Far away in entirely different dimension, four people sat in a quiet room.
One was a tall, beautiful women with silver hair and grey eyes. To her right was a petite girl with pale golden hair and unseeing blue eyes.
To her left was a pale, frail girl in a wheelchair. Her body was weak, but the spark in her eyes spoke of great vigor.
Lastly was an incredibly handsome young man with auburn hair and electric green eyes.
After some general greetings, the four had made their way to a table in a secluded corner to have a chat.
They had just sat down and were about to begin their discussion.
"It is good to see you made it out of their Princess."
"Yes, Lady Nephis, it is good to see that you made it back. You too Cassie."
As Kai greeted them his eyes started to look around the crowd, before he asked.
"How long do you think it will be before Sunny makes it?"
At the question, Nephis and Cassie flinched.
Cassie looked down, avoiding his gaze. Nephis looked him in the eye and said.
"He's not coming..."
When Kai and Effie heard that, they both frowned.
"What do you mean Princess? What happened to Doofus?"
"Is Sunny okay, what happened?"
Nephis gave them long looks and decided they deserved to know the truth, the full truth.
"Cassie, tell them about your vision. The one we saw while traveling to the bright castle."
Cassie looked startled at her words, as her face turned to Nephis.
She only grabbed Cassie's hand, assuring her that it was okay.
"Back when Nephis, Sunny, and me were traversing the labyrinth, I had a vision regarding the Bright Castle and the siege of the crimson spire."
She stopped and took a deep breath.
"At first, I saw a… a boundless darkness locked behind seven seals. Something vast was churning in the darkness. I felt like if I directly saw it, I would lose my mind. As I watched, terrified, the seals broke one after another, until only one remained. And then that seal broke, too."
She shivered but continued.
"After that I saw the human castle again. Only this time, it was at night. There was a lonely star burning in the black skies, and under its light, the castle was suddenly consumed by fire, with rivers of blood flowing down its halls. I saw a corpse in a golden armor sitting on a throne; a woman with a bronze spear drowning in a tide of monsters; an archer trying to pierce the falling sky with his arrows... this part of the vision was referencing the revolution in the bright castle as well as the siege of the crimson spire."
As she spoke, the members of the cohort's faces hardened. They could easily tell who the corpse in the golden armor was, and it did not take much thinking to figure out that they were the women with a bronze spear, and the archer.
"In the end, I saw the crimson spire. At its base, seven severed heads were guarding seven locks. And at the top, a… a dying angel was being consumed by hungry shadows. When I saw the angel bleed, I suddenly felt as though… as though something so precious that it can't be described with words was taken from me."
She paused for a moment before she explained.
"It did not take me long to realize that the angel was Nephis and the shadows were Sunny. I did not know why they were going to fight, and I still don't know why but they were and did."
She paused and lowered her head.
"The day after I realized what the vision meant, I asked him if he could promise me to protect Nephis no matter what."
She paused for a second and continued.
"He told me no and said that he could barely take care of himself. That day I decided to help Nephis win the fight."
Her shoulders slumped as she began to explain what she did.
"I did not know how I was going to help her until a few months after we arrived in the Dark City. About a month after Sunny went to live in the City, I had another vision, this one of the recent past."
If Cassie could have deflated anymore she would have.
"In the vision, he was talking with the young man that used to run the front desk, Harper. Harper had brought alcohol and him and Sunny had been drinking."
Kai and Effie exchanged a look. They had never seen Sunny drink alcohol, and usually he furtively avoided it.
"Harper was asking a lot of sensitive questions about Nephis and the cohort, it was clear he was fishing for intel and Sunny knew that. The only problem is that as Sunny drank more wine his judgment became impaired."
Cassie seemed to contemplate something before she moved of subject for a second.
"I don't know how Sunny would feel with us talking about this but in order to make you understand I need you to understand Sunny's flaw."
Kai and Effie shot each other another glance, they had never been explicitly told his flaw, but they had an idea. Especially Kai who knew that Sunny never told a lie.
Before Cassie could continue Kai spoke.
"He can't tell a lie, right? He always spoke the truth no matter how much it sucked or how much it would hurt people, even him."
Effie looked at him then back to Cassie.
"Yes, but that is not the problem. Yes, his flaw forces him to tell the truth, but it also compels him to answer any question directed at him. If he refuses to answer a pain will build in his mind until he is forced to answer."
Kai's eyes widened a little, and Effie seemed relieved.
"Honestly that's what I though his flaw was. I was a little confused by what Kai said but I think I understand now."
Cassie only nodded and continued.
"He is a master at deception, perhaps one of the best to ever exist. He would give half truths and let your mind lead you to the wrong answer on its own. It was an insidious way to mislead people."
Cassie looked at Nephis.
"You can ask her just how insidious and useful a skill like that is, she is the only graduate from Sunny's school of deception."
Nephis smiled as she nodded.
"He is the one who taught me to deceive people and manipulate people for a desired outcome."
Cassie smiled back and got back to the story.
"Back to Harper, usually Sunny would be able to expertly lead him astray and he did. He made Harper believe that Nephis was a healer, and that the rest of the cohort were the actual muscle."
Cassie seemed to dim a little as she spoke the next part.
"That was until Harper asked how Nephis got her true name. Sunny, due to the alcohol and his focus on leading Harper away from the cohort's secrets forgot to hide his own."
Cassie grimaced as she remembered what happened next.
"When Harper asked how she got her True Name Sunny replied with, "Probably the same way I got mine."
Kai and Effie's eyes widened as they realized what that meant.
"Sunny had a true name?"
"Sunny got a True name in his first nightmare?"
They both seemed dumbfounded, then they looked at Nephis and asked at the same time.
"What did you do in your nightmare to get a True Name?"
"What did you do in your nightmare to get a True Name?"
They did not ask to pry into her secrets, they were asking so they could understand what Sunny had done.
Nephis was suddenly glad she did not have a flaw like Sunny's. She had already decided to be honest with them, but such a broad question was hard to answer.
"I killed an Awakened Terror."
If their eyes could have gotten wider, they would have.
"What?!"
"You killed a Terror as a mundane?!"
Nephis just smiled and nodded.
Cassie allowed them to digest before she continued.
"While I do not know exactly what he did in his nightmare, based on his [Fated] Attribute it is safe to say that whatever is was, it was truly a one of a kind feat."
All their heads nodded in unison.
"After Sunny said that he seemed to sober as he instantly looked to Harper to see if he had caught that mistake... he had."
Kai realized something right then.
"Based on the fact that he hid it so well, it probably is not good for people to know."
Effie looked at him then back to Cassie.
"Yes, I don't know why but he obviously had messed up."
As Cassie told them about the next part their eyes became solemn.
"Harper thought he was jesting and asked him what it was as a joke."
Kai and Effie had just learned about his flaw and knew where this was going. After all, they had never seen Harper again after his first day in the outer settlement.
"Sunny tried to resist his flaw, he even lasted longer than a minute against the pain, but in the end, he could not overcome his flaw."
Cassie sighed then finished.
"So, he grabbed a knife off the nearby table and drove it into Harper's heart. He covered his mouth and held him down as he whispered his true name to Harper, just loud enough to alleviate his flaw. Only two people heard him, Harper..."
"And you."
Effie was the one to answer, her face was solemn and even a hint of sadness was in her eyes.
"Yes, and at that moment, I thought I had found the way for Nephis to win. The next morning, I told her about my vision and his true name hoping it would allow her to win."
She seemed to wither in her chair as she turned to Nephis.
"You will have to ask her about the rest, I was one of the first through the gateway so I don't know how the actual fight went."
Kai and Effie turned to her and awaited her to speak.
"It happened after everyone was already through the gateway, Sunny made his way up to help me against the Terror, but I had already killed it."
She grimaced and continued.
"After the Terror was dead, me and him got a new Attribute called [Soul Conduit]. It was what allowed the gateway as well as the entire spire to function."
Her eyes seemed to be filled with rage.
"Only one of us could leave, and until that moment I was ready to kill him. But I knew that if I killed him, I would be stuck, the thing is killing him and leaving him alone in a dream realm prison were much different."
Nephis's fists clenched as she continued.
"So, I threw the fight."
Kai and Effie looked at her with sorrow and understanding.
"The spire was crumbling around us, and we fought across the entire thing. Our fight led us to the gateway, and we continued to fight. Without me using my flames, he won. Honestly, he could still have beat me, even if I had not thrown the fight."
When she said this, they all seemed shocked. Even Cassie looked at her with confusion in her eyes.
"Near the end of the fight, he seemed to switch his fighting style. It was like he was mirroring me, every swing was countered perfectly. All the faints were seen through, and my blocks seemed to not work anymore."
Kai and Effie looked at her with some shock until Cassie spoke.
"Or like he was shadowing you?"
They all seemed to realize what she was hinting at.
"Maybe, but at the end he ran me through with his sword."
Effie looked at her with pity, while Kai just nodded solemnly.
"With my flames that would not be fatal, so he simply kicked my sword away and made his way to the gateway. But Sunny is the person who knows me the best in two worlds. He knew I threw the fight, honestly even if I hadn't, I think he still would not have walked through the gateway."
As her eyes became solemn, she continued.
"He asked me why, and when I told him it was because I would not leave him there, he started to come up with ways for us to leave together, to make our way out of the Forgotten Shore together."
Nephis looked around the table and spoke.
"Due to my selfishness, I told him that it would not work, I told him that he did not have a way to heal himself, I told him that he needed to go."
Her eyes dimmed.
"In the end he decided not to go, so I decided to use his True Name, Lost from Light against him."
Nephis shivered.
"But it was not a bane, or a weapon at all. It was a shackle, and the one to speak his true name to him becomes his Master."
With a sigh she added.
"But he seemed to somehow know what was about to happened and swung at me. The second I spoke his True Name, he knocked me out. The next thing I knew, there were doctors helping me sit up in my sleeping pod."
The cohort seemed to all understand the meaning of her words.
At that moment, Cassie fully understood what she had done.
The next person to speak was Effie.
"So does that mean you are his master?"
There was no mischief in her tone, not even the hint that said she was about to say something inappropriate.
Nephis shook her head.
"No. When I went to see him in his sleeping pod, I felt something and looked at my runes."
Everyone looked at her with curiosity.
"Near the bottom there was a new rune, [Slave]. When I focused on it, I was able to see all of his runes. His memories, aspect, flaw, everything."
As everyone looked at her with wide eyes, she continued.
"I don't know what happened, but right before my eyes I watched as it all began to change, his Aspect and Attributes shifted, and new attributes were added."
Her face turned solemn.
"As I watched, a specific attribute began to form. I read the runes as the came into existence."
"It was called [Unchained], and its description said that he naturally rejects all shackles placed on him, and that only shackles he accepts can be placed on him."
They all understood what that meant. He had naturally broken their connection, and unless he actively accepted it then she would not be his master.
"The second the Attribute finished forming, the rune saying [Slave] became grey and lifeless. I think it is waiting for him to either accept or reject it."
Almost on instinct she glanced at her runes again, and as her eyes landed on a familiar rune near the bottom. Her eyes widened.
At the bottom, a rune that said [Slave] shone with brilliant light. It was no longer grey and lifeless.
Cassie caught her change in demeanor and asked.
"What's wrong Nephis?"
Nephis just looked at her and smiled with a brilliant and genuine smile.
"He accepted me."
They all looked at her clearly confused.
"The [Slave] is shining again, the only way for that to happen is if he accepted it."
They all understood what she meant and waited.
"What?"
Effie laughed.
"You have already told us about all his other secrets, why not tell us a few more?"
Nephis looked at her with doubt.
She was curious too, but blatantly sharing his secrets was a little much.
'Things like his aspect name won't hurt.'
However, the second she opened his runes she froze.
"What the fuck is this?!"
Effie and Kai flinched as she yelled, and Cassie almost fell out of her chair.
"What?"
"What?"
"What?"
They all asked at the same time, but Nephis was entirely still, and her eyes raced through the air clearly reading his runes.
"After a reaction like that, we need to know now."
Kai looked at Effie, but he silently agreed.
"I would also like to know."
The last was Cassie.
"I saw a few of his attributes change, but I'm also really curious."
Nephis just looked at them then back at the runes, the things she was reading were simply absurd.
Name: Sunless.
True Name: Lost from Light, Prince of Death.
Rank: Dormant
Class: Titan
Shadow Cores [7/7]
Shadow Fragments: 0
Memories: [Silver Bell], [Puppeteer's Shroud], [Midnight Shard], [Ordinary Rock], [Endless Spring], [Prowling Thorn], [M...un...old..], [Weaver's Mask], [Broken Oath], [Drop of Ichor], [Shadow Lantern].
Echoes: -
Shadows: [Marble Saint], [Soul Serpent].
Attributes: [Fate Breaker], [Divine Grace], [Shadow Spawned], [Unchained], [Forbidden Holder], [The Weave].
Aspect: Shadow Prince.
Aspect Rank: Unknown
Innate Abilities: [Shadow Bond].
Aspect Ability: [Shadow Control].
Aspect Legacy: [Shadow Dance]
Flaw: [Clear Conscience]
Flaw Description: [You cannot lie.]
She simply did not know where to start, it was all just... absurd.
"I don't know where to start so just ask about the things you are curious of."
Nephis would usually not leave such an open ended invitation but currently she was strait up starstruck by what she was seeing.
Effie was the first to speak.
"What is his aspect? What rank is it?"
Nephis quickly read over his aspect.
Aspect: Shadow Prince.
Aspect Rank: Unknown
Innate Abilities: [Shadow Bond].
Aspect Ability: [Shadow Control]
Aspect Legacy: [Shadow Dance]
Shadow Dance Mastery Level: [4/7]
'He already has an Aspect legacy, and is over halfway done with it's progression.'
She wondered how long he had it, and what it did. But after seeing its name she had a feeling she had already seen some of it.
"His Aspect is called Shadow Prince, it's rank is Unknown and its innate ability is called shadow bond."
Effie looked at her with expectation.
"Okay you gotta at least read the descriptions."
Nephis looked at her.
Effie met her stare unblinking.
In the end Nephis sighed and summoned the descriptions.
Aspect Description: [You are the direct spawn of Shadow God and carry his legacy, you enjoy the loyalty of all shadows. You are a complete shadow and do not need to be cast, but when cast you become darker and more powerful, you possess many strange and wonderous powers.]
[Shadow Bond] Ability description: [You are a complete shadow and do not need to be cast, but when cast you become much stronger. Find a worthy master and let them know one of your true names and you will be bound to them.]
As she read her face started twitching.
'He is the direct spawn of Shadow God, what does that even mean?'
As she finished reading them, she restarted and began to read them aloud.
"His Aspect description says. [You are the direct spawn of Shadow God and carry his legacy, you enjoy the loyalty of all shadows. You are a complete shadow and do not need to be cast, but when cast you become darker and more powerful, you possess many strange and wonderous powers.]"
Effie seemed confused by its wording, Kai looked just as confused.
'They don't know about lineages.'
At this moment Nephis had to think about just how much she wanted her cohort to know.
But another thought landed in her head. The thought that they were not just her cohort but her friends.
With a long sigh, Nephis leaned a little closer and began to speak.
"You must never tell anyone what I am about to tell you, it is something that could put your lives at risk."
Effie looked at her with an amused expression, while Kai just nodded with a serious face.
Cassie on the other hand, who could see Attributes and had asked her before just seemed surprised that she was going to tell them about lineages.
"So, you all know of the three great clans, yes?"
Effie seemed exasperated and spoke.
"Of course, we know about the great clans Princess."
As she said this her eyes suddenly gleamed.
"Hey now that I think about it, his Aspect is called Shadow Prince right. Sounds right up your alley Princess."
Nephis's face turned a little pink as she glared at her.
Kai spoke up trying to ease the tension.
"Yes, I have heard of the great clans before. What about them?"
Nephis's gaze softened, and she sighed.
"The great clans did not find their way to the top on accident. They found something in the Dream Realm that helped them, they are called lineages."
Their faces looked puzzled, so she continued.
"They came from memories called Drops of Ichor. They are the lineages of the dead Gods, but they are only a single drop of the Gods' blood, not their direct lineage. My family for instance possessed the Sun God lineage called The Fire."
As she finished speaking, they looked surprised.
"In order to tell you about the other lineages you will need to know about another secret of the great clan, well two of them."
Nephis gave them a look that showed this was of the highest importance.
"Most people believe that Saints are the highest rank humanity has produced but they are wrong. There are three people who have passed transcendent and become Supreme, the Sovereigns."
At this all their eyes widened, even Cassie was surprised.
Nephis just sighed and continued.
"The leader of clan Valor is a man named Madoc, but that is only on the surface. Their real leader is a man named Anvil, a Sovereign. Clan Song also has one, her name is Ki Song."
At the revelation, Cassie, Effie, and kai looked like they had been dunked underwater.
Nephis found it a little funny to see their mortified expressions.
"The last one is alone and does not rule a clan, I can't tell you his name because he becomes more powerful the more people know of him."
They nodded, signaling they understood.
"These Sovereigns possess the lineages and the only one that has not been found is Shadow. Valor is War God, Song is Beast God, Night is Storm God, the third Sovereign alone has the Heart God lineage, while my family possessed Sun God's lineage."
Kai and Effie nodded, while Cassie asked.
"How did he find Shadow Gods lineage?"
Nephis just shrugged as she answered.
"He didn't, from what I can tell his Aspect gave it to him, not a Drop of Ichor."
Cassie nodded.
However, before she could speak again, Kai spoke up.
"So, when it says he is a direct spawn of Shadow God..."
Nephis nodded.
"Yes, it means he possesses the full unfiltered lineage of Shadow God, not just a drop but the full thing."
Their faces seemed shocked as they fell deep into thought.
Nephis let them be for a moment.
Soon, Effie shook her head trying to get rid of unnecessary thought and spoke.
"Alright enough with the great clans, what are the descriptions of his innate abilities?"
Glances back at the descriptions, Nephis began to speak.
"Shadow Bond is the one that binds him to someone, its description says. [You are a complete shadow and do not need to be cast, but when cast you become much stronger. Find a worthy master and let them know one of your true names and you will be bound to them.]"
As she finished speaking, the three's heads snapped to her.
"One of your True names?"
Kai was the first to ask.
Nephis just nodded.
"He has two, the first one is Lost from Light, the second is Prince of Death."
Effie was taken aback and Kai seemed just as suprised. The one who showed the littlest reaction was Cassie.
"The other one is Shadow Born, and its description says [You are born from shadows and when embraced by them you become stronger, heal faster, and regain essence quicker]."
Effie seemed like she was thinking about arm wrestling, while Kai just nodded. It sounded very fitting for the spawn of Shadow God.
Cassie just sighed trying to get used to all the new information she was receiving, and deciding to use this time to ask what she actually wanted to know.
"What about his attributes? I saw them change and am curious what they say now."
Nephis glanced at the runes once again.
Attributes: [Fate Breaker], [Divine Grace], [Shadow Spawned], [Unchained], [Forbidden Holder], [The Weave].
"He has six Attributes, Fate Breaker, Divine Grace, Shadow Spawned, Unchained, Forbidden Holder, and The Weave."
She already knew they would want to know more than just names so she summoned forth the descriptions ahead of time.
"Fate Breaker's description says [You have broken fate and are free to change its events as you see fit.]"
Effie and Kai's reactions were very tame compared to earlier, but Cassie seemed to have just heard that she was getting a present.
"What did you just say?!"
Nephis looked at her. She understood why she reacted that way, because she had been trying to break fate the entire time, yet her actions only made it seem more inevitable.
To hear that Sunny has not only broken Fate but now is allowed to change it as much as he wants was like a slap in the face.
"I know how you feel Cassie, but we already know that his attributes changed. If he would have had this to begin with, he would have used it. If anyone knows it best, that would be you. You saw his original attributes after all."
Cassie seemed to calm down as she thought about it, after a few seconds she just nodded signaling for her to continue.
"The Divine Grace Attribute's description says [You have been chosen by multiple divinities and therefor carry the highest affiliation possible.]"
This was not very surprising seeing as how he was a direct spawn of Shadow God, but what made them slightly confused was the fact it said multiple divinities. But before they could dwell on it Nephis continued.
"It has three traits, [Graced], [Beholder], and [Charmed]. The description for Graced says [You are a direct descendant of Divinity, all creatures with connection to the divine feel inclined to worship you. The higher the affiliation the stronger the feeling]. Beholders description says [All foes who behold your presence feel small and weak]. Charmed says [Those with an affiliation to divinity will naturally show you their true feeling.]
Effie and Kai just nodded, neither of them had an affiliation to divinity nor were they his enemies, so this Attribute was of no concern to them.
Nephis felt a little apprehensive about it but did not let it show, she had a very high affiliation to divinity, so she wondered how powerful the feeling really was. And gods knows how much that last one made her feel.
As Nephis moved onto the next one, she started to feel a little jealous of all his powers.
"The Shadow Spawned Attribute's description says [You are a direct spawn of Shadow God and are the prince of all shadows, you can bestow the grace of shadows apon those you chose]. It has four traits [Veiled], [Shadow's Grace], [Shadow Step], and [Champion] ."
When they heard traits, they became curious again, his first attribute did not have any, but his second one did. It did not apply to them so they were not interested but this sounded like it would be a little more up their alley.
"Veiled's description says [While shrouded in shadows your presence is muted. Your smell is erased, and your footsteps make no sound and leave no footprints]."
Effie looked like she had just heard a funny joke.
"So, he got even more sneaky huh, it suits Doofus well."
Kai could not help but nod in agreement.
"Shadow Step is honestly less of an Attribute trait and more like an Aspect ability. Its description says [You are one with the shadows and can freely move through them, traveling from one to another in an instant]."
Effie suddenly stopped looking amused and strait up looked jealous.
"So, he is not only almost undetectable in shadows, but can teleport through them?"
Nephis just nodded, feeling the same.
'I wonder which of us is stronger?'
Although she thought this, she was pretty sure she already knew the answer...
Sighing she continued.
"Shadow's Grace does what it sound like and says [You can bestow the grace of shadows on others giving them access to basic shadow abilities.]"
Kai and Effie did not even react as they heard about this particular ability, but Cassie was different.
"Do you think that will allow you to have his Shadow Sense?"
The reason for her question was obvious, she could not see but if she had shadow sense her life would be much easier.
Nephis just shrugged.
"Maybe, maybe not. I'm not really sure what basic shadow powers are."
They all nodded, and Cassie just looked down at her hands.
"Champion is a boost, it says [When embraced by the shadows, you become stronger, regain essence quicker, and heal faster.]"
At this point, they just felt like he was cheating.
"The next one I already told you about, Unchained. It has one trait called Breaker, and its description says [Once you accept a shackle, you may reject them again at any time and break free]."
They all nodded, it sounded self explanatory.
"The next one is called [Forbidden Holder] and its description says..."
As she went quiet, they all looked at her.
Nephis's face was contorted with surprise and confusion as her eyes moved in the same pattern over and over clearly reading it again and again.
After three minutes had passed, she finally opened her mouth to speak.
"Umm... its description says [You have lived as a Supreme and recall all you learned, thus you possess forbidden knowledge of the future and the –Unknown-]."
Everyone's faces looked surprised. They had just heard about the Supremes but now they had just heard that one of their friend's attributes said he had been a supreme and remembered all he had learnt.
Cassie was the one who showed the biggest reaction as it had to do with the future and knowledge.
"Did I hear you right?"
Nephis patted her shoulder.
"I was surprised by its description too, I had to read it a few times to make sure I was not going crazy."
Cassie just slumped in her chair and tried to wrap her mind around what she had just heard.
Nephis was the one with the most to think about. But right now, was not a good time to introspect on her goals, right now she was with her friends.
"It has two traits [Holder], and [Untouched]. Holder's description says [You hold forbidden knowledge of the past and future]. Untouched has a weird description, it just says [You are immune to the –Unknown-.]"
They all seemed puzzled by that but quickly got over it, they had no way to find out what the –Unkown- was anyway so they might as well just leave it be.
"The last one called [The Weave] has a rather short description, it says [You are the heir to Weaver the Daemon of Fate, you bear his final creation and lineage the ultimate Weave]."
Effie and Kai shot weird looks at her before asking.'
"What is a Daemon?"
"What is a Daemon?"
Nephis just shrugged.
"I don't know much about them other than the fact they were around at the same time as the gods and very similar in power."
Effie just tilted her head in confusion, and Kai made no move to ask another question so Nephis continued.
"It has seven traits, and each one is rather long so let me just read them how they come."
The three nodded, so Nephis jus began to read from the list word for word exactly as they were listed.
"[The Weave] Attribute Traits: [Blood], [Bone], [Flesh], [Mind], [Spirit], [Soul], [Shadow].
[Blood] Description: [Weaver's blood flows through your veins, you will not bleed out and are immune to all poisons and infection.]
[Bone] Description: [You possess the bones of a Daemon, they rarely break and heal at unprecedented speeds.]
[Flesh] Description: [You possess the flesh of a Daemon, your soft tissue is incredibly tough and heals at an incredible pace.]
[Mind] description: [Your mind in formidable and processes at an extreme pace. You are immune to mind attacks.]
[Spirit] Description: [Your spirit and will are reinforced and have become simply tyrannical. Your will is unmatched and when wielded it becomes even more so.]
[Soul] Description: [Your soul is reinforced and has become incredibly powerful. You replenish soul essence at an incredible pace and are immune to soul attacks.]
[Shadow] Description: [You shadow is reinforced and has become incredibly powerful. You are immune to shadow attacks.]."
After she was done with the long list of traits, Effie's voice sounded out.
"How is that a single Attribute?!"
Kai was similarly baffled, and Cassie seemed taken aback.
Nephis was also a little surprised by just how powerful the attribute was but did not let it show.
"I don't know much about Weaver, but his lineage is powerful that's for sure."
They all seemed to agree. The next to speak was Kai.
Back in the Dark City Sunny had once told him that he had never absorbed a soul shard before, and Kai had never seen him absorb one after that so Kai had always wanted to know what Sunny's core saturation was.
"What is his Soul Core's saturation at?"
This was one thing Nephis was apprehensive to tell them because in order for them to truly understand it, she would have to disclose the fact she was also able to make more cores.
Although she had no idea how he was a Titan, what confused her the most was the fact that his runes simply said.
Shadow Fragments: 0
There was no [0/1000] or even [0/7000], just a zero which made her think that once you reach Titan you can forever get stronger.
But something in the back of her mind told her that this was something specific to him and his Aspect of an Unknown rank.
She had already come to the conclusion that her Divine rank Aspect was what allowed her to form more than one core, so if someone had an aspect beyond the normal scale. It would make sense for it to be much more powerful.
But in the end, she had already decided to be truthful and honest with them, so she began to speak.
"He has zero saturation."
Effie, Cassie, and Kai all looked very confused at that statement, so she took a deep breath and explained.
"Sunny had once told us that he reaps soul fragment directly from his kills, which is true. He has no direct use for soul shards, that is due to the fact his aspect deals in Shadow Fragment, not Soul Fragments."
They seemed to understand why they had never seen him absorb shards, and Kai felt like he understood now.
"But then why is his saturation at zero?"
Effie was confused and assumed Nephis would know the answer.
Nephis started to explain.
"I think I know but I'm not exactly sure, to tell you why I say that I need to tell you about my aspect, more importantly it's rank."
They all looked at her clearly expecting her to continue.
"I have a Divine Aspect, and had Sunny did too. I only saw its name and rank before it changed in front of my eyes. That was the day we returned to the waking world."
Effie and Kai both looked at her with so much surprise she thought they would pass out.
Cassie just nodded along already knowing all this. Having been told shortly after she formed her monster core.
"A Divine Aspect? Those exist?"
"Well, isn't that... nice."
Effie and Kai could hardly believe their ears. If it was not for the fact that it was Nephis, Changing Star of the Immortal Flame clan telling them, they would not have believed her.
"They exist, and I do have one. Mine is called Light Bringer, and Sunny's was called Shadow Slave."
They seemed a little taken aback by the name of his aspect. What kind of Divine Aspect would make you into a slave after all?
Before they could dwell on it, Nephis continued.
"I was not sure before but after seeing his runes, I am positive."
They looked at her with interest.
"After I fully saturated my core, instead of just reaching full saturation I underwent a change and gained another core. It was shortly after we got the Moonlight Shard that I became a Monster from a Beast."
Again, everyone but Cassie seemed surprised by the fact that Nephis had risen in class and had more than one core.
Kai stayed silent waiting for her to continue, but Effie couldn't help but ask.
"So, you are actually a Monster?"
Nephis shook her head.
"I am currently a Demon, my third core formed after I killed Gunlaug."
At this moment Effie seemed to realize something.
"So that's why you just collapsed, you were forming another core?"
Nephis just nodded.
"Like I said I was not sure but now I am positive that it is a function of a divine aspect. That is what allows us to form more than one core and ascend in not just rank but class."
They all just nodded allowing her to continue.
"It happens when we reach full saturation on our cores, as we ascend to a higher class the needed amount increases due to the number of cores we have to saturate. Currently I need three thousand total fragment to reach Devil."
They seemed to already have expected as much so she just continued.
"I don't know how, but he is already a Titan. His new Aspect is of an Unkown rank which means it is higher than Divine, but what stands out the most is that he has no cap to his core saturation."
As she said the word 'Titan', their eyes widened, and jaws dropped. Even Cassie looked like she had just heard an incredibly juicy piece of gossip.
Nephis just ignored their reactions, and kept speaking.
"It just says zero, there is no cap to it which makes me think that he can forever get stronger."
They did not even react to her words, their minds seemed to still be on the whole Titan thing.
'Maybe I see the appeal to telling random world-shattering truth too, it is very amusing.'
She would never say that aloud though.
From there, the conversation shifted to things like his memories but after they learned about Weaver's mask they finally had enough of his runes and decided to go get something to drink.
Pretty soon after, they all started to say their goodbyes. They were very busy and some of them still needed to find a citadel to anchor themselves to.
And just like that, their first meeting since they had returned to the waking world had ended.