Months later, Sunny stood with Cassie on the Ketch, amidst the swirling currents of the River of Time, her voice was a lifeline, yet her words felt like another test.
"Here it is. Instead of an empty apology, I'm giving the choice back to you. You can leave and rush to the Estuary… the Guiding Light will show you the way through the mists of the Source, as long as you don't give another True Name to it. Once you reach the Estuary, use the Mirror of Truth and push to its heart. There… you will find your freedom. But… I hope that you make a different choice. That you will stay with us, despite everything. Nephis, I, and the others… are we so terrible? Is it really that unbearable, to share a bond, if it's based on trust? I think you know by now that it's not. What is unbearable is not having been given a choice about forming that bond, and now, even though the connection between you and her will remain the same… it will be there because you have chosen for it to exist. So… you decide. That right is yours, again."
Sunny considered Cassie's words, the promise of freedom echoing against the torment in his mind. Jet had once told him there was no freedom in this world, that the only freedom was the freedom to choose his own chains. Over time, Sunny had come to agree with her. By choosing to stay with the cohort, to stay with Nephis, he would be choosing his own chains. In a sense, that would make him free in a way.
But, was that truly his choice? He might just be acting on Nephis's unseen plan. These feelings he harbored for her, he could no longer tell if they were real or not. The Sin of Solace kept poisoning his mind against her, reminding him of how she'd used her power over him to dismiss his crown, how violated and vulnerable he'd felt when she did.
He had to make a choice:
Stay with these probably fake feelings of love that made him strangely happy.
Or become free, throwing those feelings away forever.
As Cassie left, Sunny called for her and waved.
"Let's break fate."