Sunny emerged in his house, feeling a little forlorn.
He didn't want to leave Nephis behind, but he was certain it was going to be worth it. Leaving Solvane behind was definitely a calculated risk as well. Sunny trusted her enough with Nephis, and there was also the fact she was a human. Mostly a human, anyways.
He had been tempted to invoke the [Grace of Shadows], leaving the Soul Serpent with Nephis, but he had decided Solvane was the better choice. Although Serpent was smart, it wasn't a human. Its alien intelligence was incompatible with the dangers of the human world. Solvane meanwhile, had extremely sharp senses, as well as the [Mystery Pryer] attribute. No assassin or trap would be able to hide from her while she was with Nephis. Sunny had also conveniently forgotten to return the anti-divination bracelet to Ki Song, so he wasn't worried about her presence leaking out either.
But Sunny's biggest concern though… was that he didn't know what Solvane would do in the Nightmare. The Chained Isles Sunny was entering was her home, and it was during the time where she had lived in it as well. She might've just refused to join Sunny in his conquest, instead running off to go live her life or something.
'I can trust her to take care of Nephis but not to watch my back... What a ridiculous Shadow.'
The door to Sunny's basement opened with a whir.
Sunny turned to see Jet emerging from it, yawning slightly. She was wearing comfortable home clothes consisting of a tank top and sweatpants.
"Sunny? Are you leaving?"
"Yeah."
He had finished his business in the waking world and was about to leave.
Sunny sighed, standing before Jet.
"Don't dirty the place too much while I'm gone."
"Okay..."
"And If anyone comes looking for me, tell them you have no idea, got it?"
"Uh huh."
"And do not let them near Nephis! She couldn't lie to save her life! Got it?"
"Yes, Sunny. I got it."
"Good!"
Sunny patted her shoulder with a smile before walking past her.
"Sunny."
Turning around, Sunny suddenly felt two strong arms wrap around him tightly.
"...Don't die out there."
Sunny froze for a moment, before returning the hug.
"And… happy early birthday, I guess."
"Hahah! Thanks, I suppose. See you!"
Sharing one final laugh together, Sunny turned and descended into the basement.
He entered his sleeping pod without hesitation, resolve shining in his eyes.
***
Sunny appeared next to the gateway of the Sanctuary of Noctis.
He looked around for a moment before silently moving towards the altar. It was currently night in the Chained Isles, so he went unseen.
In the darkness of the night, the obsidian knife that had been left on the altar for several millennia vanished.
Sky Tide was currently away on an expedition to find an elusive beast, so Sunny was not worried at all.
As he crossed the heavenly chain in the form of a swift shadow, Sunny split his focus, entering his Soul Sea.
Shadow: [Shadow Amalgam]
Shadow Rank: Transcendent.
Shadow Class: Devil.
Shadow Description: [A Devil flew over the endless skies searching for a worthy foe, and a worthy foe it found. Only to find that its foe was a Devil far worse than itself. The Devil was killed, becoming his Shadow.]
Shadow Fragments: [243/250].
Sunny smiled softly.
With a thought, one of the floating lights orbiting his soul cores dropped down into his palm. It was the spiked horn of a dead nightmare creature and within it were seven radiant nexuses.
From the dark waters of his Soul Sea, a majestic amalgamation of steel rose, spreading its wings in pride.
"Here. Eat up!"
The raven took a step forward, screeching loudly in glee. A moment later, it brought its beak down on the memory in Sunny's hand, destroying it.
[Your Memory has been destroyed.]
In the next moment, the shadow that existed where Shrike's soul should have been suddenly rippled. The four dark embers in its depths shone with lightless radiance, and silver lightning crackled around its body.
Sunny watched closely, observing with rapt attention.
In the next moment, Shrike's figure was enveloped entirely by lightning, illuminating the dark waters below. Powerful waves were kicked up as hurricanes of winds and lightning rocked his soul. The lightning flashed silver and black, arcing into every direction, shrouding Shrike in a colossal shell.
In the real world, Sunny paused. A second later, he was flung out of the shadows, landing on one knee as he panted heavily.
This was taking a larger toll than he thought it would!
'Should… Should I have done this outside instead?'
Sunny had chosen to ascend Shrike within his Soul Sea just in case the ripples of its ascension could be detected somehow. He had expected a little pressure on his soul… but this much?!
Sunny gritted his teeth, planting a fist on the ground.
Within his soul, the black and silver lightning were now shrouded in dark flames. Sunny felt unbearable cold and blistering heat assault him at the same time.
Sunny continued to endure it best he could, panting heavily.
'Damn…nation!'
And after a few minutes, it was done.
The water in his Soul Sea stilled for a moment, the terrifying lightning frozen midair. The sight of it mesmerized Sunny, as if he were staring at a masterpiece.
And a moment later, the lightning was violently pulled back into the Shadow Amalgam.
"Argh!"
A massive explosion rocked his soul, causing Sunny to stagger in pain and dizziness. Tsunamis of dark water were formed, crashing in all directions.
And within the center of his Soul Sea, a Shadow flapped its wings.
The waves stilled in an instant. Sunny's soul calmed down immediately, giving him a moment to breathe.
'Ha… ha… god… damn…'
Streams of water slowly rolled off Shrike as silver lightning sparked around it menacingly. The intensity contained within the lightning was… frightening. Vast, dreadful power swept across Sunny, causing him to shiver.
His Shadow was now a Supreme Devil.
"SKREEEEEE!"
A prideful screech echoed across the dark waters. The sound alone made Sunny feel as if there were currents of static electricity buzzing within his ears.
Shrike now looked like it was forged from darkness rather than steel. Small white lights ignited within its eyes, white hot electricity burning within. Silver lightning outlined by radiant darkness buzzed intermittently, making the Shadow look dignified.
Sunny smiled.
"Good… Good!"
Sunny slowly stood up, shaking off the exhaustion. He sunk into the shadows once more, appearing on the underside of a nearby island.
"Come on, let's go for a test drive."
A raven forged of dark steel emerged from the underside of the island. Without flapping its wings, it slowly levitated beneath Sunny, allowing him to drop on its back.
Grinning madly, Sunny wrapped six shadows around his Shadow as Shrike slowly raised its wings.
"Now… g-"
Sunny didn't manage to finish his sentence, as his vision blurred the next moment.
The world around him passed by as smudges, the endless vista of stars in the night sky turning into streaks of light.
Decimating winds assaulted Sunny as he held onto Shrike's back for dear life.
'Gods!'
He already felt his fingers slowly start to peel off the groove he was gripping onto. Sunny could only lower his head and hold on for dear life. The reason he hadn't already been blown away was because Shrike seemed to be using some form of electricity that kept Sunny glued to its back, as he felt as if there was some sort of magnetism keeping his hands from separating with the steel.
'This…'
Islands passed him by in seconds like rocks on the ground.
'Is…'
Shrike abruptly turned, its sharp senses detected the crushing somewhere ahead of them.
'Goddamn…'
Sunny could barely hear his own thoughts over the roar of the wind in his ears.
'Insane..!'
Sunny couldn't even tell where they were anymore. He hoped that Shrike knew where they were going.
After a few minutes, Sunny had to command Shrike to slow down.
As much as he would like to speed to his destination, his body couldn't take it. Even if he was a Titan, he was still a mere Awakened. The speed they were traveling made it hard for him to breathe.
He silently retrieved three of his six shadows from Shrike, wrapping them around his own body instead.
"Skreee…"
Shrike screeched sadly, apologizing for its mistake.
"Relax."
Sunny slapped his impossibly solid back, feeling as if he were smacking pure diamond.
"That was totally awesome!"
Despite how terrifying it was, the childish side of Sunny had found it extremely fun. It was akin to slamming on the accelerator of a PTV. Or in this case, going full throttle on a fighter jet.
Shrike beat its wings pride, its head tilting upwards.
Having caught his breath, they continued onward at a less breakneck pace.
On the way, Sunny checked Shrike's runes.
Shadow: [Shadow Amalgam]
Shadow Rank: Supreme.
Shadow Class: Devil.
'Kuhuhuhu…'
He couldn't stop himself from laughing at the sight. His first Supreme Shadow! It had been financed by a Sovereign, sure… but still! It was his!
Shrike's abilities had remained mostly the same, with only its [Cloak] ability evolving to have a wider area of effect.
But strangely, that was not the only thing that changed.
At the bottom of Shrike's runes, the shadow fragment counter had disappeared.
'...I expected as much.'
Sunny was no fool. Nothing ever came easy, especially when that nothing was turning his Shadow into a Sacred Devil. It seemed for his Shadows to ascend further, he'd need something else. The fact Sunny could even own a Supreme Devil as an Awakened was a miraculous feat, in fact, he suspected that the only reason this had even worked was due to the fact he had the [Lord of Shadows] attribute. If he was still a [Child of Shadows], he doubted his Shadow would even be able to reach Transcendence.
'So be it!'
He had a Supreme Devil now! That was all that mattered.
Sunny sighed contently, turning his head slightly so he could watch the sky as they traveled.
…Several hours later, they arrived.
The sun had risen over the Chained Isles, bathing it in a soft, orange glow.
Sunny jumped off Shrike's back, setting foot on the Twisted Rock island.
Dismissing his Shadow, Sunny slowly crossed the island by foot. He was currently trying to remember where he had seen the golden string of fate leading to the tear. Of course, he could simply fly downwards and move towards the tear once he spotted it, but Sunny liked to be precise.
His head ached slightly as he walked to the edge of the island. Sunny looked down at the endless abyss below him, rubbing his forehead.
Taking a deep breath, he leaned forward and began to fall.
His plan for the second nightmare wasn't anything special. After all, simpler plans left far more room for adjustment.
The first time he had entered this nightmare, Sunny had thought that there were two possible outcomes. Either free Hope, ensure she was chained forever. Now though, Sunny wasn't so sure.
Because now, he suspected that there was no true way to keep Hope forever.
Even if one gathered all the knives and tossed them into the Sky Below, it wouldn't work. Because eventually-
A swift figure shot towards him from the lightless abyss.
'Shit!'
Sunny twisted his body midair, summoning the Mantle over himself and raising his defenses. Shrike was already half-way out of the Shadows, and crossed the distance between them in a few seconds at best.
But the figure that had shot towards him was simply too fast.
Sunny felt impossibly strong arms grip him firmly as he braced himself, covering his chest and head.
'Argh!!'
Only an attack never came.
The swift figure was simply holding him in a bridal carry as they floated in the air.
Carefully moving his arms out of the way, he peeked at who it was.
'Wha…'
"Stop!"
Sunny yelled out in a panicked voice. His words weren't directed at the person holding him, but rather at Shrike. It only barely stopped on time, its talons mere milliseconds away from impaling the person holding onto Sunny.
The person was…
"Awakened Sunless..?"
…The Matriarch of the White Feather Clan, Saint Sky Tide.
***
Tyris was confused. Very confused.
She has been diligently searching the surrounding islands for several days now, and she was a little tired. So… she had taken a short nap on the Twisted Rock Island. Although it was a little eerie, the island was not affected by the crushing, nor was it populated with any nightmare creatures. It was the ideal place for a short respite.
Yet only a few seconds ago, Tyris had been awakened by the sound of flapping wings and soft footsteps.
At first, she was vigilant, but then she was confused.
The person casually walking across the island was Awakened Sunless, one of their top scouts, only the air around him seemed different. Rather than seeming meek and unassuming like he usually did, he radiated a sense of calm. Tyris was not sure what to think about this. Was his usual persona a facade, then? Or had something happened to make him act this way?
She didn't know why, but he seemed quite lonely.
Tyris quietly watched as he made his way to the edge of the island, a pained look on his face.
She watched with anticipation as he stood on the edge, massaging his temples.
'What is he doing?'
The young man stood on the edge for a while, staring at the Sky Below.
Tyris panicked ever-so-slightly when she saw him take a deep breath, looking towards the sky.
'He's… he's…'
Her suspicions were confirmed when Sunless leaned forward a moment, dropping off the island.
He was committing suicide!
In her freshly awoken state, Tyris failed to consider why on earth anyone would come here specifically to commit suicide.
She shot forward, aiming to catch him before it was too late.
Shrouded in wind, she leapt off the island and flew towards him. Strangely, he seemed to notice her almost immediately, wrapping himself in jet black armour near instantaneously.
Ignoring the young man's strange actions, she reached her arms around him and focused her winds beneath her feet, ensuring they wouldn't fall any further.
Sunless was guarding himself with his steel gauntlets, his body completely tensed.
'Hm?'
Why would a person who wanted to die panic so much at the thought of being attacked?
Had she misunderstood his intentions?
Sunless slowly moved one of his gauntlets out of the way, and she could see his eyes widen through the slit on his visor.
"Stop!"
'Stop?'
Stop what? Was she just supposed to let him fall to his death?
Only when she felt cold wind brush against her the back of her neck did she realise that his words weren't meant for her.
Tilting her head slightly, she saw a terrifying steel talon mere centimeters away from her neck, glistening with sharp intent.
She shuddered at the sight.
"Awakened Sunless..?"
What on earth was going on? Did she really misunderstand?
"What… is happening?"
"Before I answer that… Can we please speak on solid ground?"
Tyris realised the way she was holding him most likely hurt his pride.
'Whoops.'
Activating her aspect, a gust of wind pushed them back up into the air. Landing on the island, she carefully set the young man down.
Hearing a heavy thud, she turned towards the raven that had nearly taken her life.
'That… that's…'
It was the Echo! The one Madoc was looking for! Aria's secret helper! The one that had prevented countless Awakened lives from being lost at the hands of a Corrupted Titan! The one that had liberated the Sleepers of the Forgotten Shore!
Tyris let out a slight breath, gusts of wind displacing the ash around them. It was only just now that she felt the power emanating from it.
'Just… Just who is this man?'
She had read his report. Awakened Sunless was someone who grew up in the outskirts, someone whose entire life had been nothing but hardship.
She had thought that perhaps this life had been too much for him, and he had decided to end it. Clearly though, she could not have been more wrong.
As it turned out, he was the mysterious power shaking up Valor. The one who managed to kill a Titan in the middle of Valor's stronghold and not leave a single trace of themselves.
Sunless stepped away from her, brushing himself off.
"I'm… I'm very sorry Lady Tyris, but… what are you doing here?"
"I think I should be asking you that instead."
Sunless took another step back.
Turning his head, he seemed to remember the fact his Echo was still here.
His gaze alternated from his Echo to Tyris.
"You… you saw it, didn't you?"
"I did."
The air around them grew colder.
"Are you going to report me? To Valor?"
'Ah…'
Did he truly think so little of her? She was not that sort of person.
But then again… perhaps Sunless simply didn't know that. Roan was always telling her time and time again that she needed to get better at expressing herself.
"I won't. Do not fret."
She was sure he had his reasons. The Great Clans weren't exactly beings that people would be hoping to serve.
But still, she could not let such a powerful individual go unchecked, especially when they were living in her lands.
"But first, I would like for you to answer some of my questions. Can you do that?"
"...I'll try."
Sunless heaved a deep sigh.
***
'What a goddamn disaster!'
How could he have let such a thing happen! Tyris had seen Shrike!
'Damnation…'
Since when had he been this terrible at keeping secrets? First it was Song, and now it was White Feather. Song had been a somewhat calculated risk… but this. This! It was a complete and utter mistake! What on earth was Tyris doing here?!
No… no. He knew what Tyris was doing here. He simply hadn't known she would be here specifically.
What terrible luck!
"But first, I would like for you to answer some of my questions. Can you do that?"
"...I'll try."
Saint Tyris appeared unperturbed, despite the fact she was standing right next to a Supreme Devil. In fact, her facial expression hadn't changed even once, her feelings only expressed by the winds around them churning slightly. Sunny had no idea what she was thinking.
"First off, why did you jump?"
'Jump? She's curious about that?'
"I'm looking for a certain place hidden within the Sky Below. I am almost entirely certain that it's below here somewhere."
Sunny hoped Sky Tide wouldn't inquire further, instead satisfied with his simple answer.
"I see…"
Saint Tyris muttered under her breath, looking down slightly.
"Why?"
'Damnation!'
Despite the fact his face was hidden by the Mantle, he still strained himself to keep his expression neutral.
"I believe I'll be able to find a Seed, Lady Tyris."
The softly blowing winds halted.
"A Seed? A Seed of a Nightmare?"
"That's correct."
"You are entering your Second Nightmare?"
"Yes."
Saint Tyris silently contemplated for a moment.
"Alright."
'Alright? Is that all? Please just leave it at that!'
Tyris raised her head, meeting his eyes. Her inhuman amber eyes gave Sunny the urge to turn and run.
"Come see me once you are a Master. Best of luck to you, Awakened Sunless."
"Yes… Good day to you, Lady Tyris."
Saint Tyris then jumped, and with the rustling of countless feathers she was gone.
Sunny heaved a long sigh, the tension in his shoulders leaving.
He might be making a huge mistake. It was not that he thought Saint Tyris was a liar, but Sunny simply couldn't be sure. What if he woke up to his body trapped deep in an underground prison having been captured by Valor after Tyris reported him?
'It… should be fine.'
After all, Solvane would still be there. She was just as powerful if not more powerful than any human Saint would be.
Still, even if it was a bad idea, Sunny wasn't willing to silence Tyris. He'd rather have Valor hunting him down.
'Then again, would they even hunt me? What if they just desperately want to recruit me or something? It's not like they actually know I'm a part of Song…'
Sunny harrumph.
'As if. I'll never join the ranks of those classless wretches.'
Sunny turned to Shrike, sighing.
"What did you think of her?"
Shrike shifted its wings, screeching slightly.
"I… have no idea what that means."
Sunny was not fluent in the language of birds even slightly. But he could feel a sense of approval coming from Shrike.
Climbing on to Shrikes back they descended into the Sky Below, now without interruptions.
Looking at the lightless abyss around him, he sighed.
Things were never easy, were they?
As they descended, Sunny began to weave at a relaxed pace.