Third POV:
Nephis flinched and tore her eyes away from Kai. After a few seconds, Changing Star cautiously leaned forward and whispered:
"Sunny... what is Night doing here?"
Sunny suppressed a chuckle.
"He's the friend I was waiting for."
She lingered, then shook her head:
"No, I mean what is he doing here?"
The emphasis was on the word "here".
Sunny replied trying not to trigger his flaw.
"I saved his life in the ruins, so he's doing me a favor in castle."
Nephis stared at him with desperation, then shook her head again:
"No, I mean what is Night doing here, on the Forgotten Shore!"
Sunny faked a scowl. He was enjoying himself, This was the whole reason why Sunny brought Kai here, and he wasn't planning to let this golden opportunity slip away until he gets to the bottom of it. So he asked:
"Did you guys know each other in the real world? He is obviously a sleeper."
Nephis looked at him with a funny expression. She awkwardly opened her mouth, then closed it again. Finally, she forced herself to speak:
"You... you don't know who he is?"
Meanwhile, Kai, who was politely staying silent through this whole weird conversation, smiled dazzlingly and said:
"He really doesn't. Isn't it wonderful? He didn't even bother to ask."
Sunny gave him a look.
"Am I supposed to know his identity? I know his name which is Kai and the fact that he's a sleeper. Is there Anything necessary that I should know beside that?"
Which was true. Sunny was never interested in the idol industry to begin with.
Neph was silent for a while, then loudly whispered:
"That's Night, you idiot! Night from Nightingale! The Night!"
Sunny almost broke his character:
"What are you talking about? What is he...a bird?"
Nephis looked at Kai, paled even more, and finally said in a small voice:
"It's... only the best and most famous idol group of the last decade. Triple Orpheus winners, one hundred consecutive weeks at the top of all charts, six diamond albums. That... that Nightingale. That Night. The lead vocalist..."
Sunny simply stared at Nephis. Her facial expressions were too funny for him to hold in anymore. She was Wide-eyed with frowned eyebrows, her voice slightly high-pitched, and nervously flickering her eyes back and forth. She was utterly starstruck.
He remained silent for a while.
And then exploded into laughter.'Gods... oh gods! Nephis is a fangirl! What the Spell, that's too funny...
Even though he already knew Sunny couldn't help himself. When they first met in the previous, she had been wearing headphones the whole time. He realized that Neph was into music much earlier.
The Mighty and stoic Changing Star, brought down by a dainty idol boy...That was just too hilarious!
He wasn't even jealous. What were the chances of meeting her bias in the damn Dark City? You couldn't come up with that crap!
As he was dying from laughter, both Changing Star and Kai glared at him with difficult expressions. However, Sunny just couldn't stop. His laughter only died down after he began wheezing.
"Sorry, sorry. I just... didn't expect it. From you. Ha! Oh, gods. As for your question, Night has been here for about two and a half years. He lives in the castle..."
Nephis seemed thoughtful for a few moments, then glanced at Kai with wide eyes.
"Two and a half years? But... but I thought that Nightingale was just on hiatus because of Gale's solo project..."
Kai smiled apologetically.
"I'm afraid not. I have indeed spent all this time here, in the Dark City. My agency had to come up with some cover story, I guess. With how things are, they can't even spin things and release a posthumous album, poor guys. You know, since I'm not technically dead, or even Hollow. Just... asleep.
Neph gave him a shy nod.
"Oh. I see."
Trying to remove the awkward atmosphere, Kai offered her another smile.
"By the way, it's so nice to meet another friend of Sunny's. What a surprise! I thought that he was a complete... uh... a solitary person. I'm sorry, but I didn't catch your name. Was it Neph?"
Looking at him, Sunny grinned. Then, he cleared his throat and said in a relaxed tone:
"Oh right, I forgot to introduce you. Sorry, my bad. Night, this is Nephis. Although these days she goes by another name. You might have heard it... Meet Changing Star of the Immortal Flame clan."
...Now, it was Kai's turn to stare at Neph with horror. The corner of his eye twitched.
Sunny was enjoying his time looking at his friends throwing the hot potato from one side to the other.
However, due to Kai's idol training, he managed to hide his emotions much faster. Blinking a few times, he lingered for a moment, and then said in his smooth, enchanting voice:
"Oh. It's... a pleasure to meet you, my lady. I have... have heard so much about you. It's an honor!"
Nephis turned away, trying to hide a hint of blush on her cheeks. Staring at the distance, she hesitated, then awkwardly said:
"So... uh... your friend is already here, Sunny. Can we go have a talk now?"
She glanced at him and added after a bit of hesitation:
"I have something important to discuss with you. It's... a matter of life and death."
Already knowing what it was about Sunny quickly answered:
"Sure, Let's go."
Kai looked at the two as they followed each other and silently tried to dismiss himself. It looked quite the serious matter so he didn't want to get involved.
Only for Sunny's arm to wrap itself around his shoulders in a necklock.
"Where do you think you're going? You're coming with us."
Kai looked slightly troubled but nodded nevertheless and followed their lead.
*******
Soon they arrived at the lodge that served as the headquarters of Changing Star's party.
Now, it was by far the largest building in the outer settlement, almost starting to resemble a small town hall. It was heavily fortified, too, especially from the side that faced the white road. A couple of lookouts were visible on the roof, observing the ruins below. They were wearing armor-type Memories and holding bows in their hands. It was a far cry from how things were before.
Suddenly Nephis stopped by a recently built wooden bench and stared at it strangely.
Noticing that Sunny asked:
"Neph, what's wrong?"
She simply stared back at him. Her face expressionless.
"Nothing, don't worry about it."
It was obvious for Sunny to tell that she was annoyed at him. But he paid it no mind. Moving forward, Nephis Soon entered the Lodge followed by Sunny and Kai.
The receptionist woman greeted Changing Star and welcomed her into the building.
Finally, Nephis led them to the area that used to be the central hall of the old lodge. Now, it was separated from the rest of it by a thick wall, with a sturdy wooden door barring the way inside. Sunny took a deep breath, then walked in. He had imagined that moment a lot of times ever since he woke up in the Dark City.
Inside the room, a wide window opened onto an eerily breathtaking view of the Dark City. On the wall beside it, a map of the ruins was littered with various markings that contained valuable information. They seemed to be much denser than before. There was a large wooden table beside the window, around which stood seven makeshift chairs. Currently, only three are occupied. Effie was sitting on one, her feet unceremoniously resting on the table with a bowl of what seemed like a meat stew on her lap.
As always she looked extremely comfortable and relaxed. On the chair next to her, a beautiful blind girl was cradling a cup in her delicate hands. It was Cassie. And Across from them was Caster.
The four of them were the core of the Immortal Flame hunting party.
Once Sunny and Kai entered, everyone turned to them. a grin crept over Sunny's face.
"Oh, so many familiar faces. Hi, everyone. No need to say how much you missed me because I did miss you guys too. Anyway, this is Kai. Kai, say hi to everyone — these are Cassie, Caster, and Effie. You already know Nephis."
Giving him a strange look, the charming archer smiled dazzlingly and said in his stupidly beautiful voice:
"Uh... hello. Lady Nephis, Cassie, Caster, huntress Athena... it's very nice to meet you."
Cassie giggled.
"Huh, you won't believe it guys, I thought I just heard Night from Nightingale say my name. Crazy, right?"
Kai blinked.
"Oh, sorry. I am Night from Nightingale, actually."
Effie just nodded at the Guy, too busy with her bowl. While Caster simply greeted him.
Cassie's face, meanwhile, grew deathly pale. An expression of utter terror appeared on it. Her hands trembled, and the cup she was holding fell from them.
Catching the cup just a moment before it hit the floor, Effie sighed and shook her head.
"Every time... this happens every time..."
The four people in the room reacted to his arrival differently. Nephis seemed to be indifferent, as always. However, Sunny knew her well enough to notice a tension hiding in the depths of her calm grey eyes. She was nervous about something. Caster greeted him with an amiable smile, but there was coldness hiding behind it. the handsome scion was not happy about this turn of events.
Effie looked at him with a genuine surprise.
"Doofus? You are actually alive?"
Sunny blinked and stared at her for a few moments, then said in a mocking tone:
"Sorry to disappoint."
She shook her head.
"No, no. Just... how the hell did you manage to survive three whole months in the ruins?"
He grinned.
"What can I say? I had a good teacher."
Since Effie was the one who taught him how to navigate the Dark City, that compliment was directed at her. However, the huntress simply shook her head.
"No student of mine would be stupid enough to actually live in the ruins. Not to mention returning looking so....different."
he glanced at Effie and said:
"Yeah? Well... you look like you've gained a little weight...In all the right places."
The huntress glared at him for a few moments, then laughed.
"A girl got to eat. But also you seem to have grown some balls.....wanna die?"
Sunny chuckled.
"The Chances of me being eaten by you are already higher than the chances of being killed by a nightmare creature. And dying is too pedestrian for me so I will decline."
He said waving his hand. Effie wore a smile but she looked quite annoyed. It seems his provocation was effective.
And finally, there was Cassie.
Looking at her so many emotions came to the surface. There had been a time when Sunny and Cassie were close as siblings, and a time when they were like strangers, but it took a long time for Sunny to want to mend their relationship back to how it was before, but Cassie seemed unwilling. Despite all of that....Sunny still held her dear.
At the Forgotten Shore, She was forced to make a terrible decision, with both choices being a betrayal. And she chose to help Neph, who was with her first. Who saved her when he would have just left her to die. Rationally Sunny was able to understand but was too heartbroken to accept it at that time.
He just wanted someone to blame. and Cassie was the perfect option for it.
After that No one knew what Cassie was thinking, even Nephis, who was the closest to her, could not tell what was happening in that head of hers. that perhaps was the curse of being a seer.
Sunny only had a hunch about why she kept herself closed.
He only later learned what it was when the Category Six Gate opened, as she completely distanced herself from the cohort.
He discovered That Cassie knew when each and every one of them were going to die. And to save herself the suffering she chose to cut and distance herself from the cohort. Which left a bitter taste in his mouth.
'Knowledge can be heavier than the heaviest thing in the world, Ha.'
Of course No one would allow themselves to be attached to people they knew would die, no matter how much they loved them.
Especially when you can't even do anything about it.
That was her curse.
Soon her voice brought him back to reality.
"Welcome back, Sunny. I'm so happy that you are alright."
Giving him a polite smile, she grew silent and turned away. Walking up to her, Sunny ruffled her hair as he passed by her before taking the seat right beside her.
"Yeah...I'm happy to see you too."
She silently raised her hand and touched the top of her head, her face hanging low.
Kai Circled around the table and sat right beside Sunny as Caster Stood and walked to the board to stand beside Nephis.
Glaring at Sunny, Caster seemed like he was trying to show Sunny his Place. Sunny lightly chuckled.
'How Cute.'
And then asked:
"So... what did you guys want to discuss?"
Nephis and Caster exchanged glances. Before saying anything, Caster walked over to the door and closed it. After that, he summoned a Memory that looked like a bone flute and placed it on the table. Immediately, something in the room imperceptibly changed.
Then Nephis took a seat on the table. The handsome young man sat on a chair next to Changing Star and said:
"This Memory has an enchantment that creates a cone of silence. No one outside this room will be able to hear what we're talking about now."
Knowing that Sunny Simply nodded and said:
"So, the Bright Lord is finally ready to obliterate you all? Can't say that I'm surprised. If anything, it's strange that he didn't make a move much earlier."
Effie giggled.
"Oh, did he ever..."
Nephis glanced at her, making the huntress fall silent, and turned to Sunny:
"You are right. The Bright Lord is indeed about to make a move. We have withstood his previous attacks, but they were just a rehearsal. A few provocations to test our strength. Now, he is ready to act in earnest. And that's why I need your help."
Sunny raised his eyebrow, he did want to agree immediately but held himself back and asked:
"I might be an immortal cockroach but how can someone like me help the great and mighty Changing Star of the Immortal Flame clan?"
Effie gave him and Nephis a strange look, then cleared her throat.
"Don't take it to heart, princess, but I sort of agree with Sunny. What can this little imp... uh, no offense, Sunny... do that we can't? I mean, he is a decent scout, but..."
"Hey! Offence taken! Wanna go down for an arm wrestling match?"
Sunny said grinning darkly.
'I will make sure to get back all the humiliation I suffered because of you!'
Changing Star smiled, then looked at Sunny.
"Don't be misled by his act, Effie. Sunny might behave like a cowardly weakling, but in fact, he's the last person in the Dark City I would want to face in combat. He is far more dangerous than anyone thinks he is. Isn't it right, Sunny?"
The smile froze on his face. A few moments passed in silence, with everyone staring at him. Finally, Sunny sighed.
"Oh well. I guess the secret is out of the box. Surprise, everybody! I am actually not a weakling. Who could have thought?"
Then, he glared at Effie and added in a mocking tone:
"Oh. My mistake. Everyone except for you already knew. It seems that you are..."
However, Neph interrupted him:
"That's why he was able to survive three months in the ruins, just like he had survived two in the Labyrinth. Sunny is an extremely formidable fighter."
'Is she flirting with me now?'
Knowing she was about to drop one of her awful praise attempts, he interrupted her:
"Thank you Neph, I'm flattered. Anyway, what exactly do you want me to do?"
Changing Star hesitated, then said:
"I want you to take Effie to your hideout in the ruins and keep her safe there for about a week."
Sunny Smiled.
"Sure, why not? But before that...don't you think that you guys owe me an explanation at least?"
**********
In the end, just like the previous round. Effie was framed in the death of the Six Guards.
Kai enthusiastically went on to describe how he was kidnapped, put in the well, and then rescued by a mysterious stranger — who turned out to be Sunny.
They simply assumed that they were killed by a Nightmare Creature on their way back and it just happened to occur right after they argued with Effie the day before.
After that, Caster sighed.
"Thank you, this is a very valuable piece of information. Sadly, it doesn't change anything. Effie is still in danger. The Bright Lord is going to use her as a hostage and force Lady Nephis to challenge him. If she does, he will kill her. If she doesn't, Effie will die, and our reputation will be ruined. Either way, he wins."
Sunny cast a sideways glance at Effie, who was still relaxed and seemingly undisturbed by the prospect of dying horribly in the dungeons of the Bright Castle. In fact, she was currently more interested in fishing out a piece of meat that was stuck between her pearly teeth and not paying Caster any attention.
Ignoring the Gluttonous Huntress. Sunny asked one last question.
"I see. Well, there is this one thing that I wanted to ask. You said to keep Effie safe for a week. What is going to change in a week? I doubt that Gunlaug will magically forget everything after a few days."
His question was just a moot. Sunny already knew the reason.
A heavy silence descended on the room. No one seemed to want to speak first. After a few moments passed, Nephis finally broke the silence. Looking in the window, she leaned back and said in her usual even, indifferent tone:
"In a week, we will be ready to leave the city."