Air whistled through the open windows as Sunny's question hung in the air with an almost unprecedented weight. He was prepared to kill Cassie right then and there if he needed to, but he wasn't going to let her die easily.
She needed to suffer.
Cassie continued to stare at him with a smile on her face—a smile that sickened him. Despite the vast disparity in their combative ability, it felt like she was looking down on him, almost with pity. Sunny couldn't understand why she felt that way.
"Nephis is my savior. When nobody else believed in me, when nobody thought I had a chance at survival, Nephis was the one who picked me up and carried me across the dream realm with her."
Her voice was calm and resolute. Sunny felt like she had already resigned herself to death. Her ability to do so casually almost disgusted him, and his rage flared further as she continued speaking.
"When we first met, you thought I was dead weight. That I was useless and merely a tool that slowed you and Nephis down until I proved my worth. I know you've changed, but why would I pick someone I had to prove myself to over someone who saved me just for being me!?"
Cassie's voice flared with emotion, and her eyes filled with resolve. She outstretched her arm, preparing to summon her trusted rapier at a moment's notice. However, instead of removing her head from her body, Sunny found himself doing it again.
Sunny was laughing.
He was laughing at himself, laughing at the stupidity of her excuses. Laughing at Cassie's naivety.
Sunny's malicious grin never faltered as his mouth opened like a chasm, prepared to rip apart everything Cassie had just said—and, if he felt like it, end her life right there.
"Three thousand and sixty-two times," he stated.
Cassie tilted her head, a silent question in her expression, but Sunny continued anyway.
"That's how many times I could have killed you since we first met. The number goes down quite a bit if we factor in Nephis, but it's still in the thousands. Do you understand how absurd that is?"
Sunny's fist swung into the wall, shaking the entire building as his eyes flamed with rage. "When I asked Nephis why she puts up with scum like you, she didn't say it was because you're useful. She didn't say it was because she valued you. She did it because it would go against her principles!"
Pacing toward Cassie, he grabbed her roughly by the hair so his face was only inches away from hers. He wanted her to understand and absorb every word that came out of his mouth.
"You need to get this idea out of your mind that you're special. You're just as much a tool as I am, only a little more useful than the rest of us. Be happy! Get excited! You and Nephis have had your two years together, advancing her goals like the loyal dog you are."
Shoving her head backward, Sunny raised his hand to slap her but turned away before he could. "I hope you understand this: you aren't even human anymore. You're a vile, odious dog who wouldn't have learned how to survive if not for your master."
A smile settled on his face as he shoved open her window, careful not to break it and alert the building's staff. "Hey, but I guess I'm not alone! We're both her slaves! You just shackled yourself willingly. Do you know what I did to the last person who willingly made themselves a slave?"
He let the question hang in the air as he jumped out of her window. Wind rushed past his face as a lone tear fell from his eye, quickly dispersed by the blinding speeds.
Sunny walked through the streets of the NQSC aimlessly. He didn't say a word to anyone or pay them any attention. His mind was truly empty.
'Do I kill her? No, death won't be enough. I won't kill her. I'll gut her. I'll maim her! I'll treat her just like her master!'
Unknowingly, Sunny found himself finishing his thought aloud.
"I'll take everything away from her!"
After a while, he found himself at the gates of Nephis's house once more. He didn't offer her the courtesy of knocking and instead jumped over her gate, making his way toward the main building.
Nephis was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the room, awaiting his presence. Unknowingly, Sunny found himself seated in front of her. He remained silent for a few moments, studying her expression.
She always seemed so out of reach. Parts of her mind eluded him. He was truly unable to grasp how someone as principled as Nephis could abandon him in the dream realm. Her will to slay the elusive Sovereigns was too strong for him to comprehend.
But the realization hit him, and when it did, a smile split his face in two. Straining his cheeks as all his teeth showed, he couldn't restrain himself anymore and burst into hysterical laughter.
"You're just like me! You're exactly like me!" he roared.
And it was true. He, too, would sacrifice anything to achieve his goals. But his goals revolved around keeping the people he cared for safe.
They were simply the same people with different goals. And that's why Sunny knew he had to kill her eventually.
In a twisted, warped way, killing her would be killing himself. And Sunny was perfectly happy with doing that.
Throughout his hysterical laughter, Nephis didn't shift once. Her eyes remained fixed on Sunny as she watched him almost fall backward with laughter.
Finally, her voice tore through the room like a knife, piercing Sunny's laughter and gaining his undivided attention.
"It's time we talk about our bond, Sunny."
Sunny's laughter stopped abruptly as he shot into an upright position, the smile however still continued to remain ever present upon his features. Almost mocking Nephis attempts at making the conversation more serious.
"Oh? My master's decided to set some new rules! Go on, tell me! Convince me why I should tolerate my slavery! Or even better, order me to be convinced!"
As Sunny finished his sentence, he laughed at her once more. Despite his continuous laughter only pain and madness radiated through his tone, the pain in his voice caused Nephis to grimace. It was rare seeing Sunny so emotionally unstable.
"I'd never do that to you. I'd rather die before I did that." Came Nephis smooth reply, Sunny's laughter only roared louder as he slapped his knee, wiping a tear from his eyes. Suddenly, all forms of humour disappeared from his expression as he stared at her blankly.
"Isn't that the same speech you gave to us before you made me a slave? Nothing is beneath you, master." Pausing, Sunny caught Nephis hand in his and gripped it so she couldn't pull back.
"What did you call me before? A cockroach? Then you're a worm! A noble, revenge driven worm! Who's no better than the men she plans to kill."