Sunny sat on a comfortable chair, holding onto his face.
'This has to be some kind of joke…'
He had made preparations that had honestly seemed like overkill for this nightmare, and it still managed to screw him!
"Damn Spell… Stop bullying me!"
What had it said when he entered? Welcome back? It knew! It knew what he was doing!
'This… Does this mean it also knows I plan on ascending mid trial?'
Then… that likely meant his preparations were going to truly be put to the test.
Sunny clutched his head, almost pulling his hair out.
'Damn this! Damn you! Gahhh!'
After a few minutes of berating no one in particular, Sunny stood up with a sigh.
Looking at himself through his shadow, Sunny flinched.
"Who the hell is that?!"
The Chain Lord looked nothing like how Sunny had expected.
Black eyes stared back at him, wavy hair the colour of ash falling over his head like a mop. A slight stubble was present on his jaw and chin, and the charming, roguish look in his eye pissed Sunny off to no end.
The man Sunny had possessed was almost disgustingly handsome, to the point where Sunny wanted to knock out a couple of his teeth just to wipe the nonexistent smirk off his face.
Moving his hand around, Sunny felt bulging muscles hard as steel underneath his black overcoat.
…Lifting the waistband of his pants for a moment, he silently took a quick look.
Sunny then searched his own pockets, looking for anything of use.
For a Chain Lord, he seemed awfully poor?
All of pockets were empty, and the only thing on his person was a knife strapped to his thigh.
"Ah… Damnation."
It was a knife seemingly forged from ghostly glass. Within it, a shining string of fate was looped in on itself. It was the knife containing the fate of the Ivory Lord, Sevras.
Sunny carefully extended his shadow sense through the fortress, looking for anything of use. The place was clean and well kept, as if it had only been cleaned recently. And yet… Sunny saw nobody. He was completely alone.
'No… No!'
Where was Nightmare?! Where was the Shadowspawn?!
For a moment, Sunny wanted to think that they simply weren't here currently, and that they had been sent away for some sort of mission.
…But he was almost certain he knew where they actually were. Nightmare was a Shadow created by the Shadow Lord himself, so he had to have at least had an aspect somewhat similar to Sunny. And if his Aspect was similar to Sunny's then that meant Nightmare would have been quietly resting within his soul.
…The soul who Sunny had just replaced.
He… he had just lost another Shadow.
'Ah… This day just won't stop getting worse.'
All of a sudden, Sunny missed relaxing on his comfortable sofa.
'Whatever… I'll just… have to make sure I can clear this.'
If all the Chain Lords were alive, his current plan had to be scrapped. Originally he had planned on meeting Noctis and attempting to convince him to kill Hope with him, but now he'd have to try something else.
Sunny sighed and sunk into the shadows. No matter how much his plans changed, the baseline of it was that he would ascend first.
Feeling the comfort and grace of the divine shadows around him, Sunny began to refine his essence into his being. With the body of a Transcendent, there was no need to refine his body. His essence had long been refined to completion, and was only waiting for Sunny to take his last step on his ascension.
And now, he was going to take it. The last step of ascending for him would be to refine his body and soul while he was in the form of a shadow. He had only reached this conclusion in the later stages of his refinement, as he could feel that he was still missing something even when he was nearly done with essence and body refinement.
Sunny wasn't certain if regular Awakened needed to do this, as it was possible to become a Master without even unsealing your aspect, but still.
He focused on his body and soul, remembering the feeling of being a Master. His essence began to move, coursing through him and his shadow. Small sparks of light began to drift around his vision as he felt a subtle warmth course through his cores. If he were in his corporeal form, he would've taken a deep breath.
Sunny continued over the course of several hours, the warmth slowly growing more intense.
And a while later, he felt it.
[The Third Seal is broken.]
[Awakening dormant powers…]
Just as before, he felt as though something was waking up inside him. His seven cores ignited with intense heat, the power within them surging. The heat spread through his soul and his body, rejuvenating and changing them.
The feeling was familiar and euphoric, he could feel himself being reforged into a better version of himself, despite the fact he wasn't in his own body.
As his body and soul merged, Sunny suddenly thought to himself:
'I'm… not going to exit the Nightmare looking like this, am I?'
If his body and soul were merging, then wouldn't this make this body his?
'...'
It was too late for such thoughts now.
His body and soul, both turned incandescent and malleable by the furious heat flowing through them, started to melt into each other. Merging.
Together, they resonated with each other, reinforcing one another. The resonance grew stronger and stronger, as Sunny heard what sounded like running water permeate his being. Eventually the resonance exploded, surging throughout his being and entering his cores.
The threshold that had been preventing Sunny from ascending was crushed, pushing him further along the path of evolution. Essence coursed through every fiber of his being as Sunny grinned.
His body continued to be reforged, his connection to Dream Realm strengthening despite the fact he was in the depths of a nightmare.
Eventually the heat slowly began to dissipate, turning into coldness. The coldness ran through his being for a while before disappearing, absorbed into his flesh, spirit, and bones.
A hand shot out of the shadows, pulling a body out of it.
"Finally…"
Sunny had returned to being an Ascended.
Clenching and unclenching his hands, Sunny laughed, feeling familiar power coursing within him.
'Now, If you would be so kind…'
[Awakening Aspect Ability.]
[Aspect Ability acquired.]
[...Aspect Ability Name: Shadow Manifestation.]
The shadows around Sunny surged.
[Your Attribute has evolved.]
[Your Ascension is complete.]
The tall man standing within the fortress disappeared.
In his place, a towering fiend with four arms stood.
A second later, the fiend was gone. Instead, a mighty Serpent had appeared, coiling around the walls of the fortress.
And then, the Serpent vanished. A shadow colossus emerged from the darkness, manifesting itself towards the sky.
For a moment, the colossus stared at the sky. A moment later, it began to laugh triumphantly, its voice echoed across the island like the shrill hiss of death.
Sunny reemerged from the shadows within the fortress with a smile on his face.
[You Aspect Legacy mastery has increased.]
[You have received the right to claim a Legacy Relic.]
[...Your Shadow has evolved.]
Sunny summoned his runes.
Aspect Legacy: [Shadow Dance].
Shadow Dance Mastery Level: [4/7].
First Relic: Claimed.
Second Relic: Claimed.
Third Relic: Claimed.
Fourth Relic: [Claim].
Fifth Relic: Unearned…
"Claim!"
[You have claimed an Aspect Legacy Relic.]
[...You have received a fragment of Shadow's Domain.]
Sunny let out a long sigh of relief. He felt much better now that he was facing the world as Master.
[Fragment of the Shadow Realm].
??: ??
??: ??
??: ??
Description: [When Shadow made death…]
??: [By calling upon the Fragment of Shadow Realm, its owner can summon a piece of Shadow's domain into existence.]
"...Huh."
Somehow, he had expected the Spell to understand what the fragment was by now. The thought both annoyed him and calmed him. It annoyed him because… he had wanted to see what sort of useful information it could have given him. But at the same time, the fact the Spell still struggled with its all encompassing system gave Sunny hope. After all, it showed that even the creations of the divine weren't infallible.
Whether that was a good or bad thing, it remained to be seen. But for now, Sunny decided it was a good thing. Probably.
Dismissing the runes a moment later, Sunny looked around.
'Huh, don't I technically own two fragments of the Shadow Realm now?'
Sunny laughed slightly at the thought.
'I'm getting off track.'
Although the fragment was definitely useful, Sunny was not going to waste it in a Nightmare, where he would almost certainly never get it back.
What Sunny was after was…
Shadow: [Soul Serpent]
Shadow Rank: Transcendent.
Shadow Class: Titan.
"Heheheh… Good!"
He was now the proud owner of a Transcendent Titan!
Shadow Attributes: [Shadow Guide], [Soul Weapon], [Soul Beast], [Spirit Guide], [Soul Companion].
'Yes!'
Serpent had received two new attributes.
Sunny hurriedly summoned the runes, desperate to see what they did.
[Spirit Guide] Attribute Description: [Soul Serpent enhances the rate at which its master can absorb elemental essence.]
'This… This is…'
It was useless!
As an Ascended, Sunny quite literally couldn't absorb Spirit Essence. The attribute did nothing for him. Perhaps one day he could learn how to, but that wouldn't be today.
'Please… please be good.'
Sunny could only hope [Soul Companion] at least worked for him.
[Soul Companion] Attribute Description: [Soul Serpent can be fused into its master's Shadow Shell, granting it some of its Abilities.]
'Yes!'
The attribute was exactly what he had been looking for. With Serpent augmenting his shell, he could make use of things like [Slaying Blade] and [Soul Reaver] without worries.
Sunny sighed in happiness.
'Oh Serpent, why must you be so reliable?!'
Sunny immediately summoned the now colossal Serpent before him.
"Come on, come here!"
Serpent lowered its towering form before Sunny, who then proceeded to give it a pat on the head.
Serpent blinked in confusion, before eventually accepting it as a good thing.
Sunny grinned, allowing Serpent to crawl back onto his skin, becoming a tattoo once more. Shifting his vision, he saw many sparks of spirit essence move towards him, only to pass through him uselessly.
'Hmm. If I can learn to absorb it…'
With how terrible this Nightmare was going already, Sunny felt incredibly tempted to just transcend naturally, ignoring the Nightmares all together.
'I'll just choose later…'
Right now, he had a Nightmare to conquer!
***
In the north of the Chained Isles, at its very edge, a woman with no eyes sat in a dark room. The room was completely bathed in darkness, aside from the small lights inside the pupils of the man sitting before her.
"Hahah! Looks like I win again, Aranea!"
She seemed to be leisurely enjoying a game of cards, despite not being able to see them.
"You… you cheated! Didn't you, Noctis?"
Wearing a ridiculous smile, a raven-haired man dressed in fine red silk sat before her. He had just put his cards down on the table between them, his hand clearly beating hers.
"How did you cheat, bastard?! Show me!"
She reached for his hands, only for Noctis to pull away, holding the cards above her head.
"Show you? Oh, but how can I show you? Aren't you blind? Gahahaha! It appears I remain the greatest player of cards in all of Hope's Kingdom!"
"I said! Show me!"
"Why don't you stand up and look then? Lazy wench! Gahahaha!"
The two continued to bicker for a while, the atmosphere light. Two goblets were placed on the table between them, each filled with fragrant wine. Despite the fact both of them were Transcendents, their faces were flushed red, both of them having had too much to drink.
…Only after a while, the joyful atmosphere dimmed.
The blind woman, Aranea, clutched her head with a pained groan.
"Ugh…"
"Hah! Had too much to drink? It seems I also remain the greatest drinker in all of Hope-"
"Please… please shut up for a moment, Noctis."
Otherworldly winds drifted around the woman for a moment. Ethereal blue lights lit up beneath her blindfold in the holes of where her eyes would have been. In the clear sky, mystical stormclouds began to roll over, producing the sounds of distant thunder.
Noctis immediately froze, his playful demeanor gone.
Aranea was having a vision.
Holding her face, Aranea saw…
A beautiful demoness sat in the center of a grand hall. All around her, priests wearing white robes stood, each holding a candle as they chanted in a strange language. It was Hope's prison, which she had ensured remained intact for centuries.
All of a sudden, the hall dimmed.
In the darkness, ghostly black flames burned.
Binding the demoness was seven chains. Two bound her wrists, two bound her ankles, another chain bound her neck, while the final two bound the regal wings upon her back. In the darkness, Aranea saw the chain binding her neck snap, ghostly black flames erupting from it.
A strange pressure swept through the room a moment later, causing the many priests surrounding her to collapse, holding their heads as they screamed.
One of Hope's Shackles had been broken.
A moment later, Aranea gasped as her vision ended.
Clutching her chest, she slowly caught her breath.
'Hope… Hope's Chains…'
Noctis was by her side a moment later, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Aranea! Are you alright? What did you see?!"
Tears of blood ran down her face, seeping into her blindfold and robes.
"Shadow… Shadow is dead."
Her attendants burst into the room a second later, making sure their lady was safe.
"Lady Aranea! Are you alright?!"
All of the oracles of the Night Temple had seen the stormclouds rolling in. The distant thunder echoing across the island was a bad omen.
"I'm fi-"
Before Aranea could speak, she gasped.
She was receiving another vision.
Pain clawed at her mind, and she saw…
A hand shooting out of the deepest darkness, pulling out someone that looked just like the fallen Chain Lord. The smile on the man's face sent shivers down her spine, and a voice echoed in the back of her mind.
With shadows falling from him like streams of liquid darkness, the man laughed and muttered to himself:
"Finally…"
'Who is… who-'
***
In the east, in a beautiful sanctuary filled with streams of running water and majestic stone structures, runes were lighting up in a certain building.
A circle of mystical writing was flashing white, indicating danger. And in the center of a circle, a small beacon was buzzing with an angry voice.
"Noctis? Noctis?! Answer me! Shadow is dead you fool! Where are you?!"
***
In the west, a gorgeous woman wearing a red tunic was sitting comfortably while she watched a gladiator battle below. Within the Red Colosseum, humans, corrupted, and noble creatures all fought alike.
Feasting on grapes and red wine, Solvane sighed pleasantly. Life wasn't so bad, aside from the fact…
"Solvane… Solvane! Can you hear me? Come to Ivory City now! Shadow is dead!"
An annoyingly noble voice wouldn't stop buzzing in her ear.
"Yes Sevras, I hear you. But, didn't your brother have the e-"
"Good. Come as soon as possible."
Solvane clicked her tongue in annoyance.
"He didn't even let me finish? And… why would I go see you, bastard?"
Although she had told Sevras she heard him, she had no plans on entering the Ivory City.
Smiling to herself, she muttered:
"Shadow is dead? How strange, even if he wasn't that strong… I would have thought he'd be the last of us to die. Shame… I would've liked to kill that weasel myself."
Her smile gradually turned into laughter.
"Finally… Finally!"
She stood up, a malicious glint in her eye.
She was going to pay a visit to Shadow's Keep, just to see what did him in.
***
In a beautiful grove to the west of Noctis' Sanctuary, a middle-aged man sat napping underneath the shade of a large tree.
The man was snoring loudly, without a care in the world.
His sleep was interrupted a moment later when a fruit fell on his head.
"Ow!"
The man awoke with a start, clutching his head in pain.
A soft laugh came from the tree above him. On one of the branches of the large tree, a lovely young woman sat with a wide smile on her face.
"Mother?"
"How many times have I told you to stop sleeping out here, my son?"
"...Forgive me mother, the weather was just so perfect today I-!"
The woman dropped down from the tree, her emerald dress fluttering in the wind.
"Do not fret. I was merely joking."
"Oh…"
Handing him the fruit she had just dropped, the woman patted the man on the head.
"I'll need to leave for a while. Sevras has summoned me."
"L-Lord Sevras?! Mother… Did something happen?"
The woman sighed, her hazel eyes dimming slightly.
"Indeed. Shadow has died. No one knows how, and all the Chain Lords are gathering together to investigate."
"Gods… I will look after the Grove while you are gone then, mother."
The woman smiled and patted the man on the shoulder.
"Good. See you soon, child."
With a scattering of leaves, the woman was gone.
***
"What to do… What to do…"
Balancing on the hind legs of a wooden chair, Sunny stared at the ceiling.
Without Hope's Poison, all the Chain Lords were likely still united, at least somewhat. He'd have to rethink a few things. If it had been the same nightmare he had conquered in the past, he could simply hide away and kill the Chain Lords one by one if it was truly necessary, but now…
"Gah! If only I had an oracle with me…"
He missed having Cassie with him… Even if they had their differences, she was one of his precious friends, as well as an extremely reliable ally.
"I wonder… if she knew."
Did she know? That something like this would happen? Could she have known?
Sunny sighed.
It didn't matter anymore, and he could no longer ask. The Cassie he knew wouldn't appear for over another decade. He had wanted to see his friends again, but… he'd just be putting them in danger. They didn't need him.
Nephis was different. He'd feel terrible if he simply sat by and did nothing while he knew she was being tormented... Kai, Effie, Cassie, even Rain, none of them needed him. They would all be fine without his interference. Him being close to them would only bring more trouble, so he stayed away.
'...Right?'
That was unless some chain of events led to something happening to them. Sunny was no oracle, he had no clue just how far reaching his actions were. He now suspected that the disaster at Valor's Ball didn't actually have much to do with him, and he had only misunderstood what had happened. Most likely, such an event had actually occurred in the past and Valor had merely covered it up. Or perhaps originally their plans had gone well and it had been a resounding success.
'I'll… think about this later.'
For now, he'd focus on the task before him.
In the past, Sunny had thought that there were two outcomes to the central conflict of the nightmare. Either Hope's freedom, or Hope's eternal imprisonment.
But now, he realised he was most likely wrong.
There was no real way to keep Hope imprisoned forever, as Sunny theorised that Weaver would eventually come and free their sister personally. So even if he gathered the knives and tossed them into the Sky Below, it wouldn't amount to much.
So in actuality, the only options were free Hope, or to kill her.
It was an incredibly tall task, for mere Awakened to kill a daemon. But… Sunny thought he could do it. If Mordret had thought he could, why couldn't he? He would've loved to research the past history of the Chained Isles some more, but unfortunately his rate of gaining Memories was simply too poor. In the past several months of searching and killing, he'd found next to nothing.
'Ah, such a travesty…'
What had he done to deserve such a thing? To receive so little!
Sunny sighed.
He'd been searching the fortress and island he was on for a while now, and had found quite literally nothing useful. The Shadow Lord had been quite keen on security, and had left nothing lying around.
The most useful thing here was the fragment, but it wasn't like he could do anything with it. His authority was still too weak, and he could not move it at all.
Sunny sighed once more.
He was currently looking at a large mural on one of the walls of the fortress, depicting the Sun God coming to Hope's Kingdom and locking her away. On one side, Hope flew upwards towards the Lord of Light, her hand reaching towards him. On the other, the Sun God floated high above her, pointing a lance of divine flames at the grounds below. The thing that caught Sunny's eye was the fact that Sun God's face was turned away, as if he refused to even look at the vile daemon.
'Curious…'
Why was that? Was it out of guilt? Hatred? Sadness? Sunny did not know. Perhaps the god had simply found it beneath them to even look at their victim.
Sunny clicked his tongue.
…What he did know however, was that he sensed an intruder on the island.
With measured steps, a woman was approaching his fortress.
The Priestess of War, Solvane.