"DON'T SUP ME!"
Nephis shot up at his shout before groaning a little, her face still blank.
"Yo."
"You wanna die?"
Sunny was dumbfounded. Has she been here the whole time? No, she couldn't have been or Pauline would have known. What is even going on, why is she so casual, why is she—
Sunny's thoughts were cut off when a growling sound came from Nephis, specifically her stomach.
Like a statue she froze in place before looking to the side, then glaring at her stomach like it had just killed her family. Maybe that's not the best example to use considering her situation.
He let out a sigh before smiling. Despite everything, all that mattered right now was that she was back.
"I'll go hunt a nightmare creature really quick. Actually, I can't trust you to be alone—you may run away again."
Nephis's glare was directed at him this time, though it was accompanied by a slightly embarrassed look.
"I'm not a child, you mutt."
Ignoring her, he grabbed her hand and yanked her out of the temple, forcing her to walk with him. He wasn't only taking her to eat. They needed to have a very long talk.
---
Darkness surrounded them. By the time they found a nightmare creature it was night. Nephis scarfed it down before grabbing another one roasting over the fire. He simply watched her, taking slow bites of his own before laying down the stick it was on and coughing to get her attention.
She looked up at him from the meat in her hand and in one big bite finished the rest of it before a serious look came onto her face just like his.
"So—"
"Do you have an answer yet?"
She cut him off. He knew what she was referring to; after all it was the last thing she asked him before he left.
---
"'You know how one becomes a mythical hero… you know all too well… you just have to do something outlandish and then die.'
Nephis let out a pained smile, locking her miserable eyes with his guilty eyes.
'So tell me, Sunny… how do you plan on dying?'
No response came. All he did was put his head down.
'I'm sorry…'"
---
He never gave her an answer. But now things were different. He was already so far down the path of what he considered a hero that there was no turning back.
"You're right, I do."
Silence sat around the fire for a while before he spoke again.
"I still haven't changed my mind, and on how… well I already have an idea as well."
He waited for a response from her, but nothing came. She was just looking into the distance blankly. That's why he decided to keep speaking.
"But… before it happens I want to enjoy living, because for the first time in a while I can say I enjoy being alive."
He kept rambling on about sappy shit that she probably didn't care about, but it was so awkward that he just couldn't stop talking. His words stopped in his throat when she let out a sigh and finally faced him.
"Well then I'll just stop you, it's rather simple, isn't it?"
"Huh?"
Nephis stood up, making long strides towards him that were quite intimidating in all honesty.
"It's simple, isn't it? I'll just stop you from dying. You cannot stop me from stopping you, but I can stop you from dying. Ah and just so you know, you don't have a choice in the matter either. Just like you have made your decision, I have made mine."
Staring down at his figure that appeared so small compared to the burdens he carried, she spoke.
"I will save you, Sunny."
---
Laying down on leaves they gathered, the heat radiating from the campfire contrasted against the cold wind of the night, leading to a cool breeze flowing throughout Sunny's body. He and Nephis were back to back. After the words she spoke, only silence remained and they went to sleep shortly after.
Sadly, he was unable to sleep, so he decided to check out the runes on the memory he received that looked like Weaver's mask.
Only around two minutes passed before he gasped, causing Nephis to send him a glance back. He was in his soul sea looking at it, which is why he jolted awake practically when he saw what it could do.
It could reverse flaws. Sunny didn't know what his flaw did at the moment since its description was vague and no telltale signs were given to him.
Nephis's flaw reversed was a mystery; it could have many possibilities. Seeing as how she was awake, it wouldn't hurt to try it out, right?
"If I gave you a memory to try would you give it back after?"
Nephis sat up, sensing that they wouldn't be going to sleep tonight.
"I mean sure? I don't see why I wouldn't."
Sunny smiled suspiciously. He trusted Nephis with his life practically, but he couldn't allow her to see the contents of the memory either, as that was something she didn't need to be involved in. Grabbing her hand, he transferred the memory to her.
"Just read the runes and I'll tell you what it does when you put it on."
When she put it on, Sunny was expecting a visceral reaction or something like that, but nothing came, so he could mark off being in constant agony when not using her flaw.
He wasted no time shooting shadow out to cut his arm right open. Nephis's eyes from under the mask shot open before she shot flames onto his arm to heal it.
Instead of the usual pain, a different feeling came.
When the flames hit his arm, Nephis let out a whimper.
She jumped back. Sunny did also.
She walked over to Sunny, wasting no time to give the memory back to him before turning her back to him and slamming down on the leaves they slept on.
"We should do this more oft—"
"I'll have your head."