Ash sea

Nephis paled as she looked at Sunny, trembling and striking the ground from the pain. She didn't know why he was doing that—they had just killed the Centurion Scavenger, and none of them were hurt. A white light glowed beneath Nephis's skin as she approached Sunny, enduring the cruel pain of her Flaw.

She placed her hand on his back and began to heal him, tears flooding her eyes. But nothing happened. Sunny kept hitting the ground in agony, and after a minute of trying to heal him, she couldn't do anything more—she collapsed from exhaustion.

Sunny came to his senses after forming his core, then looked at Nephis lying beside him.

"…It's your flaw, isn't it?"

"How… do you know?"

"I mean, you meditate every day, sweat pouring from your body, and sometimes there are tears. And when I saw you using your Aspect… I figured it out."

"It's just that… I saw you in pain, hitting the ground. I thought you were hurt, so I wanted to heal you."

"I know you were trying to help… but don't do that again. I don't like seeing someone suffer because of me."

"It's just pain."

Sunny frowned at her words, which struck a chord in him—but he chose not to say anything. Instead, he turned to the other matter.

"As for that pain… it was from forming my second core," Sunny said without expression.

Nephis's eyes widened in shock, then fear.

"A second core?! Are you a Nightmare Creature?!" She raised her sword and placed it at Sunny's neck.

"Calm down! I'm not a Nightmare Creature… I think it has to do with my Aspect. It's a Divine one."

This time, Nephis's expression shifted from shock to joy, to inner turmoil.

"Your Aspect is Divine?! Wait… does that mean I can—?!"

"You can what?"

Nephis smiled with childlike pride as she looked at Sunny.

"My Aspect is divine too!"

Sunny feigned surprise and mild frustration.

"That's wonderful, Neph!… You know, we might have a good chance of returning to the waking world!"

Nephis felt a sense of relief, learning more about Sunny—especially how he so casually shared his secrets with her, as if he trusted her completely. She treated him the same. She knew that might be a mistake… but she also knew that Sunny meant no harm.

"So Sunny, what's this about a second core?"

"My theory is that anyone with a Divine Aspect can form seven cores, just like Nightmare Creatures. The reason I believe this is because the description of my Aspect didn't mention anything about it being limited—it was just… assumed."

Nephis accepted this. Truthfully, she was excited to form her second core—it meant she would vastly surpass the other Sleepers. With her flame-enhanced strength, nothing would stand in her way.

Sunny sat beside Cassie, who lay on their supplies. Before falling asleep, she spoke:

"Sunny… will you promise me something?"

"What do you want?"

"Promise me… that no matter what happens, you'll come back alive?"

"I promise."

Cassie's face relaxed. She knew that if Sunny set his mind to something if he made a plan, he would see it through—no matter what.

Sunny lay down and fell asleep, leaving his shadow to watch over them in case anything happened.

In the morning, they prepared and gathered their belongings, beginning their descent. Sunny had decided they would take the long route, so he could collect shadow fragments and soul shards along the way.

After a week passed, Sunny, Nephis, and Cassie neared the Bone Hills. During that time, they had fought scavengers and the centipedes that inhabited the Labyrinth. They had even encountered two Centurions. On the second day after descending from the cliffs, Sunny had turned the crab into a shadow.

He knew scavengers evolved by consuming corpses of stronger creatures or by killing one themselves, so he had his shadow slay a Centurion —causing it to evolve in Classes and become a Centurion.

By sunset, they were already close to the Bone Hills. In the distance, the massive shadow of the Crimson Spire loomed before them. The shadow still sent shivers down Sunny's spine, which he found interesting.

After entering through the skull of the marine creature, they moved to the highest point along its spine, placing them far enough from the water. Sunny and Nephis had something important to do.

"Start absorbing," Sunny said, emptying leather bags full of soul shards onto the bones so Nephis could absorb them. She hadn't formed her second core yet because Sunny had asked her to wait until they were safe.

"Alright."

Nephis gazed at the hundreds of Awakened soul shards before her with excitement. Sunny had told her to try forming her second core today, and that made her feel eager for the power. She began smashing the shards with her fist until she stopped—hearing the whisper of the Spell.

Then came the pain.

It was searing, blinding… but not unbearable. Not for her—the one who burned alive whenever she used her Aspect.

But the pain lasted for minutes, which made it nearly intolerable.

Tears fell from her eyes, but she endured silently. She didn't want to attract a horror from the deep.

After forming her second core, she looked up at Sunny. Her face was worn with exhaustion—but a radiant smile lit it.

The sight stirred something in Sunny… but he quickly suppressed it.

"Well done. Absorb the rest of the soul shards after you rest. Don't overexert yourself."

When the sun rose, Sunny told Nephis and Cassie to prepare for departure. He wanted to head to the Soul Devouring Tree and obtain blood Weave.

And so, they set off across the Sea of Ash. They all sat atop the crab, which moved extremely fast thanks to sunny shadows that warped around it. After some time, the enormous tree came into view, casting its shade across the Ash Sea. Its crimson leaves and massive branches swayed gently in the wind.

Sunny muttered under his breath,

" Soul Devouring Tree…"