"Hey, Neph."
Sunny had a plan.
It was, without question, the worst one he'd ever come up with.
But there was nothing else. No better option, no clever trick left to pull. He'd gone over every asset he possessed, turned over every piece of knowledge he had about the girls—every memory, every moment.
And he'd come up empty. No progress. Nothing that mattered.Not even Cassie's vision helped him.
The only real accomplishment he could claim since gaining Blood Weave was this: hiding the soul shards of the Vile Thieving Bird's Spawn and he'd prepared a way to drag that soul-devouring tree straight to hell with him.
If it came to that.
So now, he turned to the only person he could still ask for help.
And just like he'd hoped… Neph was there.
He explained it all—everything he had seen, everything he feared, everything he planned to do. Just once. He didn't have it in him to say it twice.
And Nephis listened.
When he finished, she gave him a solution. Just like that.
They were going to pull an Odysseus.
They'd sail away.
He had considered fleeing before, of course, but hadn't the faintest idea how to make it work. Where would they even begin?
But Nephis knew.
So she and the girls began building the boat.
It was a miserable thing, cobbled together from the shattered bones of the Cave Cloud and what little remained of the Carapace Demon's armor. Uneven planks. Sharp metal. The whole thing looked like a rusted coffin.
But it would float.
Before leaving him, she'd said three words. Names, actually:
**"Aster, Song, Vale."**
Then she left him to face the part of the plan no sword could help with.
Getting Cassie, Alice… and Puffy… into that damn boat.
And gods, it tore him apart.
---
The first betrayal was Puffy.
The little bat-like Mist creature had been with them from the start. Sunny had baited him with fruit a few days ago, lured him into [Mother's Maw], and sealed the Memory back inside his Soul Sea.
Now, Puffy was a hostage—trapped among the lurking shades within.
And that alone wasn't terrible. Puffy was just an animal. Just a tool, in the cruelest sense of the word.
But when Alice noticed he was gone—when even the tree's manipulations couldn't hide the absence—she fell apart.
She didn't cry. Didn't scream. She simply collapsed.
Like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
The weight of her grief was *palpable*, like a scent—sour and sickening.
And Sunny… he used it.
Used her heartbreak to pull her into the boat.
Her love for that ridiculous little creature was somehow deeper than the tree's hypnosis. He caught her alone, told her the truth—where Puffy was, and what would happen if she didn't come with him.
Even though he didn't particularly like Alice, he still felt *filthy.*
Like he'd just poisoned something innocent.
---
**But Cassie…**
Cassie was the worst of all.
She was addicted. A druggy.
Not to a drug, not in the normal sense—but to the fruit. The tree. The influence that had sunk into her mind like syrup. She was blissed out, foggy and smiling, the whole time. Just floating. Like she wasn't even *real* anymore.
Sunny could barely look at her. Could barely *breathe* near her without choking on guilt.
But he used her, too.
He dangled fruit in front of her like she was some kind of starving beast.
Waited until her eyes tracked it with desperate hunger.
And just when she took a breath and asked:
"…Where are we going?"
He told her the truth.
And the second the words left his mouth, Sunny knew he had messed up. Badly.
He froze. Eyes wide. Breath caught.
Cassie turned her head sharply toward him, her gentle features twisted in a deep scowl.
"Take me… away?" she repeated. "But I don't want to leave. Why would I leave the Soul Tree?"
Sunny clenched his fists and cursed under his breath.
Then, all at once, he lost it.
"Because that thing is evil!" he shouted. "It's a pure goddamn nightmare! Come on, let's go…"
He reached for her hand and tried to pull her along.
But Cassie resisted—with surprising strength.
"Let go of me, you jerk!"
She tore herself from his grasp and stumbled back, her expression shocked and pained.
"I said I don't want to go! You're acting weird, Sunny. Stop… please!"
"I just…"
"This island is our *home*! It's so nice here! The four of us together—why are you trying to ruin it?!"
He lingered for a moment—swallowed hard. His throat ached.
Then, with cold finality, Sunny gritted his teeth and muttered:
"Because it's not safe."
*I'm sorry, Cassie…*
And with that, he lunged.
Grabbed her tightly, crushing her frail resistance. She screamed.
"What are you doing?! Stop! Help! Help! Neph!"
He threw her over his shoulder and ran—ran like a madman toward the shore, his heart thundering.
Cassie thrashed. Screamed. Her fists pounded his back with surprising force, each hit sharp and bruising.
She was stronger than she looked—stronger than most, thanks to all those soul shards Nephis had shared with her. Every blow stung like a brand.
But he didn't stop.
*I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Cassie…*
He couldn't even let himself *feel* it. His whole body was slick with cold sweat, and he shut his mind to her cries.
The shore came into view.
The boat waited like a tomb.
Nephis stood there, resting, her eyes closed. As Sunny barreled toward her, she slowly opened them and turned her head toward the sound of chaos.
"Neph! Help! Sunny's gone crazy!"
Nephis rose to her feet, her expression unreadable. Cold. Watching.
She lifted one hand—just slightly.
*Shit.*
"Wait! It's not—!"
He didn't get to finish.
A flash of silver shimmered into existence. Her sword. Pointed down. For now.
"…Explain yourself."
Sunny's voice was hoarse.
"We're leaving. That damned tree is messing with your mind. Remember—**Aster. Song. Vale.**"