The two sleepers stood there in silence, standing face to face with each other. Or rather, it would be more appropriate to say chest-to-face.
There was someone else with Sunny. Kai, the walking lie detector. Lucien furrowed his brows; he'd have never expected to see the two of them together.
"You're back," Lucien stated, before narrowing his eyes, "or are you?"
Sunny shrugged, "I'm just here to buy some memories."
He glanced behind Sunny and found Stev watching them with a smile on his face. That made sense.
"Thought so," He sighed. He knew Sunny wouldn't return. Not that abruptly. He'd only spent about a month around the guy, but he knew him well enough to say that he held a grudge. But that didn't explain why he was with Kai of all people. His eyes slowly moved towards the singer.
"Oh right, let me introduce you to Kai," Sunny suddenly said, but Lucien cut him off.
"I know who he is," He narrowed his eyes at Kai, who had been silent the whole time, "It's been a while since we last met Night."
Slowly, he nodded, "It has, Hunter Lucien."
Of course, he knew Kai. He was one of the most famous people in the castle; it was impossible not to know of him.
"You know each other?" Sunny asked with a raised eyebrow.
"We're acquainted," Lucien said, still staring at the archer. While they did know of each other, they had only met a handful of times. But from what he could tell, Kai wasn't a bad person.
Lucien suddenly smiled, breaking the tension, "Well, if Sunny of all people chose to trust you, then I guess I can too."
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!"
Ignoring him, I extended my arm forward for a handshake, "You can just call me Lucien. Drop the Hunter bit."
Kai smiled in reciprocation and accepted the handshake, "As long as you agree to call me Kai. That's what my friends call me."
"Sure, why not." Lucien said, before remembering why he was there. "Ah, I almost forgot, I gotta sell some of my memories."
Sunny's ears perked up. "What kind of memories are you selling?"
"Uh," Lucien raised an eyebrow in confusion, "the useless kind?"
Sunny smiled, and Lucien could swear he heard him whisper 'Perfect'.
In the end, he did not get to sell his memories to Stev. Sunny dragged him along to a secluded corner of the castle before proposing a deal. He would buy the useless memories Lucien was willing to sell, at a higher price than Stev.
In the first place, Stev's prices were low. He would pay less than the memory's worth. If he sold an awakened memory of the second tier, Stev would only give him one awakened soul shard. It had always been thus; he had to make a profit somehow, right? But Sunless was willing to pay a higher price. One awakened soul shard and one dormant soul shard for an awakened tier two memory.
Of course, that took a bit of convincing; he wasn't someone who would pay the full price for anything if he could have his way after all. But Lucien would not agree to a deal unless it was better than Stev's.
Lucien would have to visit Sunny's home in the Dark City later to sell him some of the memories, but that was a sacrifice he was willing to make. He'd be going there to hunt regardless.
"Well," Lucien said after everything was sorted, "I gotta go back to the lodge, Nephis called an urgent meeting for some reason."
'Although I have an inkling as to why.'
He frowned, noticing Sunny's struggling expression. "Do you...want to see her?"
Sunny scowled, "We've already met. She asked me to go to the lodge to discuss 'a matter of life and death.'"
Lucien blinked in surprise. He'd already met her? And she wanted to talk about a matter of life and death? He sighed deeply; it had to be due to Effie's outburst the other day. She just had to go and antagonize those guards, didn't she? Ah well, they were leaving for the hollow mountains soon anyway. Hopefully, things would have calmed down by then.
"I see," Lucien said. He didn't know how to respond. And by the look on Sunny's face, he was clearly unhappy with the situation.
And so, in silent agreement, they decided to head towards the lodge together. It wasn't until they had almost reached their destination that Kai decided to break the silence.
"Sunny… why did you want me to come with you, really?"
Sunny sighed. Glancing at the charming archer, he hesitated, then said:
"I want you to tell me if I'm being lied to."
Kai frowned. "I thought that Lady Nephis was your friend. Why are you so wary of her?"
Lucien chuckled, "Changing Star is a friend you don't really want to let your guard down around."
He had not forgotten what she had said, that she would sacrifice everyone just to reach her goal. Lucien clenched his fist; those words were also the reason why he had pushed himself so hard. He had not gained over two thousand storm fragments by hunting safely. No, as the days passed, he only got bolder. It had gotten to the point where he wouldn't think twice before engaging with a Fallen abomination. Would that way of thinking kill him one day? Perhaps. But that was also why he had come this far.
Lost in his thoughts, Lucien mindlessly entered the lodge. The headquarters of Changing Star's hunting party had changed a lot in the last three months.
For starters, it was much bigger than before. It had grown both horizontally and vertically, easily becoming the largest building in the outer settlements. It was heavily fortified, too, especially from the side that faced the white road. A couple of lookouts were visible on the roof, observing the ruins below. They were wearing armor-type Memories and holding bows in their hands.
Noticing them, a young girl approached with a smile. "Welcome back hunter Lucien. Can I help you with something?"
Lucien shook his head, "Not right now, Lyra, we're only here for Nephis."
"Oh, of course." Her eyes widened, and she moved to give way.
"Follow me," Lucien said and began guiding them through the bustling interior of the lodge.
After a while, they had reached what used to be the central hall of the lodge. Now it was replaced by a thick wall with a sturdy wooden door.
Without bothering to knock, Lucien opened the door and walked in, along with Sunny and Kai.
Inside the room, a wide window opened onto an eerily breathtaking view of the Dark City. On the wall beside it was a map of the city. Every point of interest was marked on it.
There was a large wooden table beside the window, around which stood eight makeshift chairs. Currently, only two were occupied. Effie, as carefree as ever, sat on one of the chairs, her feet resting on the table. While Cassie was sitting in the other chair, silently holding a cup of water.
Nephis and Caster stood near the map, discussing something with each other.
Lucien lightly waved towards Effie and Cassie before sitting down beside Effie. Everyone else was staring attentively at the two newcomers.
Sunny put on a brave face and forced out a grin.
"Oh, so many familiar faces. Hi, everyone. No need to say how much you missed me. Anyway, this is Kai. Kai, say hi to everyone — these are Cassie, Caster, and Effie. You already know Nephis."
Giving him a strange look, the charming archer smiled dazzlingly and greeted the cohort.
"Uh… hello. Lady Nephis, Cassie, Caster, huntress Athena… it's very nice to meet you."
Cassie giggled.
"Huh, you won't believe it guys, I thought I just heard Night from Nightingale say my name. Crazy, right?"
Kai blinked.
"Oh, sorry. I am Night from Nightingale, actually."
Effie leaned forward and extended one arm.
Cassie's face, meanwhile, grew deathly pale. An expression of utter terror appeared on it. Her hands trembled, and the cup she was holding fell from them.
Catching the cup just a moment before it hit the floor, Effie sighed and shook her head.
"Every time… this happens every time…"
"Tell me about it," Lucien grumbled. The archer had the same effect on almost everyone when they first met him. Of course, to Lucien it did not matter. After all, he barely knew what an idol group was, and that was only because Effie explained it to him.
Once the introductions were over, Effie looked at Sunny with genuine surprise on her face.
"Doofus, you're actually alive?"
Sunny blinked and stared at her for a few moments, then said in an acrid tone:
"Sorry to disappoint."
She shook her head.
"No, no. Just… how the hell did you manage to survive three whole months in the ruins?"
He grinned.
"What can I say? I had a good teacher."
Since Effie was the one who taught him how to navigate the Dark City, that compliment was directed at her. However, the huntress simply shook her head.
"No student of mine would be stupid enough to actually live in the ruins. Not to mention returning looking so… feral."
With an offended frown, he glanced at Effie and said:
"Yeah? Well… you look like you've gained a little weight."
Lucien did a double-take and slowly turned to see Effie glaring at Sunny. 'This dumbass does not know when to shut up, does he?'
Effie laughed. "A girl got to eat. But also… wanna die?"
Lastly, there was Cassie.
"Welcome back, Sunny. I'm so happy that you are alright."
Giving him a polite smile, she grew silent and turned away.
Lucien narrowed his eyes at the interaction. Something had definitely happened between them. But by the look on Sunny's face, he was as clueless as him.
Ignoring that, Sunny sat down on one of the chairs and offered another to Kai.
"So… what did you guys want to discuss?"
Nephis and Caster exchanged glances. Before saying anything, Caster walked over to the door and closed it. After that, he summoned his flute memory and placed it on the table. Immediately, something in the room imperceptibly changed.
Lucien was all too familiar with it; it was a tool-type memory they used every time they talked about something of utmost importance.
Sunny raised an eyebrow.
"What is that thing?"
Caster sat down on the chair next to Changing Star and said.
"This Memory has an enchantment that creates a cone of silence. No one outside this room will be able to hear what we're talking about now."
He sighed. "So, the Bright Lord is finally ready to obliterate you all? Can't say that I'm surprised. If anything, it's strange that he didn't make a move much earlier."
Effie giggled.
"Oh, did he ever…"
Nephis glanced at her, making the huntress fall silent, and turned to Sunny:
"You are right' The Bright Lord is indeed about to make a move. We have withstood his previous attacks, but they were just a rehearsal. A few provocations to test our strength. Now, he is ready to act in earnest. And that's why I need your help."
Sunny raised his eyebrow:
"How can a cockroach like me help the great and mighty Changing Star of the Immortal Flame clan?"
Lucien shook his head. Just as he thought, Sunny still held a grudge.
Effie gave them a strange look, then cleared her throat.
"Don't take it to heart, princess, but I sort of agree with Sunny. What can this little imp… uh, no offense, Sunny… do that we can't? I mean, he is a decent scout, but…"
"Hey! Offense taken!"
Changing Star smiled, then looked at Sunny.
"Don't be misled by his act, Effie. Sunny might behave like a cowardly weakling, but in fact, he's the last person in the Dark City I would want to face in combat. He is far more dangerous than anyone thinks he is. Isn't it right, Sunny?"
"Of course he is," Lucien scoffed, "This madman survived the Dark City for three months. You can't do that if you're not strong."
By now, Lucien was almost certain that Sunny was a divine aspect wielder like him. Nephis' words only solidified that suspicion. He had long since realized that Nephis' aspect was of the Divine rank; there was no other explanation for her explosive power. And if she considered him that much of a threat, he could only imagine how tough an opponent he would be.
Sunny sighed, breaking Lucien's train of thought. "Oh well. I guess the secret is out of the box. Surprise, everybody! I am actually not a weakling. Who could have thought?"
Then, he glared at Effie and added in a mocking tone:
"Oh. My mistake. Actually, everyone except for you already knew. It seems that you are-"
However, Lucien interrupted him:
"Sunny, don't. She will kill you if you keep going."
Effie frowned. "You speak like I'm a demon."
"Could've fooled me," Lucien muttered, forgetting just how close he was to her.
The huntress froze, her frown turning to a dangerous smile. Lucien paled. Maybe he shouldn't have said that, not when he was sitting so close to her.
A shower of sparks covered his body as the stone armour materialized around him. Just in time as well, for Effie had already grabbed his shoulder and cocked her fist back.
Smiling nervously behind the helmet, Lucien summoned all of his storm to enhance his body.
Nephis sighed, "Can you two stop?"
"Fine."
"You're no fun," Lucien grumbled. Of course, he knew she wasn't actually going to hurt him…much. But knowing what was coming next, he couldn't help but put up an act. After all, Sunny's face after he realizes it would be priceless.
Clearing his throat, Sunny turned to Nephis and asked:
"Anyway, what exactly do you want me to do?"
Changing Star hesitated, then said:
"I want you to take Effie to your hideout in the ruins and keep her safe there for about a week."
Sunny blinked, a look of immense dread on his face.
Lucien grinned. There it was. The 'I'm fucked' look.