Some time later, the Sleepers sat on the western edge of the stone platform, watching the scavengers below. Sunless's shadow scouted a path to the next high landmark.
Nephis pointed toward the labyrinth. After focusing, Sunless finally noticed two enormous shadows emerging from an unusually wide passage.
A moment later, the creatures casting those shadows came into view. Ariandel heard his friend swallow hard.
Then the group watched as the monsters backed away.
"Please, ask your shadow to follow those two back."
... They went west.
Having learned that, the group could only wait until the next morning.
...
... Sunless lay on his back, gazing at the gray sky. Cassia sat beside him, lost in thought. Ariandel practiced with concentration. Nephis meditated in silence.
After a while, Cassia turned to him.
"Sunny?"
He tilted his head to look at her.
"Yes?"
"Do you... think we'll manage to get back home?"
Sunless frowned as he looked at her. A few seconds later, he averted his gaze back to the sky.
"Of course."
Cassia smiled, but there was doubt in her expression.
"Do you really think so? Why?"
'Damn! Why so many questions!' he grumbled.
Sunless sighed before beginning to answer, arranging his thoughts as if they were 'three reasons':
"Illustrious Artisan of Fantasy."
"Star of Change."
"And me."
"I'm willing to bet you couldn't have found a better group of Sleepers to escort you through the Dream Realm. If anyone can survive this, it's us. So yes, I think our chances of returning are high."
Cassia laughed suddenly, a sweet, melodic sound that shattered the tension.
"Aren't you a bit full of yourself? You were second to last!"
Sunless shrugged nonchalantly.
"That's only because someone clever told me to keep a low profile. Otherwise, I would have placed much higher."
He smiled before adding, with a touch of humor:
"Much higher! At least fourth from last!"
The blind girl couldn't contain her laughter, and her light giggle brought an unexpected warmth to the atmosphere. Sunless found himself thinking how the two—and Artisan of Fantasy—had shared each other's company—however forced—before all this.
It was good to see they could still preserve a bit of joy, even in that hellish place.
'Of course, everything would be more pleasant—less distressing—if Ariandel didn't insist on being so... himself. But seriously, what's with that nihilistic philosophy about life and death?'
After that moment of reflection, Cassia's expression grew melancholy. A few seconds later, she asked:
"What do you miss most about home?"
Sunless tried to think, but he couldn't find an answer. He wasn't sure he could call the small room he rented in the real world 'home'—it was just a temporary shelter from the rain. As for the real world as a whole, his life there wasn't something he missed either.
Finally, he answered:
"I don't miss anything in particular."
Cassia looked genuinely surprised.
"Really? You don't miss your family?"
Sunless smiled, but his smile was cold and empty.
"I don't have a family. Well... I think I have a sister somewhere, but we haven't seen each other in many years."
"Oh."
The blind girl fell silent. After a while, she murmured softly:
"What I miss most is my family."
There was longing and sadness in her voice. Sunless, not knowing what to say, remained silent.
"Mom and Dad must be very worried about me now. No... no, actually, they wouldn't be worried. They'd be devastated. They must think I'm practically dead already."
He watched her for a moment and sighed.
"You seem to care for them a lot."
Cassia turned to him, confused.
"Of course. Isn't that normal?"
Sunless stared at the gray sky. The wind carried the scent of rain.
After a while, he replied in a low voice:
"I wouldn't know."
...
[You beheld the end of an awakened beast, Carapace Scavenger.]
[Your soul shines even brighter.]
...
[Your soul shines even brighter.]
We advanced cautiously through the coral labyrinth, now more challenging than ever. It wasn't long before we encountered our first battle without the privilege of a strategic advantage.
It was intense, though brief; even knowing that fate did not intend our defeat, I still felt the visceral fear of real battles.
But that was good, in a way. Proof that I was still alive, feeling, and caring about this world.
And growing.
... And Nephis hadn't ended up naked like in the novel. Not that it would have been possible—she still had her own armor, thanks to the fact that I had given mine to Cassia. But somehow, the thought insisted on standing out in my mind... go figure.
Sunless called Nephis crazy again, and this time I couldn't hold back my laughter.
And we have the first Echo of our shadowy friend.
Ah! The Sunphis moment was lost! Now it made sense why that persistent thought about Nephis keeping her chest covered.
The butterfly effect is indeed cruel.
And I'm thinking a lot of nonsense... ahh, focus, Ariandel.
With Cassia riding comfortably atop the scavenger, the group's speed increased dramatically. Sunless and Nephis ran ahead, determined to make up for the time lost in the first half of the day and reach the highest point with two or three hours to spare.
Until Cassia noticed something that made us stop.
The storm is coming.
'Oh, god. Is this already the part where we face the Awakened Monster?'
'Yes.'
My memory had failed to keep awareness of the moment, but the scent of rain refreshed my recollections.
...
"We need to move, now."
Nephis and Sunless turned to Ariandel with alert expressions.
Without hesitation, he grabbed Cassia, helping her to stand.
She looked a little disoriented as he carried her, somewhat clumsily, to the top of the scavenger. When she finally settled and grasped the reins, she turned to him with a mixture of confusion and apprehension:
"Aria? What's happening?"
For a brief moment, he let his eyes rest on hers—celestial blue that stole a beat from his heart. He smiled gently, trying to convey a bit of the tranquility he did not feel at the moment.
Cassia tilted her face toward the sky. Her expression darkened quickly as she grasped the imminent danger.
Sunless sent his shadow to scale a nearby coral pillar, trying to gauge the distance that still separated them from the cliffs.
"We're still far..." he said as he descended, his voice laden with concern, "but the giant statue is already behind us."
Artisan of Fantasy closed his eyes for a moment and manifested the Refraction, hiding his action from the others. He then broke the silence with a determined tone, hastening the story:
"We don't have the luxury of doubt. Let's take the most direct route to the cliffs."
Sunless hesitated, frowning.
"And the monsters?"
Ariandel laughed, a pleasant, almost melodic sound. The shapes in his mystical eyes rearranged themselves, gleaming with fearless calm.
He replied, smiling:
"Oh, my friend... leave the monsters. They too will run for their own lives."