Sunny sighed, and then looked at his companions.
They had already said everything that needed to be said, discussed everything that could be discussed.
There was no reason to linger.
"...Are you ready?"
Effie, Kai, and Cassie remained silent for a while, staring at the pulsating darkness. Their faces were pale and vulnerable, devoid of the usual masks of confidence.
Finally, the blind girl whispered:
"What are we waiting for? It is… it is just the Second Nightmare."
Sunny smiled, then suddenly laughed.
"Indeed…"
With that, he gripped her shoulder for a moment, and then stepped forward, heading toward the pulsating rift in reality. With each step, the world seemed to dim a little, turning darker and darker.
Effie, Kai, and Cassie followed.
…A few moments later, they were gone.
The hall of chains was gone, too.
Sunny found himself standing alone in complete darkness, surrounded by utter nothingness.
In this nothingness, he heard the voice of the Spell:
[Awakened! Prepare for your Second Trial…]
He smiled darkly.
'Just like the First one… well, let's see where I land this time. I doubt that it can be any worse than before…'
The voice of the Spell thundered again, making him shiver.
[Five brave ones… welcome to the Nightmare!]
The darkness moved, turning into something else, something different.
…Sunny, however, was not paying attention.
'Wait… five? Did it say five? Who's the fifth one?! What…'
He didn't get to finish that thought, though.
His vision cleared, revealing…
[End of volume three: Chained Isles.]