A month had passed since the return of Knighty from his little expedition in the Shadow Realm as did a month of Saint's return to the power of a demon.
Sunny however was no longer focused on his Shadows. Rather he was more focused on people.
His new 'servant' as she proclaimed herself - Sienna her name was. She possessed an Aspect motioned more towards the procurement and analysis of information - that was her dormant ability at least.
In many respects her ability was not towards information specifically it simply expanded her mind to grasp and understand more in general - that was something that occurred in battle too.
This particular aspect reminded him of that boy June - but after speaking to this girl for a while he understood quickly that she was not someone fit for combat, rather she loathed it.
Poor girl was chosen by the spell despite hating violence, but that was not to say she was harmless - she was someone who survived in this place after all.
Nephis was especially glad to find out that the chances of her going for Sunny was absolutely zero for the fact that the chances of her wanting Nephis was an actual possibility unlike him - That was to say she was lesbian
But that was all the small talk Sunny made with her as an individual. Despite being an inhabitant if the dark city and the fact that she was... Used by the bright lord, she was a really sweet girl. Sunny knew that in the past she did not survive as she was not amongst the fire keepers or the others that left for normal lives or great clans.
He was now sitting opposite her discussing important matters in graphic detail regarding the castle inhabitants and their readiness for the final battle scheduled for a week
Sunny had timed everything as perfectly as he could to keep things as they were in his past because he didn't wasn't to negate all the knowledge of the future that he held
So despite having got all the shards of which some needs to be got from Effie, Seishan and Neph and getting Saint back as well as weavers mask and even the memories he once had.
But he stayed despite having everything done early - in fact even Gunlaug's death was only supposed to happen this week about 4 days ago, but he did early - 1 month and a few days earlier
Sunny wanted to make sure as many survived as possible.
And that's why he was speaking to Sienna right now.
"So, then there's only 7 people without armor memories including yourself..."
That was odd yes but not impossible, after all many in the outskirts even lacked weapon memories so this was not a stretch - he understood her case more than most too as they simply either too weak to hunt or too afraid while she, as someone who was often around Gunlaug when he was...
Well when he was without that vile echo she would obviously need to be without any armor or weapons and or charms to ensure he wasn't assassinated
"Do you know how many lack weapons?"
She took a sip of water and smiled - "actually that's a lot more compared to the armor" - She made a face trying to remember the exact number - "23 in total though most of them again are from the outskirts aside from me"
Sunny nodded to her and then he almost zoned out for a second but then he focused again
"I have the perfect pair" - he gave out a bright smile
"huh?" - She looked at him with a confused look
He reached out and touched her hand that was placed on the crudely carved glass
He watched as her eyes widened - "this... This is an armor, an Ascended armor and an Awakened bow with arrows"
"Yup - I do have an ascended bow it's just that I do not believe that the strength of sleepers is enough to use it - and before you ask how I know you use a bow I can tell by your body structure"
He could tell, very easily in fact
The girls body was slender and had a generally low muscle definition. That was except for her back and arms specifically her triceps
It was clear to tell that she was used to pulling the string of a bow.
"Sunless thank you... Thank you so much"
"It's no problem really as I've told you we are going to barrow through at least a thousand Nightmare creatures to go home - going into battle without an armor and weapon is foolish to say the least. You and the remainder you mentioned are going to need to be armed properly"
She looked at him, and he noticed the suddenly somber mood - "why the long face?"
"A lot of people are going to die and they know that, just not who. So the castle as I'm sure you've noticed has become more active than it has ever been. You walk around and there was people trading memories for ones that fit them better or people sparring. I even noticed people hunting more frequently... Perhaps trying to lessen their lords burden"
She grinned with that last bit knowing that Sunny had asked not to be called lord - it felt right and wrong at the same time.
Right because he was the lord of shadows and a future supreme wrong because he was not as yet but it was bit foreign so she didn't get the reaction she wanted
"It's best they go hunting - sharpen their skills before we lay siege to the spire. As for hunting... Well just because they hunt too does not mean I nor my cohort will stop"
"Why not?"
"I don't really know how this relationship between our physical bodies and what and where we are now interact or at least not in a detailed scope. What I do know is before the last month there were 100s of people in the outskirts starving, weak and even malnourished. And now they have skipped both malnourished and starving yet their bodies are not fully repaired"
He let out a sigh - "but they are definitely stronger but sadly this 2 weeks is all that they have to get better so we'll hunt and feed them"
That was one of the most infuriating parts of leading a mundane army even if this army was not completely mundane.
"Not only that but I'm glad that people are training and sharpening themselves on their own as I intended to force it regardless"
He looked up at her
"I suppose I'm glad you're an archer since I don't have that much time to train you, not that you need a lot of training just the fact that you had not hunted in a while"
She looked at him with an amused smile as if he were joking - "Train me"
"Well training would be the wrong word, rather we are going on a few hunts tomorrow and..." - he paused feeling a familiar shadow nearing before opening the door
"Lady Nephis" - Sienna stood and bowed
"Sorry for intruding if you were discussing something important..." - Nephis looked at her and then at Sunny
"Ah not at all please sit" - She moved from her chair and begun to leave, but before she did she turned to Sunny - "I assume you want me to bring those without armor and weapons to you"
Sunny managed to take his gaze if Nephis and looked at the leaving girl - "Yes in about an hour or so"
The girl gave a mischievous smile and stepped out closing the door behind her
Nephis allowing her stone heart facade to drop began to walk towards the chair Sienna sat at
But before she could even get close she saw Sunny kick the chair down and it landed with a thud
Simultaneously a chair molded from darkness formed right next to his
Nephis lips parted slightly as if to ask why that poor chair had to be kicked to the ground before it closed and formed a small, almost invisible smile - which for Sunny who knew her better than she knew herself had noticed fully as well as how he noticed her eyes soften
She walked and sat on the chair that he made and they both looked forward, the endless spring sat in the table besides Sienna's cup.
Sunny laid his head to the side in an attempt to rest it on Nephis shoulder, though due to his small short stature or rather her tall one sunny looked something akin to a puppy that fell asleep in an awkward position
But he didn't change it and neither did she.
"Sunny..." - Nephis begun to speak clearly hesitant
"Yeah?"
"Do we make it out of here?"
Her question seemed foolish especially since Sunny did mention that he knew that will have an entire life out of here, but Sunny was rather astute. The question she asked did not simply pertain to them as in the cohort rather it included all the people in this hell hole.
He paused for a second - "I don't know how many but I can be sure it's a lot more than originally meant"
Nephis understood what he meant to an extent by now, she knew that he knew of the future as he had oracle like abilities and the fact that he could and was changing it
So she didn't need to ask to know how her plans were being used by him before she explained them or how all those kinks in them seemed to be mended out
The answer was something she already knew - Sunny was the healer and her plans were the injured.
Not dead or dying just something that needed patching up to be better,
But scars would almost always remain after a stab wound and those scars would be the dead bodies that remained here
"My plans... My original plans how did they go?"
"Well, enough I would say... A decent number of us made it out but a lot didn't - though speaking honestly there were a lot of variables that we didn't know"
She remained silent for a while. Sunny finally able to rest on her shoulder as she had slumped on the chair slightly to allow him to
"and this time?"
"Well originally I assume that those who lack memories died first especially since I don't recall seeing that girl amongst the survivors. Now I've sorted that out aside from that you were a demon and I was a monster. Yet now I'm a titan and you're a tyrant. Not only that but everyone is now preparing themselves and steeling their resolves to do it. So if I'm being completely honest the casualties will be low - lower with the involvement of echoes and the Shadows that I can use"
She listened intently to him as He nuzzled into her shoulder slightly and then he felt her arm which shoulder he was resting on move and behind him and then her palm rested on his head.
"Those variables you mentioned" - She inquired and felt slight shock if it could even be called that as she felt the way Sunny tensed
He slowly, clearly hesitant, straightened himself and turned his face towards her making direct eye contact
"First and foremost, we didn't anticipate that the seals were guarded by 7 awakened beasts" - she interrupted before he continued speaking, her voice held some strange combination of emotions - was it regret and self loathing
Perhaps it was, after all now that Sunny had brought out her usual nature of suppressing emotions and somehow made it non existent when he was around. And she had just found out she sent him to 7 awakened beasts - not that he would not handle it
"We're you okay?"
He looked at her with a grin - "Of course"
He then continued - "the second thing was that there were several... Well golem like creatures that would chase us upon running to the gate. Third would be the fallen terror, fourth would be the spire itself and last ..."
He seemed hesitant to speak about it and so she asked
"What?" - What could have made the boy who killed thousands of Nightmare creatures frown like that
"Do you remember that vision Cassie had"
Sunny's question caught her off guard she was trying to avoid thinking about that particular vision and it's implications
"The one about the darkness Devouring the angel of light"
"Yeah..."
"What have you made of it"
"That you and I will fight... Possibly a death battle"
"Well you aren't wrong..."
She again interrupted him with a slight rushed urgency in her voice. Almost as if she didn't want to talk about it afraid as if it would come true - "Cassie and I were discussing a week ago as to what it might be, maybe an altered Timeline or 2 different beings entirely"
"No it's us and more accurately it's us at the spire I assume"
Nephis paused and looked at him, by now there was a rage of emotions within her - "Why..."
"Its rather simple... There must always be 1 human left alive in the spire to hold the gate so when the terror fell the gate chose 2 new holders you could say"
He paused waiting for her to speak
"So we fought to see who would leave"
"No, we fought to see who would stay"
Nephis was getting tired of asking her question but did anyway
"What?"
"I'm guessing Cass told you about my true name I did tell her it was okay to tell you"
Nephis nodded her head slowly
"Well, when we found out only one of us could pass, we fought but I realized the battle was a little play made by you. A play to get me to leave so you could sacrifice yourself for me... Well, I wouldn't exactly put it that way but that's what I like to believe "
"Then what?"
"Well of course I didn't agree. I wanted to stay with you so badly in fact I was pumping with adrenaline and in a falling spire and yet I knew very precisely that I wanted that. So do you know what you did?"
She did not have to think much, she knew the essence of his old aspect and the use of his true name
"... I'm sorry "
Those words made Sunny pause and look at her
Nephis wouldn't say that.
She would not feel guilty for doing something that saved his life
But this was not the Nephis he knew - the Nephis he truly knew
She was not the Nephis who learned to be cunning and a masterful liar from him this time around - rather she seemed to inherit his meticulous planning nature and flexibility and even a fragment of his compassion their relationship was a testament to that
That was not out of thin air though. Sunny had purposely caused that change with every action he made.
Nephis was also not yet the girl that had been humbled and broken by her second nightmare. A second nightmare seed that would never be conquered - a cause of his actions too
Those 2 things alone managed to create such a catastrophic effect that he himself was stunned.
"... It's fine. I realized that it was not that bad to be bound by you"
He leaned over and had his hands to brush the few stray strand sod hair of her forehead back and planted a kiss on her forehead as he ran his hand through her hair
Suddenly but rather gently he pulled her hair back so that her eyes looked up at his
"Though I must warn you Neph... I am a rather greedy person and I especially dislike when people take what's mine away"
He looked directly into her eyes with a smoldering intensity
"So, I'd kindly advise you to not go sacrificing yourself on a whim or I might have to bind you to me with chains... Actual chains "