On the way back through the tunnels of the cave, Kallen found himself lagging behind the group, his thoughts running dangerously wild. The battle against the Spire messenger had been difficult, and he had clearly not been all there mentally speaking.
What was he to do?
What kind of options even were there?
If Nephis and Sunny knew what his mission was, then Kallen had no allies. None at all. Should he confess the whole thing right now?
He shook his head. That was the absolute worst thing he could do. Especially if him confessing now wouldn't change the result of Cassie's vision of the future.
Assuming that was what they were hiding.
"Kallen," came a voice just behind him. It was quiet, but unmistakably Sunny's voice.
But how? Sunny is a good twenty yards ahead…
"Kallen, stop walking for a moment."
He stopped, despite everything in him screaming not to.
"Sunny?"
Kallen located the source of the noise, finding only a small rock that seemed to be emitting it. It was ordinary by all measures other than being able to perfectly mimic Sunny's voice. Was it a Nightmare Creature trying to trick him?
Wyrm's Tongue flashed in his hand. He'd started the summoning process a few moments before approaching the rock. His armor formed around him as well.
Just before his greek fire enchantment could light, another voice came.
"Don't." It was Nephis. "I need to talk to you.."
Kallen turned around, sensing her behind him. It was as dark as a mine, with no lighting for miles. He couldn't see her, therefore she couldn't see him either. He spread his stance a little wider, grip tightening on his Awakened sword, holding it out just in front of him in a defensive form.
"What is it?" He finally said, doing his best to hide the apprehension in his voice. Tension was bursting from him.
"Your sister… there's something you need to know about her."
Kallen owed it to Nephis—for everything she'd done for him—to hear her out, but a large part of him urged to lash out. To strike before he was struck. It was such an overpowering impulse, it nearly startled him.
Truly, his time in that forsaken nest had changed him. He'd been a cornered animal back then, and he felt like one now. What if she was trying to lull him into a false sense of security by mentioning his sister. What was her angle? What did she know?
She knows, he told himself. She has you. Attack now. Before you're attacked. Defend yourself. Take control of the situation, that's how you survived the nest. Passivity gets you killed. Do it. Be proactive. Do it!
"Kallen…"
Sunny's voice this time.
"Can you please put your sword away?"
From the darkness, came a hand on his shoulder.
But as well, from the depths of his mind, came something else. A response to his dire situation. A response to being pitted against the only other Sleepers on the Forgotten Shore with true names. A response that told Kallen that Sunny and Nephis—as an enemy combined—were worthy opponents.
A golden trident shimmered into Kallen's hands, and he swung it behind him, aiming to bat Sunny away. In the darkness, the pale boy was practically omniscient, Kallen would need to make space quickly, and somehow get past Nephis.
If he could make it out of the cave, out of the darkness, he had a chance…
Sunny slipped under the backward swing of the trident, but Kallen twisted and threw a front kick in the same fluid motion. The young man was caught off guard, taking the blow in the chest, stumbling backward.
Kallen turned back around, intending to barrel through Nephis, but something strange happened…
There was a dim light coming from her hand, illuminating a tense face, but not one ready for combat. She hadn't even summoned a weapon.
"We're not here to fight," she said.
Kallen's grip on his weapon tightened, but for whatever reason, her words convinced him. In some part. "Why is there two of you, then? Why corner me?"
"We—"
"I know what Cassie's told you," Kallen growled, firmly planting himself.
"Then we do not have to dance around it." She took a step forward, her face deathly serious. "I think I've found a solution to our problem."
When Kallen didn't respond, she continued. "It is not a solution I am happy with, but undeniably, it will make your choice an easier one to make. And one that won't alienate you from your own sister's cohort."
He tilted his head, now not entirely sure that the two of them were thinking about the same thing as him.
"What do you mean?"
"You do not want to challenge the spire. You want to become Bright Lord, but when you do, you will sit in stagnation much as Gunlaug has, preventing anyone from escaping."
What? That's… that's what Cassie told them? Do they not know about the assassination then?
"But I have found a reason for you. It's Seren." Nephis paused for a moment, judging his reaction in the dim light. "Have you given any thought as to why she was infected with the spell so young?"
Kallen shook his head slowly. "I… am not sure that I have. I don't know that I follow." His brows furrowed as he tried to shift out of the mindset that they knew about his goal of killing Nephis. They were really here because Cassie foresaw him becoming Bright Lord. And foresaw him barring a raid on the Spire… probably because he wouldn't risk Seren unless he was absolutely sure they could make it.
He gave Nephis's words a moment of thought. Then he said, "She was infected early. Flukes happen… do they not?"
"Not when your grandfather is a Saint, they do not."
A spark of anger flashed through his mind. He stuttered for a moment, then a wave of realization, denial, and questioning all hit him at once. "Are you saying—no, you're lying. You're lying, there's no way—"
"Although I would prefer not to, we can get Kai to confirm whether or not I am telling the truth," Nephis said. "But the reality is, your grandfather sent her into the first Nightmare because she is dying."
"What?"
"I have assumed a sort of imprint on her soul… one that Saint Daelan has also confirmed and informed her about. It… it will probably kill her before she reaches adulthood."
Kallen shook his head. Slowly at first.
"His plan was for her to become a Master before that had happened. Fortunately, I believe there is a quicker solution." After he didn't respond, Nephis continued. "I think that if I awaken, my healing—as potent as it is already—could possibly fix this affliction of hers."
"Why… why didn't she tell me?"
Nephis brushed past his question. "But that would require getting out of here when you become Bright Lord. I'm sure—"
"Why didn't she tell me?" he asked again, more forcefully this time.
There was a few seconds of silence before the answer came. "Because she was afraid of your reaction, of course."
Kallen frowned. "What does she think I'm even here for…"
"She's still a kid. A scared kid who is dying… who's own Grandfather considered a one in a hundred gamble on her life a favorable choice. Less than that even, considering her age and combat preparedness."
"I—"
"We understand," Nephis said. Taking another step forward. The trident in Kallen's hands dismissed, not because he willed it so, but because he'd lost the drive to fight. "You're the only one here with family. Sunny would have done the same for his sister, so you needn't feel guilty…" she lingered. "But you're a powerful fighter and it would be much more helpful—and a great deal of people would be saved if we were all on the same side."
Kallen's hands went slack. His knees suddenly felt heavier. What did she mean Seren was dying?
"Stop. Just… stop. You'll… have to give me some time to think."
Sunny walked past him, glancing back with an unreadable, almost regretful look. He opened his mouth, but hesitated, and closed it.
"He's afraid you'll find out."
Wordlessly, Nephis nodded, turned back around and dismissed her light; then she left.
"She's afraid you'll find out."
Kallen suppressed the impulse to strike out in anger. To summon his divine Memory and beat the information out of them. Why weren't Ariel's words changing? They'd just told him a dire secret…
What they hell were they hiding from me!
Standing still in the oppressive darkness, Kallen worked to steady his breathing, and run over his options. Truthfully, regarding escaping the crimson spire, there was nothing to think about. The choice was obvious now.
He would have to raid it, along with the other thousand or so Sleepers on the Forgotten Shore.
The problem was, what came after that?
He couldn't very well kill Nephis if she was the best chance of Seren's… imprint—or whatever the hell is was—being fixed.
But he couldn't just show himself back in the waking world having done nothing. An order from a sovereign wasn't something you could ignore, even with the backing of a great clan.
He couldn't disappear either. Seren would just drag the others along and go looking for him with that attribute of hers. The one that tethered the two of them.
The decision, it was clear then, was it not?
~~~
Kallen left the cave, scowling, and wrapping a pair of newly bloody knuckles.
Their group boarded the stone colossus like normal and set out on the return journey back to the bright castle. In spite of what awaited him there, Kallen wanted to make it to the Bright Castle as soon as possible.
He couldn't wait to vent his frustration on Gunlaug's famed executioner. And, even though the battle against the bright lord himself wouldn't be much of a battle—he impatiently awaited that as well. It would be nice to finally be in control for once.
Especially if he could get his hands on that armor.
The trek back to the bright castle was much more uneventful than the one up had been. It was much more agonizing for Kallen, however, because of the so called, thing that Nephis and Sunny were hiding from him.
He had no choice but to trust that what they were hiding wasn't a bigger deal than he assumed. Because if he began to doubt them too much, it could spell disaster when he took the throne. He needed to get off the Forgotten Shore as soon as possible.
And to do that, he and the rest of Nephis's group needed to be as undivided as possible.
Even though they could all tell something was wrong. Even though Kai was weary, Caster was suspicious, and Seren was confused.
Kallen frowned, staring into the grey sky.
~~~
Sunny
Sunny didn't consider Kallen his best friend or anything. If anyone held that title, it would be Nephis, though even that felt like something deeper, something harder to define.
But he liked Kallen. He had a soft spot for the guy's sister, and he understood the protectiveness he showed toward Seren. Sunny couldn't imaging how he'd feel if Rain were trapped in this hell with him.
He respected Kallen a great deal for trusting him, Nephis, and the rest of the cohort with her safety. And more so, he saw the potential in Kallen, not just as a tactical ally, but as someone worthy of building a strong camaraderie with. He was easy to get along with, not nearly as shady as Caster, and wore his emotions on his sleeve more often than not.
So why was Sunny hiding such a heinous truth from him?
Every second he upheld the lie, he was choosing Nephis over Kallen. That choice, in itself didn't bother him. It was why he chose her that gnawed at his mind. The morality of what her side of the fence stood for. That utilitarian mindset.
But more than that, he was choosing himself.
As much as he abhorred the thought, keeping this secret served him. It was the practical decision. But it was also undeniably twisted at its root.
He found it strange how much discomfort this lie caused him. In the outskirts, lying was second nature. You lied to survive. Lied if you got caught. Lied with a knife in your gut. Lied while bleeding out in a ditch.
But certainly, something in Sunny had shifted. Hiding the truth from strangers was simple. Easy. Necessary. But from a friend? Someone he had fought alongside, made plans with, joked with on occasion?
That was harder. And it made him feel something he didn't like at all.
It wasn't that he knew Kallen super well. In fact, he knew very little about the mysterious looking Legacy. He even felt that the guy held the potential to betray the cohort. Kallen wasn't a core member—even though his sister was. And he had priorities that lied well outside simply escaping the Forgotten Shore with his life.
Sort of like Caster. And Nephis.
But Sunny supposed it was his fault in the end. He had taught Nephis how to lie. He couldn't be mad at his student for applying what she had learned in a real-world situation, now could he?