A few nights ago, before I came back, Cassie sought out Nephis.
"What is it, Cass?"
"I had another vision."
"What did you see?"
"I saw Chris… laughing like a madman. He was surrounded by nightmare creatures. Hundreds of them."
"Past or future?" Nephis asked, her voice tense.
"I don't know. I saw nothing else—just him and the monsters."
—
After I returned, they briefed me on the plan and asked if I had any suggestions. I just shrugged.
"I don't know. I'm not some strategist. Just point me in a direction, and I'll fight. Simple as that."
"This guy is still crazy," Sunny muttered.
"Oh, I almost forgot. I got a few memories from my outing."
As I said that, I reached out and briefly held Nephis's hand.
"You said a few," she noted, slightly surprised.
"Yeah, compared to our numbers, this isn't too much."
"Just how many did he bring for even the princess to be surprised?" Effie asked, baffled.
"Eighteen armor memories of Awakened rank, one of Ascended, and forty-one weapon memories of Awakened rank."
Everyone turned to look at me, making me a little embarrassed.
"Hehehe… What can I say? These nightmare creatures were in their giving spirit," I said awkwardly.
"Yeah, this guy is crazy. He must've killed at least a few hundred nightmare creatures to get this many," Sunny said, still in disbelief.
"Yeah, it was around four hundred, if I remember correctly. I lost count after three hundred," I replied casually.
"So, when do we start this siege of ours?" I asked, pushing the conversation forward.
"In two days, we set out. And thanks for these—they'll help a lot," Nephis said.
"Oh, it's nothing. I'd do anything for my little Star," I teased.
No reaction.
No one said anything.
"Not funny at all..." I mumbled.
Two days later, the entire population of Bright Castle—about nine hundred Sleepers—began marching toward the Crimson Spire. The artisans and non-combatants started setting up large trebuchet-like siege weapons and some kind of wire roofing to protect against aerial monsters. I was impressed, to say the least.
"So I just stand at the front and kill as many as I can?" I asked Nephis.
"Yes. And wear this," she said, extending her hand and transferring the Dawn Shard to me. "Just give it back when we get closer to the Spire. We'll need it."
"Okay. Simple enough."
"So, how many are we, and how many monsters are we expecting?"
"We have around six hundred people capable of fighting. The rest are either supports or non-combatants. Cassie said there will be thousands of enemies."
"So everyone has to kill about four or five. Not too bad."
"Indeed. It would be worse if you hadn't arrived in time. Thanks."
"Don't get sentimental on me. It's not like we won't make it. Or did those stalker duo do something?" I joked to ease the tension.
Nephis looked like she had something to say, but in the end, she just replied,
"Yeah, you're right. Everything will be fine."
"Of course! With me here, you have nothing to worry about," I boasted.
"I'm off to sleep. Big day ahead," I said and walked away.
"I'm sorry…" she muttered, but I was already too far away to hear her.