Squinting, Sunny held the seed up to the light, trying to see if there was anything special about it.
"You're sure it's this?"
Solvane nodded, crossing her arms and snorting, seemingly offended at the mere thought of him doubting her.
"Abso… lutely… certain…"
"If you say so…"
Sighing, he placed the seed into a small container of ash before putting it into the Coffer.
'I don't know what I was expecting…'
He could've sworn he remembered Cassie calling it a sapling. Why on earth had he only found this tiny little seed? Was it because he was here earlier than she had been last time?
'Either way… doesn't really matter right now.'
He had… neglected the Chain Breaker for a while now, so the tree was currently quite useless to him. Sunny had only come here on a whim, not at all expecting to find the seed of a mystical tree today.
'Even if I repaired that damn ship it's not like I can use it…'
It was simply far too eye-catching. It would only take days for people to notice the random flying ship that had suddenly popped up from out of nowhere. Some keen Awakened would quickly notice its resemblance to the broken wreckage that could be found on Shipwreck Island as well.
'Come to think of it… I don't think anyone's reported the fact that the Wormvine has been slain yet either.'
He had killed Solvane several months ago by this point. Had no one really approached the shipwreck in all that time?
'I guess it is pretty far out…'
It wasn't that uncommon for him to run into random cohorts simply exploring the Chained Isles, so the fact no one had noticed such a thing yet was quite surprising. Much of the region still needed to be mapped out, so there were plenty of explorers and treasure hunters out there.
Dismissing the Coffer, he stretched his back slightly and turned to his Shadow.
"Shall we be off then, or is there something else here?"
Scrunching her nose, Solvane shook her head.
"No… thing…"
Turning her back to him, she crouched down and held her arms out.
"Get… on…"
Clicking his tongue, Sunny turned away with a look of pure outrage.
"Huuuh? Get on? Are you mad? That was a one time thing! No way we're going back to the Sanctuary like that!"
Turning back, he saw a slight look of disappointment on his Shadow's face.
"Oh… well…"
Shrugging, she dismissed herself with a smug laugh, returning to the nurturing flames of his soul.
"Damned woman…"
Sweeping his hair back and dusting himself off, Sunny vanished into the darkness. As a swift shadow, he returned to the Sanctuary of Noctis.
***
'Hm…'
Within his personal room at the Sanctuary, Sunny stared at the Covetous Coffer. Jet had insisted on spending the day one on one with Nephis, so he did not want to interrupt their fun or whatever it was they were doing.
So instead, he was working on his weaving again. He was originally planning on meditating, but his thoughts kept turning back to the fact he only had two Shadows at his disposal. Without a clear mind, he couldn't exactly focus on Transcending so for now he decided he'd work on something else.
Unfortunately…
'Why won't it work?'
His current design should've been enough… The weaves and nexuses matched what an Echo of the Coffer would've looked like. And yet it wasn't working. He half hoped that the Spell would step in and automatically create the weaves he needed once he made enough progress, but that didn't happen either.
Now… It was starting to get a little frustrating. This was something he had been working on for months and months, and he still had nothing to show for it.
'Just relax… It'll work eventually. Probably.'
How would he ever improve at weaving if he didn't challenge himself? Ah, but if only he had more Echoes to look at… he'd gotten some decent samples in the past, but those had all been wildly different beings compared to Coffee. In fact, the one that came the closest to the type of weave he needed was actually the late Shrike, but he had not been able to extensively study the weave of it back then. Not only was he in a rush to turn it into a Shadow to make it stronger, he had also been a mere Sleeper as well, so his mind could not fully encompass the raven's entire weave.
'I'll just keep at it… maybe someone has an Echo I can look at…'
Perhaps Julius with his rich history as an Awakened would have a few, or maybe Jet had picked some up as well with her constant killing in both the Dream Realm and waking world. There was also Song as well, but he'd rather not have them question his reasons for wanting to see Echoes.
Sunny blinked.
'No wait… surely she has some?'
There was Aria as well. She had returned to the waking world recently, and was currently taking a short break from the constant trailblazing in the Dream Realm. Sunny had attempted to inform her of what Valor was doing to look for him, only to find something strange.
Their Oath seemed to have been severed at some point. The promise of camaraderie that had allowed them to easily communicate across vast distances vanished, no longer letting them exchange messages with each other telepathically. The thought of what might have happened worried him quite a lot, and he could only hope she was fine. He had already tried looking for her, but had come up with nothing. Neither Seishan nor Jet had managed to reach her either.
'Quite troubling…'
Nothing had happened yet though, nor had he noticed anything happening either. He had asked Tyris about it too but she said everything seemed to be fine.
'I'll try to look for her again tonight.'
Jet had not informed the gloomy shadow that it was fine to come back, so he was going to remain here for now.
Sunny sighed, looking over his weave once more.
'Hm, maybe if I-'
A knock at the door caught his attention.
He immediately glanced up, eyes narrowing. Nobody had been at the door a second ago, but now there was…
The Covetous Coffer vanished into a swarm of sparks as the weaves he had been working on fell apart, paining him slightly.
Standing up, he made his way towards the door. Transparent sparks of essence began forming into a glass saber as he took slow steps. It was currently daytime outside, so the [Sun's Tears] was at full power.
'I'm really not in the mood for this…'
Hiding the blade within his sleeve, he slowly began opening the door, having already made sure the person on the other side wasn't armed.
"Ah-. G-Greetings…"
Sunny's eyes widened, his expression frozen. No one was there.
'Ah, wait.'
He looked down.
'There.'
The person at his door was quite short. Not that much shorter than him, but he was used to having to look up at people, especially Awakened. Most people who passed their First Nightmares had healthy and strong bodies, so tall people were just about everywhere.
That was not the reason the person before him was short though…
"It's you?"
The person before him was short simply because they hadn't finished growing yet.
"Yes… Do you know me?"
Sunny grinned.
"Of course I do. You're the kid that's been spying on me."
It was Mordret of course, looking far skinnier and more nervous than he had ever seen before. From the emotions he felt from the boy's shadow, he could tell that his demeanor was genuine.
'I didn't even think it was possible to see that bastard like this…'
In the brief periods of time he had spent in the Chained Isles, he felt a curious gaze land on him from time to time. Every single time he'd trace it back to its location though, there would be nobody there. The boy thought he was being sneaky, but Sunny had always known.
"Oh, you knew."
Taking a step forward, Sunny left his room.
"Yes, I knew. Most people would be quite upset at something like that, you know? Anyways, what do you want? I wasn't exactly hoping anyone would visit me today."
The boy took a quick step back, maintaining the space between them. From that movement, Sunny noticed something hidden beneath Mordret's boot, most likely something reflective so that he could escape if need be.
"W-Well I was hoping to ask you a couple questions?"
He raised an eyebrow.
"About?"
"I believe there is supposed to be an ob-"
Sunny raised a finger.
"Wait."
Mordret froze, his reflective eyes widening slightly.
"Don't you have stalkers of your own, boy? Are you sure you want to talk in broad daylight like this?"
Unfreezing, the boy's shoulders slumped slightly as he let out a breath.
"So you knew about that. Well, about them…"
Smiling eerily, he shook his head.
"...Don't worry. They won't be bothering us anytime soon."
Unaffected by the strangess, Sunny grinned in return.
'There he is.'
"Then there's no problem. Still, I would prefer to speak in a place that's a little quieter. I'm not the only one who lives here, you know? Someone could overhear."
The boy nodded in understanding.
"I see. Well, I am not too worried about that. I just have a few simple questions for you. But we could speak in your room if you don't want anyone to overhear?"
Sunny laughed slightly, turning around and waving him in.
"Sure, sure. Come on in then I suppose."
Mordret took a short step forward before stopping.
"Before that, could you please let some light in your room? I am… afraid of the dark."
'Ah, right.'
Sometimes he forgot that most people generally didn't like entering pitch black rooms. Of course the boy didn't want to for a completely different reason compared to most people, but still.
"Oh, sure."
Fumbling his hand on the wall slightly, he found the small engraving that powered the lighting enchantments of the room, sending a small bit of essence into it.
Now seeming much more confident, Mordret stepped in.
"My thanks."
Quietly shutting the door behind, he went straight into it.
"When I first arrived here, the man who showed me around said that there had once been an obsidian knife laying on the Gateway, but nobody knows where it is now."
Sunny raised an eyebrow.
"And?"
"And I thought that perhaps you would know where to find it?"
He smiled slightly.
"Nope, not at all. And why would you ask me?"
The obsidian knife had long been destroyed. There was no chance he'd be able to find it.
"Well… you always seem to be roaming around the Chained Isles on your own while still being completely fine, so I assumed that you were a scout or something of the like."
Sunny shrugged.
"That I am. Not a bad one either."
Mordet nodded, lowering his head in slight thought.
"You also seem to be held in high regard by Lady Sky Tide. Are you by any chance a member of the White Feather Clan?"
He scoffed, offended.
"No. I respect Saint Tyris a lot, but I am not interested in brushing arms with anything to do with Clan Valor."
Outwardly, nothing about Mordret changed, but Sunny could feel much of the trepidation within his shadow fade.
'Good…'
He was making progress at last!
"And what about you, huh? Little strange to hear that Sky Tide personally welcomed a fledgling Awakened to the Citadel, claiming that they were… what was it? Under her protection?"
Mordret's eyes twitched slightly, his whole body going eerily still.
"That… I have some bad circumstances. Lady Sky Tide took pity on me, and I am grateful to her for that."
"I do suppose it's not everyday someone as young as you is infected by the Nightmare Spell, right?"
The boy fell silent, blinking slowly.
"Oh. You know about that as well."
Crossing his arms, Sunny nodded.
"Of course I do. Whole damn sanctuary was talking about it. Personally… I believe if you can pass the First Nightmare, you're just as good an Awakened as the rest of us are, so don't worry about me judging you for your age."
Honestly, Sunny couldn't care less about any of that. He just needed Mordret to think he only knew about him due to the fact that he was an abnormally young Awakened, not because he was the estranged prince of Valor.
"Anyways, is that all you wanted to ask? Usually people prefer to ask me about the status of any nearby islands or the migration patterns of certain nightmare creatures, not about the mysterious knife that doesn't seem to do anything."
The boy froze, attempting to think of something to say but only managing to stutter slightly.
Sunny raised an eyebrow.
"Really? Just the knife? You don't want me to teach you about scouting or anything?"
"N-No, I… could I um… ask your name?"
He blinked.
"Huh. Guess I never introduced myself. Though, I'd like to hear what your name is first."
The boy shrunk back slightly, but nodded.
"Yes… yes, of course. I am Mordret of-..."
He paused mid sentence, the realisation of his own words hitting him.
"Mordret of?"
Sunny of course knew exactly who he was, but he still had to play his part of someone who had nothing to do with him,
Clearing his throat, the boy straightened his back.
"I am Mordret of Nowhere."
"Pfft-"
He couldn't help but let out a muffled laugh.
"Hahah, Mordret of Nowhere! Nice save kid! I think you'd be better off just introducing yourself as Mordret though. As for me, I am Sunless. No title or anything like that. Just Sunless. Awakened or Scout Sunless if you really feel like it."
Opening his mouth to retort, the boy realised there was nothing he could really say.
"Oh… yes, I suppose you are right. You have my thanks, Awakened Sunless."
Taking a step back, he bowed politely.
"Then… I will be leaving now."
"Sure. Take care. If you want to stalk me I don't mind just taking you around places you know."
Mordret nodded, grateful.
"I will keep that in mind."
And with that, he turned to leave.
Opening the door, he quickly left-
"Wait."
The boy froze, shoulders tensing.
Slowly turning around, he smiled politely.
"Yes?"
Sunny pointed to the ground.
"Forget something?"
On the floor where Mordret had been standing, a small, reflective dagger lay on the ground. The boy's eyes widened at the sight of it.
"Oh."
A second later, the dagger faded into a swarm of tenebrous sparks, dismissed and returned to Mordret's soul.
"That… that wasn't meant for you. Ah, this is quite embarrassing."
Sunny waved him off.
"Don't sweat it and just go already. I'm pretty busy here you know!"
With a quick nod, the boy turned and left immediately, muttering an apology.
Watching the door shut, Sunny's eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly.
'He's lying.'
***
Quickly walking to the end of the hall, Mordret turned towards the window resting just above the stairwell. Focusing for a moment, he vanished, disappearing into the reflection. Searching through his mirror sense for the small network of reflective surfaces he mapped out, he left the Sanctuary immediately.
'He's lying.'
The man, Awakened Sunless, definitely knew something about the knife. Something was definitely strange about him. Not enough for alarms to go off in his head, but enough for him to think there was something just a little bit weird about him.
'Beastie couldn't reflect him either…'
His friend should've been able to reflect any Awakened, as they were all mere Awakened Beasts, and yet he couldn't.
'Maybe… maybe he just has some kind of warding effect from his armour.'
He wanted to believe it. To believe that Awakened Sunless wasn't just another person out to get him. Out of all the Awakened he had seen so far, the one who invoked his curiosity the most was him, and he could not even tell why. The man seemed like a perfectly normal Awakened. He was definitely competent, but for someone like this to be so… unheard of, it seemed a little weird. Mordret had listened in on countless conversations, trying to learn more about how humans interacted, but not once had he heard anyone speak about Sunless. He'd had to engage in a conversation with the man himself just to learn what his name was.
'Perhaps he just enjoys his peace.'
There was something… peaceful about him. His words were steady, his demeanor always calm. Every single time he had seen the man out and about, he'd have a blank expression on his face, always seemingly thinking about something else, as if the world around him didn't even need his attention.
'Is he that confident in surviving?'
Well… the old man had always said all the best Awakened had a few screws loose.
"Ugh."
At the thought of old men, his anger flared. A voice flashed in his mind, scathing and cold.
"Why are there two of you?"
His biological father staring him down with pure disdain and mistrust… the image was forever burned into his mind. He had thought that hiding the Other inside his eye's reflection would be enough, but the king had noticed right away. And when he did…
Mordret shook his head from inside the reflection, banishing the memory.
'Pointless.'
Much of him may have been lost to the Other, but he still knew these thoughts were useless to him.
Jumping from reflection to reflection, he made his way to his hideout.
***
Sunny's gaze lingered on the floor where the dagger had been laying.
'That was the Cruel Sight…'
A Memory he had thought he lost forever had been right in front of him. His heart skipped a beat at the sight of his old weapon, but his composure returned a moment later.
'Not mine.'
The Cruel Sight had supposedly belonged to Mordret before him anyway, having been recreated by the Spell and given to him after he had slain the Mirror Beast.
'Considering he already has it… did Asterion make it for him?'
The thought of Asterion made him shiver slightly, but he quickly shook his head.
'No. That bastard doesn't seem like the type to do all that. He must have received it from his First Nightmare.'
It made perfect sense. His Nightmare probably had something to do with mirrors and the like, given the fact his Aspect had ended up revolving around mirrors. Most First Nightmares had trials that were closely tied to the Aspect the Aspirant received, Sunny was only an exception because he'd received a completely useless one.
'And look at me now.'
From a useless wretch to a twice evolved Divine Aspect…
'If only you could see me now, Auro.'
Shaking his head while laughing to himself, he dimmed the lights and summoned the Covetous Coffer again. And yet despite that, his thoughts remained distracted.
Mordret had lied towards the end. Having noticed that, he realised there were many other things off about the boy as well.
'He said that this was quite embarrassing, and yet he didn't feel a hint of shame?'
There were plenty of shameless people out there of course, but still… not even a little bit? Was something wrong with him? Sunny had always suspected Mordret was a psychopath or something of the like, but still… Perhaps it went deeper?
'He wasn't grateful at all either, and despite the smiles, I don't think I felt any joy from him…'
Maybe he was overthinking. The boy had just gone through a deeply traumatic experience not too long ago no doubt. There was a strong chance he was simply emotionally stunted.
'But to feel nothing at all..?'
There were some things he could feel as clear as day. His senses weren't perfect, but the fear, intrigue, and anger he felt from him were all quite regular. For those, the boy felt them just as much as a normal person would, and yet there were other emotions that were seemingly missing. They were not suppressed or strictly controlled, but just… gone? Maybe they were never there to begin with, or maybe they had been lost at some point.
Sunny's eyes narrowed again as the weave he had been working began to fall apart, his focus having wavered as his thoughts wandered.
'Damn kid…'
How was he supposed to weave when a mystery he had been trying to solve for years suddenly revealed himself to him? He had taken many steps in order to make Mordret feel like he was worth approaching, and now that he had, he only managed to cause a swarm of thoughts to buzz around in his head instead. Whether the boy was aware of it or not, he was driving Sunny mad.
"But…"
Despite everything, the kid didn't seem that bad. There was something wrong with him for sure, but compared the Mordret he knew? The kid may as well have been a saint. Any good Awakened was bound to have a few screws loose anyways.
Sighing in mild frustration, he began weaving once more.