The Crimson Spire pierced the black sky, orphaned of its pale sun.
The colossal tower, whose summit defied human sight, was collapsing. The earth trembled violently, and a choking cloud of dust and debris made it almost impossible to breathe.
And right in the heart of the destruction—
Clang! Clash!
Shadow and light clashed in a fierce, deadly duel—an elegant, frantic vortex of black and white.
Clang! Clash! Clang! Clash!
Sunny and Nephis traded relentless blows with sword and blade in a desperate struggle for survival, bright sparks flying with every violent collision of steel.
High above, Fate watched from its treacherous tapestry of golden threads like an eager spectator hungry for the finale. Impassive. Cruel. If it possessed a mouth, it would undoubtedly be smiling.
Swing. Swung. Clang!
The battle raged with unprecedented fury. Sunny unleashed a vertical slash aimed directly at Changing Star's right shoulder. Nephis reacted instantly, parrying the blow with her blade before driving a brutal kick into his abdomen to force him back.
Sunny rolled backward from the impact, but before she could capitalize on it, he lunged forward low to the ground, delivering a sweeping diagonal cut that tore through her left flank. Nephis gasped as blood sprayed, but with silver flames flaring around her body, she used his forward momentum to return the favor with a savage counter-thrust.
Suddenly, the ground beneath them buckled and gave way.
Falling into the abyss, both summoned their [Dark Wings], continuing their relentless feud in mid-air as each fought desperately to prevail over the other.
Nephis was formidable—honed, trained, and lethal. But Sunny was treacherous, brilliant, and above all, adaptable.
Clash! Smash!
With a brutal, well-placed right hook, Sunny shattered Nephis's jaw, sending her crashing into the earth far below.
Bang! Bang!
Like two artillery shells striking the ground in quick succession, both fighters slammed into the dirt. Their bones were broken, countless lacerations bled profusely across their Sleeper bodies, and the pain was sheer agony—yet neither dared to yield.
Thud. Thud.
Bracing their hands against the trembling earth, they forced themselves up. Their vision was blurred with blood and sweat.
Sunny dropped to one knee, resting his left hand against his thigh while clutching the [Midnight Shard] tightly in his right. He heaved himself upright, a river of dark blood streaming down his face and completely blinding his right eye.
Nephis planted the tip of her [Dream Blade] into the shattered ground, using both arms to haul herself to her knees before forcing her legs to stand.
They locked eyes, their gazes intense. Time seemed to freeze.
A single, quiet moment shared between them while the world literally crumbled to pieces around their ears, debris falling like a makeshift grave.
How many emotions could fit into a single glance? A tempest of rage, sorrow, regret, hatred, terror... and yet, beneath it all, a trace of twisted love.
The moment passed. They raised their weapons once more, stepped forward, and resumed their desperate duel without restraint.
Swung. Clash. Swung. Clang.
Time was running out. The gateway to salvation stood directly behind them, gleaming with a pure white light like hope itself.
But hope was a poison. It kills you if you stop drinking it, yet sustains you as long as you ingest it.
Such was life. Such was time, love... and Fate.
And in the end, Sunny won.
Clang!
With a final diagonal slash, he carved a deep line across Nephis's armor. She collapsed to her knees, leaning heavily on the blade of her sword to keep from falling face-first into the dirt. Her grey eyes were unfocused, staring blankly at the ground. Her once-pristine silver hair was matted with blood and choked with dust, her flames completely extinguished.
"It's over, Neph. I won," Sunny said, standing over her. His body was an agonizing map of fractures and bleeding wounds.
He had won. He could go home. He could find his sister, live a normal life, open that Memory boutique he secretly dreamed of, and leave all this nightmare behind.
It was done.
Yet a part of him recoiled from that choice.
How could he leave her here alone? Not after everything they had endured together. All the trials, the sacrifices, the shared feelings, and the bitter tears.
It couldn't end like this. It wasn't fair.
Sunny didn't want this.
Looking down at her, he gripped the hilt of the [Midnight Shard] until his knuckles turned white. A tight knot choked his throat, and a bitter curse echoed in his mind, warning him that he would undoubtedly regret this choice.
'Damnation!'
He opened his mouth, ready to voice his intention to stay with renewed conviction. But before a single syllable could escape his lips—
"No, I don't think so," Nephis whispered, shaking her head weakly.
In the very next instant, her pale skin ignited with a brilliant white radiance. Silver flames wrapped around her body, knitting flesh together and mending broken bones in a surge of forced healing.
"What..." Sunny's eyes widened in sheer disbelief.
His mouth hung open, unable to process what was happening, but he didn't even get the chance to ask. In that heartbeat, Nephis uttered four words.
Four words that shattered his world forever.
"Stop, Lost from Light!"
A deafening ring filled the air. Sunny's heart skipped a violent beat.
At the sound of those words, something snapped into existence.
Deep within him, in the innermost depths of his soul, a heavy chain forged itself. A leash—unyielding, unbreakable, bitter, and terrifyingly absolute. As relentless as the flow of time, as inescapable as death, and as cruel as Fate itself.
Sunny froze. His body refused to move.
He had been enslaved.
The shadow had found its master, but the choice had never been his.
"How?! HOW?!" he roared, bitter venom surging from every pore.
He wanted to scream until his lungs burst, wanted to throw himself at Nephis and tear her throat out to reclaim what she had just stolen, but he couldn't.
"How?" Changing Star replied, looking up at him, her voice trembling with desperation and the crushing weight of her sin. "Cassie told me a year ago. She saw it all, Sunny. She knew about our fight, knew that you would defeat me. She gave me your True Name so I could use it against you... but I didn't know what it truly meant until now."
He couldn't believe what he was hearing.
Sunny's body remained locked in place, stiff as stone. Immense, suffocating fury filled him like a raging inferno.
He wanted to clench his fists until his nails dug into his palms, but he couldn't.
He wanted to move his limbs, to beat her until there was nothing left, but he couldn't.
He could only grind his teeth together. Dark shadows cast a deep veil over his face as he lowered his head, refusing to look at the cruel reality before him.
Nephis looked at him, her heart breaking. She took a tentative step forward and reached out, resting a trembling hand against his cheek.
"Sunny... I... I'm sorry."
"You're sorry?" Sunny snapped his head up, his dark eyes locking onto her brilliant silver ones. His voice was eerily quiet, but the hollow abysses of his eyes belonged to a man on the verge of tearing that hand away with his teeth.
"YOU'RE SORRY, NEPH?! FOR WHAT?! FOR MAKING ME A SLAVE?! FOR STEALING MY FREEDOM?! The only thing I had left in this godforsaken world?! HUH?!"
His fury exploded into the air, causing her to instantly flinch and pull her hand back as black, abyssal flames seemed to erupt within his eyes. All around them, the Crimson Spire continued its relentless collapse.
Nephis tried to speak again, to explain, but he cut her off savagely.
"Get out." His voice cracked, choked with agonizing pain as warm, bloody tears dragged trails through the grime on his face.
"Sunny..."
"I said GET OUT, NEPH! I don't ever want to see your fucking face again! I don't want to look at your goddamn expressionless eyes ever again! 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!"
Sunny let out a cold, sarcastic laugh that vibrated painfully in his chest. "You are vile, disgusting wretch, and a selfish bastard, just like the rest of them. GO TO HELL FOR ALL I CARE, JUST GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!"
Changing Star said nothing more. His words cut deeper than any blade, deeper even than the burning agony of her Flaw.
A cold hand squeezed her heart, choking the breath from her throat like wet cement.
Nephis turned away, stepping past him toward the radiant white portal—a path to survival.
"You... you can move after I pass through," she whispered, turning back to him one last time, her voice fracturing under the sheer weight of her despair. "I... I will come back for you, Sunny. I promise."
"You better pray you never do," Sunny growled, his voice laced with pure hatred. "Because if I somehow survive and make it back to the Waking World, Nephis, I will kill you. I will kill you, that wretched seer, and I will tear through anyone who stands in my way. I swear on my life, even if I have to drown the entire world in blood, I will kill you and take back what you stole from me, Star of Ruin."
Star of Ruin.
It was one of the possible interpretations of the runes forming Nephis's True Name, and in that moment, it felt very fitting.
Without another word, Changing Star stepped into the brilliant white portal and vanished.
The invisible bonds shattered, and Sunny could finally move again. He instinctively dodged the massive fragments of the Crimson Spire raining down from above. But as soon as he reached safety, the Nightmare Spell, cold and impassive, whispered in his mind—this time, with what felt almost like a touch of solemn pity.
Even Fate, for a fleeting moment, seemed to pity its favorite plaything, though its grip upon him remained absolute.
[...Your shadow is overflowing with power.]
[Your shadow is taking shape.]
[Your Aspect Legacy mastery level has increased.]
[You have received the right to claim a Legacy Relic.]
As soon as Sunny was out of danger, he passed out immediately after.
***
"Mmh..."
Sunny woke up slowly. A dark, starless sky welcomed him as he opened his pitch-black eyes.
Rubble and debris lay all around him, the heavy scent of dust and sea salt filling his lungs. Yet, despite the devastation, a pleasant warmth accompanied by a blissful sensation of softness pressed against the back of his head.
Saint was there with him. She was offering her lap as a makeshift bed for him to rest, gently stroking his hair with one gauntleted hand. His broken body lay sprawled across the bare, ruined earth.
"You are the only one who would never betray me, Saint," Sunny rasped as soon as he saw her beautiful, impassive face, reaching up a trembling hand to caress her cheek beneath her dark stone helm.
Having her close slightly mended the agonizing fracture that the one he had once loved had just torn into his soul.
After a while, finally recovering the senses that struggled to return, he forced himself to his feet and looked around. A crushing tidal wave of anger and hate flooded his mind.
"Nephis." Her name tasted like bitter poison on his lips, a vile reminder of what she had done and what she had taken from him.
His hands clenched fiercely into fists at his sides. The blood boiled violently in his veins, his teeth grinding together so loudly it echoed in the silence. He was blinded by a rage so profound it eclipsed everything else.
"After everything I did for her," Sunny muttered under his breath, his frustrations bleeding out. "Cassie..."
After saving the blind girl's life dozens of times. After taking care of her, protecting her as if she were his own sister—when he could have easily left her to die—the seer had betrayed him.
"Pfft! Trust people, they said. Look how beautifully that turned out!" He scoffed bitterly.
A sharp pang in his heart choked off his sarcastic laughter at the thought of what they had been, and the nightmare they had caused.
But the worst part...
---
Name: Sunless.
True Name: Lost from Light.
Rank: Dreamer.
Class: Monster.
Shadow Cores: [2/7].
Shadow Fragments: [0000/2000].
Memories: [Silver Bell], [Puppeteer's Shroud], [Midnight Shard], [Ordinary Rock], [Endless Spring], [Prowling Thorn], [M... Un... o... ld], [Blood Blossom], [Dark Wings], [Moonlight Shard], [Weaver's Mask], [Broken Oath].
Echoes: —
Shadows: [Stone Saint].
Attributes: [Fated], [Spark of Divinity], [Child of Shadows], [Blood Weave].
Aspect: [Shadow Slave].
Aspect Rank: Divine.
Aspect Description: [You are a miraculous shadow left behind by a dead god. As a divine shadow, you possess plenty of strange and wondrous powers. However, your existence is empty and lonesome; you mourn the passing of your former master and long to find a new one.]
Innate Ability: [Shadow Bond].
Ability Description: [Find a worthy master and let them know your True Name. Once they recite it out loud, you will be bound to their will, unable to disobey any command. It is improper for a shadow, let alone a divine one, to walk around without a master.]
Aspect Abilities: [Shadow Control].
Ability Description: [Your shadow is more independent than most. It is an invaluable helper.]
Aspect Legacy: [Shadow Dance].
Aspect Legacy mastery level: [1/7].
First Relic: [Claim].
Second Relic: unearned.
Third Relic: unearned.
...
Flaw: [Clear Conscience].
Flaw Description: [You cannot lie.]
---
Sunny stared at his runes, unable to process it.
Too many thoughts swarmed his head at once.
Monster Core? First Relic? Can he follow the same class advancement path as a Nightmare Creature? But the single, glaring truth that demanded all his attention was one thought alone: He was a slave again.
And as if to mock him, right beneath his runes lay a new, golden string of text. The sight of it made his blood run cold.
---
Master: [Changing Star].
-
Name: Nephis.
True Name: Changing Star.
Rank: Awakened.
Class: Demon.
Soul Cores: [3/7].
Soul Fragments: [2749/3000].
Memories: [Dream Blade], [Evertwine], [Starlight Legion Armor], [Dawn Shard], [Dark Wing], [Nameless Sun]...
Echoes: —
Attributes: [Dreamspawn], [Nephilim], [Flame of Divinity], [The Fire].
[Dreamspawn] Attribute Description: [You are born of two worlds, belonging to both, but welcomed in neither. Your soul exists on the edge between nightmare and reality.]
[Nephilim] Attribute Description: [There once were terrible creatures born of an unholy union between the divine and the profane. Nephilim were the most beautiful, and the most harrowing of them all.]
[Flame of Divinity] Attribute Description: [Your soul is aflame with the light of divinity.]
[The Fire] Attribute Description: [You have inherited the lineage of Sun God.]
Aspect: [Light Bringer].
Aspect Rank: Divine.
Aspect Description: [You are a creature of light that was banished and doomed to exist in the darkness. You bring radiance and warmth to wherever you go, but with it comes indescribable longing.]
Innate Ability: [Halfbreed].
Ability Description: [You can directly absorb a portion of the soul essence of any Nightmare Creature destroyed by your flames, as well as of any human.]
Aspect Ability: [Soul Flame], [Flame Manipulation].
[Soul Flame] Ability Description: [Your soul burns with the purest of flames. That flame can both restore and destroy, and is both a blessing and a curse.]
[Flame Manipulation] Ability Description: [You can bend all fire to your will.]
Flaw: [Pristine Soul].
Flaw Description: [You must suffer to use your power.]
Slave: [Lost from Light].
---
"Ah... ahahah!!!"
A broken laugh escaped Sunny's lips. Beneath the 'Slave' string and his True Name, his runes were listed, and beneath his, hers were listed again, in an infinite, inescapable loop that sent his mind spiraling. It meant that just as he could see Nephis's runes... she could see his.
Yet, that wasn't what he found so macabrely ironic. A Divine Aspect. A Demon Core, verging on Devil. This meant that not only could Nephis use far more flames than he could use shadows to empower herself, but she hadn't even fought seriously during their mortal duel.
'Why?'
"Ahahahahah!!!"
Sunny threw his head back, laughing hysterically, the sound tearing at his throat. Hot tears streamed down his face, landing everywhere except the roaring inferno inside his chest, utterly failing to soothe his agony.
'Why go to such lengths to fight me when all she had to do was say my True Name? WHY, DAMN IT?!'
"AHAHAHAHAH!"
His mad, desperate laughter echoed into the empty sky. Sunny dropped to his knees, screaming his pain to the heavens.
Beside him, Saint stepped closer, embracing him from behind, the only faithful companion left beside him in this moment where he had hit rock bottom—in a life where he thought he had already broken that record long ago.
***
Slash.
[You have slain a Fallen Beast: Cursed Wanderer.]
[Your Shadow grows stronger.]
"Finally. That was the last one," Sunny muttered, wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand.
A month had passed since that day, and many things had changed. First of all, after calming down and screaming his frustration to the wind, he had claimed the first relic of his legacy.
---
Shadow: [Soul Serpent].
Shadow Rank: Dormant.
Shadow Class: Monster.
Shadow Attributes: [Shadow Guide], [Soul Weapon].
Shadow Description: [When the end came, Shadow was the last of the gods to be destroyed. Many have resented him for creating death, but in the end, death embraced all.]
---
'Not bad,' he had thought at the time.
With the help of the Serpent—which, besides providing an extra weapon, allowed him to circulate his essence as a Sleeper via [Shadow Guide]—he had repaired the Ascended armor he'd acquired from Aiko and Steve's emporium: the [Mantle of the Underworld].
Afterward, he had dug a mass grave for all his fellow Sleepers who had perished during the assault on the Crimson Spire, having followed Changing Star in the vain hope of returning to their homes in the Waking World.
Lacking proper tools, all Sunny could do was command the Serpent to take the form of a shovel, dig a crude pit, gather the bones, and bury them. He piled the remains together and used a jagged slab of rubble as a headstone, carving the following words into the stone:
< Their courage and their hopes will never be forgotten.
May their souls find peace, your nightmare is over.>>
"I'm sorry," he had whispered over the grave, shedding tears once more.
'This is all her fault,' Sunny thought mournfully, recalling the smiling, hopeful faces of all those who had blindly followed Changing Star, only to find their ruin instead.
The Star of Ruin.
"I don't want to save the world, Sunny. I want to destroy it." The memory of those words, spat by Nephis in a moment of raw anger, echoed in his mind.
'Is this what you wanted, Neph? Is this the sacred goal you sacrificed your life for? Aster. Song. Vale. How many more victims will you claim, how many more comrades will you betray before you're satisfied?'
He asked the questions in the quiet temple of his mind, almost as if she were there. And for all he knew, maybe she was. Who could say? Perhaps through some bizarre, unknown mechanism of the [Shadow Bond].
Fortunately, that solitary act of mercy had granted him a new, unexpected attribute.
---
Attribute: [Harbinger of Solace].
"Shadows find greater comfort in residing within you."
---
So far, the novelty hadn't shown any immediately useful effects, other than granting him a slight increase in shadow fragments whenever he killed an enemy. Nothing groundbreaking, but better than nothing.
Following that, he, Saint, and his new shadow had returned to the Dark City. It was now completely deserted, the Bright Castle charred by the fires set by its final inhabitants before their departure. He had spent his time clearing out every last Nightmare Creature that remained in the ruins.
He had obtained several Memories, but finding none of them useful to him, he fed them to Saint. Through consuming them, she had evolved into a [Marble Saint], becoming an Ascended Shadow.
Through relentless combat, Sunny had also continued to refine his Shadow Dance, eventually unlocking the second Legacy Relic: the [Drop of Ichor] of Shadow God. The Shadow Lineage.
Consequently, his Soul Serpent had evolved in tandem with his martial art, becoming an Awakened Shadow.
Naturally, consuming the divine ichor had not been a pleasant experience. It was agonizingly similar to when he had assimilated Weaver's lineage, made worse by the fact that this time, [Blood Weave] had violently interfered during the process. Fortunately, lacking the sheer strength to entirely reject it, Sunny managed to absorb the second lineage, even if the final result wasn't exactly what he had expected.
Now, Sunless was resting on his bed in the city's ruined cathedral after eliminating the very last creature. Lying back, he scrolled through his runes to review his progress.
---
Rank: Dreamer.
Class: Demon.
Shadow Cores: [3/7].
Shadow Fragments: [0128/3000].
---
'Good. Thanks to the new attribute, I've gained more fragments than before,' he thought, satisfied with his stats.
He then glanced down at his current attributes.
---
Attributes: [Fated], [Flame of Divinity], [Prince of Shadows], [Blood Weave], [Harbinger of Solace and Death], [The Shadow].
Attribute: [Flame of Divinity].
"Your soul is aflame with the shadow of Divinity."
Attribute: [Prince of Shadows].
"The shadows recognize you as their Prince."
Attribute: [Harbinger of Solace and Death].
"All shadows seek your comfort and finality."
Attribute: [The Shadow].
"You have inherited the lineage of Shadow God."
---
The first three had evolved after absorbing the Shadow Lineage. Sunny had gained massive advantages from it, alongside a significant boost to all his shadow-related abilities. For instance, he could now attack the shadows of others, render the shadows he controlled slightly tangible, and so on.
However, he still couldn't shake the feeling that he had missed out on something crucial during the assimilation of the drop of Shadow ichor due to Weaver's interference.
"Ah..." he sighed, summoning the [Endless Spring] to take a long drink of water.
Despite everything, he was actually in a decent mood. Then, he looked at her runes.
---
Name: Nephis.
True Name: Changing Star.
Rank: Awakened.
Class: Devil.
---
While Sunny had been fighting tooth and nail just to survive, it seemed Nephis had been busy advancing as well.
"Enjoy your peace while you can, Changing Star. Because when I come back for you... it will be your end," he vowed into the silent darkness of his room.
His hands clenched fiercely, his eyes spitting venom. His hatred was still alive, still roaring. A flame that simply refused to be extinguished.
In the next instant, Sunny swung his legs off the bed and stood up, turning to Saint by his side.
"Enough resting. It's time to go."
The Marble Saint turned to him and gave a firm, solemn nod. A fierce determination burned behind the ruby-red eyes of the valiant warrior, ready to follow her lord wherever he commanded.
Over these past days, having no one else around, Sunny had spent his time outside of combat talking to his shadows. He had told them everything—his life, his dreams, his disgraces. Their bond had evolved far beyond that of mere brothers-in-arms, or a vassal and a lord.
Sunny and Saint shared the profound, unbreakable emotional bond of true companions.
***
His journey across the vast expanses of the Dream Realm over the following months was anything but a pleasant stroll.
First, he had to traverse the Forgotten Shore once again. With the dark sea sealed and the Crimson Spire destroyed, the region was now stripped of its crimson labyrinth and the Nightmare Creatures that once infested it. It had been reduced to a vast, flat, and endlessly sterile wasteland.
The dark, starless sky above offered him no comfort, yet he wasn't entirely lacking in company or "polite" conversation.
"...and when I finally get back and open my shop, after taking care of that wretched Nephilim, I'll sell dozens of Memories and become filthy rich. Then, I'll have to show Professor Julius the reports on my Dream Realm research. I can already picture the old man's face when I present them; he'll jump for joy. After that, I need to thank Master Jet for her advice, track down Rain... and who knows? Maybe I'll even join one of those pompous Legacy clans. Song might not be a bad fit. I already have contacts there, after all. I know Seishan."
Sunny listed his grand plans as he marched south across the map of the Forgotten Shore, leaving the ruins of the Dark City far behind. Beside him, Saint walked in silence, observing him and hanging onto his every word. She didn't miss how his eyes—every time he mentioned Changing Star—flickered with a brief glimmer of affection, a longing for something that could have been but never would be anymore, only for it to instantly snuff out.
It was as if he were forcefully trying to stitch together a wound that had cut too deep, piercing his very soul. Every single day on the road, he never failed to check the runes, especially hers. It was a twisted mantra, a bitter reminder to keep moving forward.
His first true destination was the Soul-Devouring Tree. Sunny had promised himself he would return to that cursed flora once he grew stronger. Now that he had an Ascended Shadow immune to mental attacks, he could finally exact his revenge for the hell that wretched tree had put him through.
Upon slaying the Awakened Terror, he received an Echo, which he immediately transformed into one of his Shadows without a second thought. Then, taking advantage of its still-sweet, ripe fruits, he spent the next few days harvesting and devouring them until he formed his fourth Shadow Core, becoming a Devil.
Nephis, however, was already a step ahead.
---
Rank: Awakened.
Class: Tyrant.
Soul Cores: [5/7].
Soul Fragments: [0012/5000].
---
"Damnation! Curse her and her [Halfbreed] Innate Ability. How is she so far ahead?!" he cursed.
By now, it had become a silent, one-sided competition to see who could harvest more fragments, but unfortunately for Sunny, Nephis was always in the lead.
Resuming his march, he arrived at the Hollow Mountains a few weeks later. The place was just as eerie and perilous as he remembered. Several times, Lost from Light narrowly avoided being erased by the mists of nothingness that erased existence. Other times, he stumbled into terrifying, deadly foes. Once, he even ended up right in the middle of a turf war between Unholy abominations, somehow managing to survive only thanks to the timely miracles of his [Fated] attribute.
Sunny spent an entire year in the Hollow Mountains, finding neither an exit nor a gateway leading back to the Waking World. He almost lost hope, if not for Saint. In his darkest moments of despair, she was there, giving him the strength to press on. However, his suffering was not entirely without reward. During his time in that death zone, he acquired a new Shadow.
---
Shadows: [Marble Saint], [Soul Serpent], [Soul-Devouring Tree], [Ravenous Sparrow].
Shadow: [Ravenous Sparrow].
Shadow Rank: Ascendant.
Shadow Class: Devil.
Shadow Attributes: [Sky Blessed], [Ravenous], [Adamant Feathers], [Majestic].
[Sky Blessed] Attribute Description: [This shadow possesses the blessing of the sky, capable of calling forth storms and commanding lightning at its will.]
[Ravenous] Attribute Description: [This shadow possesses a great appetite. It is capable of assimilating the strength of its defeated enemies through consumption.]
[Adamant Feathers] Attribute Description: [The plumage of this shadow is as hard as diamond and perfectly aerodynamic, possessing immense energy-conduction capabilities.]
[Majestic] Attribute Description: [This shadow possesses unparalleled beauty, capable of leaving anyone who gazes upon it breathless and lifting their spirits.]
Shadow Abilities: [Storm Charge], [Energy Bolts], [Storm Rider].
[Storm Charge] Ability Description: [Ravenous Sparrow can accumulate electrical energy through its plumage to empower itself or release devastating discharges.]
[Energy Bolts] Ability Description: [Ravenous Sparrow can fire its feathers at high speeds, akin to the bolts of a heavy crossbow.]
[Storm Rider] Ability Description: [The wingspan of the Ravenous Sparrow can unleash powerful gusts of wind, generate tornadoes, and navigate through the fiercest of tempests.]
Shadow Description: [The marvelous child of the skies once traveled happily and carefree across the vast heavens of the worlds, blessing them with its presence—a bringer of good tidings that chased away wicked storms. Until one day, it lost its way in the lands of nowhere. Time passed, and eventually, having fallen to the taint of corruption and lost the pure white of its splendid plumage, it met the treacherous Lost from Light, who granted it a new life.]
Shadow Fragments: [0/300].
---
Hunting that giant raptor had been a monumental undertaking, especially since the bird constantly took flight, attempting time and again to smash Sunny into the mountainsides. However, the result was more than satisfactory.
Furthermore, among the many foes he defeated, he obtained several Memories. Some were useful, while others were fed to his shadows to evolve them. When he unlocked the third step of Shadow Dance, even the Serpent ranked up. Now, Sunny possessed four Ascended Shadows.
"Damnation! I'm the only one who's still a Sleeper."
His third Legacy Relic, the [Shadow Lantern], turned out to be a Divine-Rank Memory. For the time being, however, he found it of little use, lacking the knowledge to unlock its true potential. Additionally, among his loot, he acquired a storage Memory—the [Basket of Greed]—which made transporting his supplies infinitely easier.
With the aid of the Ravenous Sparrow, Sunny finally left the Hollow Mountains a year later. His next destination was the Nightmare Desert.
The desert, unlike the dried-up seabed of the Forgotten Shore, proved to be a far worse hell. By day, a scorching sun drained his strength, with no water for miles; if not for the [Endless Spring], a mere Sleeper like him would have died of dehydration. By night, an army of literal immortals clashed relentlessly. If he didn't hide within the crevices of ancient ruins nearby, he risked being ground to dust in an eternal feud where even mighty Spirits fought.
In the distance, at both dawn and dusk, Sunny could see a gigantic dark pyramid ahead. Yet, no matter how far he walked, he could never seem to reach it.
Days turned into months. Eventually, Sunny stumbled upon a small oasis in the middle of the desert. There was a tree offering shade where he could find a fleeting moment of peace. After defeating its multi-armed guardian and ensuring the plant wasn't another abomination meant to shatter his psyche, he leaned against its trunk and took a breath, letting his mind wander after what seemed a long while.
'I wonder what the others are doing?' Sunny mused.
With his vision occupied by Saint and the Sparrow standing guard beside him under the blazing, clear sky, the tree's shade was his only comfort. His mind drifted to Kai, Effie, Professor Julius, Master Jet, Rain... and even Cassie. He wondered how they were, what they were doing.
Did they still remember him? Was there truly anyone waiting for him out there?
'What a stupid question. There never was,' he told himself with a heavy sigh.
His thoughts turned dark. Was it even worth fighting to keep moving forward, to return? To go back to what? What did he even have left in the Waking World?
Then, he looked at his runes.
---
Master: [Changing Star].
---
The blood and shadows boiled in his veins once more. Sunny gritted his teeth, his hands clenched fiercely into fists at his sides.
'No. I have to go back.'
Lost from Light hadn't lost hope yet. Because even if he had nothing and no one, even if he had been betrayed and left to rot by those he loved... Sunny still wanted to live. And more than anything else in the world, he wanted to die free.
Because if there was one thing sadder than living as a slave, it was dying as one.
So, Sunny pushed himself up from the trunk. His expression, veiled in shadows, was grim. His destination was uncertain and distant, but his resolve was firmer than ever.
It was at that precise moment that he heard a voice—a human voice, maybe—for the first time in an eternity.
"Oh, my! My, my! Look what we have here!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~