"I want everything on the menu."
Nephis felt a little bad for the poor waitress; the way her face had paled could not be healthy.
Effie, on the other hand, seemed like she got the exact reaction she was looking for. She was evil like that.
The poor woman was saved from trying to come up with a polite way to ask if she was sure — or if she could even pay for it — by Cassie's intervention.
"She's serious, and we can pay for it. I want a black tea and a cheesecake." Though said in a neutral tone, Nephis could swear she detected an undercurrent of amusement in it. She was quite proud of how much she had improved at interpreting emotions.
The waitress did not look any less unsure, but it wasn't like she could keep questioning them without coming across as rude, so she nodded woodenly and set her gaze on Nephis, awaiting her order.
"I want the cherry cake and a coffee." She wasn't much of a fan of sweets, but it would be rude not to order any when Effie and Cassie did.
The woman nodded and promptly — a little too quickly in her opinion — left, telling them that she would be back soon.
"This is nice." Effie sprawled her arms over the sofa they were resting on, her wheelchair abandoned in favor of the much more comfortable cushions. "We should come here more often."
"I'm not against it." It really was nice; her life had been far too hectic for far too long, and she could use a little break. It also helped that they were incognito and, as such, did not need to deal with the masses of both fans and recruiters.
Nephis was currently wearing a memory that changed both her hair and eye color to black and green respectively; she also used a little makeup to make herself look different. So far it was working, so she considered it a success.
Cassie was sporting brown hair, and instead of her usual blindfold, she was using thick sunglasses. She didn't have the heart to tell her just how ridiculous it made her look. Though Effie, evil as she was, was awaiting the moment she realized it like a starved dog awaited a meal.
Speaking of the huntress, she wasn't using any sort of disguise; the government propaganda only ever showcased her spiritual self, so almost no one could recognize her real form.
Back to the café, she enjoyed the calm atmosphere. It was pleasantly warm, as expected from the beginning of June — six months already… — and music was playing softly in the background. It was one of Night&Gale's most popular songs, one she quite liked too.
In the little café there were only two more women, calmly enjoying their pastries while gossiping. She felt her ears warm in embarrassment and more than a little irritation at the topic.
Fortunately, she was distracted from their conversation by the arrival of her order, swiftly followed by Cassie's and finally by Effie's. Though the last one came in two different carts, stacked to the top with plates. She could swear the huntress was salivating.
What followed was an oddly morbid yet fascinating scene. It never stopped surprising her how the black hole known as Effie could eat so fast yet still somehow enjoy every last piece of food.
By the time she had finished her own cherry cake — it was good, but not something she particularly enjoyed — the huntress was already done and was eyeing hungrily Cassie's still-untouched cake. The Seer was instead drinking her tea with a slow and methodical pace that seemed to define her as of late. The blind girl, as if noticing Effie's predatory gaze, took the plate of cake and dragged it closer to herself.
As she watched her friend trying to — not so — subtly steal the cake from the Seer, she realized just how much she enjoyed moments like these. They made her feel a little more human, more Nephis instead of Changing Star.
It only reinforced her dream: she needed to destroy the Spell before it had the chance of taking this from her. It had already taken too much, and she despised the very idea of it — or anyone, for that matter — taking more. As she watched Effie's increasingly obvious attempts, a smile almost crept onto her face. That was, until she was interrupted by her communicator's notification, swiftly echoed by everyone else's.
What followed was a grating, echoing ringing sound — one that she knew very well. It was the battle horn of her most despised enemy, after all.
It looked like the accursed Spell did not want her to have a single moment of respite. Well, she would gladly oblige.
Soon, another notification came, providing the details of the emerging gate.
GATE ACTIVITY DETECTED IN YOUR PROXIMITY
ETA: 30 MINUTES
EVACUATE AS SWIFTLY AS POSSIBLE AND FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE PROPER AUTHORITIES!
She quickly tapped on the notification to obtain more information, and once she found where it would emerge, she stood up and started walking toward the exit. Effie followed her immediately; she might be bound to her chair, but she was more than strong enough to kill nightmare creatures with throwing projectiles.
Surprisingly, it was Cassie who followed them last; she seemed quite shaken for some reason. She would ask why later, as well as the reason why she had been so insistent on visiting this café today.
-------------------------------------------
When she arrived, the street was almost empty already, what few civilians remained running as fast as they could. She could almost feel the distortion in the air; it was barely perceptible at the moment, but in a matter of minutes it would become unmissable.
There were six other Awakened present already. They looked nervous, but not too much; the fact that the army would arrive with plenty of time to spare did wonders for their determination.
Effie was gathering rocks and whatever little objects she could stock up on in the time they had before the first nightmare creature emerged. Cassie summoned her rapier, as well as the echo of a Chain Worm she had killed during their battle on Shipwreck Island.
Nephis summoned the [Cruel Sight] and the [Undying Chain]. While the mist coalesced in her hand to form the weapon, she briefly remembered the creature it came from. It had ambushed them on Reckoning Island, its form that of one of her Firekeepers. It had been strong, dangerously so.
She wasn't sure if she could have won the battle without some of the Firekeepers dying, were it not for the beast's mistake. When Nephis had approached, it had taken her form and promptly used her aspect ability. Its pained screams still haunted some of her followers.
Of more interest was the mirror shard it left behind — a shard she would have destroyed were it not for Cassie telling her to keep it.
Why? She did not tell, though she promised to do so soon. She was eagerly awaiting the moment; there were far too many times already that the Seer had refused to give explanations for her actions.
Further musings were interrupted by the arrival of several military vehicles, from which soldiers started pouring out like ants from an anthill. She had to applaud their efficiency; in a matter of minutes, they had managed to set up barricades as well as medical stations for those who would get injured.
Amidst the preparations, more Awakened finally arrived, accompanied by a lone Master — a strong one, if the aura of casual danger she seemed to exude was anything to go by.
She was a woman who looked in her late twenties, or at most her early thirties, beautiful in a dangerous sort of way, with short black hair and icy blue eyes. Nephis recognized her; Soul Reaper was rather infamous after all. Her presence was reassuring at least — a rank-two gate wouldn't go down easily, and a Master of her renown would prove invaluable.
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, we all know the drill: strike hard and strike fast. If you are injured, you back down. If you are outmatched, you back down. And if you feel like playing the hero, you back down." Soul Reaper said it casually; she seemed as worried by the incoming gate as one would be of a little rain.
In her spot, Nephis would have used different words, but she couldn't deny that they worked. The soldiers seemed a little less grim, the Awakened more at ease at the incoming danger, and even Effie looked a little more confident. She would have to try this method in the future.
Her planning of future speeches was interrupted by the appearance of the rift, from which nightmare creatures would soon start to come out. Nephis took a steadying breath and readied her stance. Whatever came out, she was ready.
-------------------------------------------
Less than an hour later, the battle was already done. It had been short but intense — a resounding success, too. The ample time of preparation meant that they were ready when the rift tore open, and miraculously, none of the soldiers nor Awakened had died.
In fact, the only loss — if it could be considered that — was that of her disguise. She had been fighting well without her aspect, but then an Awakened received a grievous injury and she healed her on reflex. Sadly, her flames were far too eye-catching to disguise, so her deception was revealed instantly. After that, she saw no point in hiding anymore and instead used her flames freely.
It was a pity, but it couldn't be avoided. A few civilians had come back when it became clear that the situation was stable, and she could see them taking pictures and videos. She could even see a few students from the local school pointing at her from the windows. She sighed in disappointment; she was fond of her current disguise and would miss using it. Briefly, she wondered if a certain Shadow would like how it made her look, but quickly squashed that thought.
"So you are the famous Changing Star." The speaker was Soul Reaper, who was approaching her, looking far more lively after the fight than before. She was staring at her like she was pondering something with utmost seriousness.
"I am." She saw no reason to deny it, so she didn't.
A quick dismissal of the memory had her hair and eyes go back to their usual color. She couldn't hide anymore, so she might as well use the chance to increase her popularity.
"Do you mind sparing me a minute or two for a little chat?"
Nephis did not show it but was surprised. What could the government Master want with her? She only hoped that it wasn't another recruiting attempt. She briefly considered refusing, but in the end she saw no harm in accepting the request.
When she gave a little nod, Soul Reaper made a gesture to follow her, which Nephis did after giving a signal to Effie — one that indicated she was not in danger but to be wary. The Huntress nodded and relayed the message to Cassie, who still seemed disturbed for some reason. What was the matter with her?
They walked for a few meters until the Ascended decided that they were far enough from accidental listeners, and then, for good measure, she summoned a memory that nullified all outward sounds. Nephis, though in the surface composed, was worried about that gesture. What was so important that she would go to such measures in such an open space?
"Don't worry about that, I want to talk about something personal, and I would rather avoid gossipers." The smile on Soul Reaper's face unsettled her more than she was willing to admit.
What kind of personal matter could she have with her?
"Go on," was Nephis's only answer.
"It's about Sunny."
She wasn't ready for that. Not at all. What relation did this dangerous woman have with Sunny? She only hoped that she wasn't another of those depraved people who theorized about their relationship on the web and TV — just like the women back at the café did. The kind of things that some people seemed to think she was doing to his sleeping body had even Effie blushing. Effie!
Like she couldn't wait until he woke up to…
Thankfully, Soul Reaper took her silence as an invitation to keep going, interrupting her thoughts before they could go to the kind of place that Effie would never let her live down if she knew.
"How's the kid? I didn't have the chance to visit before they tried to kidnap him and you took him to that manor of yours."
In retrospect, it had been a foolhardy move. Oh, she would have still done the same, but at least she would have made the attempt to keep it discreet. The attempted kidnapping had been a slap in the face of the government, and the fact she took him only made it worse.
She might as well have proclaimed that she didn't trust them to do their job — to be fair, she didn't — something they couldn't afford. They lived and died by their image of having things under control after all. It took a lot of tedious negotiations as well as propaganda events, but she managed to smooth things over, though both sides could tell that their relationship had just become irreparably strained. She could respect it, if not for the fact that they still tried to recruit her. The hypocrisy galled her.
"He's fine. We have a medical team on staff to watch him, and both my Cohort and Firekeepers keep watch over him constantly." Her answer was polite and to the point, while somehow still managing to transmit the unanswered question of Why do you care?
"That's good to hear. I watched over him during his first nightmare and even gave him some advice before we departed." So this was the Master Jet that Sunny had mentioned once or twice back in the Forgotten Shores?
She could see where the hidden admiration came from. Soul Reaper was quite formidable — beautiful too — although she didn't know why that annoyed her so much.
"How was he back then?" It was a polite question, but also a genuine one. Master Jet seemed a little nostalgic at that, a wistful smile unknowingly showing up — a smile that annoyed her too.
"Mouthy, a little perverted, far too honest for his own good, selfish, and with a healthy dose of paranoia and distrust toward everyone and everything." The wistful smile slowly morphed into something far more dangerous. "So imagine my surprise when I found out that the crazy kid decided to heroically sacrifice himself so that everyone else could escape." Her gaze was intense, predatory even.
Master Jet did not say it, she did not imply anything, and yet it hung between them like a guillotine.
"So, do you mind telling me what happened?" Despite her words, it was clear by her tone that she wasn't asking. She knew, or at least she suspected. This was bad — really bad.
Nephis composed herself. She had already told the story countless times and she would probably have to tell it a few more. It didn't change how much she hated doing it. She briefly considered saying the actual truth — how she had betrayed him, how their relation had been broken beyond repair, the pain in his eyes that haunted her sleepless nights.
In the end, she didn't.
"While the survivors escaped, I confronted the Fallen Terror that acted as the sun in the Forgotten Shores. Sunny joined me once everyone else was gone in order to help me, but by then I had already managed to kill it. The problem came right after: the Gateway was powered by a living person acting as the anchor of the Spire, and only one of us could escape. I wanted him to escape, but he wouldn't move. He told me to go and, in a regretful moment of weakness, I obeyed."
There. Everything she had said was true, and yet it was a complete lie. It had been more succinct than how she usually told it, but she didn't feel like embellishing it to this woman; she suspected that she wouldn't believe her no matter what she said.
Soul Reaper looked at her intensely, searching for something in her expression, in her voice, even in the way she blinked. She did it for an uncomfortably long amount of time before she sighed, her shoulders slightly slumped in disappointment.
"For a moment I actually believed it, you know? Changing Star, the heiress of Immortal Flame — noble, kind, and selfless. Some are calling you the future of humanity, did you know that?" Despite her praising words, there was no warmth in her voice. If anything, they were as cold and sharp as a blade. "It's disappointing, but I should have known better."
What did she mean?
"In the end, you are just like the Legacy Clans."
Jet could have slapped her and she would have found it less insulting. Without even realizing when it started, mist was already forming in her hand, the [Cruel Sight] taking shape. It was only with a herculean effort of will that she managed to stop herself and wrench her fury back under control. Those words had cut so deep that she could swear she was bleeding.
Master Jet did not miss it, cold amusement filling her eyes even as she took a stance that would allow a quick response in case a fight broke out.
"The kid I knew would hate it, you know? He's practically a martyr nowadays — the 'Black Star' who fell from the sky so that others could keep shining." The mocking tone she used when saying the title was enough to show what she thought of it. "So I will ask again: how is he?"
Should she kill her? She trusted her chances against an ordinary Master, and they were close enough for Effie and Cassie to provide support. However, Jet wasn't an ordinary Master. There were far too many witnesses too. Even as bad as Soul Reaper's reputation was, she wasn't sure if she could sell the idea that Jet had gone crazy and tried to kill her. She could also escape or just start shouting her suspicions for everyone to hear. There were far too many possible outcomes, and none of them were good.
"That look you are giving me is rather dangerous. I would advise answering instead of doing whatever you are thinking of." Jet still looked casual, like she wasn't worried about the danger that Nephis posed.
She clenched her teeth in anger, the temptation to throw caution away and attack far too high. It took a lot of effort, but she managed to control herself, as precarious as said control was.
"I stand by my words," was her answer, and surprisingly, the Master seemed to believe her.
"Glad to hear it. Wasn't that hard, was it?" With that said, Jet seemed to lose all interest in her. The mad woman even turned around and showed her back, like she didn't consider Nephis a threat at all.
She considered letting it go, to pretend like the conversation hadn't happened at all, but she had to ask. She had to know if she would pose a danger to her future plans — and as such, needed to be eliminated.
"What are you going to do about your suspicions?" It seemed ridiculous to call it like that when they both knew the truth, but it helped sell the illusion that there was no dark secret hanging amidst them, like she wasn't considering murder.
Jet stopped a few steps before the end of the sound barrier and turned her head around, a cold smile plastered on her face — one that did not reflect in her eyes.
"Nothing." Nephis did not expect that answer, something that the Master seemed to realize since she kept going. "I like the kid, but not enough to die avenging him. If I kill you, I will have half the world clamoring for my head — and I already had enough with crawling out of a grave once." A low chuckle followed the last sentence, as if remembering some internal joke.
Then she turned her head back and resumed her walking, though right before leaving the barrier, she uttered her parting words:
"Besides, if he's anything like I remember, he will want to do it himself when he comes back." She sounded confident too, like she didn't doubt even for a moment that Sunny would come back.
Nephis stared at her as she left, fury and guilt warring inside her in equal parts. The temptation was still there, but she did not cede to it. She would have to make plans in case Soul Reaper had lied — find out whatever she could about her abilities. But now wasn't the moment, not when Effie and Cassie were already approaching.
The Huntress had not missed how she reacted to Jet's words, and Cassie could also tell that something was wrong. She already dreaded trying to explain what happened to Effie and Kai without revealing the full truth. It could wait; right now she only wanted to go back to the manor and make sure that Sunny was safe. She had already checked the runes and found nothing wrong, but she wanted to see it with her own eyes.
-------------------------------------------
Unbeknownst to them, a student had been watching her discussion with Master Jet. The student, while she didn't know what they had talked about, did not miss how tense they were or how Changing Star almost summoned a memory.
Had they seen her closely, they would have realized that the girl with black hair and eyes was oddly reminiscent of their dear friend.