Sunny sat in a train, his hands grasping together nervously.
Taking public transport, Sunny arrived at a neighbourhood about fifteen minutes away from his.
The reason Sunny had picked his house was because it was in between Rain and Nephis' homes, and he could reach both in the same amount of time.
Walking slowly through the neighbourhood, Sunny stopped before a house with a big window. Taking a deep breath, Sunny slowly approached it.
'Here goes nothing…'
His hand was raised for some time, preparing to knock on the door.
What if Rain's parents didn't believe he was Rain's brother? He doubted Rain would recognize him after all…
'It's still worth a shot…'
Despite his thoughts, Sunny still stood frozen in front of the door.
'Should I really do this?'
His hand was trembling slightly.
'Why…'
His hand still did not move. Instead, a shadow silently slid under the door.
The home was warm, the smell of breakfast wafting through the air. At the dining table, Sunny saw her.
Sitting with a boy a few years older than her was Rain. The boy, her brother, was currently feeding her some eggs, which she seemed to vehemently decline.
'Urhk…'
Sunny gritted his teeth.
'Rain…'
He could still remember… when both of them were children. Back when their mother was still with them, Rain had always clung to Sunny, following him around sweetly. And back then, she had looked just like that…
Sunny felt his face grow hot.
Lowering his hand, he silently turned away, placing his hands in his pockets.
'This… is for the best.'
Every step he took felt like he was wading through mud.
'I'll only be putting her in danger.'
His face was shrouded in deep shadows.
'She's better off without me.'
Sunny kept telling himself that.
'Her parents wouldn't even believe me anyways. Rain is only five… how on earth would she have a seventeen year old brother? It doesn't make sense.'
Despite his thoughts, Sunny didn't feel any better.
'If the Great Clans ever discover a link between me and her, it may as well be over.'
Hot tears welled up in his eyes.
'I… I can't put her in danger.'
Every step he took hurt. Wasn't this no different from abandoning her?
'I'll… I'll just watch from afar. She doesn't need me. Even before… she never needed me.'
Even now, despite the massively different circumstances, nothing had changed.
'It looks like your brother is running away, Rain.'
***
…Walking along the road, Sunny did not know where he was going.
He was just wandering, without any destination in mind.
His mind was shrouded in fog.
Eventually found himself in a park.
He heard the sound of children playing, families chatting, and people laughing.
Finding an empty bench, Sunny sat down for a moment to rest.
He took a deep breath, leaning back.
"Had a rough day?"
Sunny turned his head with slight surprise. Beside him, an older gentleman sat.
'When… when did he get there?'
"...You could say that."
The man nodded slightly, sighing.
"It happens. Sometimes life is just… well, I'm sure you know."
"Yeah…"
As Sunny was looking at the man, he saw a slight glimmer from his chest.
'Is he an Awakened?'
Shifting his vision, Sunny took a simple curious look.
Immediately turning away, Sunny sat up, looking at the people enjoying picnics in the distance with a straight face, his eyes slightly tired.
'...Is this it?'
The man… was a Supreme.
He felt as if cold steel was pressed against his neck.
'Am I going to die here?'
Given the fact that it wasn't Anvil, Sunny could only think of one person it might be.
Turning to the man, Sunny spoke with a plain voice.
"...You must be Asterion."
The small smile on the gentleman's face widened.
"Oh… How did you know?"
Sunny leaned back on the bench, getting comfortable.
"Your soul, I can see it."
"How curious…"
"What do you want?"
"I was just curious about you."
Sunny silently prayed within his mind.
But no one was coming to save him.
His Shadows could not save him.
The people around him could not save him.
He could not even save himself.
He could only hope Asterion wasn't here to kill him.
But… maybe he could gain something from this?
If he really was here just because he was curious… Then wouldn't it be fair for the Sovereign to answer some questions Sunny had too?
"Well, since I answered your question, will you answer one of mine?"
The man's eyes squinted slightly, his smile widening further.
The sight of it made Sunny shiver.
"Haha! Very well, you answer a question of mine, and I'll answer a question of yours. We both get… ten questions each! Deal?"
Sunny nodded.
"Deal."
He was very particular with his deals after all.
"Alright then. Are you here to kill me?"
"Of course not! Why would I do such a wasteful thing?"
Relaxing only slightly, Sunny waited for the man's next question.
"Do you bear Shadow's blood?"
"No."
The man's eyes widened slightly upon hearing that, as if he found the fact unbelievable.
…Little did he know that Shadow's blood was simply quietly resting within the darkness of his soul in the form of a Memory.
Seeing as Asterion went silent after asking his question, Sunny figured it was now his turn.
Sunny, not knowing if would ever get another chance like this, decided to ask a burning question in his mind.
"Why did you kill Broken Sword?"
"Asking the hard questions right away… Well, if you must know… It was because he was mad. Even after we had just finished the fourth nightmare, he already wanted to challenge the fifth! The world simply wasn't ready for a Sacred…"
Sunny's eyes narrowed upon hearing that.
He did not believe the man's story one bit.
"And the real reason?"
The man seemed slightly stunned that Sunny didn't buy his story.
"You're sharper than you seem. Well! The actual reason was because… he discovered something he shouldn't have."
Seeing as the man didn't continue, Sunny figured he would have to answer another question first.
Awaiting Asterion's next question, Sunny started to grow nervous.
If he asked the wrong questions… it could be over for Sunny.
"What is your relationship to Nephis?"
'What! How did he… Was he watching that day?!'
"She's someone I need to look after and care for."
The man nodded, seemingly satisfied with his bland answer.
Now it was Sunny's turn.
"What did Broken Sword discover?"
"Heheh… back then, many divine lineages were being discovered by the first generation. So he wanted one of his own. And he found one… Weaver's Forbidden Lineage. That was the real reason we killed him."
Sunny tried his absolute hardest to not let his expression slip.
"Weaver's Forbidden Lineage… Why would he need to be killed for that?"
The man gave Sunny a long look.
"Do you know about the Forgotten God?"
Sunny slowly nodded, hoping he wasn't making a mistake.
'Telling a mere Awakened about the Forgotten God… is he mad?'
Asterion didn't seem to care though.
"Well, Weaver is a piece of the Forgotten God. Just think about it… if he became a Supreme, he would build a massive domain, spanning the entire world. He would be worshipped, loved, and revered by humans from all over the world. The humans who all happen to contain a spark from the original flame of creation. With all of them worshipping a piece of the Forgotten God… it would only speed up their awakening. And so, Broken Sword needed to die. So in the depths of the Underworld after our Nightmare ended, we killed him."
Sunny lowered his head upon hearing that.
'I see… that makes sense.'
Many more things also made sense now.'
The reason why Sun God had imprisoned Hope.
The reason why the Daemons were seen as the Flaw of the Gods.
Why Nephis' dad had to be killed…
Although Sunny could understand the decision… it still didn't sit right with him.
'If these three could hide their existence so well, why couldn't he do it? Why kill him outright?'
Sunny did not say anything though, even though Asterion said he wouldn't kill him, he did not want to test his luck.
"That mask… Weaver's Mask. Why do you have it?"
'He…he knows about Weaver's Mask?!'
How?! He had only ever summoned it onc-
'Right… if he was watching me at Nephis' house then he would've seen Weaver's Mask.'
"I don't know. I found it in the form of an ownerless Memory."
Asterion seemed to fall into thought upon hearing his answer.
'This is bad… Just how long has he been watching me?'
"How long have you been watching me?"
"Watching you? Don't think yourself to be so important, boy. I only saw you that day at little Nephie's home."
'Little Nephie…'
Sunny nodded, his face still stone cold.
"Then… Why did you approach me?"
"I just happen to feel a great emotional disturbance in a powerful soul nearby, and then I find a curious fellow like you…"
'What?! Then… Then I should've just pretended not to know him! I thought he was here to kill me or something!'
That did not diminish his sense of danger at all though, and he was still just as vigilant.
Now somewhat embarrassed, Sunny awaited the man's next question.
"Weaver's Mask, where did you find it?"
His mind calmed, and Sunny did his best to steel himself.
"Within the basement of a ruined cathedral on the Forgotten Shore, it was on a dead prisoner."
Asterion seemed to show no reaction to hearing that.
'Does… does he not believe me? I really did find it there damn it!'
Sunny hoped to steer the questions away from the topic of Weaver, by asking about something most people shouldn't know.
"The Will, what is it?"
Asterion's eyes widened only slightly, his expression returning to neutral the next moment.
Sunny was a little frightened by his face…
Because he seemed like a kind older gentleman who was simply curious about him, and there wasn't even a hint of his terrifying power leaking out.
And now that Sunny had spoken to him for a bit, he felt that something was deeply unnatural about the man next to.
It was as if it was not a man at all, but something wearing a man.
"The Will… The Will is simply will. But Supremes and Transcendents can use their will to bend the world to their liking. And learning how to use it isn't necessarily something that can be taught, such a thing can only be experienced."
'So I couldn't figure it out because I'm too weak… But why did he add that last part? It's not like I was going to ask him to teach me…'
But thankfully… Asterion now seemed more interested in how he knew about the Will more than his connection to Weaver.
"How did you know about the Will?"
"I read in the description of some runes, something about the will or higher beings or whatever."
But sadly, Sunny's somewhat evasive answer seemed to dulled his interest completely.
'What.. what do I do?!'
Attempting to calm himself, Sunny asked his next question, hoping to divert Asterion's attention in any way possible.
"What are angels?"
Sunny regretted asking him the moment those words left his mouth.
An imperceptible quake went through his body, his heartbeat speeding up rapidly. Inside his body, he felt all his bones rattle.
And for a moment, Sunny saw Asterion shiver.
"Angels…? Boy… don't ever mention those beings again. They are terrifying beings of the Void. People like you and me shouldn't even think about them, let alone speak of them. Understand?"
"Y-Yeah…"
Sunny slowly calmed his beating heart after Asterion had lashed out slightly.
Looking at the peaceful park around him, Sunny saw the people around them avoiding the bench like the plague.
Despite the fact they didn't sense Asterion's power, a deep seated instinct prevented them from even approaching where he was.
Asterion looked him up and down, the friendly and curious look in his eye more subdued than before.
"Do you… know how the Doom War ended?"
'What… why would I know that!?'
Did he think Sunny knew a lot more than he thought just because he had mentioned angels? Did Asterion not know… that in the waking world, angels were quite a common concept, and seen as heralds of the Gods?
"I only know that it ended with both sides dying."
Asterion seemed a little disappointed by his answer.
Thinking of his next question, Sunny thought of something sinister.
"What… are Anvil and Song's Flaws?"
The smile on Asterion's face returned upon hearing that.
"Those are two questions, boy."
'Hm?'
"Didn't you say ten questions? That was my…"
Counting in his head, Sunny realised… it was indeed his tenth question, and Asterion, if he followed his own rules, had two more questions.
'But… But that was me requesting elaboration?! That counts as a question?'
How could he have been so stupid! Was Asterion's aspect messing with his mind somehow?
Taking a deep breath, Sunny simply decided to ask for the Flaw of the Sovereign he knew less about.
"What is Anvil's flaw?"
Asterion's smile widened, his teeth showing.
"He will lose everything he cherishes."
'Lose everything…?'
His Flaw… could hardly be exploited in battle. But it also explained a lot of why he ended up how he did.
'I don't think I'll be able to use that… Damnation!'
Heaving a deep sigh, Sunny glanced at Asterion.
'Gah!'
A massive smile lined his face, slight malice creeping into his eyes.
"Why do you panic so much every time I mention Weaver?"
'Shit!'
"Why... Why would I want to hear the name of that damn demon! Anything to do with that guy has danger written all over it!"
Asterion's grin seemed to widen further as he leaned in close, as if he had just cornered Sunny.
"Then… Do you know why fate seems to be in disarray right now?"
Sunny stared at him dumbly.
"...What do you mean?"
"One day, all of sudden, any Awakened whose abilities worked using fate, and any oracle who could peer into it… their abilities had become near unusable, as if fate was all jumbled. Do you know anything about that?"
"I… don't? I didn't even know such a phenomenon was possible."
The man blinked.
"What…?"
Asterion seemed shocked that Sunny truly had no idea what he was talking about.
Sunny had only realised the truth after he had already answered, perhaps saving his own life.
Asterion could no longer ask him anything else, their deal concluding.
"You… Nevermind. Well, that was my last question and I do believe that concludes our deal then. Good day to you, Sunless."
Getting up, he vanished.
'Wha-'
What was that?!
'I didn't even sense him move… Was that a spatial movement ability?'
Looking around, Sunny realised that he was truly gone.
Slumping on the bench, he heaved an immense sigh of relief, immediately standing up and leaving.
The grief that had been clouding his heart earlier was gone, now replaced with trepidation and fear.
'H-Holy hell…'
He had survived an encounter with a Sovereign.
He did not know whether or not he was close to death just now, but he knew that he stood no chance whatsoever against a Sovereign.
'I'm… still too weak.'
He was still a mere Awakened. Perhaps it was time to speed up his progress.
Until he was at least a Transcendent, even standing a chance against a Sovereign was completely out of the question.
'But… I learned a lot from that. What was he even talking about at the end… fate being messed up? H-'
Sunny blinked.
'Wait… Fate? It's… it's me!'
He had returned to the past without his fate. As a fateless one, he had broken the predetermined path for the world.
'I… I can't believe it.'
He let out a breath, panting from the sheer mental exertion from the conversation he just had.
'Damnation…'
Leaning forward, he covered his forehead with a palm, breathing heavily.
Then, he laughed slightly.
'Looks like I got more from that than you…'
The thought terrified and exhilarated Sunny. He had entered an exchange of information with a Supreme and had come out with more answers than him.
'I… really hope I don't ever see that guy again.'
Heaving another shaky breath, Sunny began walking a little faster.
'Just what the hell was that…'
As he walked, pale and sweating slightly, he went over the information he had learned.
'I was right in trying to keep a low profile.'
If he had become a widely renowned Awakened, he would only be speeding up the awakening of the Forgotten God. The fact that Broken Sword had been killed just because he had it terrified Sunny, but thankfully Asterion didn't seem to think Weaver's Forbidden Lineage was in the blood of Sunny.
'The Underworld…'
Broken Sword's cohort seemed to have conquered a seed within the Underworld, and if Broken Sword had truly died there, then if Sunny wanted to retrieve the piece of Weaver's lineage from him, he'd have to go to the Underworld.
But that was most certainly something to do in the future.
'I don't even know where the other weaves are…'
Thinking deeply of how he might find the other ones, Sunny continued to ponder.
'I need to ascend soon…'
The reason he had no luck whatsoever in wielding his Will, was because his existence was just too weak.
Asterion had said that it was something wielded by Saints and Sovereigns, but Sunny was sure he'd at least be able to use a faint trace of it as a Master.
After all, Serpent could, even if only somewhat.
If an Ascended Titan like Serpent could, why couldn't he?
'I need to hurry.'
Despite the fact that he had plenty of time before the Domain War or Chain of Nightmares, Sunny still needed to make haste.
The sheer fact that a Sovereign like Asterion was still out there terrified him.
He could show up at any time, maybe even anywhere.
As much as Sunny hated the fact, he was sure that this wouldn't be their last meeting.
But… if their meetings had gone like how they just had now, Sunny would be prepared next time. Although he most certainly learned some valuable information, he had still wasted many of his precious questions without even realising.
Arriving at a store in front of his neighbourhood, Sunny went inside to buy some things.
Picking up a tub of ice cream, Sunny felt his fear subside somewhat.
He was going to treat himself to some sweets, in hopes it might improve his mood a little.
…Returning home, Sunny walked in to find Jet lazily lying on his sofa, scrolling away on her communicator.
Hearing Sunny enter, she turned to him.
"Sunny! You uh… look like shit? What happened?"
Walking over to the dining table, Sunny took out the tub of ice cream he had just bought.
"I met a Sovereign."
Upon hearing that, Jet went silent.
It seemed that working under someone like Master Cor made her privy to some more private information after all.
"I damn near thought he was gonna kill me! Thankfully, we just exchanged some information and he left."
"...Damn. Sunny, I- Was it him then? The one where… people are afraid to say his name?"
"Yeah."
Enjoying a mouthful of delicious sweetness, Sunny's face didn't change.
'This… isn't helping at all.'
What would he have to do to alleviate his mood, even somewhat?
Sunny slid the tub of ice cream to the side, offering it to Jet.
"I'm not hungry anymore, do you want this?"
"...Sure."
Pulling up a chair next to him, Jet began digging in.
'Seems she doesn't realise the severity of such a situation just yet.'
Sunny said nothing, instead choosing to watch Jet eat as he remained silent.