"Huh?"
Sunny blinked, looking around in utter bewilderment.
Beside him, Saint and the Ravenous Sparrow mirrored his exact expression of confusion.
They had heard it too. He hadn't imagined it. Sunny scratched his head, trying to figure out where the voice was coming from.
"Look a bit higher, boy."
The mysterious voice called out to him again.
Sunny complied, casting his eyes upward into the branches of the bone-white tree whose shade he had been resting in. But all he saw were two skeletons hanging side by side from a thick branch, a pair of crude nooses around their bony necks.
He blinked once. Twice. For a horrifying moment, he had the distinct impression that one of those corpses had just spoken to him.
'Have I finally lost my mind?' he wondered, believing that it had already happened a long time ago.
Sunny walked in a circle around the tree, scanning his surroundings for anyone else. A person. A creature. Anything. Turning around halfway through a complete clockwise loop, he scratched his head and finally brought his eyes back to the two hanging skeletons.
Saint and Sparrow watched him intently, their gazes following their master's bizarre routine, ready to strike if danger presented itself.
"Oh, my! Boy, if you keep staring at me like that, I can't help but get shy."
Sunny stiffened, his eyes widening. This time, he actually saw the skeleton's jaw move.
"Gods! I've really gone mad," Sunny muttered in concern, glancing at the Sparrow to his left. The giant raptor could do nothing more than blink and tilt its feathered head ninety degrees in response.
"Eurys, you old goat," the second corpse suddenly chimed in, its jaw rattling. "If you introduce yourself like that to someone of Weaver, of course he's going to think he's lost his mind. Do you understand that, or has the time spent dangling from this tree rotted what little brain you had left?"
"Shut up, Azarax! You filthy patricide!" Eurys snapped back.
What followed was a utterly ridiculous brawl between two skeletons who were hanging far too apart to actually reach each other. They swung wildly from their ropes, flailing their bony limbs in a futile attempt to trade blows.
"Yep!" Sunny grunted, dropping his arms in exasperation. "I have officially, definitively lost my mind."
A few hours later, the living corpses finally stopped swinging, though not a single one of their strikes had managed to connect.
"So... who are you?" Sunny asked, resting his chin on the back of his hand as he sat cross-legged on the dirt, having watched their entire 'fight.' He didn't forget to add, "More importantly, can either of you tell me how to get out of here?"
"I am Azarax the Mighty, the Plague of Steel, King of Kings, conqueror of a hundred thrones! Choose me, shadow! I will guide you to the shores of the Underworld and through its dark expanse, back to the world of the living! You will need a powerful guide if you wish to escape!"
The first skeleton declared proudly, his voice resonating with the fierce, authoritative tone fit for a Ruler.
"Me? Oh, I am no one. Just a humble slave."
The second replied, his tone far lighter, laced with quiet humility.
'A slave, huh?' Sunny took an instant liking to the latter.
"You," Sunny said, pointing at Eurys. "What did you say your name was?"
"Me? My name is Eurys, boy. Eurys of the Nine. And once again, it is a pleasure to meet you."
The Nine.
The title sounded eerily familiar. After all, during his First Nightmare, the Spell had called Hero 'Auro of the Nine.'
Without hesitation, Sunny chose to free Eurys.
***
While all of this was transpiring in the Dream Realm, far away in the Waking World—a year and a few months prior...
"Incredible news, ladies and gentlemen! Over the past hour, reports have confirmed nearly a hundred Sleepers returning simultaneously from the Dream Realm after years of absence!"
News anchors broadcasted the story across every satellite channel in the world.
In a hospital bed, a handsome young man with striking auburn hair opened his eyes after a long slumber. Elsewhere, a tall young woman with lovely olive skin did the same. And in a gleaming palace, a princess with soft red lips and cloud-gray skin finally embraced her sisters once more.
At the very same time, a young woman with hair as white as silver and cold gray eyes rushed frantically down a sterile corridor toward a medical room. Inside, a black-haired young man of her age rested peacefully—or at least, his physical body safely secured inside the pod did.
Fizzzt.
The automatic door slid open with a soft hiss. Inside, Nephis saw a delicate, pretty girl with soft golden hair and eyes as blue as a summer sky sitting beside the pod. Cassie's hands were tightly clasped in her lap, her fingernails digging violently into her skin out of raw guilt. Tears streamed down her face as she stared at the sleeping youth before her, knowing that he wouldn't be waking up anytime soon because of her choice.
And perhaps, he never would.
'Sunny.'
Changing Star thought his name the moment she laid eyes on him. A wave of crushing pain and self-loathing washed over her, making her ashamed to even stand in the same room. The brutal words he had spat at her before she stepped through the portal echoed in her mind, carving a wound deep into her soul that her white flames could never mend.
"Neph... did... did it work?" Cassie asked softly, turning her head toward her. Her voice was cracked, broken by quiet sobs and the unbearable weight of her sin.
The blind seer looked utterly shattered. Her hair was a disheveled mess, her eyes swollen and red from crying. She looked like a broken doll.
"Yes... it worked," Nephis replied softly, lowering her gaze. Her expression was every bit as hollow as Cassie's.
"I... I see," Cassie whispered, finding nothing else to say.
In the silence that followed, both girls yielded to despair, weeping quietly in each other's arms. If either were honest with themselves, they would have admitted that they really loved Sunny. Yet, despite that, they had betrayed him and left him behind to rot in the Forgotten Shore.
And the permanent string of text bound to Nephis's runes did nothing to ease the agony.
Slave: [Lost from Light].
***
"Lady Nephis! You're back!"
"Miss Changing Star, what happened to Caster?"
"My Lady, what happened to Sunless? Nobody has seen him—we only know he stayed behind to make sure everyone entered the gateway!"
A few hours later, Nephis dried her tears and composed herself before stepping into the great hall where the survivors of the Forgotten Shore had gathered to celebrate their return. A tight knot choked her throat, and a cold grip clutched at her stomach with every step she took toward the foyer.
The moment she entered, she was bombarded with questions by her comrades.
Her allies.
Her followers.
Changing Star looked at them one by one. The words seemed to choke her, trapped deep in her throat. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes to gather her resolve. When she opened them, her gaze was entirely detached.
"Sunless went back to make sure I was safe. Caster was an assassin sent to execute me—Sunny realized it and stopped him. When we reached the portal, we realized that only one of us could pass through due to an attribute that manifested immediately after: [Soul Conduit]. At the last second, before I could react, Sleeper Sunless sacrificed himself and threw me into the portal, remaining behind in the collapsing Crimson Spire."
Nephis delivered the lie with an impassive, unreadable face.
—Aster? Song? Vale? I don't give a fuck who those bastards are or why you hate them so much, but know this: you are no different from them! You are no different from Gunlag, or even the Spell you despise so much!—
His scathing words echoed in her ears as she spoke. Internally, she burned with intense shame, yet she pressed on without flinching.
"He survived. Sunny is okay—I checked the status of his pod a moment ago. We don't know his exact condition in the Dream Realm, but his body is alive. That... that is all I can tell you."
With that, Changing Star turned on her heel and walked away, leaving a stunned silence in the vast hall.
"Hell! That kid actually did it?"
"Who would have thought?"
"I knew there was something going on between him and Lady Changing Star!"
Moments later, the hall erupted into a flurry of disbelief and admiration for the Outskirts boy who had sacrificed his freedom for the woman he loved.
However, in a quiet corner of the room, three newly Awakened held entirely different expressions.
Cassie stood with her back pressed against the wall, her silent face concealing a storm of agony as she fought internal monsters only she could see.
Effie, sitting in a wheelchair nearby, had her mouth hanging open. She was sad, yet utterly bewildered by Doofus's "sacrifice." She knew Sunny better than that—there was no way in hell he was that selflessly heroic.
Finally, Kai watched Nephis walk away with a grim, darkened expression. His stunning green eyes darted between Changing Star's retreating back and the weeping seer beside him. His Flaw had heard every single word.
"I need to step outside to make a phone call," the archer said to the two women, his voice unnaturally cold.
Driiin. Driiin.
Pulling out a newly purchased, expensive communicator, Kai stepped past the exit threshold and dialed a number.
Click.
"Kai! My dearest! My Nightingale!" a jovial, well-fed voice boomed through the speaker. It was his manager. "I heard you've finally returned from the Dream Realm after all these years! Well done, my boy! The public adores you, they've been waiting for so long, and they can't wait to see you back on stage with your partner Gale!"
The man spoke with an overly dramatic excitement that failed to hide his raw greed. Kai, however, hadn't called for false pleasantries.
"Hello Sam. It's good to hear from you," the archer said, a dark smile tugging at the corners of his lips, though his emerald eyes blazed with fury. "Listen, speaking of where I've been... I have a proposal for you that I think you'll find very interesting."
"Tell me everything, my boy!" His manager hung on his every word.
Nightingale cast one last look back at the building he had just departed, feeling the cool wind against his skin.
"I heard the media is planning to produce a movie about the survivors of the Forgotten Shore," Kai said quietly. "How about we arrange a live interview right before the film's premiere... where I reveal the untold truths and hidden secrets behind what really happened?"
***
Time marched on.
Following their return from the Forgotten Shore and the subsequent interviews, three among the survivors had been granted True Names by the Spell.
Cassie | True Name: Serenade of Doom.
Effie | True Name: Raised by Wolves.
Kai | True Name: Nightingale.
The news immediately sent shockwaves through the World. Soon after, Changing Star chose the Chained Isles as her anchor, where she crossed paths with Saint Tyris of the White Feather Clan. Cassie, Effie, and roughly half the survivors of the Crimson Spire assault joined her, forming a loyal cohort known as the Fire Keepers.
Kai, however, relocated to Bastion under the banner of Clan Valor. Yet, despite the safety of the great citadel, he didn't sit idle. Driven by a quiet, burning fury fueled by his lingering suspicions, he practiced with his bow every single day. The relentless training sharpened his lethal aim, but it did nothing to soothe the bitterness festering in his heart.
Every morning, upon waking in the newly restored estate of the Immortal Flame Clan, the very first thing Nephis did—even before stifling a yawn—was summon her runes.
---
Slave: [Lost from Light].
Name: Sunless.
True Name: Lost from Light.
Rank: Dreamer.
Class: Monster.
---
He was still out there. Alive. But for how much longer?
The thought squeezed her chest like an iron vice.
A month later, acting on a desperate vision from Cassie, Changing Star rushed to a school building where a Category Three Nightmare Gate was on the verge of opening. Inside was Sunless's little sister: Rain.
During the ensuing battle, Nephis stubbornly tried to handle the Gate guardian alone and nearly died in the process. She was ultimately saved by a passing Ascended, who turned out to be the very woman who had watched over Sunless during his First Nightmare: Soul Reaper Jet.
"So, you're the famous Changing Star," Jet had said, leaning on her weapon. "You're the one that paranoid, stubborn kid sacrificed himself for."
Nephis had opened her mouth to reply, but before a single word could escape, Master Jet's icy blue eyes narrowed. Resting the shaft of her wicked scythe across her shoulders, she asked with quiet menace:
"Cut the crap. What really happened?"
"Sunny sacrificed himself so I could escape," Nephis replied, her body tensing instantly. She felt the palpable threat rolling off the government Ascendant, fully prepared to fight if it came to it.
Soul Reaper said nothing more. She simply stared at her for a long, heavy moment, then turned on her heel and walked away, as if she had already expected the lie.
Later that day, Nephis and Cassie inevitably crossed paths with Rain. The young girl was ecstatic to meet her heroes, having followed every broadcast of their legendary exploits. Driven by a crushing sense of debt toward Sunless, Changing Star revealed the truth about her bloodline to the girl and offered to take her on as a student.
Rain promptly fainted from sheer joy, the revelation that she was blood relatives with the famous "Black Star"—the moniker the media had bestowed upon Sunny—momentarily taking a backseat.
Over the following months, Nephis divided her time between leading expeditions with Cassie, Effie, and the Fire Keepers in the Chained Isles, and training Rain in the Waking World. Yet, no matter how busy she was, she never failed to check his runes at every given opportunity.
A vicious pang struck her heart every single time she did. The memory of their final moments, the weight of her betrayal, and the venom in Sunny's voice still echoed loudly in her ears.
His hatred, his rage, and his absolute disgust were as fresh as the day she had left him. Strangely, reading the golden strings of his status brought her a twisted sense of comfort. At least she knew he was fighting.
Beside her, Cassie wasn't faring any better. Day by day, Nephis noticed the blind seer growing more distant, withdrawing into heavy, unbroken silences.
---
Slave: [Lost from Light].
Name: Sunless.
True Name: Lost from Light.
Rank: Dreamer.
Class: Devil.
---
Reading the descriptions of his newly acquired Memories made her vividly imagine the impossible, harrowing trials Sunny was surviving out there all alone. It gave her the strength to keep pushing forward, bearing the shame and regret of her sin.
Changing Star then glanced at her own runes.
---
Rank: Awakened.
Class: Tyrant.
Soul Cores: [5/7].
Soul Fragments: [0012/5000].
---
She dismissed them, a faint, satisfied smile pulling at the corners of her lips.
'I'm winning,' she told herself.
A silent, intimate competition had sparked between her and Sunless—a ghost race to see who could accumulate more fragments and form more cores. And right now, she held the lead.
Snapping back to reality, Changing Star looked to her right. She and Cassie had just finished infiltrating the Night Temple in the Chained Isles—a citadel belonging to Clan Valor, akin to the White Feather's stronghold. The seer had guided them there to free a specific prisoner, claiming he would help them conquer their Second Nightmare.
Fresh bodies of their inhabitants lay cold across the shattered ground, following the harrowing battle that took place.
'I wonder what they're discussing?' she mused, watching the blind girl communicate with the entity.
From what Nephis understood, this prisoner no longer possessed a physical body. He was a Lost—an Awakened whose tether to the Waking World had been severed. He could never return home unless he successfully cleared his next Nightmare.
After a while, Cassie turned and walked toward her. Her expression was dull and detached—the same hollow look she had worn since their return from the Forgotten Shore.
"He agreed. He will help us deal with Valor if we take him with us into the Nightmare Seed," Cassie said quietly, raising her unseeing eyes.
Nephis blinked, then nodded. "What did you say his name was?"
"Mordret."
A couple of days later, Kai called them. Until now, Nightingale had only reached out in the Waking World to chat with Effie or to help train Rain in archery. But this time, after so much silence, he finally asked to speak with Nephis directly—as if eager to show her something he had meticulously prepared.
***
That day, Changing Star entered her estate, finding it unusually empty. Pushing the heavy doors wide open and glancing around, she found none of her usual Fire Keepers standing guard to welcome her.
Beside her, Cassie remained as mute as ever. The refined blue silk blindfold over her eyes effectively concealed both her unseeing gaze and her hidden thoughts.
'Strange. Where did everyone go?' Nephis wondered.
Time was rapidly running out. The carnage they had left behind when infiltrating the Night Temple hadn't gone unnoticed. Even though they had left no witnesses, triggered no alarms, and struck on a day when Valor's guardian Saint was too far away to intervene, it was only a matter of time before their involvement was discovered.
Saint Tyris could cover for them for a while, but not forever. After all, the White Feather Clan was merely a vassal of Valor, and its matriarch was a Transcendent who couldn't possibly stand against her Supreme ruler, Anvil, and the full might of his Saints.
By the day after tomorrow—exactly one year since they had returned from the Dream Realm and become Awakened—she, the blind seer, Effie, Kai, the Fire Keepers, and Mordret would have to board their newly restored flying ship. They needed to venture into the dark,
unfathomable abyss beneath the Chained Isles, reach the Ebony Tower, and use the runic portal inside to travel to the Seed of their Second Nightmare.
Instinctively, Nephis reached over and rubbed her right forearm. The memory of that living chest biting her and tearing off a solid chunk of flesh still ached. Yet, she had obtained two excellent Memories that day: the [Covetous Coffer] for storage, and the [Undying Chain] as armor. Both were incredibly useful.
'Cassie could have at least warned me about the danger, since she can see a few seconds into the future,' Nephis thought with a prick of irritation, glancing at her silent friend beside her as they walked down the long, empty corridors of the estate.
Finally, they arrived at a large chamber the Fire Keepers had repurposed as a meeting room.
Inside, a massive rectangular table flanked by rows of chairs dominated the imposing space. Along the walls, priceless artifacts detailing the history of the Immortal Flame Clan caught the eye. Large white tapestries, each bearing the emblem of a silver, vibrant flame, hung over the windows. At the head of the room, behind the main seat, a holographic projection board was mounted on the wall.
Right there, seated at the head of the table, Nephis found Effie, Kai, and Rain waiting for them.
"We're here. What did you want to show us?" Changing Star asked as she approached.
Looking closely at them, she finally noticed their grim expressions, as if a heavy shadow had been cast over the room. The most unsettling look belonged to Kai.
"What's wrong? Where are the other Fire Keepers?" she rephrased calmly, looking at them one by one and tilting her head in slight wonder.
Nightingale was the first to break the silence.
Raising his gaze and offering her a faint, icy smile, he said, "I dismissed them. The Fire Keepers won't be coming with us into our Second Nightmare."
"What?!" Nephis reeled back, genuinely caught off guard.
Before she could demand an explanation, Kai slowly raised a finger and pressed a button on the projector sitting on the table in front of him.
"I need to show you something, Lady Nephis."
The tone of his voice was suddenly completely devoid of its usual warmth.
"What is it?" she asked inevitably.
Everyone else around her—Cassie, Effie, and Rain—remained utterly silent. From the blind seer, this was habitual, but she had never expected such an unnatural, heavy silence and downcast eyes from the other two. What was going on?
"Oh, nothing too important," the archer replied calmly. "Tell me, Lady Nephis, do you remember the premiere night of 'A Song of Light and Shadow'?"
Changing Star nodded. How could she forget? It was the blockbuster documentary film detailing the events of their time on the Forgotten Shore, from her arrival with Sunny and Cassie at the Bright Castle, to their struggle to take control of the citadel, depose Gunlag, and eventually conquer the Crimson Spire.
Of course, the story had been heavily romanticized to suit a general audience. The actors didn't perfectly capture the true personalities of the real people, the dialogue was predictable and theatrical, and for some absurd, inexplicable reason, the studio had forced a bizarre love triangle between her, Sunny, and Caster into the plot.
"If you recall, near the end of the credits, they announced that a live interview with me would be broadcast a few months later. A special where I would answer questions and reveal a few... secrets, let's say, regarding some rumors and our life in the Bright Castle," Nightingale added.
Nephis nodded again. This time, she noticed that Effie and Rain were tightly clenching their fists under the table, as if the three of them had agreed to let him speak first.
"Well, let's just say that during my interview, I didn't limit myself to talking about silly rumors."
He spoke as the projector cast a beam of light onto the holographic board, bringing up a recording of that very broadcast.
The footage began to play.
"Mr. Nightingale... Kai? Sir, can I still call you Kai, or do you prefer your True Name?" the host asked politely to open the segment.
"Please, just call me Kai. I may have received a True Name, but I remain humble; you can address me however you please," the idol replied on screen, waving a dismissive hand and offering a radiant smile that charmed both the host and the studio audience.
For the first ten minutes, the interview proceeded smoothly just like that. Nephis watched, finding nothing wrong with it.
Then, halfway through, the atmosphere shifted.
"Mr. Kai, is it true, from what I've been told, that your Flaw allows you to always know when someone is lying?"
"It certainly is, Frederick. I've never made a secret of it."
"So if I tell you that I didn't double-park my PTV this morning..." the host said with practiced comedic timing, drawing a loud laugh from the audience.
"Tell me then," the host continued, shuffling his cue cards. "Is it true what they say—that Sir Black Star sacrificed himself to allow his beloved, the great Changing Star, to return home, at the cost of remaining trapped in the Dream Realm?"
At that question, Nephis finally felt the blood freeze in her veins.
The Kai in the projection let a long, heavy silence stretch, building tension in the studio and among the viewers. His gaze suddenly grew serious and piercing, completely shedding the polite, clean-cut aura he had projected a moment prior. Then, shaking his head slightly, he answered:
"Absolutely not. That was a complete lie."
Gasps of pure shock erupted from the studio audience.
Thud.
At those words, Nephis's legs gave out, and she collapsed onto her knees. The crushing weight of her guilt finally caught up with her, more painful and agonizing than ever before.
Beside her, Cassie lowered her head, seemingly impassive. But deep inside, something finally, irrevocably broke.
Click.
The real Kai paused the recording, watching Nephis with a deeply satisfied expression. His vengeance was complete.
"I doubt there's any need to add more," he said, his stunning green eyes practically spitting contempt at her.
A deafening silence fell over the large room, colder and darker than ever before.
Rain, sitting next to Effie, suddenly tightened her grip on her knees. Hot tears began to stream down her face.
"E-everything... everything you've told me about my brother so far..." Rain said, keeping her gaze downcast to avoid looking Nephis in the face. "Was it true, or did you make it up? Did you really take me on as your student because of my talent, or was it just because you felt guilty for betraying Sunny?"
Nephis turned slowly toward her. Her eyes were hollow.
"Rain... I..." Changing Star desperately wanted to answer, but she couldn't find the words.
"ANSWER ME!" Rain screamed at her.
Her voice cracked with fury and the devastating realization that she had merely been used by the person she thought was her hero—a tool to make amends for a terrible sin.
"Rain, I... I am so sorry. Everything I told you about Sunny was true, but... it's also true that I only approached you at first because of him. However, I meant it when I said I loved spending time with you. Training you. Treating you like you were my own little sister."
Nephis felt a deeper shame than ever before. Every word she spoke in her defense only made her feel infinitely worse.
Rain burst into loud sobs, refusing to hear another word. She wanted to run away, to hide from this awful reality, yet she forced herself to stay and listen to the bitter end. Beside her, Effie wrapped her arms around the girl, pulling her close to her chest and gently stroking her hair as only she knew how.
"We want the truth, Princess," Raised by Wolves said, glaring down at her while holding Rain tight. Judging by her tone, she wasn't joking around. "All of it. Without filters or lies."
"And if you try to lie to us, and when I ask you at the end if you've left anything out and you lie again... know that I will see right through it," Kai added with a steely glare, crossing his arms and leaning back into his chair.
Nephis nodded slowly and began to speak. She told them everything, starting from the vision Cassie had in the coral labyrinth, all the way to her ultimate betrayal of using Sunny's True Name against him.
Finally confessing her sins should have brought her relief, but instead, it only made her feel worse.
Why? Because Changing Star loved Lost from Light. She had finally found the courage to admit it to herself. And yet, she had betrayed and abandoned him.
Right when he had been ready to do the exact opposite and stay with her, she had stabbed him in the back. And the exact same could be said of Cassie.
When she finished her story, each of them reacted differently.
Effie didn't blame her. She was the first to admit that, in Nephis's shoes, she probably wouldn't have acted any better. However, her respect and admiration for her were irreparably damaged.
Kai glared at her with raw disgust. He stated that he and Effie would still accompany them and this 'Mordret' into the Second Nightmare, but once it was over, their paths would separate forever, and they would leave the Immortal Flame Clan.
Rain said nothing at all. She simply stopped crying and refused to speak to her again. The next day—the final day before the cohort's departure—she didn't show up for training.
***
The day had arrived.
The group finally stood before the Seed of their second trial. Looming before them was a luminous ivory pagoda, encircled by the colossal skeleton of a mighty dragon that served as its eternal guardian. At its base, the Second Nightmare called out loudly to its challengers.
Stepping up to face it were Changing Star, Serenade of Doom, Raised by Wolves, Nightingale, and the Prince of Nothing.
The Fire Keepers never showed up. The cohort was forced to navigate the dark abyss beneath the Chained Isles alone, ultimately abandoning their flying ship at the foot of the Ebony Tower.
The Chain Breaker. That was the name Cassie had suggested for the vessel. Strangely, it suited it perfectly.
"Well, are you ready?" Nephis asked, turning to her companions. Her voice was entirely devoid of its usual inspiring fire.
No one answered her. Their expressions were far too grim.
The only one smiling was Mordret. Hidden within the reflection of a polished piece of armor, he seemed to joyously revel in the thick tension suffocating the group.
Raising her head, Nephis opened her runes to check on his.
---
Slave: [Lost from Light].
Name: Sunless.
True Name: Lost from Light.
Rank: Dreamer.
Class: Tyrant.
Memories: [Silver Bell], [Puppeteer's Shroud], [Midnight Shard], [Ordinary Rock], [Endless Spring], [Prowling Thorn], [Mantle of the Underworld], [Blood Blossom], [Dark Wings], [Moonlight Shard], [Weaver's Mask], [Broken Oath], [Patient Avenger], [Ephemeral Diary], [Crystal Monocle], [Starlight Legion Longsword], [Dusty Armor]...
Echoes: —
Shadows: [Marble Saint], [Soul Serpent], [Soul-Devouring Tree].
Attributes: [Fated], [Flame of Divinity], [Prince of Shadows], [Blood Weave], [Harbinger of Solace and Death], [The Shadow].
Aspect: [Shadow Slave].
Aspect Rank: Divine.
Aspect Legacy: [Shadow Dance].
Aspect Legacy mastery level: [3/7].
Flaw: [Clear Conscience].
Master: [Changing Star].
...
---
And below the last string of text were her runes, and then his, and then hers again, spiraling endlessly.
Sunny was still out there fighting. Still alive. Still drawing breath, against all odds. And he had grown even stronger.
'He just obtained a new Shadow,' Changing Star noted with a complex mix of envy and longing. She couldn't believe Sunny had actually gone back to chop down that cursed tree, but thinking about it, such a petty, vindictive act was entirely on brand for him. 'This isn't fair. We both have Divine Aspects... why can't I create, I don't know, creatures of light that can grow like his shadows?'
A faint smile lifted her spirits, warming her chest at the mere thought of him.
'Wait for me, Sunny. I'm coming to get you. Just be patient a little longer,' Nephis promised silently, finally dismissing her runes.
With that, she took a step forward.
[Five brave ones... welcome to the Nightmare!]
[Prepare for your second trial!]
***
Elsewhere, a few months into the future, somewhere high in the skies of the Dream Realm...
"Yes, good. Just like that. Keep it circulating. Now focus on the final part, boy. This is the most crucial moment."
Atop the broad back of the Ravenous Sparrow, Sunny soared once again through the dark, starless sky of the Forgotten Shore. He sat in a lotus position, hands clasped together in his lap. Beside him, the skeleton known as Eurys of the Nine sat giving him instructions, correcting his every mistake.
Over the past few days, an unexpected friendship had blossomed between the two. Perhaps it was a shared sense of camaraderie born from their mutual fate as slaves, or perhaps it was simply because they were literally the only two beings around capable of holding a real conversation. Whatever the reason, a genuine bond had formed between Sunny and Eurys.
Lost from Light had learned a great deal from him—not just the secret of how to walk the path of ascension all the way to the Sacred Rank, but also several advanced essence refinement techniques. In return, Sunny had told him a bit about himself, his life, his dreams, and his failures. Eurys, on his end, had dumped a massive amount of lore regarding the true nature of the Dream Realm and creation in general.
Now, Sunny knew all about the Gods, the Daemons, the seven Divine Realms, and the countless mortal worlds below them. He learned about the Age of Heroes and the eras that preceded it, as well as the true origins of the Nightmare Spell and the Forgotten God. Or, at least, the version of events Eurys had shared.
Although the latter part—concerning the birth of the Spell and the Dream God—Sunny had actually discovered himself. In a moment of sheer desperation, he had activated the mysterious [???] enchantment of the [Weaver's Mask]. The agonizing memory of looking directly into the grand tapestry of Fate and nearly frying his own brain was still vividly etched into his very being.
'Yeah! Better never use that again. Great idea.'
Finally, while still mid-flight and nearing their destination, Sunny completed his awakening.
[The second seal is broken.]
[Awakening dormant powers...]
[Aspect Ability acquired.]
Aspect Ability: [Shadow Step].
Ability Description: [You can move freely between shadows, traveling from one to another in an instant.]
Sunny opened his eyes, a deeply satisfied smile spreading across his face.
Some time later, he and Eurys arrived at their destination. The journey to the Underworld hadn't been entirely smooth, but thanks to the skeleton's hidden shortcuts, they had arrived relatively unscathed.
"Our paths diverge here, boy. I wish you all the best, my friend," Eurys told him sincerely.
Sunny turned back to look at him one last time before departing. "Yeah, you too. Good luck on your journey to the Shadow Realm."
And so, the two slaves parted ways, neither knowing that one day in the future, they would meet again.
"Good luck to you too with your complicated, sadomasochistic Master-slave romance with that Nephilim!" Eurys called out as a final farewell.
Hearing that, Sunny tripped over his own feet, literally tumbling face-first into his Second Nightmare.
Maybe he had told that skeleton a bit too much.
[Brave one... welcome to the Nightmare!]
[Prepare for your second trial!]
"DAMNATION!"
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