Sunny found himself in a space between dream and reality. It was an endless black void illuminated by a myriad of stars. Between those stars, countless strings of silver light were woven into a beautiful and inconceivably complex net, forming various nexuses and constellations.
'So! This is the Spell. It's really breathtaking. Weaver truly is a goddamn genius. I'm really looking forward to being able to weaving.'
[You have received a Shadow: Shadow pristess.]
'Thene!'
A tear rolled down Sunny's face. Without thinking twice, he immediately opened the runes.
***
Shadow Name: [Shadow priestess]
Shadow Rank: Ascendant
Shadow Class: Beast
Shadow Attributes: [Priestess of death], [Flame of divinity], [Dance master], [Armament keeper].
Shadow Abilities: [shadow support], [shadow walker], [shadow shaper].
Shadow description: [The great priestess of Shadow, to keep her promise, she freed herself from the embrace of death to be reunited with her beloved.]
.
.
[Priestess of death] attribute description: "As a priestess of shadows, she holds a lesser authority over shadows than her master."
[Flame of divinity] attribute description: "A flame ignite with divinity within her soul."
[Dance master] attribute description: "The Shadow priestess is a master in every battle art and the Shadow dance."
[Armament keeper] attribute description: "You can give a weapon-type memory to the priestess."
.
.
[Shadow support] ability description: "she becomes stronger when surrounded by shadows."
[Shadow walker] ability description: "she can turn into a shadow and walk as one of them."
[Shadow shaper] ability description: "she can turn shadows into tangible objects."
***
Sunny remembered the promise she made to him back then.
'I don't know how but you kept your promise, Thene. Now let me make one to you. From now on, we will fight together! I will never let you sacrifice yourself in my place again.'
After Sunny wiped away his tears, the Spell started talking again.
[Aspirant! Your trial is over.]
[a bearer of a sacred Chalice lived pacifically in the last temple of the Shadow God, until it was destroyed by the followers of War. Enslaved, he broke his chains with his own treachery. Heroes, slaves and monster fell by his treachery. Unbroken, he entered the temple of a long forgotten God and spilled his blood on the sacred altar. The Gods were dead, and yet they listened.]
[You have slain twenty-seven dorman beasts: mountain King's larva.]
[You have slain fifty-nine dormant humans: name's unknown.]
[You have slain thirteen awakened beasts: mountain soldiers.]
[You have slain seven awakened demons: mountain generals.]
[You have slain six awakened devils: mountain Princes.]
[You have slain an awakened tyrant: mountain King.]
[You have slain twenty-one awakened humans: name's unknown.]
[You have slain an awakened human: Auro of the Nine.]
[You have slain an ascendant human: Champion of War.]
[You have a piece of the forbidden lineage.]
[You have received Shadow God's blessing.]
[You have received Heart God's blessing.]
[You have achieved the impossible.]
[Final appraisal: Glorious. Your treachery and will truly know no bounds.]
That final part was really cringe, but Sunny didn't mind, he was still pretty satisfied with the praise from the Spell.
[Dreamer Sunless, received your boon!]
[You have been bestowed a true name: Lost from Light.]
'I'm not the real Sunless. But i bear his name, live his life. And here i swear, i will not follow a predestined faith, only my own path. Not matter how shameless i will be, now, this is MY life!
Whatever i desire, whether it's power, riches, women, or anything else. I'll get it! And i don't have to answer to anyone.'
The reward kept coming.
[Your aspect his ready to leave to evolve. Evolve aspect?]
'Why bother to ask me? Just do it!'
[Dormant aspect Empty Chalice is evolving...]
[New aspect acquired.]
[Aspect Rank: Divine.]
'Yes!'
[Aspect name: Lightless Crown.]
***
Aspect: [Lightless Crown].
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, bound by your Crown to be an apostle of death and his heir.]
Innate ability: [Lightless reigns].
Ability Description: [You hold a domain over shadows and death. You possess incredible authority over shadows and death. Since death is the end of all things, you bring death to all that touch your domain.]
***
'That's... definitely better than Shadowbound, although this is another change to my plans.'
Without Shadowbound, Sunny doesn't know how to gain the trust of Nephis.
Anyway, this was a relief because now, he will no longer be a slave in the future but, again, this changes the entire plot he knew.
'I wonder how it works.'
[The First Seal is broken.]
[Awakening dormant powers...]
Sunny felt something waking up inside of him. The feeling was not painful or unpleasant, yet it was like nothing he had ever experienced. An unknown energy awake in his soul.
The energy filled every fiber of his being, his whole body was being rebuilt and revitalized. Sunny felt like he was being reborn. He was becoming stronger, faster, healthier.
'Is this what it feels like to be addicted to drugs? No, because now i understand drug addicts.'
Sunny entered his Soul sea. A boundless sea of darkness stretched as far as the eye could see. The dark, starless sky above was lit only by a single black sun.
Sunny could also feel the gazes of the shades on the edge of the black sea, there were more than he expected.
[Aspect Ability acquired.]
[Aspect Ability Name: Shadow Control.]
[All power has a price.]
[You have received a Flaw.]
[Your Flaw is: ...]
Sunny read the runes, and his eyes widened in horror.
'Please be the same. Please be the same.'
Flaw: [Clear Conscience].
Flaw Description: [You cannot lie.]
Sunny breathed a sigh of relief.
Everything that happened so far, at least true name and flaw were the same. And then...
[You have unlock an attribute.]
[One of your attributes has evolved.]
[One of your attributes has evolved.]
'Eh?'
In horror again, Sunny re-opened his runes.
***
Name: Sunless
True name: Lost from light
Rank: dreamer
Shadow core: dormant
Shadow fragments: [260/1000]
Memories: [silver bell], [fanatic's dagger], [puppeteer's shroud], [cloath of war], [pendant of the Nine].
Echoes: -
Shadows: [Shadow priestess].
Attributes: [Foreign], [Shadow weave], [essence of divinity], [Shadowspawn], [the Heart].
Aspect: [Lightless Crown].
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, bound by your Crown to be an apostle of death and his heir.]
Innate ability: [Lightless reigns].
Ability Description: [You hold domain over shadows and death. You possess incredible authority over shadows and death. Since death is the end of all things, you bring death to all that touch your domain.]
Aspect abilities: [Shadow control].
[Shadow control] ability description: "your shadows are more independent than most. They are invaluable helpers."
Flaw: [Clear Conscience].
Flaw Description: [You cannot lie.]
***
'Not Fated but... Foreign? And what is evolved?'
[Foreign] attribute description: "your soul his a stranger to fate. You are no bound by fate but your presence had violently reshape his tapestry. You are free to change fate as you fit it."
'HOLY MOTHER OF THE SPELL!!!!! Are you serious!?'
This was the answer to everything!
Is this perhaps why the spell couldn't define his first attribute until now?
If so, that explains all these changes.
Reborn as Sunless, he not only replaced the protagonist of Shadow Slave, but also rewrote the foundation of his story.
It seemed impossible to understand, but that's the truth, his [Foreign] attribute is proof of it.
His mind struggled to process this information, but the more he thought about it, the less it made sense. How could his reincarnation change so much? Was Sunless really so important that his existence would alter the past and present?
Catching his breath, he continued reading the rest.
'[Shadow weave] is still the same but the others?'
[Essence of divinity] attribute description: "having been blessed by multiples divinities, the divinity with you has reached such a density that it has changed the nature of your essence."
[Shadowspawn] attribute description: "you were born from the shadows. Shadows recognize you as one of their own. As one of their kin, you possess their traits, you adapt even in the most treacherous situations."
[the Heart] attribute description: "you have inherited the complete lineage of the Heart God."
Leaving the runes aside, Sunny waited for the evaluation to end and prepared to the awakening.
Of course, remembering not to let his eye fall where it shouldn't.
He really doesn't want to get slapped by Jet.
A few minutes later...
[You have received an Aspect Legacy, Shadow dance.]
[Your Aspect Legacy mastery level has increased.]
[You have received the right to claim a Legacy Relic.]
[Your Aspect Legacy mastery level has increased.]
[You have received the right to claim a Legacy Relic.]
'Again. Eh?'
[Wake up, Lost from Light!]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jet was sitting with both arms crossed over her chest in a cheap plastic chair in a security room of the police station.
in front of her, a young man with black hair slept with a peaceful smile on a medical reinforced bed. Jet, on the other hand, had a worried face.
It's been two days since Sunless began his trial and still hasn't woken up.
"Come on, little Devil! I know that you will not die so easily."
Jet fingers twitched. Although she not love the boy, in this years, she has grown really found on him.
This mischievous brat who is always shameless and grumpy but also kindness and care like no one else.
Even if he is a little awkward with people of the other sex.
Yet he never hides his desires. He always talks about his dreams, like starting a clan, opening a coffee shop, or hanging out with a lot beautiful girls.
His dreams were really big.
Which is really funny considering his short height, he reminds Jet of a very cute, small doll.
Jet remembered the first time she met Sunless.
She was just an awakened back then, still unease with her flaw.
Five years ago, she'd heard rumors about a certain 'devil' who was spreading panic among the gangs of the outskirts.
Intrigued, she began looking for him, although the search hadn't started on her initiative.
But this is a story for another time.
Her life was very lonely before and after the Spell, but when Sunny came into her life, something in her became warmer.
A feeling she couldn't figure out yet.
Turning again her attention on the sleeping boy in front of her, Jet noticed the changes in Sunny's body.
He was rather waking up or had failed the trial, Jet really hope for the former.