"..."
"..."
Both Steve and Aiko blinked, utterly dumbfounded by the boy's sudden, unexpected demand.
They were about to speak—especially the petite assistant, who had just been singled out—but before either could process it, Sunny shifted his pointing finger toward the old man and added:
"...and you. I want both of you to enter into business with me."
The words froze in their throats.
Aiko, standing where she was, rebalanced her weight on her feet, her eyes blinking rapidly.
Steve, on the other hand, stared at him for a long beat.
"In business?" He let the words roll off his tongue as if assessing their flavor. Then—"Hah! Hahaha!"
For the second time, the old man belly-laughed, pressing a heavy hand against his rotund gut to keep it from bursting.
"Listen here, brat—" Steve started, only to be cut off mid-sentence.
"What kind of business?" Aiko asked, holding up a hand to quiet the old man and taking control of the conversation.
She wasn't entirely sure why—perhaps it was the lived-in, experienced depth in the boy's dark eyes—but deep down, her infallible business instinct told her that this proposal would be exceedingly lucrative. And when it came to making money, Aiko never backed down.
Sunny glanced from old Steve to Aiko beside him, a pleased smile gracing his face. He knew his trusted assistant's weaknesses all too well.
"It's very simple, actually," he said, crossing his fingers together without breaking eye contact. "I forge Memories, repair them, and enchant them—all while remaining strictly anonymous. You two act as the public face. You market my work, advertise my services, and mediate between me and the clients. Then, once the job is done, we split the profits down the middle. Equal shares. Not a single shard less, not a single shard more. What do you say?"
Both Aiko and Steve stood frozen like statues.
The sheer absurdity of the claim left them speechless.
"What the hell are you blabbering about, brat?" the old man asked from behind the counter, tilting his head in bewilderment.
Aiko, however, kept staring at him, weighing the gravity of his words.
"Exactly what I just said," Sunny replied—forced to speak the truth by his Flaw, though he refrained from elaborating further. "Why? Do I need to repeat myself?"
Lost from Light had thought carefully about how to convince Aiko to join him right away. And if possible, this time he wanted to bring old Steve along too—the man destined in every timeline to perish during the siege of the Crimson Spire. Knowing that outcome, Sunny wanted to attempt to save him.
Beyond that, he wanted to practice his sorcery and weave, building a reputation for his Memory boutique long before it officially entered the waking world market by spreading rumors among the Bright City inhabitants.
Sunny would have preferred to keep things entirely to himself. However, while Weaver's lineage—[The Weave]—granted him incredible abilities, including weaving Memories on his own, it also bound him closer to the forgotten deity: the Dream God.
To avoid drawing the gaze of the God of Corruption, Sunny had to keep an exceptionally low profile and stay off the radar. Thus, using Aiko and Steve as a front allowed him to practice his unique sorcery while simultaneously securing the raw materials and resources needed for his training.
"So, if you're telling us all this, I assume you possess an Aspect that allows you to forge and enchant Memories?"
Aiko asked, crossing her arms over her chest, her interest thoroughly piqued.
Her internal nose for profit was tingling.
"Well... let's call it a unique capability of mine rather than an ability," Sunny replied, meeting her gaze.
Steve snorted at that. "Even assuming you can actually do all that, what about repairs? Kid, repairing a Memory requires channeling soul essence, but we're Sleepers. We can't actively manipulate essence. How the hell are you supposed to manage that?" the old man pointed out.
Lost from Light's smile didn't fade; instead, it grew bolder and more brazen. "Allow me to demonstrate."
Without delay, Sunny summoned the broken [Mantle of the Underworld].
In a storm of white sparks, the dark stone armor materialized and hit the wooden floor with a heavy, resonant thud.
Before Aiko could tally up the bill for the floor damage, the black snake-like tattoo slithering across Sunny's skin shifted.
"What are you—" she began, but choked on her words as she witnessed something entirely unprecedented.
Placing his hands upon the armor, Sunny—assisted by Serpent's [Shadow Guide]—channeled his essence, infusing it directly into the Memory to repair its damaged weaves.
Normally, repairing an Ascended-rank Memory would take Sunny at least a week. However, he possessed the memories and mastery of his previous lives. Utilizing the traits granted by [The Weave] to convert his essence into pure Soul Essence, combined with the advanced essence manipulation technique Eurys had taught him, he accelerated the process sevenfold.
Five minutes passed in absolute silence. Neither old Steve nor Aiko dared to breathe.
They watched in stunned awe as the suit of armor—which had hung uselessly as decor for years—began to visibly restore itself.
Then, Sunny stopped.
The armor still bore several dents and hairline fractures, but with sufficient time and patience, it would be fully restored and completely functional.
Steve exploded. "YOU SON OF A—"
Aiko lunged forward, grabbing the rotund old man by the arms before he could vault over the counter and beat out every single soul shard Sunny had bargained off him for the "useless" armor.
"If you don't mind, my colleague and I need a moment to discuss this in private," she said, offering Sunny a tight, polite smile while restraining Steve by his sleeves.
"Take all the time you need," Sunny replied smoothly, returning the courtesy.
Aiko dragged her partner behind the counter, pulling him down out of sight for a quiet conference.
"What do you think?" she whispered, cupping a hand around her mouth.
"I think that wretched little shit just scammed me!" Steve barked back loudly enough for Sunny to hear every word.
"I say we accept," Aiko countered.
"What?!" The old man was dumbfounded by his assistant's proposal.
"Think about it," Aiko urged. "He can create whatever Memories he wants, enchant them at will, and even repair broken ones. If we don't partner with him, he'll become our competitor and drive us straight into bankruptcy. Do you really want to end up begging in the streets of this city, running for your life?"
Steve fell silent, forced to swallow the bitter pill of being outsmarted while acknowledging her undeniable logic.
She added, "Besides, if he wants to remain anonymous, it's either because he was banished from the castle and can't show his face, or he despises Gunlag. Either way, we have everything to gain."
"Oh, I almost forgot!" Sunny piped up from in front of the counter while they were hushed in debate. "I can also craft Echoes."
"..."
"..."
Both of them froze, their mouths dropping open in utter disbelief.
Before Steve could say another word, Aiko vaulted over the counter with an athletic grace he didn't know she possessed.
"Deal, Boss!" she announced, seizing his hand with both of hers and shaking it vigorously.
Sunny could literally see dollar signs gleaming in her pupils.
With a genuine smile, he covered her hands with his other palm, sealing the pact. "Very well. From today onward, we are partners."
Then he added, "Oh, by the way... my name is Sunless. But you can call me Sunny."
Aiko, still holding his hand, beamed at him—thrilled by the prospect of future riches, and genuinely excited for this new partnership.
One that, perhaps in the future, might evolve into something even more.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~