'Damnation, today?'
Sunny grumbled.
"Way to pour rain on my parade and ruin it."
Rain, who listened to the entire conversation he had with Mordret with a confused expression, looked at Sunny with a pout when she heard him.
"But, teacher, I didn't do anything,"
"What? No, not you, brat, I'm talking to myself,"
"Oh…okay… You weirdo,"
Sunny rolled his eyes and held back a smile. He needed to make sure she was safe until she naturally awakened, especially with the possibility of the dreamspawn arriving.
"Be quiet,"
Rain grabbed an apron and told him she was going upstairs to wake Aiko, who was still asleep, and Sunny took a moment to look outside at the rising sun. For a brief second, if there were no nightmare creatures or nightmare spell and there wasn't a war about to take place, Sunny could almost imagine settling down here and living comfortably. Sure, the weather was bad, but the people here made up for it.
'Maybe in another life,'
He immediately dismissed the foolish thought and turned around, then walked into the kitchen and opened the door with Eunbin following close behind him. Once they were inside, he grabbed a clean kitchen towel, turned around to hand it to her along with the endless spring, and was suddenly aware of how close she was.
"Here you go,"
She gently took the items from his hands, poured water onto the towel, and then began wiping her face. Once her face was clear, she handed him the towel and pointed to her hair.
"Thank you, but I'm going to need help with my hair since I don't know how much flour got in it, and I didn't bring my pocket mirror. I can brush it while you pour water on it. I'd get my shampoo to help get it out, but I don't feel like going. Unless you have some to spare?"
"I do actually, it's in my room. You stay here while I go get it."
Eunbin wagged her index finger at him.
"No, no, I'd like to go with you, you've seen my room, but I have yet to see yours."
"Actually, it's not clean-"
"Now,"
Sunny nodded without hesitation.
"Alright,"
Eunbin smiled sweetly and reached out to pat his cheek twice, making him slightly blush.
"Good,"
Sunny opened the kitchen door.
"Right, I'll uh- I'll let you know when you can come up in a bit,"
Eunbin leaned against the doorframe and watched him leave with a smile.
"I'll be waiting for you, Sunny,"
Eunbin noticed his shadow was still in the kitchen, staring at her with a somewhat judgmental look, despite having no face.
"Is there something of the matter, little shadow?"
Sunny's shadow shook in what looked like rage before sighing and letting out a silent scoff, then shooing her away.
'How rude, was it because I called him little? I didn't mean anything by it.'
Meanwhile, Sunny bolted upstairs and practically kicked his door open to see Rain gently waking up a sleeping Aiko. He scoffed, gently moved his sister out of the way, and yanked off the blanket on top of Aiko.
"Get up!"
Aiko shot up to the ceiling with a yelp.
"Gahh! What the hell?!"
"Eunbin is coming upstairs to look at my room, and it's a mess because you're always sleeping in here! I can't let a woman see my room like this!"
Aiko frowned.
"But I'm a woman, and I don't care,"
Sunny scoffed.
"That's different,"
"Oh yeah, because you two are dating, right? I forgot."
"What?! No!"
Aiko's eyes went wide, and she floated down in front of him with an outraged expression.
"Why the hell not, boss?! Don't you want to secure the future of your emporium? Don't you care about having money?!"
"Because I'm not rushing anything and we're just friends! Yes, I want to secure it, and yes, I care about having money."
"Then hurry up and court the damn woman!"
Sunny's face went deadly calm.
"Get out, I need to clean up, unless you want me to deduct some of your pay."
Aiko paled and put out her small hands in the air in a defensive gesture.
"Alright, alright, fine, there's no need to take such drastic measures, boss."
After a minute of rushing around the room, he called her up.
"You can come up now!"
He soon heard the sound of heels clacking against the steps and stopping in front of his room before the door was slowly pushed open, revealing her beautiful face.
Eunbin stepped into his room and looked around with a smile before her eyes landed on his. She walked into his room and stopped before him.
"Oh, this is much different from what I expected it to be."
"What did you expect it to look like? My temple?"
Eunbin immediately nodded with an aloof expression.
"Yes,"
Sunny sat on his bed with a huff.
"Whatever, what do you know?"
Eunbin sat beside him again, smiling.
"I know that this room could use some decoration; it's far too bland, and I know that the closet belongs to a princess. Do you care to explain to me why it's in your room?"
"Well, it was part of a princess's room in a ruined cathedral. I stayed in for a few months when I was a sleeper. Then two years ago, I went back and took it because it was so comfortable and I didn't have a bed."
Eunbin was silent for a long time before she spoke in a completely disinterested tone as she looked elsewhere with a bored expression.
"Did she sleep in the bed with you?"
"What? No, it was long abandoned,"
"I see,"
"I slept with Saint Athena, who was also a sleeper at the time; she wouldn't remember, though."
Eunbin did a double-take.
"You what?!"
"It was only once, and it wasn't that good of an experience because she kept saying how good I would look in the dress of a princess."
'Wait, no, that sounds wrong, very wrong. This entire conversation sounds wrong.'
Sunny slowly stood up.
"Anyways, I have somewhere to be, I won't be back for a while,"
Eunbin regained her composure and rapidly shook her head as she grabbed his shoulder and sat him back down beside her.
"What? No, no, you can't just end the conversation on a cliffhanger like that, that's ridiculous. I need you to elaborate."
Sunny briefly turned into a shadow slipping out of her grasp and got up again. Then turned tangible again and smiled as he walked towards his bedroom door, leaving Eunbin sitting on his bed with a dazed expression.
"I will later, let me know how it goes with your parents and Ki Song when I get back."
"Sunny!"
He waved before shadow-stepping away.
"See you later,"
Eunbin was immediately left in silence, and she let out a sigh, then shook her head.
"What am I going to do with that man?"
'I should get going now, they're still waiting for me outside.'
Eunbin stood up and looked around the room once more before walking out, closing the door behind her, and walking downstairs to bid goodbye to Rain and Aiko, along with the avatar Sunless left.
She left the Emporium to see her mom and dad standing there idly looking at the awakened passing by.
"Are you two ready?"
Her father nodded.
"As ready as we can be,"
"Alright, let's get going then,"
They walked for a few minutes before reaching the castle entrance and walking inside, down the hall towards the throne room. The doors were closed, yet Eunbin and her parents could feel a mountain of pressure emanating from inside.
"Stay out here for a moment,"
Her parents nodded with a whisper.
"Alright, honey,"
Eunbin walked into the throne room, stopped in front of the throne, then bowed to her mother and straightened.
"Greetings, Mother,"
Her mother softly smiled.
"Eunbin, how are you?"
"I am well, I just got back from the waking world."
"Yes, your sisters told me that you had gone somewhere with Sunless and that you had been gone since yesterday. How is he, by the way?"
"He is well,"
"That is good to hear, Eunbin, but I know you did not come here just to greet me,"
"No, I didn't, I have dire news,"
Her mother's smile disappeared in an instant.
"What is it?"
Eunbin hesitated for a second before answering.
"The Dreamspawn is making his presence known to the waking world again. There is a cult about him going around spreading his name in what they think is goodwill and harmless."
Her mother frowned at her words and clenched the armrests of her throne.
"When did you learn of this?"
"Today,"
"Then it has been going on for much longer for him to have a cult, I guess we were not thorough in our censorship in wiping out any traces of his existence. Thank you for telling me, my daughter."
"Actually, mother I have something else to say,"
"Oh? You seem nervous, Eunbin. What troubles you?"
"I have some people I want you to meet,"
***
Sunny made his way through the government building in the waking world and walked into the room to see Nephis, Jet, Kai, Effie, and Cassie sitting around the table, looking at him, except for Kai, of course. He closed the door behind him and took a seat as Nephis nodded at him, her expression calm.
"Lord Shadow, it has been a while. It is good to see you again."
Sunny nodded; it seemed Kai hadn't told them he knew Sunny was Lord Shadow, since he found out at the beach.
"Likewise, Changing Star,"
Effie gave him a look up and down, then scoffed.
"Hey, short, dark, and gloomy."
Sunny scoffed as well.
"Hello, loudmouth,"
"I asked this the last time you were here, and I'll ask again. Who's your favorite Princess?"
"Beastmaster,"
"So you have a different one, huh, like I said, Beastmaster is a real head turner. Though I recall
Last time you were here, you said Princess Lightslayer, and that was because she's a good sparring partner, unless of course you meant a good sparring partner in bed-"
Nephis interrupted with a stern gaze.
"Effie, let us focus on the topic at hand."
"Whatever you say, Princess,"
Jet, who was sitting beside Effie, gave him an amused stare.
"You have a different mask than last time, it's cool."
Sunny touched his 'definitely not me' mask and nodded.
"Thank you,"
Sunny turned his sights on Kai, who had been intentionally avoiding his gaze by looking at the table since he walked in.
"Nightingale, my best friend, it is good to see you again."
Kai froze and visibly paled when Sunny called him, meeting his gaze with trembling electric green eyes.
"Ah, Lord Shadow, it… It is nice to see you again as well. How uh.. How have you been?"
"I have been well, but I am better now that I am here."
"That…That is good."
"Do you know what being reminds me of?"
Kai began to tremble in place and take several deep breaths, then muttered to himself that he did not want to pass out this time before he slowly shook his head.
"Ah…n-no, w-what does it remind you of, Lord Shadow?"
Sunny smiled beneath his mask.
"It reminds me of the time that I helped overthrow two tyrants."
Kai sighed in relief as he realized he was talking about the present.
"Well, that's good to hear. I thought you were going to say something outrageous."
"Not at the moment, Nightingale,"
"That's a relief, w-wait, what do you mean not at the mom-"
"That is in the past, focus on the present, my friend."
"But that wasn't even a second ago,"
Nephis stared at them curiously, then looked at Sunny and gave him a nod; he caught the hint and pulled out the mirror shard. Mordret gave it to him and set it on the floor to his right. He looked at his reflection for a while before it gave a friendly wave. Once he saw that, he set the mirror shard on the floor, and immediately Mordret appeared from it with a pleasant smile as he adjusted his tie.
"Hello, Saint Athena, Changing Star, Soul Reaper, Nightingale, and Song of the Fallen, it is good to see you again."
Nephis looked at him.
"You attacked Valor,"
"Oh, that? I was just having a family reunion, not that you know anything about that, Changing Star."
The room grew hotter at his words so much that Sunny felt beads of sweat go down his forehead underneath his mask.
"Watch your words, Mordret. We only need your information on the dreamspawn, but we don't need you."
Mordret smiled and held up two fingers.
"Actually, yes, you do, for two reasons."
Nephis looked at Kai and frowned when she saw him nod.
"Why?"
"The first reason is the skinwalker. Do you know anyone else who can dive into the vessels of the skinwalker's souls and kill them? No, I don't think so."
"And the second reason is that, if I am correct, when the abomination arrives here, he will likely go after the blind witch first, as she is the only one who poses a threat to him at the moment. So I suggest that you become a supreme alongside us, Cassia or not, I don't really care. But if she doesn't, then who will protect her from him, hm? I can hide her in my mirror realm if needed."
Nephis' frown deepened.
"What do you mean?"
Mordret's smile dimmed.
"Once someone says or hears his name, then he can see and listen through them. And that's not to mention his thralls, we've already heard about some of them, a cult called 'The Moon's Path to Freedom'.
Sunny silently clenched his fist, and the shadows darkened and danced around him.
'Gods, Rain heard his name, if that bastard so much as touches a singular hair on her head."
The room went silent at the information before Jet spoke up with a frown.
"Why does she pose a threat to him?"
Mordret pulled out a chair and sat down beside Jet with a sigh.
"Because with her power over memories, she is the only one who is capable of truly wiping him from existence. He is an idea, and therefore the dreamspawn cannot truly be killed so long as anyone knows his existence."
Effie raised an eyebrow.
"Wouldn't that ruin your little obsession with killing Anvil and the dreamspawn?"
Mordret shrugged.
"I would be disappointed at the dreamspawn's death not being at my hands, but I wouldn't complain, as it's one less problem in my life."
Cassie met Mordret's eyes with a calm expression.
"What are his abilities?"
Mordret's smile disappeared, and his expression became emotionless.
"His dormant ability allows him to sense the emotions of others, but now it is so powerful that he can read minds. His awakened ability allows him to feed on the emotions of others and consume them in a vile manner."
He paused and looked around to make sure everyone was listening before continuing.
"But, now that he is a sovereign, he can put his thoughts into your mind as well as influence your emotions. It's to the point where you don't know if your thoughts are your own or not. In fact, he can potentially reshape your thoughts and emotions entirely."
The room was dead silent for a long time, as the unsettling information took them aback, and they looked at Kai, who gave a shaky nod. Eventually, Jet spoke up in an unusually nervous voice.
"What… What is his transformation?"
"I don't know,"
"His supreme ability?"
"I don't know,"
Seeing that this was going nowhere, Effie frowned and leaned forward with a scowl.
"If you don't know anything, then what the hell are you here for?"
Mordret scoffed at her words.
"It's not like he told me all of this information, Saint Athena. I had to figure this out all on my own throughout the years I was with him. You should be honored that I am a kind person and generous enough not to leave you all to fend for yourselves, and to be blind to his abilities when he arrives. Not that knowing his abilities would make a difference in the first place."
Effie rolled her eyes and grumbled.
"Generous and kind, my ass,"
Nephis scowled.
"Do you know his domain then?"
"It is called the hunger domain; it is more of an idea than a place. I think I gave one of you a vague description of his domain during the third nightmare, but I can't remember who it was. Perhaps his goal is to devour his devoted cult like the monster he is."
Nephis nodded, and Cassie asked the main question.
"What is his flaw?"
"I truly don't know. You should know that I have no reason to lie in such matters; it would gain me nothing. But heed my warning, Song of the Fallen, no amount of planning or knowledge of his abilities will prepare you for his arrival."
Cassie looked at Kai, who had regained his composure and nodded. Nephis took in the information and was silent for a moment before her lips moved.
"I have been told that you are going to assist Cassie and Lord Shadow in traversing the mirror maze to find whatever he is looking for."
Mordret nodded.
"Yes, we go in a month when there will be a full moon in Bastion, and the lake will reflect the real Bastion."
"Are you not worried about Morgan finding out and following you? Before you infiltrated Valor and attacked Jest and Morgan, the last time you met her, she took your eye and hand."
Mordret forced a smile.
"I appreciate your concern about me changing Star, but my sister, as you recall, I repaid the favor to her, and you healed her from that. Now, I admit that I should not have won that encounter against her in Antarctica, but I did, and that was because she didn't want to kill me badly enough. Morgan was worried about far too many trivial things, like her body. Or perhaps she did have enough killing intent, and I won because fate was on my side that day. Or maybe someone orchestrated it to be that way."
As he said his last sentence, his silver eyes snapped onto Cassie's blindfold and seemed to stare into her soul.
'How does he know that?'
Jet leaned forward.
"What about Anvil?"
Nephis answered.
"He won't be a problem,"
Jet gave her a confused look.
"Why?"
"Because of what Mordret did,"
Effie scowled at her short response.
"Come on, Princess, you know I hate it when you don't elaborate in the same sentence."
Nephis softly sighed and leaned forward.
"On the surface, his infiltration of Valor and attacking Morgan and Jest was out of hatred, but if you look closely, then you will see that it is not a coincidence. Just after Mordret attacked Valor, he informed Cassie that he would help Lord Shadow and her traverse the mirror maze."
Effie gestured for her to continue.
"And?"
"And Morgan has added more guards to Bastion ever since that day and has mandated that every knight be checked to see if they are who they claim. Which means he intentionally attacked Valor so that they would be distracted long enough for all three of them to go into the maze. Am I wrong, Mordret?"
Mordret stared at her for a while before quietly applauding her.
"Well done, Changing Star. You're right, it seems like you have me all figured out, but if you know that, then Morgan definitely knows."
Sunny interrupted their conversation with an impatient tone.
"Regardless of what happened on any day, it is imperative that we do not get caught by the king of swords."
Mordret met his mask with a more relaxed smile.
"I recommend you bring the daughter of Nether with us. I still have a reflection of her, and I know she has immunity to mind attacks, does she not?"
"She does,"
"Then she will be of great value, you as well, Nightingale,"
Kai's handsome face scrunched in confusion.
"Why me?"
"Because of the others, they cannot lie or tell the truth, and aside from myself, who can tell whether or not someone is a reflection because of my abilities. You are the only other person due to your flaw; there is no better candidate. I figured that out with your reflection."
Sunny raised an eyebrow under his mask.
"Can I not be able to tell as well because of their shadows?"
Mordret shook his head.
"No, I'm afraid not, your shadow sense is unreliable, I have tried with your reflection as well. The more others acknowledge them, the more their shadow becomes indistinguishable from a real person's.
'Damnation,'
Mordret clapped his hands and leaned forward.
"Now, I have given you all this information, Changing Star, and nothing in life is ever free."
Nephis narrowed her eyes.
"What do you want in return?"
Mordret smiled pleasantly at her question.
The more chapters I give, the more cliffhangers you have. It's a win-win for everyone. :)