"Speed up a little, won't you?"
"Yes sir."
With a slight thrum, the armoured PTV sped up, moving much too fast for a residential area, not that Saint Jest cared for such minor things.
Glancing at the map on his communicator, he marked one of the key locations off, seeing as he was about to arrive at it.
'Awakened… Hm, who was it again?'
Glancing at the small list his assistants had compiled, he read the name of one of today's targets.
'Awakened Sunless. Aged: 18, small stature, black eyes and hair, low combat scores, primary occupation: scout. Hm… not very interesting, is he?'
He'd seen regular old unaffiliated Awakened with far more impressive resumes before… for a survivor of the Forgotten Shore, he wasn't much. Then again, many others were like this as well, having hidden away in the safety of the city while the real heroes did the backbreaking work.
'He was one of the new arrivals as well, so I doubt he had any time to rack up accolades. Though I do hear he made several brilliant reports not long after coming back… so maybe a scholar type? I suppose that counts for something…'
Putting the list away, he unclasped his hands and looked out the window, looking curiously at the quiet neighbourhood. It certainly wasn't the greatest of places, but he could definitely see the appeal. Close to public transport, stores with everything you'd need nearby, a nice food street not too far away… if the buildings were nicer, he probably wouldn't even mind living here.
The houses rolled by, and Jest saw many people walking on the streets leaving for work. He was curious on what a mundane life would be sometimes, but then he remembered his life as a mundane and immediately shook the thought away. He much preferred what he had now.
Another PTV rolled by him, driving much too fast.
'Government issued?'
He recognised the vehicle's design. It was one of the standard issue personal vehicles for Awakened serving the government.
'How nostalgic…'
He could still remember the time before they'd manage to create the United Human Government. As horrible as it had been, he missed it a little…
Sighing, he cracked his neck and knuckles. They were about to arrive.
A few minutes later, the door opened, and Jest made his way towards his target.
Taking slow and casual steps, he walked to the entrance of the house, indifferently twirling his cane around.
'Awake and present? Good!'
He was definitely quite early, but it seemed like the residents of the house were up and about, making it a lot easier for him.
Focusing his Transcendent senses, he felt that there were two people inside, both upstairs.
'Perfect…'
Knocking on the door, he patiently waited for someone to come answer.
One of the people upstairs jolted slightly at the sound of knocking, but hastily stood up, seemingly summoning a Memory. They walked downstairs with hurried steps, making a beeline for the door. Opening it just a crack, he saw an eye peek through.
"Can I help you?"
Jest's eyes widened slightly at the person's voice.
'A girl?'
He knew that there was another person who lived here, but she should've been at work by now… who was this?
"Yes, hello! Is Awakened Sunless here by any chance?"
The eye widened slightly at the sight of him, and the door swung wide open.
"Saint… Saint Jest. Greetings."
'Well I'll be…'
Song Seishan greeted him at the door, looking a little frazzled.
"Oh, well if it isn't Song Seishan! It is good to see you."
The girl nodded, bowing slightly.
"Yes, you as well. Awakened Sunless is here, but he's a bit busy right now. May I ask the purpose of your visit?"
The old man laughed, setting his cane aside.
"I could say the same to you! Anyhow, I was just here to ask him a couple questions. Do you think he'll be busy for long?"
Jest focused his senses, trying to figure out if the person upstairs was Sunless. Though right before him, he could easily feel the emotions of Song Seishan. She was nervous, a little scared, and embarrassed.
'Nervous and scared… anyone would be when speaking to a Transcendent. Embarrassed though?'
He zeroed in on the person upstairs. He couldn't exactly see them, but he could tell they were a man of lean stature, and he was… humming a merry tune in the shower? Sensing his emotions, he felt a subtle sense of accomplishment and a bit of apprehension…
'That must be Awakened Sunless…'
"Probably. He always takes long in the shower. And if you must know, I am here on a… personal visit."
Song Seishan's embarrassment spiked upon saying the last part, a slight tinge of red on her face.
"Oh."
Jest's eyes widened.
"Oh!"
Taking a closer look at Seishan, he realised a couple things.
'Messy hair… a Legacy like her would never leave the house without making sure she looked spotless, so she must've spent the night here.'
His eyes widened with every detail he noticed.
'Memory dress… Why wouldn't she be wearing normal clothes if this was a regular old visit? Did she just put that on?'
It got to the point where he felt his own ears burn slightly.
'And for her to be alone in a house with a boy her age, a colleague from the Forgotten Shore too…'
'Even if he's not very notable... I've seen his profile… he's quite the looker…'
'In the shower… feeling happy… apprehensive about something… their relationship, perhaps?'
'She's embarrassed that someone knows she's here…'
'The house smells weird too… like flesh…'
"I understand now. I'm very sorry to bother you, young lady."
'Yeah, no way this guy has anything to do with Aria. He seems to be far busier with… other things. Not like I can just barge in anymore since this girl is here.'
Honestly though, he could respect it! An Awakened with no affiliation managing to seduce a Princess of the Great Clans like Song Seishan? Very impressive work!
"Y-Yes…"
Seishan stuttered slightly, not meeting his gaze.
"If that is all, then could I please ask you not to mention this to anybody? I… I still have a reputation to maintain."
Jest nodded, grinning joyously.
"Sure, sure! No problem! No problem at all!"
'Makes sense. I was like this too at their age…'
Many Awakened were. In fact, if Awakened travelled to the Dream Realm physically rather than in spirit, the top most requested items there might have been contraceptives rather than something like comfortable clothing…
A bunch of attractive people being placed together while having the idea that everyday might be their last? It was only natural.
"Thank you for your time, farewell!"
With a polite wave, he turned and left.
***
'Please leave. Please just leave.'
Sunny silently begged, just hoping Saint Jest would just leave and never come back.
'Come on… we reach midday and I'm done with this.'
He only needed enough time to reach Saint Tyris and that was all. Once Aria was at the Ivory Tower, he wouldn't have to worry anymore.
Reaching for the Memory he'd left not too far away from the shower, he activated its enchantment, sending a message to Seishan.
[Did he leave?]
Putting down the Memory, he went back to showering. A couple seconds later a message returned.
[Yes. I think he bought it, so don't do anything rash.]
[Of course.]
With a heavy sigh, he went back to showering. He'd already taken one in the morning, but this was part of the plan they had all come up with to avoid suspicion. Seishan had informed him of what Saint Jest could do, so they decided contact with him needed to be kept to a minimum, and the rest would be up to her. Despite the fact she was only an Awakened, Seishan was still the daughter of a Sovereign. If Jest did anything to her, Ki Song would have his head no doubt.
Honestly though… he found the plan a little strange. Why did he need to be showering, and why wouldn't he be better off just getting the hell out of here? Seishan and Aria seemed to find the plan genius while Jet and him had been left mostly in the dark. Perhaps it was for the better for him to not really get it, making it easier to regulate his emotions.
'Oh well…'
Once he was finished in here, he'd probably have to save Aria from Nephis' barrage of questions. The girl was sure to have been rudely awakened when he suddenly tossed her into the Coffer without warning.
'Wait, no.'
Why the hell should he do anything? If anything, Aria had it coming after that ridiculous question she asked him… Nephis wanted to meet her as well, so it was a win-win.
Sunny nodded to himself, smiling.
'Perfect.'
***
"Huuuu…"
Heaving a long sigh, Seishan tiredly sat down, covering her face in embarrassment.
'I can't believe I actually went through with that…'
Saint Jest wasn't exactly the type to run his mouth, but if any rumours started because of this…
'So be it.'
Even if Sunny didn't exactly have a reputation, it wasn't like she'd be viewed in a negative light for associating with him. There were certainly worse ways that could've gone.
But still…
'I shouldn't have. I shouldn't have!'
It was embarrassing! She should've just waited inside the… Covalent Coffer or whatever it was called. But if she was right in her assumption of what Sunny's Flaw was, there was no chance he'd be able to fend off someone as shrewd as Jest. If anything, the old man might have just barged right in the moment he noticed he was alone, so that option was out of the question.
'Ugh… should've just ran…'
A house being empty around this time might've been a bit suspicious, but it wasn't at all uncommon. So why did she…
'Mother better be grateful for this…'
By exposing her relation with Sunny, it would be easier to bring him into the clan once the queen thought the time was right. She'd been waiting for an opportunity like this, but still… still!
'He doesn't even like me…'
Despite her somewhat lacking attempts at gaining his affections, it still hurt a little to hear that he had zero interest in her… though she did like him a bit, it wasn't enough for her to actively try to court him. Truthfully, she'd only even tried because of the prodding from her mother, but now her heart wasn't in it anymore. Really… she was just glad he at least considered her a friend.
'Who would that guy even like?'
Sunny wasn't exactly a social person, though she shivered slightly at the reminder of what his type was… not because she found it gross or anything, but because the type of women he'd described sounded a little familiar.
'Taller, stronger, older, pushy and a little mean…'
Though she could think of a couple people Sunny knew who fit that description, there was just one in particular that came to mind…
'Surely not, right? Surely…'
***
"I'm sorry to trouble you with this, Seishan."
Setting down her drink, Seishan shook her and stood up, seeing as it was time for Sunny to leave.
"I don't mind. Nephis is a sweet girl."
Glancing at the suitcase he'd left by his feet, she added on with a small smile:
"Though if you'd like to repay me with a discount on your next batch of soul shards, I'd be happy with that."
Sunny scoffed, smiling lightly.
"You know now that I think about it, it has been a bit harder for me to obtain soul shards recently, so maybe I should actually-"
"Nevermind, I'm happy with our current arrangement."
Laughing, he stood up and prepared to leave.
"Help yourself to anything here, though I'm not sure if you'd like any of it… Go anywhere you want as well, just stay out of my room if you can help it."
Seishan was originally going to leave right after Jet did, but after the incident with Jest she'd said she wasn't comfortable leaving him alone. Not until Aria was safe anyways. Though he had a sneaking suspicion it was due to something else, as she'd been asking him many strange questions lately…
Reaching into the nondescript suitcase he'd left on the floor beside him, he grabbed something and pulled it out.
"Did you really- Ah?"
Nephis looked at him with wide eyes, having been in the middle of asking Aria a question.
"Aria's had enough for the day, kid."
"Oh, Sunny! Hi!"
Gently setting her down, he pointed to Seishan with a thumb.
"I'll be gone for a while and you'll be staying with Seishan. So be nice."
"Whaaat? Where are you going?"
"On a trip with Aria to the Dream Realm. She's currently a fugitive you see, so I'm smuggling her across the world."
"Ohhh, yeah, she said that!"
Sunny snickered.
"I know."
The shadows he'd left in the Coffer had been granted quite the entertaining spectacle of Aria desperately running away from an overly curious Nephis. At some point, she'd been begging the girl to leave her alone while standing on top of the portable bathroom, only for her to continue barraging her with questions without rest.
Waving goodbye to the two of them, he picked up the suitcase and disappeared into the shadows, not intending on being seen. Saint Tyris was going to meet him at the location she'd left him the last time they'd met, an abandoned factory around the outskirts.
'Heavy…'
Carrying another soul with him through the shadows felt quite burdensome, with the usual drain on his shadow essence jumping exponentially. He wanted to pull the Covetous Coffer into his soul to bypass the need to carry Aria around, but he wasn't nearly skilled enough to pull in such a large item, let alone another living being.
The [Mendacious Coffer] enchantment of the Memory allowed him to change the type of object it was mimicking along with the size of it, with it being able to be as small as a jewel box normally. But then there was the fact he had modified the Coffer, adding the enchantment he had once studied from Effie's Beast Locket onto it, one that allowed living beings to be stored within. The original [Capacious Chest] enchantment allowed the Memory to be summoned and dismissed no matter what was inside, but with the new enchantment, it was only able to be dismissed when there weren't living beings inside. It was a flaw that he couldn't get rid of, simply due to how summoning and dismissing Memories worked. He had high hopes that said flaw would vanish once he managed to turn the Coffer into a Shadow.
'If only interruptions would stop coming my way…'
Every single time he began making progress on converting it into an Echo, something came up. Once Aria was sent to the Dream Realm though, he'd finally have time to work on it again…
'I just need nothing to happen.'
Nothing would happen, right? He'd taken so many steps to make sure nothing went wrong. All that was left to do was to take a short trip across the city and that would be it.
And yet…
'Something's gonna happen…'
There was just a nagging feeling at the back of his mind, telling him over and over again that something was going to happen. He wasn't Fated anymore, so he didn't have mystical senses guiding his intuition, this was pure instinct. Sunny wasn't exactly one to ignore his instincts, so he was going to remain on guard no matter what happened.
In the form of a shadow, he swiftly glided between the shadows of nearby houses. The sun was at its peak in the sky, making it quite inconvenient for him to travel, but unfortunately, this was the only time Sky Tide was available. He'd wanted to ask Seishan to call Saint Mara and just leave Aria in Ravenheart for a while, but was surprised to learn that the woman didn't actually live in NQSC, but rather in a megacity in the Western Quadrant instead. Not that it would've mattered if she lived here anyway, given that she was out on a mission in the Dream Realm. He thought about trying to use the Dream Gate in the Song compound as well, but Ki Song had closed it before leaving on her current expedition. So his only option was Saint Tyris, not that he really minded.
Reaching the main street outside his neighbourhood, Sunny waited in the darkness for a while, silently watching the rows of people passing by. And when a PTV went rolling past, he stepped into its shadow, allowing it to carry him along.
Despite it being the busiest time of the day, PTVs weren't all that common on the road, so he was only using it to reach a nearby transit station. Hoping a random vehicle would take him to the right destination was quite foolish anyways.
His essence drained steadily as he positioned himself atop a speeding tram, the city below passing by as it began climbing a magnetic rail. He'd memorised the map of the city years ago, so the route wasn't going to be a problem.
After a decently long period of travel, he left the shadows of public transit, instead gliding from alley to alley and bridge to bridge. As he neared the outskirts, transport became scarce, so he was going to have to make the trip on his own. Not that it mattered anymore, as he was just about to reach his destination.
The factory Sky Tide was waiting in was already in sight, all he had to do was…
'No…'
The shadow he had sent ahead spotted something.
Sky Tide sat near a window of the factory, staring at the bustling city in the distance with a tranquil expression. The room she sat in was the former directors office, stripped of everything but the barely standing desk and swivel chair. Even the window she was looking through was just a hole in the wall rather than a glass pane. Tyris seemed as impassive as always, her expression completely unreadable.
Stretching his shadow sense outward, Sunny couldn't find anything. The factory was empty aside from Sky Tide, her emotions were normal, and the surrounding area was devoid of life and movement.
And yet he still felt as if something were wrong.
'Has she been compromised?'
No, that couldn't be. Nothing was here… nothing. Was he really just being paranoid?
The Covetous Coffer felt heavy in his shadow.
Moving as slowly and cautiously as it could, the shadow he'd sent ahead crept closer and closer.
Climbing up the side of the building, it sat right beneath the windowsill of where Tyris was sitting.
All he had to do was step towards, and that would be it.
'Nobody's here besides her…'
But… his shadow sense had been wrong before. His instincts weren't exactly screaming at him, but something felt off, just enough for him to spend a couple extra minutes investigating.
The shadow crept just a little bit closer, sliding across the building. The sun still remained far above, mostly blocked out by the eaves of the roof, allowing him to prowl unnoticed. He was tempted to enter, to try speaking with Tyris to make sure nothing was going on, but he didn't.
Instead, darkness surged in a small underground room not too far away from him. Taking the form of Aranea, Serpent stepped out of the shadows, immediately activating the remnants of the oracle's Aspect. As a shadow, most of Aranea's abilities had been lost, with only the most basic of future sight abilities remaining alongside a supernatural sense of danger.
But even then…
His Shadow stood still, doing nothing.
Several minutes later, still nothing.
'You can't see anything either…'
Even the shadow of an oracle couldn't find anything wrong with the situation. But Aranea's abilities had failed before as well.
Sunny still remained far away in the shadows, quietly contemplating on what to do next.
'The door's slightly ajar…'
With his shadow sense, he'd noticed that the door was open just a tiny bit. Not enough for a person to fit through, but the fact that the door was open in the first place was weird. Tyris didn't exactly seem like the type of person who'd be so careless.
'Could someone have opened it and she didn't notice?'
But it could've also been the door simply opening on its own. Thanks to Sky Tide there wasn't any wind around to somehow blow it open, but the door was still old and worn enough that perhaps the hinges had just failed.
'I don't know… I don't know!'
There was nothing! Nothing was off here, so what was he doing?!
The door being slightly open could've literally meant anything!
Yet Sunny remained deathly still, watching and pondering.
'What if… just what if…'
What if something unseen had followed Tyris here? Or rather, someone…
They could be in that very room, standing right next to Sky Tide and she'd be none the wiser.
'No… but… but why would he be here?'
If it was Whispering Blade, Sunny would definitely not be able to notice him if he wanted to hide.
'But he wouldn't. Surely not!'
Surely the Nominal Leader of Valor wouldn't be here just to search for Aria, right? His clan was still busy with their brutal expansion in the Dream Realm, so why would he have time to stalk Tyris like this?
He could see their reasoning though. Radiant Dawn clearly had friends in high places, and a Saint who wasn't directly connected to Valor helping her out wasn't out of the question. If Aria really wanted to stay out of Valor's grasp, she'd need the help of a Transcendent, as her time was running out. Humans couldn't stay awake forever, and the next time she fell asleep she'd be right back in her Citadel.
'But why Tyris? It could've been any Saint? Hell, it could've been Song! It could've been the Government even!'
Yet he just couldn't shake the feeling that someone was here.
Fingers drummed against the windowsill as Tyris let out a dissatisfied breath. He was keeping her waiting.
'How do I tell her then?'
If it were nighttime, it'd be trivial, but it wasn't. He could also wait for her to leave and try to pull her into a dark alleyway at the right moment or something, but he knew for a fact that Sky Tide was extremely patient. She wouldn't leave just because he was running a little late.
'Maybe I could whisper to her?'
Her senses were sure to be extremely keen, especially when it came to things that could interact with the wind. But Whispering Blade's senses were sure to be sharp as well…
He could try writing a message from here by using Shadow Manipulation as well. Considering that Tyris' Aspect changed the way her eyes looked, and from he knew about birds of prey, he was certain that her eyesight was razor sharp.
'But what if Madoc's standing right next to her? He'd see it too.'
A person whose Aspect allowed them to go unseen would surely have senses related to spotting other unseen things, right?
Every single thing he thought of, he could also think of a counter to. It was getting to the point where he was starting to seriously piss himself off.
'What the hell am I doing…'
The sun had passed its peak now, and they were in the early hours of the afternoon. Still, he hadn't moved.
Really… there was nothing stopping him from just waiting until nighttime. Tyris would surely understand his reasoning for not acting.
'What a goddamn nightmare-'
Sunny paused, his brain whirring.
A subtle sense of deja vu gnawed at him when he thought of the word nightmare.
'Right… right! Didn't I dream of this exact scenario a few days ago?'
Just after Jet and him managed to stabilise Aria's condition, he'd been exhausted and decided to take a nap. While asleep, he'd dreamt of… of…
'I… can't remember.'
But it was something just like this! It had to be! Why else would he have this feeling?!
'These goddamn cryptic-ass dreams!'
Why couldn't the world ever just be straight with him? What was all this even for?
'I'm getting sidetracked.'
He'd figured out the cause behind his wariness, but he still hadn't figured out a way to get around it. He had no idea if his dreams meant anything or not, but considering that there was a strong chance that it had been caused by one of the enchantments from a Divine Relic left behind by a daemon, he was going to take it seriously.
His oracle couldn't find anything, his shadow sense couldn't find anything, even Saint Tyris couldn't find anything.
Sunny glanced at the sky.
'Maybe…'
Maybe there was something he could do…