Maya's wrist flicked, and the Dreadful Sorrow cut through the air like a frozen comet.
The ice-clad dagger spiraled toward Sunny's head, its edge gleaming with lethal precision. But just as it was about to pierce his skull, Maya gave the invisible string a sharp tug. The dagger veered off course. Its blade whispered against Sunny's skin before carving a shallow cut beneath his eye, right atop his cheekbone.
Sunny hissed in pain, recoiling as blood welled up from the fresh wound.
"What the hell—?!" he snarled, his voice raw with confusion. His hand shot up to his face, fingers pressing against the cut as his sharp gaze locked onto the flying dagger— only to watch it dissolve into frost before it even hit the ground.
Maya lingered, observing him from beyond the Soul Devourer's colossal trunk. Her focus sharpened, and she ignored everything else. She wasn't interested in his reaction— only in what came next.
She watched. And she waited to see how Sunny's blood would behave.
Sunny's eyes darted frantically. He scanned his surroundings for the source of the attack. His gaze passed right over Maya's hiding spot— oblivious.
He obviously couldn't see her. The moment she'd dismissed the Dreadful Sorrow, she'd stilled, allowing her Innate Ability, Vanishing Thread, to shroud her in perfect concealment.
"Can I repeat... what the hell?" Sunny muttered, confusion flickering through his dazed expression. His mind, dulled by the Soul Devourer's influence, struggled to hold onto the shock of what had just happened.
His brow furrowed. "Uh, what was I just thinking about?" He turned to his shadow, watching as it flailed in frantic gestures. His narrowed eyes darkened with suspicion. "What's up with you?"
A sharp sting of pain pulled his focus back to his cheek. He winced. "Ugh... why does it hurt so much?"
His fingers brushed over the wound— only to find nothing but a scab. No blood. No open cut. Just a dull, throbbing pain.
"...Weird. Why the hell does it hurt if there's no wound?"
However, the thought slipped from Sunny's muddled mind just as quickly as it had surfaced. He shook his head lightly, then simply shrugged and resumed practicing with the Midnight Shard. His movements were sluggish and half-hearted.
Maya observed in silence. In truth, she was a bit dazed. She hadn't expected to learn that Sunny had already consumed the Drop of Weaver's Ichor.
So, he's already acquired Blood Weave… she thought. But then why the hell hasn't he broken free from the enthrallment? This doesn't make any sense.
Frowning slightly, she withdrew to the northern edge of the Barrow, and slipped into the cover of the Soul Devourer's enormous trunk. Sitting down, she mulled over the pieces that didn't fit.
Her thoughts drifted back to the upper branches of the Soul Devourer— to the Vile Thieving Bird's nest— where Sunny had first stumbled upon the Forbidden Lineage of Weaver.
She hadn't read the novel as many times as Cade had, but she still remembered the events well enough. Especially the Forgotten Shore arc.
Let's see...
After consuming the Drop of Ichor, Sunny's [Mark of Divinity] had evolved into the [Spark of Divinity], and he had gained a new Attribute— [Blood Weave]. Then, he had recalled Cassie's cryptic warning about the number 'five' and realized that he couldn't see one of his Attributes.
But everything had happened exactly the way it was supposed to! Sunny had found the Drop of Ichor. He had consumed it. His Attribute must have evolved, and a new one had obviously emerged.
So, what the hell changed?!
Then, it hit her.
Cassie's warning…
Of course. The seer's warning had somehow gone wrong or maybe it hadn't happened at all. Cassie, who had an unnatural affinity with Fate and revelations.
Maya scoffed, a bitter edge to her thoughts. Ah, [Fated] once more…
A quiet, humorless chuckle escaped her lips.
"We waited and let them suffer for nothing," she muttered dryly.
This had been inevitable since the very beginning. Fate had already set it in stone. It seemed like everyone was a slave to Fate, one way or another. Especially those who were [Fated] like herself, Cade and Sunny.
Her expression darkened for a moment, but then she sighed, shaking off her distaste.
Well, at least one of us managed to break free in the end...
Pushing her frustration aside, she turned to descend the Ashen Barrow. Cade needed to hear what she had discovered. And hopefully, he'd have thought up a plan.
***
By the time Maya returned from the Ashen Barrow, the artificial sun was already nearing the horizon, casting long shadows over the Bone Ridge. Cade was still where she had left him— perched atop the ancient leviathan's spine, staring in the direction of the Soul Devourer.
Maya scaled the skull entrance, slipping back into the spine tunnel. Activating her augmentation, she kicked off the inner wall, caught the edge of a vertebra, and launched herself upward in a smooth arc. She landed gracefully atop the leviathan's spine and made her way to Cade. Without a word, she sat down beside him, their legs dangling over the tunnel below.
Cade glanced at her and offered a small smile, though it never quite reached his eyes. He was clearly unsettled.
Maya didn't feel much better. How could she? After witnessing the three Sleepers barely holding on, while their minds frayed under the grip of an ancient fiend? Unsettling was an understatement to describe such a situation.
Cade's smile faded as he noticed the look on her face. His voice was quieter now, more reserved.
"Judging by your expression, I'm guessing you confirmed your suspicions?"
Maya nodded reluctantly.
"I not only confirmed it," she said, "but I think I know why they didn't leave when they were supposed to."
Cade shifted, his focus sharpening. "Go on."
Maya exhaled, her voice tinged with frustration. "It was Cassie's warning. Either it never happened, or it went wrong somehow. Sunny already has Blood Weave— I saw it with my own eyes. But he didn't break free because he never stopped to count his Attributes. In the original story, he only realized something was missing because Cassie warned him early on. This time… I think that never happened."
Cade's eyes widened slightly as he absorbed her words. By the time she'd finished, his face had twisted into a grimace. He held that expression for a long moment before exhaling sharply, and covering his face with one hand. He let out a quiet, bitter chuckle.
"Fucking [Fated] again…" he muttered, shaking his head. "No matter what we do, in the end, it all comes down to what Fate wanted, doesn't it? What the hell was even the point? Why did we let them suffer for so long? We could've saved them the day they killed the Demon. But we held ourselves back. And for what? In the end, we're gonna have to save them, anyway!"
He fell silent, jaw tight, before continuing in a low voice. "You know… every time I looked through the Drowned Eye and saw Cassie, I had to fight the urge to help her somehow. But I stopped myself. Told myself it was for the best. And Fate threw it all right back in my face. What a sick joke…"
Finally, Cade sighed and turned to Maya. "So? What do we do now?"
Maya stared at him, eyebrows raised in slight disbelief.
"You're asking me? You're the one who said you'd come up with something. I'm counting on you!"
Cade shot her a tired smile. "You know I've never been good at making plans..."
Maya shook her head, exasperated, but Cade continued. "That said, I did think about it. The best option— the one that saves them without causing too much trouble— is having Sunny break free of the enthrallment somehow."
Maya considered his words, then gave a slow nod. He wasn't wrong. Sunny saving the girls from the Soul Devourer had been a pivotal moment in the story. It had solidified Changing Star's trust in him, drawing the distrustful Sleeper closer to both girls and strengthening their bond.
Cade was clearly unsettled by the thought of dealing with the unpredictability that would follow, if such a crucial event was erased.
She turned to him. "And how exactly are we planning on doing that?"
Cade shrugged. "Beats me. But it's the only thing we can try. Saving them ourselves might earn us their gratitude, sure… but it'll also drive a wedge between them."
Maya nodded thoughtfully. Cade was absolutely right.
She had been tempted— so many times— to step in and save the three Sleepers. If she did, Changing Star would feel indebted to her, Cassie would be grateful, and even Sunny, for all his suspicion, wouldn't be too displeased with her joining them. It was the perfect opportunity to earn their trust.
But it also came with complications.
If Maya intervened, Changing Star would never trust Sunny completely. And if Cassie mentioned that his armor granted him some resistance to mind attacks, her suspicion would only deepen. The rift between them would widen, and the trust— the fragile bond that was supposed to take root— would wither before it ever had a chance to grow.
She would be tearing lifelong companions apart before they even became as such. That wasn't just reckless— it was cruel.
And yet… watching them suffer was its own kind of torment.
Maya spoke in a wistful tone. "I don't see a way to do that without revealing ourselves— at least to Sunny."
She hesitated, then added, "Besides, you're forgetting something important. Sunny may have been the first to break free of the Soul Devourer's enthrallment, but he wasn't the one who came up with the plan to build a boat and sail into the Dark Sea."
Cade considered her words for a moment before shrugging. "So what? He'll just ask Nephis once he's free."
Maya shook her head. "No, Cade. He won't."
She exhaled slowly, her voice quiet but firm. "Back when Changing Star still had some grip on her sanity, she could force herself to think through the pain of her own flames. But now… she's too far gone. She's barely holding on. There's no way she'll come up with a plan in that state."
Cade was momentarily taken aback but quickly composed himself. After a brief silence, he spoke. "No matter. We know the plan, don't we? We'll tell him."
"That brings us back to the same problem," Maya countered. "We'd have to reveal ourselves."
Cade clenched his jaw, clearly reluctant. But with each passing second, it became more and more obvious that they had no other choice.
Finally, he sighed, making his decision. "Fine. We'll reveal ourselves to Sunny. But only to him— at least for now. Hopefully, he'll keep our existence a secret from Changing Star for the time being. He's weirdly good at that."
Maya nodded in agreement, but another concern surfaced in her mind. "There's another problem. Even if we manage to break Sunny out of the enthrallment, tell him the plan, and somehow get Changing Star to build the boat… how is he supposed to convince her to leave?"
She paused, frowning. "If he mentions Aster, Song, and Vale this time, Nephis will grow suspicious of him. Once they're far enough and her mind clears, she'll remember that she never told him about them in the first place."
Cade took in Maya's words and buried his face in his hands, his elbows braced against his knees.
"Gods… how are we supposed to do this?" he muttered. "We solve one problem, another one takes its place. Honestly, I'd rather face another Corrupted abomination than deal with this mess."
Maya remained silent. She could feel his frustration— she shared it. After all, this was the one piece of the puzzle she still hadn't figured out.
How was Sunny supposed to convince Changing Star to leave?
As Maya mulled over the dilemma, Cade's tense expression eased slightly. He glanced at her and said, "I might have an idea. But I don't know if it's going to work."
Maya met his gaze and nodded. "Something is better than nothing, I guess."
"Alright, so here's what I'm thinking…" Cade began, outlining his plan.
When he was finished, Maya raised an eyebrow. "You actually think that's going to work?"
Cade crossed his arms. "No, I don't. Do you have a better plan?"
"No, but…" Maya admitted reluctantly. "Aren't you overestimating yourself a little? You really think something like that is gonna be enough to fight off the mind-assault of an ancient Awakened Terror?"
Cade shrugged. "Like I said, I don't know. But it's our best shot. Besides, we have the Mawshade with us too."
Maya frowned. "Mawshade? What's that guy got to do with this?"
Cade gave her a pointed look. "Don't tell me you forgot about his ability. The one that almost killed us?"
"Oh…" Maya blinked, then her mouth formed a small 'o' of realization. "I actually did forget about that." She hummed in affirmation. "Yeah, combined with that, this might actually work."
Cade smiled— this time, a little brighter. "In any case, let's get some sleep. We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow."
As if on cue, the sun dipped below the horizon, and the Dark Sea surged forth, swallowing the labyrinth in its black waters. Cade and Maya exchanged a look, then nodded before dropping into the tunnel below.
Tomorrow, they were going to save the trio.
________________________________
The wait is over and the reveal is gonna take place in the next few chapters. Don't get your hopes up, though. It's making some kind of sense in my head, how I'm gonna execute this but I don't know how it's gonna look on paper. Still, finger's crossed...
So, thoughts? Feedback? Criticism? Complaints? Don't be shy!
Anyway, hope you liked it! Until next time... :]