Shadow Slave novel Chapter 786

Soon, two bowls of delicious steaming ramen were on the table in front of them. Sunny had never invited anyone to taste his ramen, but he was quite pleased with the result.

His past of only eating synthpaste seemed so distant that he did not even want to remember it.

Both dug in and finished their portions in record time. Sunny drank the last of the fragrant broth and let out a delighted sigh. Nephis acted more reserved, but he could feel that she was very satisfied, too.

Putting the bowl away, Changing Star smiled slightly and looked at him. A hesitant expression appeared on her face.

A few moments later, she suddenly said:

"Be that as it may… while I was lost and wandering the Dream Realm, slowly forgetting what it felt like to be human… there was one thing I clung to that reminded me that all my prior life had not been just a dream. Do you know what it was?"

Sunny thought for a bit, then shrugged.

"I don't know. A Memory? Your sword, Dreamblade?"

She lingered for a few moments, then slowly shook her head.

"No. It was… you."

Sunny froze and stared at her with surprise.

"Huh?"

Nephis smiled slightly.

"Your runes. Although I could not know what was happening to you, Cassie, and the others, I could still feel connected to you through the runes. I could see that you were still out there, alive, and doing incredible things. The new Memories you received told me a little about what kind of enemies you fought. The speed at which your Aspect Legacy progressed told me how hard you were working to sharpen your battle skill. As long as I saw the runes, I knew that I had not imagined the past... and did not feel as alone."

She shifted, and then added:

"When I was bored, I liked to imagine what exactly happened to give you a sudden influx of fragments, what the Nightmare Creature that gifted you a Memory looked like, how you defeated it. Things… things like that. Oh… and I was bored often. While my journey was often full of hardship and dread, it could also be terribly monotonous sometimes. So… that was pretty much the only way I could entertain myself."

Changing Star looked at him, lingered for a moment, and then said:

"I know it was not really something that you did consciously. Still. I wanted to say… thank you. You helped me a lot, Sunny. You made it easier for me to keep going. I won't forget that."

He stared at her, suddenly uncomfortable. Then, he looked away in embarrassment and cleared his throat.

"Are... are you sure that you have not received counseling already? I mean, that doesn't sound like you. Very… uh… enlightened. Anyway… you're welcome, I guess."

Nephis smiled, and did not respond.

Sunny remained silent for a bit, and then forced himself to say:

"...Actually, I spent a lot of time staring at your runes, as well."

Sunny smiled. _{freewebnøvel.com}

A dark grin appeared on Sunny's face. He sighed, and then collected the empty bowls to clean them.

"Effie doesn't seem to think that I am. According to her, I lack conviction. I don't even really know what conviction is and where does one find it, but even I can't honestly say that I am stronger than you. That should tell you something, considering... you know, my clear conscience."

Nephis lingered for a few moments, and then suddenly said in calm tone:

"You are stronger than you think you are."

Sunny put the bowls into the sink and turned on the water.

Standing with his back to her, he stayed quiet for a while. After some time, he started to wash the dishes and said:

"...Your counseling session is about to start. You should hurry."

She looked at his back for a few moments, then silently stood up and went away.

Sunny was left alone in the kitchen. He finished washing the bowls, put them on the drying rack, and wiped his hands with a towel.

Then, he glanced in the direction of the guest room, shook his head, and scoffed.

"Ah, who cares? Apparently, I am incredible…"