Sunny watched as the man laughed like a maniac.
He was quite used to this by now.
He let him finish and calm down.
"I have decided." The man announced.
"I'm gonna spent some quality time with my Prisma.... It's been far too long since we did it."
'Did? did what?'
"It will at least take a weak,my brother..... You should also go and meet with your future girlfriend down in the hall, she looked like she had something important to say,.... I was overwhelmed by emotions back then,... say sorry in my stead,....mmm... just ....don't mention that I told you to do it, ok? ....That will ruin my image." Raine said.
"Hay, where you going?.... You can't leave me to deal with her alone?.... What if she tried to kill me,... you know,... for what I did?" Sunny said, not wanting to be left behind.
"Don't worry,... I didn't sence any hostility towards you, so you'll be fine, ...as long as it's not a proposal, off course..... If that's the case then...I don't know what will happen, ..but it won't be something that any mortal mind could handle."
"Wait, what are you talking about? She's not my girlfriend! You know that, too....and where are you going for a whole week?"
"Oh,.. just to scratch this itch I've been feeling, you know.... oh, it's gonna be a bloodbath, I'll tell you....Hahahahhah, let's go Prisma,.... we'll meet here after a week, Sunny." He said and jumped out to the rooftop....
...and disappeared into the dark city.
...
Sunny was left with words like Quality time, itch, and bloodbath which didn't made any sense together.
....
"Ok, a week from now hah,...Man, I can't believe he dumped me as soon as he got his wife,...and he used to nag me saying 'Bros before Hoes', ..sigh..." Sunny sighed as he turned towards his four shadows.
"I guess we'll have to face her alone." The four shadows just srugged their shoulders as if it telling it wasn't a big deal.
And they were true.
With his strength he could face her easily in a battle.
And as for the matter of Cassie, He believed what he did was right. And if anyone had problem with that then they were free to come at him.
And if someone came after him, he was free to do the same to them too.
...
"What the hell? My soul shards? ...My soul shard? How did I forgot about them?" Sunny jumped to the hall below.
Nephis was clutching her sword waiting for the man who would jump after Sunny.
But no one came.
"Just wait a bit, ok?" Sunny said as he started to gather his fortune afraid of anyone getting it.
Nephis waited.
As sunny started to gather his soul shards, nephis waited for any possible attacks from the other man.
Nothing came.
"Where did he go?" She asked out loud.
"You mean Raine, he left for his honeymoon, won't come back for a week." Sunny replied to Nephis question still collecting Soul shards.
Nephis watched him, for a minute.
"Sunny, we need to talk." She repeated herself.
"Ok, I'm listening....if it's serious then let me collect the soul shards first and then I'll give you my full attention." He continued what he was doing.
Another silence.
"You can finish doing this first, it's important." She said after a while.
It took Sunny about half an hour to dump all the shards inside the secret room.
He came back, looking at Nephis suspiciously.
"If anything goes missing, I would know."
...
...
"Ok, now then, what is it?" Sunny asked finally done with everything.
"You need to come back." Nephis said.
"Come back where? And why?" Sunny was expecting to hear something about Cassie, but the women complety ignored that subject.
"To conquer the spire, to leave this place, everything is set.... Only you are needed, so you need to come back." Nephis told her whole plan in just a sentance.
"So you want me to work for you, hah? ...mmm.. let's see, you are going to march everyone to their death, including me, and you want me to follow you? Did I get that right?" Sunny asked as if he knew her full plan.
"We'll survive." Nephis said simply.
"You mean you'll survive." Sunny continued.
"Okkk, so where you currently are at your plan?... what's the next step?"
"To ciege the castle. We have support from inside. It will be successful." She said.
"Fine. I'll come with you. But..."
Nephis waited.
"...I need payment." Sunny said.
Nephis expression was unreadable.
As always.
But the glint in her eyes told that she wasn't happy hearing this.
"Didn't anyone told you that talent should not be unpayed?.....If you want me to help you, you have to pay me...no follower crap...you got it?" Sunny said.
"What do you want?" Nephis asked.
"Hmm....Depends on the task..."
"let's discuss the plan in full details, if I know my role, I'll tell you the price...How dose that sound?"
Nephis thought for a moment and said "I accept, let's move to the camp."
...
...
Inside the same camp where Sunny once ki....ok, let's not talk about this.
...
Sunny moved inside the meeting room and directly went for a seat.
Everyone was informed and were returning for this discussion.
Caster was already there, giving Sunny cold look.
'Atleast someone isn't insensitive as her.' Sunny paid him no mind.
Soon everyone else followed.
Some new faces, some old ones.
Nephis, Caster, Effie, Kai were main ones.
Sid, Sim, Shakti, Erlas, Kaor were minor ones.
Sunny didn't recognise most of them.
But they still gave him murderous looks.
'What a great feeling this is,.... they hate me, yet they are still forced to beg for my help,.... I wonder what's so special?'
Soon his question was answered as five memories were placed on top of the big table.
A white cloak, A bronze spear, A round shield, A Crown, And even the Moonlight Shards that was taken from Sunny in the gambling den.
Sunny understood that his Midnight Shard was also belonged beside them.
Nephis started her speech.
"These are what we call Shard memories, each one has a name representing a specific part of the day, followed by shard."
Her speech was diracted at Sunny, but she said it like everyone needed to hear this.
"There are total seven of them. Five are in front of you, one is inside the castle, and the last one...." She looked at Sunny.
"Ok, I have it, Alright." Sunny admitted.
"We need these to unseal the crimson spire. That's why every memorie is needed. ...Yours too..." Nephis said to him.
"Ok, I get it. You need my Sword for this....but we have a problem with this...I don't have another weapon...So no thanks...I won't give it for free,...but if you can give me another Tachi of higher rank....then I might reconsider.." Sunny said.
Everyone gave him murderous glances.
"We don't need to do that...once seals are broken, the memory itself will remain..so we just need to borrow it from you." Nephis told him.
"I have problem with that too....You can't expect a Warrior to live without his weapon...And considering the looks you guys are giving me...I will be a fool if i gave my trusty weapon to you guys." Sunny said to them.
....
....
Nobody spoke.
They couldn't refute what he said.
Finally Nephis broke the silence.
"Then what do you suggest we do? I don't think we can provide you a higher rank weapon in exchange of that?"
"Let me think...Oh, I have a solution, if you need someone to use these to unlock that seal, then leave the task to me....and all these memories too.....what do you say...Nice plan isn't it?" Sunny said with a smile.
"How dare you, you murderer, that blade was given to you by Lady changing star herself, how dare you demand payment for what's not yours in the first place?" Someone who Sunny didn't recognise shouted.
"Mmm....Did anyone ever tell you that only true scums demands their gifts back? Are you sure your lady will do something like that?....As I see it, this blade was a reward for our team effort,...not something she received on her own,... also to tell you something, what your lady is wearing is also a gift from me, and if I were to demand it back...No, I'm not that low of a scum." sunny said calmly.
Everyone turned silent.
"You can have them." Nephis said.
"Princess, how are we-" Effie started.
"After the seize of castle, you can have them." Nephis finished.
"Oh, I still have a problem. What if you lots die in that attempt, I will be left unpaid, don't you think...?"
"...Actually you never told me how are you going to face the Elites and Generals of the castle, and how to you plan to Kill the Bright lord himself?.... There are countless heads hanging outside the castle who suggests that this thing isn't going to be a walk in the park....So what's the big plan?" Sunny asked, curious.
Caster couldn't handle it at this point.
"How dare you speak to us like that, you mongrel? You are talking to changing star of immortal flame clan, how can you question her capabilities? If she says she can, then she will do it, even if it's impossible." Caster said in anger.
"Ok,ok, ... I get it,.... I get it that you are ready to face your death for her,.... But to tell you the the truth, I'm a coward by nature...so don't expect me to do the same, you hear.....If you can't tell me how are you going to kill a man who had a transcendant Echo as an armour, I'm out...off course, you can try to get the midnight shard by killing me .....But I'll tell you this,... your chances are preety low." Sunny said.
Nobody knew what chances he was talking about.
Everyone looked at Nephis.
To explain the plan to this man, like she did to them.
Nephis stayed silent.
What was she suppose to say, that she'll hit him till his armour break?
That this was her will?
Those things worked on NPCs, not someone who had some common sense.
That's why she stayed silent.
"So you don't have a plan for the first step, and you are planning for the next one already? I didn't knew you can use the term far-sighted to this extant... What a plan." Sunny clapped, mocking them openly.
"Shut up, Shorty!...you are talking as if you have a better plan then us, you are just a greedy bastard like that tiny bitch in the castle....I wonder if your greed grow instead of your hight." Effie was angry that this bastard talked so casually about taking her weapons.
"Who you are calling a shorty, you fat-ass mustle beast, I'm still growing, you extinct hippo, not like you who can only grow horizontally..." Sunny fought insult with insult.
....
".....You are deadmeat, you bastard!" Effie shot up from her seat, breaking the cheir in process.
"Oh, you think I'm afraid of you? come at me, you overgr-"
"ENOUGH" Nephis shot up from her seat.
Flames burning in her eyes.
Effie held back.
Sunny gave her a mocking smile.
Effie clenched her teeth while promising murder with her eyes.
"It's true that the plan is simple. But sometimes simple things are the most effective ones...we are going to challenge the bright king head on, and we are going to win." Nephis said.
"Cause that's our will, that's ou-"
"I actually have a better plan."
....
Silence.
"Yeah, you heard that right, a real plan, to kill that golden bastard." Sunny said.
"I know a man who can kill him easily."
Nobody spoke.
"You are not gonna ask me who it it? What a shame....but I'll tell you anyway."
Sunny smiled and said....
"It's my brother, Raine."