Nephis didn't need a mirror to know her face was red.
"If I don't acknowledge it, it didn't happen," was the thought running through her mind.
"Wow..." Effie drawled, her voice filled with awe. "I didn't think I would ever see the day Princess blushes."
"It's a little hot in here, that's all," she stated evenly, ignoring the increased heat on her cheeks.
"Hot, huh?" The smirk on Effie's face grew wider.
Nephis felt a sense of foreboding invade her, one that only grew more intense when the Huntress's eyes turned to Sunny.
"What about you, Doofus? Are you hot too? Your face is quite red, after all."
"Not particularly, no. The temperature is quite mild, actually," he replied with a straight face.
It might have been convincing, were it not for the fact that his face was red too.
"Oh?" Effie smiled like a hunter whose quarry had fallen straight into their trap. "So it has no relation to the two of you holding hands?"
Among the many mistakes she had committed today, being caught like that by Effie must have been among the worst. What had she been thinking?! Of course it would happen! She never missed a chance to embarrass the two of them!
Nephis saw Sunny's face go through many stages: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and, at last, acceptance.
"It might have a relation," he admitted in the voice of someone who had given up on life.
Uproarious laughter filled the room right after his answer, originating from Effie, who threw her head back and laughed so hard her whole body shook.
"I'm blaming you," Sunny muttered resentfully, glaring daggers at her.
Her lips twitched upward. "Sorry."
Sunny dragged a hand through his long hair and exhaled sharply. "You better be."
Kai chose that moment to intervene.
"That wasn't nice," he chided Effie.
"Have you seen their faces?" There was not a hint of remorse in hers. "Funniest thing I have seen in ages."
The traitorous archer did not deny it.
"I have seen better," Cassie said calmly, sipping from a glass of water.
"But you are blind."
Cassie's expression didn't change, but Nephis was sure she was glaring at Effie.
"When?" Kai asked, pretending he hadn't noticed anything.
A faint smile played across the seer's face, full of mischief.
"Neph screamed right after—"
CASSIE, YOU TRAITOR!
She had told her as a secret!
Effie leaned forward, her eyes shining as bright as stars. "Right after what?"
From the corner of her eye, Nephis spotted Sunny leaning forward too, curious about whatever she was about to say.
Right as Nephis started considering the merits of killing the treacherous seer, the door opened, interrupting Cassie before she could reveal her darkest secret.
A petite woman entered. She was a Master, wearing a dark robe that, combined with her equally dark hair, big, glistening eyes, and alabaster skin, gave her an ethereal quality, almost as if she were a specter.
"Good evening," the beautiful woman said calmly.
Kai smiled, nodding his head to her. "Good even—"
"We are all going to die," she continued just as calmly.
Kai's smile froze on his face.
Sunny tilted his head, and the shadows across the room stirred.
"Is that meant to be a threat?"
The woman smiled and shrugged nonchalantly. Beneath her nails, Nephis spotted red stains that she suspected to be blood.
"A prophecy, in fact."
When Kai nodded shakily, Sunny shrugged too. "Any details you can share?"
"I'm Hel, the Death Singer, a princess and the most powerful Diviner in all of Clan Song," she proclaimed proudly. Then her expression grew sheepish. "But... no. The future keeps changing."
"Why state such a thing, then?" Nephis asked, wondering if the petite woman was playing some sort of power game.
"Because we are all going to die sooner or later."
Sunny stared at her oddly. "Well, yeah, that's the only sure thing in this world."
"I knew you would understand," Hel said, nodding proudly. "We are meant for each other, after all."
Nephis blinked, wondering if she had really heard what she thought she had.
"What?" Sunny was no less confused.
"You don't know it yet, but we are meant to marry and have a dozen children," Hel continued, as if it were the most normal thing to say to someone you had just met.
The temperature in the room increased sharply.
Ki Song had just acquired a new prince and a princess. Surely she wouldn't mind if she lost one as well, right?
A disturbed expression appeared on Sunny's face. "Is that supposed to be a prophecy, too?"
Hel nodded, smiling brightly. "Of course!"
The temperature increased further.
"She's lying," Kai said, his voice full of relief.
"Thank the dead gods," Sunny muttered under his breath.
At a speed Nephis wasn't sure was possible, Hel moved and stood beside Sunny, looking lovingly into his disturbed eyes.
"It's alright. We will make it real with our love."
Nephis tried to stand up, but before she could complete the motion, her arm was grabbed by an iron vise that did not let her go. When she turned to look at the perpetrator, she saw Effie, grinning madly while she stared at the spectacle.
"Don't interrupt, this is hilarious." Met with her flat stare, she pouted. "Come on, just look at how cute his face looks. He's all flustered!"
It was cute.
Now, if only she were the cause of it, she wouldn't mind. She wasn't, and she did mind. A lot.
"Okay, enough is enough." Sunny stood up, his face carved into stone. "I have no idea what game you are playing, but I'm not interested in participating."
Not deterred at all, Hel smiled brightly.
"You need time, I understand. I will be here when you are ready." She pulled a rolled piece of paper from one of her pockets. "This is the direction to my room."
She winked! The damn woman winked!
Nephis was going to kill her.
However, before she could enact her -completely justified- plans of revenge, the door opened once more.
"What's taking you so long?"
Another Master entered the room. She was a woman of exquisite beauty, wearing a modest dress that complemented her white hair and grey eyes.
With a single glance, she took in the situation, then strode toward Hel, seizing her ear between two fingers and tugging it mercilessly.
"You were supposed to bring them to the throne room, not seduce Saint Sunless," she scolded.
Pouting childishly, Hel refused to back down even as she tried to escape her punishment. "I can do both, Moony! I'm a great multitasker, after all."
Moonveil -far more recognizable than her more reclusive sister- met her complaint with a long-suffering expression. She tugged hard a few more times before letting go.
"Please, forgive my sister." She bowed politely, an image that was ruined right after as she glared at Hel. "She's a little... eccentric."
"I'm a perfectly normal, healthy, and—" she winked at Sunny, who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there "—attractive woman."
"Then stop being such a brat," Moonveil retorted.
After taking a long breath, the white-haired woman turned toward them and bowed her head apologetically once more.
"Ignoring that idiot—"
"Hey!"
"—please follow me. The ceremony will start soon."
-------------------------------------------
They walked for what felt like hours through endless, richly decorated corridors.
The walls shimmered faintly. Tapestries hung upon them, illuminated by inlaid veins of luminous crystal that cast a soft, shifting glow across polished stone floors so pristine they reflected every step like a mirror. Banners of deep crimson hung at measured intervals, each one bearing the unmistakable sigil of Clan Song.
It was a breathtaking sight, one that Nephis could have appreciated, were it not the home of one of the Ghouls.
No conversation was struck as they walked. The Song sisters were silent -though Moonveil kept glaring at Death Singer- and neither she nor her cohort was in the mood to talk.
Eventually, they arrived before a magnificent, towering pair of doors adorned with intricate carvings that seemed to shift when viewed too closely, as though they were alive.
"We are here," Moonveil stated, pushing the doors open.
Awaiting beyond them was the throne room.
It was vast enough to make even the grand corridors seem insignificant by comparison, a cavernous expanse supported by colossal pillars that rose like ancient trees, their surfaces carved from pale stone and wrapped in delicate gold tracery. Between them hung long banners that swayed ever so slightly in an unseen current, their deep crimson fabric absorbing the ambient light rather than reflecting it.
At the end of the hall stood the throne, an ancient thing carved from elegant white jade that gleamed under the light of the luminous crystals. However, its splendor paled like a candle before the sun in comparison to the one occupying it.
Ki Song looked the same as she did hours before, when she had arrived at Nephis' manor. Her face was still just as enchanting, her hair the same cascade of dark silk, her red gown spilling over the throne and across the dais like rivers of blood.
What was different was her countenance.
Before, she had been warm, approachable, all easy smiles and soft words. Almost like the caring aunt she pretended to be.
But here and now? Her attitude belonged to an empress, to one of the three undisputed rulers of humanity.
Her presence filled the vast chamber with effortless supremacy, her posture relaxed yet absolute, as if the concept of challenge itself had long since ceased to exist in her world. She wore no ostentatious crown, no overwhelming display of wealth or power, and yet she appeared more regal than any person Nephis had ever encountered.
Nephis felt the subtle shift ripple through the room as their arrival was acknowledged, the attention of every powerful figure present turning toward them with quiet intensity.
They were not alone. Flanking the throne stood the elite of Clan Song, each one a figure of immense power and reputation. Closest were the princesses of the clan, of whom she recognized only a few.
Seishan stood with poised elegance, her sharp gaze missing nothing.
Beastmaster exuded a quiet, almost amused air as she peered at them, as though the whole thing were an entertaining play.
Silent Stalker seemed almost unassuming, her presence blurring at the edges, as if reality itself hesitated to fully acknowledge her existence. She looked at them like a hunter would look upon prey.
Lonesome Howl carried an air of distant coldness, her eyes unreadable and far away.
And then there was Lightslayer, the first princess of Song to achieve Sainthood and rumored to be the strongest champion of the clan. The rumors of her strength were not exaggerated; if anything, they might have fallen short. Even from a distance, Nephis could feel a quiet pressure emanating from her, the world just a little darker in her surroundings.
Beyond them stood others of lower status but similar renown, Saints like Dire Fang, Crouching Tiger, and the Saint of Sorrow.
Each one was a legend. Each one was a threat. And each one was watching them with quiet intensity.
Nephis knew with absolute certainty that her every move would be watched. Every decision, every word, every breath would be accounted for and reported straight to Ki Song. They were the newcomers, after all -the new princess and prince- and, as if that wasn't enough, they were to be named heirs.
A poisoned gift, if there ever was one.
Sunny, as if unaware of the tension lingering in the air, took a step forward, smiling brightly as he opened his arms flamboyantly.
"My, what a gathering!" he exclaimed exaggeratedly. "You are making me a little self-conscious, reuniting so many important figures just for us."
Behind him, his shadows stretched long and vast, coiling around her and the others possessively.
"Mine." The shadows seemed to say.
"Mine." They warned all who watched.
"Mine." They swore to fight to the last breath if any dared to so much as raise their voice.
All around the room, the shadows grew deeper, hungrier, staring with an unquenchable thirst for violence at those who dared gaze upon their lord without bowing their heads in submission.
It happened gradually. First, the Awakened grew pale and hurriedly looked aside. The Masters followed next, and while the Saints did not flinch, their gazes grew wary. Power recognized power, and Sunny had a great amount of it.
He was their only shield, a lone Saint arrayed against many and a Supreme.
And yet, somehow, Nephis felt safe in his presence.
"Oh, I couldn't do any less," Ki Song replied calmly.
Unlike everyone else in the room, her relaxed posture did not falter in the slightest.
"This is a monumental day for Clan Song, after all." She smiled sharply. "You are to be my first son and my heir, along with Changing Star, after all."
Sunny's bright smile did not falter. "I guess I am that awesome, aren't I?"
The Supreme chuckled indulgently. "Of course! After all, not every day a Sleeper becomes a Saint, much less proceeds to do what you did."
"I just beat up some idiots and killed a few Nightmare Creatures, nothing too impressive."
She hummed noncommittally and glanced around the room, studying the faces of her subordinates, not a single one daring to hold her gaze when she looked upon them.
"I disagree, but then again, many of my own seem to hold the same opinion as you do." She tapped faintly on the armrests of her throne. "I have heard claims that it was all luck, that Whispering Blade and Not So Funny Anymore were already tired, thrown off balance by the situation. That the Nightmare Creatures you killed were the weakest among their kind."
The pressure exuded by Ki Song multiplied tenfold.
"I am no tyrant," stated she, who was notoriously tyrannical. "And so I was willing to listen to them."
"What conclusion did you reach?" Sunny asked, no trace of fear or discomfort to be found in his posture.
Ki Song shrugged, and the motion made her gown shift; the rivers of red silk moved with her, flowing outward like blood from a harrowing wound.
"I will allow a trial." Her smile grew sharper. "Any and all who desire to challenge you for your position as heir may do so. Here and now."
Nephis narrowed her eyes at the answer, understanding her game all at once.
Ki Song knew that there would be dissent within her domain, knew that there would always be doubters among them. Instead of letting the issue fester, she was airing it here and now, allowing anyone who questioned her decision to challenge it and be crushed.
If Sunny won, his position would be secure, his power undisputed, and his authority unquestionable.
If he lost? Well, that was good too. It would provide Ki Song with clear information about his limits and where he stood. It would also serve to humble him, to make him think twice before moving against her. She might have to offer more to mollify him after springing such a surprise on him, but everything could be negotiated.
Seeing all this, Nephis wondered what stratagem was in the works for herself. She was to be an heir too, after all. Even if there weren't, if the elites of Song couldn't challenge Sunny, they would surely challenge her. She was the weak link, as much as the thought infuriated her.
"I will become a Saint soon." She promised herself, finding the idea of being a weakness for him unacceptable.
By the time her thoughts finished spinning, only a second had passed since Ki Song uttered her words.
"A trial? Sure." Unconcerned, Sunny stretched his arms behind his back, an odachi already emerging out of the shadows. "Who will it be? One? Two? All of you?"
Met with such insolence, the many Saints glared, and in their expressions Nephis saw a willingness to take him up on his offer.
"Me alone," a low, husky voice said.
Revel, the Lightslayer, stepped forward. Her expression was cold as she gazed upon Sunny, the world around her just a little darker.
"My first daughter to become a Saint and my first son. How appropriate." Ki Song cast a glance around the room. "Well, what are you all waiting for? Make some space."
In less than a minute, an impromptu arena was formed around Sunny and Revel. All of the spectators arranged themselves in a circle around them, protected behind a barrier created by one of the Masters in attendance.
"Will he win?" Kai asked, his voice full of concern.
Cassie nodded without tearing her blind gaze away from the pair. "Yes."
Nephis felt no relief after hearing her answer. She had not doubted it for a moment, after all.
-------------------------------------------
Revel really didn't want to be doing this.
There was a nice, interesting novel awaiting her in her room. What was worse, she had been forced to leave it right at the best part.
Sadly, responsibility was responsibility, even if she would rather not play a part in this stupid pantomime. Why Mother couldn't pick Stalker or Bin for this was beyond her.
Smothering a weary sigh, she drew her weapon, a tachi-like blade that was about to deliver a great amount of pain upon her new brother. Speaking of him, he looked at her with quiet intensity.
All the relaxation and ease in his face was gone, replaced by stone-cold focus.
Looking at him like this, she could understand what it was that Hel saw in him.
"Ready?" she asked coldly.
Sunless, the Black Star, as some called him, drew his weapon perpendicular to his body and smiled coldly.
"As ready as I will ever be."
Revel did not bother with a reply. The moment the last syllable left Sunless's lips, she moved.
There was no warning, no flourish, no wasted motion, only a sudden distortion of space as her figure blurred forward, her blade already descending in a precise, lethal arc aimed to cleave him from shoulder to hip.
Steel met steel with a deafening clang.
The impact alone sent a shockwave rippling through the hastily formed arena. The polished floor beneath their feet groaned as the force of the collision dispersed outward. Sparks burst between them, illuminating two expressions that could not have been more different. Hers, cold and deadly; his, calm and focused.
Then they vanished.
To the untrained eye, it might have looked like teleportation, but in truth, it was simply speed, speed pushed to such an extreme that the human senses struggled to follow.
Revel struck again.
And again.
And again.
Each strike was precise, efficient, honed through countless battles against worthy opponents and abominations that still haunted her darkest dreams. Her blade danced like a streak of pale lightning, carving through the air in a relentless barrage meant to overwhelm and dismantle.
Sunless met every single one without flinching.
Revel's thoughts remained calm, analytical, and detached.
Fast.
That was her first conclusion.
His reactions were immediate, his movements sharp and economical, the strength behind each parry far greater than she had anticipated. Every time their weapons collided, she felt the impact reverberate up her arm, a testament to the raw power he wielded so effortlessly.
Their blades clashed in a blur, arcs of silver and black weaving an intricate, deadly pattern between them.
Sunless's swordsmanship intrigued her. There was no elegance to it, no refined structure or recognizable school. It lacked the disciplined precision of formal training, the graceful transitions of a practiced style.
And yet, it worked.
More than that, it was shockingly effective.
Every movement was brutal in its simplicity, every strike aimed not to impress, but to kill. There was an instinctive savagery to the way he fought, a ruthless directness that reminded her less of a swordsman and more of a predator, a beast.
As if he had spent far more time fighting creatures that sought to tear him apart than opponents who followed any semblance of rules.
Their exchange accelerated, becoming faster, sharper, deadlier. That was when Revel noticed it.
He was evolving at a blinding pace.
The longer they fought, the more his movements shifted, adjusted, and refined themselves in real time. Angles that had worked moments before were no longer viable. Patterns she relied upon were anticipated and countered with unsettling precision.
It was as though he was learning... no, devouring her style.
Her eyes narrowed slightly as she pressed the attack, testing him further, pushing harder, faster, seeking to break through this unnatural adaptation.
That was when she saw it, a mistake, small enough to be almost insignificant. His footing faltered for a fraction of a second, his blade arriving just a hair too slow to intercept hers. Revel did not hesitate to capitalize on it.
Her sword slipped past his guard and bit into his side.
The strike was clean, carving a furrow through the dark clothes he wore. And yet, no blood flowed. Even more puzzling, he didn't seem affected by any of the many ailments a direct strike of her blade should have inflicted.
Sunless retreated half a step, his expression tightening ever so slightly as he glanced at the wound and ruined clothes, then back at her.
"…Rude," he muttered under his breath.
Revel did not respond, but her mind was already working.
He is not used to this strength. The realization came quickly, supported by everything she had observed so far.
Those small mistakes, the slight inconsistencies in timing, the occasional misjudgment of distance or force. He was hiding it well, but Sunless hadn't adjusted yet to becoming a Saint. And the way he moved at times... it was too stiff, like he was mirroring someone else's movements rather than using his own.
The thought lingered only briefly before she moved again. This time, she pressed harder, her blade flicking with merciless intent.
And the mistakes… began to disappear.
One by one, they vanished, smoothed over by that terrifying, relentless adaptation. Each exchange made him more precise, more efficient, more dangerous.
Their blades collided once more, then separated in a burst of force that sent both of them sliding back across the fractured floor.
Revel exhaled slowly and then, without a single word, unleashed her aspect.
Instantly, darkness bloomed.
It erupted from her like a living storm, a dense, suffocating cloud of elemental gloom that swallowed the arena whole in an instant. Light vanished, sound dulled, and the world itself seemed to shrink, reduced to an oppressive void where nothing could be trusted.
Revel smiled, and in the same instant, she vanished.
Space folded, and she reappeared behind Sunless, her blade already descending toward his unguarded back. He twisted at the last possible moment, his odachi intercepting her tachi with a sharp clang, but the delay was enough.
Her foot lashed out, striking his side and sending him skidding through the darkness.
Again, she disappeared, and again, she struck.
From above.
From below.
From angles that should not have been possible.
Each time, she appeared without warning, her attacks landing with lethal precision before vanishing once more into the void. The darkness concealed her completely, severing his connection to the shadows he so clearly relied upon, just as she had theorized.
"You're not the only one who commands the dark," her voice echoed softly, distorted and directionless.
For a moment, Sunless simply stood there, surrounded by the oppressive void, his expression grim. Then, he sighed.
"…Yeah, that tracks."
A faint glow pierced the darkness as a rain of sparks coalesced beneath his hand, depositing a Memory within his grasp. It was small and unassuming, a simple stone lantern.
From inside it, shadows spilled, pouring outward like ink, spreading rapidly, pushing back against the oppressive darkness with stubborn defiance. Where they touched, her darkness thinned, replaced by shadows.
Revel's eyes narrowed, and she teleported again, but this time, when she appeared behind him, he was already turning.
Their blades met again, but now the exchange was different. His reactions were sharper, his counters more precise, his movements no longer hindered by the absence of shadows.
The battle intensified immediately.
The darkness trembled under the force of their clash, shadow and gloam colliding in a chaotic dance of power and precision. Teleports met counters, strikes met parries, and for every advantage one gained, the other adapted and answered in kind.
Until a single moment decided it.
Revel committed to an attack, her blade aimed at his neck, her body mid-teleport, and Sunless moved just differently enough.
His sword slipped past her guard with perfect ease, like the whole battle up to this point had been controlled by him, as if they were the puppets and he the puppet master.
The odachi stopped at her throat, and silence fell.
The darkness receded slowly, dissolving back into nothingness as she let go of her aspect, revealing the shattered arena and the watching crowd beyond.
For a long moment, neither of them moved, and then Revel exhaled tiredly.
"You win," she admitted, fighting back the urge to demand a rematch.
One in which she wouldn't hold back as much as she did.
Then again, she hadn't missed the fact that he held back, too.
Sunless lowered his blade and gave her a respectful nod. "Good fight."
He was uninjured, save for the shallow wounds she had inflicted, wounds that had not even bled.
"Next time," she said quietly, turning away, "we should go all out."
Sunless chuckled softly. "Sure."
As she stepped back, rejoining the ranks of her sisters, Revel cast him one last glance.
He was dangerous.
Too dangerous, perhaps.
-------------------------------------------
"Is anyone else interested in challenging Sunless?" Ki Song asked, amusement coloring her voice.
No one made a sound.
She couldn't blame them. Nephis had been there when Sunny battled the Valor force and the Nightmare Creatures, and she was still surprised. The power on display, the speed, the precision, they all awed her and ignited her competitive spirit.
As he stopped by her side, his breath only a little heavier, she came to a conclusion, even as he refused the offer to heal him.
Nephis wanted to fight Sunny fully, without holding anything back, to meet him in a dance of steel that would speak more than any words ever could.
She couldn't wait to become a Saint.
"No one?" Ki Song repeated, smiling widely. "I guess not. Good job, Sunless."
"My pleasure."
"Then let's get started."
At Ki Song's words, the atmosphere in the throne room shifted once more.
The tension of battle, still lingering faintly in the air, was swept away by the appearance of two humans.
They were… unsettling. Incredibly pale, to the point that their skin seemed almost translucent beneath the ambient glow of the luminous crystals. Their features were sharp and symmetrical, their expressions devoid of warmth or individuality, as though they had long since shed anything resembling personal identity. They wore identical robes, embroidered with thin lines of silver that shimmered faintly when they moved, like threads of starlight stitched into cloth.
Pilgrims, she had heard them called by the Awakened of Clan Song.
When they spoke, their voices overlapped in perfect unison, neither male nor female, neither loud nor soft, yet carrying effortlessly through the vast hall.
"On this day, under the gaze of Heaven and the boundless Abyss…"
The ceremony began in earnest.
It was long. Painfully long.
A procession of archaic words and formal declarations, each sentence steeped in tradition so ancient that even their meaning felt eroded by time. They spoke of lineage and authority, of duty and dominion, of bloodlines and power, of bonds that Nephis neither trusted nor respected.
Her attention drifted, not out of disrespect, but out of sheer disinterest. None of this mattered. The words, the ritual, the hollow grandeur of it all. It was a performance, carefully constructed to give weight to something that had already been decided the moment Ki Song spoke.
Minutes bled into what felt like hours as the pilgrims continued speaking.
"…to stand as pillars beneath the heavens…"
"…to inherit not only power, but burden…"
At last, the cadence of their voices shifted, the endless stream of words slowing, then coming to a gradual, deliberate stop.
In perfect synchrony, the heralds raised their hands, and from within the folds of their robes, they produced five scrolls. The parchment was pale, almost unnaturally so, its surface covered in intricate script. Each scroll was sealed with a thin line of red wax, bearing the unmistakable sigil of Clan Song.
One by one, they stepped forward and held out a scroll for each of them.
Sunny, Cassie, Kai, Effie, and finally Nephis.
The pilgrim stopped before her and extended the scroll with both hands, his expression as empty as before.
"For the oath to be complete," the twin voices intoned, "it must be sealed in blood."
A small, ceremonial blade appeared alongside the parchment, resting atop it as though it had always been there.
Nephis did not move immediately.
For the briefest moment, a single thought surfaced in her mind.
"This is your last chance." She thought.
She could reject Ki Song's offer, reject the position, reject the game entirely.
She crushed the thought without hesitation. She had chosen to trust Sunny, and Nephis was not someone who went back on her choices that easily.
Plastering a confident expression on her face, Nephis lifted her head and stared across the room, meeting the eyes of every single person inside. With practiced ease, she channeled her essence into [Hopebringer].
"The Dream Realm is a battlefield where humanity is tested, broken, and remade," she said in a powerful voice, the sound of it echoing all around the room. "I am not among those who falter. I will rise, again and again, until nothing beneath the heavens can force me to kneel, and every nightmare that threatens our kind is reduced to ash beneath my feet. Strength is the only truth this world respects, and I will claim enough of it to crush any force that dares stand against humanity's future."
A faint pause followed her proclamation, one that she broke before someone else could interrupt.
"If I am to stand among you, then I will not do so quietly. I will lead from the front, I will temper this clan in fire, and I will ensure that its name is spoken with reverence by those we protect and with fear by those who dare oppose us. That is my promise to you as a princess of Song."
Nephis kept her face composed even as she fought to stay on her feet, the sudden depletion of so much essence leaving her weak and unsteady.
She saw no change in the faces of those in attendance -not a flicker of surprise nor a hint of approval- and she had expected as much. Why would there be? Words were the cheapest of currencies in a place like this, spent lavishly and trusted by none. No one here would be swayed by declarations alone, nor had she intended them to be. Convincing them had never been the goal.
Resting inside all of them but Ki Song, a seed had been planted, one that she hoped would never need to bloom.
Without hesitation, she took the blade and drew it across her palm. With steady, unwavering resolve, she signed her name on the parchment.
The others followed her lead without being prompted, with the sole exception of Sunny. He stared at her for a long moment, as if appraising her resolve.
He signed too.
-------------------------------------------
"That took a while," Sunny commented, snatching a sandwich from a plate carried by a servant.
All around them, people mingled, talking, eating, drinking. The ceremony was over, but the festivities had just begun.
Despite being the stars, no one approached them, keeping to their own groups, not yet decided about how to address the new heirs of the Great Clan. Nephis appreciated it; she was tired and in a poor mood. The last thing she needed was to socialize with strangers, even if she knew how important it was to start building her standing among the elites of the clan.
"Yes." A smile tugged at her lips when she saw Effie arm-wrestling with a Master. "Can we go home already?"
Nephis sent a deathly glare in Hel's direction when she saw her approaching. The Seer stared at them for a moment, then wisely changed directions.
Sunny snorted at the sight and drank from his glass. "I have to anchor myself to the Gateway first."
"So eager to leave already," a sweet voice spoke behind them.
They turned in unison to see Ki Song walking toward them. All eyes in the room followed soon after, wondering what their sovereign and the new heirs would have to say.
"It has been a long day," Sunny answered, shrugging faintly.
"It has been, yes," she agreed easily. "I won't keep you waiting, then. You have to prepare for your first task, after all."
So soon? Ki Song really wasn't one to waste time.
What would it be? Claiming a new citadel within her territory? Slaughtering a rival clan? Kicking puppies? Burning orphanages? All of them?
"The Ivory Tower. That's where you and your forces are anchored now, isn't it, little Nephie?"
She tilted her head. "How did you know?"
Ki Song smiled enigmatically. "Your appearances within the Sanctuary of Noctis dropped sharply after conquering your second Nightmare. Soon after, so did those of all your followers. It wasn't hard to guess that it became a Citadel after conquering its nightmare seed."
Nephis wasn't even surprised by the confirmation that Ki Song had eyes within the Valor citadel. In fact, she would be more surprised if she didn't. It still irked her to be seen through so easily.
Taking her silence as confirmation, the Supreme continued. "Can it move?"
Nephis nodded, and a moment later, understood just what it was that she wanted.
"Good." The smile widened. "Then your task is to bring it here, to Ravenheart."
She blinked, wondering if she had heard right.
To do what Ki Song asked of them, they would have to cross many regions controlled by Clan Valor, enter into the Storm Sea -whose skies were just as infested with abominations as the waters- and finally brave the many active volcanoes around Ravenheart.
Was it too late to ask for kicking puppies?