Chapter 1163: Broken Land

After a long time spent in comfortable silence, Sunny glanced at Nephis, thought for a few moments, and asked:

"So, what do you make of this place?"

The other members of the cohort all had a deep connection to the Chained Isles. Sunny and Cassie had spent the most time here, but Effie and Kai were also deeply tied to the remains of the Kingdom of Hope. Their experiences in the Nightmare were not something one could ever forget. It was a place that had changed them.

Nephis, on the other hand, was a stranger here. She could look at the Chained Isles as an outsider. So, he was idly curious about her perspective..

Neph lingered for a while, then said quietly:

"It is as everywhere else. Broken."

Sunny smiled.

"I guess. The Chained Isles are more honest in that regard, aren't they? They don't hide their broken nature."Updated from n0velb(i)n.c(o)/m

Indeed, the Dream Realm was a ruined world. ...The waking world was a ruin, too. And the young woman standing next to him was the Star of Ruin. A fitting name for someone born of two broken worlds.

He sighed.

"Still, I thought you would have more of an opinion. Don't you feel a connection to this land?"

Nephis glanced at him with a bit of confusion.

"Why would I?"

Sunny shrugged.

"Well, the Kingdom of Hope was destroyed by Sun God. He brought his fire down, and obliterated it. You are the inheritor of that fire, are you not? Sun God's blood is flowing through your veins. So, in a sense, you are the last descendant of the being who brought ruin to this land."

Nephis remained silent for a while, then smiled.

"I see. Yes, it would make sense for me to feel a connection to Sun God. But, actually... in this case, I feel more connected to Hope."

Sunny raised an eyebrow.

"Hope? The wicked demon who spent a thousand years twisting the minds of everyone living in the ruins, driving them insane, and causing all kinds of unspeakable, abhorrent evil? The vile queen of madness, that Hope?"

Neph tilted her head a little. She lingered for a few moments, and then said:

"Hope who had everything that belonged to her destroyed by an impossible foe. Who remained chained for a thousand years, but never stopped trying to set herself free. Who escaped her prison and waged war against the eternal gods. And killed them. That Hope."

Sunny hid his smile.

"Huh. Well, if you put it like that... actually, I'm rather fond of Hope, too. I met her once, you know?"

For the first time in a long time, he saw Neph's usually calm expression crack a little. She looked at him with a startled expression.

"You... you met Hope? The Demon of Desire?"

"What's wrong with Night&Gale?"

"Night&Gale is an amazing band name!"

Sunny smiled crookedly.

"Alright, alright! There's nothing wrong with that name. Still, Sky Swimmer? Doesn't sound too majestic."

Kai looked down in embarrassment.

"Oh, well... on second thought, you're right..."

At that moment, Effie spoke:

"I have a great name in mind."

Everyone turned to her, while the huntress threw a mischievous glance at Sunny.

"This is a flying ship, right? It soars high in the sky, bathing in sunlight. So... how about... we call it The Sunfull?"

The corner of Sunny's eye twitched.

"...Next suggestion."

Cassie hesitated for a few moments.

"I really don't know. I would like to name it in honor of Noctis, but at the same time... this is the vessel of the Fire Keepers now. It was created to harvest divine flames, and in the future, it will be the symbol of Changing Star and her people. Do we name it for the past, or for the future?"

Everyone looked at Nephis, who remained silent for a while. Eventually, she said:

"Let's honor your friend, Noctis. Sunny knew him the best, so he's the best person to give the ship a name."

Sunny raised an eyebrow.

'How come I ended up being the one to do it?'

Still... it wasn't the bad kind of responsibility.

He fought about Noctis, his self-proclaimed best friend, and about what Noctis had wanted. ...To break the will of gods and set Hope free from her chains. He also thought about Odysseus, and about his own desperate desire to be free. He thought about what Noctis had achieved. Who was Noctis, in the end? What words described him best?

'That lying, dastardly cheat...'

After a while, Sunny let out a sigh and nodded.

"Yeah. I think I know. I have a good name."

He looked at the graceful silhouette of the ancient ship and remained silent for a few moments. Eventually, Sunny said:

"...Chain Breaker. Let's call it that."