Sunny's eyes fluttered open, and the sterile white light of the infirmary cut through the haze in his mind.
"Gods... my head..."
The words were barely a whisper, but at the foot of the bed, a blonde girl stirred, her attention snapping to him in an instant. She shot upright, eyes wide with concern.
"Sunny!"
In one swift motion, she was by his side, throwing her arms around him in a tight, desperate hug.
"I... I'm so sorry! I didn't know—!" Her voice broke, and tears spilled down her cheeks.
Sunny's arms hesitated before he returned the embrace, gently leaning into her, trying to offer her comfort.
"Shhhh... it's ok."
Cassie, able to feel Sunny's growing concern through his Flaw, began to compose herself. She pulled away, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, her fingers shaking as she tried to smooth her tangled hair.
Sunny didn't move, allowing the silence to stretch, knowing she needed to collect herself. When her breathing finally evened out, she finally spoke, her voice quiet and uncertain.
"Was she... important to you?"
Sunny's gaze dropped to the sheets, his fingers absently tracing the edge of the fabric. "Yes," he said, his voice barely audible. "Very much so. And she was important to you, too. I know you've never met her, but... once we're somewhere private, away from any eavesdropping, we'll talk."
Cassie blinked, confusion crossing her face, but there was something in his tone that made her nod. She'd learned to read him in their time together—his cryptic words, the guarded way he spoke, and how carefully he tried to conceal his thoughts through his Flaw.
"Okay," she whispered, her voice a little steadier.
They halted their conversation until the discharge process was complete. Sunny was visited by a doctor who checked his vitals, as well as a government psychiatrist. After deftly navigating through the evaluation questioning, he had managed to give the impression to the lady that he had been putting up a false front of confidence, but had a panic attack from the stress of the coming solstice.
He was allowed to leave by the end of the day.
***
Sunny returned to his room, Cassie following quietly behind. The two of them drew curious glances from the Sleepers nearby—no doubt eager for gossip—but a sharp, irritated look from Sunny, paired with an undercurrent of annoyance emanating from his flaw, kept anyone from approaching them.
'Gods. This is a proper mess, isn't it?'
They sat down on the bed together, huddling beneath the thin blanket. The room was quiet, save for the distant hum of activity from the hall.
"So... where do we start?" Cassie asked, turning towards him with a mix of curiosity and apprehension.
"That's quite the unintentionally loaded question. I guess it depends. Do you want the full story, or should I skip the details?" replied Sunny.
"I have nothing better to do right now, so from the beginning... I'll listen to it all." She coughed a few times. "Um, only if you'd like to share that is. My instructor appears to be indisposed for the moment... so..."
Sunny almost chuckled, but couldn't gain the momentum to begin in earnest. He gave a quiet "Sure", a sound without much inflection, before clearing his throat.
"Alright, then. I'll start. But first—" He paused, glancing at her with a quiet intensity. "Here's some advice a dear comrade shared with me once. She was a seer, exactly like you. She was burdened with visions of the future and grew desperate to prevent coming disasters. But, the more she tried to warn others, the more certain the future became. Every time she spoke of what was to come, it only made it inevitable." He hesitated, staring off into the distance. "Eventually, she learned to stop speaking. She kept her knowledge to herself, and toiled silently to change the Fates she glimpsed. I'm sure, if she were still here, she'd tell me to do the same now."
Cassie nodded, questioningly. "Your friend sounds very wise... Though this doesn't sound like the kind of friend you would meet in the outskirts."
Sunny sighed, his shoulders slumping. "You'd be right, Cassie. But let's get to the story for now. It begins with three souls... one boy and two girls, thrust into an unknown corner of the Dream Realm. Through perilous trials, they grew closer than kin."
Cassie listened in silence.
"One day, as they sought an escape from the Dream Realm, one of the girls whispered a terrible truth to the other. A secret about the boy—a simple phrase. Once spoken, the boy would be enslaved, belonging to whoever said it. The day came for their departure from the Dream Realm, and the girl who revealed the secret escaped. Of the two who remained, only one could leave. The girl used the words to control the boy, forcing him to take the last way out."
He stopped, taking a slow breath. His words hung heavy in the air, and he could see Cassie's confusion beginning to take shape.
"Eventually, the second girl found her own way to escape. The three reunited, but something had shattered. The bonds between them were broken, for a slave could never trust their master. The boy ran, fleeing the group, and yet, no matter what he did, their Fates remained intertwined."
Looking towards the ceiling, he continued.
"The girl who had revealed the secret... she couldn't live with what she'd done. What she'd broke. In her own way, she set out to apologize and find a way to break the boy's chains."
Cassie's brows furrowed deeply.
"Eventually, she succeeded," Sunny continued softly, his voice almost a whisper. "The boy was free. The chains of Fate could no longer hold him, no chains could. But when he looked around... the world he knew, had never happened. The girl who he was freed from... was gone... and the one who broke his chains... knew not of the abandoned future."
Cassie's face paled. Her hands shaking.
"The boy, that was you... wasn't it? and the other two... the girl from my dreams... me..."
Sunny's hand clasped his wrist.
"Yes, you're correct. The three of us—along with a few other companions we met along the way—were powerful. Frighteningly so. Perhaps you most of all, considering your plan to defy Fate actually worked."
He released his grip.
"Though, as you can tell, you don't remember it now. I noticed Nephis, the other girl, was missing quite quickly, but I wasn't able to find any news about her that wasn't old. When you shared that dream with me... I put together what happened."
Cassie's tears flowed silently down her face, her voice trembling as she whispered, "Your tone when you speak about her... Did you... love her?"
Sunny's flaw kicked in, both to compel him to speak, and once again to prevent him from hiding from his feelings from himself.
"Yes... very much so. It was mutual, but the bond that enslaved me to her... it kept us from acting on it."
Cassie nodded, her expression solemn. "I see..." She hesitated, then offered, "I... I'm sorry. I know it may not mean much, since I'm not the one who did it. Not yet, at least. Or... never will be now, I suppose. But I'm sure my other self would apologize, too."
Sunny leaned back against the wall, rubbing his eyes with his hands. He let the silence stretch for a moment before speaking again.
"Well, not all is lost. After all, what's defying fate for a second time, when you've already broken it once? We'll bring her back somehow."
Cassie nodded, before saying "You said we escaped the Dream Realm... and that we were powerful. Would you like to tell me to what extent?"
Sunny noticed Cassie's wording, a warm feeling grew inside him.
"We were among the most powerful Ascended to ever exist. Your plan came into fruition as we were clearing our Third Nightmare. It was a special Nightmare, one so difficult that not even a Supreme could clear it. In it, you harnessed the power of a Cursed Terror to break my chains."
Cassie hugged her arms tightly around herself, her mind reeling. "I was worried about dying in the Dream Realm... and I ended up that strong? If you hadn't already shown me so many impossible things... I would never believe you."
Sunny turned back towards the girl. "So, you do believe me?"
Cassie met his gaze with a steady certainty. "I see no reason not to. You know too much for a kid from the outskirts. It all makes sense once you connect the dots—You 'guessed' my aspect, and the way you have your Aspect Legacy, the way those restraints shattered in my vision. Besides..." She paused, a slight softness in her voice. "Based on what I've seen, it seems my future self believed in you too."
Sunny drew in a breath, gathering his resolve. This moment felt like a choice, and his intuition was telling him to make it. "Well then, would mind taking one of my Memories?"