For the rest of the day, Sunny had nothing to do but count the hours until sunset. When the night descended, he would have to return to the scene of the crime he had committed, retrieve the body of his victim, and carry it into the ruins under the cover of darkness.
'How did it come to this?'
Alone in his tiny room, he stared at the wall and waited. Soon, the fear of going into the Dark City at night overpowered the bleak and hollow feeling that reigned over his soul.
People rarely risked leaving the hill after the dark. In the starless void of the Forgotten Shore, any source of light was bound to attract the attention of creatures that no human would even want to meet. Countless horrors stalked the streets of the city at night.
Only a madman would risk entering the ruins after the sun was gone.
...Of course, there were plenty of madmen in the Dark City.
Sunny, at least didn't need any light. He also knew the area surrounding the Bright Castle well enough to avoid most danger. The weeks he had spent learning from Effie didn't go to waste.
'I should be fine.'
With the shadows hiding his every movement, Sunny was sure of his ability to at least run away should something happen.
Still, with each passing minute, his heart felt colder and colder. When the shadow of the Crimson Spire drowned the world and colored his thoughts with the eerie feeling of dread, he gritted his teeth.
'It's almost time.'
However, before the sun completely disappeared, another unexpected guest appeared at the doorstep of his room.
Looking at Sunny with a scowl, Nephis gestured for him to stand up and said in an even tone:
"Come with me."
Sunny's heart skipped a bit.
'What… what does she want?'
Suppressing the sickly fear of being caught, he lingered for a few moments, then slowly stood up and followed Changing Star out of the lodge.
Together, the two of them walked to a secluded part of the slum. Neph remained silent, not even looking in his direction. She seemed calm, like always.
Sunny, however, struggled to keep himself from panicking. Various thoughts, one darker than the other, found their way into his head.
'Did that bastard, Caster, tell her everything?'
Finally, they reached the remote alley where no one would have been able to overhear their conversation. It was filled with nothing but the crimson light of sunset and deep shadows.
Turning around, Changing Star looked at him with a frown. Sunny met her gaze, his face grim. He felt as though he was staring at his judge and executioner.
"I've seen you practicing with the sword today. Your moves were weak and aimless. It was as if you had lost all clarity. What were you thinking about?"
Sunny slowly exhaled.
So, that's what this was about. She didn't know anything. She just picked up on the turmoil raging in his mind.
He should have felt relieved, but for some reason, Sunny felt anger rising in his chest instead.
With a crooked smile, he looked away and answered:
"Murder. I was thinking about murder."
Nephis tilted her head, waiting for an explanation. Sunny remained silent for a few moments, then said, his voice strangely cold:
"You once told me that the essence of combat is murder, didn't you?"
She gave him a nod.
He stared at her, then said:
"Well, how come you know so much about murder, Neph? Huh? I wanted to ask you that since the day you cut off Andel's head without so much as batting an eye. You are out here preaching about how we are all fellow humans, not some beasts. Was Andel not human?"
She scowled.
"Is this what it's all about?"
Sunny gritted his teeth.
"It's a part of it."
Nephis was silent for a long time. At some point, she absentmindedly raised one arm and rubbed her neck. Finally, she said:
"It's not that I have murdered a lot of people. It's that a lot of people have tried to murder me."
Sunny blinked.
"Why would anyone want to kill you?"
She smiled.
"Why? All kinds of reasons, really. My family was really powerful once, don't you remember? But power… it's a dangerous thing, Sunny. You can't reach its peak without creating a lot of enemies. And when your power disappears one day, all those enemies remain."
Turning her face away, she said with her usual indifferent voice:
"I think I was what… five, six years old when someone tried to kill me for the first time? It was my nanny. She led me to an empty room, put her hands around my neck, and tried to strangle me. I thought that it was a game. For the first few seconds, at least."
Neph looked at him with white sparks dancing in her eyes.
"That was how I learned what weakness is. And when my teacher, who happened to walk by, rushed inside and used his Aspect Ability to kill her… that was how I learned what strength is. So yes. I'm not a stranger to severed heads, Sunny. Is that what you wanted to know?"
He stared at her, then slowly shook his head.
How frightened she must have felt, how powerless. Powerlessness… he knew how it felt all too well. Somehow, Sunny had never imagined that proud and indomitable Changing Star had tasted it, too. Was shaped by it.
Just like he was.
Meanwhile, Nephis smiled. But there was no humor in her eyes.
"So then, what did you want to know? Huh, Sunny? What is this all about? Do you think I haven't noticed the way you were staring at me ever since we fought the Spire Messenger? Come clean with it. You owe me at least this much."
He glared at her for a long time, a storm of emotions written on his pale, grim face. Finally making a decision, Sunny gritted his teeth and said:
"I want to know what your real goal is. I want to know if it's all worth it."