After a tense silence that stretched for what felt like an eternity, Sunny finally sighed, a sound heavy with a mixture of weariness and a desperate attempt at reassurance. "Maybe it actually was just a nightmare, Cassie," he offered, his voice softer than usual. "Your previous visions weren't like this, were they? So terrifying, so vivid?"
Cassie silently shook her head, her blond hair swaying gently, confirming his unspoken question. Sunny scratched the back of his head, a gesture of discomfort and uncertainty. "Well… people don't usually dream in the Dream Realm at all, but you do. Perhaps seeing a random nightmare once in a while is simply a side effect of your unique ability, a consequence of your heightened perception."
The blind girl turned her head towards him, a faint flicker of relief momentarily softening her pale features. "You really think so?" she asked, her voice small and hopeful. He hesitated, trying to find the right words, words that would offer comfort without making false promises. "Why not? It's a possibility," he finally said, his tone carefully neutral. Kane, observing their interaction, thought, 'It might be, and it might not be. Sunny's trying to be kind, but the truth is, none of us truly understand the nature of her visions, or this Dream Realm.'
After some time later, as the sun climbed higher in the strange, alien sky, Sunny and Kane were diligently scouting the path ahead, their senses alert for any signs of danger. Kane thought, his mind racing with grim realization, 'Those scavengers are done with the carcass now, having devoured every last scrap of meat. And now, they've started to swarm around us, spreading out, searching for new prey. We're in their hunting grounds.' A sense of urgency settled over him, a cold knot in his stomach.
After a brief but intense discussion between Kane, Sunny, and Nephis, weighing the risks and the new information, Nephis spoke, her voice decisive. "I don't want Cassie to spend another night near this statue," she stated, her gaze sweeping over the desolate landscape. "It's too exposed, too dangerous. Let's leave now, as soon as possible."
Kane thought for a while, considering her words, and then opened his mouth to offer his own opinion, perhaps to suggest a more cautious approach. However, a sudden commotion below them, a disturbance at the bottom of the disappearing sea, prevented him from speaking.
Down at the bottom of the vast, receding sea, amidst mounds of broken, crimson coral, the carcass of the giant shark-like monster—the remaining half of it, to be precise—was almost completely stripped of meat. Its massive, skeletal frame lay exposed, picked clean by the ravenous scavengers. And between its stark white bones, something was shimmering in the black mud, catching the pale light with an otherworldly glow. Two extremely large, luminescent crystals, pulsing with an inner radiance. Kane's eyes widened in disbelief and awe. "Are those…" he began, his voice barely a whisper.
"Yes," Nephis confirmed, her voice low, a hint of reverence in her tone. "Shards of two transcendent soul cores." Transcendent… two of them. The word hung in the air, imbued with immense power and rarity. Suddenly, Kane was simultaneously filled with a profound sense of greed and an equally intense surge of fear. Greed, because of how incredibly rare and precious transcendent soul shards were, treasures beyond measure in this perilous realm. They represented a leap in power, a chance to truly grow stronger. But fear, because the giant shark had turned out to be a corrupted devil, at the very least. One corrupted devil, if not stopped by a Saint or a large number of Awakened, possessed the potential to utterly destroy an entire city, to lay waste to countless lives. Sunny belatedly realized, with a chilling clarity, that he had been much closer to death on that first night than he had previously thought, swimming unknowingly near an entity of unimaginable power.
When Kane switched his vision, perceiving the minds and souls of the creatures below, he saw two monstrous entities, their forms indistinct but menacing, hiding in the shadows, guarding the precious shards. All of them—Kane, Sunny, and Nephis—looked into the murky depths, their faces etched with a mixture of awe and devastation, knowing that they would have to pass through that danger, to face those hidden threats, to acquire the transcendent soul shards.
Sunny, his voice barely audible, spoke, "Do we still need to leave now? Or do these… these things change our plans?" Nephis, her gaze fixed on the shimmering crystals, replied, her voice firm and resolute, "We stay here for the night." And with that, she ordered Sunny to retreat his shadow, to pull back his unseen scout, acknowledging that the stakes had just dramatically increased.
After some time, as the twilight deepened, Sunny was lying down, staring up at the grey, alien sky, his mind undoubtedly racing. Nephis and Kane, ever disciplined, were meditating, their forms still and composed, seeking to conserve energy and calm their minds. Cassie sat quietly beside Sunny, her presence a silent comfort. Kane finished his meditation, feeling a renewed sense of focus, and observed his cohort. 'Quite a calm environment we've managed to cultivate, even in this desolate place,' he thought. 'Okay, time to take the watch again.' He came near Sunny and sat beside him, careful not to disturb Nephis's deep meditation.
Cassie, sensing their presence, turned her head towards them, her unseeing eyes seeming to focus on their forms. She immediately spoke, her voice soft and hesitant, "Kane and Sunny? Are you there?" Kane and Sunny replied in unison, their voices gentle, "Yeah, we're here, Cassie." Cassie hesitated, her brow furrowed slightly, before continuing, her voice barely above a whisper, "Do you… do you think we'll ever be able to return home? To our own world?"
Kane fell silent, a wave of complex emotions washing over him. He thought, 'To be frank, we can survive this Dream Realm. We have the skills, the power, and now, perhaps, the resolve. But we still haven't found the way back, the elusive path home. It is still possible, yes, but one thing keeps bugging me. Even though people have seen visions of a gateway, and assume one is there, shouldn't this place, this entire realm, be recorded in the documents, in the archives of the Awakened? Unless, of course, the gateway isn't there, or it hasn't been conquered, hasn't been opened to the outside world.' The sheer thought of being permanently trapped here, of never seeing his own world again, brought a grim, cold dread to his heart.
Kane immediately refocused on Sunny and Cassie's conversation, pulling himself back from the precipice of despair. Sunny was speaking, his voice filled with an almost unwavering trust in Nephis's fighting capabilities, and how confident he was that the three of them—himself, Kane, and Nephis—formed the best possible combination to travel through this dangerous realm. He spoke of their complementary skills, their combined strength. As he listened, Kane actually heard Cassie's melodic laugh, a sound so sweet and pure, like honey, a rare moment of genuine joy in this harsh world. Kane saw this, the genuine happiness on Cassie's face, and a warmth spread through him. He said, "I agree with Sunny's point, Cassie. Actually, we have you. You're our greatest asset."
Cassie tilted her head in confusion, her brow furrowed. "Me? Why?" she asked, her voice laced with surprise. Kane spoke, his tone earnest and sincere, "Yeah. What do you think would have happened if we had gone in the wrong direction, if we had stubbornly stuck to our original plan? We could have gotten stuck in a far worse place, surrounded by even more dangerous creatures, with no way out. Thanks to your timely information, your vision, we corrected our path. You saved us, Cassie." Cassie immediately said, her voice filled with a newfound confidence, "What about my flaw? My blindness? Doesn't it make me a burden, a liability?" Kane spoke, his voice firm and unwavering, "Your flaw is cruel, yes, and it presents challenges. But everyone has a role to play in this group. Sunny is our scout, our eyes and ears in the darkness. Nephis and I are the fighters, the ones who stand on the front lines. But only you can give us crucial information about this god-knows-where area, about the path ahead, about potential dangers and opportunities. So, yeah, Cassie, I believe you are an invaluable asset, one that might save our asses in time, more than once." Cassie's face transformed, her lips curled upwards into a genuine, radiant smile. "Thanks," she said, her voice filled with gratitude. "I will be of help, as much as I can."
Cassie then posed a question to both of them, her voice soft and contemplative, "What do you guys miss the most about home?" Sunny spoke first, his voice surprisingly devoid of emotion, "I don't miss anything." And Kane, after a moment of thought, followed up, his voice equally flat, "No, I don't." Cassie, a hint of sadness in her voice, asked, "Really? Don't you guys miss your family?" Sunny spoke, his gaze distant, "I don't have a family. Well… I guess I have a sister somewhere. But we haven't seen each other in many years. We're practically strangers now." Cassie shook her head, a soft sigh escaping her lips, and then turned to Kane. "What about you, Kane?" she asked, her voice gentle. Kane replied, his voice low and strained, "I don't have one, Cassie. They're gone." Cassie immediately, her eyes widening in sympathy, said, "Sorry. But what happened?" Kane hesitated, a wave of painful memories washing over him. "I can't tell you about it, Cassie," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "It's… it's way too personal." Kane continued with his internal monologue, 'With Nephis around, it's definitely not a good time to reveal the truth about my past, about the Immortal Flame Clan and Broken Sword.' Cassie, sensing his discomfort, looked embarrassed and said, "Sorry. I didn't mean to pry." And she continued, her voice filled with a profound sadness, "Well, I am missing my family the most. Mom and Dad must be really worried about me right now. No… no, actually, they wouldn't be worried. They would be heartbroken. They must think that I'm as good as dead already." Kane felt a pang of sadness, a deep empathy for Cassie's plight. He thought about his own parents, a silent question forming in his mind, 'What would they have thought of me if they were alive now? I guess I wouldn't be able to find out.'
After that, the conversation fell silent, a heavy quiet settling over the group as they contemplated their lost homes and families. Evening came, and Sunny and Kane, under Nephis's tutelage, practiced their thousand strikes again, their movements becoming more fluid and precise with each repetition. The night came, and Kane took the watch again, the familiar burden of his flaw settling upon him. He saw Cassie struggling to sleep, her body restless, small tremors running through her. Kane thought, 'It seems that nightmare left quite an impression on her. She's still terrified.'
Kane, after a moment of thought, got an idea. He went to Cassie and spoke, his voice soft, "Cassie, what's wrong? Why can't you sleep?" She spoke, her voice barely audible, "Nothing. I just… couldn't sleep." Kane immediately spoke, his voice gentle but firm, "Cassie, lift your head." Cassie, a bit confused, slowly lifted her head. Immediately, Kane went near her and placed her head on his lap, making it as a pillow. Cassie spoke, her voice filled with surprise, "Kane, no need for this. You don't have to." Kane immediately stopped her, his hand gently resting on her head, and said, "No, Cassie. Now, go to sleep. I am fine. I'm not tired."
After a few minutes, she spoke again, her voice a soft whisper, "Why? Why are you taking care of me like this? Helping me climb, assisting me, giving me a pep talk, and now this? Sunny and Nephis have helped, but you seem… different. Why are you doing all this?" Kane immediately told her, his voice low and sincere, "The day I saw you, I felt a profound despair emanating from you. It kind of reminded me about a person I cared about deeply, but who fell into that same despair. At that time, I couldn't do anything to help them. When I saw something similar in you, I thought, 'At least I can help now. At least I can try to make a difference.'" Cassie immediately went to ask more about the person he cared about, but stopped, remembering that he had told her he wouldn't answer such personal questions. But Kane thought, 'My Mom felt the same despair, Cassie, when she was running, being hunted down in the outskirts. Your situation kind of reminded me about her struggle, how she lost her hope to live but was forced to keep running, to keep fighting.' After that, Cassie, feeling a sense of comfort and security, finally went to sleep, her breathing evening out. And the morning came, bringing with it a new day and new challenges.