"Nephis... It's been a very long time..."
The reunion between light and darkness had begun.
Her mind was stunned at the voice. One that was both familiar and slightly different. With a clearness and baritone that she attributed to his ascension, this was him. But she had to make sure. As vulnerable as she currently was, she just had to.
"That night we stood watch over the Dark City's marble walls. What did I say to you about my grandfather?"
Nephis spoke out. Going straight for the jugular with a question like that. Of course, her intention was to make sure the person in front of her was truly him, but a small part of her wanted to hear something warm. A warm memory.
"You said that he was always passionate. In every aspect of his life, from the way he cooked to the way he slept. He was 'passion incarnate'. Or so your father told you."
'Aldric' responded. Answering the question exactly as she told him. This was from a late-night conversation between herself, Aldric and Effie. The latter asked questions about her grandfather, Immortal Flame.
While every part of her wanted to let her guard down and relax for the first time in years around familiar company, she knew firsthand how devious mind hexes could be. Knowing these harrowing caverns, she would not place her trust in something like her own memories.
Interrupting her thoughts, a shimmer of light formed into a familiar stone chest. Laid out open, Aldric stood tall beside it.
"You know, people and creatures might lie, but the nightmare spell never does."
Aldric spoke as if reading her mind. A look of understanding and gentle consideration formed on his face.
And with that, all her worries dissipated into the wind like a warm summer breeze. Sure, if she were Sunny, hyper-analysing everything would be the only thing she did. But this was enough. Each proof of identity may not have been enough separately, but together they were.
She did not cry. She did not run and hug her friend. Nephis smiled. She smiled as the warmth of humanity returned to her dreary soul. Her facial muscles were taut and tight from the lack of use, but it still formed.
Being alone for so long made her detached. Detached in a way that pushed her further away from humanity and towards something else. A creature whose sole focus was to survive. It was her duality as a Dreamspawn that birthed this blight, but that was now all in the past.
The smile burned within her with a fire that was erupting. Dry laughter escaped her. With no variation and a short range of tone, it was a soft imitation of laughter that had its charm. Nephis laughed.
"That is…"
A dry laugh left her mouth.
"The nightmare spell never lies!"
Nephis responded with a mixture of laughter and words.
A deadpan look formed on Aldric's face as he witnessed the jarring moment, but he kept quiet. Lord knows she deserved it.
"So, help yourself to any of the food in here. I just stocked up after our second nightmare."
He said as he took a seat on a rock opposite her. The flickering bonfire stood between them.
Hearing that, it truly dawned on her just how wide the gap had formed between the two of them.
She and Aldric were on equal footing in all the time she knew him. Amidst their cohort, he was the only one that she could not defeat easily in a battle. While her combat technique eclipsed his, the adaptability of his aspect and the strange intuition he possessed evened the playing field.
But that was clearly all in the past.
"We have a lot to catch up on."
Nephis' eyes widened at the remark. That warm feeling inside of her continued to grow and grow.
But the familiar call of the seed echoed within her, bringing her back to reality.
And so she asked the question.
"How are you here? Did you cross the Hollow mountains?"
The young lady was genuinely confused. Aldric had accomplished the thing that she had been toiling away at for months in the brief period that he was a Master. It was simply impossible.
Her mind went to her father. Of his 'supposed' death in traversing the Hollow Mountains. The fact that this side of the dream realm was untouched by those ghouls, yet Aldric somehow braved it shocked her.
'Did that make Aldric the first human to get past the Hollow Mountains?'
Nephis thought to herself.
"Not exactly. I found a connection between here and the region closest to the Hollow Mountains. A connection that now is only known by two people."
Aldric spoke casually as he ate a steak brisket sandwich. Sold in the form of non-perishable rations meant for expeditions into the nightmare realm. It was quite a niche market for those that could afford it.
'He found a gateway that connects areas of the dream realm? That sounds so ridiculous that I can see it being true. My only suspicion is why now. Why hasn't anyone from the domains found it?'
Questions were all over Nephis, and Aldric seemed to pick up on it.
"I won't bore you with the details, but there were quite a few conditions I had to meet to use it. To the extent that nobody but me could have used it."
Aldric answered, but he continued, answering the unsaid question.
The world flipped to the other side of the bonfire.
Aldric POV
"So, with guaranteed passage back to the human realm, do you want to come with me, or do you want to challenge the second nightmare as a dreamer?"
He asked. Wanting to bring the ridiculousness of the situation into question. Looking back, it was such an extreme moment of luck that allowed Nephis to survive. It was as though she was fated to survive her second nightmare no matter what. Her nightmare ended right before her death at the mercy of a creature of unknown rank.
'Just how entwined are fate and the nightmare spell?'
He thought. The strange relationship seemingly went deeper than he thought.
Nephis went silent for a moment, and a white spark of flames lit up in her eyes.
"What do you want?"
She spoke blankly as if she had expected this.
This irritated Aldric. Reminding him of what it was like to interact with the girl. It was a jarring dynamic where he could excuse her poor social skills due to her upbringing, but that didn't change how much it affected their interactions. Aldric was not Sunny, who would look past discretions from the girl because he held feelings for her, nor was he anyone else who saw her as a figure to venerate. As true equals, it was annoying to witness. But this time he held his tongue. Being in the dream realm alone for so long, she practically earned it.
"Nephis, for this conversation, let's just be honest. We can leave our cards on the table just for now."
Aldric prefaced. Knowing the woman in front of him, it was much better this way.
While Aldric felt the desire to explain his entire thought process on how he came to this decision, what right did she have to that? It was a simple conclusion drawn from her actions that he observed.
Why was it that he could not trust her intentions as he could Kai or Efffie?
Why couldn't he join their cohort fully and share his ambitions with everyone?
Why couldn't he see himself being done right by them?
He knew that it would have been easier. To live in blissful ignorance and treat her cohort like the family that he would achieve his goals with. But Aldric was not weak enough to delude himself with that path.
And so he chose to find his own people. His own way.
But to satisfy his own curiosity and to not leave Nephis completely in the dark, he asked.
"If I finished my battle with the Fallen creature that I took on and had interrupted your fight with Sunny, what would have been your move?"
Aldric asked calmly and with weight.
Those grey eyes shifted slightly, imagining a scenario like that. A moment passed before she responded.
Nephis POV
She was not surprised that Aldric knew of how her last time with Sunny ended.
The moment of silence stilled in her brain. Imagining the scenario, countless contradicting emotions came and went. Each leaving behind visages of thoughts in her mind.
The relief that she would not have had to fight Sunny and bind him to her.
The uncomfortableness of what that meant.
The contradiction that this had with the entire reason why she stayed behind.
Taking a shallow breath, she collected herself and looked ahead.
Immediately, inspired by Sunny and honed by the Forgotten Shore, her shrewd mind went to deep manipulation. What she could say to ensure that Aldric made an action that she wanted. But it dissipated in her mind as soon as she remembered who it was she was talking to.
It was just after the takeover of the Bright Castle that she noticed it clearly. At a time when everyone was worshipping her and following her every move, she could tell that Aldric looked past it.
When the Forgotten Shore saw her as their messiah.
When Cassie looked at her like she was salvation.
When Kai and Effie saw her as their leader.
And when Sunny felt strongly about her, whether good or bad.
Aldric saw her as just Nephis. With all her faults and flaws.
Her mind went back to the question.
'Would I have fought to maim and secure my way back home? Destroying a friendship forever?'
'Would I have faked defeat to let him leave like I did with Sunny? Or was that something only reserved for Sunny?'
The questions rolled and rolled in her mind. The question asked by Aldric was an impossibility in her eyes. The knowledge of the prophecy shared by Cassie allowed her to never consider anything like this. She knew that it would always be between Sunny and herself.
"I don't know…"
Nephis admitted.
Flashes of battle rang in her mind. The corporeal form of Aldric taking shape in front of her as her opponent. With a smaller, familiar figure by her side, providing support.
With subtle unconscious tenses of her muscles, her body was much more honest than she was.
Aldric POV
'At least she seems more conflicted than Sunny.'
Aldric remembered the subtle battle intent that Sunny leaked when they were in that hallway. When Sunny realised that he missed Aldric leaving in his battle and what that had led to. But he was not stupid.
Aldric knew exactly what Nephis would have done. She would have charged blade-first with only freedom on her mind. He could just imagine it: Nephis and Sunny teaming up against him as though he were a nightmare creature. Not that he would have lost, but being left behind in that starless region would have been a betrayal that would have burned his insides out.
Perhaps the answer that Aldric was subconsciously looking for was something of partnership. That she did not like him enough to sacrifice herself but also respected him enough to try and brave the Forgotten Shore together. If she had said that, then their future would have looked completely different. Not one of contracts but one of trust.
All in all, Aldric held no resentment. This was not the angst-filled betrayal that it may look like from the outside. Nephis' doubt and confliction just cemented how deep their relationship was.
And so, what he did next, he did not feel as guilty about as he did before.
A familiar crest formed on the back of Aldric's hand. Sparks of red burned the air and charged it with an energy that Nephis could not even begin to comprehend. But something… something inside of her called out to that energy. As though there was a resonation.
"One of the strangest things I've observed about you is your definition of trust. You trust me enough not to kill you in a place that no one would know otherwise, but I can't trust you to not betray me in a hypothetical situation. You trusted Caster enough to watch your back for months, but you knew that he was sent to kill you. That shrewdness is something I can only observe and not understand. So if you are looking for a reason as to why I am doing this, take that as one."
His words were confusing yet heavy to Nephis. Spoken with a tired acceptance that knew Nephis would not change. A trait that likely stemmed from the upbringing a legacy scion would have. To see threats as opportunities if possible. To see trust as a commodity to leverage.
"Me and you are two wells of potential that will shift the balance of this world soon. Do you really want to copy those three that much? To ascend together and then betray each other. So let's begin this discussion as equals."
Aldric said diplomatically.
Nephis' eyes shifted as she caught onto the reference. Her mind reeled at the implications.
"But whatever you did to Sunny, I am not him. So what I want from you is a contract of mutual benefit. We will discuss the terms in full detail, and we must agree–
Before he continued, Nephis spoke.
Nephis POV
"And that will enforce it…"
Her voice trailed as she stared at his hand.
Hearing the comment, he began to explain.
"Yeah, this is one of my new abilities. It can form contracts between people while being completely impartial. Meaning that it does not favour me at all."
The legacy clan upbringing within her spurred thoughts and insights. That this would be the perfect opportunity for her to understand this ability more and tie herself closer with Aldric.
Because she knew that whatever conviction and ambition she held, Aldric held something similar. While he was not affiliated with a legacy clan, his character and mind were too sharp. Rather than reacting to the world around him, he took initiative and charged against the current. And so it was a simple case of keeping your enemies or perhaps rivals closer. Beyond those ghouls, the only thing that could step in her way was him. But that was in a future yet to come.
But thinking of what he said earlier, Nephis wondered what it was stopping Aldric from killing her. It would be something anyone in his position would do.
But what Nephis could not realise was that just as she held deeply rooted principles regarding what she was willing and not willing to do for success, Aldric had something similar. Something deeper and more ingrained.
An upbringing free of strife and war. Where resources were not scarce but abundant. Where betrayal occurred without being life-ending. While Aldric had adapted to this brutal world, his subconscious and belief systems did not change. It was still arrogant, egotistical and privileged. And with that came many concessions, such as this one. The principle that it would be admitting weakness to kill a Nephis this weak. Or deeper than that, killing someone that close to him like this would stain his soul forever. This was all to say that Aldric had bottom lines that even he could not articulate or sacrifice.
"Alright, let's begin with a secrecy clause –"
But Nephis had one last point to make.
"What if I refuse? Will you force me to this contract? Or are you lording my freedom over me?"
She asked. Feelings pooled in her gut as she was reminded of what this was reminiscent of. Contracts, bindings, it was all reminiscent of her own bond with Sunny. With a shrug of her thoughts, she thought of the moment. Was it force that Aldric was relying on to have her agree? Perhaps manipulating the weakness of her current position and strong-arming her as a result?
And so the only manipulation that Aldric used during this conversation began. Perhaps his most insidious one so far.
As while he grew up in a world where he was shielded from the worst of humanity, manipulation was embedded in human nature.
"Not really; this is a favour for Cassie. She and I have a special bond. Something more intimate than you might think. And so since she has been losing her mind trying to get you back, I thought I would give it a shot. As for the contract itself, take it as something that would have had to happen at some point anyways."
Aldric answered. His words laced with ambiguity and unsaid words full of meanings and interpretations.
But it was his final words that put the nail in the coffin.
"Contracts are quite the thing, aren't they?"
He said with a tired sigh. A subtle hint to his bond with Cassie.
And that was enough for Nephis to connect the dots in her mind. Whatever those dots were... With widened eyes, the moment was over, and Nephis came to a decision.
---
The contract had been written. The clauses were revised and amended. The nebulous relationship between the two divine aspect wielders was structured and laced with boundaries as per their will. And it was not just that. The repercussions for any breaches were also detailed and planned for.
With that sorted, the pair began to march. While one just wanted to return back to the waking world and regain some semblance of their humanity that eroded continually this past year, the other's mind continued to plan their next step.
In an ethereal realm made of strings and space, this action created a divergence of fate with rippling effects unknown to all.
Or so it seemed...
—
Thanks for reading.
Sorry for the late upload. Will have a chapter out by Sunday.
Poor Nephis 😭😭😭 Of all the people to run into!
How did you find the POV changes mid-chapter? I wanted to explore Nephis' side without focusing on just one person.
A little deeper into Aldric's character and mindset. He is not the rational goal machine he would like to think he is. But surely there is more to this move than what it seems?
What was in the contract? You will soon see some of the results of it.
Till the next one.