A shadow that's been there for a very long time?
Sunny's heart lurched.
'No.'
It couldn't be.
The Mad Prince was still alive. He knew he was.
Unless... unless it was a trick of some kind - something far worse.
Cassie leaned closer, her expression turning solemn.
"The shadow," she whispered, "feels much more ancient than the others."
Sunny bit his lip hard enough to draw blood.
"Ancient?"
Cassie nodded, her blind eyes seeming to peer straight into him.
"And it's been waiting," she murmured. "Waiting for something to happen."
Sunny remained silent for a long moment, his mind racing.
Then he asked, voice low:
"What kind of shadow is it?"
Cassie smiled thinly. Not the playful, mischievous kind of smile he was used to. This one was brittle, forced.
"I don't know," she said, almost apologetically. "My vision ended there."
Sunny cursed under his breath.
"Then why the hell," he growled, "did you tell me to rush in there?"
The urgency she had shown... it had been too real. Too desperate.
Not something born from a vague, half-formed vision.
Cassie hesitated.
Then, with a heavy sigh, she said:
"I saw a new Attribute appear on you."
Sunny froze.
A new Attribute?
Of course. He had forgotten. Cassie could read the attributes of others, including Nightmare Creatures and Echoes.
Cassie tilted her head slightly, her fingers fidgeting with the hilt of Azure Blade.
"It happened the moment you picked up the Centurion's head," she continued. "It was..."
She hesitated, as if reluctant to say it.
"[Cursed]."
The word hung in the air like a blade poised to fall.
Sunny sucked in a sharp breath, every nerve in his body going taut. She watched him quietly for a few moments, then added:
"At the same time, I felt a disturbance in your soul sea. A terrible... distortion."
She touched her chest lightly, grimacing. "That's when I remembered the vision."
Sunny lowered his gaze, clenching his fists.
The moment he had cut off that damned Centurion's head...
The moment that black symbol had crossed over into his skin...
He thought he had stopped it by cutting his arm off. He thought it had ended. But perhaps... perhaps a part of it remained. Hidden. Lurking.
Was that how it had fused with his Echo?
Sunny forced himself to ask:
"What did it say? The Attribute, I mean."
Cassie shook her head regretfully.
"I couldn't read its description," she said. "It disappeared as soon as you dove into your soul sea."
She turned her head toward the towering Echo - the Centurion reborn, standing silent and still like a loyal hound.
"But now..." she said, her voice tightening, "the Attribute has appeared again."
Sunny's heart skipped a beat. He realized she could have read the Centurion's attribute when it was still alive... if only he had thought to ask. Hopefully, it wasn't too late.
He stood up sharply, a sense of grim anticipation building inside him.
"...Tell me," he said hoarsely. "Tell me its Attributes."
Cassie sighed and rose to her feet, brushing dirt off her knees. She turned her blind gaze toward the Echo and spoke:
"Your Echo has three Attributes."
She began to pace slowly around it, her hand trailing lightly along its thorn-covered body.
"The first is called [Thorned Bulwark]."
Sunny watched as she tapped the Echo's jagged carapace.
"I think it allows it to weaponize its thorns... and massively increases its durability."
Sunny nodded sharply, and, with a mental command, told the Echo to show it. The Echo immediately responded, shifting its stance.
Its thorns extended outward, forming a dense, bristling shield. Then it rolled forward like a spiked juggernaut, crushing a protruding coral to dust before unfolding into an offensive posture - thorns poised like blades ready to strike.
Then it stilled again, as if awaiting further orders.
Sunny blinked in surprise.
'It needs an enemy to fully demonstrate it...'
Meanwhile, Cassie raised her arm and patted the Echo's flank.
"Good boy, Spiky," she said cheerfully.
The Echo didn't react at first. Then, slowly, it tilted its head to the side... almost curiously.
Sunny coughed awkwardly.
"...Spiky?"
Cassie shrugged, an innocent smile creeping onto her lips.
"I don't know. 'Thorny' sounded weird," she said defensively. "And he seems to like it."
Sunny opened his mouth to argue - then closed it again, defeated.
She kept referring to the Echo as he instead of it. Treating it like a living thing.
'Was she always like this?'
He recalled how attached she had grown to her Scavenger Echo in the past. Before... before it had met its end.
But this... this bond felt different. Stronger. Deeper.
Sunny shook his head roughly, trying to dispel the creeping unease.
'You're just being paranoid.'
Still...
He couldn't shake the feeling that there was something Cassie wasn't telling him. Something important. Something he needed to know.
But what would Cassie have to do with a mere Echo?
Sunny frowned.
Sure, the Centurion Echo was special. It was more intelligent than a normal Echo should be - even accounting for that strange symbol that had fused with it.
And it could be augmented by his shadows, something no other Echo could do.
Sure, it also seemed to express a tinge of emotion from time to time, but at the end of the day... it wasn't alive. It was just a hollow replica stitched together by the Spell.
Cassie's soft voice pulled him from his thoughts.
"Its second Attribute," she said, "is [Combatant]. It allows him to learn new fighting styles with ease."
Sunny's eyes widened slightly.
'So that's why it was able to learn Morgan's style so easily.'
A flicker of realization crossed his face. Echoes weren't supposed to adapt, much less learn new techniques.
That was something only his Shadows could do.
...Come to think of it.
Sunny's expression grew more troubled.
'Why didn't the Spell offer to turn it into a Shadow?'
When he first captured the Scavenger Echo, the option had appeared immediately.
And it wasn't as if he lacked Fragments this time. He was practically swimming in them - just a few steps away from forging a Monster Core.
He pressed his fingers to his temples and sighed heavily.
'Is it because of Serpent?'
He had long suspected that the number of Shadows he could create depended on the number of cores he possessed. And with Serpent already filling one... maybe he needed another to create a second Shadow.
It made sense.
...Annoying as hell, but it made sense.
Still, a dangerous thought wormed its way into his mind.
If the Echo was already this powerful without becoming a Shadow... What kind of nightmare would it become once he finally did?
More importantly...
Sunny's eyes grew sharp.
"Tell me the third Attribute."
That Attribute - the cursed one - had first appeared on him when he came into contact with that slithering symbol embedded in the Centurion's broken skull.
And then, somehow, it had transferred itself onto the Echo.
Just what the hell is that thing?
Cassie hesitated, then gave a tired sigh.
"The third Attribute," she said softly, "is [Cursed], like I told you."
Her sightless gaze lingered on the Echo a moment longer, unreadable, before turning back to him.
"It doesn't say much," she continued. "Just... 'You are infected by the Curse of Nightmares.'"
Sunny felt a cold shiver run down his spine. He opened his mouth.
"What does it-"
"I don't know," Cassie cut him off quickly, almost sharply. "None of my visions have shown me anything about it."
Sunny grimaced.
The strange symbol infecting the Centurions...
Was it really some kind of curse?
But if it made them stronger - and smarter - how could it be called a curse?
He rubbed his hair viciously, as if trying to scrub the frustration from his scalp.
The symbol...
The curse...
The unknown shadow lurking in his soul sea...
Too many new variables. Too many unanswered questions.
It was maddening.
'What the hell is going on?'
Why did he have to deal with all this? What had he even done to change the timeline so drastically?
Or... was it even him?
Sunny clenched his fists tightly, a dangerous glint flashing in his eyes.
'What if I'm not the only one altering the timeline?'
He gritted his teeth.
'That bastard.'
Just what had he done to the Forgotten Shore? Was he still lurking here somewhere, twisting the world behind his back?
Sunny lowered his head, exhaling a shaky breath.
He missed the good old days.
The simple, pleasant days when all they had to worry about was surviving the next fight.
No conspiracies. No labyrinthine plots. Just the three of them, wandering through the forsaken ruins of a dead world.
And for a moment, Sunny let himself mourn that lost simplicity, before hardening his heart once more.
Sunny planted his foot firmly on the ground and drew his sword in one smooth motion.
Essence surged through his veins.
His shadow coiled around his arm, twining up the Azure Blade like a living thing.
With a fierce shout, he brought the sword down.
The blade struck the stone with a sharp, reverberating thud, tiny cracks spiderwebbing outward.
Cassie flinched slightly, her face painted in a rare expression of shock.
From where she rested, Nephis stirred awake, her silver eyes fluttering open.
"Sunny...?"
Sunny exhaled, feeling the built-up pressure bleed out of him.
"Feels much better."
He smiled faintly, then glanced down to find Nephis staring up at him with a bewildered gaze.
"Ah... sorry for waking you up," he said, tilting his head toward the sky.
"But we should be moving. Daylight's short."
Barely three hours remained - and the bone ridge was still a long march away.
There were still questions - too many - burning inside him.
But those would have to wait.
Sunny bent down, offering Nephis a hand.
She accepted it, pulling herself up, but her legs gave out almost immediately.
She stumbled, falling against his chest.
A sudden heat rushed to Sunny's face.
He instinctively wrapped his arms around her, steadying her against him.
...Had she overused her Aspect?
Sunny grimaced.
The thought of her fighting alone - protecting them - while he was too far away to help...
It twisted something inside him.
"Can you walk?" he asked quietly.
Nephis met his gaze for a fleeting moment, then looked away.
"I can," she muttered.
She tried to push herself upright - and failed.
Her body slumped back against him, light as a feather, stubborn as ever.
Sunny sighed.
Without a word, he slipped an arm under her knees and swept her up into his arms.
Her body tensed in shock.
Nephis's eyes widened - her cheeks darkening ever so slightly.
"W-what are you-"
"Conserve your strength," Sunny interrupted.
"We might need to fight soon."
With measured steps, he carried her toward the Echo.
The creature lowered itself obediently, one massive leg bending like a drawbridge.
Sunny leapt lightly onto its shoulder, then gently settled Nephis against the thick, corded muscle of its neck.
She sat there stiffly, blinking at him as if unable to believe what had just happened.
And then...
A subtle blush rose to her pale cheeks, creeping up to the tips of her ears.
Her fingers fidgeted slightly against the Echo's thorns, and her silver eyes quickly darted away.
She didn't say anything - but the words were written across her face for anyone who dared to read them.
Sunny turned, about to leave - when he felt a light tug on the edge of his shroud.
He glanced back.
Nephis was gripping the corner of his shroud, her fingers trembling just slightly. And in a quiet, almost dazed voice, she asked:
"...Where are you going?"
Sunny flinched. For a moment, he was caught off-guard - and then realization dawned.
"I-uh... need to help Cassie get up," he said awkwardly, scratching his head.
Before Nephis could reply, another voice cut in:
"Oh, don't worry about it!"
He turned - and found Cassie grinning mischievously.
She was perched lightly on the Echo's enormous scythe, using it like a lift. The massive weapon raised her up in a slow, careful arc, stopping near the Echo's shoulder.
With the easy grace of someone who had done this before, Cassie stepped off and settled herself near a protruding thorn.
"As you can see," she said brightly, "I'm perfectly fine!"
Sunny stared at her for a second.
Cassie winked - almost smugly - then nodded toward Nephis.
"You should sit next to her," she said sweetly. "Who knows? In her condition, she might end up tumbling down."
Sunny blinked, caught completely off-guard.
He opened his mouth to argue - then closed it again. No clever retort came to mind.
Cassie just smiled wider.
Nephis tugged again at his shroud - a silent demand, almost childlike.
Sunny hesitated for a moment, then sighed in surrender. Awkwardly, he shifted into the narrow space left on the Echo's shoulder.
It was barely wide enough for two people. Their legs brushed, and he could feel the faint warmth of her skin.
He stilled when something soft and light leaned against his shoulder.
His breath hitched. His heart skipped a beat. Then another sensation followed - the sharp, metallic scent of blood and grime assaulting his nose.
Nephis had laid her head peacefully against him.
'...Since when did she become so bold?'
This wasn't the Nephis he knew.
Sure, she'd become a little better at expressing herself, thanks to his relentless efforts.But this? This was something else entirely.
'Did she... already develop feelings for me?'
The thought seemed absurd.
In his previous life, it had taken years for her frozen heart to thaw. Even if the timeline was different now, Nephis wasn't the type to reveal her emotions so openly. Not without a reason.
Not like this.
"Hey, Neph, are you-"
He started to speak, but stopped mid-sentence. Her entire body had gone slack.
Sunny flinched, panic flashing through him -but then he heard it: the soft, rhythmic sound of her breathing.
She was just... asleep.
Sunny let out a silent sigh, some tight knot inside him loosening.
Of course, that explained it. She just couldn't think clearly due to exhaustion.
A faint smile touched his lips.
'She's going to be so embarrassed when she wakes up.'
The thought brought him a wicked sort of joy.
He could already picture the moment. Her wide, flustered eyes, the awkward stammering she would definitely try -and fail- to hide. Her blushing furiously at her unconscious boldness was not something he wanted to miss
He lifted an arm and curled it gently around her shoulders, steadying her against him.
With his other hand, he gripped one of the Echo's thorny protrusions.
The ride was going to be bumpy. And he wasn't about to let her fall.
From the other side of the Echo's shoulder, Cassie spoke, her voice warm and teasing:
"You should do that more often."
Sunny turned his head slightly, raising an eyebrow. Cassie chuckled, her blind eyes somehow seeing too much.
"A little warmth," she said softly, "goes a long way in mending scars that never really healed."
Sunny shook his head, a small, reluctant smile tugging at his lips.
"You know," he muttered, sending a command to the Echo, "sometimes I feel like you can see more than the rest of us... despite being blind."
The Echo stirred beneath them, then shot forward with a sudden lurch. The world became a rush of wind and trembling earth as the giant creature sprinted through the cracked, coral-strewn landscape.
Cassie gripped a thorn for balance, laughing lightly instead of screaming this time.
Through the rushing air, Sunny's voice drifted back:
"...Maybe even because of it."
Cassie turned her head toward him, her blue eyes almost luminous under the sun.
"I'd like to think so," she said, smiling.
Sunny lingered on her words, an odd weight settling in his chest.
Had something really changed between them?
Cassie was far too cheerful, too self-assured - a far cry from the helpless, sobbing girl he remembered. And Nephis... she seemed lighter somehow, more open than reserved.
They were welcome changes... but had they really happened on their own?
He grimaced. He hated not knowing. He hated that gnawing feeling in his gut even more.
"Speaking of which," Cassie said suddenly, breaking the heavy silence. "You could probably learn a thing or two from me."
Sunny glanced at her suspiciously.
"What? Are you telling me to be more expressive?"
Cassie laughed - a genuine, musical sound carried by the wind.
"That too," she said, waving a hand playfully. "Gods know you both need it."
But then her expression shifted. Her voice grew serious.
"No. What I meant is... learning to live without your eyes."
Sunny's smile faded. His eyes narrowed, sharpened by instinct.
"...What do you mean?"
Cassie turned her face toward the horizon, the sunlight glinting off the strands of her golden hair.
"You might have to," she said simply, her words carried by the wind. "Soon."
AN: Do share your thoughts in the comments. Lemme know if you liked this chapter. We are at 23 reviews already. Let's aim for 25 before the next chapter :)