The evil tree was, by all accounts, the source of the ashen wasteland to the east of the Bone Ridge. At least, that's what Alice said. It was the only place not submerged by the vile, creeping Dark Sea, sitting just on the edge of a colossal crater. Even worse, it was home to a Shiny Nightmare creature—one that had attacked Puffy during one of his earlier escapades.
That was a problem. No genius required to figure out that this tree was likely the reason why the crimson coral hadn't spread this far.
So, they came up with a plan. First, Sunny's scavenger echo, Eugen, would appear at the northern end, disguised in the remains of Nightmare Creatures. Once the metallic monster moved in for the attack, the echo would create some distance, then be unsummoned by Sunless himself.
That would be their signal. Once the echo was out of the picture, they'd make a run for it, heading to the tree from the southern approach.
But they knew full well that the echo could only buy them so much time. That's when Puffy—after some not-so-gentle persuasion of Alice—would lead the creatures off to the west, flying high enough to stay out of range. At that point, Sunless's shadow would swoop in, drawing the creature's full attention, staying close enough to keep it distracted. With that, they'd have a shot at making it to the tree. If not, they'd have to rely on Puffy's quick thinking, reneging and flying northward, away from the danger, toward the northwestern end of the ashen burrow.
The question that gnawed at the back of Sunny's mind, though, was: What could possibly go wrong?
And when it all came together? Nothing.
Now, he was perched high in the tree, securing Cassie to a branch, tens of meters above the ground. One more thing to check off the list. Next, he needed to explore the rest of the tree. Neph and Puffy had offered to come with him, but that was swiftly shot down. If there was something dangerous in there—and he had a strong hunch there would be—he was the best suited to slip by unnoticed.
Besides, they had their own job to do. They were helping Alice—yes, Alice, of all people—take down the Carapace Demon.
The energetic girl had nearly saturated her soul core on her own, with little to no outside help—well, mostly.
Sunny could understand why that was. Alice, the "gyaru," as she had referred to herself when talking to Cassie, didn't have the ability to manipulate or generate any form of Mist. But her attribute, [Veilborne Tithe], had a subtle yet insidious effect on anything in the Mist around her.
[Veilborne Tithe] slowly drained the soul essence from anything near her, working over time, a persistent pull. Combined with the Memorie [Essence of Ecstasy], a small, lamp-like object made of glass that produced a large amount of Mist, it was more than enough to overwhelm any nearby creatures. But not just any Mist—it was a highly potent drug in its own right. Sunless had let it affect him once. Idiotic, yes, especially given his vivid memories of his blood brother overdosing in his arms. But it was necessary. He needed to know the exact effects so he could incorporate them into his plans. After all, not all drugs within the same category worked the same. He had to know if the calming effect Alice spoke of was more like weed, with its clear-minded high, or something far more dangerous—like nitric oxide, where happiness came at the cost of brain damage. Or perhaps the calming effect was like heroin or that time he'd inhaled secondhand fentanyl—numbing the nerves, making the mind forget the world.
Turns out, it was even better. The Mist from [Essence of Ecstasy] wasn't a narcotic, but more of a hallucinogen, a deliriant. That meant the Carapace Demon wouldn't be able to perceive its environment properly, let alone consider leaving. The downside? It took time to kick in, and when it did, it faded quickly.
That was also why he was exploring this massive tree—he was hoping to find some resin. As Julius had demonstrated in a VR simulation once, tree resin could serve as a natural form of napalm. Combined with the oil sacks that he and Neph had harvested and stored in [Mother's Maw], they should be able to create a flame big enough to lure in something bigger.
This was their last-ditch plan. They'd planned to hide at the top of the tree. It seemed safe enough in theory—after all, a tree of this size, with no other vegetation around, would likely have been struck by lightning more than once by now.
Still, Sunny didn't want to take any chances.
---
He should've known things were going *too* well.
Not only had they made it onto the tree—alive, no less—but Alice had already started smothering the island in Mist, turning everything into a gauzy fever dream. On top of that, he'd even found a great hiding spot: a massive bird nest nestled in the upper boughs, woven from branches as thick as his torso. Tucked in and half-submerged, it seemed perfect. Secluded. Abandoned.
That illusion lasted right up until he saw the *egg*.
A massive, stone-colored thing—cold, alien, and *hungry*. It didn't just sit there. It *looked* at him. Or rather, it *felt* like it did, like it was trying to reach into his chest and suck his soul out through his spine.
And if there was an egg…
He didn't need to finish that thought. Mama or papa bird weren't going to be far.
So naturally, he did the only logical thing.
He tried to kill it.
[Twins Bane], bolstered with shadow, struck at the egg with the full force of his will. And did absolutely nothing.
Didn't scratch it.
Didn't even scuff it.
So, he opted for Plan B:
**Haul ass.**
---
He burst through the canopy like a madman, half falling, half leaping from branch to branch, until he dropped in front of the girls, panting.
"None of you are going up there," he snapped between breaths, "and we need to find a way around the crater. Fast."
Alice blinked at him, flipping her hair like someone who'd just been told she couldn't wear glitter in the apocalypse.
"Why though? The tree is *totes* a vibe," she chirped.
Right. She still didn't *trust* him. Not like the other two.
"There's a giant soul-eating egg up there," he said flatly. "I couldn't even scratch it with [Twins Bane]. I *really* don't want to meet its parents."
"Oh."
That was all she said. Just *oh*. The way someone might respond to a bad weather report.
Nephis spoke next. "Actually… we wanted to talk to you about that. Cassie had a vision. About the Carapace Demon."
He blinked, registering the improvement in her cadence. Shorter pauses. More certainty.
She was learning. Fast.
{^}
Cassie had waited until he sat. Not stood—sat. Grounded, spine pressed to the bark, breath even. She always knew the difference between when he could listen… and when he'd only hear.
And now, sitting in a half-circle around the mighty brach of the evil tree , the girls leaned in. Mist curling between their legs. Puffy silent, for once.
Cassie's hands were folded in her lap, small and still. Her pale lashes lowered.
"…It was dark," she whispered, "but not the same as blindness."
The words chilled him. She didn't speak of her visions unless she had to.
"There was sound… skittering, like metal on ice. Wet, dragging… like something pulling itself forward without legs." Her brows knit slightly. "The Carapace Demon wasn't alone."
Silence. No one moved. Even Alice stopped playing with the beads on her wrist.The girl even in this godless place had made her own jewelry.
"I saw... inside it. Not the way it thinks—what it remembers." Cassie's voice dropped to a fragile hush. "A fight. Long ago. It tried to run. Something dragged it back. Broke its shell. It healed wrong."
She touched her shoulder gently, as if mimicking the twist.
Sunless let the information turn over in his mind. If there was a memory strong enough to echo in a vision... the wound had to matter. A scar, not just a fracture. Still, something about her expression unsettled him more than the contents of the vision itself.
"You're not done," he said flatly.
Cassie's lips trembled. "No. I'm not. That's just the past."
She turned her head toward him—not looking, but seeing him the way only she could. "There was something else in the fog. Watching us."
That set his nerves on fire.
"The voices were wrong. They were us, but twisted. I heard myself saying things I never said. I heard you too, Sunny."
He stiffened.
"What did I say?"
She shook her head. "Not words. Just… the wrong tone. Like you were smiling."
He didn't smile.
Ever.
Nephis's hand slid closer to Cassie's on the ground. Protective. Alice leaned back on her elbows instead, watching with glassy eyes—but the way her pet was clinging to her shoulder said more than her smile.
"And the worst part," Cassie added, breath catching, "was that we believed the voices. Even when they lied. Especially then."
A long beat passed.
Then Sunless exhaled through his nose. "Right. Good. So the Demon has trauma, the egg wants my soul, and there's something mimicking us to lure us into a premature death. Any other cheerful updates?"
Nephis glanced at him. "...I trust your plan."
Alice gave him a wry little smirk. "I trust that it'll fall apart in the most dramatic way possible."
He muttered, "You would," and stood.
But Cassie didn't laugh. She reached blindly toward him, fingers brushing his coat.
"Don't forget," she said, voice barely audible, "the moment it goes quiet is the moment it begins."
He didn't ask her what that meant.
He already knew.
It was a start.
But not nearly enough.