Chapter Summary: Local man realizes that fighting eldritch horrors is easier than handling your emotions.
-------------------------------------------
"Sooo..."
"Don't you dare finish that sentence."
Effie's smile grew even wider as she looked at the pair of idiots.
Doofus was looking away, his cheeks burning red in embarrassment. Meanwhile, Princess was glaring at her like she would smite her on the spot if she continued talking. However, Effie did not miss the tinge of red on Nephis' face either.
"So cranky," she teased. "Annoyed, I interrupted your cuddling session?"
Effie had a vast well of experience. Be it stalking prey, fighting against horrors vastly more powerful than she was, or dealing with far more harrowing human-shaped monsters, she had seen it all for years. A single twitch was all she needed to know when someone or something was about to attack, and it was the only reason she was still alive.
All of that experience barely made her fast enough to duck under the rock that Princess threw.
Worth it!
Noticing her smirk, Princess glared harder. She eyed the piles of debris scattered everywhere and the incredible amount of ammunition they represented with dangerous interest.
A drop of sweat started to form on Effie's brow. Maybe she should tone down the teasing?
Spell no! This was too fun!
Before things could escalate any further, Kai appeared, having returned from scouting ahead.
"All clear for the next few days of travel," he said.
Princess glared at her for a moment longer, then turned her gaze to the archer, the small twitch that betrayed her displeasure already hidden behind her composed mask.
"Is there any Nightmare Creature we should worry about?" she asked evenly.
Kai shook his head.
"No, I have checked thrice and found none."
"Good."
Effie agreed with the sentiment. The journey through Valor territory and then the Stormsea had been nothing but absurd, filled with danger at every moment.
It almost felt like there was a vengeful god hellbent on making things harder for them out there.
If there was, she blamed Doofus.
"Are you two alright?" Kai asked, concern still clear in his voice.
He had asked that question a dozen times by now, and Effie had the sensation that he would ask it many more.
She couldn't blame him; she had chewed her nails to the root while worrying over the pair of idiots.
Effie was the last one to leave the Ivory Tower when the assault began, and she still felt guilty for not staying. It was unreasonable; she would have been nothing but a burden in the battle that ensued. Reason did nothing to tone down just how damn useless she had felt at that moment.
Sunny and Nephis hadn't returned, nor did they have a way of getting in contact with them. Even worse, Cassie's Aspect had been completely cut off, leaving them in the dark about what was going on.
What followed was a nerve-wracking wait. The only thing that granted them a little comfort was the Seer's reassurances that they would be okay.
Even their contact in Clan Song was silent, as the Queen had apparently fallen unconscious all of a sudden.
As such, it was no surprise that when, hours after their escape, they finally felt their anchor in the Dream Realm return to life, they charged in without hesitation.
Effie had expected to see many things.
The devastation was there, as the surface of the floating island had almost been reduced to bare rock. The vegetation was all but gone, the ground filled with craters and cracks that spoke of titanic blows.
The corpses were there, too. She stopped counting after the number of flock Nightmare Creature carcasses reached three digits, and she wasn't even halfway through.
Ki Song's Corrupted vessel was lying motionless on the ground, too, almost like a discarded toy. She was sure to be quite displeased when she finally recovered consciousness.
What she hadn't expected was to find the two of them, covered in wounds from head to toe, asleep while holding each other. It was the most shocking yet adorable thing she had ever seen.
Sid had squealed at the sight, and she had even heard Aiko mutter something about boosting merchandising sales.
Effie had hoped the surprises would end there.
Then the two of them woke up and, after Nephis healed them both, shared the story of what had happened.
Poor Kai fainted when he heard about the Divine Beast they had met. Even now, he still looked pale and queasy.
She did, too, to be fair.
They stopped talking after that, claiming that there was too much work to do at the moment and that they could continue later.
Effie found it very suspicious. Many of their wounds looked too similar to those made by a sword not to, but she let it go. It was obvious enough that it was private, and she would give them time to sort it out and share it on their own. She could always push later, after all.
She was broken out of her musings by Doofus' answer.
"Better than I have been in a long time," he answered with an easy smile.
It wasn't even a lie, or at least Effie didn't think so.
Even though the wounds were gone, he still looked like he had decided to wrestle a bear as a mundane. And yet, Effie had never seen him so... light.
It was like there had been a crushing weight pressing down on his shoulders all along, and now he had finally taken it off.
"Me too," was Princess' short answer.
Just like Doofus, she too looked like she had taken a liking to wrestling bears. And just like him, she seemed more at ease than Effie had seen her in years.
There was even a faint, barely-there smile threatening to pull at her lips.
It was relieving, seeing them like this. There was still a trace of tension there, but it no longer looked like a single wrong word would make it explode.
They still gave each other those heated stares. And they still watched each other like hawks. However, the feeling it gave was very different. Less overtly hostile and more… complicated, perhaps? Like they had taken a monumental choice and still weren't sure how to acclimate to it.
Had they finally talked things through? Or maybe they had gone with a more physical form of therapy?
"Whatever you're thinking, stop," Cassie warned.
Effie turned to look at the Seer. It was startling just how easily she could disappear into the background and be ignored.
The blonde woman looked pale, too. Her brows were still furrowed and full of tension, like a bowstring that didn't know how to let go. Despite her attempts at calming them down, Effie knew that nobody was more worried than Cassie.
She put on a smirk that she knew Cass could notice even without her Aspect.
"Oh? How do you know what I'm thinking?" she teased lightly, making sure to keep her voice low. Princess' aim with those rocks was terrifying. "Were you thinking the same, perhaps?"
Even covered by a blindfold, Effie was sure that the petite seer had just rolled her eyes. Her shoulders were just a little lighter, though.
"I'm not you," Cassie denied almost immediately.
She opened her mouth to keep teasing her, only to be interrupted by Sunny, who coughed to attract their attention.
"I have a vital announcement for all of you," he said sternly, almost like a general talking to a battalion about to engage in battle.
Effie turned to him, straightening just a little when she noticed his severe expression and the way he was glowering into the distance toward Ravenheart.
"According to Kai, we will arrive in a few weeks, so we don't have much time. What I am about to tell you all is of vital importance and must be treated with extreme care." He took a deep breath, and Effie couldn't help leaning forward in anticipation. "The moment we arrive in Ravenheart and the Ivory Tower is secured there, we are all..."
He stopped, letting the tension build.
"...going on vacation!"
Silence.
"Spell yeah!" Effie shouted, throwing her arms up.
Unlike her, the others stared at Sunny flatly.
"So much buildup for that?" was their collective thought.
Effie shared a commiserating look with him. Honestly, how had she become best friends with such a bunch of boring people?
"Can we even go on a vacation?" Kai asked, his brows furrowed in thought. "I mean, Ki Song is sure to have many tasks ready for us when we arrive."
"Spell her."
Kai blinked.
Effie blinked.
Sunny blinked.
Cassie blinked.
In unison, they turned toward Princess, who gave them a confused stare in return.
"What?"
"It's you," Sunny answered as though that was all the explanation needed, sounding like he had trouble believing it.
"We have done nothing but fight for the last month," she said calmly. "We deserve, no, we need, to rest. If she has a problem with that, then spell her."
Effie blinked again, and then she pointed an accusing finger in Doofus' direction.
"You are corrupting my adorable, innocent Neph!" she cried out dramatically.
"I'm twenty."
Said adorable, innocent Neph retorted flatly, only to be summarily ignored.
"She has been in contact with you for far longer. If anything, you are the one to blame here!"
A grin grew on Effie's face as she continued bickering with Doofus.
Princess facepalmed, but the faint smile on her face grew a little wider. Kai was smiling brightly, trying -though not very hard- to mediate between them. Cassie's face was at ease, too, a reserved yet still happy smile on her lips.
And Sunny?
He was smiling the brightest.
Worth it.
-------------------------------------------
Rain blinked away the strange sensation of traversing through realms. It felt quite bizarre, like diving in and out of water at the same time.
The Ivory Tower unfolded around her, slowly coming into focus as colors unblurred and her presence on the floating island stabilized.
At first, she only saw the countless clouds above, from which snow fell at a slow, steady pace. Next, she took in the sights. Far in the distance, she could just barely distinguish the volcano for which Ravenheart was famous. The citadel itself couldn't be seen yet, but it wouldn't be long before they arrived.
Just behind her was the Ivory Tower. It had seen better days, as it was covered in soot and dust from the many battles that had taken place, but the structure itself was still intact.
If nothing else, the Daemons knew how to build durable things.
At the urging of her companion, she went inside, where the first thing she did was analyze her surroundings, just as Big Sister Nephis had drilled into her. It had saved her life during her First Nightmare, and since then, she had never stopped doing so.
The Hall of Chains was a busy place, as many Firekeepers bustled about, going in and out of the Ivory Tower, carrying materials for repairs, remnants of Nightmare Creatures to be processed into valuable loot, or simply returning to their quarters for a well-deserved rest.
Beside her rested the Gateway, shining faintly under the light of the torches. It was night outside, with a bright full moon hanging in the sky.
She couldn't help but wonder how it must have felt for Sunny and Nephis all that time back. Waking up only to find themselves stranded under a starless night and surrounded by danger at every turn.
In contrast, here she was, delivered straight to a citadel, skipping the winter solstice and all that entailed simply because she was fortunate enough to be related to two Saints.
"What's wrong?" Sunny asked.
He was standing beside her, his hand still resting on her shoulder. Sunny looked... happy. He was wearing casual clothes -all black, of course- and carried himself with an ease that Rain had never genuinely seen in him until now.
He had transported both of them there, carrying her through the realms so that she could anchor herself directly to the Gateway.
"It feels wrong," she answered quietly, lowering her head a little.
"What does?"
Rain hesitated. She felt dumb for thinking like that, but she still did, and she wasn't sure how her brother would react to the answer.
"How easy this is," she answered at last. "You, Big Sis, and everyone else went through so much to reach a Gateway. Meanwhile, I'm getting one delivered on a silver platter."
Sunny's hand squeezed softly. He didn't seem angry, nor did he call her stupid, so that was already a win.
"And you have no idea how happy that makes me," he said softly. "Do you think I wanted to face all that danger? Or that I wished for a challenge?"
"No?"
"Damn straight I didn't," he agreed without any sign of shame. "In fact, I would have loved nothing more than to be in your situation."
She lowered her head a little more, avoiding eye contact.
"That's why it feels wrong. You didn't have the chance, so why should I? Even Legacy scions don't get this kind of aid."
"Who cares about them?" Sunny squeezed again. "You are my sister, and I want to protect you."
"I don't want to just stand back and let you do everything," she replied. "You are strong, but you won't always be there to save me. In fact, I want to stand by your side and protect you, too."
The words that came out of her mouth surprised even her. Though in retrospect, she shouldn't be.
Back before the journey from the Chained Isles to Ravenheart began, she had asked to participate. Sunny could transport her straight to the citadel, after all, and she could be of use. Rain had insisted, pointing out that she was more than capable of defending herself and that becoming an Awakened would make her capable of at least facing the more minor threats.
She tried time and time again, to no avail.
Neither Sunny nor Nephis, once she became a Transcendent, had been willing to budge.
"You are not ready," they had told her.
"It's too dangerous," they had insisted.
She appreciated it, she truly did, but she didn't want to spend her whole life cowering behind them, incapable of doing anything but watch as they carried the weight of the world on their shoulders.
Rain heard him sigh, the sound alone carrying a deep sense of exhaustion.
"I know I cannot protect you forever," he admitted reluctantly. "But can you blame me for trying to?"
She looked back up and threw him a grin. "I can."
"Cheeky brat," he said fondly.
Rain lifted her chin imperiously. "That's Lady Cheeky Brat to you. We've already been over this."
After shaking his head, Sunny urged her once more, and she finally created an anchor to the Gateway. All in all, the process had been rather anticlimactic.
With all the outlandish tales she had heard from them, she had expected to be drafted into an insanely dangerous adventure along the way before she could do so. It was a little disappointing, to be honest.
"Don't be so disappointed," he chastised good-naturedly. "If there's one thing the Dream Realm and the Spell love, it's throwing chaos at you. Enjoy the peace and quiet while it lasts."
"I think that's just you," Rain pointed out.
Sunny's right eye twitched. "I hate the fact that I can't deny that."
Rain patted his shoulder as condescendingly as she could. "Don't worry, we love you the way you are."
He looked at her for a long moment in complete silence, so long that she was starting to worry she might have actually angered him with her attempt at teasing.
Sure enough, a moment later, he retaliated in the most horrifying way possible.
The shadows beneath her stirred, coiling around her firmly yet gently to hold her in place. Then Sunny's revenge began as he tickled her mercilessly.
That day, Rain swore that she would take revenge, no matter the cost!
-------------------------------------------
Kai looked down, idly observing the people pointing up at them as the flying island slowly crossed the streets on its way to the Jade Palace.
Most surprising was the number of people he saw, even more than he would normally expect from Bastion, and that was supposed to be the most populous city in the Dream Realm.
Although, upon second thought, it shouldn't have been that surprising.
The world was ending.
Once upon a time, such a phrase would have been met with scorn and ridicule.
Now? It was the same as stating that the sun rose in the east. Kai had heard that the number of doomsday cults was steadily rising the closer they came to it. One of them had even approached him, hoping to use his fame and idol status as a publicity tool.
That had made for quite the awkward fan-meetup. Gale still teased him about it at times.
But he digressed.
Knowing about the impending calamity, why wouldn't Clan Song get ahead of the issue?
There were plenty of Awakened down there, but even more numerous were the mundane humans. Most of them were the families of said Awakened, relocated to the Dream Realm in preparation for the incoming disasters before anyone else.
He couldn't fault Song for that. He knew very well that he would prioritize his family over everyone else if he were in their shoes.
Kai was privy to more than most, thanks to his newfound position as a Master of a Great Clan, and as such, he knew that Clan Song, with the silent support of the government, was already slowly and covertly migrating people.
Even Nephis had agreed, very reluctantly, that it was a wise idea. The number of Gates only kept increasing, making the Waking World more and more dangerous with each passing day, and if what he had heard about Antarctica was true...
He forced himself to stop thinking about that.
There were already more than enough things keeping him up at night. He didn't need one more.
Kai focused back on the people below, still staring up at them in wonder. A small chuckle escaped him when he noticed a young boy drawing graffiti on the wall of a house. It seemed like some things never changed, no matter the Realm.
He didn't have time to see it finished before the boy disappeared from sight. Only the beginning of what he assumed to be a phrase or a name.
'Aste,' written in big, eye-catching letters.
Casting the thought out of his mind, Kai turned toward the magnificent palace they were approaching. He had already been inside, back when they were inducted into the clan, but he hadn't had much of a chance to explore since they had been quite busy immediately afterward.
Sunny was the only one anchored there, and he had been too busy crossing the Dream Realm to reach them in the Chained Islands to have time to take them on a tour.
Before long, they crossed the bridge, and the flying island finally stopped, the first time it had done so since they had left Valor territory.
Kai found himself letting out a sigh of relief as the sense of impending doom that had been draped over his shoulders finally eased. The trek had been filled with danger, which made it quite shocking that they had barely faced any after finally reaching Song territory.
That vacation Sunny spoke about was starting to sound quite appealing.
Soon, they started descending, leaving only a few Firekeepers behind to guard the citadel.
By the time they touched the ground, a delegation had already arrived to receive them.
Front and center was Seishan, who, despite being a Master, seemed to act as the de facto leader instead of her sister, Beastmaster. Behind her was a small group that he easily recognized as former handmaidens of the Bright Castle.
Seishan herself didn't look well. It was as though she hadn't slept properly in days, as evidenced by the dark circles beneath her eyes -even more noticeable against her gray skin- and the tense expression she was trying and mostly succeeding at hiding.
Beside her, Beastmaster looked calmer, but not entirely at ease either.
Seishan stepped forward first and bowed lightly. "Welcome to the Jade Palace."
"Thank you," Nephis replied evenly.
"Mother would have welcomed you personally, but she hasn't fully recovered yet," Seishan explained.
"Did she wake up?" Sunny asked.
Kai did not fail to notice the involuntary side-eye she gave him. Those who were aware of his Flaw tended to do that, catching themselves at the last moment before telling a lie.
"She did, just yesterday," Beastmaster answered for her. "However, she's not receiving visitors yet."
"We understand, and there is no rush," Nephis said, her tone understanding.
It wasn't a lie. If anything, she was probably happy not to have to meet the Sovereign just yet.
"We appreciate your consideration," Seishan replied.
Quite surprisingly, she was telling the truth, too.
Given the circles beneath her eyes and how tired she looked, Seishan had probably been handling countless issues during her mother's absence and was grateful not to have even more to deal with, especially when they came from two Saints and the heirs of her clan.
"Please, follow us. There are plenty of things to see inside this palace that I'm dying to show you," Beastmaster interjected, already motioning toward the grand doors.
Nodding, they all walked inside, ready to begin a whole new phase of their lives.
-------------------------------------------
Nephis allowed herself to relax on the fluffy sofa.
It was an action she regretted immediately afterward. The thing was so soft and comfortable that she almost fell asleep instantly.
The day had been long, as had every day before it, and she still wasn't completely recovered from the roller coaster of emotions she had gone through in the Stormsea.
First, they toured the palace, which admittedly had many interesting things to see, among them the hot springs, which Effie had instantly fallen in love with. Then they had the chance to familiarize themselves with their own quarters, and finally, there was a banquet to properly welcome them.
Sadly, unlike during the ceremony, the vassals of Song weren't shy about approaching them this time.
As such, she had been forced to endure a constant barrage of people. Some only wanted to greet her and left immediately afterward. Others attempted to curry favor. A few made a point of throwing polite barbs in her direction to gauge her character, and one particularly drunk Awakened even attempted to flirt with her.
The attempt had been so bad that she had almost laughed in the man's face. Though it wasn't as amusing as the glare she had noticed Sunny giving him.
Now, she was finally back in her room and could properly rest.
She couldn't wait for that vacation.
However, before she could even begin to consider surrendering to exhaustion and falling asleep, she heard a knock on the door.
After stifling a tired groan, she stood up and went to open it. Waiting on the other side, she found Sunny.
He walked inside without waiting for an invitation and promptly threw himself onto the same sofa she had been resting on. Given the way he sprawled across it, he was no less tired than she was.
"Is there anything wrong?" she asked.
Normally, she wouldn't mind speaking with him. But her eyes were already drooping, and she wanted nothing more than to lie back down on the sofa and go to sleep.
Sunny shrugged bonelessly.
"Just wanted to compare notes, you know, to sell the story better when they ask what happened."
Nephis easily noticed the intent behind his words, especially given the way his eyes moved around. To others, it wouldn't have been noticeable, but she knew him well enough.
They were being listened to.
She regarded him thoughtfully for a long moment, so long, in fact, that he started to grow worried. Then she shrugged and stepped forward.
By the time he realized what was about to happen, it was already too late. She lay down on the sofa right beside him and allowed herself to relax.
Sunny's expression alone made it worth it.
"Neph?"
"It can wait until tomorrow," she mumbled drowsily.
"But..." he trailed off.
"Leave if you want, but I'm going to sleep."
He didn't.
-------------------------------------------
Sunny hummed a merry tune inside the Ivory Tower.
While the lazy bastard of a main body slept, he was stuck here training.
Two of his avatars were battling each other while constantly changing forms, as he worked to better familiarize himself with the fourth step of [Shadow Dance], which he had mastered during his duel with Nephis.
Another three were weaving Memories to feed Saint. The sooner she could become a Supreme, and he could stop relying on Ki Song, the better.
Which left him with the most annoying task: Will training.
Letting out an annoyed grunt in preparation for the incoming frustrating experience, he grabbed the leaf and placed it atop the palm of his left hand.
Sunny had been trying to grasp his Will ever since he had become a Saint, with little result. Even Nephis, despite lacking his knowledge and experience, had already managed to do it, while he had gotten nowhere.
Which made it quite a surprising revelation when the leaf stuck to his hand with ease and remained there no matter how hard he shook it.
Had he... succeeded?
How?
Why?
The pieces of the puzzle clicked into place inside his mind, and Sunny wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry.
Of course, he couldn't get it to work! The use of Will could be explained in many ways, but ultimately it boiled down to imposing your will upon the world.
How could he achieve that when he couldn't even impose his will upon himself? All along, what had been blocking him was his refusal to make a choice.
One option or the other would have been fine, but it was his refusal to choose to begin with that had made it impossible.
So much time and effort wasted, and the answer had been staring at him all along…
"Damnation."