Sunny stared at the perfect white jade above his bed.
He was currently attempting to refine his essence even while asleep. But he was having some trouble sleeping while constantly maintaining his focus.
With his recent breakthrough in refinement, he began attempting to refine throughout the entire day. Be it while sitting idly, walking around, or while fighting — he was constantly refining his essence. Or at least trying to, his focus was not perfect and his refinement had been interrupted several times already.
'This is definitely an improvement…'
Continuing to refine, Sunny slowly drifted off into oblivion.
***
Calida stood before a desk, reading the messages displayed on the monitor.
On the other side of the desk, Thrain sat. His face was currently buried in his hand as his disheveled hair hung loose.
"How many died?"
With an exhausted sigh, Thrain answered Calida:
"Three. But the rest are requesting leave or just quitting entirely."
Valor had struck, attacking one of the businesses that kept Immortal Flame afloat. One of their offices had three of their employees go missing, as well as many more receiving terrifying threats. The business they ran was forced to be shut down. The government could do nothing, and as it was a matter dealing with mundane humans, the Awakened would naturally not step in.
They had tried sending their own retainers and Awakened to find out what had happened, but nothing had turned up.
"Should we… ask Sunless?"
Thrain seemed uncomfortable with the idea, as this was a problem with their clan, not Nephis.
Calida was impassive as always, thinking deeply on what they should do.
"We should at least tell him. Whether or not he helps is up to him."
Thrain sighed deeply.
"...Alright."
The two entered the room Nephis was currently in, dismissing the servant that was teaching her how to cook.
"Nephis."
"Yes?"
"Can you… ask Sunless to come here? We need to speak with him."
Nephis tilted her head in confusion.
"What do you mean come here? He's always here!"
And just as she said that, her shadow spoke.
"What is it?"
Calida stared strangely at her shadow as Thrain took a single step back.
Clearing her throat, Calida asked:
"Can we… speak to you somewhere else?"
The shadow didn't speak for a moment.
"Alright."
And just then, a human-shaped shadow separated itself from Nephis' before gliding towards them.
"Lead the way."
Calida nodded, immediately leaving the room. Thrain stared at his own shadow with a slight frown before following her.
Now in the room they had once spoken in, Calida didn't hesitate to tell Sunny what had happened.
"One of our businesses was attacked… Three people have disappeared and we've been forced to terminate it after all of our people resigned."
"..."
The room was silent as the shadow seemed to be thinking deeply.
Eventually, it moved slightly.
"That isn't something I can help with. And I am currently in the Dream Realm for at least another week."
Thrain sighed at the response, as Calida remained impassive.
"But if you can create an opportunity for me, I can send a message."
Thrain seemed slightly worried at his words.
"Opportunity?"
"Leave some bait out. If anyone comes after it, I'll kill them."
Thrain grew silent.
"Just think about it. If you find it distasteful, then it's no problem."
After the shadow said that, it seemingly vanished, merging into the shadows populating the room.
Neither Thrain nor Calida said anything for a while.
***
Merging once more with Nephis' shadow, Sunny thought deeply.
'They're already moving onto their properties and businesses… Damn ghoul.'
He had prevented Song from making moves for now, but Valor was still continuing their attempts to suppress them.
'What shoul-'
"Sunny?"
Sunny's thoughts were interrupted by Nephis.
'How did she notice I returned?'
"What is it?"
Nephis seemed… sullen. Her voice was quiet and her shoulders were hunched over.
"What… What were you and grandmother talking about?"
"..."
Sunny sighed in his heart. Nephis was a smart child, and hiding such matters from her wasn't simple.
As much as Sunny wanted to spare her from the knowledge of her clan's downfall, hiding things from her might've just ended up hurting her even more.
"One of your clan's businesses. Some of its people have disappeared, and the rest have fled."
Nephis lowered her head, her face obscured by her black hair.
Sunny heart ached at the sight.
'Nephis… I'm sorry.'
He wished he could stop it all. He wished he could protect her so that she could live her entire life without worries.
But he couldn't. He was far too weak, and the world was far too cruel.
He couldn't even emerge from his shadow to comfort her properly.
He wanted to hug her, to tell her everything was going to be alright.
…But he couldn't, because that would've been a lie.
Sunny had no idea what the future held. All he could do was fight as hard as he could.
"Nephis."
Nephis sniffled slightly.
"Y-Yeah?"
"It's not your fault. So cease those useless thoughts now."
Sunny wasn't good at comforting people. He was even worse when it came to children. But he felt he had to at least say something, just to let Nephis know she wasn't alone.
Nephis was a smart child, but she was also a sensitive one. She often listened in on the conversations of the adults around her, and she was nowhere near as ignorant as she seemed. Sunny had no doubt that she blamed herself for the things happening to her clan. After all, everything had started with an attempt on her life.
"Then… why?"
"Because they fear you."
Turning to her shadow, she stared at it with teary eyes.
"Me? Why? Why… I've never done anything to them!"
Frustrated tears streamed down her face.
Sunny felt as if he was being stabbed.
"They fear what you might become."
"And what is that?! Just what might I become?!"
"Strong. You will be strong."
Wiping her face as snot trailed down her nose, Nephis hugged her knees.
"Strong…?"
"...Yeah."
And after a moment of silence, she added:
"Do you think that too, Sunny?"
Her voice was so, so small.
"No."
"Th-"
"You are already strong."
Nephis was stunned into silence at his words.
"Someone your age should never have to go through this. But you are. The world isn't kind to people like us, Nephis. All we can do is be strong and not let it consume us."
Nephis lowered her head.
"Then… what do you do about it then, Sunny?"
The shadow was silent for a moment.
"Fight."
"Fight…?"
"I fight. If the world wants me dead, so what? Ah… All this fighting I've done in the hopes that a kid like you won't have to. But…"
The shadow sighed.
"I'm only one man, and I am far too weak. So, you'll have to be strong too, Neph."
"Strong…"
Nephis went silent as her shadow grew still and lifeless.
Staring at her shadow, she clenched her fists.
***
Sunny stared at the ceiling in silence.
"Damn it…"
Despite his attempts at preventing it, Nephis' upbringing was repeating itself.
What was he supposed to do? He was a mere Awakened facing the might of a great clan.
Sure the worst of it was being warded off by Asterion, but there were still plenty of things they could accomplish.
Sunny was just a single person. Sure he was strong for an Awakened, but if a Saint attacked him there wasn't much he could do. He was even at risk of dying to Masters if he grew careless.
Sunny narrowed his eyes, the essence within his cores freezing cold.
***
In the depths of the Valor compound, sat in an office was a severe man, his sharp face and steely blue eyes seemed to look down on the world around him. He was tall, strong, and looked to be in the prime of his life.
And before him was a tough looking woman, seated comfortably on a leather chair.
"Aria."
"Yes?"
Although she was seated comfortably, Aria was somewhat nervous when speaking to Madoc. He was one of the most fearsome Saints to have ever lived, and was the nominal leader of Valor at that.
"In a month, Valor is going to host our annual ball. Are you familiar with it?"
Aria gripped her pants slightly.
"I am."
"I want you to attend it."
After a moment of silence, Aria asked:
"Might I ask why?"
Madoc smiled slightly.
"Are you not one of our rising stars? Of course you should attend."
Aria's expression did not change.
"And might I ask the real reason?"
Madoc's smile widened.
"Song Suming."
"...You want me to assess her power?"
"That's right. We've received a couple reports on her strength now, but for someone like this to seemingly appear out of nowhere… It's a little strange, don't you think?"
"Are you saying the reports on her strength might be fake, sir?"
Madoc leaned back in his chair, his hands clasped.
"No. Our people have personally seen her strength, and nothing about it is fake. What I'm saying is that she might not be who Song says she is."
"What do you mean, sir?"
Madoc sighed.
"What I mean is that, all her records state that she lived a regular life. Seventeen years old, orphaned, no relation to any Legacy clans, and no record of any specialized training. Yet after being infected by the Nightmare Spell, she was found within the wild reaches of the Song Domain after having survived there for several months. And having taken pity on her, Ki Song adopted her."
Madoc slid a small piece of paper across the desk.
Aria picked it up, looking at it.
"Is this her?"
A photo of a hazel eyed woman was on the paper. Her radiant smile and auburn hair seemed to light up the world, and her pearly white teeth were nearly glowing.
"Yes. Do you recognize her?"
Looking at the girl's features, Aria didn't recognize any.
"Not at all."
"Hm. Some of our people suspect that she was actually from the Forgotten Shore, what do you think?"
Aria clenched her teeth slightly, a flood of memories rushing in her mind.
"I've never seen her in my life, so I doubt it."
Madoc leaned forward slightly.
"What about that secret helper? The one with the powerful Echo?"
"I've already told you I don't know them. All I know is that their voice sounded like a man's."
Madoc gave a light sigh of disappointment.
"A shame."
"...Then, what would you like me to do at the ball? Befriend her?"
"Not necessarily. We just need you to get an estimate on her power and personality. Ask her plenty of things if possible."
Aria's face remained still.
"Understood."
"That will be all. One of the knights will meet with you soon, he'll give you a list of the things you should try to figure out."
Bowing, Aria stood and left the room.
Now alone, Madoc raised the photo to his face.
He stared at it for a while, grinding his teeth slightly.
***
Sunny was slightly winded.
His breath quickened slightly as he blocked a kick to the side of his head with his wrist.
He had been in Ravenheart for two weeks now, and he was currently facing the combined might of Revel, Seishan, and Eunbin.
Ducking below the swing of a sword, Sunny delivered an elbow to his attacker's stomach, only for them to grab his arm with a pained grin.
"Get her!"
Revel, drenched in sweat, looked at him madly as she desperately held onto his arm.
Behind him, Seishan prepared to deliver a devastating blow. To his side, Eunbin had an arrow knocked, and Sunny felt a hex assaulting his mind.
In the next second, he tensed all his muscles, lifting Revel up as she still stubbornly held onto him. Spinning around, Sunny slammed her straight into Seishan as she finally let go of his arm. Both of the girls were sent tumbling as he stepped to the side, narrowly avoiding an arrow.
Turning to Eunbin, a single drop of sweat trailed down the side of Sunny's face as he let out a breath.
"I surrender."
Eunbin held hands up as her bow clattered to the ground.
Neither Seishan nor Revel got up, both exhausted after several hours of fighting.
A clap from the side caught their attention.
"That's enough for the day."
Sitting alongside her daughters, Ki Song's true body had returned to the Jade Palace.
Seishan and Revel both groaned in annoyance, their limbs still tangled as they lay sprawled out. Sunny snickered slightly at the sight.
Hearing the soft click of heels walking towards him, Sunny turned to Ki Song.
"I suppose you'll be wanting to leave now?"
"Guess so."
"Hm. Too bad, I need to speak with you first."
Sunny stared at her blankly.
"...Alright."
Bidding farewell to his students, Sunny gave the rest of the Song Sisters a small wave as he followed their mother out.
…Walking through the jade halls, Sunny wondered what Ki Song wanted to speak to him about.
'Please tell me it's not that.'
He sighed in his heart, staring at Ki Song's back.
After a minute of walking in silence, Ki Song turned around.
She flicked something through the air, which Sunny caught with ease.
Looking at what she had thrown at him, Sunny sighed deeply.
In his hand was an envelope sealed with wax. And on that wax, was the emblem of an anvil being stabbed by a sword.
'I goddamn knew it…'
Sunny looked up at Ki Song.
"I'm not wea-"
"Relax! You'll get to wear a suit. Oh, but you will have to wear this bracelet."
Ki Song tossed him a small red bracelet a moment later. Engraved on it was a crest with the symbol of a raven flying through the sky.
"What's it for?"
"Just proves you're my daughter. Don't worry about it."
Sunny immediately became suspicious, but said nothing.
Sighing, he asked:
"Is this everything?"
"Indeed it is! I'll see you soon, Awakened Suming."
Sunny said nothing.
But as Ki Song put a hand on his shoulder, she said:
"Sunless."
Ki Song was looking at him with a warm smile.
"Thank you."
And a moment later, he was sent away, standing beside the Dream Gate in the Song compound.
"..."
Sunny stood in stunned silence for a moment.
'Wha… what was that?'
The breathtaking smile he had just been given… he felt genuine warmth from it. Was Ki Song actually fond of him?
He had thought that she would've been suspicious of him, perhaps even wary… But he was wrong.
'Was it an act?'
If it was, it was the most convincing smile he had ever seen.
Cursing slightly to himself, Sunny vanished.
…And a while later, Awakened Sunless appeared within his home, lying comfortably on his sofa.
Jet was currently in the Dream Realm, and both Nephis and Rain were asleep. So currently, Sunny was free.
Standing up and performing some light exercises, Sunny turned on the entertainment system in his home as he relaxed for the first time in two weeks, finally out of his wretched disguise.
Opening the letter he had received, Sunny read the first line.
'Awakened Suming, you are cordially invited to the annual Awakened Ball…'
Sunny read through the rest of the fancifully worded letter, not even a little bit interested in attending.
'Wait… It's in two weeks? I thought it was in a few months?! Damnation!'
He wouldn't be able to excuse himself by saying he was in a Nightmare!
"Ah… Whatever."
He sighed, relaxing as best he could after he stuffed the letter away in the Covetous Coffer.
…Several hours later, Sunny dreamt of a beautiful sky filled with rainbows.
"...Oops."
Or rather, he had fallen asleep.
Now in the Chained Isles once more, Sunny looked around. The Gateway plaza was bustling with activity as White Feather was about to begin their culling of nightmare creatures.
As he had no reason to hunt anything currently, Sunny made his way to his quarters. Sat on his bed with all of his windows shut, he began to catch up on his weaving. Having been in Ravenheart for two weeks, he had not been able to weave at all, so his weaving was far behind his progress in refinement.
'Hm… I should still finish both at the same time.'
With his seven cores, he could weave quickly and for long periods of time, so its pacing was somewhat similar to his refinement.
But that was when he had only been somewhat inexperienced at refining. Now, he could even refine in his sleep.
And with his current speed…
'I'll leave for the Nightmare after I attend the ball.'
He would be finished within a couple weeks.
Sunny hummed a quiet tune to himself as he weaved.
***
Sunny's weaving was interrupted by a knock on his door.
"Awakened Sunless?"
'Gods… What is it now?!'
Opening the door with slight annoyance, Sunny didn't say a word as he stared at his visitor: a man wearing simple leather armour, his face impassive.
"Lady Tyris would like to meet you."
"...Okay."
Not wanting to be dismissive of a Saint, Sunny did not protest as he left his room, shutting the door behind him.
Following the stern man, Sunny was led to the northern part of the island where the White Feather clan resided. Entering the building, Sunny was led through a busy hall. All around them, Awakened scrambled around, preparing food, weapons, and armor.
Exiting the busy hall, the man motioned for him to enter a small room. Sunny entered it, spreading his shadow sense outwards as the man waited outside.
Within, there was only one person, Sky Tide.
Bowing slightly, Sunny spoke.
"Lady Tyris."
Looking up from the clay tablet she was looking at, Tyris greeted him.
"Awakened Sunless."
Dismissing the tablet, Tyris looked at him sternly.
"Where have you been?"
Sunny didn't react in any way, but was inwardly nervous.
'Ah damn, I was hoping nobody would notice.'
He had been gone from the Citadel for two weeks straight, there was a good chance that someone would've noticed.
"I've been busy. I've just been hired as a teacher for a couple of new Awakened, and I was making sure they were taught well."
Tyris' stern gaze softened immediately, now returning to the impassive one she usually wore.
"I see. Well, as you may have noticed, White Feather is about to begin our subjugation of all the islands surrounding the Sanctuary of Noctis. Would you like to join us?"
"...I wouldn't mind at all, my lady."
Sunny truly didn't mind, he was quite fond of Sky Tide, and was not averse to helping her and her clan out. It wasn't like he was extremely busy, as the only thing he had was the upcoming ball. He would have mentioned how he was busy on that day to her, but then he remembered Sky Tide was just as likely to show up to the ball as he was.
"Good. Return at this time tomorrow, and we will begin."
Sunny bowed before turning to leave.
"Wait."
Sunny froze, turning around.
'Ah, what's with this woman and always forgetting to tell me something?!'
Unexpectedly, Tyris tossed him a small bag.
Catching it, Sunny looked inside and saw a couple dozen Awakened soul shards.
"What… what's this for?"
"Your payment for your work at the Night Temple. I've been looking for you to give you this, but you've been absent for a while now."
Sunny nodded in embarrassment.
'So that's why she noticed…'
"...Sorry. Thank you, Lady Tyris."
Bowing slightly, Sunny left, now uninterrupted.
Tyris stared at his back silently as he left.
***
Sunny awoke to a warm feeling.
Having left the Sanctuary of Noctis, Sunny had returned to the waking world.
As he had stupidly fallen asleep on his sofa, a blanket was currently covering him. Not remembering covering himself, he figured it must have been Jet.
'How nice of her…'
Soft orange light poured through a slight crack in the curtains, the light of the rising sun shining on the world. He could hear the sounds of soft footsteps above him and the chatter of the neighbourhood kids walking to school.
Sunny smiled slightly, slowly getting up to make some food.