Nephis did not awaken surrounded by water.
That, at least, was a blessing. If she had, finding land in the darkness would have been far more difficult—especially for someone like her, who could not see in the dark the way Sunny could.
Instead, she found herself on a small, desolate island. After regaining her bearings, she stood still for a moment and listened. Then she heard it—a dull thud, like something heavy had hit the ground, followed by a quiet, stifled whimper.
Without hesitation, Nephis moved toward the sound.
There, in the dark, she discovered a blonde girl sprawled on the cold ground, clutching her forehead in pain. Nephis couldn't see much, but she did not yet realize that the girl was blind. Her voice, tense and a little sharp despite her efforts, broke the silence.
"Who are you? What's your name?"
Cassie winced, still holding her throbbing head. The sudden voice startled her, but she responded quickly:
"I'm a Sleeper… from the Academy. My name is Cassia. But you can call me Cassie."
That answer calmed Nephis slightly. She stepped forward and helped the girl to her feet. Just as she was about to turn away and look for shelter, she heard Cassie's trembling voice again.
"Wait… please! I… I'm blind. I can't follow on my own. Please don't leave me."
Cassie knew her life might very well depend on this moment. If the other girl abandoned her, she wouldn't survive her first night in the Dream Realm. She braced for rejection.
But Nephis froze, stunned.
Now that she heard her more clearly and could see her features in the faint light, realization struck her. She recognized the blonde girl from the Academy—the one she had seen, pitied from afar, and now found herself standing beside.
"…Alright," Nephis finally said, softer this time. "My name is Nephis. You can call me Neph."
It wasn't much, but it was an opening.
Hand in hand, they searched the island for a safe place to spend the night. It wasn't large, and there was no proper shelter—but at least they were dry. They chose the center of the island, as far from the water as possible, and settled in.
The next morning brought only disappointment.
Both girls had quietly hoped they might see the distant silhouette of a Citadel or a landmark—something, anything—but there was only an endless Crimson Labyrinth, dotted with coral-like red growths as far as the eye could see. Grim silence fell between them.
Still, Nephis didn't allow despair to take root. She focused on survival. She handed Cassie her armor Memory and began crafting crude coverings for her own limbs out of scavenged materials.
The day passed without exploration or combat.
But nightfall brought a critical mistake.
They lit a fire.
That warmth and comfort came at a price. Drawn by the light, abominations attacked—and Nephis had to fight through the darkness, all night, without using her aspect. If she did, the flare of divine flame would attract even more horrors. Blinded and restrained, she fended off the creatures but slew none.
When dawn arrived, she was bleeding, breathless, and exhausted.
She managed to heal herself, then rested briefly—until something new caught her eye.
A corpse.
It lay near the edge of the island. Its legs were missing. One arm was gone. In the other, it clutched a strange sword. Nephis approached warily. She knew one thing: if the sword was a Memory, then this person had to still be alive. Otherwise, the weapon would have vanished.
She called Cassie over, described what she saw, and began healing the battered figure.
Cassie, careful and curious, made her way over slowly. The two girls kept a respectful distance, letting the broken body rest.
It was Sunny.
He had spent the night hunting in the Dark Sea again… but this time, his ambition had nearly cost him his life. The last creature he faced had been more powerful than expected. Even the Abyssfang hadn't been enough to carry him through cleanly.
He barely made it out alive—and washed ashore half-dead.
When consciousness returned, he heard two voices nearby. He coughed and slowly sat up, careful not to alarm them.
"…Would one of you mind telling me where I am?" he rasped. "And who you are?"
Of course, he knew exactly who they were. He just didn't know how to act—how much to reveal. How much to be himself.
Still, he was happy to see them again.
Cassie instantly recognized his voice. Her face lit up.
"Sunny! You're here! I'm so glad! What happened? You looked half-dead when we found you. Nephis described you, and it didn't sound good…"
Nephis narrowed her eyes. "You know him?"
Cassie nodded. "Yes. He was the only one who sat with me at the Academy. He talked to me… his name is Sunny."
"Ah, Sunny — this is Nephis. The one with the True Name… Changing Star. She was the one who healed you."
Sunny blinked at Nephis. She sat a short distance away, her silver hair faintly catching the light, her expression calm but unreadable. Even without her using her Aspect, she seemed to radiate that same quiet strength he remembered.
He inclined his head slightly.
"Thank you, Nephis," he said simply.
She looked at him for a moment, then gave a short nod.
"…You're welcome." She said stiff.
Recognition sparked in Nephis's mind. She remembered the unimpressive, scruffy boy she'd seen before. Quiet. Shy. Unremarkable.
Yet now, here he stood—alive, armed, and apparently competent enough to survive alone in the Dream Realm.
That fact alone made him worth keeping an eye on.
At the very least, she thought, if he was kind to Cassie, then maybe he wasn't entirely useless. Even if he had ranked near the bottom of the Sleeper list.