A vicious storm raged across the Crimson Labyrinth, bringing chaos and death. Many of its inhabitants used their pincer-like arms to burrow underground, narrowly avoiding the deadly black water that came without any warning.
On top of a large cliff, which barely stood over the water level, a woman with silver hair grimaced, a pained expression on her beautiful face.
In front of her, a harrowing abomination lay motionlessly on the ground, twitching from time to time. That Nightmare Creature, the Carapace Centurion, had been struck by lightning and then burned by divine flames just a few minutes ago.
Nephis heaved with exhaustion, lowering her sword. The spell had just announced her kill, and she was confident that there wasn't any other creature left on this cliff, so she let her guard down.
Just a few steps to her side, two young women lay on the ground, completely motionless like the Awakened Monster. However, unlike the Carapace Centurion, they weren't dead—they were simply unconscious.
One of the two unconscious girls—the paler one—had already long exceeded her limit, having survived a direct hit of an Awakened Monster while still managing to invade its mind. And yet, Rain was in a dire state, just like the blind girl to her side.
Cassie had been injured when Rain was flung through the air, having stood directly between the black-haired girl and the hard stone wall when she crashed into it.
The painful impact had left Cassie with an injury to her head, but thankfully, the small cohort had a healer within their ranks. Noticing blood trickling down from her comrade's head, Nephis quickly knelt down next to the blonde girl, extending both arms towards her motionless body.
In the next second, flames ignited around Cassie, slowly drying up the blood and closing her wounds. This was one part of Nephis' Aspect—the power to heal.
Her divine flames, while used to bring destruction, pain and death, could also be used to restore.
After Cassie's breathing calmed down, Nephis turned to the other girl, healing her too. Using the divine flames to heal her comrades hurt a lot, but it was necessary. Nephis knew that she was weak. It was also a known fact to her that surviving in the Dream Realm alone was impossible. So she needed people that stood behind her, people that she could lean onto.
Her longing for someone she could trust was strong, but it was also the reason why she trusted no one. This small cohort had gone through a lot already, but even now, she couldn't fully rely on the two girls at her side. There was also the chance that they were here to assassinate her.
There were a lot of people who wanted to see her dead, after all.
The storm above continued to rage, grey clouds covering the starless sky. Wind howled, clashing against dampened stone, lighting roared, booming loudly and illuminating the sky.
Nephis leaned back, clenching her jaw. The pain was harrowing and unbearable, the feeling of being burned alive a dreadful experience every time. She was exhausted, more than she wanted to admit.
The lifeless body of the Carapace Centurion twitched once more, like a zombie that refused defeat. But Nephis had felt herself burning it down, and the spell had announced her kill too, so there was no reason to doubt anything.
Changing Star sighed before turning back to her friends and pulling her legs to her chest. Waiting was the only thing she could do.
Rain stirred a few hours later, slowly opening her heavy eyelids. The fatigue weighed heavily on her, and she longed to return to her slumber, yet she also knew that sleeping in the Dream Realm meant death.
And death wasn't something she wished for.
Many people experienced a wide range of emotions, with one especially shaping their views and actions. For Rain, it was self preservation.
To simply be was the foundation of everything else. Surviving was the most important thing in the world, because without existing, things like passion, longing, and dreams didn't matter.
The weak perished, while the strong did too. Death is an all consuming darkness that doesn't spare anyone—not even the gods. So why do humans continue to fight? It was simply to prolong their lives, to experience just one more day of being able to do.
In this world, two worlds even, death stood in front of one constantly. And with death closing onto you, nothing mattered anymore.
Rain rubbed her eyes, feeling refreshed. The pain in her abandonment had suddenly disappeared out of nowhere—she didn't understand why. But after a moment of thinking, she realized that Nephis had used her Aspect on her.
Sighing, Rain called out to Nephis.
"Hey, uhh, thank you for healing me."
Nephis raised her eyebrow elegantly.
"Sure." After saying that singular word, Nephis stopped talking, an uncomfortable silence stretching out between them. Fortunately, Nephis was just awkward, taking a little bit longer to gather her words. "We are a team now, so it's only natural that I heal you."
As another lighting bolted down from the sky, bringing light to this dark world, Rain noticed the new armor around Nephis' clear skin. Before, she only wore strands of seaweed to keep her modesty, also allowing her to move freely but giving her no protection.
She wore a pristine white plate armor over a black bodysuit. The armor looked light and elegant, not hindering her mobility in any way. Seven suns were engraved on the breastplate, protecting her torso.
Rain sighed internally.
"Her skin was so soft and clear, while mine is so pale and dirty. I should've enjoyed the sight while it lasted."
Turning her head towards the dead monster, which lay motionlessly a few meters away from her, Rain grinned. She couldn't believe that they had survived against an Awakened Monster—as Sleepers too!
"Did you get a new memory from killing that ugly crab?"
"Yes. I like it."
Rain sighed, before smiling.
"Still not a very talkative princess, are you?"
"I've meant to ask for a while now, Rain." Nephis' eyes narrowed, while her grip around her sword's handle tightened. "Why are you always calling me princess? Do you know about my status?"
'Eh?'
A large amount of thoughts suddenly invaded Rain's mind.
"Status?"
"Princess?"
"Why is she tightening her grip?"
Of course Rain didn't know anything about Nephis' status—how would she anyway? She was just a street rat. But Nephis couldn't be sure of that.
Staggering, Rain came up with an answer.
"Uh, I mean… Just look at you. You're tall, have a nice body, and silver hair! That's a princess in my book." She then cleared her throat. "And what do you mean about your status? I don't know anything about it—are you a princess?" Rain suddenly paled. "Wait! Should I be kneeling in front of you? Ah, I'm sorry, my lady!"
That was everything there was to it. She didn't know anything about Nephis' status as the last member of the Immortal Flame Clan. Nor was she an assassin sent to kill her. She simply called Nephis a princess because of her beauty.
Nephis unreadable, calm eyes stayed locked onto Rain's confused expression, weighing her options. After a moment, she sighed and recalled her sword.
"I see. I apologize for having come to the wrong conclusion."
Exhaling in relief, Rain finally dared to ask about Nephis' status.
"So, are you a princess, or not?"
Like usual, the silver-haired girl stayed silent for a moment, deciding on how much she wanted to reveal.
"In a sense, I used to be. I'm the last member of the Immortal Flame Clan, and after it fell, so did my title."
Rain's eyes widened. Her breath hitched, and her face paled even more.
The Immortal Flame Clan.
Even a street rat like her had heard about them. They weren't just any other legacy clan. In the past, they had propelled the entire human species forward. They were the first to conquer the second and third Nightmare, having a lot of influence and strength in general.
Immortal Flame, Smile of Heaven, and Broken Sword were all names that literally everyone had heard of at least once.
Immortal Flame was a man of the first generation of Awakened, which was a feat in itself. Back then, people didn't know anything about the Nightmare Spell or Dream Realm. And yet, he thrived, fought back, and won.
Smile of heaven, the daughter of Immortal Flame, had obtained a True Name in her first Nightmare, shocking the whole world. As of right now, Rain only knew one more person who had accomplished that feat—and that was herself.
And Broken Sword, he was in a dimension of himself. He wasn't born as a legacy, no, he actually came from a rather humble background. But with his battle genius and dedication, he had risen the ranks, becoming the first person to ever transcend.
And Nephis was of the same clan as those?!
'She's a monster!'
Rain gulped, forcing herself to calm down.
"Th-thats.. a lot to take in."
Nephis tilted her head slightly.
"Does it change anything between us?"
Rain lowered her gaze, thinking about Nephis' question. Did it matter? The real answer was no. In a place like this, the only thing that mattered was self perseverance. What did it matter if the beauty next to her was a princess?
"It doesn't." She puffed out her chest and grinned. "I'm a street rat and the Spell saw it as necessary to send us to the same place, so you should be the one kneeling in front of me. I know I'm great."
The expression on Nephis' face suddenly changed.
"I should?"
Rain wanted to scream.
"God, how dense is that girl? I was joking!"