Cassie woke up feeling completely relaxed, something she hadn't experienced in years. Sleep had been a rare luxury for her lately. But with Mordy's arms around her, she felt like that peaceful time was finally returning.
'I wish I could see his face,' she thought.
Instead, she could only enjoy the warmth of his body and the rhythm of his calm breathing. She shifted slightly to get closer, feeling her heartbeat align with his as she wrapped her arms around him and rested her forehead against his.
'I could stay like this forever. He feels amazing. Is this what real love is? I wonder if he feels the same way.'
Suddenly, Mordy stirred, stretching his arms and legs before wrapping them around her again and giving her a soft kiss. His voice was still a bit sleepy as he greeted her.
"Good morning, sunshine. I hope you slept well. I know I did, especially since I spent the night with the most beautiful woman in the world."
Cassie laughed and kissed him back, this time more passionately, reluctant to pull away. With a big smile, she looked through his eyes, but noticed a hint of worry in his reflection in the mirror behind her, which made her smile fade a bit. She gently caressed his cheek with her thumb and asked, her voice tinged with concern, "Are you okay? I hope I didn't upset you."
Mordy's smile grew wider as he reassured her, "No, you didn't do anything wrong. It's just... what you said yesterday before we fell asleep caught me off guard. I haven't heard those words in decades, not with such sincerity. It felt so real, and since then, I've been wondering if you really meant it or if it was just the afterglow of our night together."
Cassie took a moment to understand, then chuckled as she recalled her words. "Oh, you mean when I said I love you?"
Mordy shivered slightly at her saying those words again, this time out loud. His voice was filled with awe as he asked, "Yes, that's what I meant. How did you mean it?"
Cassie paused, confused by his question. "What do you mean? I meant it just as I said: I love you. Is there something wrong with that? Oh no... was that too soon?"
Mordy quickly shook his head. "No, no, I was just surprised that you felt the same way. I thought you wanted to keep things more physical, just for sex. I'm glad you feel the same."
Cassie's smile brightened instantly, and she kissed him again, the air in the room becoming charged with intimacy as the two entangled in another session of passion.
An hour later, Mordy sat up in bed while Cassie climbed into his lap. As she played with her hair, she sighed and said, "I wish you could come with me to the Ivory Tower and live by my side."
Mordy, gently stroking her hair, sighed as well, his expression turning serious. "Yeah, I wish that too, but it's not possible. There's a high chance that Bastion and the surrounding areas are searching for me. If I get close to that castle, they'll find me and hunt me down like a rabid dog."
"I know, it's unfortunate. It must be hard for you. You mentioned how much it hurts not having a connection to your family."
"Yeah... even though I don't have a good relationship with my father, I don't hate him like my clone does."
Cassie paused her hair play and looked up at him. "You don't? What about everything he put you through when he sent you away?"
Mordy chuckled softly. "You're right, that was all terrible, but he couldn't have known what would happen to me under that deranged man, Asterion. They were friends, and he just wanted me to be stronger. I'm still angry at him for sending me away when I was just a kid wanting to be with my family, but I can understand him to some extent."
"So you don't want him dead?"
Mordy thought for a moment. "I don't know. I don't feel the urge to kill him. He's not the one who tortured me and locked me up for years. I don't really see him as my father; he was always cold and distant. My uncle was more like a father to me."
Cassie shifted to lie completely on his lap, her tone turning serious. "I hope you know we plan to kill the three Sovereigns, right?"
Mordy laughed heartily. "Oh, I know. That's why I don't want to kill him; you guys are already planning that. But I have one wish."
Cassie gently touched his cheek, asking, "What is it?"
Mordy sighed. "I know it's a big ask, but could you spare my little sister? She seems close to my father, so it will be tough to convince her. But I want a chance to know her properly, to be the big brother I never got to be, especially after seeing Sunny and Rain together. It crushes me that Morgan only knows the monster and not me."
Cassie felt tears welling up as she hugged him tightly, understanding the weight of his emotions. She knew that feeling all too well, so she connected her mind with the only person who could help.
[Neph, I need you to do something.]
'Oh yes, no problem. What do you need?'
[I need you to come to your mansion and bring Morgan with you.]
'What? That's unexpected. Why though?'
[I can't explain right now; I need to talk to Mordy first.]
'Okay. You two seem to be getting closer. How was it?'
[What do you mean?]
'Oh, don't play dumb. I saw the longing in your eyes yesterday.'
[Okay, fine. But don't tell anyone yet.]
'It might be too late for that. The only ones who might not know are Sunny and Kai, but everyone else is pretty sure you two have been together.'
[Neph!]
'Sorry, but I'm right, aren't I?'
[Yes, you are.]
'Good, you needed that after all.'
[Could you just get Morgan to the mansion when I ask?]
'Hahaha, yes, I will.'
[Thanks, bye.]
'Alright, bye.'
Cassie let out a relieved sigh, which caught Mordy's attention. He was surprised but had calmed down by now. A moment later, he asked, "What is it?"
Cassie chuckled. "I just spoke with Neph. She can bring Morgan to her mansion here in NQSC if you want to meet her."
Mordy was taken aback by the idea but also intrigued. The chance to talk to his little sister in a private setting was something he never thought possible, but Cassie had made it happen.
"But... I don't know if I'm ready for that. I know how she will react when she sees me."
Cassie gently held his chin and said softly, "I know it will be tough, but we can talk to her honestly. She's not a monster; we can explain everything to her, and if things go south, we can erase her memories of the conversation. You should give it a shot. We'll be there with you, so you'll be okay."
Mordy sighed and kissed her, then pulled away with a smile. "Alright, but when do we want to do this?"
"How about tomorrow?"
"Sounds great. I'll need to prepare for that conversation, so tomorrow works."
Cassie smiled and kissed him again. "Perfect. I'll take you to the mansion. It's empty since all the Firekeepers are at the Ivory Tower, but you can stay as long as you need until we figure things out."
Mordy stood up and hugged her. "Thanks, Cass. I've known you for just two days, and you've already made my life beautiful. Now we just need to find a way to keep it that way so I can spend my life with you."
Cassie laughed. "That sounds lovely. Let's go."
Back at the Ivory Tower
Nephis felt a bit nervous, which was unusual for her. Talking to Morgan wasn't her favorite task. Their relationship had become friendly enough for occasional meetings, but she knew Morgan was busy preparing for war. However, she had the perfect way to grab her attention if Cassie gave her the go-ahead.
"I'm sure she'll be quite interested if I mention that he'll be there."
Nephis stood on her balcony, sipping her tea, as she observed the clouds above Bastion darkening once more.
"Haha... If they keep this up, they'll definitely create a couple of new lakes around here. But I can't blame them; Sunny and I could hardly go a day without it when we first started our love life."
She gathered her belongings and grabbed an umbrella, knowing the rain would last for several hours now that it had begun. After leaving the Ivory Tower and taking the ferry across the lake, she arrived at Sunny's café, which was still closed because Sunny was busy with more important matters than serving others. Nephis stepped inside, setting down her bag and umbrella. She noticed the kitchen filled with takeaway containers and dirty coffee mugs, and shook her head as she began to clean up the mess, mumbling to herself with a frown.
"Master Sunless was supposed to be his only safe haven—no responsibilities, no stress, and most importantly, a good life with the people he loves. But I guess he's doing what he always does: putting himself aside to help others. I'll have to distract him a bit."
After washing the last coffee mug, she headed down to the basement, confident that Sunny would be working on memories for Rain and Rick. As she turned the final corner, she was taken aback. Sunny was in the room with the remains of the Winter Beast, but not just one—there were three Sunnys, each sitting in a triangle with different items in front of them. She approached and gasped at the sight of the three Sunnys. Her voice trembled slightly as she asked,
"Sunny, what's going on? How long have you been down here?"
The Sunny working on the heart of the Winter Beast paused for a moment, looked up, and replied evenly, "I'm working on the memories for you, Rain, and Rick. As for how long I've been down here... I don't know. How long has it been since we returned from the waking world?"
Nephis was momentarily speechless. Her eyes widened as she noticed the ice that had built up on his bodies; Sunny must have been completely still except for his arms and hands while two of him handled constant weaving and the third occasionally refreshed himself with coffee and takeout. She leaned down and urged Sunny, who resumed weaving after giving her an answer.
"Sunny… please take a break. You've been at it for over 24 hours now. Come on, let's go upstairs."
He sighed and lowered his hands. All three of his bodies slowly rose from the ground, causing the ice on two of them to crack and fall away. After dismissing the two avatars and shaking his original body, he smiled at Nephis.
"You're right. There's really no rush. My old armor, the Puppeteer Shroud, is already halfway done. The belt for Rick will be trickier, though, since I'll need to modify the enchantment from the mantle to let just enough of his presence show so he's recognized as a Sleeper while still looking different. Thanks for looking out for me, Neph; you're the best."
Nephis pulled him closer and gave him a passionate kiss. She expected him to pull them into the shadows, but nothing happened. Looking at him in confusion, she asked,
"Aren't you going to… you know, take us back to the café?"
Sunny chuckled and walked toward the exit. "Sorry to disappoint, but weaving with three bodies for over a day really drains my essence, and I want to move my legs a bit, so let's head back the old-fashioned way."
Nephis smiled, and they left the basement, soon reaching the café where they sat down. Sunny glanced at the kitchen and kissed Nephis.
"Thanks for cleaning up; I would have done it myself soon."
"I know, but what kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn't take care of my boyfriend's place while he's busy playing with ice in the basement?"
"Was that a joke? I'm impressed, Lady Nephis. I should mark this day on a calendar."
Nephis chuckled and playfully hit Sunny on the shoulder. "Back to calling me Lady, huh? Well, you might need to do that again soon. If Cass asks me for the favor she mentioned earlier, you'll have to come meet Morgan with us at my mansion, as the Lord of Shadows, of course."
Sunny's smile wavered slightly, and his voice was filled with surprise as he said, "With Morgan? Why would Cassie want to… You have to be joking. Is it because of Mordy? I guess she found someone to relieve some stress with."
Nephis's jaw dropped. "Sunny?"
"Yes?"
"I swear I won't get mad if you tell me you have a shadow following me around, listening to everything I do and say."
Sunny laughed and replied, "No, I don't. But as you might know, I'm good at solving puzzles, and Cassie isn't great at asking for help. Hiding her emotions isn't her strong suit either."
Nephis facepalmed and let out a defeated sigh. "Damn. Okay, Sherlock Holmes, how do we help bring Morgan and Mordy into a room without him ending up as a puzzle?"
Sunny scratched his head and smiled. "I don't know who this Holmes guy is, but the best way to help her stay calm is to make her understand who he is beforehand, and for that, she needs to trust us."
Nephis pondered for a moment, but when she saw Sunny's grin, her expression froze. "You can't be serious. This could ruin your peaceful life here in Bastion. What if she tells her father not just about Mordy but also about you and the things you've been doing here?"
Sunny took both her hands and said nonchalantly, "If she reacts that badly, we can just pin her down and let Cassie handle her memories. Your mansion might take some damage in the process, but you once told me you didn't care about that, so we have nothing to lose."
Nephis scoffed but smiled. "You're right, but still. What if she tells her father, maybe not about Mordy, but about you?"
"Well, as far as he knows, I'm already fighting for him in his war, so I think he'd be pleased to know that his adoptive daughter's boyfriend isn't just a clumsy master who owns a café."
Nephis couldn't help but laugh. Although she felt a bit stressed about the situation, Sunny was doing his best to reassure her, and it was working.
"I guess you're right. The worst that could happen isn't that significant. Let's see if it even comes to the meet-up."
[Mordy agreed to meet with his sister tomorrow; you can go tell her.]
Nephis was a bit surprised. 'Your timing is surprisingly good; we were just discussing it. Have you been listening?'
[Would you believe me if I said it was just a coincidence?]
'Hmm, NO.'
[You're kinda right; I didn't want to interrupt, so I've been listening for the past few seconds.]
'That's… acceptable. Sunny knows about you and Mordy too, by the way. But I swear he figured it out himself right after I told him about Morgan.'
[It doesn't matter. Sunny is the last person I'd feel uncomfortable with knowing that. Effie, on the other hand, will certainly cause a lot of trouble.]
'Oh, you can bet on that.'
[Ahhhh… Have a nice day.]
'Thanks, you too.'
Nephis chuckled and turned to Sunny. "Cassie just gave me the green light; I'm heading to the castle now."
Sunny stood up and walked Nephis to the door. He kissed her and said, "Good luck with that. I love you; stay safe."
"I love you too. See you later at my place?"
"Oh, definitely. I'll even bring some food."
Nephis gave him one last kiss. "Okay, till later then, bye."
She left, and Sunny waited until she was out of sight. He let out a sigh, "Well, back to work then."
Inside Bastion, Nephis climbed the stairs from one of the towers where Morgan resided. Soon, she reached a large door made of beautiful black wood, adorned with a silver emblem of an anvil and sword that covered the entire door. It was beautifully crafted, though somewhat dull. Nephis took a deep breath and knocked.
"You can come inside."
It was Morgan, sounding unusually cheerful today, which was a rare occurrence. Nephis was glad she had chosen a good time to talk to her foster sister. She opened the door and stepped in, closing it behind her as she walked through Morgan's chambers. Everything appeared neat and orderly. When she first arrived, she had expected grand decorations and banners of valor hanging from the ceiling and walls, but to her surprise, Morgan was more of a minimalist. Everything had to be functional or at least useful in some way. There were a few decorations scattered about, but overall, it was quite simple. Soon, she reached the living room, where Morgan sat with a cup of coffee and a bowl of cookies. She wore a red blouse and black jeans.
'The colors suit her very well, that's for sure.'
As Nephis approached, Morgan got up from the couch and walked over to her. She took Nephi's hand in hers and smiled "What a nice surprise. What brings you here, Sister? I hope it's good news."
Nephis smiled and replied, "I actually wanted to ask you something."
Morgan laughed and motioned toward the couch. "Let's sit down. I have coffee and cookies if you'd like some."
Nephis nodded, and they sat across from each other. Morgan took a sip of her coffee and asked, "So, what did you want to ask me?"
After a brief pause, Nephis said, "Cassie and I would like to have a meeting with you and two special guests at my mansion in NQSC."
Morgan tilted her head slightly, smiling. "That sounds good, but who are these special guests?"
Nephis chuckled. "Well, you already know one of them. It's the Lord of Shadows. He has some questions about the upcoming war, our progress, and when we'll arrive. Since you're in charge of logistics and troop management, I thought it would be a good idea for you to be there."
Morgan nodded, her smile growing. "That's very thoughtful of you to include me. But who's the second special guest?"
Nephis hesitated for a moment, knowing revealing the identity could be risky without Cassie present. She sighed, "He's a master, not from here, but he's clean. We checked him with Kai's help. He travels a lot, and we met him a few days ago. The important thing is he knows someone who is of great interest to you, which is another reason I wanted you there."
Morgan's smile faded slightly. She couldn't possibly know who Nephis was referring to, but when names were avoided, it usually pointed to one person. Taking a deep breath, she asked, "So you're saying this master has encountered him? That deranged being? And lived to tell the tale? I doubt it; he's probably dead, and that monster is using him like a puppet."
Nephis shook her head, her tone serious. "No, he's not one of his puppets. We know that because we tested him and talked for hours. Even better, he's immune to his soul attacks. There's no way he's inside him."
Morgan sighed. "Okay, but I'm still bringing a relic to check if he's hiding anything this master might have."
Nephis nodded, smiling. "That's a good idea. We'll leave tomorrow morning."
Morgan chuckled. "I have a question, though."
"Sure, what is it?"
Morgan hesitated, biting her lower lip before asking, "Do you know if the Lord of Shadows is single?"
Nephis froze, surprised by the question. Her jaw dropped, and her right eye twitched slightly. Morgan noticed and chuckled, "What? Is it so crazy that I might want to get to know someone?"
Nephis quickly regained her composure. "Uh, sorry. It was just unexpected. But I have to disappoint you. I've never talked to the Lord of Shadows about that kind of thing. I mean, why would I? I have Sunny, who is the perfect partner for me."
Morgan laughed and took a cookie. "But wouldn't you prefer if Master Sunless were not just good-looking but also strong and unyielding like the Lord of Shadows?"
Nephis sighed. "That's not what I was looking for when I chose him as my partner. You're welcome to ask the Lord of Shadows yourself. He lives as a recluse in a death zone, so he might be single."
Morgan chuckled and stood up. "Thanks, I guess. I'll find out tomorrow."
Nephis stood up and hugged Morgan, surprising the Princess of Valor. Instead of pushing her away, Morgan embraced her back. Always wearing long sleeves and gloves to prevent hurting anyone with her aspect, Morgan found Nephis's hug unexpectedly pleasant. She leaned in and whispered, "Thank you. I think I needed that."
After a moment, they released each other. Nephis smiled and said, "I'll come get you tomorrow morning, Morgan. I hope you sleep well."
Morgan laughed heartily. "Thanks, you too. At least the recent storms seem to hold off at night, so I should get some rest after finishing up some work."
Nephis chuckled and waved as she left. 'If only she knew the reason behind those storms; she'd probably be a bit jealous.'
Soon, Nephis arrived at the Ivory Tower. She stopped by Cassie's office but found it empty. Chuckling, she headed to her chambers. Upon opening the door, a delightful aroma filled the air.
"He's the best, that's for sure."
Entering the kitchen, she found Sunny cooking dinner and baking a cake, all while wearing only shorts. Nephis couldn't help but admire the view. The food looked amazing, but Sunny's physique stirred a different kind of hunger.
An hour later, after enjoying Sunny's meal, they lounged on the balcony discussing the meeting for the next day.
Sunny poured Nephis some wine and asked, "Do you think she'll take the truth about me and the Lord of Shadows lightly?"
Nephis coughed awkwardly, smiling. "To be honest, she asked if the Lord of Shadows is single, so we'll have to address that first."
Sunny facepalmed in disbelief. "How is that possible? She never saw my face, and I wasn't exactly nice to her."
Nephis chuckled. "Well, you're quite intriguing. I guess she's looking for someone strong who can handle her flaws."
Sunny sighed and poured himself more wine. "That makes sense. She has a similar issue to Rick, though his only appears at night. Those storms are proof of that. I'm glad the basement is deep enough that I don't have to hear them."
Nephis finished her wine and sat on Sunny's lap, resting against him. In a soft voice, she said, "What if we head to the bedroom, and I show you what a storm looks like?"
Sunny chuckled. "Are you going to drown me in your juice again?"
Nephis nodded and whispered, "Something like that. Have you ever heard of 69?"
Sunny nodded, and Nephis jumped up with excitement, pulling him toward the bedroom.