A few hours had passed ever since the five Sleepers split up and headed in different directions to gather information about the Dark City and the Bright Castle.
At the mont, Nephis and Senrix were inside a rundown building hidden among a cluster of abandoned structures near the outer settlent.
The interior was quiet.
Dust drifted lazily through narrow shafts of pale light that slipped through cracks in the walls. Rotten shelves lined the room, sagging beneath the weight of countless books. So had titles such as Seven Heroes, Shards and Their Uses, History of the Bright Castle, and dozens of others whose covers had faded beyond recognition. Many books were missing pages, while others had covers torn nearly in half.
However, despite their differences, every single one of them shared sothing in common.
They were ancient.
Dusty.
Forgotten.
And yet, despite their condition, they contained knowledge that could an the difference between life and death.
The reason Nephis had found this place was surprisingly simple.
She had spent nearly an hour asking various residents of the settlent if there was sowhere they could learn more about the Dark City.
Almost every person had pointed in the sa direction.
This building.
Though none of them seed particularly eager to explain why nobody visited it anymore.
The reason beca apparent the mont Nephis and Senrix arrived.
The library had already been claid by a Nightmare Creature.
An Awakened Demon.
A Knowledge Hoarder.
The creature was grotesque even by the standards of the Forgotten Shore.
Its enormous body resembled a pile of rotting parchnt and broken stone tablets fused together into sothing vaguely humanoid. Dozens of empty eye sockets covered its flesh, each one leaking thick black ink that dripped onto the floor like blood.
Its spine was ford from jagged tallic scroll tubes fused together into a horrifying skeletal structure.
And beneath its face stretched a massive maw filled with broken quill-shaped teeth capable of tearing flesh apart.
The creature had been dangerous.
To most Sleepers, at least.
Unfortunately for it, Senrix had been present.
The battle hadn't lasted very long.
In fact, the hardest part had been dragging the monster outside before killing it.
Senrix had refused to fight inside the library.
Destroying valuable books over a battle would have been stupid.
So he simply grabbed the Nightmare Creature, ignored its frantic attacks, and dragged it out of the building by force.
The resulting fight had attracted nearly half the nearby settlent.
Sleepers gathered from every direction.
So watched with fascination.
So with awe.
Others with naked fear.
Most simply stared in horror.
Especially after Senrix casually summoned the no-helt form of Crimson Engine and the black crown resting upon his head.
The sight of the Dawnless Crown alone was enough to make many people instinctively lower their gaze.
Even Senrix noticed it.
Though rather than feeling proud, he mostly found it awkward.
The enchantnt was working a little too well.
The Knowledge Hoarder had attacked relentlessly, its bladed limbs striking against Crimson Engine again and again.
None of those attacks accomplished much.
The armor barely received a scratch.
At one point during the fight, Senrix had actually yawned.
Then he casually remarked:
"You know, the Carapace Demon was way harder than this thing."
Strangely enough, he wasn't wrong.
The Knowledge Hoarder might have possessed greater intelligence, but unlike the Carapace Demon, it lacked the absurd durability that had made their previous battle such a nightmare.
Against the Carapace Demon, every mistake could have ant death.
Against the Knowledge Hoarder?
Senrix barely needed to take the fight seriously.
He didn't even activate Balance Breaker.
A few minutes later, the Awakened Demon lay dead on the ground.
Then, under the increasingly horrified gazes of nearby Sleepers, Senrix grabbed one of its limbs and dragged the massive corpse back toward the library.
Soone actually scread when he passed by.
Senrix had no idea why.
After all, the monster was already dead.
Following that little incident, Nephis and Senrix spent nearly two hours reading every useful book they could find.
Between the two of them, they managed to piece together a surprising amount of information regarding the Dark City, Gunlaug, the Bright Castle, and the history of the Forgotten Shore.
Neither spoke much while reading.
Nephis absorbed information with her usual silent focus.
Senrix read considerably faster, though he occasionally muttered complaints whenever a page was missing.
Eventually, however, they reached the end of the available material.
Silence settled over the room.
The library felt strangely peaceful now that the Nightmare Creature was gone.
Nephis sat on a makeshift bed crafted from old blankets and wooden boards.
Across from her, Senrix stretched lazily before dropping onto another improvised bed.
For several monts, neither spoke.
Then Senrix suddenly said:
"Crimson Engine upgraded."
Nephis looked up.
"It beca an Ascended mory."
For the briefest mont, her eyes widened.
Then her expression returned to normal.
"Why tell now?"
The question sounded simple.
However, Senrix knew his sister well enough to understand what she actually ant.
Why hadn't he told her imdiately?
Why keep sothing important hidden?
He scratched the back of his head.
"I don't know."
Then he shrugged.
"Just felt like telling you."
Nephis stared at him for a mont.
Then sighed.
Only Senrix could make upgrading an armor from Awakened to Ascended sound like he was talking about the weather.
The armored giant stretched before placing an arm beneath his head.
The silence returned.
This ti it lasted longer.
Then Nephis spoke again.
"...Brother."
"Hm?"
"Why do you like Father so much?"
Senrix blinked.
For a mont, surprise appeared on his face.
Then he smiled.
A genuine smile.
"Because he gave a mission."
Nephis frowned.
"A mission?"
"And a fla."
Now she looked even more confused.
"What fla?"
Senrix laughed softly.
"You're supposed to be a descendant of the Sun God, and you don't know what a fla is?"
Nephis rolled her eyes.
"Explain."
He grinned.
"It's simple."
His crimson eyes drifted toward the ceiling.
"A fla is what keeps soone moving forward."
His voice beca quieter.
"It's your conviction."
"Your purpose."
"The thing you keep walking toward even when everything else falls apart."
For once, Senrix wasn't joking.
Nephis noticed imdiately.
"Father gave you that?"
"He did."
The smile on Senrix's face softened.
"Before he left."
Nephis remained silent.
So Senrix continued.
"He told he was afraid."
That imdiately caught her attention.
The legendary Pillar of humanity?
The very first transcendent of humanity, broken sword?
Afraid?
"Afraid of what?"
Senrix looked toward the window.
The distant silhouette of the Crimson Spire stood against the dark horizon.
"He was afraid he would fail."
The room grew silent.
"He was afraid he wouldn't be able to save Mom."
Nephis froze.
"He was afraid corruption would eventually consu him."
Senrix's voice remained calm.
"Most importantly..."
"He was afraid he wouldn't be there for you."
Nephis lowered her gaze.
"He told to protect you."
The room beca completely silent.
"He gave a mask."
"He gave a mory."
"And he gave a mission."
Senrix smiled.
"My mission was simple."
"Protect Nephis."
The usually stoic girl stared at him.
Unable to speak.
"He told that no matter what happened..."
Senrix's smile widened.
"...my little sister cos first."
Nephis felt sothing tighten in her chest.
Then Senrix continued speaking.
"I haven't obtained that mory yet."
"But I know I'll receive it once we leave the Forgotten Shore."
Nephis listened quietly.
For the first ti in a long while, she could almost imagine their father standing before them again.
Then Senrix suddenly sat up.
His expression beca serious.
Far more serious than usual.
"So promise sothing."
Nephis frowned.
"What?"
Senrix looked directly into her eyes.
"If I die—"
"Don't."
The interruption ca imdiately.
Yet Senrix continued.
"If I die, survive."
Nephis clenched her fists.
"Brother."
"Beco a Sovereign."
His voice remained steady.
"Avenge our clan."
"Protect the people we couldn't save."
"Live."
"Don't say that!"
Nephis suddenly shouted.
The force behind her voice shocked even herself.
Her calm mask shattered completely.
Anger appeared on her face.
Pain too.
"I don't care about Father's mission!"
Senrix blinked.
Nephis stood up.
Her hands trembled.
"I don't care what responsibility he gave you."
Her voice cracked.
"If you die for ..."
"...then it's aningless."
The room fell silent.
Nephis crossed the distance between them in seconds.
Then wrapped her arms around him.
Holding him tightly.
As though afraid he might disappear.
"I don't want to lose you."
The words ca out quietly.
Almost like a whisper.
For a mont, Senrix simply sat there.
Then his expression softened.
Slowly, he wrapped his arms around his little sister.
The fierce and terrifying Changing Star.
The future heir of the Immortal Fla Clan.
The girl feared throughout the Forgotten Shore.
At that mont, she was simply Nephis.
His little sister.
Soone who had already lost too much.
Soone who didn't want to lose another mber of her family.
Senrix gently rested his chin atop her head.
Then smiled.
Outside the ruined library, darkness slowly swallowed the settlent.
Far away, the Crimson Spire lood over the Forgotten Shore like a silent nightmare.
Yet inside the dusty room filled with ancient books, neither of them paid it any attention.
For a short while, they simply sat there in silence.
Not as warriors.
Not as Sleepers.
Not as heirs carrying the burdens of dead clans and impossible futures.
But as brother and sister.
As family.
________________________________
A/N: I'm truly such a goated writer concerning drama bullshits.
All jokes aside why the fuck does this chapter sound wrong when I'm reading it LoL.
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