so, don't attack me but here's my plan
i will be skipping quite a lot, going to speedrun dark city, going to speedrun the journey when they went to get the rest of the seals. i might even skip it all together and skip to the crimson spire arc but trust me ik what to do
A couple of months had passed since the cohort split. Nephis had formed her own group, leading them deeper into the Forgotten Shore in search of the remaining shards for the seals.
Meanwhile, Sunny… Sunny lived with a creature of the Fallen rank as his roommate.
Though he was usually alone with this creature, today he had to stay with Effie for 1 week and afterwards plan on travelling to collect the remaining shards.
He exhaled slowly, lying back on the rough bedding he had found in the balcony of the ruined cathedral. The Forsaken Knight still patrolled below, a silent warden that paid him no mind as long as he stayed out of sight. The eerie stillness of the grand hall should have been unsettling, but Sunny had long grown used to it.
He had learned to live in the shadows.
And yet, tonight, his mind wasn't focused on survival, on the ever-present threat of monsters lurking outside the castle walls. It was elsewhere. Somewhere distant.
For some reason, he had one person on his mind.
Cassie.
He furrowed his brows, staring at the cracked ceiling above. Why? Why was he thinking about her? He had always kept himself detached, refusing to get too close, too attached.
It was safer that way.
And yet… he missed her.
It was an unfamiliar and unwelcome feeling.
His fingers idly brushed against the smooth surface of a small, patterned blue bottle resting near his bedroll.
The Endless Spring.
A memory surfaced, pulling him back into the past.
...
...
...
Cassie sat in front of him, her hands gripping the blue glass bottle so tightly her knuckles had turned white. Her blindfold was slightly askew, revealing the delicate curve of her cheekbone.
"I… I'm sorry."
Sunny tilted his head, frowning. "For what?"
Cassie bit her lip, her expression a mixture of guilt and something deeper, something raw. She hesitated before setting the bottle between them. "For everything."
There was a tremor in her voice.
Sunny looked at her, the words settling uneasily in his mind. "That's a strange way to phrase it."
"I know." She let out a small, broken laugh before lowering her head. "But it's true. I don't deserve your forgiveness, but…" She swallowed hard. "I want to give you something. Something to help you."
Her fingers brushed against the bottle's smooth surface.
"It never runs out. You'll never have to worry about water, no matter where you go. No matter how far."
Sunny stared at it, then back at her. "Cassie, what's going on?"
She shook her head. "Just… take it. Please."
He reached out, his fingers closing around the cool glass. It was beautifully crafted, its surface adorned with intricate, swirling patterns. A treasure, no doubt, in a world where water was more valuable than gold.
Then, the bottle shimmered into light as he heard a familliar voice.
[You have recieved a Memory: Endless Spring]
Cassie let out a slow breath, her shoulders trembling slightly. "Thank you, Sunny."
He blinked, confused. "For what?"
"For everything."
And with that, she rose to her feet and walked away, leaving him alone in the dim light, the weight of her words pressing down on him like an unseen force.
Back in the present, Sunny tightened his grip around the Endless Spring, his jaw clenching.
'Cassie… what are you hiding?'
Effie groaned, rolling onto her side and squinting at Sunny through the dim light.
"You're brooding again," she muttered, stretching out on the cold stone floor. "That means either you're planning something stupid, or you're thinking about a girl."
Sunny scoffed, slipping his mask over his face. "I'm not brooding."
"Uh-huh." She yawned. "Just laying there, staring at the ceiling, all tense and moody? Yeah, totally normal. Who's the lucky lady?"
"Go back to sleep, Effie."
She smirked but didn't press further as Sunny stood up, rolling his shoulders. He needed to clear his head.
With a silent command, his shadow peeled away from the floor, rising in front of him. Saint's form emerged from the darkness, her towering frame radiating an eerie stillness. Her sword gleamed in the dim light.
"Let's spar," he muttered.
Saint did not hesitate.
The first strike came fast, and he barely avoided it, the air hissing as her sword cut through where his neck had been.
Good.
Maybe if he focused on surviving, he wouldn't have time to think about Cassie.
...
Days later, when the cohort finally reunited, Sunny found himself standing in front of Kai, who raised a perfect auburn eyebrow.
"I thought you weren't joining," Kai remarked, arms crossed.
Sunny shrugged. "Changed my mind."
Nephis stood nearby, expression unreadable. "Are you coming with us, then?"
He hesitated. Then, quietly, he said, "On one condition."
She tilted her head slightly, waiting.
"We kill the Fallen Knight."
For the first time since he arrived, Nephis's expression shifted, and she studied him carefully.
"You can't do it alone?"
Sunny clenched his jaw, forcing himself to admit the truth. "No."
Nephis nodded slowly. "Then we'll do it together."
----------
And so, the cohort set out, their goal clear: to gather the missing shards needed to break the seals and prepare for the inevitable battle against Gunlaug.
The expedition consisted of Nephis, Sunny, Cassie, Kai, Effie, and Caster. Through grueling battles, near-death encounters, and moments of fleeting respite, they scoured the ruins of the Forgotten Shore, seeking out the precious shards. Each step brought them closer to their goal.
Throughout the journey, Sunny grew stronger. His understanding of his shadows deepened with the help of the Shadow Dance. His shadow fragments have increased by a ton.
But, he was still no match for Nephis, but perhaps he could stand on equal footing with Caster now.
Yet, not everything was an upward climb. There were moments of pain, of struggle, of near loss. More than once, Sunny found himself standing at the edgeof death, only surviving through sheer grit, luck, or the intervention of his cohort. And then, there was Cassie.
The tension between them never truly faded. She had returned to her usual gentle self, but there were cracks in the surface.
Hesitations, unspoken words, a distance that had not been there before.
One evening, while the others laughed and relaxed on the shore, Sunny and Cassie sat side by side, staring at the crimson waves.
He turned to her, his voice hesitant yet firm. "Cassie..."
She didn't turn to face him. "Don't."
The single word cut deeper than any blade.
For the rest of the night, they sat in silence, the sound of the ocean crashing against the shore the only thing filling the void between them.
By the end of the expedition, they had what they came for.
With the shards in hand and the Army of dormant humans slowly coming together, there was only one thing left to do
Topple Gunlaug.
And so, Nephis challenged him to a duel.
It was an event that shook the entire Dark City. Gunlaug, the so-called "King" of this ruined fortress, had ruled through strength and fear for years. But Nephis was different. Not only was she strong, but she posessed the strongest will out them all.
The duel was not a contest of skill. It was a display. A statement.
Gunlaug, powerful as he was, had lost to Changing Star.
In the end, he surrended and stepped down from being King, crowning Nephis.
The people of the castle stood in silence, watching as Nephis, covered in wounds but standing tall, looked down at what was left of their former tyrant. And then, without hesitation, she turned to them and spoke.
She told them the truth. About the Forgotten Shore. About their fate. About what lay beyond the Spire. And most of all, she offered a choice.
Follow her, or be left behind.
The city erupted into chaos. Some bent the knee without hesitation, desperate for salvation.
Others refused to accept the sudden change.
And so, the streets ran red.
One of Gunlaug's most fearsome lieutenants, Harus, sought to prove that Nephis was unworthy of ruling. But he did not get the chance to challenge Nephis.
What stood against him was a treacherous shadow, wearing a fearsome mask with 3 horns pointing at the sky. That, obviously was Sunless.
The battle was brutal. Harus was a beast of a man, stronger and more experienced. But Sunny was no longer just some cowardly Sleeper.
He fought. He adapted. He endured.
And in the end, when Harus lay broken at his feet, Sunny proved that he was not someone to be taken lightly.
With the rebellion crushed, Nephis took control.
But she did not sit upon a throne, nor did she revel in her victory. Instead, she set to work, forging an army.
The Dreamers who followed her were given what little soul shards they had managed to acquire. Every soldier, every fighter, was fed, their power nurtured.
They had no time to waste.
Because this was not the end.
It was only the beginning.