Ch. 27
Sunny didn't want to leave the bed and wake up for another day. It had just been so long since he'd had the pleasure of sleeping like one of Medusa's victims – Sunny remembered something about her being some kind of ancient creature that could turn people into stone, or whatever Nephis had told him- in his bed. His bed! Not the random ones he'd found in the Academy, or the one in the Bright Castle. It was different on a fundamental plane. The texture of the mattress, its softness, the way it held his body at the perfect temperature, neither cold nor hot, the elegant design on the wood… It all just couldn't be compared to the others.
The sun had long risen high in the sky, but the room Sunny was sleeping in offered no way for the rays to enter. In his previous life, he had had a turbulent sleep cycle, most of the time resting during the day and hunting during the night. He used the Ordinary Rock to wake himself up… unfortunately, he had forgotten. Due to said reason, he was currently still cocooned in his blanket, delighted to have the comfortable bed embrace him.
Still half-unconscious, he heard someone talking to him. She seemed a little worried.
Where are you, Sunny? You told me we'd be back by lunch.
Mmmm… 5 more minutes, Neph…
A note of slight disbelief flooded the mental connection.
What?
Sleep a little bit more…
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In the outskirt of the Bright Castle, a tanned tall woman was enthusiastically munching on an enormous piece of neatly cooked meat… Next to her laid a pile of bones. Suddenly, she heard a quiet giggle from the house – if it could be called that- she was leaning against. Turning slightly, she saw the usually serious Changing Star covering her mouth, her chest trembling.
' She can laugh too, then! But, wait a second, what is she laughing at?'
Effie glanced at Nephis again. Her eyebrows scrunched up. There was absolutely nobody or nothing in the room.
'Is she mad.'
With a sigh, she raised her snack towards the sky.
'Ah, well, here in the Forgotten Shore, everyone is bit crazy.' She lingered for a moment. 'I'm toasting alone, after all!'
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As Sunny heard his lover laugh softly through their bond reality dawned on him. He bolted and stood up, massaging the back of his neck, embarrassed.
Erm… Good morning, Neph.
Apparently, he hadn't noticed yet that it wasn't morning anymore through the shadow of the Crimson Spire.
Good afternoon to you too, little vampire.
If Sunny were in a comic, an interrogative point would have appeared above him as he tilted his head. Good afternoon…?
His eyes went wide open again. 'Little vampire!?'
Who are you calling a vampire!? I'll let you know that…
What? You are pale, bony, sleeps during day and lives in the shadows. The only difference between you and Dracula is that you are short.
The tone of her voice was even and composed, not at all hinting at the words exiting her mouth- or rather, being spoken in his mind.
W-what!? I'm not —
His tongue was blocked by his Flaw, making him stagger.
See, you can't even deny it.
Sunny tried to preserve what little remained of his dignity, which, in all honesty, he had hardly ever possessed, by changing argument.
I will stay here until I reach the quote of Shadow Fragments needed to turn Saint into a Shadow, and hopefully clean this place a little, too.
Sure, Sunny. See you in a couple of days, then.
His body moved on autopilot as he washed himself with the Endless Spring and ate.
His whole mind was focused on a single question.
'Did she gain two thousands fragments already and became a demon? That's the only possible explanation!'
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The next evening, Sunny was excitedly making his way to the temple as looked at his runes.
Shadow Fragments: [104/2000]
He was finally ready!
He hummed a joyful tune as he walked through the streets of the destroyed city. His dear Saint was coming back! He would slaughter monster with her, impress soldiers with her, be confused with her – that actually wasn't really ideal- feed her his hard-earnt Memories to turn her into a killing machine more than she already was, and a lot more, lovely things. He couldn't wait. He had also received a Memory of the III Tier, but he hadn't stopped to analyse it yet.
Finally in the priestess's quarters, Sunny dove in Soul Sea. The lightless abyss and its calm, dark waters were the same as always. The shadow at his periphery were still and purposeless. It felt a little empty, compared to his Soul as a Sovereign. There were only five humans: four were random and nameless soldiers he had finished off in his first Nightmare, and Auro of the Nine. The nightmare creatures were mainly composed of Scavengers, but there were many monstrous centipedes, spiders and a couple of Nether's children. Saint's shadow was there, too. Sunny stared at her before summoning the Echo.
The Stone Saint appeared in front of him. Its appearance was the same, but it lacked that spark in her eyes that contradistinguished his Shadows.
[Do you wish to turn the Echo into a Shadow?]
His voice echoed in the dark expanse of his Soul Sea: "Yes."
Two dark beams shot out of his Monster Core, one aimed at the silent shadow and one at the Echo. As the shadow and the Echo seemed to fuse, a sudden pressure permeated the Soul Sea, a nearly imperceptible making the waters restless and motionless at the same time.
Light falling from the lightless Monster Core seeped into the flesh of Stone Saint, and a black flame enveloped her, reforging the very nature of her being: the radiance of the weave inside her was consumed by shadows and darkness.
Her very presence had changed, now more akin to that of a living being, as the black rays retreated and the flames were absorbed.
Sunny approached her with a smile, ignoring the emptiness he felt inside him due to the loss of a hundred Shadow Fragments.
[You've created a Shadow Monster, Stone Saint.]
"Welcome back, Saint!"
The stone beauty regarded him for a moment before hitting the rim of her shield with her closed fist.
Then, leaving Sunny brooding, she reached out and pinched his cheeks.
He stammered and took a step back.
"H-hey stop! You can't do this!"
Saint raised her arm again, but Sunny skilfully evaded the lethal pinch. 'Not even my Shadows are obeying me! What is this injustice? ' In a desperate last attempt to distract Saint, Sunny summoned a useless Awakened dagger of the I Tier, and offered it to her.
Saint observed the Memory for a moment, then, instead of destroying it to grow stronger, she subtly shook her head. Dumbfounded, Sunny summoned her runes.
Shadow: Stone Saint
Shadow Rank: Awakened
Shadow Class: Monster
Shadow Attributes: [Battle Master], [Stalwart], [Flame of Divinity.]
Only the original [Spark of Divinity] had changed into [Flame of Divinity], but that was expected, because it changed according to his attributes.
Shadow Description: [Shadow Saint was created by the treacherous Lost From Light in the cursed darkness of the Forgotten Shore].
Sunny sighed. Why did the Spell keep addressing him as treacherous? He had only betrayed Hero, the cohort in the Estuary, the King of Swords…
And, where a familiar line should've been, was nothing.
Sunny stared at where the count of Shadow Fragments should've been for a few seconds before he started to laugh maniacally.
'What the hell!'
Why wasn't there anything? Was it because the Spell was somewhat aware he had regressed, and didn't want to aid him to much? How was he supposed to make her evolve, then? He could only think of true darkness, and it would be a difficult ordeal to achieve that.
He sat on the waters of his Soul Sea before he summoned the new Memory he had acquired, in an attempt to console himself that would surely be fruitless. How could he not fall into depression when his infallible plan of turning the evolution of Saint into a virtuous cycle, where she'd do all the work of slaughtering Corrupted abominations to become Supreme, Great Ones to become Sacred, and finally Cursed creature to become Divine, had failed?
The Memory coalesced into a small bug made of a strange mix of bones, stone and metals.
Name: [Unassuming bug.]
Rank: [Awakened]
Tier: III
Abilities: [Unassuming] [Stalker] [Pointer]
Unassuming: [It can blend in with its surrounding.]
Stalker:[You can see and can hear what happens around it in a ten meters radius.]
Pointer: [You always know its location.]
Despite his mood, a smile slowly made its way onto his face. Perhaps, he could use it to keep an eye on his sister. However, his mood soured again after reading its description.
[A greedy, rich and fat man lived in a prosperous kingdom. Appointed by the king, his duty was to organise the commerce of the Royal Family. However, he forced the work upon his black, far more respectable person and intellectual that had become his slave due to unfortunate circumstances. The man was beheaded after a little bug whispered the truth in the king's ear.
Putting all the work on someone else's shoulders is truly a despicable thing, wouldn't you agree, treacherous Lost From Light?]
Sunny couldn't believe his sight.
'Are- are you kidding me!?'