It was a rare, blissful morning. Sunny ate his breakfast in peace, savoring the quiet. Well—almost quiet. Cassie sat nearby, silent as always, but for once, she wasn't completely alone. A social worker had finally shown up to help her get around, and that small act of kindness left Sunny feeling unusually content.
That is, until a shadow fell over his plate.
He didn't have to look up to know who it was.
Sure enough, Asher stood there grinning like an idiot, spooning ice cream into his mouth like it was the most natural breakfast in the world.
Sunny scowled. "Do you eat anything besides ice cream?"
Asher shrugged, unbothered. "Already had breakfast," he said, as if that explained anything.
Without waiting for an invitation, he flopped down beside Sunny, still smiling like he'd just won the lottery.
Sunny narrowed his eyes. "Why the hell are you grinning like that?"
Asher turned to Sunny with an amused expression, causing Sunny to regret ever asking. "Do you really not know? I saw your perverted shadow staring at me when I literally kicked Caster's balls."
Sunny nearly choked on his food, coughing and spluttering like a malfunctioning lawnmower. He looked around him, making sure no one was looking as he leaned closer to Asher. "How did you see it?" he managed to croak out, a cold sweat dripping down his temple.
"Hello," came a calm, stoic voice.
Sunny froze mid-cough, eyes widening.
Turning his head slowly, he met the gaze of none other than the Changing Star herself. Nephis. She stood there like a statue carved from moonlight, a cup of coffee in one hand, unreadable as ever.
Sunny gulped, recalling what he'd overheard while eavesdropping on Caster the day before. Immortal Flame Clan. The words alone made him want to slide under the table.
"A-Ah, N-Nephis!" Asher blurted, clearly rattled. "Are you, uh, sitting here again?"
She nodded once and took a seat beside him with serene finality.
Sunny just stared at her, lips twitching, visibly shrinking in his seat. Knowing who she really was made the air around her feel uncomfortable.
But Asher... Asher looked like he was about to combust.
'Too close...' he thought, shifting slightly away, trying to discreetly inch away without drawing attention.
Then came the tap.
He turned—and was instantly pinned by her silver eyes, sharp and impossibly calm.
"U-Uh, y-you want s-something?" he stammered, his voice cracking like a cheap imitation of a squeaky toy.
"Yes," she said, sipping her coffee slowly.
.
.
.
"..."
"A-Are you going to say it?"
"Yes." she smiled, taking her other sip from her coffee.
"..."
"I'll say it after I finish my coffee."
Asher's expression deadpanned a little. "Why can't you say it now?"
"..."
"Ok, drink your coffee."
And that Nephis did, making sure to savor the aroma as well. Asher frowned at the start but later, he didn't mind. He continued to enjoy his ice cream.
Minutes passed in silence.
Cassie, done with her breakfast, left with the social worker while Sunny tried to eat as fast as possible, regretting for the first time that he got so much food.
When he finally glanced her way again, she was staring at her empty cup like it had betrayed her.
Then, she turned to Asher and said, "I want to spar with you."
'Huh?'
**
"Huh?"
Asher blinked—and suddenly, he was standing in a familiar dojo. Opposite him stood a silver-haired girl wielding a wooden sword.
'Wait... how did I get here?' He glanced down. Somehow, he had a wooden sword in hand, too.
A crowd circled the ring, watching with silent anticipation as the two locked eyes.
'Eh? Locked eyes. What the hell is the author saying?!'
Nephis shifted her stance slightly.
'Huh? Why is she—wait, is she taking a stance?'
"Begin," Rock called.
Nephis exploded forward like a thunderclap. Asher barely dodged the first lightning-quick strike with a clumsy sidestep, but she didn't stop—her foot snapped out in a swift kick, followed by a clean cut toward his shoulder.
Time slowed.
Asher's brain scrambled for options.
Nothing. There's no opening. She's not even going all out, and I still can't keep up!
He blocked, but each blow rattled his arms. His hands stung. His stance was shaky. And Nephis—she was calm, composed… testing him.
He grit his teeth and kept parrying, but she didn't relent.
—Keuh!
A strike slipped past and slammed into his deltoid. He flinched—just for a second—but Nephis punished him immediately. Her attacks grew sharper, faster.
He found himself retreating. Step by step, she pushed him to the edge of the ring.
He couldn't win this.
But he wasn't going down like this.
A subtle distortion shimmered around his blade.
He channeled gravity into it—just a flicker, just enough.
Nephis didn't stop. She launched another blow straight at him.
He met it head-on.
—CRACK!
Her sword snapped clean in two.
Silence fell for a moment.
The synthetic wood couldn't handle the force. Asher's gravity-infused strike had overwhelmed it.
But he wasn't finished.
Riding the momentum, Asher surged forward, aiming his sword toward her face.
Nephis didn't flinch.
Before his weapon could connect, it wavered mid-air. At the same instant, Asher felt a sharp pain in his waist.
What—?
He coughed, stumbling sideways. He hadn't even seen her move—she'd dodged at the last moment and countered with a kick he hadn't noticed.
He tried to catch his breath.
But Nephis gave him no time. The moment he steadied himself, she jabbed at him—not to hit, just to bait his guard.
It worked.
Her next punch hit square in the chest. He reeled, but his arms moved instinctively.
He had her.
When she raised a leg to kick him in the face, he ducked. This time, he was ready. Seeing his chance, he swept low, grabbing at her grounded leg to take her down.
Then his eyes widened.
She jumped.
Twisting mid-air, Nephis pivoted and landed a spinning heel to his jaw. His vision flashed white as stars danced in his eyes.
The pain—he could handle. But his body couldn't.
Just before he collapsed, his fingers closed around her leg. He yanked.
They both went down.
Asher lay flat on the ground in a perfect belly-flop pose, face smushed against the floor. On top of him sat Nephis—calm, composed, and entirely unfazed.
His jaw throbbed. 'Definitely swelling,' he thought, wincing from the pain. But his face didn't just show a wince—it showed something much worse.
Panic.
He glanced at the watching crowd and immediately regretted it.
Their expressions were unified in barely-contained disgust.
He felt like a pressure cooker on the verge of bursting—palms sweaty, breath shallow, eyes twitching under the collective glare.
"Lucky bastard."
"I bet he didn't even try to counter!"
"I want to punch that smug grin off his face!"
'What grin?! I'm not even smiling!' he screamed internally.
Nephis looked down at him. Her expression was as flat as ever.
"You're awful with a sword," she said bluntly.
Asher didn't reply. He was too busy trying to suck in oxygen.
She paused, then added, "But you have potential."
That was when he slowly turned his head and looked up at her with a wide, unsettling grin that sent visible shudders through the crowd.
"Do I?"
She nodded, getting up from him.
"But," she added, turning her back to him, "it's not just swords you need to worry about in a fight."
She walked toward the edge of the ring without looking back.
"You should probably get up," she said casually. "The others are waiting."
'I AM TRYING!'
Asher's face flushed crimson as he scrambled to his feet, wobbling like a baby giraffe learning how legs work, limbs flailing in opposite directions.
Meanwhile, Nephis strode away like she hadn't just authored the single most humiliating moment of his life.
"Oh great, he's smiling again!"
'I AM NOT!' Asher screamed inside his head.
But his twitching face said otherwise.
_____________________
[Extra chapter for 100 power stones!]