"Wake up, Sunless! Your nightmare is…"
"Shut the hell up!"
Trying to remain in the blissful embrace of sleep, Sunny hissed through his teeth and stubbornly closed his eyes tighter. He was warm and comfortable under the blanket, on his own bed, where all the problems of the world seemed less serious and dire.
For a moment, there was silence.
'That's better…'
"Wake up, Sunless! Your…"
'Goddammit!'
Thrusting one arm from under the blanket, Sunny summoned one of his Memories. Immediately, a triangular leaf-shaped throwing dagger appeared in his hand, only to be thrown blindly at the source of the irritating voice. Missing its mark, the kunai clinked against the stone wall and fell to the floor.
However, the voice did fall silent.
Sunny sighed. It was already too late. He was awake.
Far in the distance, the waves were starting to crash against the city wall. The night was coming, so it was time to get up.
Opening his eyes, Sunny sat up and looked around.
His room was beautiful and spacious. The stone walls were engraved with intricate patterns, creating an atmosphere of sanctity and elegance. The furniture was made out of pale polished wood, with several mismatched pieces that Sunny had scavenged from different places himself.
The room had no windows, however, there were light wells cunningly hidden here and there. Sadly, the ingenious system of mirrors that was supposed to bathe the hidden chamber in sunlight was long destroyed, leaving only darkness inside.
Sunny didn't mind. In fact, this was one of the features of his secret lair that he enjoyed the most.
Darkness was his best friend.
Yawning, he stood up and rubbed his face to chase away the last remnants of sleep. His long, dirty hair was getting in the way, so he moved it back.
'Let's make some breakfast.'
But first things first…
Sunny moved his hand, pulling on the invisible string that connected his wrist to the ring-shaped pommel of the kunai. The throwing dagger jumped into the air and landed on his palm. This was a trick that had taken Sunny quite some time to master: in the beginning, he almost lost a couple of fingers while trying to learn how to control the flying blade.
Walking over to a wall empty of engravings, he used the kunai to scratch a small line into the stone. All around it, there were dozens and dozens of similar lines, grouped neatly into sets of five.
It had already been four months since Sunny came to this loathsome, godforsaken city.
Many things had happened during that time.
***
Cassie's vision turned out to be true. Far in the west, they indeed found a vast, ruined city surrounded by tall walls, with monsters wandering its narrow streets. And in the center of the city, there was a hill with a magnificent castle standing on its top.
Miraculously, the castle was full of people. However, they weren't Awakened, as the three of them had hoped. Instead, they were, each and every one of them, mere Sleepers.
Because they were no Gateway in the castle.
Hundreds of humans — those who had managed to survive the lethal hellscape of the Forgotten Shore due to their strength or luck — were stuck there with no hope of ever returning to the real world. It was nothing but a graveyard of hope.
Remembering his first days in the castle, Sunny couldn't help but laugh out loud. Oh, what a fool he had been. So full of hope and newfound faith in humanity… where's that faith now, huh?
Laughing hysterically, he bent over and slapped his knees.
"Oh, that's funny! Good one, Sunny. What do you think about that, eh buddy?"
The shadow didn't respond, staring at him with reproach. Its silence only made Sunny laugh louder. He just couldn't stop.
To be honest, he had gone a little bit insane some time ago. Probably around his third week of living alone in the city. He was more or less alright after leaving the castle due to that unfortunate falling out with… well, it didn't matter.
The point was that on his third week, that damn bastard of a knight had almost disemboweled him, leaving Sunny no choice but to crawl away while using his own two hands to stop his intestines from falling out. After finding his way to a secluded ditch and lying there for a few days, too weak to move and simply waiting to die, with not a soul around to help him, Sunny wasn't quite the same.
'Good times…'
Anyway, he survived.
Dismissing the kunai, Sunny walked over to a table that he had scavenged from the ruins of a library and glanced at the grey rock that was lying in its center.
No matter how you looked at it, it was just an ordinary rock. However, as soon as Sunny's gaze fell on it, the rock spoke:
"Wake up, Sunless! Your nightmare is over!"
That rock was, in fact, one of his most valuable Memories. In all ways except for one, it was indeed just a rock… which was already useful enough. There were a lot of things that someone as devious as Sunny could accomplish with the help of a rock. However, this particular rock was also capable of parroting different sounds, which made it simply priceless.
Right now, it was parroting Sunny's own voice.
"Wake up…"
'You vile thing!'
Struggling with the irrational desire to turn the Parrot Rock into dust, Sunny dismissed it and removed a piece of cloth from the table. Beneath it, a few strips of monster meat lay on a silver platter.
He had hunted this monster himself, which was not an easy task in these parts. In fact, as far as Sunny knew, he was one of the very few people capable of hunting in the city alone. The reason for this was that most of the Nightmare Creatures populating it were of the Fallen rank, with only a handful of weaker ones hiding here and there.
No one was crazy enough to hunt the Fallen monsters. Instead, large hunting parties used experienced guides to avoid these powerful creatures while searching for easier prey.
But to Sunny, singling out stray Awakened monsters were comparatively easy. He hunted at night, using deep shadows to make himself nothing short of invisible. If he didn't want to fight a Fallen abomination, he didn't have to.
Most of the time…
In any case, he never went hungry.
Sunny grinned and said in a deeply satisfied tone:
"Ah, life is good…"
Chapter 97: Hunter's Dream
Life, indeed, was good. In fact, Sunny would even go so far as to say that, currently, it was wonderful.
One would expect that being stuck in a cursed city located in the middle of an actual hell, surrounded by nothing but ruins and horrifying monsters, was not really the best way to live your life. But to him, this was somewhat of a paradise.
To his surprise, Sunny had found out that this type of existence suited him pretty well. He had no obligations, no need to worry about the future and, most importantly, was not required to interact with other humans.
Humans always made things hard and complicated. He was sick of them.
Being on your own was much better. He didn't have to pretend to be someone else, force himself to behave differently from how he wanted to, and strain his mind trying to understand people's convoluted feelings.
For the first time in his life, Sunny could simply be himself.
Turns out, his true self was very easy to please. He had no shortage of interesting things to do, explore, and kill. His life was very entertaining and comfortable, all things considered.
It was at least way better than his pathetic existence in the outskirts, back in the real world.
The key to this harmonious feeling was very simple. It was to have no hope.
Sunny discovered that hope was the true enemy of peace. It was the most vile and poisonous thing in the universe. If there was even a glimmer of hope to return home, he would have been desperate, full of anxiety, and probably in the middle of some insane disaster right now.
Like he had always been before.
But without hope, things were simple and pleasant. He really couldn't wish for more.
"Keep telling yourself this crap. You might really believe it."
Sunny grinned.
"What is there to believe? It's the truth!"
The shadow silently shook its head, long accustomed to his crazy tirades. Lately, Sunny had been talking with himself a lot, having long arguments that sometimes descended into screaming matches. It was a good way to pass the time.
…A bit later, he emerged from his secret chamber. Sunny's lair was situated in the upper part of a ruined cathedral, the entrance hidden behind a tall statue of some unknown goddess. There was a small balcony that allowed him to observe the grand hall of the temple over the goddess's shoulder, concealed from sight by the strands of her stone hair.
The balcony was really high above the floor, making it impossible for any creature to climb on it by accident. Falling down would certainly kill a normal human.
Sunny had discovered the hidden room while spying on the bastard that had gutted him. He had entered the cathedral through the hole in its roof and landed on one of the wide support beams, then walked across and accidentally noticed the small balcony.
That's how he and the bastard had become neighbors. The bastard was, in fact, the guardian of this place. He patrolled the grand hall, killing anyone who dared to come inside. Sunny saw plenty of powerful Nightmare Creatures fall to his sword, cleaved apart without much effort.
Of course, the bastard was a Nightmare Creature of considerable power himself.
Sunny was pretty sure that he was at least a devil.
Sharing the cathedral with a devil was very convenient. Sunny could sleep easy knowing that no monster would be able to reach the inner sanctum alive. Of course, he had to be careful to never be seen by his murderous roommate.
On the upside, he could observe the devil as much as he wanted, waiting for a chance to exact his revenge. Sunny was hellbent on killing the damn knight, eventually. The bastard had to die.
But before that, Sunny had to become stronger. Much, much stronger.
Walking across the beams of the cathedral, he approached the hole in the roof and climbed through it.
Outside, the night was already reigning over the world.
It was time to hunt.
***
A skeletal, hunched figure was slowly walking along the narrow street of the cursed city. The creature had long arms that ended with vicious claws and a deformed head with a wide mouth full of razor-sharp fangs.
Even with its back bent, the monster was at least two meters tall. It was dressed in a torn shroud that was once white, but had long ago turned brown from the dried blood.
This was Sunny's prey.
The creature, which was called a Blood Fiend, was among the weakest dwellers of the cursed city. It was merely an awakened monster, barely intelligent and comparatively easy to kill.
Of course, nothing was really easy to kill here. After all, each and every human on the Forgotten Shore was just a dormant beast.
Despite the fact that they shared the same rank and class, Blood Fiends were less formidable than Carapace Centurions in terms of strength and speed. However, that was only until they smelled blood, which sent them into a murderous frenzy. In that state, these fiends were a true menace.
'Pathetic,' Sunny thought, stalking the Nightmare Creature from the shadows.
He had killed a few of these monsters in the past and had a great time each time… well, except for this one encounter where he had accidentally scratched himself on a sharp stone. That was not fun at all.
'Time to die, you ugly freak!'
The Blood Fiend was just about to turn the corner when a sudden sound attracted his attention. With unnatural speed, the monster turned around and fell on all fours, his sensitive ears picking up the slightest rustle. Then, he took a few careful steps forward and stopped at a certain spot.
In front of the fiend, an ordinary-looking rock was lying on the ground.
A second later, the rock suddenly spoke:
"Behind you," it said politely.
The creature froze for a moment, then turned around with lightning-fast speed.
Something whistled in the air, and the upper part of the Blood Fiend's body separated from the lower. Still refusing to die, the monster reached out with its long arms.
"Too slow!"
Sunny slashed with the Midnight Shard, severing one of the arms at the elbow. Continuing the motion, he took a quick step forward and performed another strike, this time piercing the creature's skull. The tip of the tachi entered through one of its eyes and exited through the back of the head.
All of it took less than a second. By the time both parts of the monster fell to the ground, Sunny had already retrieved his sword.
Looking up with expectation, he smiled and waited.
"Come on, say it!"
As if answering his call, the Spell whispered:
[You have slain an awakened monster, Blood Fiend.]
[Your shadow grows stronger.]
Sunny grinned.
"Ah, thank you kindly. You're so sweet."
The runes shimmered as they appeared in the air in front of him. Looking down, he read:
Shadow Fragments: [398/1000].
Just two fragments away from four hundred. These days, he was progressing at a very respectable speed. In the beginning, back when he had not known the city and the creatures that populated it, Sunny was lucky to get a few fragments in a week.
He had also been much more prone to ending up bloodied and one step away from death.
But now, things were slowly changing. He couldn't even remember the last time he felt compelled to say goodbye to life.
'Ah, you idiot. You just had to go and think that out loud, huh?'
Just as he finished that thought, a distant sound of footsteps reached his ears.
Chapter 98: Uninvited Guests
Sunny looked grimly at the corpse of the Blood Fiend, then in the direction of the approaching footsteps.
Who was crazy enough to remain in this cursed city during the night? Only a complete lunatic would do something that stupid. All the sane people were long gone from the streets, not to mention that very few were willing to enter the ruins to begin with.
A dark shadow flowed from the tip of the Midnight Shard's blade. Coalescing on the ground, it stared at him with sarcasm.
Sunny stared back.
"What?"
The shadow shook its head and didn't answer, forcing him to turn away with a confused shrug.
"Whatever. Ah, it seems we have guests. What to do, what to do? The place is a mess!"
Looking around, Sunny sighed, glanced at the corpse of the monster once again, and summoned the kunai. The smart thing to do was to run away. Who knew what exactly was producing those footsteps? Maybe it was a group of people, maybe it was a Nightmare Creature with a lot of feet. It was better not to find out.
Be he wasn't done with the hunt yet. He still had to get his trophies…
"Go take a look."
Sending the shadow away, Sunny kneeled and began to cut the tough flesh of the dead creature. Without the enhancing effect of the shadow, slicing the Blood Fiend apart was not as easy. However, he still managed to find the first soul shard rather quickly. One more to go…
Meanwhile, the shadow had discovered the uninvited visitors. Six humans were cautiously walking along the narrow path in the stone ruins, lighting their way with a ghostly blue lantern.
They were all rugged men, wearing mismatched suits of armor and armed to the teeth. Their eyes were cold and hard.
Sunny raised his eyebrows.
"My, oh my. They really are people. What is a bunch of Gunlaug's thugs doing outside the castle walls in the middle of the night?"
Gunlaug was the owner of the castle and the self-proclaimed king of this odious place. Every Sleeper on the Forgotten Shore was forced to either serve him or pay him tribute. Even still, the latter usually didn't live long.
Dismissing the Midnight Shard and the Parrot Rock, Sunny concentrated on searching for the second soul shard. He wanted to be gone from the street before these gentlemen arrived.
But the circle of blue light was approaching too fast…
Finally catching a glimpse of the glowing crystal, Sunny grabbed it and hurriedly hid it in his armor. Then he dropped the kunai on the ground and took several steps back.
But it was too late. They had already seen him.
"Be careful! There's a monster!"
As Sunny was backing away, several weapons were aimed in his direction. Feeling that things were about to get out of control, he cleared his throat and said in a trembling voice:
"Oh, oh! Please don't hurt me! I'm a human!"
Saying this, he mentally looked himself over.
With his ghostly pale skin and dirty hair, his ragged armor covered in layers of dried and fresh blood, Sunny was indeed easy to mistake for a Nightmare Creature. He wasn't really paying much attention to personal hygiene and appearances these days.
Hopefully, speaking in a human language would prove his identity. Raising his hands to show that he wasn't armed, Sunny took another step back.
The six Sleepers were really surprised to see another human this far away from the walls of the castle, especially at night. Using their momentary confusion, he cautiously moved even further away.
"Don't move!"
Finally able to comprehend the situation, one of the castle inhabitants hissed a threatening command. Sunny obediently froze, careful not to make any sudden movements.
The unexpected guests proceeded to come closer, glancing at the corpse of the Blood Fiend as they walked past it. One of them was taller and better equipped than the rest. Piercing Sunny with a menacing gaze, he approached him and stopped one or two steps away.
The man was older than Sunny by a few years. He was tall and muscular, with a patchy beard covering the lower part of his face and a mean look in his watery blue eyes. From his demeanor and Memories, it was easy to tell that the leader of the group had spent no less than three years on the Forgotten Shore. He had experience and time to grow stronger than most Sleepers here.
However, it was also apparent that he wasn't really high up in the ranks of Gunlaug's army. Otherwise, his equipment would have been much more impressive.
Still, the heavy battle-axe that was resting on the man's shoulder looked really sharp. It would take him only a second to bring that thing down on Sunny's head…
"Who are you?! What the hell are you doing here?!"
Sunny blinked a couple of times, then gulped and answered carefully:
"Uh… I'm Sunless. I live here."
The leader of the hunting party — if that what it was — narrowed his eyes.
"What… live here? Do you take me a fool, boy?! No one can survive in the city!"
The other Sleepers were of the same opinion — except for one, who looked at Sunny with doubt. Frowning, he took a step forward and said in an uncertain tone:
"Wait, chief. He might be telling truth. I heard that there's a crazy kid who lives in the ruins alone."
The taller man scowled.
"How is that possible?"
His subordinate glanced at Sunny and shrugged.
"From what I heard, his Aspect allows the boy to hide in the shadows really well. I guess he crawls around like a rat and picks up the leftovers after the monsters are done eating. I don't really know, but someone was talking about him back in the castle. I thought they were just telling tales."
Sunny frowned. Crazy, boy, rat… why did everyone feel compelled to call him names?
Meanwhile, the helpful Sleeper thought for a bit and added:
"I think he came into town with that bitch, Changing Star."
Sunny's frown turned into a scowl. Looking down, he whispered to his shadow:
"These guys are really very rude, don't you think?"
Of course, his whisper was easily heard by everyone around. The Sleepers stared at him in confusion.
Sunny tilted his head a little and opened his eyes wide, as if shocked by something.
"What? You think I should kill them all? I mean… isn't it a little bit over the top? I should give them a chance to apologize, at least."
The leader of the hunting party took a step forward and said in a low, growling voice:
"What are you mumbling about, rat?"
Sunny looked at him with scorn and dissatisfaction.
"Hey, I was talking to my buddy. Can you please not interrupt?"
A wide, dangerous smile appeared on the tall man's face. With a sigh, Sunny turned to him and said:
"Alright, if you insist. You guys have offended my dearest friend, Nephis of the Immortal Flame clan. She and I are very, very close. So I'll give you one chance to apologize for calling her a… well, you know. If you don't, say goodbye to your lives."
The older man stared at him for several seconds, then suddenly raised his head and laughed.
"Oh, that's a good one! Have you heard, guys? This tiny weasel will give us a chance. How generous! Should we be generous too, huh? What do you say? The boy is sick in the head, after all."
The other five Sleepers were not sharing his enthusiasm. One of them smiled darkly and said:
"No, chief. I think we should just kill him. Put the poor fool out of his misery, you know."
The Sleeper that had collaborated Sunny's story before, meanwhile, was frowning again.
"Wait, guys… he's one of Changing Star's people, remember? The original group, I mean. They had survived two entire months in the Labyrinth on their own. We shouldn't underestimate th…"
However, the leader interrupted him with a contemptuous scoff.
"I heard that Saint Nephis carried two useless sacks of shit on her back all the way to the castle. The bitch is fond of taking care of weaklings, right? That delicious little friend of hers is blind, for god's sake! I'm sure that this one is no better."
Then, he turned to Sunny and grinned.
"I tell you what, rat. Give us all your Memories, and we'll be generous enough to let you live. "
If an Awakened died, their Memories disappeared with them. The only way to get the Memories was to make the owner transfer them of their own free will. However, whether or not that will was affected by coercion or torture didn't really matter. At least not to people like these.
Sunny blinked.
"So you're not going to apologize?"
The tall man grinned.
"I think not."
Sunny sighed.
"Oh well. So you want my Memories, eh? I have a few. Let me think… uh… how about this one?"
Lowering one hand, he summoned the Parrot Rock. It immediately appeared on his palm, looking as boring and ordinary as always.
The leader of the hunting party frowned, not taking his eyes away from Sunny's face. Despite his crude exterior, he was paranoid and careful. Years of experience had taught him to never lower his guard.
A moment later, the rock spoke:
"Behind you!"
That was the most basic of tricks…
The tall man grinned, still looking Sunny in the eyes.
"Do you really think that I would fall for…"
However, before he was done talking, the blade of the kunai hit him from behind, penetrating the back of the man's skull and killing him on the spot.
Chapter 99: Pursuit
Sunny had dropped the throwing dagger near the monster's body in advance and then took all those steps back to make this exact situation possible. As soon as the Parrot Rock spoke, he pulled on the invisible string, sending the kunai flying back in his direction. The tall bastard didn't just happen to be in its path, either.
[You have slain…]
The leader of the hunting party really should have listened to that rock.
[... shadow grows stronger.]
Before the Sleepers even had time to react, Sunny was already moving. The shadow had been wrapped around his body a long time ago, making him that much faster. Summoning the Midnight Shard, he fluidly slashed at the nearest enemy, severing the man's arm at the elbow.
The blade struck right between the vambrace and the couter of his enchanted plate armor.
To Sunny, these people we slow and clumsy, their power level and technique severely lacking. He had already been more experienced than them after the harrowing journey through the crimson labyrinth, learning how to wield the sword in combat from Changing Star herself.
The three months he had spent hunting and surviving alone in the cursed city only made the gap that much wider. Despite looking like easy prey, Sunny was anything but.
However, he wasn't foolish enough to challenge all five of them. People might have been weaker than Nightmare Creatures, but what made them really dangerous was their unpredictability. Each Aspect was unique, arming humans with a formidable arsenal of inexplicable Abilities.
Facing something you couldn't understand was the surest way to end up dead.
With his advantage of surprise gone, Sunny decided that it was time to retreat.
Turning around, he jumped out of the circle of light and ran. It was really hard to pursue someone who could see in the dark on these narrow streets, so there was a real chance of escaping unscathed.
However, the kunai was still attached to Sunny's wrist. Sliding out of the dead leader's skull, it fell to the ground and clinked loudly against the stones, then jumped a few meters away and hit the pavement again, creating more noise.
"Get the bastard! He killed the chief!"
Following the sound of metal striking against stone, the Sleepers lunged forward, following in Sunny's footsteps.
'What a persistent bunch.'
Even the guy who had lost his arm was on his heels, either having a way to stop the bleeding or simply unwilling to let the attacker escape even if it cost him his own life.
This part of the city was Sunny's hunting ground. He knew every nook and cranny of these streets like his own five fingers. Honestly, he was unsure what these guys were even thinking. If it wasn't for him carefully choosing the path, they would have ended up disturbing some terrifying Fallen creature and becoming its dinner a long time ago.
Something wasn't quite right here. Gunlaug's people might have been thugs, but they were experienced and accomplished hunters. They feared the city and knew how to behave while outside the castle walls.
Otherwise, all of them would have been dead a long time ago.
Come to think of that, it was extremely rare to see them going anywhere near the city at night.
Were these fools even real hunters? If not, what were they up to?
Sunny briefly considered leaving one of them alive to interrogate later, but then decided against it. To be honest, he wasn't really curious. Human business had long ago lost its allure in his eyes.
He had much more interesting things to do.
Finally reaching his goal, Sunny lingered on the steps, pretending to be in a panic.
The five Sleepers were once again able to lay eyes on their victim. The scrawny kid was hesitating in front of the entrance to a large ruined building, fear clearly written on his dirty, pale face. It seemed as though he didn't know where to go, afraid to run into a dead end.
Noticing them, he flinched and dove into the building with desperation in his eyes.
"You have nowhere to run now, rat!" hissed the man who had lost his hand to Sunny's blade.
Full of killing intent, the Sleepers followed the crazy young man into the building.
…However, once they got inside, they saw no sign of the scared kid. The only thing they saw was a simple rock lying on the floor.
As the one-armed man belatedly realized that something was wrong, the rock said in an ominous tone:
"... say goodbye to your lives!"
A second later, a massive silhouette stepped out of the darkness.
The man's eyes widened as the figure of a regal knight clad in a menacing black armor reflected in them.
The creature was more than two meters tall, his gothic armor forged from a lusterless, anthracite steel. Every part of the armor was decorated with intricate engravings that told a tale so horrifying that anyone would go insane from looking at them for too long.
The helmet of the Black Knight was crowned with curved horns that might have been wings once. In the narrow fissure of his visor, two ghastly red flames were burning with indescribable menace.
Before the Sleeper had time to react, a heavy black blade fell from above, effortlessly severing his body from head to groin, cutting through flesh, bone and armor with similar ease.
A torrent of blood surged to the floor.
…Climbing onto one of the supporting beams of the ruined cathedral, Sunny sat down and looked at the slaughter that was happening below.
'Huh. The bastard is in a really bad mood today. Well, have fun!'
Some time later, as the echoes of screams began to fade away, he sighed and counted the corpses lying on the distant floor.
It was hard to count, because most of them were in pieces.
Making sure that not one of the pursuers got away alive, Sunny frowned and shook his head.
'Six people… their disappearance won't go unnoticed. Especially if they were really up to no good. Huh... why do I feel like I had just gotten myself in trouble?'
Chapter 100: Clear Conscience
The Black Knight remained motionless for several minutes, silently observing the corpses of his enemies. Drops of blood fell from the blade of his fearsome greatsword, gathering into a puddle beneath his feet. The thoughts of the cruel creature were a mystery. To be honest, Sunny wasn't even sure that this unstoppable mountain of murderous black steel was sentient.
In that regard, the monstrous inhabitants of the cursed city were a bit strange.
Usually, Nightmare Creatures of higher classes possessed a perverse form of intelligence, which was often comparable to that of humans, and sometimes even surpassed it. However, that rule did not apply to every monster in this eerie place.
From Sunny's observations, the dwellers of the ruined city could be roughly divided into two groups. The first group consisted of various creatures that came here from outside the wall, be it from the Labyrinth or from the depths of the dark sea. These abominable things more or less followed the unnatural laws of the Spell that every Awakened was familiar with.
The second group was different. These creatures, he suspected, were either created from the remains of the ancient residents of the city or, creepily, had actually been them once. The wraiths, as he called them, were much more unfathomable and dangerous. Their powers and behavior refused to abide by any sort of sense or logic.
The Black Knight was one of these sinister revenants. That's why Sunny had trouble predicting his actions.
Most of the time, the regal devil was content simply patrolling the grand hall of the ruined cathedral and killing anything that dared to come inside.
Just like he had killed those poor fools.
With a sigh, Sunny lay down on top of the support beam and, not paying any attention to the deadly height of his improvised resting spot, closed his eyes. He wanted to take a breath before continuing with his nightly errands.
Soon, the sound of heavy footsteps informed him that the bastard had resumed his neverending patrol.
'Good riddance.'
Despite the fact that nothing was disturbing his peace anymore, Sunny still felt strangely restless. His inner voice was in the mood to chat.
'Uh, Sunny. Aren't you forgetting something?'
He frowned. What was there to forget? He was just catching his breath before going out again. He also had to wait for the right moment to scavenge through the possessions of these dead hunters…
'You just killed six people. Don't you feel guilty?'
Sunny was a little startled by this question. Curious, he listened to his emotions and came to the conclusion that no, he did not feel guilty at all.
This was his third time killing a human being. Granted, the first time happened inside a Nightmare, where people were supposed to be simple illusions. However, Sunny wasn't sure that he believed in this theory. The old slaver's anguish had felt awfully real to be just a figment of his imagination.
The second time… well, he didn't want to think about that. That happened in the castle, anyway, and that part of his life was over.
The third time was the cleanest of them all. Those thugs were going to rob and kill him, anyway. Sunny had seen through their intentions long before pulling on the invisible string and sending their leader into the cold embrace of death.
He could have tried to run away, but… they were very rude. If the thugs had insulted just him, Sunny might have tried to end the confrontation without bloodshed. However, they insulted Nephis. Bastards deserved to die.
Despite the fact that his relationship with Changing Star had become strained, he still cared about her a great deal. Leaving the castle did not mean that he had forgotten their friendship. It's just that… there were more reasons to leave than to stay.
With a sigh, Sunny summoned the beautiful bottle made out of patterned blue glass. This was the farewell gift that Cassie had given him before their parting. He cherished this Memory very much.
Bringing the bottle to his lips, Sunny took several sips of cold, delicious water and opened his eyes.
He didn't want to rest anymore. Better to get moving…
***
Before venturing out again, Sunny returned to his room and walked over to a large iron chest that was standing in one of its corners. Exerting some strength, he lifted the heavy lid and admired his treasure pile.
Inside the chest, more than a hundred beautiful soul shards were glowing softly in the dark. The sight of them always lifted Sunny's mood.
Despite the fact that he himself had no use for the soul shards, they were still a valuable resource. Here on the Forgotten Shore, shards were a form of currency among the Sleepers. A hundred of them was an unimaginable amount.
After a lifetime of being a pauper, Sunny was finally rich!
"Money, I have so much money…"
If a person wanted to live inside the castle walls, they had to pay a tribute of one soul shard every week. Those who could not afford it were forced to remain outside, living in a makeshift settlement just beyond the gates, which was often attacked by the monsters. Even so, they had to pay for food or go out and hunt themselves, which more often than not led to their deaths.
With how much Sunny had gathered in these three months, he would have been able to live in the comfort of the castle for years… if he wanted to. Which, of course, he did not. Why would he pay for accommodations when he already had a palace of his own?
One with no noisy neighbors and a fearsome guardian protecting the premises, no less.
Putting two new soul shards in the chest, Sunny glanced at his dragon hoard one last time and closed the lid with a satisfied smile.
Perhaps it was time to visit the castle again and buy a few things… no, no. He had already bought everything he needed the last time. Spending too many shards would make people doubt that he was as pathetic as everyone thought he was.
Of all the Sleepers in the castle, only three people knew that he was not just good at hiding in the shadows and avoiding danger. They were Nephis, Cassie… and Caster.
That damn bastard...