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'No, no it wasn't! I am not that shallow!'

Walking inside, Sunny glanced at the tasteful interior, gaining a new appreciation for the wooden furnishings. By now, he was not shocked every time he saw natural wood in the waking world. However, this was not just any wood… if he remembered correctly, all this lumber came from the corpse of a slain titan.

A titan killed by the great clan Valor, to be precise. Perhaps even by Anvil himself. What irony it was, to enjoy a dinner on one of the cafeteria's tables while being secretly hunted by the people who provided the titanic lumber for its creation.

With a sigh, Sunny looked around and noticed a familiar face. An exquisitely beautiful woman in a deep blue uniform sat in the corner of the cafeteria, cradling a cup of coffee in her hands. He confidently walked over and sat down across from her.

"Master Jet."

Soul Reaper Jet looked up from her cup and smiled at him.

"...Master Sunless."

'Well that… sounds weird.'

He shifted uncomfortably, not accustomed to being addressed that way… at least not by her. Although the two of them were technically of the same Rank now, Jet was still older than him. The gap between them had grown much smaller, but he still felt a lot of respect for her.

Looking at his fellow Ascended, Sunny suddenly frowned.

Master Jet… looked different today.

He was accustomed to her usual, slightly unkept and careless appearance. However, the person in front of him looked like nothing if not an exemplary officer. Her uniform was perfectly ironed and buttoned all the way, with not a single crease or blemish marring its surface. Her silver epaulets were glistening with a polished sheen. Her leather boots were freshly shined.

Her raven black hair was perfectly arranged, and her icy blue eyes were sharp and piercing.

He raised an eyebrow.

"You… uh… look nice?"

Jet's smile widened.

"Oh, this? I had to attend a… a special ceremony in the morning. Promotions are flying off the shelves in the government these days."

Sunny cleared his throat.

"Congratulations, I guess."

Soul Reaper laughed, then pushed a small alloy box toward him.

"No, no. Congratulations to you. Happy belated birthday."

He blinked a couple of times, then opened the box and looked at the glimmering soul shard that lay inside. His eyes sparked when he recognized its Ascended rank.

"Ah, this is exactly what I needed! Thank you so much! But… isn't it too luxurious?"

A shard like that cost a lot.

Master Jet shrugged.

"Perks of being a public servant. I have more access to such things than most."

She grew silent and looked at him expectantly. For a few moments, neither of them spoke.

Finally, the Ascended beauty sighed.

"What, no present for me? I recently turned thirty, you know."

Sunny froze, then chuckled awkwardly:

"Oh. Well, in that case, dinner is on me."

Soul Reaper seemed more than happy with that arrangement.

"Ah, you know me too well, Sunny. In that case, don't mind if I do!"

Some time later, they finished their food and leaned back on their seats in satisfaction.

Master Jet took a sip of coffee and smiled:

"Credit where credit is due… you Academy people really know how to treat your staff. I am regretting my choice of career, a little."

Her voice trailed off a little, and a wistful expression appeared on her face. Then, she shook her head and finally addressed the true reason why they met today:

"Good news first. You can relax, Sunny. Valor seems to finally be ready to behave reasonably, so the worst part is over."

He inhaled deeply:

"At last! What changed?"

Master Jet shrugged.

"Well, a lot of things. But mainly, they just don't have the energy to pursue small matters anymore. The tension between the Great Clans seems to be growing, so Valor elders have a lot on their plate. That plays in your favor, because you and your cohort have managed to make yourself valuable. With Saint Tyris advocating on your behalf, everything is ready for a sincere and friendly negotiation."

Sunny frowned.

"Sincere… friendly? What about the Fire Keepers that disappeared? You might have not noticed, but the survivors of the Forgotten Shore are a tight group. To them, this is not a small matter."

She smiled.

"They are alive... although maybe not well. Their release is one of the points you and Song of the Fallen will have to negotiate. However, I don't foresee any problems with that. As long as you told the truth and neither of you had conscious plans of assisting that mysterious prisoner of theirs in the escape, everything should be fine."

A dark expression appeared on Sunny's face.

Master Jet knew the general situation, but not the details. The problem they had with the great clan Valor was very simple. Although Sunny and Cassie had caused a great deal of harm to the clan's interests, because of the lack of witnesses and Saint Tyris volunteering to act as the scapegoat, that by itself was not something intolerable.

However, the crux of the matter was that no one in the Great Clan knew if their actions had been simply the result of a misfortunate happenstance, or premeditated. What Master Jet had just told him meant that Valor was ready to abandon their hostile paranoia and accept the version of events where neither Sunny nor Cassie had helped Mordret escape willingly, as well as grant them an unofficial pardon.

With the White Feather clan taking the responsibility for the death of Saint Cormac, that would leave them in the clear.

However… although the great clan knew that Mordret had escaped as the result of their actions, no one except for the members of the cohort knew that he had followed them into the Nightmare. If the fact that the five of them had become Masters together ever came into the light… then, no matter what the truth was, no one would believe that the bastard simply manipulated them all!

They would all think that Sunny and Cassie were his willing allies.

So, this secret had to remain buried, forever.

Sunny grimaced.

"So what do they want?"

Master Jet shrugged.

"I can't say, really. But you have to be ready to make some concessions. Valor will probably insist on recruiting you to their side, at least in some capacity. Whether you manage to resist their forceful invitation or not depends on you."

She thought for a bit, and then added:

"What works in your favor is that you, Song of the Fallen, Nightingale, and Raised by Wolves are a package deal, as far as everyone is concerned. Valor might have ambitions of making all of you their asset, but they will probably be satisfied by ensuring that none of you becomes entangled with their opponents. Recruiting just one would make it so that the rest would not join the opposite side."

A deep scowl appeared on Sunny's face.

"...Are you telling me that we will have to sell one of us to clan Valor?"

Master Jet smiled.

"You make it sound as if becoming a member of a Great Clan is something horrible! Most Awakened would kill for such a chance, you know? Granted, you will never be treated as a trueblood descendant, but that does not mean that they won't shower you with resources and opportunities. Probably."

Sunny remained silent for a while, then sighed.

"I know. But I... I need to think about it."

She took a sip of coffee, then leaned back.

"Well… think fast."

He looked at the beautiful Ascended with a dark expression and asked in a low tone:

"And why is that?"

Master Jet grinned.

"Well, because the representative of Valor will be here tomorrow! Your friend Cassie is coming back to the Waking World, too. You will meet here in the Academy, as it's neutral ground. So… you have until tomorrow morning to prepare for the negotiations, Sunny. Good luck!"