???

Memory: [Chrysalis of Eternal Eclipse]

Memory Rank: Divine.

Memory Type: Unknown.

Sunny's expression darkened.

'A divine memory?'

He doubted his first instinct to assume the Mad Prince had created it.

No matter how devious or powerful that madman had become, he couldn't have slain an Unholy Nightmare Creature to obtain a divine soul shard.

Not to mention…

'His essence strings could never withstand the power of divine essence..'

Then where?

Where in the Spell's name would he find a divine memory like this?

Among the two divine memories in Sunny's possession, the Shadow Lantern had been gifted to him by the Spell itself as a legacy relic.

The Weaver's mask had been left behind by Weaver.

'Is this… another one of the legacy relics?'

Is this perhaps another one of his aspect legacies? Could that Madman have pushed Shadow Dance to an even higher level? 

Sunny sighed.

He could have. Perhaps to the highest level, even.

His gaze returned to the cocoon.

Something about it…

The eerie resonance, the unnatural stillness, the way light and darkness coiled around its shell, neither fully consuming the other. It didn't feel like it had any connection to the Shadow God.

It felt wrong.

He exhaled slowly and continued reading.

Memory Description: [Light flayed it. Darkness stalked it. Hated by all, the -unknown- shattered the chains of reality, seeking refuge in a dream, a hollow promise of solace in the bounds of nothing. 

But fate offered no reprieve to the wretched being. 

Hunted, tormented, it suffered in the abyss of its first nightmare. For centuries, it writhed, cried out, burned in agony, begging Shadow for mercy. Silence was its only answer. 

...Until a treacherous shadow heard it.

The shadow slew the divine, the profane, and those that were neither. 

Forged in the crucible of twilight during the collapse of the First Dream, the Eternal Eclipse was a testament to the -unknown-'s eternal gratitude. Its creation defied absolute law, and it was hidden away to prevent the rise of a being capable of rewriting fate itself. Until…]

A deep, gnawing silence filled Sunny's soul sea. His breath came slow and measured, but his hands had clenched into fists.

This wasn't good. The implications behind these words were too vast, too terrifying.

'-unknown-'

The Spell only used that word to describe the creatures of the void. The harrowing abominations that had been sealed away by the Gods, caged beyond the layers of existence.

But the one mentioned here…

'It doesn't seem like a creature of the void.'

No—according to the description, it had been hated by both Light and Darkness.

By the divine and the profane.

...Just like the Vile Thieving Bird. Hated by the Gods. Loathed by the creatures of the Void.

A cold shudder ran down Sunny's spine.

'Is this merely a coincidence?'

No.

Not a chance in hell.

'Then… is this -unknown- somehow connected to that damn bird? And this memory—' 

Sunny's eyes darkened. 

'—is it a spawn of that thing, just like the Great Devil was the bird's spawn? But why would the Spell refuse to translate its name?

The only being ever referred to as unknown besides the creatures of the Void was the daemons' mysterious progenitor. Did this being have something in common with it?

More importantly, how had the Mad Prince found such a creature… let alone protected it from both the divine and the profane?

'...And the beings that were neither.'

That line gnawed at him. Was it more than just ominous phrasing?

The entity had sought refuge in the bounds of nothing, retreating into a dream.

Sunny exhaled sharply, rubbing his temples.

The Mad Prince could walk through dreams. Had he entered the -unknown-'s nightmare? Had he hunted down whatever tormented it there?

Sunny frowned. Somehow, it didn't feel that simple. The "treacherous shadow" the Spell mentioned was undoubtedly the Mad Prince… but the way it was written left too many questions unanswered.

'Why did the Spell call the creature's dream its first nightmare?'

That part disturbed him the most. The Nightmare Spell wasn't supposed to exist in the ancient past of the Dream Realm. Moreover, he had heard only humans to be its carriers.

And yet, the -unknown- was certainly not human.

…Or was it?

Even if that were the case, why had the Mad Prince gone out of his way to help it? What exactly was the Eternal Eclipse? And more pressingly… what the hell was meant to hatch from that harrowing cocoon? What did it mean to be a being capable of changing fate?

Fate...

Sunny's expression darkened.

What was the Mad Prince trying to accomplish by giving him this—Sunny scoffed—Divine Memory? What fate did he want to change?

There were too many gaps, too many missing pieces. Too many questions with no answers. And far too little time to waste pondering them.

'The night will be over soon, and I still haven't checked the third memory.' 

Sunny dismissed the cocoon and summoned the last, and perhaps the most important, memory in his arsenal. 

'I doubt it would have anything but ??? in its description too.'

He focused on the final orb orbiting his soul core and willed it to appear.

…Only to be met with silence.

The memory did not respond. It remained distant, as though it did not belong to him at all. It could only mean one thing.

Sunny froze. His breath hitched. 

'That's it!'

A shiver ran down his spine.

'That's where that bastard is hiding, isn't he?'

His body tensed as he took an instinctive step back, glaring at the orb circling his soul sea with deceptive innocence. His mind raced, thoughts spiralling. He willed it to appear again.

This time…

It did.

The orb floated down and solidified before him, revealing a peculiar shard of mirror embedded in dark, eldritch metal. It had no presence, no aura, no shadow—like it didn't exist beyond his sight.

It showed no trace of its earlier defiance, as if the entire incident had never happened.

Had he imagined it?

Had the thought of the Mad Prince lurking in his shadows finally pushed him into paranoia?

Narrowing his eyes, Sunny examined the runes.

Memory: [???]

Memory Rank: unknown.

Memory Type: unknown.

Memory Description: [???]

As expected, nothing.

If the Mad Prince wanted to disappear, this would be the perfect hiding place.

Hiding inside a memory... 

Some memories were capable of containing living beings—like Effie's pendant, or his own Covetous Coffer after he'd tampered with it. Could this mirror be one of them? Had the Mad Prince somehow stolen Soul Stealer's ability and was now lurking behind its reflection?

Sunny didn't know what the later stages of Shadow Dance entailed or what twisted abilities they granted. But he'd long suspected that mimicking other beings' attributes and aspect abilities was within its reach. That was how the Mad Prince had learned to traverse dreams—an ability meant to belong solely to Nightmare.

His fingers twitched as he glared at the mirror.

He almost wished the bastard would appear and laugh at him from within its depths, because what happened instead was far worse.

...Nothing.

His own reflection didn't appear. No presence stirred within the gleaming surface. It was as if the memory itself was… dead.

And yet, that only meant one thing. Sunny had no idea where the Mad Prince was hiding.

If he knew the madman was trapped inside this memory, he could at least breathe easier. But now? Now, the Mad Prince could be here, or he could be anywhere else in the world, two worlds really. The whole of existence was his playgrounds. 

Damnation.

With a deep breath, Sunny stepped out from his soul sea, casting a fleeting glance at the serpent's runes before calling it a night. As expected, it had only one attribute—[Shadow Guide]—due to him possessing a single core.

He exhaled deeply.

He would've much preferred [Soul Weapon] instead. As a Sleeper, [Shadow Guide] wouldn't grant him much control over his essence. A weapon, on the other hand, could have been useful.

Sunny sighed—then paused. A thought surfaced, the image of an onyx armour appeared in his mind. 

The Mantle of the Underworld.

His lips curled into a slow, knowing smile.

'Maybe I have a use for it after all.'

...

Morning arrived with the weight of exhaustion pressing down on him. Even Sleepers, who had more resilience than mundane humans, weren't immune to the toll of a sleepless night. But rest wasn't a luxury he could afford—not when he had so much left to do.

Stifling a yawn, Sunny made his way to the breakfast area and filled his tray. As he walked through the hall, he caught more than a few unpleasant stares. Conversations hushed as he passed, whispers dying mid-sentence.

'Huh? Why are they acting this way? I made sure not to antagonize anyone this time.'

It was odd, but he didn't dwell on it. He headed toward his usual spot—next to the lonely blind girl. Only this time, she wasn't there.

'Strange. Did Cassie change her dining spot?' 

Unlikely. But he wasn't about to wait for her. Shrugging off the thought, he dug into his meal.

Some time later, the familiar blonde girl entered the hall, trailed by an assistant. Cassie, too, was met with the same stares. The crowd shifted away from her as she passed, as if she carried some unseen plague. No one spoke to her, no one waved, no one even acknowledged her presence beyond necessity.

'I see.'

So that's how it was.

Even though Sunny had done nothing out of place this time, mere association with the blind girl had been enough to mark him. His appraisal being only marginally higher than the 'dead' girl certainly didn't help either.

Not that it mattered.

He had no business with these people anyway.

…And yet, it still irked him.

He had a good reason to hate Cassie, but the others? They didn't even know her. And still, they avoided her like she was diseased—just because she was weak. Just because she was helpless.

Sunny clenched his jaw, bitter memories of his own childhood clawing their way to the surface.

'That's just how humans are.'

Cassie sat on the opposite side of the bench, and the two continued their breakfast in silence. 

...

Soon, it was time for the introductory combat class. The sleepers had gathered around Instructor Rock, and unlike last time, Sunny was here in the flesh rather than lurking through the eyes of his shadow.

Today, the newcomers would be divided based on their combat potential and assigned either a tutor or a sparring partner. This was different from the special combat class he shared with Caster, which focused on refining techniques with specific weapons. Instead, this session was a broader introduction to battle—one that would teach basic combat to everyone.

Last time, he had been shackled to wilderness survival, due to his lack of knowledge on basic things like making fires, navigation and finding shelter. But now, he had freedom. More importantly, he wasn't going to miss a single opportunity to watch Caster fight.

That was his main reason.

…He definitely wasn't just looking for another chance to meet Nephis.

His gaze roamed across the crowd, searching for a familiar face. When his gaze met Nephis, an involuntary smile spread on his lips before he even realized it.

Nephis stared at him for a moment, her expression unreadable. Then, as if deciding to mimic his reaction, she attempted a smile of her own.

...At least, that's what he assumed it was supposed to be.

Sunny sighed.

'She still has a long way to go in socializing.'

As he turned away from her, another gaze met his eyes. 

It was Caster.

The proud legacy was surrounded by his usual entourage of highborn sleepers, fellow legacies wrapped in the delusion of superiority. Their kind viewed 'mongrels' like him as insects to be ignored at best, crushed at worst.

Even though Caster himself maintained the persona of an honourable and humble person, Sunny had seen his true self. 

Still…

'Why is that bastard looking at me like I just asked for his sister's hand?'

Caster's gaze shifted slightly—to Nephis, who was still standing there, her forced smile lingering awkwardly. Then, his eyes widened ever so slightly, as if struck by a sudden, earth-shattering realization.

Sunny felt a chill creep up his spine.

'No way… Did this guy just come to a terrible misunderstanding?'

Somehow, he had the distinct feeling that his list of problems had just grown longer.

...

It was time for the punching machine. Everyone took turns punching the metal plate, with most getting scored around ten to fourteen. Like last time, Nephis scored sixteen, which was impressive considering she didn't use her aspect. 

But it was Caster who took the spotlight. Even this time Sunny wasn't able to see the flying fist — it was just too fast. The machine trembled, then displayed the familiar numbers. Twenty one.

Everyone was stunned, shocked for a moment, then showered him with praise. Instructor Rock smiled. 

"Not bad. Now on to the last one." 

He gave a pitiful glance at the last remaining sleeper who had to follow such an amazing display. It was Sunny's turn. 

Unlike the proud legacy, no one was expecting anything from him. The few glances thrown at him were out of pity, or curiosity if they would perhaps see a new 'low.' Cassie wasn't here after all, so the title of the weakest fell on his shoulders. 

Not that Sunny minded. The more people underestimated him, the better.

Although, now he had the power of 68 fragments. Even without the augmentation of his shadow, he would end up surpassing Nephis if he gave it his all. 

'I will just hold back enough to score somewhere around 11 or 12.'

With a focused breath, he readied his fist, moving to strike. But just before he did, he caught a gaze that stood out among the others. Instead of pity, it gleamed with something else— excitement, almost cheering him to do his best. 

It was Nephis. 

At that moment, the thought of holding back vanished entirely. It was replaced by a desire to give it his all. He struck the plate with all his might.

...And the result met him with more than a few surprised stares. 

Because the screen blinked— twenty-five. 

Author's note: Do share your thoughts in the comments about the chapter. Hope you liked it.