Sunny scratched the back of his head as he stared at the decrepit tree. On its bark were three lines etched into it, each one of them representing those who the grave was in service to. He had carved them himself — two for his parents, and one for himself, when he learned that he was infected by the Nightmare Spell.
...It was a little useless, now, considering that he was certainly alive and kicking. He was more cynical back then compared to nowadays, so it was to be expected. Outskirts Rats never survived their First Nightmare — much less one where they had to face an Awakened Tyrant, rather than a Dormant Beast or Monster.
In any case, his grave was his grave. It wasn't like he could erase the mark, so he didn't bother worrying about it. Rather, he had a few pieces of business he had to deal with.
Through his shadow sense, Sunny could tell that there wasn't anyone close enough to hear him. If anyone had been listening in, his Flaw would activate, and Weaver's Mask would reverse it. As long as he was by himself, however, he could speak however he wished.
He awkwardly coughed:
"Uh... hi? Sorry, this is a little weird for me. I don't really get why people do these kinds of things, since I doubt you can hear me. I'm kind of just talking to a tree..."
He crookedly smiled behind the mask.
"But, on the off chance that you can hear me, I thought it was worth doing. So, how've you been, dear parents of mine? Dead, probably."
...That was a little insensitive, wasn't it?
"Er... sorry. Please don't snipe me with a slipper from the Shadow Realm."
He sighed:
"Well, I've been doing... pretty well? I guess it depends on perspective. I mean, a lot happened since you lot kicked the bucket. I've killed a lot of people, but I've also saved a lot of people. I've made a couple of friends, but you wouldn't want to meet them. One of them is an annoying pervert who is probably insane in at least four different ways, another is a terrible actress who keeps acting like some happy-go-lucky idiot, while this one girl has an alter ego who keeps trying to kill me. Then, both she and her alter ego kissed me on the same day, before they both dipped! Before marriage! And they both dipped after! The guy who I thought was normal was actually some old genocidal lunatic with an identity crisis, and the only normal girl I know is dead! Uh... well, she was kind of a princess, so not too normal?"
Sunny paused. Maybe he should be more concerned about who he decided to surround himself with?
"Life has been pretty eventful, actually. Not only did this big boy survive the First Nightmare, I even became a Master! Oh, but it wasn't easy. Do you even know how many weird creatures that I had to fight? It's in the thousands! I can't even properly use Soul Shards, so I have no choice but to get up close and personal with these abominations! One time, while I was innocently trying to nab a few coins from a chest, I almost lost my arm! Not even a day later, I was falling into the abyss, which... probably says something about my character. Am I just greedy?"
For once, Sunny felt the need to reflect on himself. That was... all kind of his fault, wasn't it? He almost got himself killed just for some coins...
...But it worked out, so who cared? It was a net positive outcome. In fact, he thinks everyone should risk their lives over a coin! Money over mortality, right?
"Ah, but it's not like anything like that is going to happen again. I mean, I've learned my lesson, and there's no way I'll meet someone greedier than me, right? Right."
***
Somewhere across the cosmos, within an endless purgatory, a certain thief sneezed.
"Gah! That seamstress is definitely scolding me, isn't she? I'll show her..."
***
"Yeah, that would never happen. Anyways, I killed some crazy beings, saved a civilization or two, and now I am here. However! None of that is as important as what I am about to tell you..."
Sunny lowered his tone, a dark look appearing on his face, making Weaver's Mask look more ferocious than it already did.
"Rain... has become a shut-in! Can you believe it? Your precious daughter has become a loner! A loser! A bum! And, just so you know, it wasn't my fault. Some other family adopted her. I mean, how can your neighbors be completely unaware of your existence? Could never be me. Not only am I famous, but I am also widely respected. Uh... actually, that's probably because my minions are all a little scared of me."
Sunny scratched his shin, a bead of sweat rolling down his awkward expression.
"So... the point is that I, Sunless, have become a very successful individual who is definitely completely sane, and happy with his life. There's no need to worry about me."
Of course, quite a bit of that was a lie.
"Oh, right... uh, Mom? Sorry, but it looks like I won't be fulfilling that promise I made. Being alone happens to suit me better."
Sunny smiled.
"I might be the most honest man in the world, two worlds, even, but that doesn't mean I'm the most trustworthy!"
A moment later, he summoned the Moonlight Shard.
"You two wouldn't mind if two others joined you, right? Yeah, you wouldn't."
A moment later, Sunny easily carved two more lines into the tree, totaling five. One for Bronya, and the other for Veliona. He smiled at his work.
Sure, they were unlikely to get a proper burial, but he didn't really need to go through all the trouble to do this. After all, Bronya lived on within the pendant hanging from his neck, and that fleshy scythe Seele was carrying... well, seeing its crimson gaze, Sunny had no doubts about what that was supposed to be.
Even so, he had wanted to do this. Those two were his friends, and he supposed Veliona was something a little more, with their very strange relationship. It was just a favor for being a positive part of this point in his life.
The dead were meant to be Remembered, not obsessed over.
With a sigh, Sunny looked up towards the top of the tree. Then, he glanced down at its roots.
"How exactly am I going to bring this with me...?"
***
Gepard's eyes cracked open, bearing witness to some very unfamiliar scenery. Something rough was supporting his back, grating against his armor. A small flame flickered before him... a campfire?
"Hm? Oh, this kid is awake, Koski."
"Ah, well, nothing can take down this sturdy pal of mine."
"I highly doubt that, you scammer."
'Koski?'
That name stirred something in Gepard's memory. But where did he hear that name before? It felt like he was in a novel, and the name of a character who only appeared in the beginning was suddenly brought up again.
Then, it all came back to him. They were fighting against the horde of Nightmare Creatures, those frightening dragons who spilled darkness in their wake. Then, suddenly, something rushed through the darkness towards him... and everything went black.
"...Sampo Koski?"
Gepard could have sworn he heard a happily surprised gasp.
"Aw, I knew you wouldn't ever forget about me, Lil' Geppie."
"Please don't call me that..."
Then, Gepard froze. If he had been holding off the Nightmare Gate, before suddenly passing out, then...
At that moment, his vision properly returned to him.
He was in a completely unfamiliar forest, which made it clear that he was nowhere near the Citadel that he was anchored to. The trees reached high into the sky, extending beyond the reaches of even Qlipoth Fort. There was the faint smell of dirt, bark, and roasted flesh. He also realized that he was currently leaning against a tree. To his side, he saw a few of his fellow Silvermane Guards, each of them passed out.
...Why were they passed out? If they were forcefully transferred to the Dream Realm, shouldn't they be conscious upon arriving? Things weren't making any sense...
Then his head swiveled towards the two men present. The first had a very untrusting smile on his face, with swept purple and grey hair — a combination he certainly wouldn't forget.
"Sampo Koski!"
"Yep, that's me. The lovable—"
"What do you want?"
"...Gosh, so untrusting. And here I thought we put aside our differences."
...Had they? Gepard couldn't really remember.
"As for what I want... well, I want to help you!"
Gepard stared at him for a few moments, before turning towards the other man present. He wore a ragged cloak, which seemed to be cut from the skin of Nightmare Creatures. From below his hood Gepard can barely make out his shadowed features. Bronze skin and a face covered in stubble, with faint green eyes peeking out from under the hood. He seemed to be in his late teens. Below the cloak was the appearance of armor...
"And you are...?"
The mysterious man nodded in acknowledgement.
"Fastest Sleeper Alive."
Gepard frowned:
"That's not a name."
The man shrugged:
"My name serves no purpose. Just think of me as an old man from a bygone era."
Then, Mr. Fastest Sleeper Alive said:
"And before you ask, I only require one thing of you and your companions. A small thing, really."
Gepard saw the man's lips twitch upwards.
"There's a Nightmare Seed below us. You in?"
Gepard blinked. He supposed that a Nightmare Seed being in the vicinity was to be expected. That was what happened when Awakened slept near a Nightmare Gate. They get pulled in to a place in the Dream Realm that was near the Nightmare Seed.
Clearing the Nightmare would return him to the Waking World, however...
"Are... there no Citadels nearby?"
Fastest Sleeper Alive glanced over at Sampo, who simply nodded.
"Looks like there are. I don't have the luxury of using them, however. So that's a pass."
Sampo added:
"He has a problematic condition, so he can't return to the Waking World however he wants. But... you wouldn't let a citizen in need suffer here alone, right, Captain?"
Gepard grimaced. Taking on a Nightmare Seed was dangerous. Those kinds of thing required years of careful preparation and planning, with a proper cohort formed on trust. What happens in the Nightmare stays in the Nightmare, after all.
He didn't know who this man was. In fact, the man was clearly of dubious intent, considering how he wouldn't even say his name. In reality, the smart thing to do was to deny his request... however, he couldn't help but remember the horrors that crawled out of that Nightmare Gate. He hadn't even done that much, relying on the assistance of outsiders to protect their home.
So, the real question was... whether or not he was okay with staying weak.
"...Do I have a choice in the matter?"
Sampo smiled:
"Nope. Well, it isn't like he'll need all of you to challenge the Nightmare with him. Just two of you would be enough."
'Just two?'
What an underwhelming number. Gepard frowned for a moment, before speaking:
"I can't speak for my men, but I'll join. And... what exactly are you doing here Sampo?"
The shady man crossed his arms in thought:
"I was just sending myself over to the World Tree so that I could search for something in the Spirit World, now that the bird isn't chasing me down anymore, but I ran into my buddy over here. It turns out that he knew two of my other buddies, so I decided to protect him until he had enough people to safely challenge the Fourth Nightmare."
Gepard nodded. He didn't understand at all...
"...I'm sorry, did you say Fourth?"
The cloaked man scowled at Sampo:
"Didn't I tell you to watch your mouth, mongrel?"