A tall woman was seated at a cafe, comfortably sipping on a hot drink. A large jacket covered her frame, the hood of it pulled up to cover her features.
The woman was tapping her foot somewhat impatiently.
'Where is he?'
And just as the woman was about to check the time, she felt a subtle coldness wash over her. Shifting her chair slightly, she looked down.
"He-"
"Sunny?"
The shadow at her feet jolted slightly. And a second later, its shoulders slumped.
[You're getting sharper.]
'Hah! Finally!'
She had managed to notice Sunny before he snuck up on her! Aria wasn't sure whether he had let her notice him on purpose or not, but she was proud of herself nevertheless.
[You seriously couldn't be bothered to show up in person?]
[...I'm busy.]
Aria sighed, taking a big sip of her hot chocolate.
[Anyways, that lightning was you, right?]
[It was.]
Her grip on her mug tightened slightly.
'A damn Corrupted Titan…'
As she had been busy running, she hadn't seen exactly what went down. But when Saint Sky Tide's lightning had been drawn into the air, she caught a glimpse of a silhouette laid over the clouds. The shape of the Echo in the sky was forever etched into her mind, and she couldn't mistake it for anything else.
[Thanks for that. What are you doing right now?]
[Preparing for my Second Nightmare.]
[Oh? When are you leaving for it?]
The transient shadow at her feet shifted.
[...Tomorrow.]
[Tomorrow?!]
Sunny had never told her his age, but from the file she had read… he couldn't be over eighteen. There were still a few more weeks until the Winter Solstice as well.
[If you succeed, wouldn't this make you like… the youngest Ascended in history?]
[It might.]
Aria put down her mug, taking a deep breath.
'What a goddamn monster…'
She still knew next to nothing about Sunny. All of his files seemed legitimate enough, and she didn't think his origin was fabricated either.
And yet… It was just so hard to believe. Someone who quite literally had nothing to do with the world of Awakened before their first nightmare… was this strong already? Only a year had passed since his first nightmare! Such a rise to power was simply unprecedented!
But the part that frightened her the most was… not a goddamn person seemed to know about it! Well, besides the Song Clan… But Sunny had put himself in that mess. Who in their right mind acquaints themself with a princess of Song and thinks they're gonna be left alone? It seemed like quite a foolish move in her mind, but it was Sunny. Sunny knew what he was doing. Probably.
[Wait… Are you entering the Nightmare by yourself?]
[I am.]
[Are you insane?! Don't you know that no one survives in the Dream Realm alone?!]
Then again… it was Sunny. He didn't exactly seem like someone who adhered to common knowledge or rules.
[Well if you must know, I am perfectly sane, and I am not alone. Aren't you familiar with my beloved raven?]
[...Right. I really hope that's not the source of your confidence though.]
[It's not!]
'Good…'
If it turned out Sunny was actually full of himself simply due to wielding a powerful Echo… she might have had to rethink her choices in associating herself with him.
"Your dessert, miss."
Aria snapped out of her thoughts at the voice of a waitress next to her.
"Oh, thank you…"
She stared deeply at the sight of her dessert… a lemon pie. She had yearned for such a meal for a long, long time.
[Aria. You're drooling.]
"Ah."
Aria snapped out of it immediately, realising she was making a fool out of herself.
[Did you know?]
Aria tilted her head as she picked up her fork.
[Know what?]
[What Valor was doing.]
'Oh, this.'
Madoc had actually subtly hinted something was going to happen, but she only realised in hindsight.
[Nope. Did you?]
[No. Damn clowns… Anyways, why did you call me here?]
Taking the first bite of her pie, she almost began to tear up. It tasted just like her mothers cooking…
[I was going to treat you to some cake. You know, for slaying a Titan and all that. Only you didn't even have the decency to show up!]
[...As I said, I'm busy. And don't worry about repaying me. I did it to save my own ass too.]
'His own ass huh…'
Suddenly, she remembered Sunny's ensemble at the ball…
[By the way…]
The shadow on the ground also seemed to remember, shuddering slightly.
[...Yeah?]
[I just have to ask…]
The shadow beneath the table began to subtly move away.
[Do you wear a bra when you're Song Suming?]
The shadow froze in horror.
[I… I…]
Aria felt only a miniscule pang of guilt at the fact she was taking advantage of someone's flaw.
[No. What do you think the coat is for?]
[Gahahaha! I knew it- Uh? You don't? Oh well...]
Aria did her best not to burst out laughing, her shoulders shaking wildly.
[Hey, hey… What about-]
[Shut up!]
The shadow had no definable features, but she could tell it was steaming in embarrassment. The outraged voice in her head may have also played a role in that discernment. She had to put her forked down just to focus on not laughing out loud.
A suspicious looking woman laughing alone in a fancy cafe… She'd prefer not to be that person.
[I'm leaving.]
[Wait, wait!]
The shadow paused for a moment, looking back.
[What now? I'm seriously gonna leave!]
[Were you also wearing makeup? Or perfume? Please, I have to know!]
Aria waited for a moment, but an answer never came. The shadow that had been stealthily gliding away from her seemed to lose its semblance of humanity, instead just becoming a stray, wandering human-shaped shadow.
Aria laughed to herself slightly, leaning back.
'This is just too much fun…'
***
Sunny was holding onto his face in embarrassment.
'What's her goddamn problem?!'
It was like Effie all over again!
Sunny did not wait around to hear Aria's question, as he was quite certain it was going to be something stupid. The moment he heard her say 'wear', he released his control over the shadow, cutting his senses off from it so he didn't have to hear the rest of her question.
Sunny glanced at Jet, who was still sitting next to him. For whatever reason, she was laying upside down, the tips of her hair brushing against the floor as she lazily clicked away on her communicator.
'I just need to make sure nobody else ever knows!'
Sunny sighed before resuming his weaving.
In truth, he was actually done weaving memories for Shrike. He had used up his supply of Transcendent soul shards and was now just waiting for Shrike to finish healing, which he predicted would be tomorrow.
After the events of the Valor ball, Sunny had quadrupled his efforts in weaving, missing several days of sleep as he rushed his work. He needed power soon, and he wasn't going to let anything else delay him any longer.
Currently though, he was working on a special project of his own. Well, it wasn't too special, but he was making something for Nephis. Over the past week, whenever he wasn't weaving he was spending time with her.
Although the main reason he had visited them was because he missed them, there was another reason too.
Sunny wasn't invincible. He knew that more than anyone. He wanted to give them a few more precious memories before he left, just on the off chance that… he died in the Nightmare.
Although he was confident in his strength and his plan, there was no such thing as certainty in the age of the Nightmare Spell. Things went wrong all the time, and plans often did not survive against reality. Death could claim anyone at any time.
Sunny didn't even need to enter the Nightmare. He could ascend at any moment now. But… he needed power. He needed to grow his own strength as much as he could. He needed to take risks. The reason being… he was only one person.
Sure, he had allies, but… none of them were anywhere near as powerful as him. He did not hold it against them, but it did increase the pressure on him. The closest thing he had to a powerful ally was actually Ki Song, strangely enough. But unless his friends began to ascend left and right or something, his current allies only consisted of Awakened.
The thought saddened Sunny slightly. In this era, he was currently the only wielder of a divine aspect. Not a single Awakened could keep up with his progress.
'Hm, then again…'
Mordret likely would have Awakened by now. Sunny would have to try to bring him to his side before it was too late. But at the same time, the current Mordret would've only been about twelve years old… Sunny was not about to recruit someone who wasn't even a teenager yet to help him fight against the Sovereigns. He would try to make him his ally, but he wasn't exactly going to be bringing him to any significant fights. And even then, that was only if Mordret agreed to join him, who knew if he was the deranged monster Sunny knew by this point?
He hoped not.
Sunny paused his weaving.
'Wait, there's also that…'
Sunny may have been wrong in saying that only he and Mordret wielded Divine Aspects. After all, had fate not been changed? If the fate of the world really was changing now, then anything was possible. There could already be a new divine aspect wielder out there somewhere for all Sunny knew.
'I'll have to pay close attention…'
Once he was a Master and his personal strength improved, he'd be more willing to send his shadows out into the world. With them, he'd be able to gather far more information than he was gathering now.
The government and Great Clans knew nothing about Divine Aspects, but Sunny knew the telltale signs of it. If someone with a divine aspect awakened, he'd be able to find them.
Sunny smiled slightly at the thought, continuing his weaving.
'Maybe I'll truly create the Shadow Clan, one of these days…'
He glanced at Jet, its sole and unknowing member.
He also had another candidate in mind, Aria. But unfortunately, she was busy serving a different Domain. Sunny couldn't give himself away for something so little, and he had no idea if the Mark of Shadows would conflict with the Sword Domain. But seeing as it was Serpent's Tyrant ability, he didn't want to find out.
Sunny sighed.
"Jet."
"Hmm?"
Jet glanced at him, not moving.
"I'll be leaving for the Nightmare tomorrow."
"Already? Well, I'm sure you'll be fine…"
Sunny laughed.
"You're sure, huh? Don't you doubt me at all?"
Jet shifted slightly, putting her communicator to the side.
"You're asking me?"
"I am."
"Well, you're the one who wants to enter the Nightmare. I'm sure you know what you're doing."
She paused for a moment.
"You do kno-"
"Yes, yes. I know what I'm doing."
Jet breathed a sigh of relief.
"See? Is there even a need to ask? How long do you think it's going to take though?"
"How long? Maybe a month or two? Depends on how it goes, really."
With a Supreme Devil by his side, Sunny could cross the Chained Isles within days or even hours if he ignored caution. He already knew where many of the things he needed were too, so he was certain that even if his plan of killing Hope fell through, he'd be able to clear the nightmare in the same way he had done before.
"A month or two… Okay!"
"And… could I trouble you to look after Nephis, if needed? She… there are some bad people after her life, and I told her that she could look to you for help if all else fails."
The room was silent for a moment.
"Okay… I'll do what I can."
Sunny smiled gratefully.
"Thank you. If my Nightmare goes well, I might have a Memory or two for you as well, so look forward to it."
Jet grinned.
"Okay! That's more like it!"
***
Soft clicking echoed throughout a dimly lit room, the soft light of morning barely peaking through the closed curtains. An old woman sat at a desk, typing away before a screen. After a while, she sighed tiredly, leaning back.
'Another one…'
Hearing a soft knock at the door, Calida looked up.
"Sunless."
A soft smile lined her face at the sight of the familiar pale man. She was no longer surprised by his sudden appearances, having grown used to them. The boy seemed to be allergic to using doors anyways.
"What brings you here?"
"I'll be leaving for my Nightmare soon. And by soon I mean within an hour or two."
Calida tensed slightly at his words.
'So soon?'
She had not known Sunless for long, but she had come like the boy quite a lot. Although he was a little strange, he was very reliable. Nephis liked him too, which was good enough for her. And after learning his secret, his motives made sense too.
He also reminded her of her late son-in-law, but only a little.
"You'll be wanting to see Nephis then?"
"Yeah. And when I'm gone, I'll be leaving Solvane with you. Is that fine?"
Her hand clenched slightly.
'Solvane… That girl.'
She was frightening, and Calida was quite wary of her. But… Nephis also liked her, and Sunny seemed to trust her enough as well.
"It should be."
"Oh and by the way, you'll need to feed her blood every few days. Don't worry about procuring it though, I'll send some to you later."
"That… should be fine."
Solvane needed to be fed blood? What a strange woman…
Then again, she had seen stranger. There were all sorts of aspects and all sorts of Flaws out there, after all.
Calida stood up, her old bones creaking slightly.
"Come now, she should be awake by now."
Sunless sunk into the ground at her words, joining her shadow.
The home was quiet, only a few cleaners were milling about on the lower floors.
Entering Nephis' room, Calida saw her sitting at the base of her bed with a sleepy expression.
"Grandmother..?"
"Look proper, Nephis. Someone's here to see you."
Nephis jumped out of her bed at her words, standing straight.
"W-Who?"
In her sleepiness, she'd fail to consider the only person who might come visit at a time like this.
"Who do you think, kid?"
The shadow at her feet suddenly spoke, causing Nephis' eyes to widen.
"Sunny!"
She ran up to Calida, looking at the transient shadow at her feet. The pale young man emerged a moment later, wrapping her up in a tight hug.
Calida watched with a warm smile at the sight of them, with Nephis laughing as Sunless swung her around.
Before Sunless had approached them, Nephis was… quiet. Outside of her lessons, she rarely spoke, preferring only to study and train. Calida hadn't even heard her laugh in years, only getting small smiles from time to time. It was a heartbreaking sight.
But… that all changed when Sunless came. Suddenly, the light in her eyes had returned. She spoke more, smiled more, and sometimes even laughed. But when she was with Sunless, Calida finally felt like she was looking at the innocent child she had lost all those years ago.
To her, Sunless was her hope. Without him, the Great Clans may have already succeeded. Without him, she might've never heard her dear granddaughter laugh again. Without him, the Immortal Flame may have been truly extinguished.
She wondered whether Sunless even knew what he had done for them.
Although she hadn't trusted him completely at first, those thoughts were gone now. There was definitely something strange about his background, and his strength was extremely suspicious for someone his age as someone who was supposedly unaffiliated. But he had the chance to ruin them several times over now, and he hadn't. Both Thrain and her had agreed to trust him.
It was definitely weird that he had done so much for them without asking for anything in return. But someone with as much experience as Calida could see a swindler coming from miles away, and all of her instincts told her that Sunless wasn't such a man. He had never once lied to them, and he always delivered on his promises. Since the day they had met, Nephis had not been harmed even once.
Snapping out of her thoughts, Calida looked towards her granddaughter.
Nephis was sitting in front of a mirror, kicking her feet happily as Sunless gently brushed her hair.
Sunless muttered something in a low voice, which her aged ears failed to hear.
"Really?!"
He clearly said something interesting though, judging by the fact Nephis had spun around to look at him, stars in her eyes.
"Heheh, look closely."
In his hands, a small black hairclip appeared, adorned with a small sunflower.
"Whaaat? Just a hair clip? This is totally lame, Sunny!"
Sunless huffed, feigning heartbreak.
"How rude! I'll have you know I carved that myself! And it's made of stone I gathered from an armour made from by a daemon, you know?! It is totally not lame!"
Calida laughed slightly.
'Did he really make that himself? That's some phenomenal craftsmanship…'
Although the sunflower motif could definitely use some work, the hairclip itself looked expertly made. Nephis was indeed being rude.
Sunless waved the hairclip around.
"Come on, come on! Put it on!"
"Fine…"
Nephis huffed, straightening her back and allowing Sunless to put it on.
After a few seconds, Sunless moved away, clearly proud of his work.
'It's cute…'
Although Nephis was pretending that it was lame, Calida could tell she liked it too.
"Hm. Thanks, I guess."
"Maybe wipe that smile off your face first before you try to play it off, kid!"
Sunless burst out laughing as Nephis turned her face away. Calida had thought it was in embarrassment, but…
Nephis sniffled slightly, her shoulders quivering.
'Wha… No!'
The beautiful scene before her was gone in an instant.
"Does… does this mean you're leaving, Sunny?"
Sunless was silent for a while.
"...Yeah. I'll be gone within the hour."
Nephis sniffled again.
"Alright…"
Sunless leaned forward, wrapping her in a warm hug.
"I'll be fine, Nephis. Don't worry about me."
Calida let out a breath.
She wished him the best. Even if the boy seemed strangely powerful, bad luck had killed greater warriors before.
"Okay…"
Nephis returned his hug, holding back her tears as best she could.
"Relax! I won't really be gone! I'll be leaving Solvane and my most trustworthy shadow with you. So I'll be taking the lazy guy back with me now."
Nephis looked down at her feet, seeing the lazy shadow swap places with a gloomier looking one.
"Bye lazy…"
Her voice was muffled, her face buried in Sunless' arm.
Sunless held her for a while, stroking her hair.
Taking a deep breath, Nephis freed herself from his arms.
"Promise me you'll be fine!"
"I already said I will. Don't you know I can't lie?"
"Promise!"
Nephis held out her pinky, which Sunless took with a sigh.
"Didn't we already do this?"
Nephis didn't seem to care, focusing on sealing their promise instead.
After they finished, Sunless stood up after giving Nephis a pat on the head.
"I'll be off then, I've got a long journey ahead of me."
"Bye bye…"
Nephis unclenched the hand that had been gripping his shirt, letting him leave.
Sunless walked up to Calida, a small grin on his face.
"I'm off. Tell Thrain we're going out for a meal once I get back."
"Okay."
Putting a hand on his shoulder, Calida smiled.
"Best of luck to you, young man."
The pale man sunk into the ground a moment later.
Calida turned to Nephis, who was staring at her shadow.
'With him around, perhaps she can finally live a proper life…'
Maybe… everything was going to be alright.