Sunny looked at her, a hint of old pain appearing in his eyes.
“That's not fair."
His quiet voice was raw.
"You left me too, Nephis. You left me first."
Nephis inhaled deeply, then looked at him. Her face betrayed a strange expression. Was it fear? Was it longing?
Sunny did not know.
He knew her better than anyone else in the world, and yet now, he couldn't tell what she felt, what she was thinking about... What she was going to say.
Nephis exhaled, and then nodded slowly.
“Yes... I did. Perhaps I shouldn't have done that. But..."
A frail smile appeared on her face.
“I would do it again, Sunny. Because that was the only way I knew how to ensure that you would stay alive."
Sunny smiled bitterly, and then turned away with a quiet laugh.
He looked at the glowing expanse of the Great River.
"...Me too."
He sighed.
"I would do it again, too. Because I needed to leave in order to come back to you."
Sunny smiled.
"I am quite a selfish person, you know. Just like you."
While he finished speaking, Nephis took a step forward and locked him in a tight, desperate embrace.
She buried her face in his shoulder.
"Sunny... is it you? Is this really you?"
He remained motionless for a moment, then wrapped his hands around her.
“Of course, it's me. Who else would I be?"
Nephis took a deep breath.
She remained silent for a long while.
In the end, she said:
“Thank you for coming back, Sunny."
She hugged him tighter and then spoke in a slow, hesitant tone:
“Never leave... promise..."
Nephis fell silent for a moment.
“Can you promise to never leave me again?"
Sunny smiled and looked up, cradling her in his arms.
Eventually, he nodded.
"I promise."
He paused for a moment, and then laughed:
"Nephis... all the gods and all the demons in the world won't be able to make me leave you again. So don't you leave me behind, either."
The eastern horizon ignited with a beautiful golden radiance by then. The suns were rising above the Great River, promising a new day.
But Sunny and Nephis were not meant to witness this dawn. Theirs was a different path — a path through the broken eternity that led to a world drowning in darkness. The darkness was cold and dangerous.
But they were going to brave it side by side... Because they were lost in the darkness together.