Shadow Slave

Sunny remained silent for a few moments. Finally, it became clear that Nephis wasn't going to continue. Feeling a slight sense of exasperation, he asked:

"Why would Caster want to kill you?"

Despite the calm appearance, there was a tempest raging in his mind. The revelation of Caster's true intention had shaken Sunny. Yes, he disliked the proud Legacy, and yes, their dynamic with Changing Star had always been a bit strange, but he never expected to hear something like this.

In his mind, Caster was more of an opportunist with distasteful ambitions, most likely having to do with the purity of his clan's bloodline, than a cold-blooded killer.

In what world did him wishing to kill Nephis made any sense? He was her number one fan. The only logical explanation Sunny could find was that the proud scion had been secretly working for Gunlaug all along. But then, that theory also didn't hold when subjected to a close inspection — the Bright Lord was determined to kill Changing Star with his own two hands and in front of hundreds of people.

What would he need Caster for?

Nephis lingered for a bit, then shrugged.

"People have been trying to kill me for as long as I can remember. Have you forgotten?"

Sunny slowly shook his head.

"No… no, I did not. But what does that have to do with Caster?"

She smiled.

"They were not going to stop just because I came of age, survived my First Nightmare, and was sent into the Dream Realm. If anything, that would have been the perfect opportunity to finally make me disappear forever. Sleepers enter this cursed world alone, away from the protections of society and whatever allies they might have in the real one. Do you see?"

He gave her a nod, his expression growing dark.

Indeed, no one was as vulnerable as young Sleepers entering the Dream Realm for the first time.

Nephis sighed and looked away.

"In any case, when I enrolled into the Academy, I knew that someone among our classmates had to have received orders to make sure that I never return from the Dream Realm. I just didn't know who it was."

Suddenly, she glanced at him. The corner of her lips curled upward.

"...Actually, for a long time, I thought that it was you."

Sunny blinked and stared at her in disbelief.

"What? Me? Are you cr… actually, never mind. What exactly about me made you think that I'm an agent of some secret Legacy cabal? Do I look like a Legacy to you?

Nephis calmly looked him in the eye.

"Honestly? Not any Legacy that I know. But there were too many things about you that didn't make sense."

He frowned.

"Do tell."

She slowly raised her hand, then began counting on her fingers.

"Let's see… you claimed to be an orphan from the outskirts, but somehow managed to survive both the First Nightmare and the arrival on the Forgotten Shore. You didn't consume any soul shards, but kept growing more powerful. You said that you had never held a sword in your hand, but absorbed my lessons with astonishing speed. And finally, every other word you said was a lie, especially when it came to your origins, your past, your strength, and your Aspect."

Running out of fingers on one hand, she made a fist and pointed to it:

"Need I continue?"

Sunny cleared his throat.

"Uh, no… well, when you put it like this…"

She smiled and shook her hand, then lowered it.

"But after some time, I realized that my suspicions about you were wrong. If you were really tasked with killing me, you could have just left me on the Ashen Barrow. Back then, I was as good as dead. But you didn't. In fact, you risked a lot to take both Cassie and me with you."

The smile slowly disappeared from her face.

"So when we reached the Bright Castle and Caster immediately appeared, insinuating his way into my inner circle, I knew pretty much instantly that it was him."

Sunny frowned.

"Aren't you getting ahead of yourself? Don't get me wrong, I'm the last person in this world who would want to defend that pompous bastard, but there were hundreds of Sleepers in our crop, and out of those, only seven were sent to the Forgotten Shore. And only four lived long enough to see the Castle. What are the chances that the person with orders to make you vanish was among them? Isn't it a bit too big of a coincidence?"

Changing Star slowly shook her head.

"Who said it was a coincidence? People often tend to forget that the Spell has a mind of its own. It sees all and hears all. And it really loves to play with fate. If there was someone among those hundreds of people tasked with killing me, the chances of me having a fateful encounter with them in the Dream Realm would be all but guaranteed. That is how the Spell always does things."

Sunny had to agree. The Spell, indeed, loved to play with fate.

His whole damn life was proof of that.

Meanwhile, Nephis continued:

"Of course, despite my suspicions, I wasn't sure at first. But the more I observed Caster, the more convinced I became that I was right. He did everything in his power to get close to me, and then tried his hardest to subtly isolate me from everyone I could have trusted. He spent his time studying my every move, while keeping his secrets close to his chest. It's him. I've been sure of it for a long time."

Sunny tilted his head, trying to digest this new information. After a while, he asked:

"If Caster wanted to kill you, why hasn't he made a move to kill you yet?"

She lingered for a bit, then smiled slightly.

"Because among all of the humans on the Forgotten Shore, he knows what the scions of the Immortal Flame clan are capable of the best. Isn't it ironic? He respects my ability too much to be careless… maybe even fears it. And he can't allow himself to fail. His honor won't allow it. So, Caster won't attack until he is absolutely sure that I won't be able to resist. He'll make his move when I have no chance to escape."

Sunny scratched the back of his head.

"Let me rephrase that. If Caster wants to kill you, why is he still alive? Why didn't you kill him already?"

He was sure that if Nephis wanted to, the proud Legacy would have been dead a long time ago,

Changing Star hesitated, and then said in an even tone:

"Because I need him for what is to come. It doesn't matter that he intends to betray me. Traitor or not, he is of use."