The promise Sephiran had made to Vermi was being fulfilled much faster than expected.
The scene shifted abruptly to a sheer, treacherous cliffside path high above the standard nesting grounds. The air up here was thin and freezing, biting at Sephiran’s hair and rustling violently through Vermi’s brand-new layer of thick, soft fur. They had broken away from Arach’s usual trail, pushing upward into the vertical, uncharted heights of the Shellgrave peaks.
"I said next time, but next time is today!" Sephiran called out over the roaring wind, digging his fingers into the jagged rock face to stabilize himself. "No time to waste!"
It was an incredibly reckless climb. The path was barely wide enough for a single footing, crumbling into a bottomless, foggy abyss below. One wrong move, one loose stone, and their lives would literally be wasted on the rocks far beneath the mountain.
CRACK.
A small ledge yielded under the pressure. Vermi’s foot slipped completely off the edge.
Losing her balance, the furry little chimera tumbled backward into the open air. In her absolute panic, she let out a piercing, high-pitched, monstrous shriek that shattered the silence of the high peaks, echoing violently off the stone walls.
"Whoa—! Gotcha!"
Sephiran lunged outward, his sharp reflexes kicking in as he caught Vermi by her tiny hand just in time, dangling her over the massive drop. He pulled her back against the solid rock face, his heart pounding as he frantically looked around.
"Don’t cause a scene!" Sephiran hissed, covering her mouth with his hand to stifle her whimpering. "We’re in dangerous territory now, Vermi! If the things nesting up here hear that noise, we’re going to have a lot more to deal with than just a steep fall!"
He pulled her closer, making sure she had a solid grip on his shoulder.
"We need to make it to the top completely on our own. No help from anyone. That’s the only way big brother Arach will finally accept that I’m ready for the peaks. So don’t go dying on me before we even get there! Just a little bit higher and we’ve made it."
Nabbing a fresh foothold, Sephiran hauled himself up and turned back toward the rock face to find the next grip. But as his eyes locked onto the stone directly in front of him, he froze.
A pair of glowing eyes and a mischievous mouth had formed right within the solid rock, staring straight back at him. His eyes widened in absolute shock.
"Boo!" the face cheered.
"Whoa—!"
Startled out of his wits, Sephiran lost his footing completely. He tumbled backward off the ledge, his arms instantly flailing and spinning in wide circles like a pair of frantic helicopter blades to catch the wind. Through sheer, desperate reflex, he managed to throw his weight forward, his fingers clawing into the stone to pull himself back onto the narrow path.
The face in the rock rippled, detaching itself from the stone as a translucent, glowing figure floated into the open air, laughing hysterically. It was his new sibling—the other twin ghost, the Dawn Ghost: Soltis.
"Oh my gosh, you should see your face!" Soltis cackled, clutching her sides as he hovered effortlessly over the bottomless abyss. "You looked so incredibly stupid spinning your arms like that! Classic!"
Looking at his smirk, Sephiran’s expression twisted into pure irritation. Soltis was completely that type of sibling—the one who lived purely to tease, poke fun, and push everyone’s buttons just to get a reaction.
"Shut up, Soltis!" Sephiran snapped, brushing the dust off his clothes while trying to regain his dignity. "I didn’t fall, alright? And I wouldn’t have slipped if you hadn’t jumped out of a literal rock like a freak!"
Soltis just floated upside down in the air, crossing his translucent arms with a smug grin.
"Yeah, yeah, keep telling yourself that, helicopter boy. Besides, what are you even doing up here in the first place? And what is that ugly little pet you brought with you?"
"She’s not a pet!" Sephiran shot back defensively, patting Vermi’s head. "This is Vermi. She’s our sibling! Mother created her just like she created the rest of us."
Soltis rolled hiz glowing eyes dramatically, drifting closer to get a better look at the furry, four-limbed chimera worm. He let out a sharp, teasing laugh.
"A sibling? Please! Judging by that face, Mother didn’t even take the time to fix her up properly before letting her out. She looks like a fuzzy potato with legs."
Hearing the insult, Vermi’s eyes went wide. She let out an annoyed, high pitched hiss, baring her tiny teeth and shaking her little hands at the ghost in pure defiance.
Soltis just laughed harder at the reaction, completely amused by how easy it was to rile them both up.
"Whatever! Why are you even lurking around the peaks anyway? Don’t you have your own territory to watch?"
Soltis flipped back right side up, his smile turning wicked as she gestured down at the bottomless drop below the cliff.
"Oh, I was just floating by when I saw the two of you acting out your little suicidal thoughts on this steep path. I figured I’d check on you. And by check on you, I mean I wanted to watch you both fall all the way down and see if your heads would pop like ripe berries when you hit the bottom!"
Sephiran’s annoyance peaked, his jaw tightening as he shot a glaring look at the floating figure.
"You know, Mother named you after the sun because it’s supposed to be bright and peaceful, but your mind is just completely dark. Honestly, maybe that old Lich’s corruption is still rattling around inside your head."
That comment instantly pushed Soltis’s buttons, making him furious.
"What did you just say?!"
Ready to prove exactly how dark and dangerous he could truly get, his entire translucent form began to phase fully out of the solid rock wall. But before Soltis could pull his entire body out of the stone to attack. Another ghostly visage suddenly materialized, floating silently right between them.
It was the other twin—the Night Ghost: Noctis.
"Enough of that, Soltis. Lower your staff. We have a massive haul of peak monsters to deliver to the Womb."