On the way out of the castle, Kai was strangely silent. Sunny didn't mind, because he had a lot to think about.
Going back to that lodge… there were a lot of things there that he had hoped to never see, feel, or experience again. For a moment, he even thought about rushing straight back to his cathedral without making good on his promise.
But why should he? It's not like he asked to be invited back. Nephis was the one who wanted his help with something.
'Just pretend like you don't care. Also, demand to be compensated for whatever it is they want you to do. You're an outsider now, and your services won't be cheap.'
Yeah, that was the best option. He wasn't going to agree to anything that didn't serve his own selfish interests. And there were a lot of things that Changing Star, with her thriving hunting party and following, could provide him with.
There was this one thing in particular, something he really wanted to do, but couldn't on his own. Maybe they would be able to help him with that...
As they were approaching the lodge, Kai suddenly asked in a serious tone:
"Sunny… why did you want me to come with you, really?"
Sunny sighed. Glancing at the charming archer, he hesitated, then said:
"I want you to tell me if I'm being lied to."
Kai frowned.
"I thought that Lady Nephis was your friend. Why are you so wary of her?"
Sunny chuckled.
Was she a friend? Even he didn't know what exactly the two of them were to each other. Worse yet, he wasn't sure what they would become.
"She's the kind of friend you don't really want to lower your guard around."
He lingered for a moment, then added:
"There's also a guy called Caster. He's the one I especially don't trust."
The archer raised his eyebrows.
"I've heard only good things about Caster. Why him specifically?"
Sunny cast a sideways glance at him and scowled. To be honest, Caster hadn't really done anything to deserve his hostility. But there just was something about the proud Legacy that gave Sunny a familiar feeling.
He was too perfect. In Sunny's experience, only people with bad intentions were capable of appearing so flawless. Perhaps he was wrong, but the policy of always assuming the worst had too clean of a track record to be abandoned now.
"He just gives me the creeps."
Seemingly satisfied with this answer, Kai shrugged and followed Sunny into the lodge.
The headquarters of Changing Star's hunting party had changed a lot since his last visit. It had already looked pretty presentable back when he was a member, but now, the lodge was much more impressive.
The first thing that caught the eye was that it had grown much bigger. During the months of his absence, additional structures were built to expand it both horizontally and vertically. Now, it was by far the largest building in the outer settlement, almost starting to resemble a small town hall.
It was heavily fortified, too, especially from the side that faced the white road. A couple of lookouts were visible on the roof, observing the ruins below. They were wearing armor-type Memories and holding bows in their hands.
It was a far cry from how things were before.
Inside, a lot of people were busy with various tasks. Sunny froze for a moment, disoriented by all the activity. He almost felt as though he had somehow mistakenly returned to the castle.
The reason for it was not the neat and tastefully decorated interior, with warm carpets covering the stone floor and various tapestries hanging on the sturdy stone walls. No, the main difference was in how the people here comported themselves.
The rot of hopelessness was almost gone from their eyes, replaced with energy and vigor. Sunny frowned.
'Why hasn't Gunlaug put an end to all this yet?'
From everything that he saw, Nephis was almost asking to be destroyed. How was all of this possible?
His grim thoughts were disrupted by a young woman who greeted them with a smile.
"Welcome! Can I help you with something?"
Sunny stared at the smiling girl, trying to remember if he knew her. No one came to mind. Trying to remove the scowl from his face, he answered in a flat tone:
"Neph is expecting me."
The young woman blinked.
"Uh… sorry. Who is Neph?"
Sunny rolled his eyes.
"Sorry. Lady Nephis is expecting me. You know… Changing Star of the Immortal Flame Clan?"
The young woman's eyes widened.
"Oh! I see. Let me show you the way…"
Sunny wanted to retort that he knew the way, but truth be told, he wasn't sure that he did. With all the changes that happened to the lodge, he had no idea where things were.
On their way, they passed the tiny room that used to belong to him. Just as they were walking by, Sunny glanced inside and saw that it was now home to someone else.
In fact, he recognized a couple of things that the new owner left on the narrow cot. They were Caster's. A corner of his mouth curled upward.
'Figures.'
It seemed as though he was thoroughly replaced by the scion of the Han Li clan. Well, whatever. The cot was not very comfortable anyway, unlike his luxurious wide bed in the hidden chamber of the cathedral.
Finally, the young woman led them to the area that used to be the central hall of the old lodge. Now, it was separated from the rest of it by a thick wall, with a sturdy wooden door barring the way inside.
Sunny took a deep breath, then walked in.
He had imagined that moment a lot of times in the past.
…Granted, he never thought that his reunion with the cohort would happen in the presence of an unreasonably attractive, washed-out pop star. But still.
Inside the room, a wide window opened onto an eerily breathtaking view of the Dark City. On the wall beside it, a map of the ruins was littered with various markings that contained valuable information. They seemed to be much denser than before.
There was a large wooden table beside the window, around which stood seven makeshift chairs. Currently, only two were occupied.
Effie was sitting on one, her feet unceremoniously resting on the table. As always, she looked extremely comfortable and relaxed. On the chair next to her, a beautiful blind girl was cradling a cup in her delicate hands. It was Cassie.
Nephis and Caster stood near the map, discussing something with each other.
The four of them were the core of the Immortal Flame hunting party.
Once Sunny and Kai entered, everyone turned to them.
Sunny put on a brave face and forced out a grin.
"Oh, so many familiar faces. Hi, everyone. No need to say how much you missed me. Anyway, this is Kai. Kai, say hi to everyone — these are Cassie, Caster, and Effie. You already know Nephis."
Giving him a strange look, the charming archer smiled dazzlingly and said in his stupidly beautiful voice:
"Uh… hello. Lady Nephis, Cassie, Caster, huntress Athena… it's very nice to meet you."
Cassie giggled.
"Huh, you won't believe it guys, I thought I just heard Night from Nightingale say my name. Crazy, right?"
Kai blinked.
"Oh, sorry. I am Night from Nightingale, actually."
Effie leaned forward and extended one arm.
Cassie's face, meanwhile, grew deathly pale. An expression of utter terror appeared on it. Her hands trembled, and the cup she was holding fell from them.
Catching the cup just a moment before it hit the floor, Effie sighed and shook her head.
"Every time… this happens every time…"
Sunny furrowed his brow and glanced at the beautiful archer with disdain.
'Oh come on! Was that reaction really necessary?!'