"Well hello there, my friend! Nice to meet you again," I greeted Kai cheerfully. It had been a month or so since I last interacted with him.
Standing beside him were three figures:
A tall, ivory-skinned girl with hair as white as snow and an intense blaze behind her eyes.
Next to her stood a broad-shouldered, handsome man—one of those guys who just oozed bravery and strength, like a poster child for gallant warriorhood.
And across from Nephis stood Cassie—a shorter teen, though still taller than Sunny (hilarious). What caught the eye, though, was the blue blindfold covering her aimless gaze. Her golden-blond hair made her already soft skin glow. She radiated a fragile, glasslike aura.
"Is that... a talking Echo?" Caster blurted, surprise plastered across his face.
"Yes, hello, sir! It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Rocky—Silex, if you please. But you can call me the Illustrious Divine Tablet of Prophecy… or just Your Majesty. Whichever rolls off the tongue," I said with the dignity of a royal jester. "I may not breathe—but I am living. I'm a Memory with a soul, not some broken Echo, so kindly refrain from calling me either of those. I was a human once, and I still consider myself one. Thank you very much."
Caster gave me that distant, calculating look adults use when they try to decide whether a kid is worthless or dangerous.
"Well, are we heading out or what?" Effie asked, carefree as ever.
I wriggled my way over to Kai and parked myself next to Cassie while the others discussed the plan—to leave this godforsaken dark city and cross the Forgotten Shore. With them distracted, I seized the opportunity to make new friends. Woohoo!
"Hello, pretty miss! My name is Silex. Or Rocky, as Father calls me. Nice to meet you! I hope we can be friends!"
"Erm… yes, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," she replied. "If I may ask… who's your father?"
"Why, none other than the Lord of Shadows, Prince of Death, the bastard son of Fate—Sunny!" I declared, practically yelling it just to be petty. Half-revenge for his cold treatment. Half a tactical move. I needed to maintain his image as a harmless idiot. After all, why would Caster blow his cover just to kill some mentally unstable talking rock and his equally foolish father. when the real target—the princess of the Immortal Flame clan—was standing right there?
As my voice rang out, everyone turned toward me with surprise written on their faces. Even Nephis's cold mask twitched.
"Explain yourself," Caster demanded.
"Well… he's a Memory. He sort of… evolved after I accidentally fed him my blood," Sunny muttered, looking both dejected and irritated. "Technically, he's my son."
"Well, well! Ladies and gents, let's not waste the day away. Shall we move on from this delightful little ruined city?" I announced.
Somehow, everyone agreed.
As we traveled, Cassie occasionally checked in on me, making small talk with both me and my current noble steed—Kai.
"So… does he feed okay? Does he hit you?" Cassie asked gently, like she was talking to a neglected child.
"Well, Papa says I don't get to eat if I don't work," I said, fake-sobbing. "And he hits me if I try to take little breaks during hunts…"
(If I had eyes, I would've cried. Alas, no tears for the stony.)
"Oh, for—Rocky, stop spouting nonsense," Sunny groaned.
Cassie and Nephis gave him identical disappointed looks.
"Really, Sunny? I expected better from you. Tsk, tsk," Kai added, though he absolutely knew I was lying through my metaphorical teeth.
"Kai, come on, you know he's lying—" Sunny tried again, his voice caught between exasperation and damage control.
"Tsk, tsk, Sunny. Not good," Effie said, shaking her head like a disappointed auntie.
"Wait… we're being followed. One of Gunlaug's men," Sunny said abruptly, tone shifting.
A silence fell.
"It's Harus. We need to move. Cut the chatter."
With that, he started running—and so did the rest of us. Kai picked up Cassie in one swoop.
Taking my cue, I leapt off Kai's shoulders and floated my way over to Effie's.
We ran. And ran. And ran.
Felt like forever.