if you guys haven't read the re zero fanfic called Stockholm syndrome read it Im taking inspiration from it
Changing Star is known to be an Idol.
Known for her many achievements, she's bound to be seen as a goddess of light to many.
It was her life, after all. She was the last descendant of the Immortal Flame Clan, the one who stood atop the rest and with sheer will and determination, managed to conquer harsh nightmares no one would be able to.
Nephis is not the type of person to hate herself.
She may not have the most positive outlook on life, as she only focuses on what's front and how to kill enemies the fastest, but she still has some human left in her. What makes her so different is her will. Her will to destroy the Nightmare Spell, her will to avenge her parents.
All of these puzzles added up to make Changing Star.
Though, her life may have been stuck in some type of loop. Being filled to the brim with missions and paperwork, she was bound to have no time to worry about such trivial things such as taking care of herself and the others around her. She enjoyed when her cohort was there, even though she may not show it.
Her usual mask of indifference slightly tears off with the 3 of them. Though, if she were to be honest with herself, she couldn't stand the constant teasing from Effie and Cassie.
Nephis muttered, "Cassie has never had any experience anyways, so why should she care..? I'm just... waiting." She stared at the paperwork beneath her.
But, even with this tremendous amount of work from Valor and the constant mission requests, she didn't mind any of it.
She was peaceful.
Until she wasn't.
You see, there was one thing that had been plaguing her mind, not just her but the rest of the cohort. It felt as if there was a gap in her memory, like someone was supposed to be there. Any attempts at remembering this lost soul were all futile.
Like trying to open a door with no doorknob. How could you open a door with no doorknob? Kick it down? It's indestructible. Just like this fog in her head. Couldn't be accessed no matter what.
Cassie, on the other hand had spent more of her time figuring out who this fog in her mind is.
However, the paperwork weren't gonna do it themselves.
She stood up.
Then fell.
She fell to her knees, grasping her head in discomfort and pain as it felt that the fog was slowly being blown away. The weight of knowing the Shadow was far too strong then her mind could handle it. Even with high protection against mind attacks, this felt like it was more of inside her brain, and not her mind itself.
'What is.. going on..?' Her mind felt like it was in a turmoil. Like as if someone was forcibly injecting so much memories into her.
Then she saw it.
Visions.
Lots of Visions.
Each one was.. Visions of her own perspective.
And the others.. was the visions of another perspective.
Visions of a... short malnourished boy who looked like they were gonna die at any time. The same boy who was slowly traversing up the mountain, being chased by a odious creature that lurked to end him.
Visions of a.. pervert who went around the academy and exclaimed that they had achieved a Divine aspect and someone who used their aspect to "allegedly" spy on girls. The same boy who had been cursed by Fate itself, promising anyone around him to be brought down to ruin.
Visions of a... Master with porcelain skin who looked far too good than she could imagine. The same one she enslaved all those years ago. The one who wished to be free of the bond between them. The one who.. was with her.. all this time..
And then, some unknown visions.
Visions of a.. unknown Saint who had managed to kill the Winter Beast with so much spite. The same who was so hellbent on killing the Winter Beast.
Visions of a.. Master in the windflower island, reliving the same day over, over, and over again. The same one who was with her at the river of time.
Nephis couldn't believe it.
"S-Sunny..." She covered her mouth, feeling the urge to vomit as so much information had been transcribed into her.
What had happened? What did it mean for someone to get their fate back? What did it mean for the others whose fate were tied to the fateless?
To explain it simply, each and every person whose tapestry of golden strings were intertwined with the Shadow's strings had their fog removed.
For others, a second had passed. A single second.
And yet for her, it felt like.. months, no years had passed.
All in a single second.
That single second had made her watch her whole life back in replay, excluding the fog.
From the Academy, from the Forgotten Shore, from the adventures in the Dream Realm, from the times spent together as a Master, from the times spent in the Third Nightmare, and now.
If she was to rewatch before any of this happened, she wouldn't been able to see the short porcelain sculpture of a man that stood beside her wherever she went.
But... there was also one thing she reviewed.
Not her life.
But Sunny's.
She felt as if she was in a theatre, watching and feeling every emotion Sunny went through.
All of the spite, all of the anger, all of the sadness... all of the love he had.
And.. all the loneliness he felt from the past 4 years.
All in one second.
How could she forget?
How could she forget?
How could she forget?
He was the darkness to her light. Light cannot exist without Darkness, and Darkness cannot coexist with anything else other than the Light.
So why.. why has the Light threw away the Darkness, whilst the Darkness chases the Light back.
And at that moment. She broke down.
All her pent up emotions, all her guilt, her grief, her mistakes were now pouring at.
She wanted to beat herself up. She wanted to scream, yearning for her lost one.
But she couldn't. She's the Changing Star.
And yet, she cried.
Cried for the longing of the one she missed.