Sleeping Through The Night

Sunny sat in the mud, still catching his breath. His ribs ached from where the Carapace Scavenger had nearly crushed him, but the pain felt distant, overshadowed by the simple fact that he was still alive.

Across from him, Cassie was quiet. She had stayed back during the fight, praying for the happy outcome. Now, her blindfolded face was turned slightly in his direction, her lips parted as if she wanted to say something but wasn't sure how.

Sunny sighed and stretched his aching shoulders. "Well... that was fun."

Cassie let out a breathless laugh, small, but genuine. "If that's your idea of fun, I'm starting to question your sanity."

Sunny smirked, running a hand through his damp hair. "It's been questioned before."

A brief silence stretched between them, only broken by the distant crash of waves against coral and the eerie hum of the wind. The air was thick with the scent of salt and something metallic, like dried blood.

After a moment, Cassie tilted her head. "You're hurt."

Sunny blinked. "And you're stating the obvious."

She ignored his sarcasm. "Let me help."

Before he could protest, Cassie reached out. Her fingers brushed against his arm, searching. Sunny swallowed, unsure why such a small gesture made his heart skip. He first instinct of retreating, not allowing her to touch him. But instead, he sat still. He watched as her hands found his ribs, pressing lightly to assess the damage.

"You'll live," she murmured, her voice softer now.

"Glad to hear it," he muttered.

Another pause. Then, almost hesitantly, Cassie asked, "What happened after I fell?"

Sunny exhaled, answering without hesitation even with his flaw. "I got lucky. My shadow helped, and... well, I stabbed the damn thing in the brain."

"You really are insane," Cassie said, shaking her head. But there was something in her tone, not judgment, not fear. Just quiet amusement.

Sunny grinned. "Took you this long to figure that out?"

Cassie chuckled, and for a brief moment, the Forgotten Shore didn't feel quite so grim.

They were alive.

For now, that was enough.

Sunny leaned his head back, staring at the somber, gray sky. The air was thick with salt and dampness, the scent of the Crimson Sea clinging to his skin. It was strange, sitting here with Cassie, out of all the people he could've ended up stranded with, it was her.

"You know," Cassie started after a moment, her voice thoughtful, "I never thought we'd meet again like this."

Sunny scoffed, lowering his gaze. "Yeah."

A pause stretched between them, not uncomfortable but heavy with unspoken thoughts.

"We used to eat lunch together every day at the Academy," Cassie said suddenly.

Sunny blinked, caught off guard by the shift in conversation. His fingers absentmindedly traced the hilt of the Azure Blade resting at his side.

"Yeah," he muttered. "I remember."

It was hard to forget.

He had never really had anyone to sit with before. The other people avoided him, obviously due to his accidental outburst, and the Legacies had their own circles and thought nothing of an outskirt rat like him. Though, it seemed as if he wasn't the only exiled human there. A girl, with luscious blonde hair that flowed down to her back, wearing a blindfold over her eyes.

She gave a small, amused shrug. "I didn't always wear this, you know. But once I did… people started treating me differently. They treated me as if I was a walking corpse.. and for a while, I thought that too." A pause. "But you never cared. You never tried to avoid me or ask too many questions. You just sat down with me."

Sunny leaned back against the rough coral.

He hadn't thought about it like that.

"…Huh."

Cassie chuckled. "Very eloquent."

"Shut up."

She grinned, but after a moment, her expression softened. "I'm glad we met again, Sunny."

He glanced at her, something unreadable flickering in his gaze. He didn't answer right away. Instead, he reached for the Azure Blade, summoning it into his hand. The sharp, layered steel gleamed in the dim light.

Sunny quickly accessed his runes and looked at the description of the Blade he held.

Memory: [Azure Blade].

Memory Rank: Awakened.

Memory Type: Weapon.

Memory Description: [On this forgotten shore, only steel remembers.]

"Good enough... I need to get stronger," he muttered, almost to himself.

Cassie nodded. "We both do."

Their eyes met, onyx and blindfold.

Another pause. This one stretched a little longer. The sound of the sea whispered in the distance, the waves crashing against the coral.

Then Cassie sighed, hugging her knees to her chest. "I always thought we'd just… graduate, go our separate ways. I never imagined we'd end up here, fighting to survive."

"Yeah," Sunny murmured. "Me neither."

But the world had different plans.

And now, here they were.

Alive. Together. For now.

Cassie turned her blindfolded gaze toward him. "So… what now?"

Sunny exhaled, glancing toward the distant ruins.

"Now?" He pushed himself to his feet, brushing the dirt off his clothes. "Now we find a way to survive."

Cassie stood as well, a small, knowing smile on her lips. "Then let's get moving."

************

The night fell over the Forgotten Shore like a heavy shroud, the sky above an endless expanse of ashen gray, devoid of stars. The distant sea churned, waves crashing against coral with a low, mournful roar. 

Sunny sat with his back against the cold stone of their shelter, a half-collapsed ruin, its jagged walls providing just enough cover to keep them hidden. The fireless night stretched on, wrapped in silence. 

His shadow spread outward, on standby to alert for any nearby danger.

Cassie sat a few feet away, her arms wrapped around her knees. Her blindfolded face was turned slightly toward him, though her thoughts seemed far away. 

"…Tired?" Sunny asked after a moment. 

Cassie shook her head. "Not really." 

A pause. 

"Are you?" 

Sunny let out a quiet scoff. "Tired of almost dying? Yeah. A little." 

Cassie huffed a soft laugh. "Fair." 

Another stretch of silence. Then, her voice came quieter. "...You think we'll make it?" 

Sunny didn't answer immediately.

His shadow returned, whispering to him of the world outside, the labyrinth near them.

Finally, he exhaled. "We have to." 

Cassie tilted her head slightly, as if considering his words. Then, after a moment, she smiled faintly. 

"Yeah," she whispered. "We do."

The silence stretched between them, the distant crash of waves the only sound filling the night. Cassie shifted slightly, leaning against the rough stone wall. 

"You should rest," Sunny muttered. 

Cassie hesitated, then nodded. "Alright… Wake me if anything happens." 

She curled up slightly, her breathing slowing as exhaustion finally caught up with her. Sunny watched for a moment before turning his gaze outward, his onyx eyes scanning the darkness. 

His shadow unfurled again, slipping through the cracks of their shelter, slithering across the uneven ground. It moved silently, creeping along the edges of the ruins, stretching further into the night. Through it, he saw everything—two perspectives, two sets of eyes watching the world in tandem. 

The Forgotten Shore was never truly still. Far off, among the crumbled remains of the city, something shifted—claws scraping against stone, a guttural snarl lost beneath the wind. But it was distant, for now. 

Sunny exhaled quietly. 

The Azure Blade rested beside him, its dark metal catching the faintest glint of ghostly light. He ran a hand over the hilt, thoughtful. It was his now. A weapon pulled from the corpse of a monster, earned in blood. He would need it. 

His gaze flickered back to Cassie. She was still, her breathing steady. For a moment, something unfamiliar twisted in his chest. A quiet sort of… concern. 

'Why do I care for that brat? I mean, she's blind.. yeah that's why I care for her.' He deluded himself into thinking that.

Sunny scowled at himself. 

With a shake of his head, he returned his focus to the night. His shadow slithered forward, deeper into the ruins, searching for threats. 

He would keep watch. 

**********

Far, far away, beyond the reach of mortal eyes, in the vast and endless expanse of the Strings of Fate…

Two strings - one dark as the abyss, the other a soft, muted yellow - drifted toward one another, their edges brushing, hesitant.

Then, without warning, they twisted together. What had once been a mere touch became an unyielding knot, bound with sudden force.

Fate, unsure of it's sudden change by the higher up, had made its decision.

But another string was there. Pale as untouched snow, it hovered at the edges, wavering. A presence unseen reached out, attempting to sever the yellow thread and replace it with white.

Yet, no matter how it pulled, the bond refused to break. The yellow string remained tied to the dark one, unwavering, unshaken.

The pale string lingered for a moment longer… before, at last, it withdrew.

For now.