67. Sunny
I enjoyed a hearty breakfast with Neph and Cas. There was also another person present, a man named Caster, who appeared to be one of Cas's peers from the Awakened Academy. However, since I was only Neph's cohort member in name, I hadn't spoken much to him beyond our initial introduction.
After an ordinary breakfast though Cas kept staring at me for reasons unknown, I left the city as usual. Unlike my routine hunts for experience, however, I had a clear destination in mind today.
Carefully avoiding nightmare creatures along the way, I eventually arrived at Sunny's current residence: the grand, solitary cathedral of the Dark City. Towering and imposing, it was the city's most magnificent structure—and, according to its residents, also one of its most perilous.
"It does look familiar," I muttered as my eyes fell on the entrance. It wasn't an exact match, yet the aura of its majestic gate reminded me of the churches from my own world.
Giiikk—
The gate groaned as it swung open. Inside, the cathedral was shrouded in near-complete darkness, save for a small patch illuminated by the 'Vile Sun.' Strangely, beyond the area touched by its light, the rest was swallowed by an oppressive shadow—like a single laser cutting through the heart of midnight.
Normally, when you shine a flashlight, the surrounding area brightens as well—that's the natural refraction of light. But here, it was different.
When I activated Detection, I sensed someone clinging to the cathedral's ceiling. It was Sunny. After using Detection countless times near him while approaching the dark city, I had come to recognize his presence instantly, just as I could distinguish Cas and Neph.
But there was something else—hidden deep within the darkness. Their presence was faint, flickering in and out like the darkness itself. This wasn't a mere absence of light, the kind my night vision could compensate for—it was something far more sinister, an element of darkness itself.
I stepped into the cathedral and—
"Fuck."
Something materialized right in front of me, swinging a massive sword straight at my neck in a clean, lethal arc.
If my superhuman strength was considered normal, then my dynamic vision and reaction speed were anything but normal. They were two or three tiers beyond that it was the benefit of my pathway. That's why, despite the sudden ambush, I could see the attack clearly… and react in time.
*Burst
A white flame erupted instantly, its brilliant light piercing through and scorching the darkness within.
In that fleeting blaze, the Black Knight was revealed—clad in intricate armor, a sword gleaming in its grip. Almost at once, it retreated into the shadows, shunning Uriel's radiance.
By the time the light faded, I had already slipped away, clinging to the ceiling where the darkness could not reach.
After weaving my way through the ceiling, I finally located the room where Sunny lay. The moment I arrived, his autonomous shadow stirred in alarm, its movements sharp and defensive. But as soon as it recognized me, its tension eased, and it turned toward Sunny, ready to rouse him from sleep. I raised my hand to stop it. The shadow hesitated, uncertainty flickering across its form, but in the end, it refrained from waking him. It's definitely one of the proof of his trust in me.
"It's morning," I said, giving him a light bonk on the head.
In the very next second, a dagger flashed toward my throat. I caught his wrist mid-strike and bonked him again, this time with a little more emphasis.
"What are you, an assassin?" I asked, utterly speechless at his reaction and released my grip.
"Huh?" He blinked, rubbing the sore spot on his head. Only then did he seem to realize where he was. "Chris?" His voice wavered in disbelief, as if he were seeing something impossible.
With both of us possessing night vision, there was no real need for light—yet Sunny lit the candle at his bedside anyway, as if to confirm with his own eyes that I was truly there.
"Chris?" he asked again, still sounding incredulous.
"Yes, it's me. Do you want another wake-up call? How lazy can you be, still sleeping at this hour?" I teased.
Sunny rubbed his head, realizing where the impact had come from—and how surprisingly painless it was. "Haa…" he sighed, a mix of frustration and resignation. "I just went to sleep!"
"Oh, so you've turned into an owl now? Surviving in this place wasn't easy— wait, I'm the one who should be complaining! Are you out of your mind living here? Do you even know what I ran into down there?"
"Ah! You went in through the entrance?" he panicked—not out of concern for my safety, but… "You didn't kill it, right? That's my prey!"
"I didn't, so calm down," I said, exasperated by the intensity of his crazed expression.
"Huu…" he exhaled, finally letting some of the tension drain, though his eyes still shimmered with unease.
"Anyway, I came to say goodbye."
"??" For a moment, his wits seemed to return. He shot me a bewildered look. "Goodbye? Where are you going? Are you leaving the city?" A rapid-fire barrage of questions spilled from him.
"It's just like I said before—my vacation is over. I can't stay here any longer. You won't see me in the city… or anywhere nearby." It wasn't something I could fully explain, and even if I tried, it wasn't like he would understand it.
"Are you… by any chance a saint?" After a moment of confusion, he asked, a faint spark of hope flickering in his eyes.
What he meant by "Saint" was a human rank: Dormant, Awakened, Master, Saint. Once someone became a Saint, they could place an anchor in the dream world, allowing them to return to the waking world whenever they wished.
"You've seen what I'm capable of, but sadly… I'm no Saint. Well then, goodbye. Don't forget to make up with Neph, and take care of Cas too." I left after leaving him that small message.
Watching me leave, Sunny muttered softly, "Did he really come just to say that?" He thought to himself in disbelief, but sleep soon overcame him. I'll think about it again once my mind feels fresh after some rest, he resolved drowsily.