Chapter 38: Re: seize
Gunlaug knew something was wrong.
Even if Changing Star remained quiet—outwardly unthreatening—he could feel the pressure building.
Some of his lieutenants had been… off.
Seishan, Gemma, and Kido now always wore long sleeves. It wasn't enough to act on, but it was something. And Gunlaug had survived long enough in the Great Castle to know one truth above all:
Paranoia kept you alive.
Still, today he was forced into vulnerability.
He hated showering. Not because he was dirty or indifferent, but because to do so he had to dismiss his Echo Armor—his greatest protection.
His recklessness had won him the throne.
His caution had kept it.
Now, crouched and stripped of defense, he reached for the bucket of water—
—and never saw it coming.
Sunny emerged from his shadow like death incarnate.
In one blur of motion, both of Gunlaug's arms were nearly severed—hanging by mere cords of flesh. Before the scream even reached his throat, Sunny crouched again, slashing across his legs and severing tendons. The Warlord of the Great Castle collapsed.
Then the whisper came, cold and merciless:
"Give me your Echo… or I will torture you until you forget your name. Until you forget you were ever human."
Sunny's hand plunged into the bleeding shoulder, twisting, crushing, pulling at nerves and tendons. Gunlaug tried to scream, but the agony overwhelmed his body's ability to process it.
He shrieked.
It was not a human sound.
⸻
The scream echoed through the private quarters of the Great Castle.
Kido and Gemma were already close. They had cleared this wing—no one else was supposed to be near.
But when the scream didn't stop—when it went on for minutes—their steps grew faster.
They were warriors. They had seen death. They had heard pain.
But this…
This was something else.
⸻
Inside, Sunny had stopped Gunlaug's fatal wounds from bleeding out. He wasn't done yet. Every part of the man's body that could be cut without killing him had been opened.
Gunlaug couldn't think. Couldn't fight. Couldn't process.
But he remembered the whisper.
"Give me your Echo."
And so, without understanding what he was doing or why, he surrendered everything.
Memories.
Echoes.
All of it.
Sunny felt the transfer settle. Checked the rune to see if it was the right one.
Then, without a word, he slit Gunlaug's throat.
Clean. Precise. Final.
⸻
By the time Gemma and Kido burst through the door, the smell of blood was thick. Metallic. Suffocating.
They froze.
Their faces went pale.
They had seen the work of Harus before. But this…
This wasn't the gleeful cruelty of a sadist.
It wasn't rage. It wasn't vengeance.
It was efficiency. Cold. Purposeful. Unapologetic.
And in the center of it all, calmly wiping his blade, stood Sunny.
He didn't even look at them when he spoke.
"We move on to the next step now."
Sunny didn't even wash up.
He was covered in Gunlaug's blood from head to toe, but didn't seem to care. He casually summoned the new Echo, letting it slide over the gore, and walked out of the room with Kido and Gemma at his side.
The Echos runes read:
Echo Name: [Mirror Tyrant]
Passive Ability: Reflection of Submission:
Any living being who sees their reflection in the Echo's armor must resist an intense psychic suppression. The effect grows stronger the longer eye contact is maintained. Targets suffer disorientation, hesitation, and a growing compulsion to obey the will of the Echo's wielder. Strong-willed individuals may resist temporarily — but none emerge unscathed.
Active Ability Warden's Arsenal:
The Echo responds to the wielder's will, reshaping parts of its armor into any melee weapon imaginable — swords, spears, chains, claws — with lethal precision and fluid transformation. The weapons retain the mirror-like nature and carry traces of the Echo's psychic influence, making them not just deadly, but mentally corrosive.
Then he entered the Great Dining Hall of the castle—where Gunlaug's throne stood tall and silent. The hall was filled with Sleepers, talking, eating, half-alert.
That silence didn't last.
Sunny walked in without hesitation… and sat down on the throne.
Just like that.
No announcement. No declaration. Just absolute authority in a bloodstained shell.
The hall fell dead quiet.
All eyes turned to him. Most people froze at the sight. Some noticed the blood. Some noticed the presence. Some noticed the absence of the man who used to sit there.
Fear crept in.
Then, under Sunny's silent signal, Gemma stepped forward.
The tall man's voice rang clearly through the hall, cutting through the thick tension like a blade:
"Continue eating, fellow Sleepers. Today, history is being made. You're witnessing the rise of a legend. A star is being born—one that will rise to the top."
"Eat. Drink. Watch."
Those words stirred different emotions in the hearts of everyone present.
Some glanced toward each other. Some whispered, thinking of Lady Changing Star. The word "star" echoed with her name. Had she made a deal with Gunlaug? Had she taken power?
After all, there had long been rumors—rumors that she had promised to bring them home.
Others were skeptical. Others afraid.
But none dared to speak against it.
⸻
Seishan, meanwhile, was doing her part—distracting Tessai, keeping him away just long enough for Nephis and the others from the Outer Settlement to quietly enter the Great Castle.
Even Effie was with them again.
They had ventured out the night before to retrieve her, making sure she was present for the takeover. She didn't know much about the plan—none of them did, really. Only Nephis knew the full scope of what was about to unfold.
Cassie had been told a few details, just enough to understand that Nephis would face Tessai in open combat for control of the castle. But she didn't know what had happened to Gunlaug, or how they planned to handle him.
Caster knew roughly the same.
Everyone else? In the dark.
The stage was set. The players were moving.
And soon… the truth would explode into the open.
They entered the Great Castle without encountering any resistance.
Quietly and with purpose, Nephis and her group made their way through its halls toward the dining chamber. Meanwhile, Seishan had already received a signal from Evara—she could stop stalling Tessai.
She turned to him and said smoothly, "Let's go to the dining hall. Gunlaug has summoned all of us."
Tessai narrowed his eyes. Just moments ago, Seishan had been doing everything in her power to keep him away—rambling nonsense, spinning distractions—and now she was suddenly ready to leave? It was suspicious.
Still, he said nothing… and followed.
Meanwhile, Nephis and her companions had already arrived at the great hall. For a moment, she paused—surprised to see someone sitting on Gunlaug's throne clad in gleaming golden armor.
But then she relaxed.
That person was smaller. More familiar.
She recognized Sunny instantly.
The same couldn't be said for the rest of her cohort. Uneasy whispers rippled through the large chamber. Even her own people—Effie, Cassie, and Caster—visibly tensed.
So, in a calm, reassuring voice, Nephis said, "Everything's alright. You'll see soon."
They stood together near the entrance.
Then Gemma stepped forward.
His voice rang out, calm and authoritative:
"This young lady—this princess—has made us a very generous offer. One so generous, even the great Gunlaug couldn't refuse it."
He paused.
"She has promised to bring us all home. In return, she asked to rule the Great Castle. And after long consideration, Kido, Seishan, myself, and Gunlaug have all agreed—it would be foolish to say no."
A breath passed through the room.
"Therefore," he continued, "Gunlaug steps down from the throne and officially appoints Lady Changing Star as the next ruler of the Great Castle. He will retire and live quietly from now on."
Gemma's voice softened slightly as he added:
"Please, fellow Sleepers… accept this change. Some of us have been here far too long already. We all want to go home. And Lady Changing Star will lead us there. So follow her guidance."
There was a heartbeat of silence.
Then the hall erupted into cheers.
Even those who had been skeptical moments ago now clapped, nodded, or smiled. Why wouldn't they? Either they would return home soon… or Nephis would fail—and someone else would rise.
Hope was finally back on the table.