Fear

[You have slain a Corrupted Devil, Nhal'Zir – Devourer of the Drowned.]

[Your shadow grows stronger.]

[You have received a Memory.]

Hearing those words, Sunny's grin widened.

Finally.

A rush of exhilaration shot through him, sending him sprinting toward the surface with renewed vigor. His entire body ached—his limbs burned, his wounds stung—but none of it mattered. He had done it.

He had won.

The moment his feet touched the familiar stone platform, he didn't waste a second. With a flick of his will, the runes flared to life before his eyes.

Memory: [Abyssfang]

Memory Rank: Transcendent.

Memory Tier: Four

Memory Type: Weapon.

Sunny blinked.

Then, he let out a breathless laugh.

"Now that's what I am talking about!"

A Transcendent weapon.

Not only did he receive a memory, but it also happened to be a weapon! 

With this... nothing in this wretched place stood a chance against him. Gunlaug? He would cut him down like a rabid dog. The Crimson Terror? He would face it alone.

His life was practically set.

Sunny jumped in excitement, a rare burst of genuine joy rising in his chest.

He had done it. He had defeated fate. He had achieved the impossible. 

Then— 

His grin faltered. And twisted into a grimace.

'As if!'

Sunny wasn't that naive. Nothing ever came this easy for him. Fate was cunning, insidious. He knew its tricks too well—he was its bastard son, after all.

There had to be a catch.

Without hesitation, he summoned the Memory.

Sparks of light flickered around him, coalescing into a big, serrated greatsword.

Its blade was jagged and uneven, its scale-like ridges dulled and cracked, as though weathered by countless battles. Deep fissures marred its texture, and it seemed devoid of vitality. Faint, thread-like veins crisscrossed the steel, pulsing faintly with a sickly, sluggish glow—like something dormant.

Its hilt was rigid, unyielding, coarse beneath his fingers, offering no comfort. When he swung it, there was no unnatural speed, no ferocity, none of the raw, lethal grace a Transcendent blade should possess.

Something was wrong.

'Don't tell me it's...' 

Sunny's stomach sank.

Was this like the Mantle of the Underworld? Did it need to be fed with essence before it could be wielded properly?

Because as it was now— This wasn't a Transcendent weapon. It barely felt stronger than an Awakened one.

His excitement evaporated. A scowl twisted his lips.

Of course.

Just when he thought his luck had turned around, Fate reached out and punched him in the gut.

Damnation.

Suppressing a curse, Sunny turned back to the runes, ready to read the weapon's description— When the world shuddered.

'W-what?'

A deep, guttural rumble shook the stone beneath his feet. The ocean churned violently.

And then—

A colossal tentacle erupted from the black water. Then another. And another.

Sunny's breath hitched. His eyes darted upward, locking onto the massive silhouette rising from the depths. A shape he recognized.

His stomach clenched.

'That bastard...'

Had it realized he stole its kill? Was it back for revenge?

Sunny didn't stick around to find out. He turned on his heels and ran. But he didn't get far.

The ground lurched beneath him— Then shook violently. 

Before he could react, he was launched into the air.

A shadow loomed above. A tentacle, thicker than a siege ram, descended upon him with terrifying speed. Sunny's body twisted instinctively.

He gritted his teeth—tightened his grip— And thrust Abyssfang toward the oncoming limb.

The impact was devastating. The colossal tentacle swatted him aside like an insect, sending him hurtling through the air. 

A heartbeat later, his body slammed into the water. The cold bit into his skin.

Then—

A powerful force coiled around his leg. His breath hitched. 

A crushing pull yanked him downward. Faster. Deeper.

The surface faded. The black abyss swallowed him whole.

Sunny fought, struggled, clawing against the overwhelming force— But it was useless.

The depths dragged him into their embrace.

...

The night had been long. But Nephis had survived.

She lay sprawled on the ground, her body aching from the brutal struggle for survival. Around her, sparse vegetation clung to life, small plants growing stubbornly between cracks in the coral. A thin layer of dirt covered the blood-red surface, as if trying to mask the unnatural hue.

A voice broke the silence.

"Nephis, are you alright?"

She turned her head slightly, meeting Cassie's unseeing gaze.

"Yeah." 

Cassie exhaled softly. "I'm glad. I was worried about you."

Cassie had woken up in the middle of the night atop a coral mound large enough to be called a small island. It had been pure, dumb luck—the kind of luck that she had needed. Because, unlike Nephis, she wouldn't have survived being thrown into the ocean.

Not with her flaw.

Nephis exhaled and forced herself to move, rising to her feet. She stepped toward the blind girl and hesitated briefly before lowering her hand, clasping Cassie's fingers in her own. 

A familiar warmth stirred in her soul, traveling through the connection between them. The warmth dissipated, sinking into Cassie's soul.

The blind girl stiffened.

"Why?"

Nephis shrugged, her voice even. "You need it more than me."

Nephis let go and turned away, already shifting her focus to something else. She scanned the area, her mind already working. Their situation was precarious, but they weren't dead yet. 

The small, fibrous plants near the coral cracks caught her attention. They weren't much, but they could be useful—strips for makeshift clothing, bindings for a raft. 

Cassie sighed. 

"At least let me give you something in return."

"You don't have to," Nephis replied without looking back.

"No, I do. Otherwise, I will die of guilt."

There was a beat of hesitation before Nephis extended her arm. A heartbeat later, another warmth flowed into her soul—familiar, yet foreign.

She blinked. "...Thank you."

Cassie shook her head. "Do you even realize how valuable an Awakened armor of the sixth tier is?! If anything, I should be the one thanking you."

Silence settled between them. Not a comfortable one. A trapped one.

They were stranded. The ocean was too dangerous for mere Sleepers. Even if it wasn't, Cassie couldn't swim—not with her flaw. And Nephis... Nephis wasn't about to leave her behind.

She glanced at the water's edge, watching the distant waves break softly against the coral.

"...I will make a boat in the morning." 

Cassie nodded, but the gesture felt hollow.

Nephis added quietly, "Go to sleep. I will keep watch." 

Cassie parted her lips as if to argue, but no words came. What could she even say? 'No, you're exhausted after fighting in the ocean. You should sleep. I'll keep watch.'

The thought was almost laughable. 

Her hands clenched into fists. There was nothing she could do to help. Her flaw had made her useless. She couldn't fight. She couldn't defend herself. She couldn't even see the dangers lurking around them.

She was dead weight. A burden for others to carry. A corpse waiting to be buried.

And yet...

Cassie tilted her head slightly, listening to the quiet sounds of Nephis shifting, her presence steady and unwavering.

No.

Not buried. Not yet.

She had to find a way to survive... for both of them. 

...

As decided, Nephis sat facing the sea, while the blind girl lay motionless on the ground, staring into nothing. Minutes passed, then hours. The world was silent except for the rhythmic whisper of waves against the coral.

Cassie was supposed to be resting.

But sleep escaped her like a thief in the night, slipping through her grasp no matter how tightly she held on.

How could she sleep with such a heavy weight pressing down on her chest? Guilt gnawed at her, sharp and relentless. It wouldn't even grant her a moment of peace.

She thought hard, desperately searching for something—anything—she could do to help. Some way to make herself useful.

But there was nothing.

Nothing except... words.

Maybe she could cheer Nephis up. Maybe she could tell her that things would be okay. But even as she reached for comforting words, she found none that felt right—except one.

"Hey, Nephis." 

A pause. Then, a quiet, steady reply.

"Yes?"

Cassie hesitated, then forced herself to speak.

"Since the two of us are here, do you think he could be too? Could we... see him again?"

Silence. A long, suffocating silence. 

Nephis didn't know what to feel about Sunny. He had been nice to her. He had helped her in subtle ways, teaching her how to interact with others, how to blend in with the world. Those little things hadn't escaped her notice.

More than that, the duels they had fought together every night—they had meant something more than just training. It was the closest thing to a connection she had ever known, a bond formed through mutual respect, through the rhythm of combat.

She felt happy, genuinely happy whenever she was with him.

But then, doubt gnawed at the edges of her thoughts.

For all she knew, he could have been an assassin—one who had wormed his way into her life, pretending to be her ally, only to strike when she least expected it. To kill her when her guard was down.

Her chest tightened at the thought, but she tried to push it away.

If he truly had wanted to kill her, he would have made his move already, during one of their duels. But he hadn't.

Not even that last night, when his sword had pressed against her throat, when she had expected him to strike. She was ready to unleash her aspect if he did, but he hadn't.

Not even then.

She blinked, trying to push those thoughts aside, but their weight still lingered. She wanted to believe that Sunny was different. That he was not an assassin sent to kill her. That he was someone she could lean on. Someone she could trust...

Finally, she responded.

"I... hope so." 

Nephis' voice was unreadable, but Cassie had come to know her just enough to notice the subtle shift. The way her tone softened, just barely. 

Cassie lingered on that thought, grasping onto it like a lifeline.

"Of course! For all we know, the next time we find him, he'll have another ridiculous joke to tell, like the time he—"

She stopped. 

Something was wrong.

She caught a slight change in the sound of the sea. It was as though something was shifting. Then, the dark sea suddenly surged. 

"Nephis... is something happening?"

No response.

Cassie frowned.

"Uh... Nephis?"

This time, she answered—but her voice was different.

"The sea, it's receding."

There was something in her tone. Something Cassie had never heard before. 

Surprise. Overwhelming, unguarded surprise. 

And beneath that, buried deep—something even more astonishing.

Happiness. Like something she had longed to see too much suddenly appeared before her.

...

As the first rays of twilight covered the sky in a lilac hue, the water level was dropping. Slowly at first, then faster and faster, as if the ocean itself was retreating in fear. The sight alone could have left anyone flabbergasted. But that wasn't why Nephis was so shaken.

It was something else.

Something far more miraculous than the receding sea itself. 

Nephis rose to her feet, stepping forward in a daze. Her silver eyes, sharp and unyielding, were locked onto a single point in the illuminating expanse.

As the sea receded, a vast, harrowing shape emerged from within. A monster of the deep sea, colossal and grotesque, its body covered in abyssal scars. And atop its corpse, barely visible against the dark expanse—

A lone silhouette.

A human, standing atop the slain abomination. A sword was struck into the creature's flesh beside him, glistening with black blood.

Nephis took a sharp, barely contained intake of breath.

Black hair, pale face...

It was Sunny. 

For a moment, the world froze. Nothing moved. Nothing existed. 

Except the impossible sight before her.

Then, as if sensing her gaze, he turned his head, raised a weary hand...

And smiled.

Just like he had after their last duel.

A storm of emotions churned in her chest... but her eyes held it all back.

She took a step forward. 

Unthinking. Unconscious. As though drawn by an invisible force.

Then—

Sunny coughed. Blood splattered from his lips, vanishing into the depths below. His posture wavered. And then—he collapsed.

His body crumpled atop the massive corpse, unmoving. 

His left hand was gone. His right leg was twisted at an unnatural angle. His entire body was marred with wounds, his skin barely visible beneath layers of blood and grime.

And for the first time in a long, long while, Nephis felt fear. A fear not of pain. Not of death. But of losing something she held dear.

AN: Do share your opinions in the comments.