“I don't need two guides, she said. So, pick among yourselves whom I should free. My, oh my! Can you believe it?"
He did his best impression of Neph's dispassionate tone, then laughed again, as if finding the memory infinitely amusing. Sunny looked at Nephis.
Could he?
"Actually... I can believe it very easily."
She remained unperturbed and just shrugged casually.
"I picked well in the end, didn't I?"
‘I'd say.’
No matter what horrible crimes Eurys had committed in the ancient past, he did guide Nephis into the depths of the Underworld, to a Seed of Nightmare. If she had chosen Azarax, he would have lost his mind before they even left the Nightmare Desert — in fact, he might have turned on her immediately after being taken off the tree. Nephis sighed.
"Many things have happened since."
She remained silent for a few moments, then said quietly:
“I was broken in one Nightmare and rebuilt myself in another. I swore loyalty to the people who had betrayed and killed my father, then betrayed and killed them in turn. There was war, there were bitter losses... there were brief moments of peace and sweet triumphs, as well. I am still pursuing my goal. I have come so far, but I am still only halfway there."
Eurys did not answer immediately.
“I have come so far, but I am still only halfway there..."
His voice sounded low and wistful.
He turned his skull to the slope of the dune — in the direction where the heart of the Shadow Realm, and the death he was seeking, lay.
“Come to think of it, that describes my situation as well."
Eurys looked back at them.
"Unless, of course, that wicked shadow of yours keeps his promise and kills me. How about it, boy? Have you come to try again?"
Sunny remained motionless for a while, then slowly shook his head.
“Not today. There is no point. I have grown far more powerful than I used to be, and Nephis is here with me as well. But, still, we are not strong enough to undo what Shadow God did."
He paused for a few moments, and then added quietly:
"We may be gods ourselves soon, though. The next time we meet... if we meet... Nephis and I will be Sacred, at least. Then, I will fulfill my promise."
Eurys stared at him with his empty eye sockets.
“You are going to make use of Weaver's spell, then?"
Sunny nodded.
"Yes. We plan to challenge the Fifth Nightmare soon... as soon as possible."
Eurys remained silent for a long while, and then sighed.
“Go forth and conquer, then. I wish you luck — gods know, you'll need it.”
He paused, clacked his jaw, and added in a thoughtful tone:
"But then again, the gods are dead. So, really, they wouldn't know anything at all..."
His voice echoed in the darkness of the Realm of Death, wishing them a safe journey.