'How odd... I know I'm going to be the richest person in the world and yet I still feel so... so out of place'
Sunny looked around the hall where almost a hundred infected were gathered, most of them dressed up neatly and holding suitcases. Sunny turned his gaze away from those who looked at him oddly glancing at a new place each time, and each time his eyes met another.
'What are these bastards looking at...'
Sunny was oblivious but the reason was quite obvious and it was for the same reason that people were looking at Nephis... well it was the same as one of the reasons people looked at Nephis.
He was gorgeous.
No, Sunny was like a mix of beautiful and handsome, so much so that most of the people in the hall couldn't tell what gender he was. The lineage of a God was truly something amazing for the body.
That was something of a blessing but to Sunny it was starting to become a nightmare.
Each moment someone new was approaching him with the intent of starting a conversation.
Now Sunny did not need to be rude to any of them and he had decided not to be, but he also already had a lot on his mind and didn't want to worry about these people of which most of them, he would never speak again.
The conversations were very basic and made it seem that Sunny was not a very social creature. They went something like this:
"Hey what's your name?"
"... Its Sunless"
"That's an odd name"
"Yeah but its all my mother left me before she died"
...
"Look at all these young people. How many do you think will return from the Dream Realm? How many will perish? What do you think our own chances of survival are?"
"I'm from the outskirts, honestly I'm more worried about myself"
...
"Then those lowlifes began to rob the bodies. It was disgusting! They even took their shoes! What kind of degenerate would take a dead man's shoes?"
"Survival is difficult sometimes. I've had to do things in my nightmare too'
...
After a few more conversations of similar nature, the other sleepers did not want to bother him. Though their perception of him was significantly of by margins that exited the page. The picture he painted was of a weak and almost helpless boy from the outskirts who was forced into doing some grueling things within his nightmare that he did not want to.
Was Sunny from the outskirts? Yes
Was he weak and helpless? Absolutely not
And being forced to do things he didn't want to in his nightmare? Of course he was, Sunny was angry that he didn't get to slit the broad shouldered slaves throat himself
'Well this is a better impression than my past created...'
He did not like the looks he got, as if he were a wounded animal but Sunny had heard in the past that wounded animals should not be approached so it worked well in that regard
He would also not be known as a pervert so that was another plus.
He even managed to form a somewhat neutral relationship with Caster. It was not that good honestly but for someone who's throat Sunny wanted to rip out he felt he spoke well.
"Ascended? You have received an Ascended Aspect? What… what was your Appraisal?!" - That young man spoke to Caster just as Sunny had seen
"Oh. It was "excellent."
"Well that's a legacy after all"
There was a murmur of whispers and congratulations
Sunny whistled - "That's amazing"
The heads turned to him and he took a step back as if nervous
"Ah sorry for butting in"
One of Casters goons spoke up again - "Don't worry about it. Its just the truth after all"
He paused for a second - "Wait you're that outskirts rat right?"
There was a bit of murmuring again, something about - 'Don't be rude' and 'Don't bring that up... you know they don't survive'
Sunny gave a chuckle - "Yeah... that's me"
Caster had spoken, finally - "That's rather impressive, friend. Not many in the outskirts survive the first nightmare, or so I've heard. Come tell us of your aspect..."
Sunny smiled internally as his mind churned preparing to spout a nice load of bullshit - "Ah, that awakened was quite difficult... but an aspect above the ascended rank felt fitting even if I'm practically going to die regardless"
"A transcendent aspect! That's amazing!" - One of Casters fan boys spoke
Awakened could have meant many many things, from beast to titan and it was most likely that everyone thought he faced of against a beast
And as for his wording - 'Higher than an ascended rank' - naturally meant that Sunny was trying to be respectful to Caster while not boasting so those around had naturally assumed that it was of the transcendent rank
Sunny held his head for a second - "Please excuse me... I'm going to sit down"
Sunny was in fact, planning to sit down. So, he turned and left as his ears picked up the words from the back
"Poor kid... if he had not been from the outskirts his chances of becoming a master would have been high with a transcendent aspect"
"Yeah and he looks good too..."
"What?"
"Nothing!"
Sunny chuckled inwardly and walked towards a corner of the room. The corner where people seemed to be avoiding like it held the scent of death.
"Hi, can I sit here?"
Cassie had probably thought Sunny was talking to another person did not respond. He tapped her finger and watched as she flinched
He softened his tone and repeated himself - "Can I sit here with you?"
"S... Sure"
Sunny sat down and looked at her.
This was Cassia or the cohort called her, Cassie or Cass
She was also the person, aside from Weaver, who had the greatest influence on Sunny's line of life and even his fate - 'To think such a frail little thing would become one of the most fearsome awakened...'
"So... you have a name?" - He wanted to slap his head
"Cassia, my name is Cassia..."
"That's a pretty name. My name's Sunless, but my friends call me Sunny"
"That's an odd name... Sunny"
"Yeah, I was born on an eclipse and my mom had a poetic soul you see"
"It's unique..." - She chuckles
Sunny wondered to himself - 'When was the last time she laughed since beating the first nightmare?'
"I suppose it is, Cassia is not that common too"
"You can call me Cassie if you want"
"I will take you up on that" - Sunny's smile was so comically large that it reflected in his voice too.
"So uh... Sunny. Why are you sitting here with me. I'm sure you've guessed my flaw"
"So?"
"What do you mean, so?"
"Why would your flaw make me not want to sit with you, honestly it had the opposite effect"
"Huh..."
"Anyone who thinks someone with such a flaw is weak is undoubtedly a fool"
"I... I hope you're right"
"I don't lie Cassie, you better bet on the spell that I'm right"
Cassie chuckled lightly but they were soon interrupted.
'Gods he really does look like someone born of bear and man...'
Awakened Instructor Rock had arrived and Sunny wanted to sigh
He knew everything the man was going to say, in fact, Sunny knew more than he did. By the time the man had stopped talking Sunny's stomach was already acting up
'I'm hungry... make it fast man'
Eventually after what felt like decades, They were dismissed.
Sunny watched as one of the helpers at the Academy came to assist Cassie - "We'll meet up later here okay Cassie?"
He sighed in relief, he was just about to say 'I'll see you later'
"Okay Sunny, bye" - She gave a radiant smile
'...Perhaps... perhaps Nephis was not wrong about destroying the spell' - If it did not exist would Cassie have become blind, would she be fated to become a witness to all that death?
He woke up and as he did, he gritted his teeth - 'The spell is just a virus, a virus that had to spread because of that infection sleeping '
No matter how he felt about the spell now, it did not change the fact that the spell was the reason humanity had survived so far. If the dream god was not contained ... Cassie would not have had a chance to become blind because she would be dead
Or worse
She would become a Nightmare Creature where she would be forced to hunt the uncorrupted, and maybe that could have been her own family.
No, His goals did not change.
The Dream must either be destroyed or kept sealed within the Void. Permanently.
Sunny walked into his room.
He found the room already equipped with all the things he would need, just as he had foreseen
The bed with the soft mattress, the dresser, the personal bathroom and a table with a desk and pen sitting there.
Sunny walked over to the desk and pulled the chair forward and sat down. He took the pen in his hand and began to write
The first line he wrote read:
Academy Goals
1.) Learn from Teacher Julius
Sunny knew everything he needed to with regards to understanding runes and different languages. In fact he knew everything he needed to but there were things in which, knowing was not enough
The first example was swimming which Sunny needed above all else, he was going to be dropped in the sea after all.
He knew the knowledge of how to swim, but then again, everyone did. Get in the water, move your hands as if you were climbing horizontally and kick your feet, knowing this was the same as riding a bicycle.
Just because you know to sit down, hold the handle and move the paddle did not mean that one could ride one. Similarly it did not mean he could swim
2.) Eat and Train
Sunny's body was definitely enhanced to to his Aspect and new found lineage but he could definitely increase that more, no matter how small it was especially if he had full free access to good food and training facilities.
3.) Increase or at lease build a relationship with both Cassie and Nephis.
One of those was going to be significantly more difficult than the other, and it was not the one that he had already took the first step in.
Sunny also didn't need to, at all in fact but Sunny was going to tell her that she would be fine. That she would be safe and would survive and above that, that he would take care of her once they met up
...
That was about it for the things that Sunny needed to do that would take time
Now he turned his attention to the things he could focus on now.
Sunny was going to analyze his own strength and above that his collective strength in combination with his new Shadows.
"There is something important we need to test too..." -Sunny looked at the wall where Gloomy was currently residing.
Sunny first summoned the puppeteers shroud and moved around by himself getting used to the feeling of having armor on. Then he wrapped gloomy around his body and felt a surge in his strength.
"It's stronger than the memory had shown..."
Of course it was, Sunny was a no longer just a shadow left behind by a dead god. He was the heir that, that god had left behind.
After he was done with that Sunny dismissed the armor and Gloomy returned to his post.
"You want to see our first Shadow of this life?"
The shadow nodded rather enthusiastically
Unlike the last time, Saint was not his first shadow. Now that title was going to be handed over to a guardian of a dead gods temple.
Sunny summoned the runes first
Shadow: [Shadow Knight]
Shadow Rank: Dormant
"What?!" - He moved so close to the runes that he almost forgot it was not tangible.
"No you were definitely awakened, at least!"
He sat there and racked his mind. His memories could not aid him this time and after about 10 minutes.
He had nothing
Sunny could not think of anything at all - 'How did its rank decrease...'
He sighed sadly as he continued to read the runes
Shadow Class: Devil
'Well that's interesting...'
Shadow Fragments: 2145/4000
'Well that's extra interesting...'
Sunny knew the main difference between his shadows and some pathetic echo was that his shadows could grow. Saint would grow by devouring memories and darkness, and even nothing. Fiend could literally just eat and Serpent was tied both to his soul and legacy
'So how do you grow...'
That was another question that Sunny would need to unearth about the silent guardian.
'At least, you're halfway there to tyranthood'
Shadow Attributes: [Iron Rhythm], [Unbroken Vow], [Weight of War]
Sunny stopped and studied each of the runes and he was rather impressed to say the least.
This shadow shared many attributes similar to Saint. So much so that Sunny questioned if he had originated from Nether as well.
Iron Rhythm was similar to saints battle master but rather than being proficient in all types of battle, He would be able to 'lose' himself while in a battle and follow the rhythm of another's battle style and thus he would possess its power too.
In many aspects it was similar to Shadow Dance if it consisted of only the first step and only when it came to weaponry and style, not assimilation like himself.
Weight of war was quite powerful to, it was almost a mind attack of sorts that causes any enemy he struck with his weapon to suffer the memories that the Knight had seen
and given how ancient the being was... well Sunny did not want to be hit with that in the middle of batte
Unbroken Vow too, was similar to saints stalwart but unlike her invincibility to mind attacks the Knight seemed to possess a 'vow' to Sunny. So even under the influence of another he would not be able to harm Sunny
If anything it was not similar to stalwart
'Its more similar to the Shadow Bond...'
That thought made Sunny a bit uncomfortable, he knew his shadows were in essence his ... slaves, but he had never treated them like that... or well he would never
'Well... at least you chose to be bound to me... wait!'
His mind shifted into place with regard to one mystery of the Knight
Shadow Description: [A lonesome Knight stood, unbroken in his vow to a god long gone. He was fated for death and fated to be forgotten but then through the biting cold atop the tallest peak surrounded by bones and snow, he stood. The heir to his god that reached out a hand and all of a sudden, the knight was not that lonesome anymore. His vow was made anew, unbroken and unyielding and so it was made true - A knight and a lord bound by Shadow and Soul]
'So that's it...'
Shadow Knight was no longer just his first Shadow, but his first Soul bound thing as well
'But he's a devil and I'm still a beast... does his rank depend on my soul cores quality rather than number?'
That was the situation. It was clear in the fact that while he was a beast the Knight remained a devil and now that he was still a dormant, the Knight had assumed that rank too.
Shadow Abilities: [Shadow Blade]
That one was exactly as it sounded. The Knight could form any blade of his choice.
The Knights abilities and general information was one of Sunny's main concerns but this next one was the bigger problem that his past had an opinion on
But Sunny was different from his past now.
Can he have more than 1 shadow when all he had was 1 core?
Shadow Dance Mastery Level: [3/7]
First Relic: Claim?
Second Relic: Claim?
Third Relic: Claim?
Fourth Relic: Unearned
"Claim"
"Claim"
"Claim"
He whispered and then the spell spoke
[You have received a Shadow: Soul Serpent]
Sunny let out a turbid breath - "Thank the Spell"
It seemed that now, the number of shadows Sunny had was not limited to his number of cores. Or maybe he should have been and shadows lineage had changed that limit too.
[You have received a memory: Drop of Ichor]
[You have received a memory: Shadow Lantern]
Sunny refocused after the relief and focused again
He had Shadow Gods lineage already, but here was the drop of ichor of the same god. He could save it and give it to someone else but...
'If it remained a reward there must be a benefit to consuming it'
And so he did. The drop was summoned and the spell asked if he wanted to consume it and he had said yes
The thing was that Sunny hadn't gotten a chance to check what it had done
Because he had just died.