Nephis stepped out of the Dreamscape pod — her routine nowadays mostly consisted of training in the waking world and hunting within the Dream Realm. Her expression remained unchanged, but her thoughts lingered elsewhere — on a ruined figure dragging himself across death zones.
[Slave - Lost from Light.]
[Shadow Cores - 3/7]
[Shadow Fragments - 444/3000]
A faint crease appeared between her brows — they hadn't changed, they hadn't changed in a long time. She rarely checked his runes, just a few times a day — once in the morning. Once after training. Once before entering the Dream Realm. Sometimes more.
She didn't do it out of concern but to simply see his progress, Yes that's why, she told herself.
The thought settled without resistance.
Progress — that was all it was.
But yet, an uncomfortable image creeped into her mind. An image of Sunny bleeding out on the ground, paling with each moment, and as the light left his eyes, his face tightened with something bitter, not fear — but resentment.
Nephis bit her lip, her gaze lingered on the runes before sharply dismissing them. There was no reason to dwell on it. Sunny was resourceful. Irritatingly so. He had talent for surviving situations that should have killed him — slipping through death's grasp with that same infuriating persistence.
She had to trust him, had to… and yet she couldn't help but worry.
A faint tension settled in her chest — annoyance. She resented that Sunny remained trapped on the Forgotten Shore, loathed the choice Cassie had cornered her into, hated the Aspect that had reduced him to something bound.
And above all — she despised the Spell.
A sudden, sharp noise distracted her from her sullen thoughts.
"Oh,"
Neph suddenly remembered that today was the premiere of the propaganda movie that the government had produced with the help of Kai that displayed the events in Forgotten Shore.
A quiet sigh slipped past her lips. She would have preferred not to attend, but it would've been rather insulting if the person the movie was based on hadn't attended its premiere.
She avoided anything that would draw attention and instead wore simple and forgettable clothes. Her hair was left loose, her expression calm, distant.
She stepped outside her apartment and into the open air.
A PTV was parked just ahead, leaning casually against it stood Kai. He straightened the moment he saw her, a bright, familiar smile forming on his face.
Inside, through the tinted glass, two figures were already seated.
Cassie sat quietly, her posture was composed, and her hands were folded neatly in her lap. Even without sight, her head turned slightly toward Nephis the moment she stepped out.
Effie lounged in her wheelchair, one arm draped lazily over the side, completely at ease despite the cramped space. She glanced up the moment Nephis stepped out, a grin already forming. "Well, look who finally decided to show up."
Nephis stepped forward without a word and entered the PTV. The door slid shut behind her as Kai moved to the driver's seat. The vehicle stirred to life with a loud hum and slowly pulled away from the curb.
…
Nephis took a seat in the theatre, relaxing her body as she hit the soft seat. The walk from the entrance had been… tedious. Cameras flashed past her trying to get a glimpse of her, people crowded her in hopes of autographs and there were many people screaming in joy upon seeing her.
Even dressed plainly, she couldn't avoid the attention.
At her left sat Cassie, then Effie and Kai, at her right side sat the director and the cast.
The lights dimmed swiftly as the director offered a word of thanks for being there while the rest of the cast offered polite smiles.
A quiet, sombre music played in the background as the screen brightened to a girl leaning against her mother's lap. She had a bright and radiant smile on her face as she patted the young girl laying on her lap in an effort to soothe her.
The child looked up absent-mindedly as she asked her mother where her father was. Her mother's smile tightened, "He's out there," she said gently, brushing a hand through the girl's hair. "Fighting. Protecting everyone."
The child blinked, her small brows knitting together. "Fighting what?"
"Monsters," her mother replied, voice calm, unwavering. "The kind that wants to take everything from us. That's why we have to be strong."
The music swelled faintly as the woman guided the child to sit up, placing her hands over the girl's. "One day, you'll fight too. For everyone. For humanity."
Nephis face-palmed, was that lady supposed to be her mother? Her mother wouldn't have been sitting there speaking softly about duty. She would have been out there, fighting. The scene quickly changed which took her mind of the horrible portrayal of her mother.
In a dark and run-down shed, a beautiful yet pale black-haired lady sat sickly on the bed. Beside her, sat a small and painfully thin child in tattered clothes. The woman, as if sensing her end, turned towards the child and spoke warmly.
"My dear boy, do you know why I named you Sunless?" She asked with a reassuring smile. The boy — Sunless clutched his fist, "No mother," the boy whispered.
The woman's hand, trembling and weak, reached out to brush his head. "Because even when the sun sets, the world does not end. You are the light that remains when everything else goes dark. You are my Sunless... the one who doesn't need a star to shine.
"One day, you will find someone to share your light with — someone who needs it more than you do. You will be the sun that never sets for them, the one who stays when all other shadows have faded."
Nephis's fingers tightened around the armrest. That wasn't him — Sunny didn't have a "light" to share, and he certainly wasn't looking for someone to "accompany" like some loyal, orbiting star. She turned her head slowly, very slowly towards the director, a furious expression tingling on her face.
She understood that it was a propaganda film, that the government wanted to paint Sunny as a beacon of virtue, as someone who would sacrifice his life for the betterment of humanity to renew everyone's hope. But it still felt like a desecration.
Nephis turned back to the screen, deciding to endure the rest of the screening in silence. If she looked at the director again, she might actually incinerate him where he sat.
The story continued. What followed bore less and less resemblance to anything real.
Sunny turned shy and awkward, stealing glances at Nephis but never having courage to walk up to her. She turned into a stalwart figure, spewing motivational speeches from time to time.
The movie also hinted at a slight romantic relationship between her and Caster which made her want to burn Kai alive for approving such a script.
Battles were shortened into clean, heroic clashes where victory came swiftly and decisively. Their time in the Forgotten Shore turned into a nice beach retreat instead of the struggle for survival it was.
Sunny turned into a good samaritan, saving people without asking anything in return and delivering inspiring speeches to them, all the while being infatuated with her while also clashing with her on her absurd plans by shouting in a silly voice, "Are you crazy?!"
And finally the part she dreaded — their final stand.
On the screen, the sky darkened, the waves crashed violently against the ruined shore. Sunny stood above her, his face painted with a dramatic, tragic intensity that the real Sunny would have found physically painful to witness.
The music shifted into a weeping orchestral arrangement as Sunny reached out, his hand trembling as he brushed a stray lock of hair from her face.
"I won't let you stay," he whispered, his voice resonating with a gravelly, heroic depth. "Go, Nephis. Go and be the sun this world needs. My life... it was always meant for this."
Nephis felt a vein in her forehead pulse. In reality, that moment had been a mess of blood, betrayal, and desperation.
"I'll come back," he shouted over the roar of the waves, "Even if the shadows swallow me whole, I'll come back!"
Beside her, Effie was no longer trying to hide it. She had her head between her knees, her shoulders shaking violently. "I can't," Effie wheezed, "'Be the sun the world needs.' Neph, I'm going to die. I'm actually going to die from this. Doofus is going to kill us all when he finds out."
Nephis didn't even have the energy to snap at them. She was staring at the screen, watching the actress playing her jump through the portal with a cry of "Sunless!" that sounded like it belonged in a cheap opera.
…
She hated it, she hated the movie and every frame of it.
What was worse was the meet and greet that Cassie put as "mandatory." Around her, people were already standing in line, waiting with their complimentary Changing Star t-shirts and replica [Dream Blade]
And thus, Changing Star was stuck signing props, greeting fans and posing for pictures till midnight.
…
By the time it ended, the theatre had long since emptied of its earlier excitement. Nephis stepped away from the final group without a word. She moved toward the exit, intent on leaving the entire ordeal behind her without another thought.
Just as she reached for the handle, a sudden calm voice interrupted her.
"Hello, Changing Star."
Nephis turned back, her hand still resting on the handle.
Standing in the shadows was a woman with raven-black hair, with smooth and flawless skin, and icy-blue eyes. She wore a dark blue uniform with silver epaulets and black leather boots and had a shoulder insignia on her left sleeve which had 3 stars.
"Identify yourself," Nephis ordered.
The woman's lips curved into a faint smile. "Ascended Jet," she replied smoothly. "Mind sparing a few minutes for a chat?"
Nephis was not surprised, she did not know what matters she was here on but it probably included recruiting her. "I'm not interested in joining the government," she stated bluntly.
"It's not about recruiting you, I came here to discuss our mutual friend… Sunny."
Nephis froze, her grip on the door handle tightening. "Sunny?" Her tone was sharp, "What do you want to talk about him?"
"Not here," she answered, her tone crisp.
Neph clenched her teeth and nodded, giving a small signal to Kai to be wary. They walked for a few minutes until they reached a secluded corner, away from prying eyes.
"I was the one who kept watch over him during his First Nightmare," Jet introduced herself.
Now that was a surprise.
"Okay." she said quietly, while also silently asking how that mattered.
Master Jet scoffed, "You know, I didn't interact with that kid for long, but I recognise the breed. He's from the outskirts just like me. People like us don't have the luxury of 'destiny' or 'duty.' We have spite, cunning, and we're selfish.
"Sunny — he's self-serving, and defiant. He trusts almost no one, questions everything, and hates being controlled. He didn't survive his First Nightmare by being noble; he survived because he was a vicious little rat.
Jet paused, her gaze shifting to the giant, glowing holographic poster of the movie looming over the theater entrance. "So, you can imagine it was quite a surprise when I saw that... garbage in there. Seeing the boy who would've killed a person for his boots just because he was cold, playing hero? To stay behind in a death zone so the 'Star' could shine?"
Nephis stiffened, her jaw tightened as Jet's words stripped away the polished, cinematic lies of the last few hours.
"So? What's the truth?" Jet pressed on.
She remained silent, balling her fists without thought. Her eyes washed over Jet — the relaxed posture of the Master, and for a fleeting moment, she wondered.
Should I kill her?
Jet was a Master, yes, but Nephis was the Changing Star. She had faced horrors in the Forgotten Shore that would make a veteran's soul wither. Against an ordinary Master, she liked her chances.
Jet didn't so much as blink. A dry, rasping chuckle slipped past her lips. "Careful, kid… your mask is slipping. That look in your eyes? Not very befitting of a 'noble protector.'"
Her gaze sharpened, voice turning colder. "If you kill me here, the government won't just lose an officer — they'll lose their strongest enforcer. And I don't think they'll let that slide with a slap on the wrist. Especially not when the Great Clans are already circling, waiting for an excuse to come after you."
She took a slow step forward, the faint warmth in her eyes vanished completely, leaving behind something steel-cold and unyielding.
"But if you truly believe you can kill me… and walk away from it," Jet stopped just short of her, her voice dropping to a quiet murmur. "Then try."
Nephis felt a familiar, sharp spike of irritation. "The truth is that the movie is a lie," she said, her voice low, "But you already knew that. You didn't come here for a confession, Jet. So, what are you going to do with that information?"
"Spoken like a true Legacy. But there's one thing you got wrong about me kid," Jet countered, "I'm not going to do anything with that information because I know that kid —- and when crawls out of that hellhole, and I know he will. I won't need to do anything," her smile sharpened, "Because he will."
With that, Jet's interest seemed to fade entirely. "Pleasure meeting you, Changing Star," she muttered, then turned her back on her and walked away without another glance.
_____
A/N - Alr I know this chapter looks a little like MoW chapter but trust me, this is vital to the plot