm. That made it so much worse.
"It has barely been a week since I returned," he continued, almost conversationally. "I'm exhausted. I finally get some respite after being in hell for years…" His gaze drifted briefly toward the group, where his other body was laughing while fending off attacks. "…and then I feel someone skulking around."
Margaery trembled.
"I'm sorry," she blurted out instinctively. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to—"
"Of course you meant to," he interrupted flatly, the shadows in the vicinity darkening. "You're a spy."
She shut up immediately, unable to come up with a response.
The Saint studied her for a moment longer, and then, unexpectedly, he crouched slightly, lowering himself to her eye level.
"What's your name?" he asked calmly.
"…M-Margaery," she whispered in return.
"Margaery," he repeated softly, as if committing the name to memory. He nodded. "All right."
Saint Sunless paused briefly, long enough to send her fear spiking to a whole new level.
"I'm going to say this once," he said quietly, his tone making her stomach drop. "I am very, very angry right now."
The world around them dimmed, turning early morning into midnight in a moment.
Margaery felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes.
"I don't care about your clan's politics," Sunless continued. "I don't care about whatever game your leaders think they're playing. But I'm done with it." He took a deep breath. "I've been patient, left the first two with just a warning. When the third one arrived, I decided to send a message. Do you know why?"
Margaery shook her head frantically.
"I thought that maybe, eventually, someone with half a brain would realize this is a bad idea." A small, humorless smile touched his lips. "I was wrong."
A moment of silence fell between them, heavy and suffocating.
Sunless straightened, his expression returning to that same calm indifference. "You look smarter, so I will try one last time."
Margaery held her breath.
"You're going to go back." Her eyes widened slightly, hope blooming inside her chest. "And tell whoever sent you exactly what I'm about to say."
He looked down at her, those dark eyes feeling like they were passing judgment. She did not need to think hard about what would happen to her if she did not listen.
"If I see one more spy, if I feel one more pair of eyes where they shouldn't be…" The shadows around them twisted angrily. "I will be the one who pays you a visit."
Margaery nodded frantically. "I will tell them! I swear I will!"
He watched her for a second, and the world returned to its natural state. "You will." He shrugged nonchalantly. "You will be the first one to die if they don't listen, after all."
Her soul nearly left her body.
A single second of silence passed, and he waved a hand dismissively.
"Go."
Margaery did not need to be told twice before she started running.
She really hated her mother right about now.
-------------------------------------------
Nephis fell heavily on the grass, the breath knocked out of her lungs.
"Can't you threaten Doofus with making him sleep on the couch or something?"
Lying by her side, breathing just as heavily as she did, was Effie. Sadly, not even being on the receiving end of a crushing defeat seemed to dampen her enthusiasm for embarrassing her.
"First, I cannot send him to the couch because we are not dating." She stopped to cough heavily. "Second..."
Another coughing fit stopped her from continuing.
"You two broke the table," Effie said simply, like that fact alone overrode everything she had just said.
Nephis couldn't see her, but she was sure that she had an infuriating smirk plastered all over her face.
"I get it," she said brightly. "You are afraid I might ste—"
Fortunately, whatever Effie was about to say went unknown, as Kai's flying form slammed into her, sending the two of them sprawling further back on the grass.
Nephis threw an appreciative thumbs-up in Sunny's direction, lacking the energy to do anything else.
She was less appreciative when Cassie slammed into her, sending the two of them sprawling.
He was doing this on purpose. She was sure of that.
"You guys are kind of weak," he said smugly.
If she had the energy and if she wasn't being smothered under Cassie, she might have glared at him.
A soft pair of hands carefully pried Cassie away from her prone form, revealing Rain's concerned face.
"Are you alright, big sis?" The world dimmed sharply for a moment. "That looked painful."
Nephis accepted the offered hand and relied more than she was willing to admit on the girl's help to stand up.
"I'm okay."
It wasn't even a lie. She was sore, but the only thing bruised here was her pride.
Everything had started simply enough. Rain had asked Sunny for a spar. One thing had led to another, and suddenly, Nephis was the one sparring with him instead.
Which was fine enough, if not for the fact that she was losing badly. They were about equal in terms of skill, but his transcended body made it a very unbalanced match.
At some point, Effie had decided to join in on the fun, and before they knew it, the spar had devolved into a free-for-all.
Or, more accurately, they tried to survive while Sunny had fun.
It irked her to no end to be defeated so easily. She had been the stronger one for all of their previous time together, and now the roles had reversed completely. True, she hadn't used her flames, but neither had he used his shadows.
That only meant one thing. She had to train harder.
"Big sis is kind of scary," Rain whispered loudly.
"That's just her 'if that is my will, then who dares stop me?' face," Effie answered in a loud whisper of her own. "She should be fine after setting a thing or two on fire."
"You make it sound like I'm a pyromaniac."
"I heard no lies," Kai piped in, leaning heavily on his bow.
Nephis narrowed her eyes and silently promised to make the archer train harder. As if capable of reading her thoughts, he shivered.
Good.
"What have you guys been doing?" Sunny approached them and tossed the [Endless Spring] to Effie, who started drinking greedily. "I have seen Saints with less skill. Not strength, mind you, just skill."
Kai regarded him with cold, dead eyes. "Lady Nephis... is rather intense about training." He tilted his head upon realizing the latter part. "Where did you see them?"
The archer gave an appreciative nod to the huntress when she passed the beautiful bottle.
"I saw plenty inside my Nightmare." Sunny waved his hand, and a table and chairs manifested themselves out of the shadows. "Back then, they didn't have the Spell, so they all had to reach the stage naturally. It was perfectly possible to achieve it without ever fighting anyone, so the level of skill differed quite a little. Though the chances you will ever find a Saint who cannot at least defend themselves are quite low."
One of her Firekeepers arrived soon after, bringing refreshments and snacks for the local glutton.
Sunny went to take a seat on the [Shadow Chair], but Rain had beaten him to it. She was smiling smugly even as she scratched the side of Serpent's head.
He stared at her for a moment, then lifted her off the chair, took a seat, and placed her on his lap. The image was rather comical, considering that they were almost the same size and that Serpent's head was still resting against Rain.
"If you wanted to sit on my lap, you only had to ask," Sunny said with exaggerated cheer. "Why, you did it all the time when we were little."
"This is so unfair," Rain complained with a red face.
"D'awww." Effie did not miss the chance to make things worse.
Nephis smiled faintly at the scene, wishing that she had her communicator on hand to snap a photo.
"What do you mean by 'naturally'?" Cassie asked after taking a seat of her own.
Sunny turned to stare at the seer, and the world dimmed faintly. They had talked at some point -Nephis was sure of that- and while it looked like they had reached some sort of understanding, it wasn't an easy one.
"Exactly that. You can climb the path of Ascension without the Spell."
Nephis blinked and leaned forward, her attention caught completely by that tidbit of information.
A way to become stronger without relying on the accursed Spell? She could kiss Sunny at this very moment.
"Do you mind explaining how?"
He stared at her next, and she was reminded of what a mistake it had been to do so.
It had been an impulsive choice, one she deeply regretted.
She was aware of just how bad she was when it came to speaking about her emotions, so she had hoped that taking action would be more effective. That maybe she could prove the sincerity of her words with a kiss that carried all of the love she felt for him.
Instead, she had made things worse.
Nephis could see it clearly now.
A few days ago, Sunny had been standing on the edge, torn between two choices he could not reconcile. He had been searching for an answer, for something that would tip the balance one way or the other.
And she... she had thrown more weight onto both sides.
The part of him that still loved her had been given exactly what it wanted… while the part that feared her, that resented her, had been handed even more reason to hate her. After all, how could he trust someone who had done what she did and still claim to love him?
It tasted bitter in her mouth. The only thing she ever seemed to do was hurt him further.
Sunny was still staring at her, and for a moment, she feared that he would answer by summoning his weapon.
He might have, had it not been for Rain prodding his cheek.
"Big sis asked you a question," she chided him.
Sunny sighed explosively and looked away, choosing to smile fondly at his little sister instead.
"Sorry, sorry," he apologized lightly. "I don't mind answering."
Rain huffed, looking away from him, though there was no missing her smile.
Laughing lightly, he turned back to them. He did not stare at her.
"Do you want the short or the long version?"
"Short."
"Long."
Nephis stared at Effie, and the huntress returned the stare without flinching.
"How about we start with the short one and ask for clarifications when needed?" Kai proposed.
Sunny shrugged. "Sure." He dragged a hand through his hair. "Let's start with the obvious: the Spell hasn't always existed."
They all nodded.
"However, as we can all tell, inside the Nightmares, there are plenty of people who have climbed the path of Ascension without it. On my own, I met everything from Awakened to Divine."
Nephis nodded thoughtfully. She had tried to ask Noctis on her own, but he had been elusive about the matter, citing that it would take too long to reach any tangible results.
"I'm still calling bullshit on that one," Effie said, munching on her snacks.
Sunny arched an eyebrow. "I can arrange a meeting with an Unholy Titan right now if you want proof."
"...I think I'll pass."
He smirked. "Thought so. Anyway, before the Spell, people used to advance by refining their souls naturally. There were no convenient runes or Nightmares to hold your hand through it."
"How?" Cassie asked, furrowing her brows.
"I was getting to that part." He snatched one of the little pies on the table and took a bite. "It varies greatly. In fact, there are more methods to Awaken than there are stars in the sky. Some are faster, some are slower, and some are so dumb you would be amazed."
"You can't say that and not tell," Effie interrupted.
"Of course you want to know." Sunny leaned back in his chair and affectionately patted Serpent's head when it hissed in complaint. "Apparently, a man decided that the best way to learn how to awaken naturally was to replicate the way Noble Beasts did it, since all of them do it without taking any special measures."
"What are those?" Rain asked, biting into a custard pie.
"Think of Nightmare Creatures, but without their predilection for turning your insides into outsides."
"What's so bad about it?" Nephis asked. It made perfect sense to her if they could truly do as he said.
Sunny sighed. "The Noble Beast he decided to imitate was a creature named..." He tilted his head in thought. "...a cat? Yes, that's the one. Anyway, that guy spent years walking on all fours, hissing at people, hunting mice, and doing many other activities of that ilk."
"Did he succeed?"
"I'm afraid so," Sunny answered dryly. "Apparently, it opened a whole new school, with people all over the realms choosing all kinds of Noble Beasts to imitate."
Effie stared at Kai, grinning madly. "Please tell me he's telling the truth."
"Couldn't you have lied just this once?" the archer pleaded desperately.
"Sorry, buddy, but you know how honest I am."
"I hate you."
Cassie coughed, bringing them back to the topic at hand.
"Fortunately -or not that fortunately- the way up gets narrower and narrower the higher you climb. It's easy enough to awaken. While the exact method may differ, it boils down to becoming aware of your own essence and then using it to build a core."
"Isn't that the reverse of the Spell's progression?" Kai asked, tilting his head.
"Correct. In ancient times, there was no such thing as a Sleeper; you were either mundane or Awakened. After that comes Ascension. The path already gets quite narrow here. In simple terms, you have to refine your essence into something of greater quality. The simplest way is to use the essence of Ascended Soul Shards to elevate your core to the next rank. It takes a while, but it's much safer than using other, faster but riskier methods."
"Like what?"
He shrugged nonchalantly. "Blowing up your core and forming a completely new one, all in one go. You either succeed and ascend, or you die."
Rain gulped. "I'll... pass."
Sunny laughed. "Yeah, you should. Anyway, the next step is to become a Saint, and this is where things get very complicated."
Nephis perked up. The previous steps were interesting, but just that, a curiosity. This one, she was eager to hear. If it were something she could replicate, she could become a Saint without needing to challenge another Nightmare.
"It is both the hardest and easiest step to take," he said, idly scratching Serpent beneath the chin. "You have to discover your source element and then absorb enough of its essence. After that, you have to open yourself to the world."
"How does that work?"
"Simply put? By absorbing essence from your source element, you are already opening yourself, but you have to go further. You can call it an epiphany, but it's not the description I would give. Some do it by gaining a complete understanding of themselves, some by making a vow they intend to fulfill or die trying, and a few psychos go so far as to mutilate their souls to forcibly open themselves to the world. The last one never ends well." He grimaced. "In the end, it's all about offering something to the world it can connect to, something that's deeply tied to who you are."
He drank from a glass of juice and continued. "This is easy because it's something that can happen without you even knowing about it, albeit at a vastly reduced pace. By this, I mean that if your source is common enough and you are minimally introspective, you could become a Saint without having to do anything. Of course, even if your source element is incredibly common and abundant, it will still take decades. Fortunately, the moment you understand what's yours, the process can be done very easily. Just surround yourself with that source element and start drawing it in while thinking of what you want out of life. Of course, it's also hard because source elements aren't easy at all to identify."
"Why?" Effie asked curiously.
"Because they aren't obvious. They might be something as simple as an element you feel partial to, or something so esoteric you may never think of it. Within the Nightmare, I met a Saint whose source element is 'orange.'"
Kai blinked owlishly. "As in the color?"
"Nope, the fruit," Sunny answered, laughing quietly to himself. "It took decades for the poor woman to find out."
"How did she—"
"She refused to tell how she found out."
While Effie started peppering Sunny with questions about more strange sources, Nephis thought deeply, trying to come up with what could be her own.
Fire was the obvious answer. It was in the name of her clan, in her Aspect, and in the blazing pain it inflicted on her. However, it did not feel like the right answer.
It was too… shallow.
Nephis closed her eyes for a moment, letting the noise around her fade into the background. Effie's laughter, Kai's protests, Cassie's probing questions, Rain's quiet giggles.
Fire was what she used, but it was not what she was.
Instead, her entire life had been defined by a single, unwavering line. A path she had chosen long ago and never once strayed from, no matter the cost. Even when doubt clawed at her, even when the weight of her choices threatened to crush her, she had never stopped.
Fire could be extinguished, but her will could not.
Nephis frowned slightly.
Was it something as simple as will? No, that felt too broad, too undefined. Everyone had will. Everyone fought for something. That alone could not be enough to shape a soul into something the world would recognize.
If anything, it was more akin to... hope?
Hope that one day she would fulfill her dreams.
Hope that she would persevere through any and all challenges.
No, that wasn't it either, but it felt... closer. There was something in that thought that called to her.
"Are we awaiting a visit?"
Sunny's voice broke her out of her musings right as she felt like she was going to find her answer. The others fell silent at his sudden question, looking nervously between the two of them.
"What do you mean?" she asked in turn, feeling a little irritated by the interruption.
"There are PTVs approaching the Manor." He tilted his head, eyes glazing for a moment. "Huh, they bear the emblem of Clan Song."
Nephis narrowed her eyes. It looked like the days of peace, brief as they were, had come to a close.
Without saying a word, the group stood up and started walking toward the entrance, with the sole exception of Rain, who stayed behind with one of Sunny's shadows. The girl wanted to come too, but he forbade it, and so did Nephis.
If things came down to blows, the farther she was from danger, the better.
Soon enough, they were at the entrance, and the PTVs he mentioned appeared mere seconds after. There were two of them, colored red and had tinted glass that made it impossible to see who was inside. At their sides, the emblem of Song could be seen.
The first one to come out was a beautiful woman with gray skin, wearing a red dress with a black jacket over it. Song Seishan, a Master.
Next came another woman. Her beauty was even more tantalizing than that of her sister, wearing a red dress in much the same style. It was further enhanced by the aura she carried, as if she alone were the most enchanting thing in the world. Song Eunbin, also known as Beastmaster, a Saint.
Last came she.
The world seemed to tremble the moment she set her delicate foot outside, as if it had forgotten how to breathe. A silent pressure settled over Nephis' shoulders immediately after, as if a giant were sitting on them.
From the corner of her eye, she spotted Sunny's reaction. He had tensed, eyes narrowing dangerously, his posture screaming that he was ready to react with violence at the slightest sign of danger.
The only one who could draw such a reaction out of someone as strong as him...
A pale hand appeared next, lightly gripping the handle of the door. What followed was a woman of such breathtaking beauty that even her daughters seemed plain in comparison. She wore an elegant red gown, the hem spilling down her form and onto the ground like rivers of blood.
The woman smiled at them. It was an easy, carefree smile, completely lacking in menace. The contrast was only more stark due to the sword plunged into her chest.
Ki Song, the Supreme of Clan Song, was here.