shadow slave: Avatar of Apocalypse Chapter 26 26: Solace of Changing Star

Sleep avoided Sunny.

For a long while, he sat silently in the darkness, leaning against the cold stone wall while listening to the distant rumbling of the waves below the cliff. The sound was strangely calming. Endless. Ancient. Each crashing wave carried a rhythm that slowly dulled the exhaustion clawing at his body.

In this rare mont of peace, mories from the past few days began flooding into his mind one after another.

The Academy.

The First Nightmare.

Blood.

Fear.

Cold streets.

The crimson spire in the distance.

The Forgotten Shore itself.

Everything felt unreal.

Yet Sunny was far too exhausted to seriously think about any of it.

For now, he was warm.

He was fed.

And most importantly… he was relatively safe.

At the mont, that was more than enough.

Slowly, the breathing around him began to change.

Cassie's soft breaths beca deeper and steadier, signaling that she had finally fallen asleep.

Senrix, anwhile, had apparently entered the deepest realm of unconsciousness possible because his snoring echoed loudly throughout the small shelter like distant thunder.

Sunny twitched.

'How is he even alive?'

The sheer volu of Senrix's snoring honestly felt impressive.

Elysia, on the other hand, remained completely silent in the corner she occupied. Whether she was actually asleep or rely pretending was impossible to tell.

As for Nephis…

She stood guard near the entrance of the ruined shelter, perfectly motionless.

With her pale skin illuminated by faint moonlight and her silver hair gently swaying with the sea breeze, she looked less like a human and more like an alabaster statue carved by a master artist.

Distant.

Cold.

Untouchable.

Sunny stared at her quietly for a few monts before sighing.

Then, after hesitating for a bit, he spoke softly.

"Hey… can I ask you a question?"

Nephis glanced toward him slightly before shrugging.

The fact that she didn't verbally question how he was looking at her in the darkness clearly showed that she rembered his ability to see in the dark.

"Sure."

Sunny hesitated.

Part of him wondered whether the question was too personal.

Still, curiosity eventually won.

"I thought Legacies entered the Spell with inherited arsenals of mories. I an… that's supposed to be their biggest advantage, right?"

He frowned slightly.

"So how co you only had three?"

For a few monts, Nephis remained silent.

Then she calmly answered:

"Actually, I only had two. The rope belonged to Cassie."

Sunny raised an eyebrow.

"Oh."

That answer explained one thing…

But not the actual question.

Realizing this herself, Nephis remained silent for a mont before speaking again.

"We lost most of our mories after my father disappeared."

Her voice remained calm and detached, as though she was rely stating ordinary facts.

"The remaining mories were sold one by one over the years to keep the clan alive. My sword and armor both ca from my First Nightmare."

She paused briefly before adding:

"Right now, the Immortal Fla clan is only surviving because of Senrix's efforts… and because of our only remaining Saint, Sumr Knight."

Sunny slowly frowned.

So that was how things were.

The fall of the Immortal Fla clan had apparently been far worse than he initially imagined.

Still…

Sothing about it didn't make sense.

"Surely," Sunny said carefully, "a clan with your reputation and influence would have other ways to make money."

Without any visible reaction, Nephis simply replied:

"There were other reasons."

That was all she said.

No explanation.

No elaboration.

Just another wall.

Then, unexpectedly, she turned her head toward him.

"Can I ask you a question in return?"

Sunny swallowed instinctively.

"Yeah… go ahead."

Nephis tilted her head slightly.

"How did you know that I'm a Legacy?"

Sunny blinked.

'That's what she wants to ask?'

Compared to all the mysteries surrounding her, the question felt strangely harmless.

"Simple," he answered with a shrug. "I heard Caster ntion it once. Then Eril basically explained the rest."

Sunny smirked faintly while rembering it.

"He even scolded the other Sleepers and told them to treat you and Senrix respectfully."

Nephis gave a small nod before turning away again.

Her calm gray eyes reflected nothing.

Sunny had absolutely no idea what she was thinking.

Ti slowly passed.

The waves continued crashing against the distant shore.

Senrix snored like a dying beast.

Cassie slept peacefully.

Elysia remained suspiciously quiet.

Eventually, Sunny gathered enough courage to ask the question he truly wanted answered.

Before speaking, he carefully checked whether the others were deeply asleep.

Then he lowered his voice.

"Can I ask sothing else?"

Nephis didn't reject the request, so Sunny continued.

"Why are you burdening yourself with Cassie?"

For the first ti that night, the corner of Nephis's mouth curled upward slightly.

"Why?"

Her calm voice sounded almost amused.

"Wouldn't you?"

Sunny clenched his teeth.

Imdiately, he felt his Flaw tightening around his throat, forcing honesty out of him whether he liked it or not.

"I would try," he admitted quietly. "But with her condition… I'd probably end up leaving her behind eventually."

The words tasted bitter.

Painfully bitter.

A part of Sunny desperately wanted to say yes.

Wanted to claim that he would protect everyone no matter what happened.

But one of the things he had lost after surviving the Nightmare was the ability to lie to himself.

Truth was rciless.

It wasn't that Sunny disliked Cassie.

Or that he lacked sympathy for her situation.

It was simply that he understood himself too well.

He could barely survive alone.

Trying to carry another helpless person through the Dream Realm would most likely doom both of them.

That was reality.

Cruel.

Simple.

Unavoidable.

Still…

Even knowing that, Sunny couldn't stop himself from feeling disappointed in who he was.

Nephis, however, didn't judge him.

She didn't even react.

After a long silence, she simply answered:

"Because I want to."

Sunny frowned.

'…What?'

That was absolutely not the answer he expected.

He had assud she would lecture him about compassion, responsibility, or morality.

Or perhaps reveal so hidden reason explaining why Cassie's Ability was secretly invaluable.

But Nephis did neither.

She genuinely expected him to believe that she was risking her own life, carrying a blind girl across the Forgotten Shore, and even sacrificing an Awakened-rank armor…

Simply because she wanted to.

'Ridiculous.'

At first, Sunny dismissed the answer entirely.

But the more he thought about it…

The more unsettled he beca.

Because maybe…

Maybe that actually was the truth.

Sunny had spent almost his entire life doing things because he needed to survive.

He stole because he had to eat.

He fought because he had to live.

He endured because he had no choice.

For him, life had never been about what he wanted.

It was always about what he must do.

That was simply reality.

Or at least…

That was the reality Sunny understood.

But Nephis seed different.

Yes, she had advantages he never possessed.

Yet those advantages weren't nearly as overwhelming as he had once imagined.

She wasn't wealthy.

Her clan was collapsing.

She lacked resources.

She lacked support.

And yet…

She still carried herself as though none of that mattered.

As though desire itself was enough reason to act.

Like helping Cassie.

Like risking herself.

Like walking forward despite everything.

Perhaps that ntality was her greatest strength.

Perhaps that was the true thing separating Legacies from ordinary people.

Not power.

Not wealth.

Not mories.

But the sheer audacity to live according to desire rather than necessity.

That realization disturbed Sunny far more than he expected.

Before he could fully gather his thoughts, Nephis suddenly spoke again.

"My turn."

Sunny blinked.

'…Huh?'

It took him a second to realize she ant it was her turn to ask a question.

Nephis slowly turned toward him once more.

After a brief silence, she suddenly asked:

"Do you know the legend of Icarus?"

Sunny stared at her blankly.

'What?'

Out of every possible question…

That was the last thing he expected to hear.

Bewildered, he instinctively shook his head before rembering that she couldn't see him in the darkness.

"No," he answered aloud.

Then, after a brief pause, he cautiously added:

"…Who's Icarus?"