Journey to the Tree (1)

As I woke up, I was greeted by Nephis, who was wearing a smile—albeit a fake one, but still, it was unique to see. She wasn't her usual stoic self after all.

"Good morning" she said, that odd smile still lingering on her face.

Feigning fear, I whispered dramatically, "What sort of witchcraft is this? Are you the real stoic lady Nephis?"

Her smile faltered, and she turned away, looking down the statue.

'Too easy,' I thought with a yawn as I stood up.

Sunny's voice popped into my head with a hint of pity. (Wasn't that a bit mean?)

[Maybe, but I'm trying to teach her to get comfortable with people. I mean, we're very comfortable with one another, right?]

(Well, I guess you have your reasons for your antics.)

[...And we are comfortable with one another, right?]

(We are, but we could be even more comfortable if you told me more about yourself.)

[Geez, Sunny, that's usually something you say to a girl, and while I'm flattered, I just don't swing that way.]

I could feel confusion from Sunny, quickly followed by annoyance. (I didn't mean it that way! Damnation, you're so annoying.)

'Aha, he said it' I thought smugly. Just as I was about to respond, I felt Sunny forcibly take control of the body, and I was sent back to my formless state.

[Aww, don't be so prickly, Sunny, I was just teasing.]

(Prickly? I'm not being prickly. Your body time is over anyway, so I just stuck to our deal.)

[So punctual] I responded with a heavy dose of sarcasm.

After everyone was awake, Sunny and Nephis began making plans. I would chip in now and then, but everything seemed to follow the course the novel laid out—or at least it felt that way if my memory was serving me right.

Once the planning was done, Sunny scouted ahead, and they slowly made their way down the statue. Cassie, of course, needed extra help, which made the trip even longer.

It took them thirty minutes just to reach the halfway point, and with the added difficulty of supporting Cassie, they needed to stop every so often.

'This is going to take a while...' I thought, letting out a mental sigh.

Suddenly, one of my ravens sent a message through our connection. My interest piqued, and I quickly switched my vision to the bird.

The raven's eyes opened, revealing a distant landscape of broken mountains, patches of shattered earth, and, far in the distance, the path where my World Slash had carved out a canyon through the hollow mountains. 

A chill ran through me as I finally saw the fissure's end. It had nearly cleaved through the entire mountain, stopping just short of cutting completely through it. 

'I just used [Energizer] to double my slash, which had already been fused with [Cutting Dominion], then I used [Greater Stasis] to continuously upgrade the attack for nine seconds... and not to mention the usage of Names' I thought. 

I had truly screwed up royally. Not only had I changed fate in small ways—like getting Sunny to awkwardly talk to Nephis—but with this slash, I had also altered the landscape of the Dream Realm. 

Even if it was in a relatively unimportant area, the Dream Realm was vast, so one slash wouldn't cause too much damage. 

Switching perspectives to another raven, I saw a city surrounded by a massive wall. I had finally found the Dark City. 

It was absolutely humongous. The novel hadn't done it justice—not only was it massive, but it was also incredibly well-constructed. Every building was intricately designed, and even the rundown, destroyed ones held a different kind of beauty. 

'[Position] truly is an ability for the ages. Now, time to see where that mean huntress is.'

Finding her location was as easy as thinking about it. She was sneaking through an alleyway, likely hunting nightmare creatures to satisfy that insatiable appetite of hers.

She was a tall and attractive young woman. She had hazel eyes and beautiful brown hair, tied in a simple braid. Her build is extremely athletic, with perfect lean muscles rolling under the dewy olive skin with each movement.

Since I had made the ravens invisible—something I had neglected to do with the one killed by the Awakened demon—this raven was completely undetectable.

It quickly closed the distance and was now observing Effie, who was preparing to ambush an especially ugly creature. 

Yet, even with its repulsive appearance, Effie smiled and dashed toward it. Her bronze spear pierced through its back, and before the creature could make any noise, she dislodged the spear and followed up with a roundhouse kick. 

The abomination crashed into an already damaged wall, further destroying it. 

Not giving it a moment to recover, she dashed forward and aimed for its neck. The abomination lunged at her, but predicting its movements, Effie jumped back, dodging its deadly embrace. 

Before it could react, she gripped her spear, turned it sideways, and swiftly sliced off the creature's head. 

With a thud, the grotesque Nightmare Creature's head fell to the ground. The battle was over almost as quickly as it had begun. 

A proud smile spread across her face as she opened the bag slung over her shoulder. 

'I couldn't imagine having to carry all of that. You poor thing,' I thought. 'I'd be happy to sell her a different bag—one she could just dismiss while leaving the items within'

But it wouldn't really be a problem for me. I could create a hundred divine memories in just a day or two, and I could even make countless echoes as well. 

Making a small army wouldn't be an issue; I'd just need to push my imagination into overdrive, and I'd be set. Killing saints would be as simple as creating a sword that could instantly kill with a single slash. 

By crafting an ability to destroy domains, I could easily defeat any sovereign without breaking a sweat. Truly, I had broken the balance of this world. 

'Haaaa... with great power comes great responsibility. Such is the way for someone like me.'

Back in my world, I was just an ordinary human. There was nothing particularly special about me, aside from maybe my above-average looks and my extroverted nature. 

Beyond that, there wasn't anything exceptional. But now I had power—power that could make me one of the most formidable beings around. 

'Just going to push it to the back of my mind, like I always do. No need for such contemplation.'

It wasn't a good habit to ignore such thoughts, but it did the job well enough. 

I commanded the raven to continue watching over her, then switched my POV to the one observing the cohort descending the statue.

Nephis was already at the foot of the statue, while Cassie wasn't far behind. Sunny was just above her, holding onto the golden rope and helping her down. 

In a few minutes, they were all safely on the ground. 

Using [Position], I located the Soul Devourer once again—it was to the north. 

[Tell them we're going north], I said. 

Sunny's eyes narrowed, and he let out a sigh. 

(You haven't said a peep for almost two hours. What were you doing?) he questioned, handing the rope to Nephis. 

[I was giving you a bit of respite since you were feeling so prickly.]

(I'm not feeling prickly. I don't even know what that means,) he replied, gritting his teeth, causing Nephis to look at him with a hint of curiosity. 

[Then why are you so offended by it?]

(Because you always say strange words, and most of them sound like insults.) 

[Like what words?] 

(Little Cabbage,) he responded with uncharacteristic confidence. 

[Ye... you're right.] 

(Do you have no shame?) His confidence was quickly replaced by genuine concern. 

Somewhat frustrated, I quickly rebuked him: [Like you're one to talk. Who was it that insisted on getting slapped all day long at the academy just to look as meek as possible?]

Sunny's mouth opened slightly, and after a few moments of thought, he let out a sigh. 

"Are you alright, Sunless?" Cassie asked. Her hands were now tied to the rope, and Nephis stood to her right, looking far from amused. 

"Well, I'm arguing with Pleiades... and you guys can call me Sunny." 

After that, Nephis tilted her head and spoke. 

"What are you arguing about?" 

After a few moments of hesitation, Sunny couldn't take the pressure from his flaw and blurted out.

"He's telling me we should go north. He hasn't said a word since I took control of the body, which I did after he was rude to you this morning. Now we're arguing about who has less shame." 

Taking it all in, Nephis glanced north, then back at Sunny. 

"Do you think we can trust him?" 

Pondering for a moment, Sunny spoke hesitantly.

"Well, he did help me during my first days at the academy and in the Dream Realm. He was actually the one who instructed me to talk to you... and he knows a lot. A frightening amount, now that I think about it." 

Nephis remained stoic, but before she could respond, Cassie spoke up. 

"Does he have an Aspect related to divination?" 

"Actually... I don't know what kind of Aspect he has," Sunny admitted. 

Nephis perked up, then asked, "How much do you even know about him?"

A sigh escaped Sunny's lips, and his voice carried obvious annoyance. "Well, I know his name—if it's even true. I know that he has a lot of knowledge about the future and the past. He knows sorcery and uses it frequently... and he also has a knack for teasing and making jokes at the worst possible moments."

[Damn, since when did you become so talkative?]

(You're the damn problem in this situation!) Sunny replied. 

[Yeah, I know. And now do you see why I haven't told you too much about myself? Your flaw is like a sword hanging above your heart—just one mistake will cut the rope holding it up.] 

(So you just don't trust me to keep your secrets?) 

[No, I do trust you. You're smart and adaptable, but you're not made for keeping secrets. Besides, a friendship isn't built on sharing all your secrets with the other person. Would you tell me all of your deep, dark secrets?]

Sunny paused for a moment and grimaced. (Do I even have any secrets that you aren't already aware of?) 

This was expected. I wouldn't want anyone knowing so much about me either. 

[I do know a good amount about you, but I don't know your inner thoughts and concerns. The information I have is just what's most important. I plan to use it to benefit our partnership... I'm not your enemy, Sunny.]

Sunny considered my words for a moment, then sighed and glanced at Nephis. 

"Even with everything said and done, I trust him." 

(Don't make me regret this.) 

[Wasn't planning on it.]