Sunny struggled to keep his emotions suppressed and looked at Nephis, not knowing what her reaction would be.
Her face was motionless, and her beautiful grey eyes were calm... like always. Sunny could usually read the true emotions hiding behind her expressionless mask, but he failed to decipher them this time.
Was she confused? Unbelieving? Angry? Frightened?
Nephis remained silent for a long time.
Then, she looked him in the eyes and said calmly:
"That's great, then."
Sunny blinked.
That... was not the reaction he had expected.
Confused, he frowned and asked, making sure that he had heard right:
"...Great?"
Nephis nodded, as if confirming something obvious.
"Of course. If the Six Plagues are really us from the future... then we know all about them. We know all their strengths, and all their weaknesses. We even know their Flaws."
She smiled slightly out of the corner of her mouth.
"I was worried about having to face them before, but if what you said is true... well, then it changes things. If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If the enemy is yourself, though... everything becomes much simpler, doesn't it?"
Sunny stared at her, stunned.
"Indeed..."
Indeed, she was right.
His eyes widened a little.
If the Mad Prince was truly a future version of himself - a vile apparition from a future where Nephis was dead - then all it took to kill the bastard was to speak their True Name aloud.
If the Devouring Beast was truly a future version of Effie, then killing her would be as easy as isolating the fearsome Plague and denying her access to sustenance. Before too long, the Defiled abomination would weaken, and her body would consume itself.
If Undying Slaughter was truly the future version of Jet, then they simply had to engage her in a battle for an extended period of time, not allowing the wretched thing to slay anyone and absorb their essence. Eventually, her soul would collapse by itself.
If Torment was truly the future version of Cassie, then her strength lay in her prophetic powers and an incredibly high affinity to revelations and fate. She could not be too formidable physically... so, Weaver's Mask would render her defenseless.
There were the other two, of course. Mordret's Flaw was unknown, and Sunny doubted that he would share it freely. However, the Prince of Nothing would be able to deal with the Soul Stealer personally without revealing his secrets.
Kai's Flaw, meanwhile, was not something that could be exploited to bring him down in battle.
Still... knowing how to kill five out of the Six Plagues was already a brilliant result. It was much better, by far, than facing six harrowing abominations blind.
Sunny had been so shaken and revolted by the dreadful possibility of turning into the hateful Mad Prince that he failed to consider its hidden benefits.
His eyes gleamed darkly.
Looking up, Sunny stared at Nephis silently for a few long, poignant moments.
Then, he said quietly:
"Neph... let's kill the Mad Prince."
His voice slowly grew stronger.
"Let's kill that wretch, and the rest of the Six Plagues with him. Let's slaughter the Defiled. Let's burn Verge to the ground."
He gritted his teeth and leaned forward, his eyes burning with dark murderous intent.
"Let's conquer this horrid Nightmare."
Sunny's words hung in the air for a moment, and were then carried away by the wind.
Nephis remained silent for a while.
Then, she smiled, white flames igniting in her eyes.
"...It's a promise."
[End of Part One: Currents of Time]