‘She's safe...'
Releasing the Onyx Serpent Shell, Sunny assumed his human form and climbed onto the carapace of the Black Turtle — what used to be the Black Turtle, rather — as well.
He walked over to Nephs and planted himself on the ground near her, letting out a relieved sigh.
"That was quite intense, wasn't it?"
Sunny couldn't help but smile.
Some would say that his smile was unwarranted... after all, he was stuck in a tomb that stood in the middle of Hell, sitting atop the bleeding corpse of a dead monster, surrounded by boundless darkness... with millions of Great Nightmare Creatures resting on the stone walls somewhere above his head.
On his way to fight a Cursed Terror.
But what could Sunny do? He was simply too glad to find Nephis. Seeing her was enough reason to smile.
He felt at peace.
Nephis turned to look at him, the feeble white flame reflecting in her eyes. There was no emotion in them, just a hint of recognition — the battle must have taken a lot out of her, and it would be some time before her humanity returned.
She nodded slowly.
"Quite intense, yes."
Nephis put on a faint smile, then looked around.
"Some things are different. Some things never seem to change."
Looking down, she stomped on the obsidian surface of the Black Turtle's shell lightly.
"I found myself atop this Great Monster at the start of the Nightmare, as well. In fact... I seem to recall that I spent a long time here. Granted, the abomination was in one piece back then — I think it was, at least. My memory of those days is vague. I do remember being more comfortable, though."
The Black Turtle had been cut in half, and the halves weren't quite as good at staying afloat as the entire Great Monster had been. So, the one they were sitting on was skewed, drowning slowly in the still water. Sunny remained silent for a few moments, hurt by the fact that she did not remember that it had been the two of them, not just her, spending time on the carapace of the Black Turtle back then.
Sunny and Nephis... had always been drawn to each other. But life had other plans, so that attraction remained sealed deep in their hearts for a long time. They were more often apart than together, and when they were side by side, there was always some dire peril either around or on the horizon, preventing them from exploring and addressing their mutual feelings.
Strangely enough, Sunny felt like the days the two of them had spent on the corpse of the Black Turtle were where it all really started... perhaps because it was the first moment of peace they found together in the endless sea of calamities. It was here that they tentatively allowed themselves to acknowledge how they felt, even if they weren't quite willing to admit it — even to themselves.
So, even if he was used to it by now, knowing that she didn't remember any of it — yet — suddenly seemed unbearable.
'He warned you, the Mad Prince... to be careful of what we wished for.'
Eventually, Sunny pushed down the unexpected bout of bitterness and looked away with a chuckle.
“Well, you shouldn't have cut it in half then. Splitting an enormous Great Monster down the middle with one blow, huh? Show-off."
Nephis gave him an odd look.
Sunny raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
She lingered for a moment, then said in an even tone:
"Why do you think that it was me?"
Nephis shook her head.
“It wasn't. The Black Turtle was already dead when I landed — so, I have no idea what killed it. Or what could have cleaved it in half..."