Threat of treaty

Nebula and I leave the room after exchanging the relics with the mercenary.

Sun: "You were right, Slinger, he- wait, where is she?"

Miguel: "She said we should see her at this location and left."

He hands us a paper with a map.

Sun: "When did she have the time to draw this...?"

D: "She said a contractor gave it to her, but she memorized the place."

I start walking, the others follow me.

Sun: "Sounds suspicious... Anyway, as I was saying, Biggus Diggus will hire us many more times. He's guaranteed us a lot of experience and money."

Miguel: "Isn't he known for, you know... making empty promises?"

Nebula: "He doesn't know our real names yet. He's hanging by a thread. If he misses a step, our father is good at politics and can have him arrested."

Sun: "We can even arrest him ourselves! He wouldn't be able to escape from a floating island."

Miguel: "Kinda cruel, but I guess he deserves it."

Sun: "When did Slinger say we should meet her?"

We go to the building. It's old, poorly maintained, and close to the city center. The door is ajar. I smell something bad inside.

D: "Blood."

Sun: "Miguel, D, can you guard the entrance? Nebula and I are going to see what happened inside."

They nod. I open the door and walk in, ahead of my sister. The room is dark, so I light a spark with my fingers. We see some dead bodies lying around. We hear some splashes of water and a quiet humming sound coming from the bathroom. I summon my metal gloves and slowly open the door. 

A dim light streams in through a small window, illuminating Slinger's toned, scarred body as she bathes in the tub. I freeze in surprise.

Slinger: "It's been a while since I've taken a bath... it helps soothe the mind."

Sun: "What...?"

Slinger: "I needed to talk to you about something, in private, away from prying eyes."

Sun: "Wait a minute, why this place?"

Slinger: "As I said, I can't risk other adventurers or mobsters finding out about our next adventure."

Nebula: "A-At least dress something first!"

Slinger: "I feel more peaceful this way..."

Sun: "What happened here...? You said you didn't enjoy killing people."

Slinger: "Who said I do? It was a contract. I needed the money."

Sun: "For what? You're already earning a lot with us."

Slinger: "Retirement."

Sun: "You know they'll come after you when you retire."

Slinger: "I know how to defend myself, kiddo."

Sun: "Besides, shouldn't a murderer like you be cleaning up this mess?"

Slinger: "They were a bunch of nobodies. No one will miss them."

Sun: "I don't like your sense of justice."

Slinger: "You don't have to."

Sun: "Alright, what's the matter? What's the adventure?"

Slinger: "A sea creature..."

Nebula: "Sounds like a normal adventure to me. Why all the secrecy?"

Slinger: "It's a B-rank mission... as you know, the higher the rank, the more severe the corruption."

Sun: "I see... what are the rewards?"

Slinger: "Same as usual... we get to keep whatever we can find. However, we don't need to pay any percentage to the guild association, as this is a personal quest."

Sun: "Sounds good."

Nebula: "And more dangerous than ever. In the other cases, adventurers could come and rescue us. This time, we'll be stranded."

Sun: "It's not like some of them wouldn't try to kill us to get rid of the competition. The level of danger is the same."

Nebula: "Wait a minute, how did you hear about this adventure?"

Slinger: "I have my contacts. Are you in or not?"

Nebula stares at me for a moment, then nods me out of the bathroom. She closes the door behind us.

Nebula: "Don't you find it strange?"

Sun: "What? it's a good offer."

Nebula: "Not that. Slinger was all paranoid about you a while ago. Now, she's inviting us to some place in the middle of nowhere."

Sun: "She could have killed us several times already."

Nebula: "What if she couldn't? Maybe she's afraid of the consequences."

Sun: "We won't be alone. It's three versus one. Miguel wouldn't betray us, D is loyal to us."

Nebula: "What if someone's expecting us there?"

Sun: "She's not that cowardly. I trust her."

Nebula: "You trust everyone! Especially those most likely to betray you!"

Sun: "Look, worst case scenario, I have a way to prevent that from happening."

Nebula: "And what is that?"

Sun: "Intuition."

She chuckles wryly.

Nebula: "I can see why she was so suspicious of you. You're hiding something. Something you can't even tell your family."

I didn't think... she would find out this soon.

Nebula: "You know you can trust me with your secrets, Sun. I won't force you, but it's best for both of us."

I stay silent for a moment, thinking about the consequences. It's not like a witch is going to stop me from revealing that I can come back from the dead, right?

Sun: "I... can see into the future."

Nebula: "How? The price must be high if you've been hiding it."

Sun: "Not really. I revealed this power to you and Burier before. She did not take it kindly."

Nebula: "Why?"

Sun: "I was buried after my death. Burier knew her master wouldn't come back, so she thought of me as a cultist inhabiting his body."

Nebula: "How about me?"

Sun: "You accepted me, but that was after my first death. Burier killed me after I first woke up. Then I was in the morgue. There, she accepted me. But when I suggested a ritual to sacrifice my soul for Sun's, she was willing to do it. I shouldn't be here at all."

Nebula: "You have died several times...? Is that how you see into the future?"

Sun: "It's not the future I see... I go back to the past. It's time travel."

Nebula: "But why did Burier kill you the second time? Didn't she accept you as her master?"

Sun: "I asked her to read my soul... I'm not Sun."

Nebula: "What...?"

Sun: "I'm sure you've noticed I'm a little different since I was resurrected. I'm not Sun. I'm his creator. I woke up in his body for some reason."

Nebula: "Sun, I..."

Sun: "I'm sorry for him. For everything I did."

Nebula: "You did nothing wrong..."

Sun: "I've been lying to you this whole time. I caused Shizuru's death."

Nebula: "You tried to protect her. It's not your fault."

Sun: "I could have tried again..."

Nebula: "You knew she was being targeted. You had died at least once. It was bound to happen."

I kneel and hug her.

Sun: "I'm so sorry..."

She hugs me back.

Nebula: "It's okay. I don't resent you in any way. You said you were Sun's creator. Does that make you my creator too?"

Sun: "Yes... Our island, you, D, Burier, Mom and Dad... everything there was created by me. The world as a whole was. The details, such specific people, not so much..."

She strokes my head.

Nebula: "None of this is your fault. There was no way you could have know this would happen. If you don't mind me asking, what's your name?"

Sun: "Tokita... Unmei Tokita..."

Nebula: "I'm really glad to meet my creator. I'm grateful for all the good you've done for us, Tokita."

Tokita: "Is that so...?"

Nebula: "Yes. Someone must have trapped you here. If you had known this would happen, would you have made this world more utopian?"

Tokita: "Of course... not just because I wanted to live in a utopian world, but because I would never want my creations to suffer if they were real..."

Nebula: "Thank you... for caring about us..."

I slowly get up, wiping away my tears.

Tokita: "Can you please not tell anyone? And keep calling me Sun? You can choose whether you want to consider me Tokita or Sun."

Nebula: "I would never let your secret go to waste. Thank you for trusting me. I consider you as both. Sun was like you in many ways."

Tokita: "I guess so... I gave each of my creations some of my traits."

The door bangs open. Slinger steps out, her body in plain sight.

Slinger: "What's taking you so long?"