sigh, i'd like to apologize for the 1863'rd time (if you get that reference and tell me where it's from then you're cool)
well i didn't post in like a day and people are waiting so i'll use THIS draft and see what people think, if it's bad i'll just use another draft i saved
and i'm doing this with a little help from the novel and the best of my ability
(and changing some things to make it more sussie related.. heh..)
and if you comment on the chapter saying "Erm! Actually, Sunny didn't do this or that" then i'll block you from ever viewing this fic (unless you're like the only people who legit wait and read it like thank you sm)
ANYWYAS
The cold embraced him once more as he plunged into the abyss.
Darkness pressed in from all sides.
Even though he had a high affinity to Shadows allowing to see in the dark, he still couldn't make out where she was.
His shadow sense stretched outward, grasping for anything. He augmented himself with his shadow to swim at twice the speed downwards.
Then he found her.
A small shape, weightless in the water, being pulled in by the tentacle.
Cassie.
Sunny pushed forward, ignoring the ache in his lungs and the growing pressure against his skull. The deeper he went, the harder it became to move, as if the sea itself was trying to claim him.
Something moved.
A grotesque shape shot through the abyss. Not just one.
Several Tentacles.
They were curling around the shattered remnants of their boat, pulling them into the depths.
His heart pounded.
He forced himself to swim faster, cutting through the dark currents with desperate strength. He needed to reach her, and he wasn't going to let her die.
And with sheer force and will, he had reached her.
Cassie's body was limp, her golden hair drifting around her like a halo. Her lips were slightly parted, bubbles escaping in weak bursts.
"Damnnation!" He spat out with anger, being muffled by the bubbles.
Too long. She had been under for too long.
He didn't think.
He grabbed her, wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling her tightly against his chest. He didn't think twice about the sudden closure between them, as he wanted to survive with her.
And then, pain shot through his leg.
A force like a vice closed around it.
His vision blurred with agony as something wrapped around him, yanking him downward.
The tentacle was rough and slimy, covered in ridges that dug into his skin.
Sunny gritted his teeth.
Cassie's weight in his arms felt fragile, like she would slip away if he let go for even a second.
The pressure around his leg tightened, dragging him further into the abyss.
Above, the surface shimmered faintly. So far away.
His lungs screamed for air.
The monster was stronger. The sea was endless.
But Sunny-
Sunny was not going to die here.
A flicker of rage burned through his veins. He summoned his Midnight Shard, augmented it with his shadow and struck down at the tentacle around his leg.
And then, with a violent surge, Sunny kicked upward, dragging Cassie with him as he clawed his way toward the light.
Cassie was motionless in his arms. Her body, usually so full of life with a tinge of sadness, felt unnervingly light.
The thought sent a sharp, cold spike through his chest.
He couldn't let her slip away.
Not after everything.
Not her.
His lungs burned. His muscles screamed. But the surface was getting closer.
Almost-
Something moved below.
The abyss churned with malevolent intent. A deep, thrumming vibration pulsed through the water, an unholy resonance that made Sunny's bones feel like they were rattling apart.
Then the tentacles came again.
Dozens of them.
They surged upward from the darkness like living chains, wanting to pull him and Cassie to the void.
Sunny's heart pounded.
He wasn't going back down.
Just as the monstrous limbs closed in, the world suddenly turned white.
A blinding, incandescent radiance erupted through the cursed sea, obliterating the suffocating darkness. The sheer intensity of it pierced even through Sunny's tightly shut eyelids, searing his vision.
It was as if a miniature sun had ignited somewhere far below, transforming the endless black abyss into a blinding, storming maelstrom of radiance. Tidal currents of light surged violently, throwing the world into disarray.
The gargantuan tentacles convulsed and twisted wildly, wracked with unbearable agony. The unbreakable wall of flesh that had seemed inescapable just moments ago was suddenly falling apart.
Sunny wasn't about to waste this chance.
Straining his suffocating body, he clutched Cassie tightly and swam, dodging the thrashing limbs. With the furious white sun burning in the depths below, the nightmare creatures were finally visible in their entirety. Grotesque, shifting masses of tendrils and abyssal flesh writhed in agony beneath him.
He moved faster. Faster.
(legit took it from the novel)
And with a final, desperate push, he propelled them both toward the surface, throwing everything he had left into that one last ascent.
Cold air hit his face like fire, searing his throat as he gasped desperately for breath.
For a split second, the world was nothing but the rush of oxygen filling his lungs.
Then, reality crashed back down.
He still was in the sea, and the monster was still below him.
And ahead-
....
And ahead was a jagged silhouette of a stone hand appeared in his vision.
A massive, ancient hand, fingers curled slightly as if reaching for something long lost.
'Opportunity.'
Sunny's grip tightened around Cassie as he surged forward, dragging them both toward the only salvation in sight.
The stone hand loomed closer.
The tentacles were right behind him.
'Will I even make it?!' His mind raced with thoughts, but he didn't want to spare any more thought. He had to make it, to ensure his and Cassie's survival.
With a final desperate stroke, towards the towering hand of ancient stone, his fingers clawed against the slick surface, searching for a hold. For a terrifying second, he felt himself slipping back into the water's clutches.
Gritting his teeth, he heaved himself up, dragging Cassie with him. Every muscle screamed in agony, but he didn't stop until he was sprawled across the rough stone, Cassie's limp body cradled against him.
They were out.
...
For a long moment, he just lay there, gasping, the cold rock beneath him feeling more unreal than the nightmare they had just escaped.
But then reality came rushing back.
Cassie wasn't moving.
Panic seized his chest.
'No. No, no, no.'
Sunny scrambled upright, turning her over. Her pale skin was too still, her lips slightly parted, her body slack in a way that made his stomach twist painfully.
He placed his ear to her mouth, hoping to feel the faintest whisper of breath against his skin.
Nothing.
His hands trembled.
"Cassie…"
His voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper. He shook her gently at first, then harder.
"Cassie, wake up."
Nothing.
His pulse roared in his ears. He could feel his own exhaustion trying to pull him under, his mind screaming that it was over, that there was nothing left to do.
But that wasn't true.
He wasn't going to let her die.
Sunny positioned his hands over her chest and started pressing down. His movements were frantic at first, too forceful, but he forced himself to find a rhythm.
Push. Push. Push.
"Come on," he gritted out between compressions.
"You don't get to do this, Cassie."
Still nothing.
Till a thought came to his mind. Usually, such a thing would cause him to go back in protest and refuse to do it. Such an action would take away his first ever time and he didn't even want to do it in the first place. But things must be done to ensure she survived.
And if it was with her, he wouldn't mind.
So.
He leaned down, tilted her head back, and pressed his lips to hers, forcing his breath into her lungs. Her chest rose slightly. He pulled back and resumed the chest compressions.
Due to the lessons from Teacher Julius, he had managed to learn how to apply Cpr. Though he didn't think much of it, as he was planning on going alone in the dream realm, he silently thanked his teacher for this tip.
His entire body ached. He was shaking.
"Breathe, damn it."
Another breath.
Another round of compressions.
His vision blurred.
Was it from exhaustion? From the saltwater stinging his eyes?
He didn't know.
He just kept going.
And then, suddenly-
Cassie choked.
A weak, gasping cough wracked her small frame, and water spilled from her mouth.
Sunny froze for a heartbeat, then quickly turned her onto her side as she threw out all the water in her system.
Relief crashed into him like a tidal wave, leaving him breathless.
She was alive.
Cassie shuddered violently, her breaths shallow and wheezing. She was still too weak to move, but her fingers twitched slightly against the stone.
Sunny let out a shuddering breath of his own, running a hand through his wet hair.
"Damnnation," he muttered under his breath.
His throat felt tight.
"You scared the hell out of me."
Cassie didn't respond right away, but then he heard her faint, raspy whisper.
"…Sunny?"
His head dipped forward, exhaustion finally creeping in. A weak chuckle escaped his lips.
"Yeah. It's me."
He exhaled heavily, his body sagging with relief.
Untill, the sound of footsteps were heard behind him.
He turned his head sharply, his breath catching in his throat.
Nephis was climbing onto the stone hand.
Her movements were slow, unsteady.
Every step she took left behind a smear of blood. Her armor, what little remained of it, was barely holding together, revealing the horrifying wounds beneath. Her right side was an open ruin of torn flesh and shattered bone, her leg barely functional, and her arm… he had no idea how it was still attached. Her face was disfigured, one eye completely gone, her cheek torn open to reveal broken teeth beneath.
She shouldn't have been standing.
She shouldn't have been alive.
But still, she climbed.
Sunny forced himself to his feet, instinct screaming at him to rush forward and help. But before he could, Nephis raised a trembling hand, signaling him to stop.
Then, she fell to her knees.
Her breath was shallow, uneven. She was staring at Cassie, at the way Sunny was still cradling her unconscious form. Something flickered in her remaining eye.
Then, with excruciating slowness, she placed her bloodied hands over her own mangled wounds.
And ignited.
Flames, blinding and pure, surged to life around her broken body. White-hot and searing, they burned and repaired everything.
Her ruined flesh, her broken bones, everything.
The air filled with the scent of charred blood and seared skin.
Nephis made a scream as she tore her arm off, then pressed it to the stump that was bleeding with the white flame. Soon, the mangled halves melted together, becoming whole again.
Sunny clenched his fists, his own body tensing as he watched. He had seen her do this before, had witnessed the price she paid each time she used her flames to heal. It was never gentle. It was never kind. Her own power burned her alive even as it mended her wounds.
Minutes passed.
Nephis trembled. Her fingers clawed into the stone beneath her, cracking it. Her lips were white from how hard she was biting down, keeping herself from screaming.
Then, her body gave out.
The flames died.
She collapsed.
Sunny caught her before she could hit the ground, barely managing to lower her down gently. He hovered over her, his breath uneven, watching the steady rise and fall of her chest.
She was alive.
Barely.
And she would sleep for a long time.
******
Two days passed.
Sunny remained by Cassie's side, watching over her like a parent would. He had accepted the fact that he enjoyed watching over Cassie, as her chest slowly rose and fell.
A smile crept on his face.
Then, on the morning of the third day, he heard a faint whisper.
"…Why are you smiling?"
Sunny blinked.
Nephis was awake.
She was staring at him, her voice hoarse, her remaining eye groggy with exhaustion.
He exhaled a quiet chuckle and gestured behind her.
"…Look behind you."
Nephis frowned slightly, but slowly, weakly, she turned her head.
And froze.
Beyond them, rising above the blackened wasteland of the crater, stood an enormous, towering city wall of grey polished stone. It loomed over the abyss like an unbreakable sentinel, ancient yet untouched by time, impervious to the crushing weight of the dark sea.
A human city.
A human castle.
They had made it.