The hand let go of it easily and disappeared back into the water, and soon, nothing but a slowly dissipating ripple remained to remind them of its existence.
Sunny observed all of this in shock.
'It didn't move… the shadow did not even move…'
He was about to say something, but then, the water rippled again, and another hand emerged — this one black as coal and holding nothing. It slowly moved toward Cassie, then rose, and softly caressed her cheek. The young woman flinched when the black flesh touched her, but remained in place. A few seconds later, the black hand retreated back into the lake as well.
Cassie only moved when the ripples were gone, standing up and turning to them with a distant expression on her beautiful face. In the spot where the black hand touched her cheek, her skin turned grey and opened, drops of blood rolling down her chin.
She was holding the Ruby Knife in her trembling hands.
Sunny finally found himself able to speak:
"What… what the hell was that?"
Cassie remained motionless for a while, then suddenly shivered.
"I am… I don't know. Let's just get out of here. Please?"
He frowned, but did not object. To tell the truth, Sunny couldn't wait to get away from the lake himself.
As they were walking away, he briefly turned and looked at the tranquil water one last time.
Was it an illusion, or did the reflection of the sky on its surface seemed… darker?
***
As they were walking back across the chains, he looked at Kai and asked, a bit of curiosity finding its way into his voice:
"...How did you know that it will give the knife to Cassie?"
The blind girl turned her head slightly, as if equally interested to hear the answer. Even Effie seemed stumped.
The young man glanced at them and shrugged, smiling beneath his wooden mask.
"Pure heart, pure thoughts… all of us wondered what that means, right? Well… I think we all made a mistake, because it didn't really matter how we understood it. The only thing that mattered was how Noctis had understood it, centuries ago, when he entrusted the knife to the creature."
He grew silent for a bit, and then added:
"He gave the Ruby Knife away after finding out that Hope was driving the Chain Lords mad, fearing what he might do with it should the worst happen. So, to him, purity of heart and thought meant something very specific… the ability to remain of clear mind, true to his oath, and loyal to his sacred duty. And while none of us is perfect, Cassie is the most clear-headed and dutiful person I know."
Sunny tilted his head, not sure if he agreed with that statement… the creature of the lake had, though, which meant that Kai was at least partially right.
Or it had all been just a coincidence.
As he was remembering the past with a dark expression on his face, the young man suddenly spoke again, his voice hoarse and somber:
"...That was why Noctis had sent us to retrieve the knife instead of coming himself, I guess. Because he has gone mad, betrayed his oath, and abandoned his duty. And we… we are helping him walk even further on that path. Walk further into the madness, until he reaches its end…"