Cassie Pov
When everything began to fall into place, the puzzle pieces in her mind clicked together. Learning Sunny's flaw—and his true name—had opened up a possibility. A way to save her friends. But not in the way she had hoped.
Sunny's true name was undeniably a weakness, one that could only be exploited if another person spoke it aloud, and only in his presence. She had confirmed this on her own, during the time when the others had gone off to fight and left her alone with her thoughts.
But even if she had the means, acting on it would mean crossing a line she had sworn never to breach. She couldn't bring herself to betray any of them. If it had been earlier in their journey, maybe she wouldn't have cared. Maybe she would have looked the other way. But the weight of that lingering choice only grew heavier with each passing day.
That was when she remembered his words.
He had told her to wait. To observe. And then to choose—whether or not she wanted to act. Then, almost as if he had seen it all coming, he added, "The hardest choices require the strongest wills."
A shiver ran down her spine when she recalled it. Not the kind that comes from the cold, but one that stirs something deeper. Something inevitable. Still, she shook it off. There was no way he could have known about the visions. No—he must have interpreted the situation differently.
When he deciphered the meaning behind the first vision, he simply told her it was up to her whether she wanted to act or not. Then, before the second vision, he must have sensed her hesitation to let Neph die. That must've been why he told her to choose a side. That no matter which side she picked, the weight of the decision would be unbearable unless her will was strong enough to carry it.
Yes, that had to be what he meant. That must have been the train of thought that led to his cryptic advice.
And yet… if she thought about it, truly thought about it—something felt off. It wasn't just the content of his advice. It was the timing. The phrasing. The way his words always seemed to be relevant, no matter when they were spoken. It was as if he wasn't reacting to the future, but had already seen it play out.
Still, there was no time to get lost in doubt. She had a choice to make.
Between Sunny… and Nephis.
Then, as if the idea had been whispered into her mind by something unseen, she stood up. The thought was half-formed but persistent, tugging at her. She turned to Sunny and asked him, plainly:
"Would you keep Neph safe?"
And just as she expected—just as his flaw would ensure—he replied with a quiet, unwavering "No."
It wasn't a surprising answer. But she had needed to hear it from him.
Neph was willing to save others, even at her own expense. Sunny wasn't. They were like two sides of the same coin—each defined by their opposition. But only one side could face the sky.
Cassie didn't make her decision then. she had decided to wait.
but that was the start of her fretful days.
from the soul devourer tree, to the days he stayed in the bright castle, he had treated her like a younger sister, which only seemed to fuel her turmoil.
and today that day came to pass, the vision had come true, Harper was missing but no one noticed because of his less importance but knowing what had happened she knew why he was missing, and today sunny had left the group, and obviously he was going into the dark city.
She had approached him quietly, pressing the Endless Spring into his hand. it wasn't that hard to find drinkable water in the outer settlements but to someone entering the Dark City, it could mean the difference between survival and death. Clean, drinkable water was rare in the Dream Realm.
Cassie wasn't worried about herself. She would stay close to Nephis, and in a settlement like this, finding water wasn't the challenge it once had been. No, she'd be fine.
She hadn't given it to him just to ease her guilt.
That part was undeniable—her conscience begged for something to cling to, something to soften the edges of the choice she'd been forced to make. But more than anything, she wanted him to live. Despite everything. Despite the ache her choice had left in her heart.
It was Sunny who would need the help.
When he finally turned and left, vanishing beyond the outskirts toward the darkness looming on the dark city, she didn't try to stop him. She only waited until he was gone.
she leaned back against the cold stone wall of the empty room and let herself exhale. A long, trembling breath. Wrapping her robe tightly around her, she drew her knees to her chest and buried her face against them.
For a moment, there was silence.
Then came the sobs—quiet, uneven, muffled into the fabric of her sleeves. There was no one there to hear them.