Sunny was lying in the mud, trying to catch his breath. The subtle voice of the Spell resonated in his ears.
[Your shadow grows stronger.]
He immediately felt a slight change. His body became a little stronger, his vision a little sharper, and his skin a little smoother. The change was minimal, but evident.
"What was that?"
He had a guess, and it was easy to confirm. Sunny summoned the runes.
[Shadow Fragments: 22/1000].
Previously, he only had twelve of the mysterious shadow fragments. He already had an idea of how to get these fragments, and now with the death of his rival, he confirmed it: he just had to kill an enemy to absorb a part of its shadow and enhance his own core.
Sitting up, Sunny's eyes moved to the group of runes describing his Memories. Azure Blade... had he finally gotten a weapon?
Memory: [Azure Blade].
Memory Rank: Awakened.
Memory Type: Weapon.
Memory Description: [On this forgotten shore, it only remembers steel.]
"Huh. Interesting."
He was about to summon the memory but remembered he had something more important to attend to immediately: Cassie.
He tried to get up, but the attempt failed miserably. It was as if his muscles were upset by the abuse and were staging a protest against the exploitation they had suffered these last few days; they simply weren't responding.
"Damn it, shit, you stupid brainless crab."
The effort combined with the repeated falls from several meters had taken its toll.
If he tried hard enough, he could get up again, but he would need time to rest and recover — time they didn't have.
He cursed his luck again. At least not all was lost; they could continue to move forward, but he would have to sacrifice something valuable.
He turned his head, looking for Cassie.
She was right where he had last seen her, the only difference being that she was kneeling, sitting in the mud.
He sighed and then filled his lungs with air to raise his voice.
"Cassie! I beat that bastard, I'm... not so good, but I'm still alive, come back here."
XXX
Everything seemed to be going well, but suddenly I was lying in the mud.
Sunny had pushed me hard; I fell straight into the sludge, then heard a thump that shook the ground and sent the dirt flying even further.
The situation changed too fast, but I understood what was happening.
We were being attacked.
And as was becoming customary, I had no idea what was going on.
Panic became almost tangible with every breath. I had an abomination in front of me that could kill me effortlessly — one I couldn't even identify.
I tried to get up as fast as I could, and when I did, Sunny yelled at me.
"Cassie, get away now!"
I didn't even hesitate. Fear took hold of me; I ran as fast as I could. My hands were shaking, my whole body trembling with terror.
I hadn't run more than a dozen meters when the thundering sound of something being destroyed reached me.
I stopped. Another emotion was added to the list: worry.
Sunny — something happened to him. Is he fighting that thing? Or things? Was it a pack or just one?
I cursed, biting my lip. It bled, it hurt, but I couldn't stop. I felt completely helpless while Sunny was fighting for me.
All I could hear was the chaos of the battle he was waging on my behalf.
More and more crashes, more clashes. At some point, my legs gave out, either from fear or another emotion I couldn't name.
I was trembling, hyperventilating, tears welling up. Yet I still listened intently.
Eventually, the noise ceased. Just silence — the terrifying stillness that marked the end of the fight.
Sunny had yelled several times before, but now there was nothing.
Had he won? Lost? No... there was no way he'd lose. He wouldn't leave me behind. He couldn't.
I wanted to scream, to call for him, but my voice failed me.
All I could hear was my own heart pounding like a drum in my chest.
I was on the verge of collapse — when the sound of salvation reached me.
"Cassie! I beat that bastard, I'm... not so good, but I'm still alive, come back here."
He's alive.
My voice finally broke through. "He's... alive," I murmured, barely audibly.
Relief washed over me. Tears fell. I was crying with joy.
I would've stayed lying in the mud, stunned, processing my feelings, if Sunny hadn't kept shouting.
"I need you to come here, please!"
I wiped my tears and got up quickly.
XXX
Cassie approached quickly. Sunny looked away just enough not to stare at her more than necessary.
He guided her with his voice until they were just a few steps apart.
He was waiting to speak, but she beat him to it.
"Are you hurt? Does it hurt a lot? Do you need anything?" she said nervously, extending her hands to find him while her questions spilled out.
This is bad.
"Stop it, Cassie!" he said desperately, raising his voice when the first signs of pain from his Flaw returned.
Cassie froze at the outburst, as though someone had pulled the plug on her energy. Her beautiful face twisted into fear — Sunny saw her lip tremble.
He instantly responded to her flurry of concern.
"Yes, I'm hurt. It hurts a lot, but it's bearable. And I need you more than anything."
She didn't move. Didn't respond. Her expression softened, her eyes widened, lips parted — and then her cheeks flushed red.
Sunny blinked and stared at her face, long enough to feel uncomfortable.
"Did I say something wrong?"
She jolted.
"No... nothing. Don't worry," she said, smiling gently. Something he said had clearly made her very happy.
Sunny knew exactly why, but he was too beaten up to act shy. He preferred to feign ignorance.
First, he had something to confirm.
"I seem to have received a weapon," Sunny said. He summoned it — and a light, sharp sword appeared in his hand. It measured about one meter long, including the handle. Straight, single-edged, ending in an angular tip. Forged from blue steel with layered patterns and glowing white sparks within. The cross-guard was minimal — barely any protection.
He summoned his shadow and wrapped it around Azure Blade. The steel turned bluish-black, glowing like a night sky full of stars.
Cassie interrupted his inspection, voicing her relief at finally having a tool that could kill nightmare creatures.
Sunny felt sorry for her, knowing what he was about to ask.
"Listen to me, I'm pretty broken right now and I can't get up. I'm going to need your help with something."
He looked at the Carapace Scavenger's corpse and grimaced. "Ugh, this part isn't going to be pleasant."
Not for Cassie. Sunny could look happily into the distance.
Cassie reluctantly accepted the mission. With the sword, and Sunny's instructions, she tore and sliced through the beast's cracked shell and flesh until she extracted the radiant crystal from its chest — the soul fragment.
He attempted to absorb it. Remembering how it should work. As Sunny expected, nothing happened.
"They really don't work for me directly."
Another shame — they couldn't take the meat. Sunny knew how to craft bags from seaweed, but they couldn't reach the edge where the materials lay.
Still, that didn't mean they'd go another day without eating.
He swallowed and mentally prepared.
"Cassie, cut a piece of meat and give it to me."
Cassie frowned, disgust and concern etched on her face. She understood immediately.
"Are you serious?" she asked, horrified.
After some convincing, she cut several pieces for both of them.
They sat together, food in hand.
Cassie summoned the Eternal Spring and used it to wash the grime and blue blood from Sunny's skin. Cold water ran over his arms, and she then cleaned herself.
Watching her, water trickling down her torso to her thighs, Sunny looked away. His pulse spiked painfully, warmth surged through his gut — something he'd never felt before.
He shook the thoughts away and focused on the meat in his hand.
Neither of them was thrilled. They hadn't eaten in days. It might be days again before they had another chance.
"This is shit," he said, chewing the raw flesh into something swallowable.
Terrible taste — but not as bad as he'd feared. He washed it down with Eternal Spring.
Together, they endured a lunch that only hunger made bearable — raw meat and water.
It was a luxury, considering everything.
Sunny closed his eyes and prepared himself.
He knew what he had to say next.
"Listen to me, I'm pretty broken right now and I can't get up, and I'm going to need your help with something."
He sighed inwardly.
"And well… I'm going to have to ask you to carry me."
What Sunny said goodbye to in that moment was a piece of his pride. He'd humiliated himself before—on purpose, even—in the academy. But this... this was different. This was an inevitable, unflattering surrender.
Cassie took a moment to respond. When she did, her whole expression lit up.
With a radiant smile, she nodded. "Of course! I'll be your legs, you be my eyes."
At first, Cassie tried carrying him bridal-style, teasing him by calling him a princess. The very idea horrified Sunny. If anyone else ever found out, it'd become the stuff of endless jokes. All it would take was someone asking the right question at the wrong time.
Fortunately, the jokes didn't last long. They resumed their journey quickly.
Sunny now rode piggyback on Cassie's back. Their recent laughter faded beneath the weight of reality. The situation was serious.
Time was running out. Sunny was currently useless in a fight, and Cassie couldn't defend them if danger struck.
Their best hope was to find another Sleeper—someone like them. But even that came with no guarantees. No Sleeper was obligated to help a broken fighter and an exhausted girl.
Still, it was their only real option. Hope and mercy—however fragile—were all they had.
Hours passed. Their pace was painfully slow, and Sunny's progress was practically crawling. Cassie couldn't carry him forever, so they paused to rest several times. Over that stretch, Sunny recovered just enough to walk while leaning heavily against her, just like he had at the start of the day.
Every step came with sweat and clenched teeth. Pain followed like a loyal companion. The deeper they ventured into the labyrinth, the worse it became—paths twisted into riddles. Even with the guidance of his shadow, he had to double back repeatedly, fighting for clarity in this chaos.
Shit, shit, shit...
If things didn't change, Sunny wouldn't reach the goal. And that meant death—crushed beneath the force of the returning sea.
He refused to think of dying.
Instead, he tried to move faster—but not carelessly. A single misstep could cost them precious minutes. Or worse, if he failed to notice another ambush, that mistake would be fatal.
Damnation!
Just as desperation began to take root, his shadow flinched—something moved.
Sunny froze.
Beyond the next few bends, the corals opened up into a small clearing. And in the center of it... someone was walking through the mud.
The first thing he noticed was silver—silver hair, gleaming softly in the dim light. The figure was tall and agile, dressed in a simple tunic, leather sandals on her feet, and a cloak draped around her shoulders in the color of sea waves.
It was Nephis.
The ever-changing star.