"H… how…"
A sad smile appeared on her lips.
"How did I know? …Cassie told me."
Neph sighed and looked away.
"She was the first one to understand the meaning of her vision. She knew that the two of us will end up fighting each other, and that I was going to lose. Maybe even die. She just didn't know how, when, and why. So, Cassie told me your secret, in hopes that it will save my life one day. But I… I hoped that I would never have to use it."
Sunny stared at her, too shocked to say anything. She smiled sadly.
"So, then. I guess… I guess this is goodbye. Ta… I hope that you'll take care of yourself, Sunny. Now, go. Escape before it is too late.'
Even though Sunny didn't do anything, his body moved on its own. Standing up, he turned around and walked toward the shining ring of the Gateway.
Step, step. Another step.
'Stop. Stop!'
But his body would not listen. It just continued to move forward, indifferent to his commands. A dull ache settled somewhere in the center of his heart.
'Stop!'
There was nothing he could do. He was a miraculous shadow bound to a master; once the master gave a command, he had no choice but to obey.
Sunny slowly walked up the steps of the dais and approached the circle of runes, then crossed the iron ring without slowing down. As soon as he did, the runes shone with intense light.
His body began to glow, too.
'No! I refuse!'
The ethereal radiance grew brighter and brighter, until it became hard to discern the human figure in its middle.
'No!'
…And then, suddenly, it disappeared, leaving only emptiness behind.
Sunny was gone, finally free of this long and arduous nightmare. The journey back to reality that had taken him more than a year was now over.
He made it out alive.
Just a few seconds after he disappeared in a flash of light, the crack in the stone reached the circle of runes and broke it.
The shine of the Gateway grew unstable and swiftly faded away.
At the same time, the artificial sun of the Forgotten Shore ignited one last time with a bright, intense explosion of light, and then extinguished.
...Left alone in the collapsing tower and with no more light to shine upon her, the beaten, broken figure of Changing Star disappeared into the shadows.
[End of volume two: Demon of Change.]