Light's Answer

"Listen, I am pretty sure you are suspicious of me, for whatever reason that is. I don't really blame you, if someone that acted like I do approached me out of nowhere and proceeded to even show off unexpected skills, I would definitely be suspicious of where they came from and what their game is."

When Nephis heard Sunny's words, inside her mind, she staggered. She didn't let it show on her face, but she was taken aback. Although he was curious, she couldn't deny the fact that she had her own suspicions. 

This pale, short boy just happened to come up to her one day, asking her about her hair color, which almost made her laugh out loud. He acted cheerfully, yet was also a bit flustered for some reason. It seemed like he had no idea who she was, his words sounded honest, curiosity seeping out of his voice. 

She also couldn't forget the end of their first conversation, how she embarrassed herself like that. But he never teased her about it, in fact, he was actually nice and understanding.

He showed unexpected skill in hand-to-hand combat, almost defeating her. Back then, Nephis thought that she had defeated him fair and square. She truly believed that she was the stronger one.

But after their second spar, all of that changed.

It was brilliant! Absolutely stunning! Unlike anything she had ever witnessed!

"Just where did he come from?" she asked inwardly after witnessing his prowess with the mundane blade.

Was he the one sent to kill her? Or was he an ally?

She couldn't bring herself to trust him just yet. If she could obtain an ally that was so skilled and talented, she would be truly happy. Her ambitions and resolve had always been different in comparison to other teenagers and, overall, people. But when she saw the look in his eyes on the day of the winter solstice, she saw something that resembled someone she knew. 

It was her. It was the look in her eyes she had whenever she looked at herself in the mirror.

Blazing with unbreakable resolve and absolute confidence. The look that showed a person's conviction.

At that moment, she knew that he was like her. Someone who had a goal in mind, a goal he desperately wanted to achieve. Whatever that goal was, it meant everything to him. It made her feel sympathetic toward Sunless.

Meanwhile, Sunny continued to speak.

"The fact that we were brought here together doesn't help either. I would like us to be able to work together comfortably, for our sakes and Cassie's as well. So I'd like to propose a deal."

'A… a deal?' Nephis was surprised, she considered him an honest person, but she had her doubts about the nature of whatever deal he wants to make. The fact that he was now proposing a deal to her made her worry a tiny bit, just what is he thinking?

The pale Sleeper turned to look at her with a gentle smile on his malnourished face and continued speaking.

"For every question you ask, I will ask one as well. All of the answers will be honest, in fact, if you choose to accept this deal, I'll reveal something that might give you a bit of reassurance in that regard."

…

She didn't expect this kind of deal. Nephis thought he would try to make some sort of alliance with her, lasting until they escaped the Dream Realm. But a chance to learn more about him, why would she not take it? Nephis doesn't want to reveal too much about herself, however, if it means that she could gain a powerful ally on her side against those three, she'd be willing to pay that price. Although, she would not reveal everything, naturally.

The potential ally in question was now staring at the curious girl, seemingly waiting for something. She had to reply.

Nephis had to think of something fast, she did not want him to think that she made this decision without a second thought. So, she asked an unassuming question to throw him off and create an opportunity to figure out more about his stance towards this matter.

"What if I choose to be dishonest?"

One of Sunny's eyebrows raised itself and he pierced the girl with a curious look. The young man stared at her for a moment and answered her question.

"I don't think you are that kind of person, Neph. However, if you do choose to do that, I would not be able to do anything. I will never force you to tell me anything and don't intend to lie to you either."

She barely succeeded at not reacting to his words. Just what does he actually think of her? Also, it seemed like he was truly honest with the last part. For Nephis, it was nice to hear that she would be given freedom in sharing her thoughts and secrets with him. The fact that he would not force her gave her a bit of reassurance in his character as well. And if he truly does not intend to lie then…

"So, do we have a deal?"

Nephis looked at him. A dreadful silence surrounded the coral island they were resting on. After a few seconds, she finally gave him an answer.

"Alright."

Sunny's smile turned wide, he was relieved that she accepted his offer.

"Alright, since you accepted, I will tell you something…"

Nephis looked at him with curiosity in her eyes, she didn't know what to expect.

"My Flaw is called Clear Conscience, its description in my runes are three simple words - You cannot lie. I am always compelled to answer truthfully to a question, I'd like it if you took this into consideration from now on." 

Nephis's expression completely froze at this sudden revelation. She wasn't sure how to process that information. 

To her, his word choice made so much more sense now. It always felt like he was evading the subject at hand if he didn't wish to talk about it, instead of just not replying.

But something else boggled her mind. He always praised her, she first thought that they were just a bunch of empty words, that it was basic flattery. But now, she understood that it was all genuine. 

Nephis didn't let her feelings show and answered with a tone, sounding as though she wasn't surprised at the slightest.

"I see, thank you for telling me."

Sunny simply nodded. Frankly, he did not expect a big reaction from her, although he might have been a little disappointed by that fact. As he uttered his next words, a serious look appeared on the regressed Sleeper's face.

"Before we begin, I must tell you one thing. There are simply some things that I do not want to talk about, none of these secrets I am keeping are meant in a harmful way towards you or people related to you. To be honest, I do not know if telling you some of these things would bring you any harm, but just to be sure, I wanted to warn you." Sunny said with a grim tone.

Nephis's curiosity was set ablaze even more, but she controlled herself and decided to respect Sunny's wishes, although she did not know ahead if she was about to ask him about such a thing. Hopefully it would not come to that. The girl nodded and Sunny went ahead and spoke.

"You may ask the first question."

Nephis thought carefully for a few moments. If she were to ask a very invading question and he had to answer that, then she was sure that a hard question would follow.

"Tell me, where do your swordsmanship skills originate from?"

Sunny stared at her for a couple of seconds and began to answer.

"The base form... Well, the base for my battle art came from a benefit related to my Aspect. It came to me in a sort of vision, it was a beautiful dance. I then used that dance to create my own battle art, which in turn became my literal Aspect Legacy and I expanded on that. Are you satisfied with this answer?"

Nephis nodded.

'A vision, Aspect Legacy... How strange...'

Normally, Aspect Legacies were unlocked upon certain epiphanies or reaching specific conditions. But she had never heard of someone literally creating an Aspect Legacy. Although, it's true that it was due to that vision of his, so perhaps it was just destined to be? She was curious about the kind of relics he could obtain, if he did any. He never showed any special Memories or Echoes, so perhaps he just didn't get any.

'Could he be hiding an Aspect Legacy relic that helped him kill all of those Carapace Scavengers earlier?'

Her train of thought was cut short when Sunny asked his first question and with the words that came out of his mouth, Nephis froze entirely.

"Is it true that your father died in a Death Zone?"