Chapter 9: Futures
{[A/N: Small rant, but its been a month so:
Well, well, well. The King is back for now, ready to give chapters. Quickly, I have changed a few things about the previous chapters, mainly stupid things I fucked up or were just plain contradictions. To sum it up, Sunny is not just his old self with memories, he is his supreme self.
Imagine you took the best parts of his Dormant and Supreme selves, then merged it together. Aka, his power level shot up once again. Some of the powers he will now have is his Will and the ability to see through any shadow like they are his own.
This change was done because of how I felt while reading over it again. It felt like the split between his two minds was forced and not at all subtle. I wanted him to be more towards his supreme self, but having aspects of his childish version.
Also, I have still not caught up with SS, the farthest I have read is during his time inside of the Death Game with Kai and Slayer, I have no knowledge of anything after that, so anything that falls past that point in time is strictly fictional.
Also, sorry about Kai nodding like 30 times on the first chapter and the repeated, nearly overused "Cassie can't see anything." lines. My fault Kings!]}
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As they heard his words, all of them thought back to a certain conversation they had many months ago. A conversation about Sunny.
Nephis had been reading his Attributes and had found...
The exact words appeared in their minds at the same time.
[Forbidden Holder] Attribute Description: [You have lived as a Supreme and recall all you learned, thus you possess forbidden knowledge of the future and the –Unknown-.]
The moment the revelation hit them, Nephis felt like her world had started to shake. Sunny... was a Supreme? No, he was a Master... right?
Cassie sat with a solemn expression on her face, she was clearly trying to come to terms with the fact that she had done it again.
Kai was not as freaked out as Nephis and Cassie, but he still looked very shocked, his jaw hanging open.
Effie on the other hand.
"The future huh? If you could see the future like Cassie, why hide it?"
Sunny who had been sitting silently, letting them come to terms with his words, spoke.
"It is not like that." He said before trying to explain.
He still had no idea how he got the memories of the future and had no idea why it had impacted things like the Antarctica campaign, but he could not just freely tell others about it, he knew that for sure.
"I am no Seer, nor do I have any kind of way to peer into time. Even I myself don't know what exactly happened." He took a second before speaking again.
"It happened during my fight with Nephis in the crimson spire. At the end, just before she spoke my true name, I suddenly had a vision. Not like Cassie's, not a prophetic vision of fate. It was a raw, unfiltered stream of memories that filled my mind. I could suddenly 'remember' everything in my life up to a certain point, where it all becomes blurry."
Even if the how was not known, the cohort was still incredibly curious if not outright needing answers.
Effie asked first.
"When?"
He grimaced.
"About a decade from now, I am currently trying to go through apotheosis, the last thing I remember with clarity was around the time I got Spirit weave."
At this moment, it hit them.
Sunny was not just someone with memories of the future, he had been a Supreme in that future! A demi-god, someone capable of contending with the current world leaders.
This made nephis think back to his story. He had said he helped her reach Supremacy... before she left him.
She clenched her fists, flames burning in her eyes.
"Were we all Supremes? How did you help me become Supreme?"
Sunny turned to her, debating on if this was something he could tell her. The question had been asked, so he could either answer or run. But, he had already decided that he could not run.
With a sigh, he spoke.
"In the future, the Sovereigns come out of hiding, bringing the Domain war to the surface. Anvil and Ki Song led armies across Godgrave, conquering citadels to strengthen their domains."
He looked Nephis deeply in the eyes.
"After losing my fate, nobody remembered me, not even you guys. I had nothing, not even the spell. I spent four years traveling across the dream realm, paying back debts. I killed the Winter Beast, crossed Nether's Chain and slayed that damn tree, and many other things."
His eyes were dark as he recalled this time of his life.
"After learning a few things, I was forced to re-enter the world of the humans. Not long after that, my persona's started to run into you guys. Master Sunless met Effie in his Cafe while the Lord of Shadows met Nephis in Godgrave."
Before he could continue, Kai asked:
"What do you mean, Persona?"
Sunny realized they did not know what his transcendent ability was.
"My Transcendent Aspect Ability allows my shadows to physically manifest as extra bodies or avatars. They are all the same strength as me and can do anything I can."
Kai deadpanned.
"Really, you become more of you for a transformation!" Effie said, her voice a wheeze.
Sunny shot her a smirk.
"Why of course. At least I don't turn into a dumb rock."
Effie paled.
"W-what do you mean?"
Sunny cackled.
"I mean, that when you, raised by wolves, reach transcendence, you turn into a big rock golem. I think it suits you." He said the last part with a snicker.
Effie face hardened.
"I might take you up on that arm wrestling at this rate..."
Sunny smiled.
But Nephis got the conversation back on track.
"So, what happened after you returned?"
Sunny refocused on the task at hand.
Sunny wanted to tell her, he really did. But he could not risk it. He had an attribute that allowed him to break fate, while the cohort were still hopelessly bound in its strings.
If he told them to much and they acted on it... It could be disastrous.
Sunny fought his flaw as sparks of light wove themselves from nothing. In moments, Weaver's Mask was resting on his face.
"I don't know."
Nephis, knowing exactly what this memory was, frowned.
'Why is he hiding it?' But then she thought about it.
Cassie had always been hesitant to tell anyone of her visions, only sharing the most important parts. She did this to give the cohort the best chance possible while keeping the future to herself.
As she looked at Sunny, she couldn't help but wonder just what had happened in the future.
He had helped her reach supremacy while Anvil and Ki Song fought a Domain war, whatever that was.
And something about this action made Sunny unable to reveal it.
As her mind raced, she suddenly came up with a possibility.
'Did... Did I do it? Did I avenge my father? My clan?'
Sunny removed the mask from his face, holding it with a hand.
Kai, Effie, and Cassie seemed to be pulled into the present by his action. They realized this was not just some story he was telling, it was their lives, their future.
The atmosphere turned more serious, the reality of it finally dawning on them.
A few minutes passed before Cassie spoke.
"So, what do we do?"
Sunny smiled, his beautiful face beaming.
Kai felt like covering his eyes, the shine of his teeth was deadly to his rods and cons.
"It's simple Cass. You do nothing. You don't change anything. I have already altered fate to an unknown degree, any more than what I am already planning will likely come with backlash."
She looked down at her hands, once again lamenting how helpless she was.
But, Sunny spoke up suddenly.
"Oh, I forgot to do this last time." He said as his shadows moved.
One of his shadows touched hers, activating [Shadow's Grace].
Cassie jumped as her senses suddenly expanded to encompass something extra.
Similar to how Sunny first found it, Cassie felt inwards, trying to find the sensation she was feeling.
Soon, she found a sort of 'limb' or 'sensory organ'. But instead of it being a limb, it was just a new sense.
As she focused on the 'limb', a whole new world opened before her.
Suddenly, she could feel shapes, movements, shadows.
She could feel the shadows move under the light, each shadow having its own shape and feeling.
Nephis was tall and lithe, her shadow feeling hot and searing. Effie stood tall, her muscular shadow giving of the vibes of mischief and charisma.
Kai was of normal height, his shadow's frame being lithe and charming. The shadow under her feet was less remarkable, its small body giving of the sense of knowledge and weight.
But next to all of their shadow, was a vast ocean. Shadows so deep, and so dark that she could not even begin to put it into words.
Cassie understood instantly.
This was Sunny's shadows.
One by one they spread out, one giving her a wave and happy vibes, another giving her a...scoff(?) and gloomy feelings. One by one, the shadows 'introduced' themselves.
As she took a moment digesting, Nephis asked.
"What did you do?"
He shrugged.
"I gave her the grace of shadows, it should give her shadow sense and a cool tattoo!"
As Nephis heard this, she grabbed Cassie's arm, pushing up her sleeve. On her once flawless arm, there was now a large black serpent tattoo. Its scales gleamed in the light, visibly shifting into place.
Nephis's eyes seemed to fill with... Jealousy? Envy?
Then, she turned to Sunny.
Their gazes met as she silently demanded.
Sunny stared at her with the most 'Really vro' face he had ever made.
'Never in all my years as a Supreme did I think the Guardian Angel of Humanity would be caught envious.'
His shadow reached out, touching hers.
Nephis had a very similar experience as Cassie, taking a second to find her new sense before trying to use it. She had felt everyone's shadows, and Sunny's.
Seeing this further cemented the difference between him and her. He was significantly stronger than her, more knowledgeable than her, and more skilled than her.
He had lived the life of a Supreme, now as a Master, yet she was still just an Awakened.
She felt... small.
She gritted her teeth, her fists clenching at her sides.
'I need to get stronger.'
As Nephis turned back to the outside world, she noticed that both Effie and Kai were doing something similar to what she and Cassie had.
Effie was laughing as she was 'greeted' by Sunny's shadows, while Kai was still trying to find the sense.
It seemed like everyone had gotten access to Sunny's Grace.
On the edge of Nephis's senses, she could feel a small shadow moving towards the tent. It was square and moved with smoothe speed.
When it breached the door, Nephis saw a small box with teeth.
"You finished already?" Sunny asked, his tone dry.
The box made a few clacks before disappearing into sparks.
He turned back to the cohort.
"Well then, it seems I am behind schedule. I think it is about time we sit down and have that chat."
The group exchanged glances, but in the end, they decided to let today's questions go unanswered. Sunny seemed to be doing something important, so they did not wish to hold him longer than needed.
Well... most of them didn't.
If it was up to Nephis, he would never have left without answering every single question.
"I have already found what I came here for, so now I just need to finish the second half."
A small bag appeared in his hand before he sank his entire arm into it. They gave him curious glances as they watched this, wondering what he was grabbing.
Then, without any fanfare, he pulled an entire skeleton from the bag.
As more and more bone left the bag, the faces of the cohort turned from anxious, to confusion, then to deadpan.
Sunny dismissed the bag, gesturing at the skeleton with his hand like it was some grand artwork.
Kai looked it up and down, his face blank. Effie gave Sunny a worried look, while Nephis raised an eyebrow. She was sure this was leading somewhere.
Cassie however, had a much different reaction.
Her eyes became a little cloudy as she read his runes. She could instantly tell that this was no ordinary skeleton.
As Sunny held the Skeleton aloft, he spoke.
"This is Eurys, he is the one I kidna- I mean kindly took to help me find a nightmare seed."
...
Silence. Not a word.
"Umm, Doofus? Did you hit you he-"
She was cut off as the skeleton let out creaks, its arm raising and swatting at Sunny's hand.
"Stop holding me like a cub, child of shadow."
Sunny dropped Eurys onto his feet, or bones? Leaving him standing on his own.
Eurys crossed his arms as he looked at Nephis.
"Gods, she really is an abominable Nephilim..."
Nephis flinched as her eyes filled with fire.
But Eurys flinched as he turned to the side.
"Sorry, sorry. I know, I won't call her an abomination again." He said with raised hands.
But Sunny was relentless.
"That is another month."
Eurys shook, his soul seeming to leave his bones... he wished.
"You damn opportunistic shadow..." he grumbled. "I was a Divine comparable to mythical beasts and heroes of old, yet here I am, being bossed around by a measly Ascended shadow..."
He looked up, towards the sky.
"Shadow, I am sorry for slitting your throat, but can you please let me die! If you leave it up to you heir, I will never pass!"
Sunny patted his shoulder.
"Sorry, buddy. But everyone knows the Gods don't answer. Especially when the person asking slit their throat..."
As Kai watched this unfold, his face became pale, his breath catching in his throat.
'D-d-divine! He said Divine! And he's not lying! And slitting Shadow's throat? He slit the throat of a fricking god!!!'
Effie had a similar reaction as she looked from Kai to Eurys than back to Kai. When she saw his disbelieving eyes and slack jaw, she could not help but believe it.
Nephis on the other hand, was taking this interaction very differently.
'Did he get mad about Eurys calling me abominable? It seems like this is not the first time.'
A warm feeling bloomed in her chest, making her feel a bit weird but she pushed it down.
Eurys clicked his jaw as Sunny spoke.
"This will be your personal Essence Refinement Instructor. I was not able to do it because of my Shadow Cores, so I would not be able to show you. He, however, has taught this multiple times, so he should be able to do it without a demonstration."
Eurys grumbled something about curses, damnation, and suns, but Sunny didn't pay it any mind.
He just kicked Eurys in the shin, edging him to start.
The skeleton shot a glare at the hateful shadow, but in the end, he relented.
"The first stage of refinement is..."