Nephis lingered for a few seconds, then said:
"I'm Nephis, and these are my companions, Cassia and Sunless. We are Sleepers who came here during the winter solstice."
The young woman gave them a wide, friendly smile.
"Nice to meet you! I'm Effie. Well, at least that's what people call me. I'm also a Sleeper."
Sunny frowned. So the beautiful giantess was not an Awakened, just a Sleeper like them. Strangely, he didn't remember ever seeing her in the Academy. Still…
Too impatient to remain silent, he leaned forward and said:
"Are you from the castle? There are people living there, right?"
Effie glanced at him. In her eyes, there was a hint of a strange emotion.
It almost looked like… pity.
"...There are indeed people living in the castle, yes."
Nephis and Sunny exchanged excited looks. Then, Changing Star cautiously asked:
"Can you take us there?"
Effie shrugged.
"Sure, no problem. Do you guys have shards?"
Sunny blinked. What did soul shards have to do with any ot this? They had retrieved two from that weird stone he had killed at the base of the wall. Was she going to ask for payment?
Nephis retrieved the soul shards and showed them to the tall girl.
"We have two."
Effie sighed.
"Only two? Well… it's better than nothing, I guess. Keep them. You'll need them later."
Not quite understanding the meaning of her words, Changing Star lingered, then said uncertainly:
"We were hoping to reach the Citadel and access the Gateway as soon as possible. How long will it take?"
The young woman stared at them for a long time, and then suddenly bent over in a fit of hysterical laughter. She laughed so long and hard that tears soon appeared in the corners of her eyes.
Unpleasantly surprised, the three Sleepers stared at her in shock. None of them understood the reason for this bizarre behavior.
'Is she… insane?'
Sunny frowned, reevaluating the situation. Previously, the local girl just seemed to be a bit eccentric. But maybe there was more to it…
Effie's laughter stopped as abruptly as it had started. Wiping her tears, she shook her head and said in a strange tone:
"Ah, sorry guys. I just couldn't help myself. Please, forgive my lack of manners."
Then, she straightened her back, looked them heavily into the eyes, and said:
"I can take you to the castle, but there is no Gateway there. In fact, there's no way out of this cursed hell at all. I've been stuck here for three years myself already. So… welcome to the Dark City, I guess. Abandon hope all ye who enter here, and all that…"