Leon was sitting in Changing Star's office, sipping from the Endless Spring as cool wind moved through the open window.
Sunny sat beside him, eyes closed. He had been too tired recently, so he tried getting any sleep he could.
Cassie sat opposite them, hands folded in her lap. She was not fidgeting or nervous. Which was new to Leon.
Nephis entered the room, closing the door behind her, and exhaling a breath of relief.
She took the seat beside Cassie, then looked at Leon. The crooked smile she gave him was still slightly wrong — still the smile of someone who had learned the shape of it rather than the feeling.
"Welcome back, Leon."
He lowered the bottle and smiled.
"Thanks, Neph."
Cassie spoke in a broken voice.
"We thought... We thought you died..."
Leon smiled.
"My death was... greatly exaggerated."
Sunny's eyes stayed closed.
"What happened... after"
The words died in his mouth. There was no clean way to say after the tentacle pulled you under, and we watched you disappear and then we stood on that platform for a long time not knowing whether to move.
Leon exhaled slowly, and crossed his arms.
"Well." He took another sip. "The tentacle guy let me go after realizing how hot I was."
Which was technically true, given the underwater detonation.
Nephis and Cassie stared at him with expressions that had stopped being surprised a long time ago and had become something more resigned.
"After which I washed up on a rock somewhere. Honestly." He glanced at the ceiling. "I thought I was dead. I was mostly just lucky."
Nephis lowered her head as she clenched her fist.
Cassie, though — Cassie just listened. No tears at the edges of her eyes, no trembling lip. She held her glass with both hands and waited for him to continue.
Leon glanced at Cassie, and noted her indifference mentally.
"Then, I found a hole in the ground."
Sunny's mouth curved slightly, eyes still closed. "You jumped into the hole."
Leon smiled.
"Am I that predictable?"
The two girls looked at him with blank expressions.
"Right." He shifted in the chair. "After that, I stumbled onto a wolf's den. She was unhappy about it and tried to bite my face off, so we had an argument."
Sunny opened one eye. "An argument."
Leon nodded, smiling.
"Yes. She lost the argument."
"Let me guess." Sunny sat up slightly. "You got her as an Echo."
Leon just smiled.
That was when Sunny suddenly sensed a shadow materialize nearby. He slowly moved his eyes across the room and saw what looked to be a wolf's shadow approach them.
Leon continued without acknowledging it.
Sunny glanced at Nephis and Cassie. Neither of them had noticed. He looked back at Leon, who was already moving on, and understood. He said nothing.
"After that, I hatched the egg." Leon raised a hand in a vague gesture toward the sky. "Got Birdie. Flew here."
Nephis looked up from her hands.
"The journey must have been hard. Alone."
Noah smiled.
"Sometimes, I feel alone hearing all this foreshadowing around me."
Leon looked at her for a moment.
"Mm."
He didn't elaborate. There was a version of the answer that was honest — about the labyrinth, about weeks of silence, about how the absence of people affected you in ways you couldn't think of.
Leon narrowed his eyes.
"Forget that, how are you guys?"
Cassie straightened slightly. "Nephis is leading the people of the outer settlement."
Leon glanced at Nephis.
"Ah yes, I met that Gunlaug guy."
Sunny frowned. "You're probably being hunted now."
"A bounty." Leon considered this. "Honestly, a step up from my usual situation."
"Make sure to get a straw hat," Noah said, sprawled across the table with his chin resting on his folded arms.
Leon then let the bottle vanish into tiny white sparks as his expression grew annoyed.
"I actually met a peculiar girl out there."
Cassie's head tilted upward almost imperceptibly.
"A girl?"
"Real glutton, I tell you. Eating so much meat." He paused, watching the ceiling. "I killed her—"
He paused, taking another sip from the Endless Spring.
The three widened their eyes in horror. Sunny's mouth gaped open, while Nephis widened her eyes. Cassie's hand began trembling, while water slipped out of the cup she was holding.
"—almost."
He finished.
Nephis rest her face onto her palms as she exhaled softly. Sunny leaned back onto the chair as he looked up — looking like he could faint any moment.
Cassie's arm shivered uncontrollably as she tried picking up a glass of water nearby and brought it to her lips.
"After that I went to the castle. I saw the dude with a cool armor, which by the way wasn't an armor — and that's why I went up to say hi."
Sunny let out a shallow breath.
"Went up to say hi..."
He muttered to himself.
Nephis lifted her head. "What do you mean it's not armor?"
"It's an Echo."
Nephis went quiet, while her gaze grew thoughtful.
"Then I stumbled onto you guys."
He finished and sighed.
Cassie smiled. It was small and genuine — nothing like the smile she used to give him.
That was when Leon realized. Cassie had not grown indifferent or cold. She had matured.
After spending so long on the Forgotten Shore, she stopped being a crybaby — she had simply grown.
At that moment, the door to Changing Star's office suddenly burst open as Caster entered the room.
"Lady Nephis, Huntress Athena is back."
Leon's eyes narrowed at the mention of the name.
'Athena? Here?'
Then Effie came through the door behind him.
"Guys, I just met the most handsome, arrogant—"
But right as she said that, she saw Leon's lazy figure sitting there in front of her. Effie froze as she blinked.
They stared at each other across the room.
"You—"
"You—"
The two seemed to be in sync as they simultaneously spoke.
After a while of staring, Sunny coughed.
"Effie. This is our friend Leon, he was with us at the beginning, but then got... separated."
He said in a calm voice.
Effie's mouth gaped open as she stared down at Leon.
"I see." She looked at Nephis, then back at Leon. "Is he your brother, princess? You two look alike."
Cassie went completely still. Her eyes narrowed slightly — which perhaps only Noah noticed.
Sunny began explaining how they'd met. Effie listened with considerable interest, eyes sharp and moving between faces.
Leon smiled at the appropriate moments and let his attention drift.
'Nephis is trying to claim Gunlaug's throne...'
That much was obvious. Which meant his little performance against Harus had already complicated things.
Once word spread that he was allied with Changing Star, her influence would shift — possibly enough to destabilize the cold war into something warmer and bloodier.
Gunlaug would lose his high standing, even worse, a civil war could break out within the castle. Too many lives would be lost.
'Or...'
If the other lieutenants knew Changing Star had such a strong ally, her influence could naturally grow into an alliance
That was when Caster entered the room again.
"Lady Nephis, Tessai is here."
Leon raised his head slowly and looked at Caster.
Nephis stood up, and walked out. Everyone followed except Leon and Sunny, who stayed exactly where they were.
They remained silent for a while. Leon opened his mouth to talk, but he noticed Sunny's expression turn serious.
"Leon..."
"Yeah?"
"Remember Cassie's prophecy?"
Raising an eyebrow, Leon muttered.
"The seven heads one?"
Sunny nodded slowly. He opened his mouth to continue — but a voice came through the window.
"Eye-Patch! I know you're here!"
Lifting his head up, he slowly stood up and walked toward the window. But his arm was grabbed by Sunny.
"It's better if he doesn't see you here."
Leon looked at him for a moment, then pulled his hood up.
The Stillmind Shroud settled over him — his thoughts going quiet, his presence thinning out of the room.
Sunny watched Leon disappear. He widened his eyes slightly, but still kept track of Leon through Shadow Sense.
Leon approached the window and looked down.
He saw the morose giant stand directly in front of the large building. He had his eyes fixed on Nephis, who was approaching him from the entrance at an unhurried pace, one hand resting on the hilt of her longsword.
"Changing Star."
He said with a pause.
"Tell eye-patch to surrender himself by tomorrow, or else the bright lord will have to take action."
Nephis stopped a few meters away.
He couldn't really catch Nephis's expression. He could only see her silver hair fluttering in the wind.
'I wonder what she's going to say...'
Nephis just stood there. She didn't deny knowing him, or feign ignorance either. She just stood there with one hand resting on the hilt of her longsword.
Tessai's expression slowly turned into a frown.
Tessai chuckled.
"Silence won't help you anymore, wench."
Nephis slowly unsheathed her longsword, and held to her side — blade pointing down.
Tessai's eyes twitched, but he didn't move.
"You have one day."
He turned back and started to leave.
Everyone gathered near the commotion showed expressions of worry and anxiety.
And yet... Not a single person spoke up about Leon's arrival in the outer settlement.
Not a single person showed fear on their face.
But then again...
Leon pulled back from the window.
"Sunny. How did Tessai know to look here?"
Sunny's jaw tightened. "Someone told him. Or he already had eyes on the settlement."
"Already has someone watching," Leon said.
"What do you think, though?"
"About what?"
Sunny asked.
"About what Nephis is planning."
Sunny frowned.
"I..."
He hesitated for a while before speaking again.
"I don't know."
Leon looked at him.
'Don't know, or don't want to say.'
Before Leon could question him more, Nephis entered the office again along with Caster, Effie and Cassie.
Caster was walking closely behind Nephis.
"Lady Nephis, I've already told you — this man's presence is a liability. If Gunlaug decides to—"
Nephis raised her palm, gesturing Caster to remain quiet.
She then turned to Leon.
"Go rest for now. We'll talk later."
Leon narrowed his eyes slightly.
'Is she ordering me?'
Leon held her gaze for a moment, then nodded.
***
They put him in a room in the outer settlement's main building — plain stone walls, a narrow bed, a window that looked out at an alley.
He lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
Nephis is planning something he didn't know. Something she likely wouldn't share.
Cassie is three steps ahead of where he initially expected her to be.
Caster was too careful, too close to Nephis, too useful to be just loyal.
Sunny was hiding something that was bothering him — had been bothering him since before Leon arrived, probably.
He closed his eyes and slipped into the Soul Sea.
***
The vast blue stretched in every direction. The fracture lines from the fog creature's roots had faded, but the water in that direction still felt faintly wrong — slightly too still, like a wound that had closed without fully healing.
Birdie was lying on the surface of the water, wings folded, enormous and apparently comfortable. Aurelia was sitting with her back against the bird's side, eyes closed, the faint ember-light around her rising and falling with her breathing.
She opened her eyes when he arrived. Her gaze moved past him, to where Noah appeared.
Noah looked back at her with the expression he always wore around her.
"What do you think?" Leon asked.
Aurelia closed her eyes again.
"We need to get more information."
"Are you safe here?" Noah said.
Leon nodded.
"Caster is careful, he won't try to kill me anytime soon."
Leon slowly sat down on the water of the Soul Sea.
"Sunny's probably watching me with his shadow."
"You just had to show off," Aurelia said.
Leon hissed.
"I wasn't trying to."
Noah exhaled slowly.
"You must already know about Song and Valor, let me explain Changing Star's clan."
Leon turned to Noah as he narrowed his eyes. He remembered how Effie kept calling her 'princess'.
"Immortal Flame used to be a big clan, led by one of the strongest people."
Noah crossed his arms.
"Nephis's grandfather was the first person to clear the second Nightmare, achieving the status of Master."
He paused, glancing at Aurelia.
"A Master is the term they use to address Ascended."
"Later, her father — Broken Sword, was the first to clear the third Nightmare, becoming a Saint, a Transcendant."
Leon hummed in understanding.
"He cleared the second Nightmare alongside a woman called Smile of Heaven. Her mother."
Noah's voice stayed level. "Smile of Heaven died in the American disaster. Before Broken Sword became a Saint."
For some inexplicable reason, Leon's chest felt heavy as soon as Noah mentioned Smile of Heaven's death. He pushed it down, assuming it was sympathy for Nephis, and kept his face neutral.
Aurelia finally broke the silence.
"What happened there?"
Noah frowned slightly.
"A Category Five Nightmare Gate. Possible Great, Cursed or even Unholy creatures leaking out of the Dream Realm."
Leon widened his eyes slightly, as bits and pieces of information entered his mind slowly. It felt like new memories merging in, rather than resurfacing.
"The Nightmare Gate is still open right?"
Noah slowly turned his head towards Leon, with a frown etched all over.
"You're still a Sleeper."
Leon's gaze grew serious.
Noah shook his head, ignoring Leon's death wish.
"Broken Sword also died, leading the entire clan to dissolve into practically nothing. Changing Star is the sole survivor right now."
Leon questioned.
"How did he die?"
Noah remained quiet for a while.
"I..."
He sighed.
"Can't tell you right now."
Nodding, Leon continued.
"Her goals aren't simple. I want to trust her — she's my friend. But simple trust isn't the same as blind trust."
Noah exhaled.
"Broken sword was actually allied with the Valor clan head, Song clan head and—"
He frowned.
"—Someone else. They used to be a sort of cohort."
"Cohort?"
Noah nodded slowly.
"Don't ally yourself with those two clans if you want to stay friendly with Nephis."
"Who is the third person?"
Noah chuckled nervously.
"It's too early for you to know."
Leon exhaled. He looked at the Resonance Core drifting above them, slow and steady.
"I'll go investigate the castle more. If we are getting out of here, I will make sure everyone does too."
He looked at Aurelia. "Someone once told me not to be selfish."
She opened one eye. "That was directed at your friends. Not your strategic planning."
"I'm choosing to apply it broadly."
She shook her head. But she was smiling.
***
He opened his eyes in the plain room and lay there for a moment listening to the outer settlement outside.
Getting up from his bed, he approached the nearby window and slowly opened it.
"Where are you going?"
Leon froze. His cloak was on, his mind was calm. He was supposed to be invisible.
He turned his head slowly.
Cassie was sitting in the chair in the corner of the room. Hands folded, completely still. The chair was angled slightly toward the window, like she'd been waiting for exactly this.
"Cassie."
"Yes?"
'How?'
He knew her senses were sharp — he'd been there for part of that sharpening. But during the Fallen Monster hunt, she hadn't detected him. He was certain of it.
But the main problem was that he had not noticed Cassie's presence either.
He was no expert at awareness, but he wasn't an amateur. She hadn't made a sound, hadn't shifted her breathing, hadn't done anything that should have registered as presence. She'd just been there, completely masked by her... her helpless-looking nature.
'Monster,' Noah had said, a long time ago. He'd thought he understood what that meant.
Perhaps he still didn't.
"You're not going to try and kill Gunlaug or something, right?"
She stood and crossed the room. Took his hands in both of hers.
"Please don't do something reckless again." A pause. Her voice dropped slightly. "I can't lose you again."
Leon was confused whether to be wary of her, or be happy that she cared.
Leon looked at her for a moment. Cassie's expression was serious — in a way that was never serious before.
He slowly lifted his free hand and ruffled her hair.
"I'm just trying to understand what's happening. That's all."
"Promise?"
Her blue eyes were aimed just slightly past his face. As if she could see into his soul.
"I promise you I won't do something reckless... yet."
Cassie's mouth pressed together. She let his hand slip from her grip.
"Alright." She slowly nodded. "I believe you."
He smiled and turned for the window.
"But not before you eat something."
His eyes softened. He could feel the hunger claw at his stomach. The feeling had simply been overshadowed by Omen of Insight.
Exhaling slowly, he gave in to her requests, and followed her to have some lunch together.
***
After two more promises, one detailed explanation of why he did not intend to fight Tessai today, and a meal that was considerably better than anything produced in the Crimson Labyrinth, Leon finally left the building.
The place looked cheerful. Everyone were moving around, trying to be helpful in any way possible. Even the frailest of people were following others around with a smile on their faces.
Leon could hear many of them chant Changing Star's name, as though she was their goddess, and not another Sleeper trapped on the Forgotten Shore.
Everyone he looked at, had hope in their eyes.
"This is admirable, honestly," he said quietly.
Noah, walking somewhere behind him, said nothing.
"She's gained the trust of this many people, this quickly. People who've been here for years. People who stopped expecting anything."
Noah frowned.
"You don't think it's weird?"
"I know." Leon looked at some people lifting boxes. "But the fact that she managed to make these people feel like going home is possible again — I'm saying that's what's admirable. Whatever the rest of it is. The hope in them—"
"Hope is not exactly salvation." Noah's expression grew grim."Sometimes... it can be poisonous."
Leon narrowed his eyes.
"Hope can be poisonous, huh..."
Noah nodded slowly.
"Let's hope Changing Star doesn't misuse their trust."
Leon shook his head.
"Of course she... won't..."
His thoughts grew wary.
Nephis had something hidden, accomplishing goals that did not suit her personality. He knew very well she was not the 'Saint Nephis' type of person.
Cassie had grown into something he did not want to describe. Her soft and gullible nature seemed to disappear day by day.
Although he was glad to be her friend, he was still wary of her.
Sunny was probably the only one he could trust. While cunning in nature, Sunny was definitely kind... ish. But more importantly, he never lied.
'More like he couldn't...'
As he approached the gate, Leon began exploring the castle next.
***
He spent the entire evening mapping out everything within the Bright Castle.
Gunlaug's five lieutenants weren't simply strong individuals — each of them was the center of something.
Tessai led the Castle Guards. The largest group by number, responsible for the walls and the gates. Bottom of the hierarchy in practice, because what they did was essential but replaceable — anyone with enough endurance could learn to hold a post.
Gemma commanded two groups. The Hunters and the Pathfinders.
Hunters were basically the elite forces. Every morning, one party left the marble walls and ventured into the dark city. As their name suggested, they hunted. They were mainly recruited from the ranks of Castle Guards, making them rank above the guards.
Pathfinders were more unique. They served as guides for the parties, knowing every corner of the dark city. Not everyone were good at it however, as there were very few pathfinders. And even fewer were as competent as Effie, Huntress Athena.
Leon learned that Gunlaug wanted to recruit her mainly, and yet she had been on Changing Star's side.
Next was Kido, a young woman who led the Artisans. Artisans were responsible for creating items vital for survival of the Hunters. Basically, they were the people who provided all sorts of armory and gear to the combatants. Their social hierarchy was a bit messy however, as many did not see their true value.
The last and most interesting group to Leon, mainly because of their leader were the Handmaidens. On the surface, a harem — the kind of arrangement Gunlaug apparently considered a perk of the throne. Underneath that surface, something else entirely.
The handmaidens were trained in combat. He could tell by their subtle movements and mannerism. Leon did not manage to gather more information on them as he was wary of Seishan and her keen senses.
She was like a beast who could sniff him out even with his cloak.
Though he wanted to meet Seishan as soon as possible and fulfill his promise to Sera, Noah told him to wait.
Harus himself led nothing. No group, no faction, no responsibilities beyond one. The executioner. The blade that Gunlaug pointed.
Leon walked back toward the outer settlement as the dark sea crept in at the edges of the labyrinth.
***
As Leon walked back toward the main hall, he noticed Caster by chance. Caster moved like he didn't want to be followed.
He went into some sort of makeshift hut.
'This late?'
Leon quietly followed him and slowly entered the hut without his notice.
The hut he entered was made of rotting pieces of wood, with plenty of cracks.
The aroma however, smelled of alcohol. The flooring was made of dried seaweed as he saw his friend sitting on it.
He slipped in through the entrance behind Caster without touching the frame.
Leon narrowed his eyes after entering the hut.
'Sunny?'
Sunny was sitting on the floor, his expression mixed between fear and guilt.
Leon hadn't seen this sort of fear on him before — the fear of someone who had done something that cannot be undone and is still deciding whether to look at it directly.
Caster was talking to Sunny. But the words filtered past Leon without landing — because he had already seen the third person in the room.
The same young man Sunny had been watching in the main hall. Thin face, clean clothes, the too-careful neatness of someone with something to hide.
Noah frowned, and exhaled slowly.
"Harper."
Harper was sitting on the dried seaweed floor, with a dagger buried in his chest — his eyes open and completely still.
'What?'
Sunny's eyes found Leon immediately — shadow sense, no surprise there — and in them, Leon read the whole shape of it without needing the words.
I didn't plan this.
It just happened.
I don't know what to do...
Leon stood there in the orange light and the salt-smell, looking at the body, and didn't say anything yet. Actually, he couldn't.