Nephis looked in the window and remained silent for a while. Her face was distant and still. After a while, she lightly shook her head.
"No… not yet."
Cassie seemed to be surprised by that answer.
"No? But… why?"
Changing Star sighed.
"The… Fire Keepers. That is what people call the Awakened who follow you, right? They all look up to me, do they not?"
The blind girl silently nodded.
"Of course! We… they have been waiting for your return ever since escaping the Forgotten Shore. Even though the Dreamer Army was an alliance of convenience, the bonds that were forged between its members are real. Their bond to you is real, too."
Sunny sipped his coffee with a strange expression. Neph, meanwhile, lingered for a moment, and then said:
"But they want more than just to welcome me back. They expect me to lead them, like I did on the Forgotten Shore. Am I correct?"
Cassie nodded once again.
Neph looked away.
"How can I lead them when I don't know where I am going? I… I need more time to figure things out before I face them."
The blind girl remained silent for a while, then sighed.
"I… I understand. I think."
meanwhile, did
She was not sure of what she was going to do, so she could not offer the remnants
doubts about the sincerity of this indecision. Nephis had never been one to allow her hesitation to slow her down. More than that, she had spent two whole years alone in the Dream Realm… if
course, there was a lot of new information that became available to Neph after she came back. That had
was she struggling
did not know, and was not sure that he wanted to know…
something else that
Nephis and Cassie and then said, his
only agreed that Nephis would stay here for a week. Shouldn't you at least ask me before deciding to leave
not going to let Changing Star pull
with an unreadable expression.
mind if I stay for
then glanced away
Sure, no problem. Glad to have you, and all that. See,
***
a bit longer to get Nephis up to speed about the state of the Fire Keepers and the renovations they were making to the
were left alone
hesitated for a few
I mean… I never really had one, more or less, before buying this house. But if
glanced at him, then slowly
our financial situation changed, sometimes due to security issues. That manor is
silent for a few moments,
me that created the feeling of home. But they are all gone now, one way or the other. So, there's nothing
remembering the conversation he
honest. And
Changing Star nodded.
not established yet back then. Apart from the immediate family, the clan also encompassed hundreds of other people. Professionals to manage our properties, craftsmen, mundane soldiers, Awakened retainers, their dependents… a Legacy
silent, and
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