The next they the bustling of the party was undone. Fire Keepers, and Effie were cleaning up. Aiko was prompting Shakti, and Effie's nameless husband to make more saplings of the Sacred Tree shouting something about it's pure nonsense to be able to make one precious sapling, and for three years make only one. At the same time Julius was asking Cassie to show him Runic Sorcery.
Jet, and Kai had to depart already. There was news of another Nightmare Gate to be contained, and closed. Effie could take some time under the pretense of taking care of Ling, but she couldn't remain their much longer.
Time was slowly slipping away. No one knew how long Fire Keepers could take before another crisis erupting in the freshly built settlements, or those in construction. It could be a week, but it could also be a day. All they were sure of was that the moment of relief couldn't last for to long. Anvil would make sure of that. Preferably they would spend remaining time resting, not throwing a party. Parties are exhausting,
Sunny had to make of that time as much as possible. That meant upgrading the Memories for the group, and collecting as many spoils as possible. Now he had a good pretext to ask them to lend him Memories. If before figuring out Memories could take him quite some time depending on how sophisticated they are, now thanks to the new application of his Transformation Ability, this process could be done instantly. No need for prolonged testing. This allowed them to pre estimate the value of Memories before trying to sell them, which allowed Fire Keepers to get a better price. However in the end it also mattered, because Sunny needs interesting Memories to get better ideas on how he can do things with weaving.
Not that he was really thinking about it right now.
While the citadel was slowly floating towards Bastion in the vast plains beneath it two Saints were closed in a swordfight. Thrusts, slashes, parries were interwoven in unpredictable patterns. The exchange was so fast that even a Master would see only a blurry.
*clank* *clank* *clank* *clank*
The sound if the swords heating against each other in a ringing fast cacophony.
Sunny was very positive about keeping his promise to Nephis. Currently he was showing her the style he picked up, and recently figured out after observing the Valor knights. It was the same style that Morgan once used against him.
Both of them were breathing heavily.
"You learned that."
"I know many styles. My understanding for most of them is very shallow, but if it's about grasping it enough to replicate it, I'm doing it nicely."
Nephis was dumbfounded.
"Wouldn't be it better if you had one style?"
Sunny shook his head in rejection.
"Copying others is my style. I don't know how to put it. My aspect is centred around shadows. Like I said once in a way I'm a shadow. So I'm mastering myself so I can use the way of fighting others against them. This way of fighting was inspired by how shadows behave during sword fights."
"Sounds incredible. But… Every style you managed to mimic had to be a lot for you to digest. What when you add into the mix the things that you can't mimic. You said your aspect allows you to mimic someone's shape, which itself is very incredible. However you can't go much further than that. Saints… take that back, even mere Awakened, to some extent can mix their fighting style with abilities you can't copy. How…"
He answered with a laugh.
"Incredible… Nephis herself is overthinking my proficiency."
"You're still not flattering me."
"Because it's like you're almost forgotten your basics. Let the actions speak louder than words. This being said, I want to show you something."
Sunny renewed his assault on Nephis. Not really. It's not easy to attack someone like Nephis. He was under a lot of pressure. She was both aggressive, and unpredictable, very refined. But Sunny was aggressive, and unpredictable too. Her style didn't change that much since Nightmare so almost everything about it was in line with Sunny's understanding.
But he also didn't care that much. His goal wasn't to be an efficient fighter this time.
"This is my style. Not exactly, I've changed it by a lot since I've started using it. I don't know where you picked it up, but it's quite a lot like you."
Today he was in the mood to be poetic. Especially around his new girlfriend. But he still needed to be measured.
"Nephis, if you wanted to teach someone the way of the sword, and this style, how could you approach it?"
She looked at her sword. Weaved it a few times. With very basic forms.
"I would start by imparting the essence of combat. Then I would start training my student till it's engraved deeply into its mind, and body."
"Exactly. To know something, and to make that knowledge part of yourself are two different things. Your martial art is not words, it can't be fully explained by them. And my shadow style can't either. It's not philosophy, nor mathematics."
The woman nodded in approval.
"Thanks. The sparring was refreshing. But let's end it here."
Nephis used her transformation making herself a pair of wings. Sunny manifested his wings from shadows, and flew towards the Tower, which was already far in the horizont.
They landed on top of the tower, finding Cassie consumed by the matters concerning navigation. She turned to them her blindfolded head, another eerie reminder that she's not really blind.
"Quite a show to watch."
He was already used to the antics of the blind seer, who could say 'sorry' completely out of any context. Her words are sometimes like her visions. Perhaps the she got that habit from there. He couldn't get rid of the feeling that she's still manipulating him. In a very strange way. Perhaps he can be free from fate, but he was living for years in a plot carefully planned by Cassie. Sometimes he wondered. How is that better, knowing that your life is controlled by a blind seer?
The thought was swiftly washed down by the lack of an answer.
"Anything happened while we were sparring?"
"Aiko asked me about a tool that can decrease essence consumption or mobilize external essence to fuel aspect. She's doing something around Jet's flaw."
If he remembered right Nephis has such a Memory in possession. It's Altar of Denial, a charm that could lessen the essence consumption as long as it's being used in a static position. Nephis has almost no use for it since it's ridiculous to fight this way, though the same should not be said about, for example, healing, something that should imply that Nephis is indeed underappreciating it.
Considering the situation it wonders if Cassie is able to find a way to supply others' aspect abilities with external essence. In theory it should be very possible. There's a tree that can produce fruits that if eaten can replenish soul essence. It seems it doesn't matter that the essence comes from the tree. Maybe even it's possible because it's the essence of that tree. If so then why wouldn't it be possible to infuse an Awakened with that essence without the fruit?
"I presume you can see Jet's Core, and know even better than me what it is. Does Aiko have chances of succeeding?
"Only temporarily. Her core might be restored in the upcoming days, but new cracks will continue appearing. She just got a few new ones on the battlefield. Her new armor made an impression, and allowed her to kill several Corrupted. She also got her second Great Beast, reassuring new-found reputation."
Smooth. Probably not so smooth. Fighting against such enemies had never been easy, and it can't be easy even now. He had to wait for Jet's feedback to see how well the armor's working.
Sunny, and Nephis went to take a shower. Nephis used the bathrooms in the quarters. Sunny refreshed himself in the belly of Brilliant Mimic.
He used a shower featured with its own Spring. Warm water washed out the mix of dirt, and sweat. He moaned in relief it provided for the muscles he only now realized how sore they were after abusing them in the spar against Nephis.
He couldn't call it exactly enlightening, but it was for sure way different from battling Nightmare Creatures when he was fighting as a being of solidified shadows, when instead he was moving his real muscles.
Corrupted Terrors, creatures equal to him in Rank, and Class are usually enormous. Without Shadow Incarnation trick fighting then wasn't that good of an option. While humans… compared to Sunny anyone below Saint was a weakling. So Nephis was a perfect sparring partner for him, someone he needed to perfect his style, and to test his ideas against. And the reverse was also true. She needed a sparring partner who could hold the line against her assaults.
After a shower he came to see Nephis.
She already dressed herself into more official attire. Her dress had some vermilion accents here, and there. Sunny came up with one conclusion.
"Your're leaving, at least preparing yourself to do so."
"Officially I have brought Effie here to discuss matters between Valor, and the Government. Then Effie will take me, and Cassie to Bastion, because conveniently she can take me with little increase in essence consumption. I will report, give some speeches, raise the spirits, attend clan matters, sell the spoils, find out if I can get good armor from them. Those kinds of things. And meanwhile I have to supervise Cassie's business ideas, especially I have to figure out how the heck she came up with the slogan 'Your own Nephie doll.' Just at the sound of the words I feel my source element stir up along with my own annoyance.
The worst part is that I have to see Anvil in person. It's all complicated…"
"*cough* *cough* You'll play them perfectly. I'm sure of that."
Nephis sighed in dejection.
"Friends, and the clan know me as someone that hardly express herself properly, cold, and distant. I mean my feelings. Sometimes it goes to the point where they think I don't have any feelings at all, and don't even consider them as friends. Valor won't ever consider me as a friend."
"You'll be missing those times when they perceived you this way. If someone tends to see you as weak, and you're not weak, he's underestimating you. You'll be stabbing them in the backs, and they'll find themselves unable to believe it's you. Your feelings probably are the same, in a sense. For some time you can enjoy the luxury of people underestimating the things you can think about, and what you might feel. Just remember that it will eventually end."
"I'll be absent. In case they'll send me to battle, and my absence will prolong, you'll be waiting for me, right? For the day I'll return?"
"Of course, I will! I've been waiting once. I can wait more, albeit there will be more longing for you to consume, and answer..."
They slowly went down the stairs, and approached Effie.
"Took you long enough."
Vigorous woman moved her kid, and husband, and bunch of Sacred Tree saplings into the locket, and greeted Nephis, which replied in a flat voice.
"I needed time to sort out my matters."
Effie shrugged.
"Well, I packed up my deal of leftovers, Ling, and a bunch of saplings. So I guess we can go."
Aiko was a little annoyed.
"Are you mostly concerned with food even after feasting yesterday? You ate so many trays."
"Yes, Aiko, for you see…"
The Saint took a triumphant pose, raised a fist into the air.
"Because I want to! Because it's my Will! And who dares to stop me?"
'Damnation!'
Nephis smiled.
"Let's go. …or thinking about it, I have one more matter to sort out."
"What matter?"
She turned to Sunny, came close, and give him a kiss into cheek. Everyone widened their eyes. The most dazed was Sunny, who expected Nephis to hide their relationship from the Fire Keepers.
"Now it's done. I'm ready"
"Wow, princess, I didn't expect. You have to tell me everything…"
"Goodbye, Sunny."
Then Nephis disappeared into the locket as well. Effie used her anchors to depart to the waking world.
And the months passed.