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Chapter 7 - Re: thought

After that conversation, Nephis couldn't sleep.

She lay in silence, staring up at the dark sky, her thoughts heavy and tangled. His words echoed in her mind — not just the things he said, but the things he hinted at.

What he implied was clear: the Nightmare Spell might not be the true enemy. It might only be a symptom… a consequence of something deeper. Something older. More dangerous.

But how would he know that?

How could someone like him — a seventeen-year-old boy from the outskirts — speak with such certainty about theories even she had never heard of? Theories from Professor Obel, no less. And it wasn't speculation, either. He had named the source, stated it plainly. He couldn't have lied — not with a flaw like that.

Which made it worse.

She hadn't expected him to answer her questions so directly. The deal he had made with her was crafted precisely to prevent her from digging too deep. And yet… he answered anyway. Without hesitation. That could only mean one thing: the truths he didn't share — the ones he protected — were even more dangerous.

Everything about him was strange.

From the moment he returned from his silent meditation, the balance of their interaction had shifted. She had been the one in control, the one who observed and assessed. But somehow, without force or arrogance, he had wrested that control from her.

That… unsettled her.

There had never been anyone in her life — especially not someone her own age — who had managed to throw her off like that. Not even the adults back home could match her composure so effortlessly.

But Sunny had.

It wasn't just his words. It was the way he spoke. The quiet confidence. The veiled sharpness behind every smile. Like a blade hidden beneath silk.

Nephis frowned slightly in the dark.

Who are you, really Sunny…?

Then she summarized everything she knew about Sunny and formed a mental image of him. She had to admit that he was kind of intriguing, even though she had never felt that way before. But now, she was genuinely curious—who was Sunny, really, and what had made him the way he was?

She was rarely interested in other people's lives, what they were doing, or why. Normally, she only cared about her own goals.

And with such thoughts swirling in her mind, she finally dozed off.

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