Sunny stared at him with a blank expression for a bit before laughing.
"Oh, I get it now, this must be one of your jokes, right? You know I don't have a sister, and I don't own Emporium. You also know that Eunbin despises me."
Asterion frowned at him.
"No, you're not awake yet, which means you either have immunity to mind attacks or you don't have a true name to keep you anchored. It can't be the former because I can read your mind like an open book, so it has to be the latter."
He paused and smiled.
"It is odd that a transcendent being doesn't have a true name, especially someone with a divine aspect, no less meaning you got the highest appraisal in your nightmare. When Mordret conquered his first nightmare and his dormant powers were unlocked by the spell, he received his true name; the same happened to little Nephis. So I do wonder why you don't have your true name."
Sunny began to frown as well.
"What are you talking about, Uncle Aster? Have you been drinking already? What's a divine aspect?"
The older man rolled his eyes and scoffed.
"Wake up, boy, this isn't the real world."
Sunny stopped in place and went wide-eyed as the man's words seemed to do something to his very being, as if he was exerting his will on him. Sunny soon felt himself trembling with fear as he realized who the man truly was, and at the same time, he seemed to remember something else.
Soon, everything around him looked wrong, and he felt himself wake up as Asterion said.
Once he registered where he was, Sunny slowly turned to look at the man and took several steps back in fear, dropping the pack of water bottles to the ground in the process.
"Y-you! How…. This shouldn't be possible; a daemon, a divine being, made this place."
Before Asterion could answer, Vale spoke loudly from the floor above them.
"Sunless? Aster? We heard something drop. Is everything okay?"
Asterion smiled at him and spoke loudly.
"Yeah, everything is fine, I just scared Sunny a bit, that's all. The pack of water bottles he was holding dropped to the ground, no harm done!"
Anvil was silent for a bit before speaking again, his voice coming through the ceiling of the basement.
"Oh, okay, well, stop messing around and come on up, we're waiting for you!"
"We'll be there in a few minutes, Vale!"
"Alright!"
Asterion sighed.
"Anyway, resuming our conversation, Ah, what does little Nephis always say? If that is my will, who dares to stop me? Yes, that's right, the same applies here, Sunless. It is only natural that I can exert my powers more in the dream realm than in the waking world; all sovereigns are like this, by the way."
Sunny took another step back as his mind reeled in confusion, and another question popped into his head.
"How are you here? I don't understand. Are you controlling your reflection? How are you doing that? That…That shouldn't be possible,"
Asterion's smile dropped as he sighed.
"I came here over twenty years ago and waited until my reflection said his own name so that I could watch what that boy did when he was brought here by his remorseless brother. As for your second and third questions, no, I'm not here, and no, I can't control it, not entirely at least; I can only speak through it, and even then, it takes a great deal of essence to do so, or maybe it barely uses essence at all, and I'm simply lying to you.
Sunny couldn't hide his confusion.
"Boy? Do you mean Mordret? What brother? Mordret doesn't have a brother. What the hell are you talking about?"
Asterion frowned slightly.
"Ah, so many questions, slow down,"
Sunny shook his head and took another few steps back. He didn't believe his words about not being able to move.
"Ki Song said that she and Anvil killed all of your followers and wiped every trace of you, making the world believe that there were two sovereigns. So you're supposed to be-"
Asterion's smile returned as he finished Sunny's sentence for him.
"Trapped? Yes, I am trapped, more
Specifically, I'm trapped on the moon. I'm surprised Cassia didn't tell you yet. It must've slipped her mind, the poor girl. But you should understand something, Sunless, just because my domain is diminished doesn't mean I can't use my powers."
"That's impossible,"
Asterion let out a laugh.
"Maybe it is, or maybe I'm no longer on the moon, and I'm simply buying time to make my way here and kill Cassia. It would be so easy, after all, she has no power here, and she is still blind, yet so delicate. Ah, I'll probably tear her eyes out and rip off her pretty face. Normally, I would eat the person too, but eating skinny people like her never provides me with any nutrition, so I never bother and just kill them."
This….This sick bastard was a cannibal, and he was talking about it as if he were discussing the weather.
Asterion shook his head.
"No, I'm not a cannibal, as I don't consider myself human; to me, you all are just a source of food, just like how dead nightmare creatures are a source of food to you all."
Sunny suppressed a shiver and hid his fear behind a scoff.
"Why bother doing all this?"
Sunny immediately shook his head inwardly at the question.
He knew why the dreamspawn was telling him this: to instill fear in Sunny and make him paranoid. So that Sunny would be looking over his shoulder throughout his time in Mirage City and so that he couldn't find the missing fragment of we… no, no, of what Sunny had come looking here for. He couldn't think about it as Asterion was currently reading his mind in hopes of finding out what it was.
Asterion somehow smiled wider, making him less human.
"Ah, I was so close to finding out. But yes, that's right, I want you to realize that nowhere is safe for you, boy, not even in a place like this. Though unfortunately, your lucidness of not being a reflection in Mirage City and the memory of this conversation taking place won't last long due to what Mordret has done to the kingdom of imagination. Also, I can only exert my will on you to make you lucid for so long before the castellan of this place notices, so we should make haste. I'd rather not deal with him."
Sunny frowned and sneered at the man.
"It doesn't matter, we're going to annihilate you and send you back to whatever hellhole you came from."
Asterion's grin widened, making him look like a beast more than a man.
"Say whatever you want to keep your fear clumsily hidden behind this false confidence, boy. You and I both know you can't kill an idea. But I have one: we'll play a game. I ask you a question, and you answer. You ask me a question, and I'll answer. I know you're curious about me, and I'm curious about you. This will make it so that we both get what we want, and everyone leaves happy."
Sunny sneered and contemplated his choice. If he played his cards right, he could gain a lot of information about the dreamspawn. But he had to remember that the man in front of him could read minds.
"Why did you and the other sovereigns kill Broken Sword?"
Asterion's smile dimmed as he sighed mournfully.
"The short story of it was to protect humanity. My friend was going down a dangerous path that would fast-track the death of everyone in the realm of war, all because he was convinced his wife was trapped in the fifth nightmare. It took the three of us to take him down, and even then, it still wasn't enough. He was ferocious; it was honestly the hardest battle I've ever fought. But he ran off into the underworld, where the spell eventually announced his death."
"Cut the shit, I know that's not the truth,"
Asterion's eyebrows raised, and Sunny assumed he attempted to shrug, but, unable to control his reflection, his arms remained stiff as he held the pack of sodas. So the man settled for a relaxed smile.
"Actually, it mostly is, for Vale and Ki Song at least. From my perspective, though, the reason why I killed him is that he had something I wanted, just like you do, Lord Shadow. Oh, but I am awfully curious about what the heir of death is looking for in the palace of imagination, and why you have a mask of the demon of fate in your possession. So here is my question. Is what you're looking for something a daemon left behind?"
Sunny was forced to answer.
"Yes, it is."
Asterion's grin became wider.
"Your turn,"
Sunny pondered deeply for a moment.
"Why are you spreading your name? I know it can't be to get your domain back, there's something deeper to it."
Asterion smiled gently.
"You're a smart boy, just like Mordret. Anyway, it's so that I can devour everyone to become a spirit, or as it is now called, a sacred being."
"You crazy motherfu-"
"My turn, boy. What are you looking for? Go on, you can tell me the truth, well, I suppose you really do have to tell me the truth since your flaw is that you can't lie."
Sunny's eyes widened as he felt terror grip his being.
What?!
How?!
How did he know?!
No, wait… wait.
Sunny knew how the dreamspawn knew. It was when Mordret smelled the scent of a Dreamspawn all the way back in the night temple, and he asked Sunny if Asterion sent him here to kill him. That meant the moment Mordret said his name, the dreamspawn had been watching and listening through Mordret all those years ago, up until now, maybe even earlier, considering that Mordret lived with the dreamspawn at one point.
So when Mordret figured out that Sunny was planning to betray and kill the sovereigns all those months ago, Asterion knew. When Sunny immediately tried to play ignorant, Mordret told him he didn't have to lie, and then said he'd forgotten that Sunny couldn't lie at all. Asterion knew.
When Mordret told Sunny that he would help him kill Ki Song and Anvil in exchange for helping him reach natural supremacy, Asterion knew. When Mordret told Sunny and everyone else about his abilities, Asterion knew. He knew everything.
'Shit. Shit!'
The pain of his flaw became overwhelming, and he was finally forced to answer the question.
"A piece of something. Now, my turn, you said Ki Song and Anvil helped kill Broken Sword to protect humanity."
Asterion nodded with a grin.
"Go on,"
Sunny took a deep breath.
"I have several questions. Did you manipulate Ki Song and Anvil's thoughts into thinking that killing Broken Sword was the right thing to do so that you could take whatever he had? Did he find something of the demon of fate or the demon of destiny? After Ki Song and Anvil presumably left, thinking they killed him, based on what you said, did you just take whatever Broken Sword found?"
Sunny continued, not letting the man get a chance to speak.
"Did you manipulate their thoughts into making them believe your words of the spell announcing his death? Did you leave him alive and then lock him away somewhere so that he couldn't get out? After all, if what you said is true, then it took three of you to take down one man. So what hope would you have in delivering the killing blow by yourself?"
Asterion stared at him silently until Sunny finished, and when he did, the dreamspawn looked almost proud at the questions Sunny threw at him. It made Sunny want to punch him in the face.
"Finally, asking the big questions, are we? But that's not fair now, is it? You asked me several questions this time, while I've only been asking you one. But since you remind me of myself a bit, I will answer your questions. But in return, I get to ask several questions as well."
Sunny snarled.
"I'm nothing like you. Now answer my questions,"
The man opened his mouth to speak and suddenly frowned as his arms twitched in what looked to be involuntarily.
"Hmm, looks like our time is up. The castellan is finally taking notice. I'll remind you of this conversation and answer your question when we finally meet face to face. Until then. Enjoy this lie my student has conjured, and tell him I said hello."
Asterion's body went slack, and this time, Sunny didn't suppress the shiver and let it run through his body; the bastard knew his flaw to begin with.
He just lured Sunny into playing his game, knowing Sunny wanted information about him. Sure, Sunny got a bit of information on the dreamspawn, but Asterion had much more information about Sunny and his goals. He couldn't trust a single word that creepy bastard said. In fact, he doubted there was any castellan at all, and the bastard was just toying-
He stopped mid though as a sudden chill ran down his back. Turning around, he saw a pale woman with obsidian eyes and black hair, wearing a robe, standing before him with an emotionless expression and empty eyes.
Sunny slowly picked up the pack of water bottles and forced a pale smile as he greeted her.
"H-hey, Revel,"
The woman didn't respond for a long time, then suddenly broke into a wide smile and hugged him.
"Hey, Sunny, I didn't know you were here. I heard you and Aster talking about you needing to eat more from my room while I was half asleep, so to be honest, I didn't hear much of it."
Sunny patted her back silently in fear.
So this was the castellan? Revel?
He suddenly stopped as his thoughts soon left him, and he forgot what he was thinking about, along with what had taken place a few minutes ago. Sunny stood there blankly for a few moments, then slowly began hugging the woman back, a confused expression blooming on his face.
"Revel? I didn't even see you approach! I must've spaced out!"
Revel pulled away and held his shoulders as she patted them.
"You did, both you and Asterion, it's okay, it happens, come back down after dinner, we need to catch up!"
"We saw each other a week ago,"
Revel raised an eyebrow, her voice taking a dangerous tone.
"And?"
Sunny smiled nervously.
"I'll come in right now, but only for a bit,"
"Fine by me,"
Sunny turned away and watched as she walked back into her bright room. He turned to Asterion, who looked around in confusion.
"Alright, you alright, Uncle Aster?"
"Yeah, I guess I blacked out, maybe I had too much to drink already."
Sunny laughed.
"Maybe, anyway, what were you saying before?"
Asterion put his hand to his chin.
"What was I saying? Oh yeah! I said, and besides, you've always had a way of talking your way out of things, so don't think you can talk your way out of this one. You know, Morgan or Nephis would tie you down and feed you if they had to. Why? Are you alright?"
Sunny slowly nodded and smiled at the man.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, I guess I misheard you, sorry, I'm still a bit woozy myself from the drive here by a lunatic."
Asterion shook his head with a smile as he began walking back to the stairs.
"Not a problem, boy, come on, we've wasted enough time already."
"Actually, I'm going to hang out with Revel for a bit. Tell the others to start eating."
"Alright,"
Sunny began walking, but stopped when he found himself drawn to the ceiling and was shocked to see the same spider he had seen from upstairs. It was now somehow in the basement, expertly weaving its web in the corner of the ceiling without paying Sunny any mind.
Sunny shook his head.
'No way, that has to be a different one, there's no way it could be down here that fast. That driver really messed me up.'
Sunny lingered before pushing on a door; the first thing he heard was music coming from the spare room, where she always stayed whenever she was over here.
The music playing was a band he had become familiar with since he had been around her often. It was a band called Loathe, the song playing was called 'Screaming.' Soon, another song started playing. This one was much different than before.
"Hey, what's this band called?"
Revel smiled as she patted the bed beside her
"Bring me the horizon, come on, sit down, I have a lot of bands to introduce you to."
…
Mordret smiled as he picked up his fork.
"So have you taken Ki Song's offer yet?"
Sunny shook his head.
He had come up after his thirty-minute lecture on bands she knew. She always did that to him in hopes of having a concert buddy in the future.
"No, not yet,"
Mordret raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? How come? You know you're her favorite, of course, she'll never admit that in front of Kai or me, but we all know that you are."
"I'm not sure, she's nice, very nice, and I always enjoy whenever she is around her, I just like the job that I have now."
Mordret nodded and opened his mouth to speak before his phone started vibrating.
"Hang on, I have to take this call."
"Alright,"
Mordret smiled and stood up from the table, went to the back door, opened it, and walked out onto the back porch, the cool night air hitting his face. He looked at the crescent moon in the night sky for a long time before glancing at the contact photo of an animal emoji, then answered it.
"Hello?"
The voice answered.
"Mordret?"
Mordret nodded at the open air with a polite smile.
"Yes, it's me,"
The voice perked up.
"Hello! You're the best CEO in the entire city, you know that? You're an even better friend! So could you be a dear friend and-
Mordret calmly shook his head in the open air and, with a sigh, interrupted the person.
"No, I'm not getting you another spa, you just had one yesterday."
The voice spoke in outrage.
"What?! Why not?! I don't wake up looking like this, you know? Someone as beautiful as me deserves frequent care and treatment."
Mordret laughed.
"Yes, I suppose you do, huh? So what is it?"
"Have you found it yet?"
Mordret sighed again and began walking around the back porch.
"No, I haven't found it yet. I'll let you know when I do."
The voice became agitated.
"Now it's no rush really, but speed it up, will you?! It's very important to me; it was given to me as a gift, I already have the item I brought with me to this place, and now I need this. You must find it, Mordret. I can't remember where I last placed it, as it's been forever since I lost it. Ah, you know my memory isn't how it used to be due to my old age, help a senior citizen out, young man."
Mordret almost laughed.
"I've been looking for it for over twenty years. I'm sorry, but it's gone. Tell me, how did you end up in Mirage City again?"
"No, no, it's still out there somewhere, I know it, anyway, have you really forgotten already?! I told you that I was chased here by a bunch of religious fanatics and I've been hiding ever since."
Mordret smiled as he leaned against the railing.
"They're probably long gone by now, friend."
The voice sighed over the phone.
"Maybe, but it's not like I can leave here like Kain and Jessandra, as he would know, like always, and try to kill me. It's part of his mission after all, at least that's what he still believes."
"I know, but I'll get you out of here somehow as I did for them. I promise,"
"I know you will. Now enjoy your dinner. May fate be on your side, gods know it wasn't for me."
I hope you enjoyed this chapter. :)