The crowd settled once more as the lights dimmed and the film resumed. Nephis sipped her new cola, her expression unreadable. "How's the movie so far?" Kai asked with a small, knowing smile. Sunny turned toward him, dead-eyed. "I don't want to be here. My hatred for Effie has evolved. I now wish the director gets run over by a carriage. Twice." Kai choked back a laugh. Nephis didn't bother hiding her grimace. She'd have walked out long ago if not for the ending — that one scene she was morbidly curious about. Other than that… "It's very," she said quietly, "distasteful." Her tolerance for public embarrassment was growing alarmingly fast, and it wasn't doing her any favors. The lights dimmed further. On-screen, a somber montage of grief played — the group mourning Asher's loss. Then came the dramatic crescendo, with Nephis oh-so-powerfully inspiring everyone to move on and reach the ancient city… …where, of course, they met Effie. Effie was played by a very tall, athletic, and attractive actress. …The way she played her, though, was a sight to behold. Basically, the actress went out of her way to portray the huntress as a charismatic, but not very bright savage who was all brawn and no brain. All she knew how to do was fight, eat, and break things. Sunny turned to Effie and grinned, full of malice and gloating. This was the first time he had ever seen the boisterous young woman... completely mortified. "Casting director, you say? I think I'll send them flowers, too." "No." Nephis cut him off flatly. "He shouldn't get anything." Her eyes narrowed, a faint glimmer of flame dancing in them. "Nothing." Sunny gulped and turned back to the screen. After Nephis reached the Dark City and the huntress appeared, the three — Sunny, Effie, and Nephis — watched in bleak silence. The second act took place in the outer settlement, and was dedicated to Neph's heroic attempts to protect and inspire the young men and women trapped there. There were a lot of impassioned speeches, blood-chilling expeditions into the Dark City, and tense altercations with Gunlaug's forces. There were also a lot of shenanigans from young Sunny, to the delight of the audience. At some point, people started to scream "Are you crazy?!" along with him. And a bit later, there was a sort of comical moment of growth for the character, when he asked "...Am I crazy?" instead and went along with Nephis without offering his usual critique, which was met with cheers. Sunny slumped lower in his seat. Soon, a side plot emerged — rumors about Saint Zerei spread, and the movie shifted into a dual narrative between Nephis and the Saint. Eventually, she found him in the gambling den, where the famous honey beatdown was shown. Sunny had to admit… the cinematography for that scene was surprisingly good. When Nephis opened the door to reveal Asher — alive — the oblivious crowd gasped, then erupted in cheers as the two embraced. Applause thundered through the hall. Nephis sat motionless, her expression utterly deadpan. A year ago, a director had approached her asking for permission to "capture her legend" on film. Nephis, not caring at the time, had said, "Do whatever." Never in her life had she regretted a decision more. The film pressed on. Saint Zerei joined the cohort, leading to a spectacular, completely unrealistic fight between Asher and Tessia. The stakes rose as they returned from the trip, only for the spotlight to swing back to Asher — grieving his fallen friend, Hou — just as Nephis announced the duel. Sunny winced as the audience's screams reached an almost supernatural pitch when the battle between Asher and Gunlaug began. The duel was flashy enough, he supposed. Both the invisible hero and the tyrant traded overly dramatic blows that had little to do with the real thing. Still, the choreography carried the right energy. Gunlaug's death, though — that was where the film flinched. Instead of the brutal skull crush, the director settled for a clean jab to the heart. Sunny sighed. "Cowards." The third act showed the siege of the Crimson Spire, the heroic stand of the warriors of the first line and Effie, Kai's battle in the skies with the Spire Messengers, and Neph and Asher fighting back to back, slaying dozens and dozens of Nightmare Creatures together. The audience seemed to have forgotten to breathe, and even Sunny had to admit that the battle scene was filmed especially well, showcasing the chaos, horror, and terrible toll of human lives that such a massacre was bound to reap. Many side characters that people had already grown to love died heroically, and he even heard a few sobs coming from the darkness. Enhanced by the beautiful music, the atmosphere was not tragic, though. On the contrary, it was triumphant and exalted, as if to die in this way was the highest honor a human could receive. A bit uncomfortable, Sunny shifted in his seat. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝘯𝘦𝘵 'That Griffin guy really knows how to make a tune…' When the situation was the most desperate, with the dark water rising and threatening to drown all the surviving warriors, a sudden change happened. The sea suddenly retreated, and the monsters started to fall to the ground. "RUN!" Asher shouted as the sleepers bolted toward the Spire. The theater went silent — only the surround sound of rumbling and music swelling filled the air. On-screen, Asher's face trembled with emotion. The audience already had napkins pressed to their noses, some sniffling before he even finished the line. "Someone has to stall the Terror… so that everyone else can escape." Nephis, Aiko, and Sunny tried to protest, but he cut them off. "I must do it. All of you — go!" And then came the line. The one every Former Dreamer knew by heart. "Once we're out of here…" He had his signature stupid smile. "Let's have a damned ice-cream party." [A/N: I know it is a shorter chapter, but I am kind of rushing for Asher's second nightmare, because I will be having a small hiatus soon, and I didn't want to break this momentum. Plus I wrote the entire movie in a single chapter, so it got too long. Also, guys, please be free to share feedback, because, I listen! Don't worry, the chapters will only get better and... yeah.. Enjoy!!!]