Cassie crushed the soul shards — at least she tried to.
And yet, no matter how hard she gripped it, it didn't shatter, not like how Sunny's or Nephis' ones would.
Strange, it was extremely strange.
Sure, it was her first time absorbing a soul shard, but they shouldn't be so hard to crush. How else would Sleepers absorb them during their visit to the Dream Realm?
…There was no way she couldn't do it, could there?
Yes, her Aspect was strange, but it wasn't that unusual!
There was no way — must she only be allowed to gain fragments by a direct kill?
'This… this can't be happening! How am I going to explain this to Sunny or Nephis?'
Her having a Sacred Aspect was strange enough, but now this? Cassie had to start racking her brain for suitable excuses — maybe she could learn from Sunny, who had single-handedly lied about his adventure before meeting them.
But there was no story that she could use, which means… she had to tell them about this… this peculiarity.
Turning her head, she looked at the thin figure of Sunny and the shining one of Nephis — should she put her trust in them? Was it worth the risk?
She briefly caught the conversation between them.
"Why would we? Why would we die?"
"But those were Awakened Beasts just now! A Sleeper shouldn't face something like that! We could die!"
"We won't die. For if it were our will, who dares stop us?"
…An idea emerged from her mind.
There was a way to keep her secret.
Nephis was right, they wouldn't die. She would protect them — like what she had said mere moments ago — if that was her will. Who dares stop her?
And that's it; that's the push Cassie needed.
A trade. She had always wanted to learn Changing Star's combat style after seeing it for so long, and Nephis would want to grow strong. She seemed like someone of ambition.
As Sunny crushed his soul shard, a bitter look on his face, Cassie pushed hers to Nephis.
"You take it." She insisted, looking at Nephis dead in the eyes.
Seeing her confusion, she clarified herself, "I'm asking for a trade. I'll give you all the soul shards that are mine…"
Cassie's blue eyes glimmered in the dark, shadows dancing across its surface.
"And in turn, you teach me how to fight."
Nephis was silent for a while, as if seriously pondering the deal she had proposed. Soon, her hand reached out, crushing the soul shards that Cassie had given her.
"Okay."
She said, and Cassie allowed herself a smile; she had succeeded in her deal.
"We'll start now."
To say Cassie was shocked would be an understatement. Why now? In the absolute darkness?
"I'll start with some words. It'll be enough for the day."
After hesitating for a little while, she turned to Sunny.
"Sunny, you listen too."
The man in question had a look of shock on his face, as if he wasn't expecting this, and Cassie could somewhat understand his confusion — she was the one who had made the offer; she was the one who had traded a valuable material. The contract was between her and Nephis, not Sunny.
But she could also understand why Nephis made this decision. They had to increase their skills in combat as much as possible.
They might have survived a couple of Awakened Beasts. Heck, they even killed them all!
But what about that?
There was so much more danger in a Death Zone after all, or why else the name? Why else was the region unexplored?
Yes. They didn't know anything about the Forgotten Shore and its secrets — only the surface level of what this place appears to be.
Cassie wasn't upset at her decision, which was why she quietly sat down and listened to the next words of her 'teacher'.
Somehow, she was sure they would change her life.
Giving no chance for Sunny to refute her decision, Nephis started the lesson — she talked about how combat could be divided into two types. The body and the mind.
She told them of how repetition and experience was the key to master the body — your technique must be ingrained into your very muscles, your very instincts.
"For only then, will you be able to use it with no hesitation; will you be able to strike down your foes."
Yes, Cassie already knew about this; her lessons before the First Nightmare had told her that already.
Which was why she also knew of what Nephis was about to say — Experience was a thousand times more valuable than training.
Sure, she long knew how to wield a sword, how to swing it, how to use it... It's just that... she never put much thought into it, being absorbed with her familial and societal life.
In NQSC, combat never mattered that much. Grades and relationships were what mattered the most in the end.
Of course, Cassie had taken fencing lessons, with that being her chosen activity to register in the government's logs.
She knew how to wield a blade. But was there any will behind it?
No.
The blade she knew was a ceremonial one, one of fair battles, one of competitions, one worn out of prestige.
Her blade never knew the taste of survival.
That was, until now.
She had to raise her blade. Seriously. For there might be a day where her will was the final judgment between survival or death.
"Training the mind, however, is not easy at all." Changing Star continued, her words cold yet with the tint of knowledge behind them.
Experience. Cassie recognized. The flames in her eyes were all built from experience.
Unlike her stale style, which knew nothing but repetitive, monotone training.
She had to listen here.
What is it that makes the mind so important? What is it that separates her from Changing Star?
"The first step is to understand the essence of combat."
"What do you think that essence is?"
Victory. That was what the her from before would say.
But perhaps it was something different. After all, victory cannot be acclaimed at all times, and… victory did not equate to the killing of opponents.
This shore that they were trapped in had forced her to kill.
Back in the safeness of NQSC… Victory meant the surrender of opponents. But here? Surrender meant death. So, victory would be the worst answer.
What else could the essence of combat be then?
She recalled the memories of Changing Star's fight with the Scavenger.
There was something she had seen there, something special, something deep in the silver of her eyes.
'This must be it, there can't be anything else.'
That's right, what she had seen back there was…
"Will."
She answered, confident that she had come up with the best idea she could come up with.
At the same moment, Sunny gave his answer as well.
"Survival."
Through the darkness, Cassie briefly caught a glimpse of hesitation within Sunny's eyes.
Strange…
Changing Star shook her head.
"No," She said, her gaze fierce and ruthless, "Murder. The essence of combat is murder."
Cassie stared at her in shock. Muder? What a ruthless answer. But… she supposed it made sense as well — what else were they striving to accomplish in the fights against the Scavengers?
Their goal was to murder them. Nephis was correct.
"At the core of it: you are trying to kill your opponent, and they are trying to kill you as well. At the end, one of you will live, and the other will die. That's all there is."
A strange spark ignited within those silver eyes.
"Style doesn't matter. Weapons don't matter. Reason, intent, will… they don't matter. The only thing you should care about is the last one standing. Then, there are two ways in combat: to kill, or prevent the enemy from killing you."
She blinked, snuffing out any semblance of a spark Cassie had seen.
"If you can understand that, you will have enough clarity to master the mind."
—
After that, they all went their separate ways, laying onto a corner of the platform, and spent the night trying to fall asleep,
And yet, no matter what she tried, her brain refused to slumber, the words of Nephis repeating in her mind.
Repetition. Experience. Clarity.
Yes, they were all vexing — at a surface level, they were easy to understand, but thinking deeper, Cassie found herself mystified.
What could Nephis possibly mean? How was Murder going to help her?
She supposed it made sense. She knew what Nephis meant.
But knowing did not equate to understanding.
She had never risked her life before, not like how Nephis and Sunny were. She didn't understand, because this kind of life was new to her. Unknown. Abnormal.
But to them? They had always lived like this — Nephis as the legacy of the Immortal Flame, Sunny as the outskirts rat who had grudgingly survived, only to receive a Flaw crueler than the norm.
Perhaps only when she was in the tapestry of life and death, will she understand the clarity Changing Star had spoken of.
Putting the thoughts of all of that away, she thought about her companions. Sunny in particular.
After hearing what Nephis had said, he shifted around, raising his head and looking into the sky, as if recalling a long-forgotten dream.
Had he seen this before, in one of his visions?
Was this a turning point in their lives?
Why did he react like that?
Unsure, she slowly closed her eyes, purging all the worries about what had happened earlier.
The night was still young, and she'd have to take watch later.
Cassie had to value the time she was allowed to sleep.
With those thoughts in mind, she drifted off to a dreamless sleep.
…In the middle of the night, Song of the Fallen was awakened by a slight shake of her shoulder.
Tiredly looking around, her eyes landed upon Nephis.
Exchanging a nod, they took each other's places, and she soon found herself staring into the distance, desperately trying to stay awake.
At the break of dawn, she heard a piercing scream.
Sunny.
She stood up, immediately rushing towards him, trying to find out what had happened.
From her enhanced sight in the darkness, Cassie scanned through everything, trying to find the blind boy. After a while, she saw him — black hair flying messily in the wind, his blank eyes filled with darkness.
Fear.
He was stumbling at the edge of the platform, his hands reaching out towards the sky, as if desperately trying to take hold of something that was lost.
He would trip over the edge at this rate.
Immediately, Cassie reacted. She ran, ran, and ran, acting before she even had the chance to think. They couldn't possibly lose their seer to something as ridiculous as falling over!
Somehow, someway, she caught him in time — just as his body slipped over the edge.
And yet, he didn't relax. His hands were still reaching upwards, still trying to touch the sky, thrashing around, desperately trying to escape her hold.
'Damn it, Sunny! Stop trying to wriggle away!'
She tightened her grip, dragging his body away from the edge with as much force she could muster.
"What— What's going on?" He croaked out, as she gently let him down.
Fortunately, he wasn't trashing anymore, his eyes with the semblance of consciousness. But they still held fear within.
She had to calm him down.
"You screamed," She started. "I strained my eyes, trying to find any sign of your shadow. But when I finally saw you, you were stumbling at the edge of the platform, hands outreached towards the sky."
Through the darkness, Nephis approached the edge, as if trying to find any signs of the dwellers of the deep.
"Don't worry. We've got you. Calm down…" Cassie whispered, her blue eyes flickering in the dark.
What should she do now?
Never in her life had she comforted someone — Cassie was always the one being comforted.
What happened? Was he hurt?
Yeah, maybe she could start from that.
Laying Sunny's body on the ground, she checked him for any sign of injury — yet there was none.
Could it be a vision that he saw?
"Do you see anything?" Nephis soon asked, her eyes still focused on the sea, her guard raised.
Cassie shook her head.
"There's nothing," She said, "And… Sunny's not hurt. I'm not sure, but it could be a vision."
"...it is." A voice whispered from below. Sunny.
Looking at him, there was something truly wrong.
He was smiling, as if saying 'I'm okay', but it seemed forced. His eyes were back to their usual state of blankness, but she could see a hint of suppressed fear.
Whatever he had seen… it must have truly haunted him.
"Can you tell us what happened?" She asked.
Simultaneously, Nephis also questioned him.
"What did you see?"
Sunny didn't reply.
Cassie looked at him, trying to figure out whatever was happening.
She was met with blankness, and a tint of silver within those eyes.
Nothing. There was nothing wrong with him.
Except… his lungs weren't rising.
Oh.
He wasn't breathing.
She paniced.
What should she do?
Tick tock.
The clock wasn't waiting for her.
She had to do something!
But what?
What can she even do?
If only she had paid attention to those first aid classes back then!
Gritting her teeth, she stared at him, hope brewing in her eyes.
...A few seconds later, he flinched.
A scream erupted.
Loud. It was louder than the one before. Incomparable.
Suddenly, it stopped.
Her hand brushed against her ear.
Liquid.
Blood.
Loud.
Too loud.
Through the darkness, Cassie could see a wave rising from the still ocean. Danger.
Almost immediately, her hand moved, rushing to cover Sunny's mouth.
No.
Not yet.
They can't be noticed. They can't die.
Who knows what the sea held for them.
Throughout her hold, she could feel Sunny convulsing, his pupils dilating.
Cassie had read of this before, dilating pupils will only appear in... A situation of fight, flight, or freeze.
A kick hit her in the stomach.
Fight. He had chosen to fight back.
No.
She had to stop him.
Ignoring the sting in her stomach, she leapt, pinning Sunny onto the ground.
She didn't know what was happening; she didn't know what she should do. But she had to calm him down.
Sunny still fought back. His hands, his legs, his head… He kept hitting, he kept attacking. Like— like he was desperately trying to escape something.
Changing Star's lesson from the night before echoed in her mind.
Style doesn't matter. Weapons don't matter. Reason, intent, will… they don't matter. The only thing you should care about is the last one standing. Then, there are two ways in combat: to kill, or prevent the enemy from killing you.
Did… did Sunny recognize her as the enemy? But she was only trying to help him!
Hesitation bloomed in her mind.
Was… was she doing the right thing?
Yes, Cassie could rationalize her actions; she was only trying to help him calm down, only stopping him before something worse arrived from the depths of the ocean.
But. He looked at her. Those blank eyes which held the abyss within them.
Fear, it showed.
Like she was the hunter.
Not his friend.
There was no chance he could fight back.
She was too powerful.
She was in control.
Turning his head, he looked at her.
She could feel his fear.
Lightless. His eyes were lightless.
Yet. Throughout the darkness, there was a silver string between his blank eyes — a prayer of hope for her to release him.
Cassie gritted her teeth.
She had to do this. For his own good.
…Another wave slammed against the platform.
Nephis was staring at the sea, her eyes focused on whatever lay within.
They exchanged glances. Cassie knew she had to restrain him, no matter how much she didn't want to.
They can't make a sound.
Suddenly, the surroundings became darker.
Lifting her head, she stared at where the sun had been rising mere moments ago, only finding a cover of grey clouds.
She narrowed her eyes.
They weren't there when she last checked.
Someone, no, something, was influencing this change.
"Eyes…"
She briefly heard.
A whisper. Sunny's whisper.
She looked down.
There, beneath her hold, was Sunny, who was staring at her.
No, he was looking beyond that. Into that dark, dark sea.
"What?" She hurriedly asked, her voice strained — fear, fear of what he would reply.
"Close your eyes!" He shouted, his mouth trembling as the silver disappeared from his pupils.
Blank. They were blank now.
"Close your eyes!" He repeated, this time louder.
"CLOSE THEM. CLOSE THEM. CLOSE THEM…"
His pupils rolled back.
His body went limp.
His hand twitched, moving towards the east, his finger pointing downwards.
Her eyes met the sea.
Bubbles.
Foam.
Something was coming.
Something was rising.
She closed her eyes.
A wave slammed onto the headless statue.
The sea turned silent.
She couldn't see anything.
The shadows whispered into her ears:
Darkness.
Darkness was rising from the sea.