The leaves of the great tree were carried off by the wind, its branches swaying in every direction, pushed both by the strong air that crossed through and by their own accord.
The area was stained by a dangerous, suffocating aura, almost tangible.
In front of the tree, a small man pierced the bark with his gaze, a barely visible aura of killing intent surrounding him.
His mouth opened, spitting out words like poison.
"Hello again, Soul Devourer. You should feel proud… you are standing before the unmatched God of Death."
More and more leaves fell, the branches thrashed violently, the wood began to creak, as if terrified of the sleeper, crying out in vain to drive him away.
Sunny watched with delight the fruitless attempts of the tree to take control of him, and his satisfaction grew even more when the tree tried with all its might to scare him off.
"Be grateful."
He murmured.
"I'll grant you something you don't deserve, the mercy of death… my mercy."
With those words he summoned the Azure Blade, wrapped it in his shadow, and advanced, walking toward the fearsome tree, step by step without hesitation.
A buzzing rang in his head, accompanied by several moments where he lost focus or forgot what he was doing. Despite everything, pure hatred kept him conscious, fueled by every failed attempt of the tree.
He raised his hand, already bearing the weight of the sword, and drew a horizontal, perfect slash.
For the rest of the day, only the sound of wood being endlessly cut could be heard.
- - -
[You have slain an Awakened Terror, Soul Devourer]
[You have received a memory]
Sunny dropped to the ground with a dull thud. Finishing off the Terror had been quite a long task—the bastard, though only capable of mental attacks, had considerable resistance.
The sun was already finishing its journey and the smell of salt flooded his nostrils.
He lay down on the sand and looked at the treetop; several leaves were already turning gray, and the branches were beginning to droop.
The corners of his mouth lifted, and a terrifying smile appeared on his face.
He stayed lying there for a while, listening to the wood creak and watching the fallen leaves being carried away by the wind.
When he grew bored, he opened his runes to see the new memory he had obtained.
Name: Sunless
True Name: Lost to the Light
Rank: Sleeper
Shadow Core: Inactive
Shadow Fragments: [951/1000]
Memories: [Silver Bell], [Rebellion], [Puppeteer's Shroud], [Azure Blade], [World Tree Seed]
'I'm almost done with the second core.'
He directed his attention to the new memory in his arsenal.
Memory: World Tree Seed
'Seems the spell lacks imagination, or whoever named these things…'
Rank: Awakened
Description: [Long ago plant life populated the entire world, but when war came they died unable to do anything. The little that remained was protected, but even so they could not avoid the corruption reaching them. This seed is the last remnant of that majestic ancient life left by the Heart God.]
'… it can't be, right?'
He invoked the memory, and from a myriad of sparks a necklace formed, made of some golden plant-like weave with a hollow amulet, within which a perfectly round, pale yellow sphere was sealed.
When the memory finished manifesting, he felt something strange—his body felt a bit stronger, as if he had advanced in rank, though on a much smaller scale and without any abrupt change.
After diagnosing his body and experimenting, he discovered that indeed, the amulet enhanced his vitality. He even felt more… handsome?
He shook his head, scattering the useless thoughts.
But not everything improved—one fundamental part of him, his very soul, remained the same. His essence did not grow stronger and he felt no internal change.
'Seems that even with this body I still can't receive its blessing.'
He enjoyed the increase for a bit longer, then focused to test more things. First, he inserted his essence into the memory. Instantly, he felt an aura surround him and expand several meters.
He stopped transmitting essence and analyzed what had happened.
'Seems to be a kind of area mental attack, quite similar to the Soul Devourer's.'
He tried inserting essence in several ways, but it seemed to have no further enchantments.
As a final experiment, he inserted his essence directly into the amulet, as he would to strengthen his own body.
Then something strange happened—nothing at all. Literally nothing. His essence entered the amulet and did not return; it disappeared, devoured.
A chill ran down his spine; it felt eerily similar to the insidious power of that cursed tree.
Sunny looked confused—he had never encountered a memory like this before, except those tied to the Spell.
He mulled over several options but arrived nowhere, though he did reach one conclusion about the memory:
It had three enchantments, and the one that absorbed his essence was probably the greatest of the three.
He let out a disappointed sigh and rose from the ground. There was an easier way to figure it out—he had to go get the drop of ichor.
He prepared to head toward the tree, then noticed something in the dark sky—a point moving through the air in circles.
Sunny summoned the Azure Blade and observed the point carefully.
Unlike the needle messengers, it made no attempt to approach, merely stayed in the air seeking a good angle to view the tree's base.
And unlike other flying creatures, its flight was stable, with no visible limbs resembling wings to keep it aloft.
The corners of his mouth rose. He dismissed the Azure Blade and smiled toward the entity.
He lifted his left arm and waved it from right to left.
After many years, he was seeing his best friend again.
- - -
Kai was making his monthly rounds around the dark city.
Everything was calm—there were very few flying creatures in the Forgotten Coast, and he could avoid most with ease, except for the needle messengers of course, though they were very rare to encounter.
Then came the unfortunate moment of passing near the damned tree. Every time he passed that place he felt chills. All expeditions to it ended in nothing—no one returned, and no results were ever obtained. The Lord eventually forbade hunters from entering that zone.
Even so, patrolling it remained part of his duties, much to his displeasure.
The gigantic tree in the middle of that gray desert was undeniably hard to avoid, especially because it trembled so much.
'Wait… trembling?'
Kai stopped cold and looked closer at the tree—it was shaking furiously, like a giant wall being battered by a siege machine.
He observed its movements—they weren't erratic or wild, but rhythmic and calculated, like those of an experienced lumberjack.
Whatever was happening down there wasn't a clash between two nightmare creatures—or if it was, one of them had to be incredibly powerful, at least a demon.
But he knew no demon like that existed in the labyrinth. The strongest inhabitants he had encountered were Awakened creatures, mostly beasts or monsters. Few demons, fewer devils, and only a handful of tyrants.
And the one before him was the only Awakened Terror in the labyrinth—at least the only known one.
Still debating whether to approach, something else entered his view: a small point in the desert.
He flew toward it, careful not to enter the ashen mound's line of sight.
As he neared, the figure became clearer—it was the dreaded Shell Demon.
His blood ran cold—not because of the dead creature itself, but because of the way it died. He found no large, obvious wound, only precise cuts.
He landed and cautiously examined the corpse. His conclusion: this was the work of a Sleeper, a very experienced one—someone who made cuts precise enough to reach the soul fragments.
But what surprised him most was the attack that killed the demon—precise, powerful, killing the creature swiftly.
'Only a handful of people in the dark city could do something like this…'
So whoever did this was a ridiculously talented and powerful Sleeper.
He turned toward the mound quickly—something had happened, or rather, something had stopped happening. The tree had ceased thrashing, and he watched as it began to die slowly.
- - -
Sunny stopped waving his hand, looked directly at the archer, and smiled pleasantly.
It had been so long since he last saw his friend that seeing him again felt almost like a dream rather than something real.
But here he was, and here was his friend.
A bitter expression crossed his face—remembering his mistakes was still painful.
He shook his head and dismissed those thoughts—none of that mattered anymore. He was here, and he was seeing him again. That was all that mattered.
Kai seemed to hesitate about something. After a moment he began signaling with his hands and arms.
Sunny frowned, focusing his sight to decipher what the archer was trying to convey.
'I have to go… I'll come back tomorrow… I promise.'
The corners of his mouth rose—it was just as he remembered.
He gave Kai a thumbs-up and bid him farewell.
Though confused, the man eventually turned and headed west.
Sunny watched his friend depart with a smile. Once the figure disappeared on the horizon, the smile left his face. He still had a task to complete—one that could change many things… or not.
With nothing else to dwell on, he directed his attention to the dead tree's crown, where he remembered the egg of The Vile Thieving Bird to be.
- - -
Effie, Kai, and their two companions approached the ashen mound cautiously. Fear was natural—this was the home of an Awakened demon, and the seemingly harmless tree was far worse.
Effie ordered them to walk behind her as she advanced. Everything was strangely quiet. Normally, the damned crab rushed out the moment they got close, but today nothing emerged.
While Kai was doing his usual rounds, he had seen the area shake—a battle so catastrophic the tree trembled. Or perhaps the tree itself had fought—how could he know?
After reporting to the Lord, he was ordered to accompany a scouting team. Effie and her troop—known for completing high-risk missions—were assigned as well.
The group advanced through the leaves, hiding within the roots of the great tree. Each step made the participants tremble—everyone except Effie, who trusted her ability to defeat the demon, especially with support.
Effie raised her arm and clenched her fist. The group halted. She closed her eyes and sharpened her hearing. Up ahead—something strange. Someone was eating, but it didn't sound like flesh being torn, nor like the guttural noises of corrupted creatures.
She turned to the others, signaling for everyone to rush out. She raised three fingers, lowering them one by one. Kai swallowed unconsciously. Then the last finger lowered, and they all leapt from hiding.
Effie raised her imposing spear, Kai flew with bow in hand, the two men took position with sword and shield.
In front of them, they saw nothing they expected.
A gigantic corpse, several meters long, lay inert and torn apart. On top of it, a small, pale boy ate ravenously, juice covering his face and dozens of fruits scattered at his feet.
The scene was beyond disturbing. The young man slowly turned his head, revealing deep black eyes that seemed to stare into their souls. His mouth opened, revealing pure red, letting liquid drip everywhere.
Their skin crawled. Was that even human?
He swallowed what he had in his mouth and exhaled, as if eating required great effort.
"Ah, you finally arrived."
The boy wiped his mouth with his arm and offered them a smile.
"I've been waiting for you for a while. It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is… Lost to the Light."
- - -
Sunny looked at the group of Sleepers with a smile, but inside he was dying.
'Ugh, Lost to the Light… it really does sound ominous.'
He jumped down from the demon's corpse and looked at them with confidence.
"You see, the rea—"
He was interrupted by a cold brush on his cheek—Kai, from the air, had just fired an arrow. Thankfully he reacted in time and moved his head a few centimeters to the right.
'I may have overdone it…'
He cleared his throat and continued.
"…relax, guys. I'm human… I think. Depends on your definition of human. You know, spending too much time alone does things to you…"
Memories of his time forgotten by the world resurfaced, souring his expression. He spoke more formally.
"Well, the point is I'm an ally. I'm not going to kill you. Or eat you, if that's what you're worried about."
The two young men seemed to relax. Meanwhile, Kai descended warily and a bit embarrassed. Silence lingered until a shrill voice filled the space:
Effie pointed at him while tears of laughter and pain rolled down her cheeks.
"This guy… he's so tiny!"
His expression darkened—he had forgotten what the huntress was like.
Effie's reaction shocked him.
No one used to dare disrespect him—he had been far too powerful. Literally a god. Who would dare provoke a god?
Of course, he was no longer a god, and he had a long road ahead before becoming one again.
He smiled. This was Effie—outspoken, unafraid to say anything, be it a joke or an opinion.
It had been the same in Mirage City. Even though he had been a complete mystery to her, she kept joking with him, and when he asked her something deeply important, she gave her honest view without trying to curry favor with the Supreme.
That was the kind of person Effie was—and she had been one of his best friends.
The three men looked at Effie in horror. Kai had told them what he saw—and it was terrifying. A Sleeper defeating the damned tree? Practically unheard of. And this woman had just laughed in his face.
They turned desperately to Sunny, searching for words to apologize, but found no anger, no reaction.
He simply put on the most stoic expression he could. The easiest way to deal with Effie was to endure her.
He had learned countless times how she turned words against you. He would not make the same mistake twice.
If he did, the damage to his aura would be three—no! Four times worse than usual.
With renewed resolve, he addressed the trio.
"Oh my, what a shame I didn't recognize such formidable Sleepers."
Kai, recently landed, looked at him with some suspicion. It seemed he didn't appreciate the joke.
Meanwhile, the duo's eyes sparkled and they struck… heroic poses?
"Haha! You've got good eyes, kid."
Said the taller one, whose goatee nearly made Sunny laugh.
"You must be strong too! After all, greatness recognizes greatness!"
His eyelid twitched.
'These two are… interesting.'
At that moment, as if enlightened, both changed poses, standing back-to-back, each covering their face with one hand.
"Such shame!"
Said the long-haired one.
"Forgive our lack of manners!"
'What bit them now?'
With practiced grace, the long-haired one kneeled, while the man with the ridiculous goatee looked to the sky, still covering his face.
"We have not properly introduced ourselves."
What followed could only be described as a cinematic event.
Through a tribal dance—or at least what Sunny assumed was one—they ended in a strange pose, embarrassing just to look at.
Two signs with rune-written names appeared, and the pair spoke in unison:
"We are!"
Dramatic cut for no reason.
"The French Fries Bros!"
He froze.
'Jack the Gambler'
'Mike the Alcoholic'
That's what the signs said for the goatee man and the long-haired one, respectively.
A chill ran through him. He was afraid. Truly afraid.
This absurd situation.
'Is this a dream!?'
He turned to Kai, who suddenly found the gray sky extremely interesting.
'A nightmare creature, maybe!?'
Effie was opening her bag and whistling suspiciously loudly.
'Is this real!?'
A bead of sweat slid down his face as he turned back to the clownish duo.
They were still in the same humiliating pose.
In that instant—less than a second—a moment, Sunny made a decision: he was going to disconnect emotionally.
He stepped forward, then again, until he stood before them.
He slowly extended his hand.
"A pleasure. Sunless. My friends call me Sunny."