In the past few minutes, Effie had had the weirdest experience of her life, or close to it.
She recalled the events near the end of her Third Nightmare, particularly the ones surrounding the sudden disappearance of Sunny. Cassie had told them, when they had reconvened to discuss the final battle and discovered his absence, that she had sent him off to do something only he could do.
And after the Nightmare had ended, it was like none of that had happened. She had not remembered that conversation, or even Sunny's existence at all.
But right now, she did, and she was utterly confused.
She noticed the story her memories told were illogical, because how could it be that she never knew Sunny until three years after their Third Nightmare, when he had been a part of their cohort since the Forgotten Shore?
It did not make sense, and yet it was true.
There was only one way to understand it, and she was on her way to the people who held those answers:
Cassie and Sunny.
But since Sunny was not around at the moment, the only one she could demand explanations from was the blind oracle.
…Who was currently sitting inside the Ivory Tower, which she was making a beeline toward.
- - -
'Why does this island feel so small all of a sudden?' Cassie wondered in trepidation.
Of course, the floating island was in no way as big as a city, but it wasn't small either. It was big enough for an entire tower and a dead dragon's remains. But right now it didn't seem enough to stall the approach of a certain huntress, who was already inside the tower and climbing up its stairs.
Cassie could feel Effie's wrath through the walls of the great pagoda and she shivered from the extent of it, even as she received mental messages from Kai and Jet requesting to be brought to the Ivory Tower.
[Yes, okay. I'll be there soon…]
She had barely managed to finish her sentence when the door slammed open, Effie striding into her office with very big steps. The anger radiating off of her made the blind oracle gulp with dread, but she schooled herself and spoke before the huntress could open her mouth.
"Effie, you're here." She gave her best casual, almost innocent smile. "The others are waiting in the Waking World right now. I need to go bring them over, so please wait a bit…"
Cassie did not give her any chance to protest and pulled on her tether in the Waking World, disappearing from the Dream Realm a moment later.
Not long after, she reappeared in her office, with three other people in tow: Kai, Jet, and even Morgan. The former Princess of Valor promptly excused herself, though, reducing the number of points of views aimed at Cassie to just three.
She could see the looks on each of her friends' faces and winced slightly. They were not happy, at all. But they were silent, waiting for context.
The blind oracle sighed quietly.
'No where to run now…'
She took a deep breath to compose herself, facing each of the three of them in turn. Her hands reached up to undo her blindfold, even as she spoke.
"I'll show you my memories of the conversation I had with Sunny… before he left."
She added, "But before that, I must warn you to not jump to conclusions. He had his reasons as much as I did, and you should hear what he has to say before making a decision."
Kai, Effie, and Jet exchanged a glance, and nodded firmly.
Cassie opened her eyes then, revealing the indescribably-patterned pupils that was her transformation ability, horrible and beautiful all at once.
The three Saints braced themselves and looked into her eyes, and then they were no longer in Cassie's office, transported to a different place, a different time.
- - -
When Sunny and Nephis finally appeared inside of Cassie's office, the scene that greeted them was one that promised death, or at least a lot of pain… whether physical pain or mental pain or some other kind of pain.
Kai, Effie, and Jet were staring down at the blind oracle with less-than-happy expressions, who sat quietly behind her desk, her blindfold haphazardly put on. She looked really small in that moment, shrinking back from their scrutiny.
As though feeling his gaze, she lifted her head to face him, prompting the others to turn around, too.
Sunny grimaced.
'If looks could kill, Cassie and I would probably be dead right now, truly and utterly dead.'
Effie looked like she was about to burst a bloodvessel, her eyes blazing with barely contained anger directed at both Cassie and him. Kai's expression was one of uncertainty and profound sadness. He seemed unable to meet Sunny's gaze, and he couldn't help the surge of regret deep in his gut then.
But he squashed it down right away; he wouldn't regret it, no matter what.
Effie was angry, and Kai was sad, but Jet was an unreadable mask. She took charge of the situation, hiding her feelings behind a facade of calm. She fixed him with a cool look, icy-blue eyes betraying nothing.
"Sit, Sunny. You too, Nephis." She said, her voice even.
Wordlessly, Sunny lowered himself and sat on the stone floor. Nephis did the same and leaned into him, not bothering to hide her desire to be close.
If the others noticed, they made no comment.
Jet crossed her arms. "Now explain."
It was a demand, her tone giving no room for argument. Nephis gave him an encouraging squeeze, holding his hand in hers.
Sunny gave her a brief smile, and looked back at his friends who were patiently waiting. He steeled himself, then he began talking.
- - -
He spoke about the Shadow Bond. About how it worked and how he was bonded to Nephis, though he found himself skimming the details of this point.
"So I became bound to Nephis, you see, and she used it to command me to escape the Forgotten Shore. That's why I came back… and she didn't."
He watched their faces change as he spoke, but he did not give them a chance to interrupt or ask questions, and they didn't try to. They simply listened as he continued, speaking about his decision in the Third Nightmare.
"I wanted to be free… and Cassie offered me freedom. So I took it. I went to the Well of Wishes, following the trail the Guiding Light showed me. And that's where it happened, in the estuary."
Sunny paused then, giving them an opening.
A moment later, Kai asked, "What happened?"
Sunny massaged his jaw, then sighed.
"Well, there's not much to say here. A certain vile bird reached into my soul and ripped out the shadow of its spawn, which I killed in the Forgotten Shore. And along with it, my fate was also stolen."
It sounded crazy, completely insane and improbable, and yet their memories were proof of it. They also knew about his Flaw, and even if Sunny could lie, Kai would be able to tell if he was being truthful or not.
He continued, "That's how I was forgotten by the world…"
At that point, he looked at Cassie, who was already looking back at him.
"I knew, as soon as you revealed the existence of that note, that you had already been aware of the consequences of fateless, and though you had still let me go without informing me… I don't blame you."
He shrugged.
"How could I? Thanks to you, I got to experience freedom, and I got my choice back, in the end."
He could've just as easily spent eons in the Tomb of Ariel to undergo apotheosis naturally, although success was improbable, but he had dismissed the option and instead chose to reclaim his fate. That was his choice, and he would stick to it.
Not that he could take it back, anyhow.
The blind girl could only dip her head, in shame or gratefulness, he did not know, but he simply smiled lightly and continued his tale.
He told them about his three-year journey in the Dream Realm alone, his mental state that had been in shambles, his total loss of motivation in life. How he was like a ghost drifting constantly northward, in search of the Dead Gods knows what.
Eventually, he reached the point where he found the site of LO49 in the Dream Realm, and from there, how he came back to human civilization with renewed purpose.
"…And the rest, you all already know."
He finished with a sigh of relief, because he was relieved that he managed to get through that, and he wrapped an arm around Nephis, pulling her close.
Kai, Effie, and Jet were silent as they ruminated on the information, their expressions complicated. They seemed to be having a wordless discussion, and Sunny watched them, anxious about what they would think.
But he trusted that they would understand, even if not right away. And if they felt that he had disappointed them and hated him for it, he would not blame them.
He probably would've resented himself too, if he was in their position.
It was only natural.
- - -
While Sunny was telling his tale, Nephis had been staring at Cassie, studying her, watching her, observing her. Her face betrayed no expression, unreadable as always.
Sunny had told her to go easy on the blind oracle. He had pleaded in her defense, asking Nephis to be understanding, which she was — she did understand, but she was still hurt. Hurt because her best friend, the only other person aside from Sunny whom she trusted with all her heart, had kept so much from her.
But then Nephis thought about the available options currently presented to her, weighing between the first option, which was to spend time with Sunny, and the second option, which involved a possibly awkward as well as tense conversation with Cassie.
…And decided that it could wait for a later date.
So she cuddled further into Sunny, breathing him in and letting his presence wash over her like a comforting blanket. She felt that she could stay in that spot forever and wouldn't have minded it.
Her actions drew the attention of the others. They looked between her and Sunny with troubled faces, as though something was bothering them. Nephis only raised a brow in question.
What?
Kai coughed, then spoke up, his voice a little uncertain.
"So… Are you two bonded again, now that you've got your fate back? Are you… okay?"
Everyone looked at Sunny, even Nephis.
She wondered what he was going to say.
- - -
Sunny was silent for a long while.
"Yes, we're bonded again… but I don't care about it, not anymore." He said, a pale smile on his lips. "I've had years to think about this, and I've made my choice. I'll stand by it."
Then he added, "Back then, an annoying apparition instilled a ton of doubts in my head — at the worst possible time, too. Granted, it was a manifestation of the darkest parts of my mind, so those doubts had always existed… Still, I'm not so shallow that I cannot admit it played a part in my final decision."
Sunny did not think he would've chosen differently if the Sin of Solace did not exist, but he wasn't going to delude himself into thinking it had no part at all in what happened, no matter how small it was in the grand scheme of things.
Sunny scoffed ruefully, shaking his head.
"And anyway, that phantom was done in by just a few whispered words. Talk about being fraudulent."
Effie and Jet looked to Kai, and the green-eyed Saint nodded silently, confirming the truth of Sunny's words, which was funny since he couldn't lie, but he supposed they needed to be extra sure.
The three of them relaxed slightly, letting out the breath they'd been holding, shoulders slumping slightly.
They didn't seem angry now, which was a relief to Sunny.
'That went well…'
But just as Sunny thought that, they turned back around and leveled a piercing gaze on Cassie and him, their expressions a mask of cold stone.
A chill ran down his spine. At the same time, he thought he felt Cassie's shadow shiver slightly.
'…Crap.' He did not have a good feeling about this.
Effie hauled Sunny to his feet, prying Nephis' hands off of him, earning her a very displeased frown. But the huntress merely ignored it and dragged Sunny to the center of the room. Meanwhile, Kai offered a small apology to Cassie and moved the blind girl from where she sat to stand beside Sunny.
Then, one by one, each of the three of them took turns to face Sunny and Cassie… and punched them.
Kai went first, using a surprising amount of strength, considering his usually gentle demeanor and the very low probability of the charming archer ever hurting his friends. It was strong enough that Sunny felt a slight sting in his skull.
Next was Jet, who hit them with a moderate level of force befitting that of a fed up superior to their incompetent subordinates… probably. It was stronger than Kai's though, for sure.
Sunny and Cassie rubbed their heads in pain, wincing… and froze.
It was Effie's turn. The huntress cracked her knuckles menacingly.
From the side, Nephis shifted, a look of worry crossing her usually impassive face.
"Effie, go easy on them…"
She started, but before she could even say more, two fists fell on the crowns of Sunny and Cassie's head with bone-jarring force. The punch was so powerful they were sent sprawling to the ground.
There were even tiny cracks in the stonework of the tower.
Stars erupted across Sunny's vision, and he had the thought that his skull might be cracked a bit.
'Damnation, that hurts!'
Beside him, Cassie was out cold, her body limp on the stone floor.
Kai gaped at her body, suddenly concerned that they had overdone it, but Effie reassured him with a dismissive wave.
Jet winced a little. "She's fine… don't worry."
Nephis hurriedly kneeled down beside the unconscious woman and placed a hand on her forehead, which was bleeding a little, red staining a few strands of blonde hair. A moment later, white flames infused Cassie's skin, mending it.
Groaning faintly, Sunny pushed himself back into a sitting position.
He looked at the scene before him and pitied the blind oracle a little, for she was not as physically strong as Sunny though she was a Supreme as she didn't have the Jade Mantle to bolster her defenses. But as quickly as it came, his pity vanished and was replaced by jealousy.
'Why does she get to feel Neph's flames and not me!?'
Of course, Cassie couldn't feel anything since she wasn't even awake, but that did not stop Sunny from feeling envious.
Unfortunately, Nephis did not seem to think he needed any healing.
'Not fair…'
With a heavy sigh full of regret, Sunny gazed up at the others.
Their eyes were unreadable, lips pressed into a thin line.
- - -
The three of them — Kai, Effie, and Jet — were feeling all sorts of things.
Jet leveled a hard gaze on Sunny, studying his pale face.
After a moment, she spoke, "We understand your reasons, Sunny. We don't fault you for what you did, make no mistake of it. But even so, the fact that you've betrayed our trust remains. So, I hope you understand, too, that we're hurt."
She made no attempts to mask the disappointment in her voice. Sunny's dark eyes swirled as he stared at them.
They did not blame him for his actions.
They did not condemn him for desiring freedom.
They did not hate him, most importantly, for abandoning them.
For betraying them — because that's what it was, even if they did not fault him for it: betrayal.
But they would be lying if they said they weren't hurt, that they weren't disappointed.
Because they were.
They had trusted him, placed their lives in his confidence.
They had counted on him to watch their backs, like he always had.
And he had not shown up in the end.
That wasn't even the worst part, however.
Kai inclined his head, agreeing with Jet. There was a sad smile curling his lips, green eyes flickering between Sunny and Nephis as he addressed them both.
"I cannot lie, Sunny… but I'm disappointed. I'm disappointed that none of you ever spoke up. You guys are always keeping secrets from the rest of us."
What hurt the most… was the fact that Sunny and Cassie, even Nephis, had kept so much from them.
The three of them had all been left in the dark.
Alienated, even in their own cohort.
Kai lifted a shoulder in a half-shrug, trying but failing to make light of his feelings, even as he confessed his true thoughts.
"It makes us feel like we're a separate part of the team sometimes, like we're only a secondary component. Like we do not matter as much."
Sunny, Nephis and Cassie had traveled together for two months alone in the depths of the Forgotten Shore. An experience like that would make anyone band together more tightly than any other.
Still.
Had the rest not gone through thick and thin, life and death, together, too?
Kai and Effie had been a part of the cohort since the Dark City. They had fought together in the Siege of the Crimson Spire, had worked for months to return to the Waking World again. They had conquered their Second Nightmare alongside Sunny and Cassie.
Meanwhile Jet had been through the hell that was the Antarctic Center with Sunny. They had watched their soldiers die to the Winter Beast, had lived on knowing they were the only survivors of that accursed creature. They bonded over the fact that they both came from the slums, too.
So, why was it that there was a wall separating them still?
"I hope," Kai said, "that you guys can be more open in the future. Please stop hiding things from us. It's really saddening, to learn that there was so much going on that we weren't made aware of."
Effie, hands on her hip and a deep furrow to her brows, fixed Sunny and Nephis with a glowering look. Her expression was arranged in the stern scolding manner of a mother.
"We are a team, aren't we?" She questioned them. "Since the Forgotten Shore and Antarctica."
They could only nod wordlessly.
Effie continued on.
"After all the shit we've been through together, I say we are as good as family, so we should act like it. If there's a problem, we will deal with it as a team, not alone, because that's what it means to be a team."
A small smile came to her lips.
"A family."
- - -
There was a short bout of silence.
Sunny and Nephis both wore a solemn look on their faces. Their heads were lowered in shame, acknowledging their wrongs.
What Kai, Effie, and Jet had said… They were right.
'Of course they're right.' Sunny scoffed at himself internally.
The six of them were a team, perhaps the strongest the world had ever seen — two worlds even.
And as a team, they were supposed to be unified. They were supposed to work together, to help each other, to support each other.
Humanity depended on them.
Drama and secrets… In the grand scheme of things, those were but insignificant trivialities, something not worth losing sleep over.
Why should they allow themselves to be divided because of such frivolous things?
What humanity needed from them was unity and competence, and unity and competence they would deliver.
Because if not them then who?
Who else was capable of leading humanity as one?
No one. Not right now.
Sunny squeezed Nephis' hand and felt her return the gesture.
At last, they realized just how lucky the three of them, including Cassie, were. That despite everything, their friends had still followed them and supported their goals and ambitions.
They were grateful beyond belief, a ball of warmth settling deep in their chests.
Who could have asked for better friends? Kai, Effie and Jet… they were already the best. There was simply no one better.
A fierce determination ignited in their hearts.
They apologized from the bottom of their hearts. And they made a promise, that they would never keep each other in the dark again. That they would solve everything as a team.
As a family.
- - -
Not long after, Nephis made sure Cassie was comfortable, lying on a couch. The blind girl was still unconscious, even now, which really showed just how much strength Effie had used earlier.
The huntress in question grimaced as she gazed upon the unmoving body. "Oops? Ah… We need to repeat our whole speech when she wakes up… Damnation, I shouldn't have used so much force."
Nephis only sighed. "I tried to warn you…"
She shook her head and approached Sunny, who was still sitting on the floor, back leaning against the wall. She unceremoniously picked him up and began dragging him out of the room, not even bothering to hide her clinginess… no, not clinginess. She was just worried — yes, she was worried about him.
The others watched her go with a peculiar expression on their face.
A moment passed, then Jet announced she was going to take a walk outside and left, leaving Kai and Effie alone, with a passed-out Cassie.
"…What now?" Kai asked Effie, who simply shrugged.
It was then the door opened, and Morgan entered the room.
"Well, that was a sight to behold." She commented, referring to Nephis and Sunny, wearing an expression equal parts amused and bemused.
Then, she looked at Kai and Effie.
"So, what happened to my warbow?"