Third POV:
Soon, another map was spread on the table. This one was drawn on a piece of crude parchment made out of monster hide, and much less detailed than the one hanging on the wall. Well, that was understandable. Because the second map did not depict the Dark City, but the Forgotten Shore itself. Sunny stared at it in silence.
..Yeah. Nephis had not wasted any time during these three months.
He had a rough idea of how she had gathered all this information, from the Song Daughter in the castle, the local stories, and eventually Cassie's vision.There were a lot of things that he recognized on the map.
At the center of it, a straight black like depicted the Crimson Spire. The Labyrinth flowed from it, devouring the parchment like an ocean of blood. To the east, a small circle of black ink with a symbol of a white tower inside of it marked the Dark City.
The city was perched on the edge of another, much larger circle. It didn't take too much effort to recognize the cyclopean crater — after all, Sunny had traversed it on a rickety boat once, a lifetime ago. However, looking at it in scale, he finally realized just how giant the crater was, and how vast the Forgotten Shore itself appeared.
'If this was the Forgotten Shore, Just how vast the nightmare desert is.'
The Nightmare Desert was a place where he faced so many harrowing creatures like the Skinwalker and it was where he challenged the Third Nightmare.
Back on Earth, it should be at least as large as several continents.
The Dream Realm was indeed much bigger than their own planet, considering that just one of its numerous regions was this enormous.
There were other symbols on the map that he did recognize. Several of them attracted his attention especially.
On the other side of the crater, almost exactly opposite the Dark City, a symbol of a tree depicted the Ashen Barrow. Some distance to the east of it, on a straight line, there was a mark in the shape of a red cross.
Another red cross was drawn inside the crater just outside the eastern side of the Dark City. The third one was about a week's worth of traveling time to the north, near a symbol that looked like a grotesque, misshapen skull. The fourth one was halfway between the ruins and the Crimson Spire. The fifth one lay to the south, about the same distance as the third, drawn atop the symbol of an arching bridge.
The last red cross was at the very edge of the parchment, far away to the south, beyond the Labyrinth. Near it, two symbols were drawn: one was a crown, and the other one was a question mark.
Sunny already knew what these crosses represented.
They were the giant statues of the seven forgotten heroes who had given the terrible oath to vanquish the darkness and created the Starlight Legion.
'And that Cursed Spire with its artificial Sun.'
The one to the east of the Soul Devourer was the statue of the knight that he had used as a shelter on his first night in the Dream Realm a lifetime ago.
The one near the walls of the city belonged to the woman whose hand had saved them from drowning in the dark sea on the night of their escape.
The other four crosses, marked four more headless statues.
But where was the seventh?
Only Sunny and probably Cassie knew it was on a patrol, around the forgotten shore.
Sunny glanced at the map and said:
"So let me get this straight. You want to leave the Dark City, cross the Labyrinth, reach the edges of the Forgotten Shore... and then return?"
Nephis smiled.
"Pretty much, yes."
He looked at her with a Funny look on his face and eventually smiled. And muttered.
"Very typical of you."
Everyone in the room had a vague idea of what course of action they were going to take the moment they return from the expedition. So Sunny took the initiative to make things clearer. So He added in an even voice:
"If we survive the months of traveling through the Labyrinth and manage to escape it, you want to return and challenge Gunlaug before setting siege toward the Crimson Spire, Right?"
The smile on her face almost unnoticeably widened, she was obviously satisfied. But the same couldn't be said for the other members of the cohort. Effie looked confused, Caster was Startled, Cassie looked at him in Surprise, and Kai was terrified. Changing Star lingered for a few moments, and said her voice even:
"You are right.....how did you know?"
"Wasn't obvious?"
Sunny asked. Taking in the view of his companions, each had a different reaction. Only Cassie seemed to want to ask the same question as Nephis.
Sunny rephrased his own experience in the previous round and shared it with them without revealing any unnecessary details. As he turned to Nephis he continued:
"Well, if you think about it wasn't your final goal to escape the Dream Realm through the gateway in the Crimson Spire? And to do that you must take the remaining Sleepers of the Forgotten Shore with you."
Looking back at Effie, Caster, and Kai, Sunny exhaled.
"You guys may not know that but Me, Cassie, and Nephis have spent a long time on the Ashen Barrow, Thanks to it we were able to locate where the Dark Sea emerged from and Where it retreated to."
Pointing at the symbol of the Crimson Spire on the map Sunny continued:
"Taking that into account, we can conclude that the spire itself is a fortress and it would be heavily fortified by nightmare creatures as well as the Dark Sea. It would only be appropriate to take as many available Sleepers as Possible....well at least those who have the desire to leave this hell hole."
Sunny wasn't playing the nerdy role at the moment but he simply wanted to avoid any potential suspension later on, if he acted on his own.
Nephis looked pretty much Satisfied with his explanation and Then pointed to the three symbols at the lower edge of the map: the red cross, the question mark, and the crown."
"Sunny has summarised the overall plan so now we should focus on this. The first lord of the castle led an expedition to find the way out of the Forgotten Shore. This is where their trace disappeared. From what we were able to learn, an unassailable mountain chain blocks the path to the south. They ventured into the mountains... and never returned. Nothing but death awaits us there."
Sunny leaned back in his chair.
"You weren't really looking for a way out... you're looking for the remains of the cohort of Sleepers that had conquered the castle fifteen years ago."
Neph nodded.
"There is an item that they took away from the castle. If we find it... we'll have a chance in the fight against Gunlaug."
Sunny Knew she was not telling them everything. She didn't want someone else in the room to hear them...
Sunny was staring at her for some time. Their eyes interlocked for a moment.
Misunderstanding it as doubt, Nephis added:
"The way to the mountains is not as dangerous as you think. There is... a method we can use to reach them comparatively safely. But once we're there... that's where we'll need your talents. Having you with us will make a lot of things easier."
Kai looked at her and politely asked:
"If I may ask Lady Nephis. How do you know all this? It's not like there's anyone in the Dark City who was alive back then."
Nephis shrugged.
"There isn't, but there are stories. Some written evidence. However, most of this we have learned from Cassie's visions."
She gave the blind girl a warm look.
"Cassie has helped us a lot."
Sunny was deep in his thoughts. He knew that Changing Star made this plan, and she had a good reason to believe that it was doable. Of course, there would be danger. Nothing on the Forgotten Shore was ever safe or easy. But there was a good opportunity in all of this, too.
Otherwise they wouldn't have survived the first round.
His worries lay elsewhere. He was thinking of a way to save as many Sleepers as possible when their fight with Gunlaug Comes to an end. Since it would be the actual time when there would be a massacre in the Halls of the Bright Castle.
Aside from all of that.
Sunny also felt very excited to leave the ruins for a few months in the company of his formidable cohort once again. Outside the walls of the Dark City, Nightmare Creatures were generally of a lower rank than those inside. The efficiency of his hunting would be much higher, and it would be a nice picnic for him.
Looking up, Sunny glanced at the people gathered in the room and cleared his throat."
"Uh... I would like to talk to Nephis alone. Please."
Most of them just stared at him without moving. Caster, especially, did not seem happy about the prospect.
But after Changing Star gave them a look, they reluctantly stood up and left the room one after another.
***
Soon, Sunny and Nephis were left alone.
They simply stared at each other for a while. The silence was loud. Sunny wasn't against the plan in general, since he had already been through it once. But he just wanted to ask one last question.
However, before he could even have the chance to say anything, Nephis awkwardly asked him:
"How have you been Sunny?"
Taken aback by the sudden question, he answered:
"I'm Fine as you can see."
He shrugged.
"I see..."
She trailed off at the end. Sunny could see a slight hesitation in her eyes. Unbeknown to Her, Nephis had the habit of avoiding eye contact whenever she felt nervous or uncertain about something. Which didn't go unnoticed by Sunny of all people.
Nephis was slightly leaning forward with her hands on the table as she was previously explaining the map for the cohort. Sunny stood up from his seat and walked to her. Pushing himself off the ground with his hands on the table he took a seat on top of it right beside Nephis's Hand.
Now that they were both on eye-level Sunny could see her eyes more clearly and her hesitation was more pronounced than ever. As for Nephis, His actions and presence were demanding her full attention. Enabling her to look away.
Sunny asked, his voice low:
"Something Wrong, Neph?"
Nephis lingered for a moment and carefully asked:
"Are you....are you really back?"
Her voice was thick. Sunny looked at her, his face calm.
"Maybe, I will take the week to think things through."
At That, Nephis let out a sigh of relief.
At least it wasn't an immediate denial. Soon it was Sunny's turn to ask.
"Where do you want to go with all of this, the expedition, your goals, and what about...us?"
He hesitated for a long time before finally speaking again. His voice was calm and collected:
"Neph... where do I stand from all of this? Where do you envision me in all of your mess?"
She watched him silently for a while with an inexorable expression. Then, she simply said:
"Because there's only two people I trust in this world, Sunny. One is Cassie. The other one is you. I only trust you to have my back. You're someone I need to have through this."
Her face was unreadable. Sunny recognized that mask.
Nephis was simply an incredibly awkward person due to her past. She was not in a habit of openly showing her emotions. As a result, she was so bad at emoting them that her face always looked cold and neutral. That's why, most of the time, she simply chose to talk as little as possible or not to talk at all.
She was just a girl who was pursued throughout all her life by predators. She was someone who learned how to mask her emotions behind a mask of indifference as a mechanism to protect herself from breaking.
Nevertheless, Sunny pushed her buttons even more.
"Do you simply Need me or Do you want me Neph?"
Nephis caught the meaning behind those words.
'Am I someone important to you or am I a disposable pawn?'
And Just when Sunny thought that her face couldn't get stiffer, it stiffened even more.
Sunny didn't stop there.
"In your story...what's my role?"
Changing Star lingered for a few moments. Her face was appearing calm and firm to anyone who didn't know her well enough. but not Sunny. When the silence became almost overwhelming, she finally answered:
"Life is not a story, Sunny. It only ends when you die."
He smiled crookedly, as she evaded his question.
"I already Did that a couple of times, failed every time."
Sunny uttered those words shrugging. Soon Nephis followed it with a question.
"So? Will you help me?"
Sunny sighed and slid off the table. Glancing at the map of the Forgotten Shore and back at her one last time.
"Well, that settles things i guess."
Sunny said and turned to the door, as he was about to walk out, he glanced at her from over his shoulder and declared:
"You can expect a word from me in a week's time. See you then."
Soon Sunny walked out.
Left in the room alone. Nephis's facade crumbled. She plumped down into her seat exhaling a heavy sigh. Dropping her head back She felt her body relaxing as the tension left her.
'Do you simply need me or do you want me Neph?'
Sunny's low and raspy voice resounded in her head.
'In your Story...What's my role.'
Ever Since Sunny returned from the ruins of the Dark City she started to see him differently. Was it because of the sudden change in his presence or was it because he looked different that she became wary of him? It was something difficult for her to understand. She didn't know how to feel about it nor how to approach it. So she simply did what she knew how to do best.
She locked it away, in the far regions of her mind.
Resting her elbows on the table, Nephis leaned forward. and muttered:
"Of course I want you..."
Her voice was barely a whisper.
'But wouldn't that be too cruel....'
She thought, burying her face between her palms.
Unbeknown to her. Her voice wasn't as low as she thought it would be. Or at least It wasn't low enough to be missed by the Shadow on the other side of the door
*******
Once outside, Sunny spent some time finding Effie and Kai. The two of them were in the dining area of the lodge, discussing something between themselves.
There was no sign of Cassie anywhere, but he did notice Caster observing him from the stairs leading to the second floor.
'Is she avoiding me?'
Sunny already knew the reason why she avoided him so he didn't press it. Soon enough Sunny landed on a chair next to the two locals he had come to know and gave them a dark look.
"What, the two of you know each other?"
Kai smiled.
"Who doesn't know huntress Athena? We had, uh... a few brushes in the past."
Deciding not to inquire what type of brushes he was talking about, Sunny lingered for a bit and then turned to Effie.
"Neph and I agreed to continue our conversation in a week. Until then, you'll be under my protection."
The huntress giggled.
"Wow. That makes me feel really safe. Thanks, shorty"
He grimaced.
"You know that I'm still open for a match right."
Reminded by his previous provocation Effie's face Lit up:
"But what if I end up breaking your arm?"
She asked in a very provocative and playful tone.
Sunny smiled at her and said:
"Don't you worry. I might not look like much, but wait till you see my roommate..."
Kai suddenly choked on his drink and paled a little. Reminded of something, Sunny patted him on the back and said:
"Anyway, thanks for your help. Our deal isn't done yet but I will find you some other day to guide me to the marketplace. See you around, I guess."
He was going to miss this guy a bit though, even if it was just a week. The charming archer looked at him for a few moments, then forced out a smile:
"Yeah, it was nice to make your acquaintance, Sunny. I can honestly say that spending time with you is... uh... an unforgettable experience."
With that, he glanced at Effie with something that resembled pity, rose, and left.
"Just what did you do to traumatize that guy."
Effie's voice resounded from his side. Turning to her Sunny grinned. And Soon gestured for her to follow him into the ruins.
"Wait till you find out."
.
.
.
And just like that, the week passed in a blur.