68. Cassia
"Chris! Off to hunt again?"
On my way back toward the outskirts of the Bright Castle, I spotted a woman dressed in her usual wild yet captivating attire—something straight out of Greek mythology—complete with ornate armor and a well-worn spear gripped firmly in her hands.
"Not today. I just had a small errand to run," I replied to Effie. "What about you? Out of food again?" I added, eyeing her fully equipped for what looked like a hunt for one or two Fallen. "Didn't you just get some from me yesterday?"
"Oh, come on! That was only enough for dinner and breakfast," she said as if it were perfectly reasonable—though the amount she'd taken could easily have fed five people for a day or two. "Besides, growing kids need to eat a lot to stay healthy."
"Yeah, yeah," I muttered, letting her words enter through my left ear and exit just as quickly through the right. "Need some help?" I added.
"Hmm…" She tapped her chin, clearly weighing her options. Hunting with me would definitely make things easier, but it would also mean splitting the spoils. After a moment of deliberation, she smirked. "The usual fifty-fifty?"
"Nah. You can have all the meat, but I'll take the soul shards. How about it?" Truth be told, I was running low on food anyway.
"Hell, why didn't you just say that from the start? Let's go!" Without another word, she seized my arm and all but dragged me toward her usual hunting grounds.
"With how well you fight, it's easy to forget you're still a newbie." Effie remarked, watching me crush the soul shards in my hand—a simple act of saturating one's soul. As a Dormant, there's a limit to how much you can saturate your soul; that's why the veterans who've lived in this city for years have long since reached their full capacity.
I merely shrugged, silently accepting her misunderstanding.
"Still," she continued, her gaze narrowing slightly, "you're aware of my situation, right? Aren't you worried? They might not be able to touch you easily, but Nephis—was it?—her group would make for much easier prey." Her expression shifted into something faintly troubled, as if weighing a risk she'd rather not voice aloud.
"Pfft, are you worried?" I chuckled, unable to help myself at her uncharacteristic reaction.
"Well…" She scratched the back of her head. "No matter what the cause is, in the end, it's still connected to me," she admitted awkwardly. There wasn't the slightest hint of femininity in her manner.
"Haha, so you do care after all. But don't worry—we just 'coincidentally' met and helped each other that one time." I turned to leave, waving over my shoulder. "Anyway, I'm off. See you around."
Without waiting for her reply, I walked away.
***
"I'm back~," I called out as usual upon returning to our home base. I called it our base, but in truth, only Cas, Neph, and I actually lived here—ever since Sunny left.
Neph seemed to be out with her new followers, working to gather even more as she tried to unite the entire outskirts of Bright Castle under her banner. Normally, Cas would be with her, but today…
"Welcome back," she greeted me. "You're home early," she added, sounding mildly surprised. I usually spent my evenings hunting in the city until late.
"Yeah, I don't really have anything to do today," I replied, heading to my usual spot. From the outside, it probably looked like I was just staring at the blank ceiling—but in reality, I was checking my system.
"You could help us if you've got nothing to do," she said, her tone sounding like a complaint, though I knew it wasn't meant that way. "Or… is it because you're leaving?"
Her words made me pause for a moment before I quickly understood her meaning. "Ah, you remembered Neph too, huh? Yeah… it's been two weeks since then. Vacation's almost over."
"Huu…" She let out a soft sigh. "I already know about your conversation with Neph."
"Oh? Neph told you? That's unexpected." I shifted from my usual spot in the corner and took a seat closer to her.
Cas shook her head. "No. I saw it in my dream."
"Wow," I blinked in surprise. "You can even do that? That's amazing! …But I guess it'd be a nightmare trying to cheat on you."
"..." Cas stayed silent for a moment, collecting herself. "Were you planning to leave without saying a word?" From her perspective, it must have looked like I was preparing to slip away without a goodbye—if Neph hadn't caught me first.
"Nah, I was planning to tell you guys tomorrow from the start," I said, stopping my playful teasing.
"Is that so?" she replied, unsure whether to believe me. After a brief, awkward pause, she added, "Do you… have to go?"
"…Sorry, I don't have another choice." Why did I even apologize? I wasn't sure why the words had slipped out—it just happened when I saw the expression on her face.
"I… I see…" she murmured, and another awkward silence settled between us.
"A,anyway," I forced out, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "I have something for you."
"For me?" Cas asked, her eyes flicking to the object in my hand. I held out the pocket watch I always carried—though I wasn't even sure if it showed the correct time. To me, it was ordinary, but to her, it seemed different.
"I… I can't accept this," she said softly.
"Why? It's just a pocket watch."
"Pocket watch?" Cas tilted the object in her hands. It was undeniably round, adorned with intricate engravings. "Something so… antique," she murmured, her tone carrying a hint of wonder—it seemed she had misunderstood its nature.
"It's not some kind of heirloom or legacy—it's nothing special. Just a simple symbol of friendship. I don't know exactly what you see in your dreams, or what you've decided for yourself, but… don't try to carry everything alone. Don't push yourself too hard."
I struggled to find the right words, the ones that could truly convey what I felt.
"I can't be there with you all the way… but I want to at least see how it ends. Yes, that's it. I wanted to see the conclusion with you, Neph, and Sunny. This journey has been unforgettable for me, too. The pocket watch… it's a symbol that, in some way, I'm still here with you."
"…" Cas was momentarily speechless—she probably thought I was talking nonsense. "I'm dormant. This… isn't even my real body. When I passed through the gateway, I could only carry memories with me," she explained, making it clear that the pocket watch couldn't come along.
But… that's even better. It's like one grand adventure over summer vacation. I don't even know if you were real people—or just a simulation in my head. "Just like I told you before… I'm only trying to avoid regret…"
"Anyway! Remember this," I said, forcing an end to the conversation. "I don't even know if it will work, but… when you're in despair, when you've tried everything and still can't find a way out—ask for help. Prepare four candles, or anything similar," I continued, explaining to her the simplest way to set up an altar and the words to recite…
"The Constellation that despises and judges the wicked."
"The Demon-like Judge of Fire."
"The wicked concealed within its purity."
"Have you remembered it?" I asked. Cas recited the lines once, just to show she remembered.
"Good. I don't know if it will actually work, but… if all of this is real, you might be able to reach me." If everything is real, I hope I hear from you, Cas.
"Chris, I—" Cas tried to speak, but I interrupted.
"So… how long are you going to keep hiding?" I said, my gaze fixed on the door. Not long after, a pair of young people entered—a black-haired young man and a silver-haired young woman. I smiled. "Let's have one last barbecue."
***
"Who is Chris?"
That question often came up among Cas, Neph, and Sunny. Cas had known him first, but according to her story… she had been kidnapped, nearly became a meal for a Nightmare creature, and almost ended up as Chris's dinner too. It was, without a doubt, a truly bizarre tale.
The three of them had known each other before arriving here, but Chris claimed he lived here—he said he had come on vacation. His powers were strange, lacking any clear origin or memory. His identity… was equally bizarre.
By the next morning, he was gone. The only things left behind were the memory of him, his threads, and the pocket watch with Cas.
Evaluation: 100 (Perfect)
Countdown: 0 minutes left.
======+++++++========
Hi, guys.
This is the end of this arc. Well, there are a lot—lot, lot, lot—of plot holes, boring or unrealistic situations, and moments of character-breaking, but… yeah, it ends here.
Was it too rushed? I'm not sure. Somehow, I felt I shouldn't prolong it any longer, but at the same time… maybe it was a bit rushed?
To be honest, I'm also a bit lost with what I'm trying to do…
ANYWAY.
I realized something: for a LOTM fanfiction, it might have been a bit too happy, or maybe it just doesn't capture the thrill. I don't have much experience writing dark stories, but I'm going to try to make the next arc darker.
Also, I'm going to take a week off before continuing—next week, August 25—to rest and reset my draft. I'm already working on one chapter to publish at a time.
If you've made it this far, you probably have a sense of how I write and how the story unfolds, maybe? Well… could you write a review, please~?
Even if it's a bad review, it will hit my motivation—but I still want to know your thoughts on the story so far. So please, give me your honest feedback.
Spoiler ahead:
The next catalyst should be Hunter Pathway.