He was still far away from being a master. But it felt as though he was on the right track.
***
Some time later, Sunny approached the western edge of the cliffs.
Nephis was sitting there, her feet dangling over the edge. She was looking west, lost in her thoughts.
He sat down beside the silver-haired girl and followed her gaze, trying to guess what she was thinking about.
Just like always, he failed. Changing Star was hard to understand.
Sunny shifted, feeling incredibly embarrassed. Finally, he gathered his courage and said:
"You saved my life twice yesterday."
Nephis glanced at him and turned away again.
"I did."
He hesitated, trying to find the correct words. In the end, he couldn't come up with anything and simply said:
"Thank you."
This time, she looked at him a bit longer. Her face was calm and indifferent.
"There's no need to thank me. Without you and your shadow, we would have drowned before reaching the cliffs or been torn apart by a large group of scavengers after stumbling on them in the labyrinth."
After that uncharacteristically long sentence, she fell silent and added after a while:
"We're allies."
Sunny nodded, knowing that she was right. Still, Nephis went above and beyond to keep him alive. Even if he had also done his part, not everyone would have gone to such lengths to return the favor.
However, he didn't say anything about it. Mostly because he could already imagine her answer.
Staring right at him, she would stay quiet for some time and then say something like "I just wanted to" or "It is what it is" in a flat tone. And then there would be an awkward silence.
With a subtle smile, Sunny looked away.
A minute or two later, he said:
"It's you Flaw, isn't it? The pain you feel every time you use your Ability?"
Nephis was silent for a while before answering. Then, she simply said:
"Yes."
Sunny looked at her. Changing Star's profile was calm and distant. The wind was playing with her short silver hair.
"What does it feel like?"
She was staring into the distance.
"Like burning alive."
He sighed, trying to imagine what kind of suffering someone being burned alive would have to endure. As always, the Spell was vile and cruel.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly after some time.
Nephis shrugged, not turning her head.
"It's just pain."
Sunny looked away, trying to hide his expression.
'Just pain.'
These might have been the saddest words he had ever heard.