When Fu Xuan came back with a new pen, Sunny noticed that she seemed oddly chipper. Once she sat back down, he felt the need to speak.
"I won't tell you mine just because you told me yours."
The Master Diviner tilted her head in confusion for a moment, before understanding gleamed in her eyes.
"Oh. That's fine. My Flaw isn't much of a secret, anyways."
She frowned.
"I had something of a hard time... keeping my mouth shut in the past."
...Sunny could somewhat relate to that.
It seemed that Fu Xuan's Flaw wasn't the exploitable type — not at a surface level, at least. All it did was make her shorter based on how ambitious she was. And if her estimations were correct, even being ambitious enough to conquer the cosmos would only bring her down to Sunny's level... which wasn't short whatsoever, mind you.
He couldn't help but shiver at the idea of a tall Fu Xuan towering over him, for more than one reason.
So, what kind of drive did she need to have to even put overlord activities to shame?
With her earlier explanation, it was kind of obvious. Not that he would ask... both because he didn't think he cared too much, and because he wasn't the kind to pry unless his life was at stake. Then again, maybe it was?
For some reason, he found himself oddly comforted despite the revelation of the atrocity he had to commit.
If Fate was truly the highest existence beyond existence itself, then what did that mean? What did that imply, to break Fate itself?
No human could ever kill an Aeon. And no Aeon could ever escape THEIR Fate. The Aeons were still confined to this reality, while Fate's web entangled everything. Even escaping this Universe wouldn't be enough to escape Fate, because Fate encapsulated every Universe.
If time travel was possible, then even that wouldn't work. The Aeons THEMSELVES transcended the laws of spacetime, and yet, they were still pawns to Fate.
If THEY couldn't do it, then how could Sunny do so? What would it take to even gain the opportunity to escape Fate?
Nobody knew, and odds were, nobody would ever know, much less Sunny, who was too entangled with the grand tapestry to even think about trying to destroy it.
But he had no choice but to try. And it was all because of her.
Hearing the sliding of paper, Sunny peeked at what Fu Xuan had finished writing.
[Party 2 may rent out Party 1's subservient Shadow Creatures. The price is one Memory of equivalent Rank per week. It is up to Party 1's discretion to decide whether to allow Party 2 to borrow a Shadow Creature. In the scenario of Party 1 requiring a Shadow Creature returned before the agreed time, Party 1 must provide at least seven days of prior warning. Otherwise, Party 1 must return the Memories provided in that specific renting period.]
Knowing that Fu Xuan understood the existence of his 'Echoes' was not a surprise. It must have been obvious the moment Nightmare assaulted her dreams, or perhaps even earlier.
At the very least, they were generally on equal grounds when it came to understanding the other's Abilities. So he wasn't too bothered about it — especially because she likely wasn't aware about the true nature of his Aspect. He doubted she knew about his Shadow Cores, Shadow Fragments, Aspect Rank, and his countless Memories. Two of them being of the Divine Rank, at that.
He was a little surprised that she didn't set up a trap at the end, requiring that he returned every Memory from every renting period. It would have been a mostly harmless trap, not that he would have fell for it. Perhaps she already got bored of probing him.
It left him a little disappointed. In any case, he did have a problem.
"Weekly? Sounds like a scam. Change that to daily."
Fu Xuan frowned.
"Don't you think you're being far too greedy?"
Clicking his tongue, Sunny summoned Saint next to him. Standing up besides the towering onyx knight, with aureate cracks appearing as golden rivers across her tenebrous armor, he knocked on her breastplate. A dull thud sounded.
"Do you hear that? That's the sound of quality. How dare you price such a fair lady at only one Memory per week! Why, she's worth at least seven!"
He scoffed.
"I wouldn't even price an Echo at one Memory a week. And let me tell you, my Goddess is no Echo! You won't find a woman of such brutal beauty across the entirety of the Universe! Two Universes, even! If anything, I am giving you a bargain!"
"Alright, alright! Has anyone ever told you that your voice is obnoxious to listen to?"
"Uh... probably? Doesn't seem too unrealistic."
He turned his head, beaming up at Saint for helping him snag a better deal. Oddly, she simply turned her head, refusing to look at him with her crimson/gold eyes.
Was... she shy?
He looked at his favorite Shadow strangely for a few moments, before dismissing her. He still had to give his Shadows some scolding for getting in his way when Firefly was right there, but he'd worry about that later.
Once Fu Xuan finished altering her conditions, Sunny took his turn.
[Party 2 must advertise Party 1's 'Sunny's Brilliant Emporium.' This must be done in a manner that does not reinforce the existing public connection between Party 1 and Party 2. Party 1 will provide Party 2 with Memories to advertise. Party 2 may keep said Memories.]
She sent him a sidelong glance, thick with suspicion.
"First it was my money, and now it's my influence?"
Fu Xuan leaned forward, glaring up at Sunny.
"It's almost as if you believe that those are my only redeeming qualities."
Sunny sighed.
"What do you want?"
As expected, she smiled almost predatively.
"Oh, nothing much. Just that you'd sell me Memories for free."
"'Kay."
Fu Xuan's smile fell.
"...What?"
"I said okay."
For some odd reason, she tried moving her head, as if scrutinizing him from a different angle would answer all her questions. Her expression was utterly perplexed.
Then, she blinked.
"You are aware that I'll be asking for Transcendent commissions, yes?"
Sunny nodded.
"Pretty much."
She looked him up and down, eyes dangerously narrowed.
"Did you end up in a Legacy's bed?"
Sunny made a face.
"Bluh?!"
Fu Xuan inched away, sending him a cautious gaze — though, the humorous glint in her eyes was quite obvious.
"So that's how it is, hm? I see, so this entire negotiation doesn't mean a thing to you. You'll get what you want through... other means, won't you?"
Sunny suddenly felt exhausted. He didn't think they were close enough to start exchanging dirty jokes. He didn't think they were close at all, really.
Then again, they were basically the same person on a practical level. It was part of the reason why he had been able to see through all of Fu Xuan's mistakes earlier.
"No, I didn't— actually, maybe?"
Did Bronya count as a Legacy? He was in her bed once, before she—
He pinched his leg to distract himself.
"No, not as far as I know. Not in the way you mean, at least. I just have a rich sponsor, and she supposedly thinks I'm funny or something."
Fu Xuan raised a brow.
"Lucky you, I suppose. Now, give me that."
[Party 1 must assist Party 2 in turning General Yao Guang of the Xianzhou Yuque into Party 2's subordinate.]
Sunny coughed.
"T-That's, uh... really specific?!"
The Master Diviner had a... frankly, sinister look on her face, smirking like a true supervillian.
"Of course it is."
Sunny tilted his head.
"So, this Yao Guang lady has got be super strong, right?"
He flinched when Fu Xuan's glare sharply turned to his face. She gritted her teeth.
"Supposedly..."
...Suddenly, Sunny found himself very intrigued.
"And why is that?"
Fu Xuan snorted, turning away.
"No, no, she's nothing special whatsoever! So what if she's both the General and Master Diviner of the Yuque, huh?! It was all luck, I tell you! And she's a cheater! I bet she bribed her way to the top while looking pretty! She did absolutely nothing in our Third Nightmare, too, always sitting back and relaxing!"
Her head swiveled back around, heated and clearly annoyed.
"Understood?"
Sunny smiled. There was nothing quite like the envy of a woman.
And how he absolutely loved every second of it.
"Pretty much."
Fu Xuan huffed in satisfaction, just for it all to be broken a moment later.
"Just to be sure, you mean to tell me that you really don't like this lady. And that's because she's hotter, more successful, more talented, smarter, richer, cooler, more popular, and knows how to get other people to do her dirty work?"
He chuckled.
"If she's even half as good as you made her out to be, I might end up switching sides."
He continued to laugh.
***
"Speak."
Gargles barely ripped out of Sunny's throat.
"The... The General of the Xianzhou Yuque should kneel before Fu Xuan — according to Fu Xuan, which is a very unreliable source — and kiss her heel!"
She pressed that same heel harder on his throat.
"I didn't tell you to add that part."
"W-What do you want me to do?! I don't even know that woman!"
"Tch."
'Did she just 'tch' me?!'
Sunny rose when she removed her foot, rubbing his throat regretfully. Not to regretful, however, considering he did nab a nice view from down below. Taking his seat back, he fearfully looked at Fu Xuan.
Her wrestling moves were no joke. He wept for Qingque.
The Master Diviner had her arms crossed, silently simmering with her eyes shut. Clearly, the mere thought of this superior superwoman was a nerve that must not be struck. He wondered what the story behind it was.
Must be really personal — not personal enough to not include in the contract, that is. Sunny wrote down his next clause into the contract.
[Both Parties must put in effort to not allow the other Party to incur losses of any kind. 'Loss' is defined as the nonconsensual seizure or Destruction of a Party's property, including life.]
Fu Xuan gazed at it for a moment. She nodded as she accepted Short And Shady.
It was then that Sunny knew that they were both on their last clauses. Both because there was a limit to how many the enchantment could endure, and because there wasn't much more for them to say.
[Both Parties must not give up.]
Fu Xuan's fingers lingered as she passed the paper back to Sunny. He eyed it, then went to writing his final clause, avoiding Fu Xuan's piercing gaze.
[Party 2 must make a wholehearted attempt to look for the younger sibling of Party 1. Party 2's findings must be relayed to Party 1, whether Party 2 is successful or not.]
If she found his final request odd, Fu Xuan did not show it. Instead, she asked:
"It seems to require blood?"
At Sunny's affirmation, she bit into her thumb. Now slightly mangled, with blood oozing from under the skin, she pressed it against the paper. She smeared her blood over her name, which was right next to the indication that she was Party 2.
Sunny copied her movements, but he had to both soften the Marble Shell and force Blood Weave to let him bleed. Both acts required not much more than a thought, and a moment later, Sunny's forbidden blood was bound to the contract.
There was only one last step:
[Violation of the contract will result in extreme soul damage.]
There were two enchantments on the Memory known as Short And Shady. The first enchantment let Sunny place conditions. The second allowed him to place a punishment.
The two enchantments were deeply interconnected.
A short moment after Sunny printed the punishment, the Memory broke apart into dark sparks. Fu Xuan must have heard a notification from the Spell signifying the Destruction of her Memory.
The Memory itself was used as fuel to power the two powerful enchantments, which would function even after it was Destroyed.
And so, their alliance was put in place.
***
Having passed all the Express members — besides March, who was still avoiding and ignoring him — Sunny returned to the darkness of his room. He wondered if he should start actually using the lights, but it wasn't as if he ever needed them.
Looking out the window at the megaship known as Xianzhou Luofu, floating in the vast and endless abyssal expanse known as space, Sunny couldn't help but grin.
The past twenty four hours were pure bullshit, and sucked more than... well, a lot of things. But, at the very end, he managed to secure one, singular victory.
A victory that existed within the Memory he just summoned. A simple dagger formed from a small shard of a dragon's tooth rested in his hand — to obtain said shard, he had to make a quick stop at Belobog to pick it up from Clara, who was holding the rest of the corpse the massive tooth belonged to.
When he had finished creating Short And Shady, he proceeded to use his exceptional video knowledge to forge a dagger out of his tooth shard. And, with the usage of one Supreme Soul Shard... he succeeded in creating a Supreme Memory.
Memory: [Deal Breaker].
Memory Rank: Supreme.
Memory Tier: I.
Memory Description: [Rules are meant to be broken, and escape routes are meant to be used.]
This was his escape route — one that let him break his own rules.
Memory Enchantments: [One-Sided Relationship].
Enchantment Description: "This dagger can allow the user to be immune to the binding punishment of extreme soul damage by allowing its blade to make contact with the user's blood. This effect only works if the source of soul damage is the result of breaking a blood contract's conditions. This Memory can only work once."
He needed it to be Supreme. Any weaker and he would have still received some amount of soul damage. The enchantment itself was reverse-engineered from the punishment enchantment he had created, allowing him to gain resistance from said punishments. Then, he added some restrictions to the enchantment, making them so ridiculously precise that nobody would ever find any use for it.
Except for him, who deliberately made a deal that fell within the limitations.
His freedom was strained as it was... there was no reason to wrap another shackle around his neck.
The dagger pierced through Sunny's hand, agony shooting up his arm. It slid through his skin and flesh like butter, exuding the power of a Supreme Memory.
A moment later, it was gone, shattering.
[Your Memory was destroyed.]
Sunny smiled. There was no need to test anything. He knew it worked because he was the one who made it — the dagger and the contract. He was no longer beholden to the punishment of breaking his rules... but Fu Xuan was.
There's a reason people say to never make a deal with the Devil. Much less the Ascended kind.