Chapter 22: A knight, a star an a shadow and oracle
After I made it back to the top of the hill, I looked at the fireplace and some basic things here and there. But after climbing up myself first with my superior power, Sunny also came with me in my shadow, and I pulled both of the girls up with the golden rope as it was faster, and both of them are light as a feather for me.
After everyone was up, we now sit around the bonfire. It was not lit, and the night was not that far. As I looked at the bonfire, I spoke first, "Did you girls really light that fire last night? It is such a dumb decision. How are you even alive right now is a wonder. Lighting a fire is like handwaving to all the monsters of the Deep to come eat me sign. Well, we found you because of it too." Nephis looked calm, but I know she is also punching herself about being so dumb.
Nephis looked around and shook her head and said, "Yes, you are right. It was not really a good idea, as those scavengers attacked us, and that monster from the deep also showed up. But they attack us only in the night; they go away in the day somewhere." Nep looked down from the cliff as if remembering what it was like last night. It must have been rough while we were chilling.
And Sunny, our own little shadow, showed up to join the talk. "I think I know why they go away in the day. There is a huge shark-like beast's corpse there, and those scavengers fight each other and eat from it. From what I could tell, it will be gone in 2 days at most, as there are hundreds of them." Sunny is so awkward; it's like he is talking to his crush. Well, it's not that far; she was his future master after all.
So, Nephis looked at Sunny and looked west where the monsters were. She sat down, planning something, and just like that, night came, and now we are all sitting in the dark.
I looked at the two girls and asked, "Want some food? I have enough for everyone. Did you girls even eat anything in the last two days?" Nephis looked at me and shook her head. "No, we have not eaten anything, but where did you put the food? I don't think you are carrying anything." I looked at her, put my hand in the air, and summoned my food, and I could see their eyes were wide open.
"Well, it's my ability. I have a storage space where I can put non-living things here. So I came prepared, you know? I also have some extra camping gear. So we should set up the camp and plan what to do next." I also pulled out some camping equipment and put them down. Well, they can do the rest for now. Sunny will put our camps up, and Nep will there.
Nephis looked at all of this, and I can see what was going on in her head. "Never heard of an ability like that before. Very convenient to have in the dream realm. I am almost envious of it. Well, let's set up the camp and keep watch in cycles." I shrugged my shoulders and went to sit on my chair. As the darkness deepens, the camp was set up fast by Nep and Sunny, and we sat around a cold bonfire in the darkness, eating soup and bread while we looked at the Dark Sea rising. I was not relaxed, and Cassia had to be the one to break it.
Cassia talked in a bright voice, "Why don't we introduce ourselves when we have the chance? I am Cassia."
"Nephis."
"I am Sunless, but you can call me Sunny."
"I am Asmon, just Asmon."
We once again sat in silence, but now it was Sunny who started. "Since we are going to depend on each other, why don't we share our abilities and memories at our disposal? I will start first if you would like." I looked at Sunny; he was enjoying the darkness, as he could see clearly. Well, I also don't have much problem looking in the dark, so I agreed to it.
Sunny started, "I have an affinity to shadows and a little to divinity. I am more likely to find myself in unusual scenarios." Now he looked at us. Not much info, but it was enough.
Nep was the one to speak next. "I have an affinity to fire and divinity, and my ability can be used to heal." Nephis looked at Cassia, and she spoke.
"He is telling the truth. I can tell people's attributes. Sometimes it's my ability. I can see glimpses and visions. It can be of the future or past. It has happened only a couple of times, but yes, that's my ability. For memory, I have this endless water flask... Well, it's not truly endless, as it stops after sometimes and refills, and that rope." Sunny, after thinking for a bit, replied, "Well, that's a really good ability. While we are talking about it, my shadow can move on his own. We share eyes and ears, so this is why I can scout safely, as it won't affect the real world. As for memory, I have armor, a sword, and a loud bell. Your memory is really good to get water anywhere too."
After they quieted down for a bit, it was my turn. "I have a great affinity to divinity, and I can enhance myself and whoever is fighting with me. This is how I fought the war in my first nightmare. And I also want to share my flaw too. But you don't have to; it's called Bleeding Heart. I can't ignore anyone in need of help if I have the capacity to help them. It does not apply to enemies. As for memories, I have my armor, my greatsword, and many more I got after killing many nightmare creatures. One of them is from the Tyrant I killed. It makes mind attacks weaker." I can see them widening their eyes. I don't think it was this great compared to my Dark Souls system, and my flaw is just annoying and very rarely can it be deadly. This is why I share it with them, plus I know how these people are.
Sunny looked at me in a new light and asked, "So this is why you were helping everyone even at the academy, and you shared food with us and even helped me. That's really a terrible flaw." I can see him feeling good about it now, but I will have to put cold water on him.
"No, I could live just fine if I did not help. But it's like a meter that has a limit. How much I can ignore this flaw means nothing to me, as I would have helped anyone either way. But it can be annoying. I am a Divine knight, after all. What's the use of all this power if I can't even help or save someone weaker than me? If I can't, then that means I am just weak, just like I was in my first nightmare." Sunny once again was looking at me like I was a crazy person. I know what was going on in his head. 'Are you crazy?' Probably he has a limited vocabulary.
Now, Nephis also looked at me and said, "I see now. This is why you helped those girls back then. You really do have a bleeding heart. You don't even need that flaw, and you are right. If you can't even protect someone you want to protect, you are weak. And what did you say about being a Divine knight?" I looked at them. It might surprise them, but I shrugged, as it's not as uncommon as it's made out to be. "Yes, my class rank is Divine, so I am a Divine knight. In terms of power, I don't think anyone can come close to me." Sunny was now looking like he had eaten dog shit, as he takes huge pride in his rank. His heart can't take it if Nephis also told them she is Divine rank, and Cassia just under one rank sacred. We are really the highest rank party in Dream Realm, but for now, they both did not reveal it, like me. I was just confident and trusted them.
Cassia looked at me shocked. "Yes, he is also telling the truth. Just some time ago, I could not see it properly, but you really are a Divine knight with a true name. It's very impressive." I nodded at her, even though she can't see it. I know at one point she can mess up and snitch on Sunny, but it also will save his life many times. And it's important for light and darkness to work together.
After that, we shared some more things. I got promoted to leader, even though I was less skilled with a sword than Nep, so she was my vice commander. Sunny was our scout, and Cassia will be the president we have to protect. Well, it won't be too bad, probably. While we banter for some time more, we placed the guard duty on Sunny's shadow. It was hard to convince Nep to go sleep, but in the end, she listened to me, her leader. Well, I was leaving the guard duty to the watchdog statue I beat in the system. It will take care of any awakened scavenger and will hold on if something truly horrible comes on for us to prepare, or we will die without doing anything if some terror comes on.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone