[You have received an Echo.]
"...What!"
An Echo!
Hurriedly summoning the runes, Sunny looked at his runes.
Echoes: [War Priestess Solvane].
His eyes widened.
He really did get an Echo of Solvane!
"Incredible!"
He had never once forgotten just how powerful Solvane was. Even when she was fighting Noctis, she didn't seem to unleash her aspect once and with just her fists Noctis was hopelessly outmatched by her.
But then Sunny saw something that surprised him even more.
Echo Type: Demon.
'Huh?'
She was a Demon?!
Diving into his Soul Sea, Sunny approached the white spheres between the black suns.
Summoning it down, the echo slowly approached the water, glowing slightly. The sphere floated down to the surface of the water before dimming, revealing…
"Oh my…"
…Perhaps the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, Solvane. Her gorgeous chestnut hair fell over her shoulders like delicate silk, as her silver eyes stared into the distance with a vacant gaze.
Sunny's face was currently burning red.
Because… she was also completely naked.
'I forgot Echoes were like this.'
Averting his gaze, Sunny silently summoned the Puppeteers Shroud over her body.
'Wait… that worked?'
Despite not being a carrier or the Nightmare Spell, Solvane was still able to use memories?
'It must be a human thing.'
But… Solvane didn't seem to be a human. She was a Demon.
Looking back at Solvane as the black leather finished weaving itself over her, Sunny was slightly disheartened by how good his armour looked on her.
Trying his best to ignore the unnerving, soulless look in her eye, Sunny muttered to himself.
"Just how are you a Demon…?"
And just as he said that, he saw something.
Beneath the fair skin of Solvane, something was crawling.
It looked like countless vines were moving under the surface of her body, just waiting to burst forth.
Taking a step back, Sunny grimaced slightly.
'Gross…'
So this was why she was a Demon: she and the Wormvine had been together for so long the Spell had considered them as one, creating an Echo of both of them. The Wormvine and her seemed to have some sort of symbiotic relationship, or perhaps a parasitic one.
'I know I told you to rest but… seems like you're working for me now.'
Despite his distaste in using human echoes, he would not give up one as powerful as this.
Especially when that one was Solvane! She was a servant of War with a thousand years of combat experience, an ancient warrior who had fought and triumphed in too many battles to count!
Her strength was incredible, Sunny was sure that once he had gotten Serpent to Transcend, he would've used it to transform into Solvane, she was just that impressive in his mind.
But now… she was going to be a direct Shadow of his.
Glancing further down at the runes, Sunny wanted to see just what kind of aspect she had, as he had never gotten a chance to see it before.
Echo Rank: Transcendent.
'Hah…'
He now had two Transcendents serving him!
Slightly giddy, Sunny looked at her attributes.
Echo Attributes: [Priestess of War], [Conqueror], [Glorious], [Unveiled], [Flame of Divinity].
[Priestess of War] Attribute Description: "You are a priestess born for war."
[Conqueror] Attribute Description: "You are a conqueror of all beings. Your strength is unmatched."
[Glorious] Attribute Description: "Your power grows the more enemies you defeat."
[Unveiled] Attribute Description: "You easily see through manners of deceit."
'Holy…'
These were some impressive attributes!
'Glorious… so this was why she was so powerful, even without her aspect.'
'Unveiled? Noctis must've been even more skilled than I thought he was, to fool her in such a manner. This must have been how she was always able to see me in the shadows too…'
Already wildly impressed with her attributes, Sunny moved on to her abilities.
Echo Abilities: [Slayer], [Ruinous], [Calamity], [Wormvine], [Transcendent].
[Slayer] Ability Description: "This Echo can greatly enhance their strength and speed"
[Ruinous] Ability Description: "This Echo can temporarily absorb elements into itself and channel them."
[Calamity] Ability Description: "This Echo's strength grows continuously during battle"
[Wormvine] Ability Description: "This Echo can transform into a swirling mass of vines."
'Her transformation was replaced by the Wormvine? Shame… I wanted to see what it was.'
[Transcendent] Ability Description: "This Echo can absorb spirit essence as well as use enchanted objects provided by its master."
"Just… wow…"
This… she was incredibly powerful! It seemed she was actually using her aspect when he had seen her fight, Sunny just hadn't realised because it was just a simple physical enhancement.
'But still…'
This strength… she could even absorb spirit essence, allowing her to fight even longer. Sunny guessed that her source element was war, so she would be constantly absorbing spirit essence while she was fighting.
Supremely happy with his new echo, Sunny looked at its description.
Echo Description: [Even after suffering for thousands of years, the Priestess of War never gave up on her humanity.]
What Sunny was surprised by however, was the fact that none of Solvane's attributes or abilities enhanced her willpower. He had thought that surely for one to hold on to their humanity for thousands of years, it had to have been because their aspect helped them in some way.
But Solvane held on through sheer will.
Or perhaps she didn't have a choice, her fate leaving her incorruptible.
Tapping the echo on the shoulder, Sunny looked at a new string of runes.
[Transform Echo into Shadow?]
But just as Sunny was about to say yes, he remembered.
'Wasn't I planning on making the Coffer into an Echo? I should study this one first…'
Nodding with a satisfied smile, Sunny left his Soul Sea and retrieved the three transcendent soul shards from Solvane's body.
He then proceeded to shadow step to the Mordant Mimic's body.
Summoning the Covetous Coffer, a familiar toothy steel box appeared before him.
As he took out all of the coins stored within the Mordant Mimic, Sunny stored them within the Coffer.
'I should add the enchantments I had before onto you…'
As he didn't currently have the [Essence Pearl], or anything of the like, storing humans within the Coffer wasn't possible just yet. But he still wanted to do it just to practice his weaving, in preparation for turning the Coffer into an echo.
After fishing out the remaining coins as well as its soul shards, Sunny stepped to the edge of the island before leaping off.
Flying off on Shrike Sunny looked back at the shipwreck, the fire having long been put out to preserve the hull.
'What should I do with you…'
Although he already had a large Transcendent Devil he could fly on, Sunny would've still liked to have the Chain Breaker at his side again. Maybe he would gift it to someone?
Sunny also didn't know what to do with the soul coins he had gotten from the Mimic as he had already fully saturated all of his cores, there just wasn't much he could do with it. The only use Sunny could think of was resaturating his cores after he had sacrificed a couple hundred shadow fragments to turn Solvane into a Shadow.
'Maybe I'll just give it to someone who needs it. Could Jet use it?'
As the sun slowly rose above the Chained Isles, Sunny flew back to the Sanctuary of Noctis.
***
Arriving back to the Sanctuary of Noctis, Sunny was greeted by a strange sight.
A crowd was gathered at the gateway, and people seemed to be… cheering?
'What's going on?'
Having dismissed Shrike, Sunny was currently climbing the heavenly chains connected to the citadel.
Sending his shadows to get a closer look, Sunny realised what was going on.
Tyris had returned from the Third Nightmare!
She had gained a true name, Sky Tide, as well as bringing back many harrowing stories of the past.
For this time, it was truly a monumental achievement. There weren't even ten Saints in the world currently!
Moving his shadows closer, Sunny heard her speaking to the crowd.
"...Hearth will now be leaving the Chained Isles and returning to Bastion. White Feather will now continue looking over the Sanctuary of Noctis."
'Good!'
Although Hearth seemed like a decent person, he was still someone loyal to Valor. If Sunny slipped up, he was sure that he would report him.
"And as of today, White Feather will begin cleansing the Corruption from every single island surrounding the Sanctuary of Noctis, anyone who would like to join can do as they please."
The surrounding Awakened cheered upon hearing that.
They could finally leave the Sanctuary without worry!
"That will be all. Come find me if you have any queries."
Finally making it onto the island, Sunny saw Tyris. Although her presence felt a bit weaker, her appearance was still breathtaking, her blonde fluttering in the wind as her amber irises scanned the crowd.
As the crowd slowly shuffled away to return to their duties, Sky Tide's eyes fell onto Sunny.
Sunny expected her to only give him a cursory glance before leaving but…
She was staring at him.
Sunny was a little scared.
'Why… Why is she looking at me?! I didn't do anything!'
Sunny's heart began to beat a little faster as she began walking towards him.
Not letting his nervousness show, Sunny also began to walk towards Tyris, an impassive look on his face.
And as he grew close, Sunny bowed.
"Greetings, Lady White Feather."
"Greetings. What is your name?"
'Oh… she just wants to know who I am. I'm a new face after all.'
"It's Sunless, madam."
"Hm. Profession?"
"I am a scout, I report on dangerous nightmare creatures that lurk nearby."
"I see. Wh-"
"Tyris!"
As a shadow fell over both of them, Sunny looked up.
'Roan! My saviour!'
Sunny had no idea what Sky Tide wanted to ask him, but speaking with a Saint was always going to be dangerous.
'With my Shadows… killing a Saint wouldn't be impossible, no?'
Not that he wanted to… Especially when it was someone like Tyris, who he felt a strong kinship with.
"Roan."
Tyris looked up at the descending griffin with a wide smile on her face.
Leaping off the griffin, Roan landed next to Tyris before giving her a crushing hug.
"I knew you'd make it! Welcome back, sunshine!"
Sunny stared at the pair awkwardly, before quietly muttering.
"...I'm just gonna go."
Seeing as the pair were too entranced with each other to remember that he was there, Sunny silently walked towards the gateway before leaving.
'Damn couples… Leave me alone!'
***
Returning to the real world, Sunny jumped out of his sleeping pod and began stretching within the darkness of his basement.
'Guess I'll start studying the Echo right away…'
But… there was a slight problem.
Sunny was currently using the Puppeteers Shroud to clothe Solvane, leaving himself with only the Mantle. But the Mantle was quite weak currently, leaving Sunny without a decent set of armour.
'How the hell did this even happen…'
Before making his way to shipwreck island, Sunny had only received a couple memories in the entire two months he spent hunting the Chained Isles. Both memories had little use, and weren't even worth mentioning.
He did not have a single decent set of armour! He didn't even have an Ascended set!
'I miss the Shroud…'
The Shroud of Graceless Dusk had served him well in the time he had used it, it was both comfortable and durable and had many useful enchantments. But now it was gone, just like the rest of his Memories from before.
'Maybe I'll buy something?'
He had quite a large reserve of soul shards after all… But it would look incredibly suspicious if he tried to sell them. Maybe he should try the black market?
Shaking his head, Sunny summoned the echo of Solvane.
Trying his best not to let his thoughts run wild, Sunny looked at the weave of the beautiful woman.
But as he was studying the Echo, he heard a voice.
"Sunny! Are you he-"
Jet was standing at the entrance.
And she had just seen Sunny… staring at his echo.
As Sunny was currently looking at the radiant embers within the soul of the Echo, his eyes were pointed… straight towards the Echo's chest.
As both Sunny and Solvane turned to look at Jet, he could only stutter slightly.
"T-This… isn't what it looks like."
"Come on… I even knocked…"
Closing the steel shutter of his basement, Jet turned and ran back upstairs.
"Wait!"
His reputation was already ruined in the neighbourhood! He couldn't let Jet think the same too!
Sunny Shadow Stepped to the entrance of his home, blocking Jet's path, his face burning red.
"Would you please let me explain myself? And why are you here?"
Jet seemed to be trying her best not to burst out laughing.
"S-Sunny… heheh… who was that? Heheh… You were… Gahahaha!"
Tearing up slightly, Jet added.
"You didn't lock the door!"
Grimacing slightly, Sunny answered her question.
"That was an Echo, so get those ridiculous thoughts out of your head!"
Jet seemed to sober up upon hearing that, now looking at Sunny with a strange expression.
"A... A human Echo… What have you done, Sunny? And why were you… Gahaha! Why were you staring at her breasts?!"
Despite her suspicions, Jet couldn't stop laughing at the thought.
'What's even so funny, huh?! It was for a purely academic reason!'
"It's not a human. Well, she kind of is, but not really. And I wasn't staring at her chest damn it! I was looking at her soul! And you still haven't answered, why are you here? Come to steal my food again? I haven't bought any yet, just so you know!"
Jet backed up a bit, now a little nervous.
"Well… you said I could stay here couldn't I? So I packed my things and moved out of the government compound, and here I am."
Sunny blinked, his mouth still open.
'...Right. I did say that.'
Spreading his Shadow Sense outside, Sunny saw that it was now nearing the evening, and a PTV was slightly humming outside, plenty of items contained in the back.
"Right… Alright."
Putting a hand over his face in embarrassment, Sunny opened the door to help her move her things inside.
"Did you bring a sleeping pod?"
"Not yet, I was going to bring that next. There's not enough space in my PTV you see…"
Jet was still snickering slightly, having just witnessed an unbelievable situation.
"So Sunny… you were studying her soul right? How big was her soul?"
"...Damnation… You- Gah! Well if you must know, she is actually a Demon! So her soul is quite large!"
Jet burst out laughing when he mentioned that her soul was large.
"Okay! Okay… So, why were you studying its soul?"
Sunny grimaced before speaking in a quiet tone.
"I'm trying to learn how to create something like her."
Jet's eyes widened upon hearing that.
"You-"
"Not now. I'll answer any questions you have later. Remember to make sure you don't have any bugs on you."
"Alright!"
As the pair jogged towards the parked PTV, Sunny decided to change the conversation.
"So, any promotions from killing that Tyrant?"
Jet smiled upon hearing that.
"A small one! But I got a pretty good pay raise too, I should really clear Gates more often! Master Cor also said that I had 'potential to become a great asset in the future' or something too."
Sunny nodded.
"Your Aspect does seem quite lethal."
"Not like yours isn't either."
They both snickered as they walked.
…And after several minutes of moving stuff Sunny honestly thought was junk, they were done.
Looking at Jet suspiciously as she carried a chair that seemed a little too nice for what she described her living situation to be like, Sunny couldn't help but ask.
"That chair… You didn't steal that did y-"
"I don't know what you're talking about! This chair was given to me as a gift!"
"...Right."
Not believing her even a little bit, Sunny made way for her to place the chair in the living room.
"Can you even fit a sleeping pod in the back of that PTV? Surely the government provides one of those big and robust ones…"
Jet seemed a bit nervous upon hearing that.
"Well… I was thinking, couldn't I just strap it to the roof?"
Sunny's face remained neutral.
"Do what you think is best."
Jet looked at Sunny with a bit of suspicion.
"Do what I think is best? You're… you're totally making fun of me in your head!"
Sunny's face slowly turned to Jet's, his expression stone cold.
"...Yeah."
"Cheh. Then do you have any ideas?!"
Sunny nodded.
"I do."
"Ha, see-! Oh… you do?"
"Yep. You see, I happen to have obtained a pretty good spatial storage memory just a few hours ago…"
"You did?! Sunny, please help me out! You know strapping it to the roof isn't going to work! Come on!"
Sunny turned his head away.
"Sunny!"
Turning his head back, Sunny really was trying his best not to laugh.
"Alright. But if I do this you have to buy your own food."
"Okay!"
…And so that was how Sunny had ended up in the passenger seat of Jet's PTV, cruising along the road back to the government building she reported to.
'Come to think of it… Aside from the academy, this is the first time I'm going to one of these in NQSC isn't it?'
Sunny got comfortable in his seat, not too enthused at the prospect.
But as he was admiring the view of the city from the window, he felt something.
The lazy shadow… was alerting him of something.
'Nephis! Did something happen?!'
Taking control of the lazy shadow, Sunny heard her voice.
"Mister Shadow…?"
Sunny immediately spread his Shadow Sense outwards from the shadow, searching desperately for any signs of danger.
But he found none.
'Is she really just trying to ask a question?'
Answering through his shadow, Sunny said:
"What is it?"
Jet turned to look at him in confusion, but Sunny pointed to his shadow, telling her he was speaking to someone else.
"Y-You said I could ask you anything right?"
"I did."
"Then… What's 644 divided by 16? Teacher is trying to teach me math but I'm a little bad at division…"
The shadow speaking to the young girl went silent.
'She's asking me to help her with… homework? I know I said ask me anything, but… Agh, whatever!'
"40.25. And don't worry about being bad at math. I could only do basic math when I was twice your age, you know?"
"Hehehe, really? Thank you Mister… Sunless?"
"That's right. But… how are you going to explain to your teacher the method by which you got your answer?"
"U-uhm… I don't know?"
Sunny smiled slightly at her innocence.
"Well, the method you use to divide is…"
…After explaining step by step, Sunny made sure Nephis understood exactly how he got that answer.
"I.. I think I get it now! Thanks Mister Sunless!"
"Don't sweat it. There's no shame in asking for help."
And with that, the lazy shadow went dormant once more, Sunny releasing control over it.
Although Sunny did check in every once in a while, he was not going to constantly monitor Nephis.
Even though he did want her to be safe… he also wanted her to have privacy. He remembered being a kid too. Even though it did get lonely sometimes, no company at all was better than nosy people constantly poking into your business. And besides… spying on a kid? That was totally creepy.
The conversation now being over, Sunny relaxed in his seat once more, before Jet curiously turned to him.
"Who was that?"
"A kid I'm taking care of."
"A kid? You… Do you have an illegitimate child? At your age?! Sunny!"
Turning his head to her slowly, Sunny looked at her with a dumbfounded expression.
"...The hell are you talking about?! Of course not! She just lives near me and I left a shadow with her just in case!"
Jet turned to him, slight worry in her eye.
"Rea-"
"Really. I'll tell you later if you're really that curious."
Sunny said that because during their small conversation, they had arrived at Jet's place of work.
…Looking up at the building, Sunny felt like it was more of a fortress.
Located within a major district of the city, it was a compact building that was a lot smaller than Sunny thought it would be. He was not fooled though, he was sure most of it was hidden underground.
Entering through the automatic glass doors, Jet flashed a badge at the receptionist who nodded and let them in.
Entering further into the building, Jet brought Sunny into a small corridor as they walked towards an elevator.
But as they were, a deep voice was heard behind them.
"Jet."
As they turned, Sunny saw a familiar face.
It was Wake of Ruin, but at this time, he was only known as Master Cor.
He was dressed in a simple government uniform, his coat discarded and hair combed neatly. The signature smell of rot that followed him was strangely absent, and his hair was still a deep black colour with not a single wrinkle on his face.
"Master Cor!"
Jet saluted the moment she saw him, her back straightening.
Cor walked towards them, his boots clamoring loudly against the floor.
"Who's this?"
"This is Awakened Sunless, sir! A friend of mine!"
"I see, good to meet you young man."
Sunny nodded in respect.
"Good to meet you too."
Although Sunny was not a fan of a lot of the government's methods, he knew that without Master Cor the world would probably be a lot worse off than it was right now.
"I've read your report on the Forgotten Shore. You did well, to survive and bring back valuable knowledge like this."
Sunny bowed slightly.
"I simply did my duty."
Cor nodded at the pair.
"That is all. You may leave, Jet."
"Yes sir!"
As the two shuffled away, Sunny whispered slightly.
"That's who you work under?"
Jet whispered back, her face wrought with worry.
"Yeah… But, usually he always gives me a task when he sees me… That was so strange! I think he likes you!"
Getting in the elevator, the pair remained silent as they descended.
…Arriving on the residential floor, Jet handed in her room key to the floor manager, as she was moving out.
They then proceeded to go back in the elevator, descending further down to where the sleeping pods were kept.
Arriving on the floor, Sunny entered the cold and dark room, the only lights seen were the small screens displaying the vital signs of the sleepers within the pods.
Making their way through the room, Sunny spoke to Jet, steam emitting from his mouth slightly from the chill.
"Are you sure you're allowed to take these?"
"Perfectly sure! I've already asked Master Cor."
Sunny glanced at the sleeping pods he walked past, noting that they were bolted into the floor tightly.
"Uh huh…"
Making it to Jet's designated sleeping pod, she proceeded to pick up the pod with her bare hands, the giant sleeping pod looking comical as it was held above her head.
'The bolts are missing…'
"So! Where's that storage memory you were talking about?"
Sunny said nothing, summoning the Covetous Coffer.
Kicking open the lid after enlarging the entrance as much as he could, the sleeping pod just barely fit.
As Jet dropped the pod into the chest, Sunny heard a loud clunk when it hit the bottom.
'I'm not going to be arrested for this am I?'
Shutting the lid, Sunny dismissed the coffer.
"Let's go."
Jet nodded, walking back towards the elevator.
She seemed to be a little nervous…
Ascending the floors in the elevator, they both stood in silence.
Until Sunny decided to ask her:
"Are you absolutely su-"
"I'm sure. Stop asking."
Jet then began to awkwardly whistle, tapping her foot slightly.
With a ding, the elevator opened.
Stepping out into the lobby, the pair quickly walked out.
And on the drive back, neither of them said a word…