Ash only managed to sleep a few hours. He had a nightmare, something strange given that Awakened weren't supposed to dream, yet he did, although the dream itself had already slipped from his memory.
Sitting on the ground, he closed his eyes and listened to the sound of the waves. His mind began to recall the past month and the great change that had occurred in his life.
Though initially he met it with worry and fear, those feelings were replaced by something else—the desire to survive.
Even now, that desire remained lit in his soul, refusing to be extinguished.
Listening to the sound of breathing, he observed Cassie, who was sleeping soundly.
He noticed that Sunny was still awake, apparently on guard duty, letting Nephis sleep.
Feeling a gaze, Sunny turned his face toward him before approaching.
"Can't you sleep?" asked Sunny.
"Not really. I don't need much sleep to rest. If you want, go to sleep. I'll stay awake until morning," said Ash, looking at Sunny with a calm face.
"Ash, can I ask you a question?"
"Sure, what do you want to know?"
"Why do you carry her?" asked Sunny, making Ash raise an eyebrow.
Out of the corner of his eye, he looked at Cassie, who was still sleeping—a sign that she wasn't listening to this conversation.
Then he looked at Nephis, who, though her eyes were closed, was listening to the chat.
"Why do you ask? Wouldn't you do it?" he asked.
Sunny was silent for a few moments before responding.
"No."
Ash didn't react; he had already expected this answer from that boy.
"I do it because of a promise," he responded.
Sunny's eyes opened for a moment before he spoke with a strange tone.
"A promise? Did you know each other before?"
"No. Well, the more accurate answer is that I didn't interact with her until we fell together. And the promise doesn't involve her; it's about someone else."
"Do you want to hear a story?"
Sunny cast a curious look for a few moments before nodding, then remembered it was night before speaking.
"Sure."
"Once there was a boy," Ash began, leaning his back against the coral wall. "He was a selfish boy. Not in a malicious way, understand? He simply... didn't like getting involved. He'd see someone in need and think, 'Not my problem. Someone else will handle it.' He'd see someone fallen on the street and walk past. He'd see someone carrying something heavy and look the other way. He wasn't bad. He was just... comfortable. Others' discomfort wasn't his discomfort, so why should he care?"
Sunny listened in silence, his eyes faintly shining against the darkness.
"That boy had a mother," Ash continued, and his voice softened slightly. "And his mother was the complete opposite of him. She helped whomever she could. It didn't matter if it was a neighbor who needed their plants cared for, or a stranger on the street asking for directions, or a friend going through a hard time. She was always there. Always willing to give a bit of herself for others."
Ash paused, remembering.
"The boy didn't understand it. It seemed stupid to him to waste energy on people who would probably never return the favor. 'Why do you bother?' he'd ask her. And she would just smile and say, 'Because I can. Because someday, when you need help, you'll want someone else to have thought the same thing.'"
"She sounded like a good person," Sunny commented, and there was something in his tone that wasn't entirely mocking.
"She was," Ash nodded. "She was the best person I've ever known."
"One day, mother and son were traveling. It doesn't matter where. The important thing is that the road was dangerous, hugging a mountain, with cliffs and loose rocks. And then it happened. A rockslide. It wasn't big, wasn't an earthquake or a catastrophe. Just some rocks that decided to fall at the worst possible moment."
Ash's voice became more measured.
"The boy's mother was trapped. A large rock—not enough to kill her, but enough to immobilize her. She was conscious, she was alive, but she couldn't move. And the boy... the boy tried to help her. For the first time in his life, he truly tried to help. He pushed the rock with all his might, but it was too heavy. He screamed for help, but they were in the middle of nowhere. No one heard."
Sunny frowned. Beside him, Ash noticed that Nephis's breathing had become even shallower.
"The boy had to make a decision," Ash continued. "He could stay there, with his mother, watching her die slowly. Or he could go for help. His mother told him, 'Go. I'll hold on. Go and ask for help.'"
Ash closed his eyes.
"The boy ran. He ran like he'd never run in his life. He ran until his lungs burned and his legs trembled. He ran until he reached the nearest town, the place where they lived. And then... he began to ask for help."
"And?" asked Sunny, though his tone suggested he already imagined the answer.
"No one wanted to help him," Ash said simply. "Why would they? He was the selfish boy, the one who always walked past, the one who never lifted a finger for anyone. People looked at him and remembered all the times he had ignored them. And they thought, 'Why should I help him now?'"
Silence settled between them. Even the waves seemed to have quieted.
"The boy cried," Ash continued. "He cried from despair, from helplessness, from rage. He cried because his mother was dying and no one wanted to help him. And in that moment, in the midst of his desperation, someone touched his shoulder."
Ash opened his eyes and looked into the darkness beyond the dark sea.
"It was a man. A man his mother had helped years ago. He hadn't helped with anything big—just lent him money for transportation when he needed it, or something like that. The boy didn't even remember him. But the man did. The man remembered that kind woman who helped him when no one else did. And when he saw the boy crying, he knew something was wrong."
"The boy told him everything, between sobs. And the man, without hesitation, went to get his friends. And those friends, when they heard who it was about, went to get more people. And so, like a chain, all those the mother had helped in the past, and those those helpers had helped, gathered."
Ash's voice grew warmer.
"They returned to the mountain. All together. They moved the rock. They got the mother out. They took her to the hospital. And she lived."
Sunny blinked.
"She... lived?"
"She lived," Ash confirmed. "When she woke up, she thanked everyone who had helped her. And they told her something the boy never forgot. They said, 'It's nothing. We're just returning the favor. You helped us when you could. Today we helped you.'"
The sound of the waves covered them with a calming noise; a cold breeze touched his body, making him sigh for a moment.
"That night, the boy understood something," Ash said in a low voice. "He understood that his mother didn't help others expecting something in return. It wasn't a transaction. She helped because she could, because it was the right thing to do. But what she didn't know was that, by helping, she was sowing seeds. Seeds that, when she needed them most, bloomed in the form of willing hands to save her."
Ash looked up and met Sunny's eyes directly.
"The boy learned that it doesn't matter if you help someone who needs it. It doesn't matter if it's something big or something small. Because that person, eventually, will help someone else. And that other person will help someone else. And so, like ripples in water, help expands. And when you, or someone like you, needs help someday... there will be someone there. Not because they know you, not because they owe you anything. But because someone, at some point, helped someone, and that chain was never broken."
The silence that followed was dense, charged with meaning.
Sunny took a moment to speak.
"That boy... was it you?"
Ash didn't respond directly. Instead, he looked away toward Cassie, who was still sleeping peacefully, unaware of the conversation.
"My mother told me something before she died," he said finally. "Not that time. Later. Years later. She told me, 'Ash, my son. You're a good boy. Please, don't let the world change you. If you want to help, you don't have to help everyone. Only those you believe you can help.'"
"Before she died?" asked Sunny, frowning. "But you said she lived."
"She lived that time," Ash confirmed, and his voice became graver. "But it wasn't the only time she needed help. And I... I wasn't always there to give it."
No further explanation was needed. Sunny understood. Nephis, from her apparent sleep, understood too.
Ash sighed and stood up.
"That's why I help Cassie," he said, looking at the sleeping girl. "Not because I expect anything from her. Not because I think she'll return the favor. But because my mother taught me that helping isn't about receiving. It's about sowing. And because... because I promised her, my mother, that I wouldn't let the world change me. That I would keep helping those I could, when I could."
Sunny observed him in silence for a long moment.
"And if she turns out to be a bad person?" he asked finally. "If your actions end up causing more harm than good?"
Ash smiled, a sad smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"That's no longer up to me. I only sow. What grows... is already out of my hands."
With that said, he walked a few steps away, sitting at the edge of the coral platform, gazing into the infinite darkness where waves broke against the forgotten shore.
Sunny stayed where he was, looking at the ground, lost in his own thoughts.
And Nephis, from her feigned sleep, opened her eyes for an instant. Just an instant. Just to look at Ash's back, silhouetted against the blackness.
....
Hours passed, and Ash simply sat motionless with a thoughtful expression on his face. When the first rays of light emerged, he heard the water stirring, beginning to slowly recede.
After about half an hour, the sky began to show the twilight of dawn, causing the water to retreat.
Standing up, he lit the campfire, letting the scavenger meat begin to cook.
After about ten minutes, Sunny had woken up, and after another five, Nephis opened her eyes.
Ash simply greeted them, saying the meat would be ready in a while. After that, they began planning what they would do in the coming days.
"Based on what you told us about the scavengers gathering in the west, the most logical step would be to start moving east. I've explored it a bit, so we could reach the next elevated point. Of course, north and south are also acceptable, but that wouldn't put as much distance between us and the enemy," said Nephis.
Sunny sighed.
"Do you have any idea where we are? Will there be a human citadel to the east?"
Nephis shook her head, then looked at Ash.
"What do you think?" Nephis asked.
"It's useless."
Sunny blinked.
"It's useless?"
Ash frowned slightly.
"What I mean is that our only option is to move west."
"We're trying to get away from the scavengers, not go toward them," said the black-haired boy.
"I know that. But you're forgetting my ability. I can sense the portal to the west. If we move now while the scavengers are still occupied, we can reach the statue you mentioned and then keep moving until we reach the portal," he explained.
Sunny was about to speak, but at that moment, Cassie opened her eyes fully. Her face was a little pale; she seemed nervous but also excited—an emotion she couldn't control.
Nephis looked at Cassia with a somewhat worried expression, asking what was wrong.
"A... a vision! I had a vision!"
"Are we in danger?"
Cassie immediately shook her head negatively.
"No, that's not it! People... I saw a castle full of people!"
A wide smile appeared on the blind girl's face. Then she pointed her finger toward the west.
"I don't know how far it is, but I'm sure it's in that direction!"
Sunny and Nephis looked at each other, then both looked at Ash, who had a slight, amused smile on his face and an expression that said: 'I told you so.'
Silence stretched for a few moments, making Cassie worried.
"Uh... what's wrong?" asked the girl.
"No, nothing's wrong. It's just that that direction is the most difficult of all, and honestly, I don't want to take it." He paused, then added.
"That's where I came from yesterday. There are many scavengers down there."
Cassie's face fell for a moment.
"Oh."
Ash walked to the campfire, checking the meat while vaguely listening to the blind girl's description of the castle.
"Did you see anything else?" asked Sunny.
"Yes! I saw Sunny guiding me through the castle gates! That means we'll make it!"
Ash raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He knew that once they reached the dark city, Sunny and Cassia would most likely head to the castle while Nephis gathered information in the settlement.
As for him, he would probably stay in the city ruins, starting to get more soul fragments until he became a monster and saw what would happen when he got a second Soul Core.
"Then we'll go west," Nephis said finally.
"Breakfast is ready," said Ash as he put out the fire.
....
While the sea receded, the four ate breakfast and then spent time planning the journey.
Ash explained more about his ability, saying he could guide them through the labyrinth toward the statue because his ability always led him down the right path, though it didn't warn him about dangers along the way.
For this part, Sunny said he would take care of it by sending his shadow ahead to scout for threats.
After outlining the plan, they began to prepare.
An hour later, once all the water had receded, they abandoned the hill. With the help of the rope, Cassie managed to descend without much difficulty. Ash walked ahead, guiding the way while holding the rope tied to Cassie so the girl could orient herself. She also summoned her wind staff.
To the right was Nephis, and to the left was Sunny, while his shadow was further ahead exploring.
Ash let his ability guide him, turning several times to avoid paths that led nowhere.
No more than two hours passed when Sunny stopped them.
"Stop!" Sunny said, making everyone halt.
Nephis immediately summoned her sword, ready in case they were attacked.
"What's happening, Sunny?" asked Cassie.
"...There are scavengers on the path ahead, six of them. They're moving slowly in our direction," said the boy.
"Did they finish with the corpse?" Nephis asked seriously.
Sunny shook his head.
"No, I don't think so. But maybe there isn't enough meat for everyone, so some stragglers had no choice but to leave with empty stomachs."
Ash looked ahead, then looked at the forking path. If he took it, he could sense they would go around the area, taking more time to reach the statue.
He could fight the scavengers, but right now he was weak, and fighting more than two at the same time was too risky.
"Let's go around them," said Ash.
Nephis nodded, reaching the same conclusion.
Without another word, they took the forked path, avoiding the group of scavengers. Ash continued guiding the group along the path and through the crimson coral labyrinth.
After half an hour, they had to take another path to avoid another group of scavengers. Because the number of scavengers was increasing, they hadn't even covered half the distance between them and the statue.
Currently, they were hidden, waiting for a considerable number of scavengers to pass.
"We can't continue like this. At this rate, we'll never reach a safe place before sunset."
"Maybe... maybe we should go back?" Cassie offered.
"Tomorrow will be more difficult," Nephis said expressionlessly.
"Then what should we do?" asked Sunny.
"Fight," was Nephis's simple response.
Sunny looked at Changing Star as if she were crazy.
"I know you're skilled with the sword, but have you forgotten that each of those things is a rank above us? We won't survive a fight against many."
Nephis nodded at what Sunny said.
"We'll avoid the larger groups and attack the small ones... if there are three or four, we can defeat them."
"Fine," said Sunny, not in the mood to argue.
Nephis looked at Ash, who had remained silent during the conversation.
"Have you studied the carcasses of the scavengers you killed?"
"Yes."
"Scavengers have three weak points on their bodies. The first is the joints—they're flexible and soft, so they can be cut with some difficulty. The second is where their torso connects to the shell. There's a kind of gap—if you can hit that point, you'll cause instant death. There's another, but it's useless since you'd have to destroy the spinal column to kill it." Ash paused, thinking.
"If more than three attack us, Sunny and Nephis can handle two of them, and I'll take the other two."
"Are you sure you can handle two awakened beasts?"
"Yes. They wouldn't give me much trouble if I'm careful," he explained.
"Now, if we run into fewer, it'll be easier for us three."
"And if, say, there are ten?" asked Sunny.
"I can use Plan C."
"Plan C?" asked Cassie.
"Run as fast as you can and don't look back."
Sunny rolled his eyes. Cassie let out an amused laugh. And Nephis... was Nephis.
...
After the scavengers passed, they continued advancing. However, it wasn't long before three scavengers appeared, moving in their direction.
Since there was no other path, they had to prepare for the fight.
"Each of us will take one. If someone finishes their enemy, help the other," said Ash, summoning his gray sword.
Sunny headed to the clearing to ambush a scavenger while Nephis and Ash dealt with the other two.
After waiting a few seconds, three scavengers appeared from around a corner. Their tiny black eyes, full of hunger and madness, fixed on the two humans, and without hesitation, they lunged forward with loud shrieks.
Ash kept an imperturbable face, watching the scavengers. The first threw its pincer in his direction while the second attacked Nephis, and the third would take a little longer to reach them.
Ash swung his sword, tracing an arc. His sword pierced the hard chitin of the awakened beast. Ash felt the same sensation of cutting the soul of a living being.
After executing his first attack, the scavenger shrieked. Its body staggered for a moment, which he took advantage of to make a second cut, severing one of its legs.
With a third blow, the scavenger collapsed to the ground.
[You have killed an awakened beast: Shell Scavenger]
[Your soul grows stronger]
Satisfied, Ash looked at Nephis, who had been pushed back while blocking the scavenger's attack.
The scavenger brought down its second pincer against the girl, but Ash launched an attack at its torso. His sword left a large gash that released blue blood.
Due to the attack, the scavenger completely missed its strike, allowing Changing Star to sever the pincer limb by cutting the joint.
Ash launched a second attack that caused even more damage to the scavenger's soul.
The scavenger weakened, allowing Nephis to land the decisive blow by cutting the scavenger's face. It collapsed to the ground.
The heavy body of the scavenger fell to the ground.
Then another body fell. Ash turned his head, seeing Sunny who had landed on the back of the third injured scavenger, which had been trying to join the fight.
"Memory?" Nephis asked Ash.
"No, and you?"
"No," Nephis responded. Then she headed toward Sunny, who was surprised at having killed a scavenger so easily by attacking the weak point.
Ash looked at the scavenger he had killed before going for Cassie, letting Sunny and Nephis collect the soul fragments.
Ash walked toward Cassie, who looked in his direction.
"Cassia, it's me. The scavengers are dead."
Using her staff, the girl moved in his direction.
"Are you... are you all okay?"
"Yes, we're fine. No one got hurt."
Cassia smiled with relief.
"Good, that's good. Oh, right, the rope..."
Ash took the rope, calmly guiding the blind girl.
"Cassie, can you do me a favor?" he asked, to which Cassie looked at him.
"Of course, what can I do?"
"Well, if you have any vision, can you tell me first?" he requested.
Cassie looked at him strangely for a few moments before nodding.
"I can do that, though I don't understand why."
"Just do it."
After their brief chat, both returned to the clearing where Nephis had finished breaking the scavengers' shells. There were two other fragments there.
Without saying anything, Nephis gave one to Sunny and then threw another to Ash, who caught it and then gave it to Cassia.
"Here, consume the fragment," said Ash to Cassie.
"Why don't you consume it? You need to get stronger," said the girl.
"Just do it," said Ash, not wanting to argue. Cassie frowned a little before crushing the soul fragment, consuming its essence to saturate her soul core.
After all that, the group continued their march, where they had to fight more scavengers—about ten of them.
When it was one, Ash and Nephis acted as decoys for Sunny to finish it off with one blow. When there were two, it was more or less the same, except Ash had to fight one alone, winning after four or five continuous attacks on the scavenger's soul to kill it.
When there were three, each would have to deal with one scavenger and, upon finishing their fight, help whoever was closest.
By the first hour of the afternoon, they had eliminated about twenty scavengers, until finally reaching the base of the knight statue.
To make the process faster, Ash handed the rope to Nephis. Once she and Sunny were at the top, they would pull Cassie up while he stayed below to ensure nothing attacked her while they were pulling Cassie up.
After Cassie was safely above, Ash began climbing the two-hundred-meter knight statue until he reached the base of the neck.
After he climbed up, the four sat down to rest. Ash observed from atop the neck the shark carcass, which was rapidly disappearing as hundreds of scavengers piled on, devouring its flesh quickly.
When afternoon fell, they ate the meat they had dried in the sun, passing around the unlimited water bottle.
After eating, Sunny took out all the soul fragments they had obtained from killing the shell scavengers.
It was undoubtedly a small pile of about twenty fragments. Without saying anything, Nephis left five soul fragments for each.
Ash simply took two, giving the other three to Cassie.
Ash crushed one fragment while observing the remaining one in his hand curiously.
He observed the deal between Sunny and Nephis: he would teach the former how to fight in exchange for all the soul fragments he would obtain in the future until they reached the city Cassia had mentioned.