And so, Sunny and Kai made their way to the outer settlement.
On one hand, Sunny knew exactly what to expect. The cohort would be waiting for Sunny and Kai in the meeting area — formerly an area of the central hall — ready to inform the two on their ambitious plan.
On the other hand, Kai had no idea why Sunny would invite him to such a prestigious meeting between some of the most influential figures on the Forgotten Shore. After all, they had only met last night.
But Kai didn't seem so bothered by this sudden friendship. To him, Sunny was a genuine person. He always told the truth — even if those truths could barely be classified as one — and looked out for Kai. He had helped him out of that uncouth cell, escorted him back to Bright Castle, and let him absorb some of his hard-earned soul shards. Also, Sunny seemed to trust Kai a great deal as well, considering that he was bringing him along to his cohort's meeting.
Eventually, after exiting the castle, they returned to the outer settlement.
Sunny and Kai made their way into the lodge. Activity bustled all around, but soon, a cheerful figure appeared in front of them.
It was a young lady, the same one that helped Sunny and Kai last time. She looked at the two with a gleaming smile and opened her mouth to greet them, but she soon realized who she was looking at. When she did, she froze and her face turned red instantly.
"H-hello there! How can I help you gorge—"
The young woman froze up once, aware of her obvious blunder. She coughed, trying to cover up her slip-up and continued:
"...how can I help you two?"
Kai merely sighed, used to these antics. But a slightly smug grin played on Sunny's lips before he smiled flatteringly.
"We're here to meet with Lady Nephis. Could you lead us to her?"
The girl looked at Sunny with wide eyes before composing herself and gesturing inside.
"Y-yes, of course! I'll show you the way."
She proceeded to guide them as she did last time. While making their way through the lodge, Sunny cast a quick glance into his old room, which was now Casters. He snickered to himself. It seemed that Caster's fate was to always lay in that tiny cot, to fail his mission, and to submit to a Mongrel.
But so far, Sunny had no plans to get an extra shade of Caster. He would serve a different purpose for Sunny's plan.
Finally, the girl led them to the door of the meeting room. Without a second thought, Sunny barged in and pulled Kai along with him.
The scene was exactly as Sunny had experienced it. The wide window that displayed an awesome view of the dark city. On the wall beside it, the map of the Forgotten Shore stood there with Nephis and Caster discussing something nearby. Cassie and Effie sat in the seats surrounding the makeshift table in the center of the room.
They all seemed preoccupied at that moment, but their attention shifted as soon as they heard the door swing open. Sunny walked in with a huge grin and waved to his audience.
"Oh, so many familiar faces. Hi, everyone. I know you've missed me a great deal, but I'm here to introduce you guys to my friend, Kai. Kai, this is my old hunting party: Effie, Cassie, Nephis, and Caster."
However, instead of all eyes being on Kai, everyone — including Kai — was looking at Sunny with varying expressions.
Nephis looked at Sunny with her same odd demeanor, likely still reeling from her encounter with him just hours ago.
Caster stared at Sunny with a seemingly indifferent look, but Sunny could tell exactly what he was feeling: outrage. Sunny didn't have to think too hard to figure out what he was thinking. It may have went something along the lines of:
'How the hell did this worm survive?! And why is he so beautiful?!'
Sunny nearly scoffed thinking about it, but remembered that Caster would never dare to pay Sunny a genuine compliment.
Sunny was nothing more than an honorless mongrel in Caster's eyes.
Similarly, it wasn't hard to see how Cassie and Effie felt about his return.
Cassie had already known he would return, sparing only a calm, sincere smile.
"Welcome back, Sunny. I'm so glad you are alright."
After all, there was a prophecy he had to fulfill. But prophecy was not going to come to fruition. Sunny's regression had brought with him the same fateless world that he came from.
Conversely, Effie couldn't contain her surprise. Her jaw was on the floor while her eyes gawked at Sunny. But that was merely for a second. Soon after, Sunny felt a chill creep up his spine as he came face to face with those same wolf-like eyes that teased him oh so many times.
A devious grin soon replaced Effie's expression of shock as she opened her mouth to say something. However, before she could say anything, Kai interrupted her by introducing himself:
"Hello everyone…"
He paused for a moment and looked at Sunny with a side-eye that radiated awkwardness.
"Huntress Athena, Lady Nephis, Cassie, and Caster. It's great to meet you all. Sunny has told me the horrid tale of your… misadventures."
Horror took hold of Nephis and Cassie's faces. Nephis's eyes widened as she shot Sunny a suspicious look. The blind prophet paled as she nervously chuckled.
"Sunny… why is Night here?"
"Huh, you won't believe it guys, I thought I just heard Night from Nightingale say my name. Crazy, right?"
The two fangirls exchanged glances at each other for a brief moment, both sharing the same expression. Then, they stared at Sunny. Their questions permeated the air, making it seem almost palpable.
But Sunny just nonchalantly shrugged.
"He's been here for two and a half years now."
Right after Sunny had said that, Nephis and Kai began having a conversation akin to the one they had in Sunny's past. Nephis announcing her fangirl status, the reality behind Gale's solo project and so on. But the discussion shifted back to Sunny when Effie interrupted their discussion.
"Ahem… Doofus, when you become so…so… gorgeous? You were such a feral rat before, how did you do it?! "
Sunny wore a smug look and answered the question proudly.
"I'm a cockroach, not a rat. And I just killed a lot of monsters, honestly. So many, you couldn't even count them on six hands!"
Effie then tried counting on her two hands three times each, while the rest of the cohort looked at Sunny silently. But that silence was deafening and told Sunny exactly what they thought.
The huntress finished counting her fingers and looked up at Sunny, asking the question everyone was too shocked to ask:
"How the hell?!"
Sunny smiled and shook his head. In other words, he was ready to put them through the wringer, just like Kai.
"Well, I did have some help from some shady individuals. One massive guy that ate a lot — and me, this armored lady who never spoke a word to me, a shapeshifter that was pretty scaly, the stallion of my dreams, and a greedy homebody."
Effie looked at Kai in anticipation, who sighed and slowly nodded. He sat down and sunk into his chair.
"It seems he still has more true horror stories to tell…"
Effie kept glancing at Sunny and Kai in disbelief. The others in the room saw her odd gesture and looked at her, hoping for an answer. She soon noticed their glances and turned to face them.
"Well… Night's flaw is that he can tell when someone is lying or telling the truth."
Caster looked at her in an ignorant manner, unaware of the implications of Kai's reaction.
"Meaning…?"
"As unbelievable as it sounds, Sunny is telling the truth."
Changing Star answered Caster's question, suspicion dwelling in her grey eyes. But Sunny knew she wouldn't pry. The whole group was pressed for time, so any more of this would cut into her explanation of the plan.
"So, Neph. What did you bring me here for?"
Upon hearing Sunny's words, the entire atmosphere of the room shifted to a dark, grave tone.
Caster looked at Nephis, who nodded in approval. He then summoned the bone flute and cut off the room from the rest of the world.
Nephis turned to Sunny, her face reflecting the weight of her situation.
"Gunlaug and his lieutenants are on the verge of making a move. A far more dedicated attempt compared to our previous skirmishes. We need you to take Effie to your hideout for a week while we prepare."
Sunny nodded in agreement and didn't reply — it was decade-old news after all.
But Nephis, almost startled by his silence, tilted her head.
"You'll go along with our plan?"
Sunny's ever-present grin played on his lips, remaining even as he responded:
"Yeah, I will. What? Did you expect me to oppose the plan?"
Nephis nodded her head slowly.
"We haven't told you all of the details, so I assumed you would press for information. Especially considering how… paranoid you are."
Sunny chuckled and shook his head.
"Me, paranoid? Of course! Oh, but I already know your plan, Nephis. You want to leave the city before Gunlaug can make his move then make a move to the edge of the Forgotten Shore. And the reason why I have to take Effie for a week? She likely got into some deep shit with some of Gunlaug's thugs. But now that they turned up missing, she's the one to blame."
The room froze, and the deafening silence returned once again. Caster gave Sunny a murderous stare, waiting for Changing Star's command to cut him down. The rest of them just looked at Sunny with confusion — they glanced at Caster too, once they realized he assumed a combat stance.
After a few eternally long moments, Nephis spoke up:
"How do you know about the missing hunters?"
Sunny grimaced darkly.
All of a sudden, the shadows in the room grew unfathomably deep.
The room grew far colder, as if death itself loomed just above them, its blade at their necks.
Waiting for a single opportunity to strike.
Waiting for a single mistake to exploit.
Waiting for its Sovereign.
The shadows seemed to peer into the cohort's souls, yet they themselves trembled when their Lord peered through them.
Shadows may be of the God of death, but even death awaits them.
"How? I killed them, that's how."