Back in the Labyrinth, Sunny wasn't the only one who had killed countless Nightmare Creatures. In fact, due to his primary role as a scout, the three main fighters of the cohort had killed many more.
He knew for a fact that at least two of them — Effie and Caster — had fully saturated their soul cores long before their return journey was finished. Absorbing any more shards would have been useless for them. At some point, Nephis had begun to abstain from consuming her share of the spoils, too.
Added with the shards that Sunny traded for the unwanted Memories that the members of the cohort had accumulated, a truly incredible amount of the alluring crystals had been placed into Effie's leather bag.
He had often wondered what Nephis would use them for, and now, he had his answer.
The people gathered in the main hall of the hunting lodge — her most trusted subordinates — stared at the tall pile of soul shards in utter shock. Here in the Dark City, this was an inconceivable wealth. One shard was enough to buy a person a week of food, comfort, and safety behind the tall walls of the Bright Castle.
Too many had died because they lacked these things. So, in a sense, the mountain of crystals in front of them was tantamount to a thousand human lives.
The scarred hunter slowly tore his eyes away from the glittering shards and looked at Changing Star, his face pale and his voice suddenly raspy:
"What… what is this, Lady Nephis?"
She remained silent for a few moments, and then said in her even, reserved, strangely affecting voice:
"This is for you. To nourish yourselves, and grow stronger. You are going to need every bit of strength for what awaits us in the days to come."
The young man watched her, a dangerous flame slowly igniting in his eyes. A flame of resolve, adoration…
Almost worship.
Hidden in a shadowy corner, Sunny smiled with dark apprehension.
Back at the start of it all, he had told Nephis that Gunlaug could not be defeated because he controlled every facet of life here in the Dark City: food, safety, hope and fear... even power itself.
Then, he had watched as she gave the people of the outer settlement free food, placed them under the protection of her sword, and ignited the embers of the long-forgotten hope in their hearts. All that remained was power.
And now, she had brought them power as well.
No wonder they were ready to worship her. In their eyes, Changing Star was a noble savior.
…No one knew that their messiah was a counterfeit one.
Glancing at the stunned people, Effie sighed and took her bag from Neph's hands. Looking inside the empty Memory with a bit of a sad expression, she said:
"What are you waiting for? Gunlaug's men are probably already arming themselves to come here and break your thick skulls. Share the shards among yourselves and absorb them, dimwits!"
The Sleepers did not make her say it twice.
***
Not long after the last shard had been absorbed, one of the watchers ran into the room, breathing heavily
"Coming! They are coming!"
There was a hint of unrestrained fear in her voice.
Sunny flexed his shoulders and stretched.
'The show is about to start.'
The people gathered in the room glanced at each other, their faces full of tension. Only Nephis remained indifferent, watching out of the window at the dead city that sprawled below her like a desolate, lonesome graveyard.
"Stay calm, everyone."
Her voice settled them down. The hunter with scars on his face turned to Changing Star, a deep frown on his face. After hesitating for a few moments, he said:
"But… but… they are coming to take Effie! We can't allow that to happen. I'm done watching good people be taken into the damn Castle and never return. If they want to make an example out of her, like they did with Jubei… over my dead body!"
The hum of angry voices rose in the hall, accompanied by heated glares.
"Exactly!"
"They will pay for Jubei's death!"
"Your dead body? Why not their dead bodies?!"
Nephis lingered for a moment, then turned to them. A slight smile appeared on her face.
"...Don't worry. Nothing is going to happen to Effie. You have my word."
That seemed to calm them down a little. It seemed as though they were willing to believe anything she said, regardless of how impossible her promises were. Was that the definition of blind faith?
Before anyone could answer, however, a crashing sound came from the direction of the entrance to the stone lodge. It seemed as though someone had just smashed through the door.
There was a short scream, which quickly grew silent. Something fell on the floor.
Then, the sound of heavy footsteps could be heard, drawing closer to the hall where all the people had gathered. A few moments later, its door was shattered, too, exploding into a shower of splinters along with the bits of stone that surrounded it.
A giant of a man walked into the hall, his mere presence making the entire space look tiny. Compared to him, even Effie seemed to be of average height. There was a morose expression on his face and a dark glint in his cold, cruel eyes.
The giant did not wear any armor, allowing his monumental muscles to strain the fabric of a sleeveless silk shirt.
It appeared that Tessai, the fearsome leader of the Castle Guard, had decided to welcome the cohort back to the Dark City himself. Neph's followers paled, their fiery indignation replaced by fear.
'What a monster,' Sunny thought indifferently, pondering on what the quickest way to kill the morose giant would be.
Behind Tessai, a group of Guards, each wearing a sturdy armor and wielding Memory weapons, could be seen. Their eyes were immediately drawn to the robust figure of the tall huntress, and then, hateful smiles appeared on their faces. The Guards seemed very happy to finally find the woman accused of murdering their own.
The giant only glanced at Effie and then turned to Nephis. His deep, low voice resounded in the stone hall, sending shivers running through the hearts of many Sleepers gathered there.
"Changing Star. So you're alive after all."
She met his gaze and endured it without flinching.
"You must be Tessai. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
The giant lingered before answering. The corner of his mouth twitched and slowly curled upward. Finally, he said:
"Oh, no. The pleasure is all mine."
Then, he raised his mighty arm and pointed at Effie.
"Lord Gunlaug has invited this one to the Castle, to face punishment for her crimes. You should have trained your dogs better, Changing Star. See what happens when they go around biting people?"
He lowered his hand and flexed his shoulders, then looked at her with a dark expression.
"Now. I would advise you rats to step aside and let me take that she-wolf with me."
Nephis crossed her arms and stared at the giant, cold sparks igniting in the depths of her calm grey eyes. A few moments later, she said evenly:
"...Or what?"