Sunny walked closer to the young man, who had turned his attention toward the Mountain King. The creature had just leapt onto the ledge, a massive figure looming in the distance, at least five hundred meters separated them. Sunny looked up at the young man beside him; he was a lot taller, but that didn't matter right now.
Before Sunny could speak, the young man did first.
"Why is that abomination so beaten and bruised? I remember it being perfectly fine when I left. What happened to it?"
Sunny just smirked.
The bright moon shone high above, its light spilling down over the Mountain King. Makeshift spears jutted from the creature's massive body. Cuts and gashes covered it like battle scars, the aftermath of a brutal fight.
Mother said that the essence of combat is failure.
Sunny had failed to kill all the soldiers from the caravan the first time, but he learned from that failure, and used it to prepare for this fight. Killing an Awakened Tyrant was far beyond him, but that was exactly why he relied on traps. Not simple ones, either.
He had used gravity.
By using the mountain slopes beneath the Tyrant's immense weight, Sunny had sent it sliding down onto a pit lined with sharpened nightmare-wood spears... wood as strong as what he'd seen in the Dream Realm. Most broke on impact, but a few had pierced through weak spots in the monster's defenses.
'Looks like my gamble paid off.'
The smirk on Sunny's face deepened. It had taken him hours to prepare, but the result was worth it. He calmed his breathing and slowed his movements.
'I need to stay unpredictable. I need all its focus on the Awakened beside me.'
Sunny glanced at the young man. "Can you get it to focus on you?"
The young man frowned, noticing the Silver Bell Sunny had summoned. "How did you do that?"
"That doesn't matter. Can you do it or not?"
The Awakened nodded, grabbed the bell, attached it to his belt, and dashed toward the Tyrant. The bell rang beautifully as he moved.
Sunny melted into the shadows, minimizing the sound of his footsteps.
The Awakened ducked low, dodging a massive claw that slammed down where he had been moments before. He plunged his sword into one of the Tyrant's still-healing wounds, earning a low, guttural growl from the beast.
Another claw came for him, but the young man twisted his body unnaturally, barely escaping by a hair's breath.
Sunny lunged from the shadows, dodging the second set of shorter, human-like hands that reached for him. He used the momentum to drive himself closer to the Tyrant's body.
The creature looked down at him, it thought of Sunny as an insect, a dormant human, the only threat to its life was the Awakened fighting it.
Sunny didn't hesitate. He darted forward, using every moment the Tyrant focused elsewhere. The Awakened on the other side was bloodied and exhausted, barely hanging on, it had only been a few seconds yet he was in such a state. Sunny used the distraction to his advantage.
The Tyrant's hand came down at blinding speed, too fast for Sunny's mind to process. His instincts took over.
He sidestepped, pushing his body to the limit, then dashed forward with renewed vigor. Jumping onto the Tyrant's arm, Sunny clung tight as it shook violently. He drove his sword deep into one of its cuts, anchoring himself until the beast stopped thrashing.
Then he climbed.
Another hand came for him, fast, aiming to crush him. Sunny halted his momentum just in time. The two monstrous limbs collided, the impact echoing like thunder. Seizing the chance, Sunny sprinted up the arm and threw himself onto the Tyrant's shoulder, now right beside its massive, featureless head.
The Awakened was trapped, struggling in one of the Tyrant's hands. All three of its remaining hands reached toward Sunny. He ducked and rolled, dodging one swipe, using the gap between the others to get closer to the head.
The Tyrant turned toward him, its milky white eyes locking onto him. Its jaws opened wide, teeth glinting in the moonlight.
Sunny planted his foot on the upper jaw, using every ounce of strength to keep it closed just long enough... a single second. That was all he needed.
He plunged his sword into the Tyrant's eye.
The creature convulsed, frozen mid-motion. Sunny twisted the blade.
[You have slain an Awakened Tyrant: Mountain King.]
[You have received a Memory: Puppeteer's Shroud.]
The Mountain King's body went limp and toppled backward, crashing into the snow. Sunny jumped off just in time, landing hard but alive.
Groaning, he got to his feet and turned toward the Tyrant's corpse, where the young Awakened still writhed, trapped in its unmoving hand. Even dead, its grip hadn't loosened.
Sunny walked closer, sword resting on his shoulder.
"So... you killed it?" the young man rasped weakly.
Sunny nodded.
"And now you're going to kill me?"
Another nod.
"You're going to die anyway from those wounds," Sunny said quietly. "Even if you are Awakened. So... goodbye."
He raised his sword and swung —
Clang!
Metal met metal. The boy had escaped the Tyrant's grasp and blocked Sunny's strike.
'Damnation' Sunny had gotten complacent, wasting time talking.
He jumped back, creating space, but the Awakened pressed forward. Their swords clashed again and again, sparks flying in the cold night.
The young man was slower now, his body torn and broken. Sunny, though weak, was still faster.
They both broke apart, breathing hard.
The Awakened spoke first. "Believe me, I would've let you kill me. But my life... doesn't belong to me alone. There's a duty I must fulfill. Until it's done, I can't die."
Sunny's expression twisted into disgust. "What rubbish."
He dashed forward again. Their blades met. Sunny sidestepped a downward slash, closing in to aim at the man's neck... blocked. The Awakened retaliated, thrusting toward Sunny's heart, but Sunny ducked and grabbed a handful of snow, throwing it straight into his opponent's eyes.
The young man flinched. Sunny used the moment to feint, a fake swing at the neck.
The Awakened raised his sword to block, realizing too late. Sunny switched direction mid-swing pulling his sword back and drove his blade deep into the man's chest.
Their eyes met.
Blood poured from the wound. The spark of life faded from the Awakened's gaze until there was nothing left.
[You have defeated an Awakened human: Auro of the Nine.]
[You have received a Memory: The Nine's Bracelet.]
Sunny pulled his sword free. Auro's body collapsed into the snow.
Sunny looked toward the peak of the mountain, then back at the fallen Awakened. His breathing was ragged, each inhale sharp and painful. Blood seeped from the wounds he'd earned in his battle with Auro. Despite the exhaustion weighing him down, curiosity flickered in his eyes. He wanted to see what new Memories he had gained.
Summoning his runes, Sunny checked his new Memories:
[Memories: Silver Bell, Puppeteer's Shroud, The Nine's Bracelet.]
He examined the Puppeteer's Shroud first.
[Memory Rank: Awakened.]
[Memory Type: Armor.]
[Memory Description: A worm of doubt once found its way into a righteous king's heart. With time, the king was devoured from within and became its puppet. Long after, the worm escaped, leaving behind a cocoon of black silk. When explorers found it among piles of gnawed bones, they fashioned it into armor.]
'Onimus', Sunny thought, dismissing the runes.
Then he opened the description of the Nine's Bracelet.
[Memory Rank: Awakened.]
[Memory Type: Charm.]
[Memory Description: One of the Nine Knights bound to Fate. Auro of the Nine was slain by a treacherous Shadow before reaching his full potential. The Shadow, fated to be a slave, broke his chains... killing all who stood in his way.]
Sunny blinked.
'Wait... is that supposed to be me?!'
Outrage flared. 'Damnation, is this spell calling me treacherous me?!
With a heavy sigh, Sunny looked back toward the mountain peak.
'Guess I've got no choice.'
Bruised, exhausted, but determined, Sunny began his climb.