Standing Ovation
After Nephis reached the Dark City and the huntress was introduced, both Sunny and Effie watched the rest of the movie with bleak expressions.
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.
…Most of this part of the movie, though, was dedicated to the genuine respect and camaraderie that blossomed between Nephis and Caster in this dire time. With the handsome male lead as her right hand, Changing Star successfully united the people of the outer settlement, reminded them what it meant to be humans, and challenged Gunlaug to save boisterous Effie from unjust imprisonment.
The duel itself was choreographed somewhat well, even if it had nothing to do with the real thing. The moves both the radiant heroine and the cruel tyrant used were flashy and dramatic, and expressed the mood well, but anyone trying to actually fight like that would probably risk having their enemy die of laughter.
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 Caster 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.
'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. Caster, covered in blood and wounds, looked at Nephis and whispered:
"My Lady! The sun…"
Indeed, the sun had suddenly turned menacingly red, its light eradicating the remaining Nightmare Creatures and assaulting the humans. For the first time in the entire movie, an uncertain and desperate expression appeared on Changing Star's face.
Salvation came from someone who the audience would have never expected to see do something so profound — a clear ringing of the bell resounded in the air, and the small figure of clumsy, useless Sunny could be seen near the tower, waving his hand in the air.
The survivors rushed toward the Crimson Spire and entered inside.
There, Nephis looked up, and then turned to Sunny.
"Someone has to stall the Terror so that everyone could escape. I will do battle with that nightmare, but there's an important task you must complete. Lead all these people to the Gateway!"
Sunny on the screen looked at Changing Star with fear:
"Lady Nephis… are you crazy? I am just a clumsy kid from the outskirts. How can you entrust something so important to someone like me?"
Sunny in the real world suppressed an infuriated groan. People in the audience, though, were rather emotional:
"You can do it, Sunny!"
"You got this, kid!"
"You're a great scout, don't sell yourself short!"
On the screen, the beautiful actress playing Nephis looked down on the comical, slightly pathetic boy in front of her and put her hand on his shoulder.
"We, Awakened, must rise to the occasion to protect humanity. As long as we don't give up, no matter how dire the situation is, there will be hope. I believe in you, Sunny. You are capable of much more than you think!"
With that, she left the survivors and went off to fight the Terror, while Sunny guided everyone to the Gateway. And somewhere in the process, Caster left the group to aid Changing Star in battle.
The last scenes of the movie cut between the hundred survivors fighting their way to the Gateway and the tragic duo battling the terrifying creature at the top of the Spire.
Many people in the audience were crying, knowing full well that neither of them was going to return to the real world.
In the end, Caster heroically sacrificed himself to protect Nephis, breaking the hearts of so many viewers. The survivors found the Gateway and escaped seconds before it was destroyed.
The last shot showed bloodied Neph walking out of the tower, holding a broken sword in her hand.
As she gazed at the Forgotten Shore, a lone tear rolled down her cheek.
"As long as we don't give up… there is hope."
The screen turned black, and in the next moment, the audience exploded with applause.
Sunny stared at all those people, many of them applauding with tears in their eyes, with a strange expression on his face.
'Did they… actually like that crap?'
He turned to Effie, lingered for a moment, and asked:
"Uh… did you like it?"
The former huntress gave him a long look.
Then, she said:
"What I am, an idiot? Of course I didn't like it. It's such a piece of crap!"
Sunny exhaled with relief.
At least there was one other sane person in this theater…
