Even in paradise, hell can be summoned.[1]
In this space cut from the world itself, where time and war were turned into forgotten concepts. Waiting to be born again only to be stuck in that same loop that forced them to be once rejected.
Rejected by the youth because life was meaningless.
Rejected because no one was living for a good reason if not self-preservation.
What's the difference between a machine and a human being if both can't go against their own programming? With the spark of Greed, Humanity was nothing more than an ever-growing and self destructing cancer that you would wipe itself out of existence by its own incompetence and lack of compassion.
Rain and thunder were screaming in the night sky, a battle of nature that no one would ever understand. The tears and cries of a world that was slowly dying while taking care of its children. Because even then, the world hadn't given up yet. A meaningless fight for a lost cause, for countries and the entire continents had already fallen.
Generations had already been sacrificed and those yet to come would have to fight what had bested their own predecessors.
An end.
The End.
One with a big E, the sole and only. The first and the last.
Because afterward, there would be nothing.
Do you know what it feels like to know that you will maybe be the last shot that your world would have to survive? The pressure to be forced into being something you weren't destined to be? Human-shaped weapons that had only the growth of their "clans" in mind.
Some were destined to be doctors.
Painters.
Musicians.
Mathematicians.
Bakers.
Builders.
Lovers.
Fathers and mothers.
Daughters and sons.
And yet, that peaceful world that those who came before to protect was still in danger. It wasn't peaceful anymore, and it wouldn't be if they failed.
Forced into something that was chosen for them against their will.
Turned into a beast if you were weak or unlucky.
Changed if you were too unlucky. Because losing pieces of themselves was worse than dying. Would you want your children to lose their hearing? Their voices? Their ability to feel warmth? Love? Fear? Hate? Forever twisted and being forced to live like that until death?
Because the Nightmare Spell keeps taking and taking.
And people are falling in love with its influence. Forcing the masses to applaud those with defiled fates while being afraid of having to go through that same path.
If it were that great, people would be happy to see those around them going through that challenge. And yet only the fools and the madman were happy to be chosen. To be a carrier of that infection.
Carrier.
That simple word was all you needed to understand that this thing was a problem that needed to be put down.
Like the plague, the Spanish flu or any other disease that had tried to feast on them.
And yet, Humanity had succeeded to best all those calamities.
So why did it refuse to do the same with that…thing? Viewing it as God sometimes?
Was it because of its parasitic attribute?
To make a deal with the devil? To sell a piece of themselves? Gambling and hoping to not be crippled for the rest of their lives?
She couldn't accept it.
Because those who were complacent with that thing were spitting on themselves. If you ever had to sell a piece of yourself, you'd have to do it for the right price, the right cause. Just like her…
Nephis was ready to sell her soul if it were what she had to pay to achieve her goal.
To kill the traitors. Those that she once saw as part of her family and then… She would cure the world of that plague. She would use it against itself. Being the parasite in that wicked relationship. Taking more and more until there's nothing left other than a broken shell of that damned thing.
One she would step on and use as a foundation for the remains of that world left in its wake. A second chance for Humanity.
She would sacrifice everything and anything to feel the blood of those who wronged her.
But don't you dare say that she was heartless. That she was no better than the Spell.
Because she would never take the life of those too weak to follow her path. Leaving their fate in their own hands. That's the most important point to her.
She doesn't despite weakness.
Only those without resolve.
She wasn't heartless. Only coldhearted.
To kill what's needed to be killed and leave as much as possible behind her. Taking only what's needed and nothing more.
To kill the Nightmare Spell.
To kill those who wronged her.
Kill the Nightmare Spell.
Those who wronged her.
The Nightmare Spell.
To kill the Gods.
Aster, Song, Vale.
To kill them.
To kill.
Kill.
Thunder roared once more as rain drops crashed against her window. She was burning up, covered in sweat as Time's concept was remembered. Her lungs were craving for air. Too fast and too strong. Breathless in her own sheets, seated while looking at her own trembling hands. Her braided hair was half undone, almost falling over her face.
The moon shone the best it could through the darkest clouds of the storm. So little light lit the room but still, she could see.
Because a boy was seated beside her bed. Holding a chandelier while looking at her. Flickers of light came from the candles' flames, reflecting in his onyx-like eyes a trace of fatigue and concern.
Her mind was racing, as if words were as lacking as her breath.
She wanted to speak, to ask a question, to recover from that instability as soon as possible. And yet…
[Sunless]:"Take your time, okay? You were having a nightmare so… I went to the kitchen to bring you this."
His little looking finger was pointing toward the other side of her bed. Nephis' mind was already prepared to find a silhouette holding a knife. To see someone reaching for her throat in hope of breaking it. She was ready to fight until her las-
[Sunless]:"There's some waffles that Vincent had made earlier and I also… I also brought back a pitcher of water."
The voice from behind was just describing what was waiting in front of her. Placed on her nightstand and acting like a sign. That all her fears had no anchor to persist outside of her dreams.
[Nephis]:"You…"
[Sunless]:"If you want me to… I can pour you a glass of water, let me ju-"
[Nephis]:"No need to do that Sunless… It's just that I wasn't… I… Thank you Sunless. I'm sorry if I woke you up."
As she turned back to face the boy, her heart began to calm down. But she couldn't say the same for her tremors, as the thunder continued to loom large and stir up turmoil in the young girl's mind.
Bracing herself after each flash of light for the crashing sound to come, as a destined pain from a mental punch that couldn't be stopped.
[Sunless]:"You don't have to excuse yourself. I'm a light sleeper and that storm is strong enough to make the window tremble now and then so..."
For once, she couldn't know by his face if he was lying or not. The open book wasn't that open after all. But still, her mind was in panic, she needed to know the reason behind…all that.
Not that Sunless wasn't softhearted.
That he was.
But her mind was still searching for the trap.
For the pain, the treason.
[Nephis]:"Sunless… Why… are you doing this…?"
Turning his head away from the candle's light, it was only thanks to a flash of light coming from outside that she had seen it.
That shameful look, one that came from a pain that couldn't be forgotten.
[Sunless]:"I… Know how terrifying a nightmare could be. How you can feel like you keep falling deeper into something that makes you grasp your heart with fear. How oppressing and overwhelming it can be. I…"
Thunder came once again. Far too close this time. Far too strong.
A little scream came out of her mouth.
She felt so disgusted.
How could she dream about taking down the Nightmare Spell if she kept screaming like a defenseless little girl? She was about to hold her own head in hope of calming herself down.
But something had stopped her.
Something warm and comforting.
A little hand over hers, followed soon after by another one. The chandelier was discarded. Her white eyes were shining as the tears started to build up.
[Sunless]:"It's okay, it's okay… I'm here Nephis, everything's alright."
There was no thought left in her mind, only fear.
A fear of a danger that was maybe yet to come.
A fear of losing her life.
A fear of losing the little comfort she had regained since she woke up.
And it was also without a thought that she then pulled the boy toward her. Under the sheets and blankets, holding him like her sanity depended on it.
That same boy she loved teasing and provoking.
The same one that kept hushing her kind and soft words, even now.
Caressing her hand with his thumb, making sure that she couldn't forget that he was still there for her.
Her body was still trembling with every breath, trying in vain to suppress each tremor. Normally she would have held herself together, even if she had to bite her lips until they bled.
But not this time…
[Sunless]:"You're alright Nephis… No need to hold back. I'm here…"
Her embrace only grew stronger, searching for that promised warmth named after an eclipse. She was taller than him, so acting like that couldn't be different to a child holding its stuffed animal.
She felt ashamed.
She felt angry at herself.
She felt li-
[Sunless]:"Breath with me… Can you do it for me, Nephis?"
Breathe in
She was in danger.
Her body was screaming at her in every possible way. Every sense was enlightened.
She was…
Breathe out
Breathe in
Breathe out
Breathe in
Aligning herself with him, she felt as if something in her body had melted down. Silent tears were rolling down her eyes. Hidden under the blankets with only a weak and lost boy as sole witness. Without noticing it, she had adjusted her arms around him. Placing her head on his, feeling his hairs caressing her nose as fear slowly but surely started to disappear.
She felt at peace.
The storm started to calm down too…
But… With a shy and little voice.
[Nephis]:"Please… Stay with me for tonight."
A mark of weakness.
One she would have never shown him. Reserved only for her Grandmother or Jeanne. He could easily refuse her plea. After all, she had been unbearable with him countless times. She had no real leverage to ask for him to stay. She-
[Sunless]:"I'll stay until you ask me to leave you alone."
Moving by himself to get closer to her, finding a comfortable position. Already prepared to stay as long as she needed him to.
He had no reason to do so, and still…
It was…
[Nephis]:"I-... I mean, you…"
[Sunless]:"Shush… The only thing you need to focus on is getting some rest. I won't move, I promise you, don't worry..."
Words were lacking.
She couldn't say anything else…except:
[Nephis]:"Thank you, Sunless."
If even in paradise, hell can be summoned. Does that mean that even in hell, a paradise can be found? Nephis had once thought that it was impossible… Now she was doubting it. Falling asleep together on that eventful night.
Each other having a different thought at this instant.
One was asking herself if she really wanted for the boy to leave one day while the other was asking himself the meaning of the words "Aster, Ki, Vale" that the girl had spoken before during her nightmare.
[1] Highly recommended listening to "When Darkness Spreads - Coronal Radiance" while reading this chapter.