"...And that is how I struck down the beast, saved the maiden in distress, and conquered my First Nightmare," Han Li Caster concluded with practiced reverence. Though he lacked overt brashness, pride leaked from his every pore like water from a failing dam.
"Wow! I don't believe it."
"Incredible!"
"It's no wonder he has an Ascendant Aspect."
"Can you please step on me now?"
"Stop following me, you creep!!!"
The Legacy basked in the awe and adulation of his audience. The Sleepers looked at him with wide-eyed admiration, hanging on his every word. For Caster, the praise of the masses was an opium disguised as nectar. This was how his life was meant to be.
CLAP. CLAP. CLAP.
Caster's eyebrow arched. He turned toward the source of the applause.
This wasn't the rhythmic cheer of a crowd; it was slow, redundant, and echoed with a distinct note of mockery. It was an insult dressed as a compliment.
Caster's eyes landed on a boy with ink-black hair, onyx eyes, and pale skin. He was shorter than the others and looked almost like a living shadow in his dark clothes. An emerald prism pendant was the only splash of color on his somber frame.
As their gazes met, the shadow-boy curled his lips into a smirk. "My compliments. Your achievements are truly the stuff of legends."
The praise felt intentionally exaggerated. There was a sharp edge to the boy's voice that made Caster's skin crawl.
"Thank you, my friend..." Caster replied, his smile stiffening as the slow, rhythmic clapping continued. "And whom do I have the pleasure?"
"Me?" The boy finally stopped his applause and placed a hand on his chest. "A pleasure to meet you, Han Li Caster. My name is Sunless." He offered a hand.
"Sunless, then. The pleasure is mine." Caster shook it. There was a specific cadence to the way Sunless spoke that grated on his nerves. The others didn't notice, but the Legacy did. 'You little...'
"And tell me, Sunless," Caster continued, keeping his mask of polite curiosity firmly in place. "Which Clan do you belong to? I'm afraid I've never heard of you."
"Which Clan, you say?" Sunless tapped his chin, looking at the ceiling in a way that was somewhere between deep thought and hidden derision. "None," he said finally, flashing a mocking smile.
"I'm from the Outskirts. A rather distasteful place, you know? Full of wretched people. You Legacies don't know how much I envy you—having everything served on a silver platter since birth."
'Are you provoking me, Mongrel? Fine. Let's see who crawls away crying with the tail between the legs.'
Caster raised a hand. "Sunless... since you're so appreciative, perhaps you'd care to share something of your own First Nightmare? Surely you aren't too jealous of your secrets, aren't you?"
The shadow-boy let out a short laugh, looking almost honored. "Me? Dear Gods! You catch me off guard. How could a mere Outskirts rat like me possibly boast of his deeds?" He gestured to the crowd of Sleepers gathered around them. "Especially after a world-renowned Legacy of your caliber has fueled the masses with such... fervor."
The way Sunless emphasized "renowned" and "fervor" was ambiguous. Caster didn't miss it; he couldn't figure out where this damn Mongrel was going. Looking around, he realized he was the only one sensing the provocation.
"Oh, don't be shy," Caster encouraged, his voice dripping with faux-kindness. "After such a buildup, I'm sure your story is as worthy of praise as mine."
Now, all eyes were on Sunless.
For a brief second, he glanced at his right shoulder before putting a hand to his chin. "Well... first of all, I spent some time enjoying life in a temple. It had fantastic hot springs, I must say, and the company wasn't that bad. If you catch my drift." He gave a wink.
"Unfortunately, after a series of unlucky events, I was forced to join a charming caravan and climb a mountain about... this high." He raised his hand to indicate a towering height.
"And I must say, it was a refreshing experience. Excellent for the health. The night in particular wasn't bad, but I had drunk quite a bit the day before, so it was mostly a blur of a hangover." He finished with a straight-faced smile.
"Wait, wait..." one of the Sleepers said, stepping forward. "That can't be all. Come on! Tell us more."
One by one, the others chimed in, eager to hear the rest. Caster didn't like the direction the conversation was taking.
"As you can see, your tale isn't as meager as you thought," He said, trying to regain control of the room. "Please, do go on."
"If you say so..." Sunless clapped his hands together, looking like he was making them all dance in his palm. "Now that you mention it, a few things did happen. During the climb, there was an old man who had... well, a terrible throat problem. Thanks to my intervention, I solved it. Permanently."
Caster blinked, bewildered. "What?"
"And during my stay at the temple," Sunless continued, "I had to endure, much to my chagrin, the advances of several young ladies. Believe me, friends, that was a Nightmare all its own." He twirled a finger in the air.
Several Sleepers snorted. Caster was getting more confused by the second.
"Then, when the caravan camped for the night during the climb, I was invited to drink. It was a massive collective bender. I give you my word: when the sun rose again, they were all lying on the ground, lifeless."
The crowd burst into laughter. But they weren't laughing at him—they were laughing with him. Boisterous, genuine laughter filled the hall. Caster's grip on the room was slipping. No one was looking at him anymore; no one was admiring him.
"And... what about the Nightmare Creatures?" Caster tried to steer the ship back. "Don't tell me you didn't meet a single one while climbing the mountain?"
"Those?" Sunless gave him another mocking grin. "Well, probably... they must have joined the party too, because I found their grotesque bodies lying right there with the soldiers the next morning."
The laughter became a roar.
Caster's eye began to twitch visibly. "And what about your Appr-"
He didn't get to finish. The shadow-boy gently raised a hand, cutting him off mid-sentence.
"So much haste, my dear Han Li Caster," Sunless said, his hand still raised. "We have an entire month to get to know each other. Why spoil everything now? But please, do continue with your tale. Far be it from a peasant like me to interrupt your odyssey." He made a "go ahead" gesture.
With that, Sunless walked away, leaving a visibly frustrated Legacy behind him.
Caster wasn't just angry; he was livid. Sunless was systematically dismantling him, but he couldn't grasp how. It was as if the Shadow had organized a puppet show, and he was one of the marionettes. Worse still, no one else noticed the mockery, so Caster couldn't even accuse him.
'Sunless, was it?' A forced smile appeared on the Legacy's face. 'Good! Very good! I hope you enjoy your stay at the Academy, then.'
Turning to his right, Caster noticed another Sleeper staring at him strangely.
"Can you please step on me?"
Caster was caught entirely off guard. "What the- Nooo!!!"
***
As Sunny withdrew to the side, he was howling with laughter internally. He had to muster every ounce of his willpower just to keep from shaking visibly, though anyone watching closely would have seen his frame quivering with suppressed mirth.
'And that... is all folks,' he declared victoriously amidst his mental hysterics.
The Jiminy Cricket was once again unable to offer a verbal response; he was too busy clutching Sunny's shoulder, doubled over in silent, frantic laughter.
Then...
His heart dropped. It hit him with a sudden, agonizing throb—a pain so sharp it felt physical.
The laughter vanished instantly. Even his Flaw, who had been cackling only a second ago, fell deathly silent.
'Hey, Jimmy,' Sunny whispered inwardly, his mental voice cracking.
<
'Is someone... cutting onions in here?' Sunny asked.
The Jiminy Cricket looked around despondently for a moment before catching on. <
Sunny noticed her then. Sitting in a corner, alone and cast aside like a broken doll, was a girl with delicate golden hair and eyes as blue as the summer sky. Her beauty was ethereal, possessing an immaculate purity. She wore elegant, clean clothes that made her look as graceful as a ceramic figurine. She looked just as fragile, too—as if, were she to fall, you would see her shards scatter across the hall.
Her eyes were vacant, failing to reflect anything. Her gaze was lost, as though she had already looked upon death and accepted its embrace. Seeing someone so graceful on the verge of tears was a sight that tore at the soul.
In his Shadow Sense, her shadow bore a glowing golden eye. His [Child of War] attribute whispered that there was far more to this girl than met the eye, but she was currently too broken to let it out.
"Cassie."
The name escaped Sunny's lips, sweet and bitter at once—an echo of what was, and what could have been.
Sunny would deal with the "onion-cutter" later. In the next heartbeat, a shadow took a step forward, hoping that this one selfish act might alter a harrowing future.
He moved, driven by the hope that his own hubris would allow a girl and her shadow to escape toward a brighter destiny. Toward a tomorrow made of laughter instead of sorrow.