LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 25: Chapter 25
Thousands of people bustled around the large expanse of the trading hub. Their voices all reverberating into a large symphony of swearing and trading as Nephis stared wide-eyed at the scene before her.
"I've never seen anything like this." She whispered, Sunny tugged her by the arm before giving her a wide grin. "It gets better; don't worry." Sunny glided through the crowd with direction and purpose, not even a soul daring to turn around and acknowledge his existence even on the rare occasion Nephis stepped on someone's foot.
"They're avoiding you." Nephis commented, Sunny didn't turn back to her, continuously moving forward before shrugging. "They're afraid of me." Suddenly, his movements came to a stop as he turned around and grabbed Nephis's hands, enthusiasm bubbling in his tone.
"I need to do something private, so I'll leave you with the one person I trust in this world. My mom." Nephis eyes widened, cocking her head to the side as she stared at him with a rare flustered expression. "Sorry, but I thought your parents were dead." She whispered, and Sunny nodded feverishly, his grin remaining on his face.
"They are, but she might as well be my mother with all she's done for me." Pulling her forward, Sunny did a series of turns before finally settling upon a gigantic tent. Within it, a woman with flowing onyx hair and darkened eyes stood with an annoyed expression on her face as she argued with a man who appeared to be looking for information on 'Lost from light.'
"I'm telling you, I don't know where he is! So either you fuck off now or I'll make you." The woman shouted; the man only became more infuriated as he reached over and grabbed the woman by the collar. "Listen here, you bi—" Before he could finish his sentence, his face was firmly indented into the floor as Sunny glared down with a furious expression.
"What did you call her? Say it again, say it again, I dare you. You stupid fuck, talk!" Sunny ground his foot on the man's hand as he growled furiously at him. Nephis pulled him backward forcefully as Sunny glared at her with fury in his eyes, quickly dissipating at her scolding tone. "Sorry." He grumbled.
The woman stared at him with a dumbfounded expression, taking a few steps back in shock before managing to stammer out. "Sunny!?" Turning to her, Sunny lowered his hoodie slightly before offering her a beaming smile. "Mom!" Leaping over her counter, Sunny enveloped her into a deep hug. In return, she ran her hand through his hair with a wide smile across her face.
Slowly, the woman turned and acknowledged Nephis presence, who was awkwardly watching the whole scene unfold. Her eyes flared with fury as she flared a hole through Nephis's head. "Sunny, why is this woman here with you? She didn't touch you, did she? Tell me if she did so I can—" Sunny shook his head silently to stop her threat before pulling back.
"Mom, this is Neph or Nephis. She's my…girlfriend?" Turning to Nephis, who was currently bright red at the statement. Sunny nodded with renewed resolve as he turned back to the woman. "She's my girlfriend. Although I haven't been able to touch any woman except you for a long time, now I'm fine with letting her touch me!"
A hint of pride danced within Sunny's eyes at the accomplishment as the woman ruffled his hair playfully. Turning to Nephis, she offered her a wide smile before shifting her counter, allowing her passage inward. "Hi, I'm Revel. Or to Sunny, his adoptive mother. Sorry for threatening you; it's just he's not had the most…pleasant experiences with women."
Nephis nodded solemnly before sighing. "It's fine; I'm happy someone else cares for Sunny like I do. He was so happy to come see you." Sunny's face buried itself into Revel's embrace further at the statement, trying to escape into her to avoid the embarrassment. After a while of exchanging pleasantries, Sunny pulled back before explaining the situation.
Revel's face quickly grew grave as she looked Sunny over. "So Gilead's found you. And you want to go crush all of Valor once and for all. Well, I'm not going to say it's the wisest idea, but if there's anything you need to know, I'm always here to help." Sunny nodded before leaping over the counter and throwing his hoodie back over his head.
"I'll be back; there's just something I want to take care of. You and Nephis catch up; I promise Mom she's perfect!" As silently as Sunny arrived, he disappeared into the crowd as though he had never been there. Pulling the sides of her tent together to signify she had temporarily closed, Revel lit a small lantern before sitting down on a small chair, offering another to the still-standing Nephis.
As they sat, Revel looked her up and down with a suspicious expression. 'Is this what it's like to meet your boyfriend's parent?' Nephis thought, gulping lightly under Revel's unwavering gaze. Suddenly, she spoke, increasing the tense weight that lingered over the two. "So, what's it like dating La Sombra, El Segador, Lost From Light? I'm sure you've heard all of those names before."
Shaking her head feverishly, Nephis met Revel's gaze with unwavering resolve. "I'm only familiar with Lost from Light. How did he get so many monikers anyway?" Shifting the conversation from what it was like to date Sunny to more about his past was a regretful decision, but it would only serve their benefit in the long run. The more she knew about him, the less she'd be surprised by the enemy.
"Well, I don't trust you, so by all rights I shouldn't tell you. But if you were suspicious, I doubt you could do much; Sunny would have gutted you by now!" Sighing, Revel placed her head in her hands before staring at Nephis. "What did you notice when Sunny left?" She asked, her eyes studying Nephis's reaction down to the most minute detail.
"He didn't make any sound, not since he came here or since he left. When he walks past people, they never seem to notice him, and it always baffles me how he does it. Did you teach him?" Revel shook her head quickly before sighing.
"Teach him? I'd be crazy to do such a thing. It's just how he is; I've seen him massacre thousands of people without leaving a single trace. Hell, he hugged me, and I can't even see a single hair of his head on my body."
Nephis eyes widened at the implications of her statement; it was a horrifying thought, really, to end up dead without even seeing or noticing your killer. Or maybe it was calming that you didn't have to suffer as your death was made quick. She couldn't decide.
"That's why he's called 'Nobody." And that's why there aren't many people who know what he looks like; he just walks into a room, barehanded or with a knife, and walks out. And in that very moment, everyone is dead."
Nephis's eyes remained fixed on Revel's, never wavering from her own as she furrowed her brow. "Where are you trying to go with this?" She asked, her tone becoming colder at Revel's revelations about his killings. 'Well, that removes my excuse that I don't want him to get caught.' She thought with a sigh.
"You've heard something similar, haven't you?" Revel said, shooting to her feet as she stalked toward Nephis. "Who told you, Seishan? How do you know who Seishan is? I'm sure Sunny wouldn't let that woman even exist in the same continent as you!" Grabbing Nephis roughly by the collar, Revel pulled her to her feet as her onyx eyes met Nephis's silver ones with fury boiling within them.
"Sunny and I were at a hotel; Valor found us. He had to fight his way through thirty or so people and couldn't protect me at the same time, so he sent me somewhere safe. On my way, I met Seishan." Now, it was Nephis turn to grab onto Revel as her eyes boiled with fury; she needed to know who this elusive woman was and quickly.
"So I'm going to ask this once: I'm only giving you leeway because you're Sunny's mom, but I swear if you leave out any information that may hurt him in the future… I'll kill you. Do you understand me?"
Revel only beamed a smile back at her before shoving her backward roughly. "I approve." She said with a sigh, dusting her clothes off before returning back to her chair and sitting down, crossing her legs with a large smile seated across her face. 'Was she…testing me!?' Nephis screamed internally as she watched Revel begin clapping slowly.
"You're perfect, Sunny was right. No wonder he doesn't throw up just from you touching him. Speaking of which, have you two kissed?" Nephis's face shone bright red at the statement before slightly nodding. "You work fast! Tell me, is he treating you right? I never ended up teaching him how to treat a woman because of…obvious reasons."
"He's perfect, protective to a fault. Sometimes he's a bit reckless, though; he let himself get hit by a car just to buy me time to escape." Revel nodded as if she were merely describing the weather. Honestly, Nephis expected her to be as shocked as she was at such a revelation, and yet she didn't react at all.
"Well, I suppose since I've approved of you, it's only right I tell you. What happened between Sunny and Seishan?"