But then again, it might have been precisely because of his presence that the Spell threw them here, It was a bit strange, to imagine that he was powerful enough to be a factor in the decisions made by the Spell,
In any case…
The young man gulped.
"A Sleeper? Yes, I am... walt, you are Saint Nephis! Changing Star of the Immortal Flame! Lady Nephis! What... what are you doing here?!"
He paused for a moment, then added shyly:
...And where is here? Are we close to Bastion?"
She kneeled in front of him and gently placed her hands on his shoulders. A soft radiance enveloped them, spreading into the Sleeper's body. The wounds covering it started to heal, and an expression of deep relief instantly appeared on his face.
The Sleeper stared at Nephis with wide eyes.
His eyes were full of stars.
Sunny shifted slightly.
"What is that bastard staring at, with that expression?'
But then, he had to mentally slap himself. Was he really feeling jealous of a poor Sleeper?
Nephis spoke in a tone that was considered soft, for her:
"We are in a distant and extremely dangerous region of the Dream Realm. My warriors and I are here on an important mission. You are fortunate to have met us, young man... otherwise, I'm afraid your fate would have been sealed."
The young Sleeper remained silent, looking at her with a strange expression.
Sunny sighed.
"I did not think that any of the Sleepers survived this year. Last solstice, I happened on a few and helped them escape. There seems to be just one survivor this time.
His voice sounded cold and uncaring
Nephis spared him a glance, then turned back to the young man.
"Don't worry. The worst is behind you. You are safe now... we will take you back to the waking world
He took a shallow breath, closed his eyes for a moment... then desperately shook his head.
"N-no! No, you mustn't! I'm... I'm not the only one! There are others, as well... we hid ourselves and clung to life for many days, but then, there was no more water. Someone had to go out to try and find help, and I volunteered..."
Sunny sighed behind his helmet, already knowing what was about to come.
The Sleeper grabbed Neph's arm and said hoarsely:
"Please, Lady Nephis! You... you are Changing Star. Please save the others!"
Sunny was indignant.
"The Spell... it has some nerve!"
First, it had abandoned him. Now, it was using him as a babysitter for unfortunate Sleepers.
He shook his head slightly, then asked, his voice grim:
"Those others you mentioned. Where are they?”