Secrets of the Cinema

And it waved at her.

Rain's eyes widened at the sight, as she fought back the unusual urge to squeal in excitement. She could barely contain herself as everything was shown on her face. Luckily everyone was still discussing the events in the previous reward and was paying no mind to her.

As she sat silently, her face slightly changed as the dopamine receded, now replaced with logic and a growing suspicion.

Briefly, she looked side to side before tilting her head forward,

"Master, why have you been hiding all this?" she whispered

The shadow continued to stare at her, which was in her expectations, however, it exhibited no subtle movements or expressions to communicate how she felt. Over the last four years, they had figured out an unspoken chain of simple gestures to use when he wanted to convey something to her, when others were around.

Seeing that he hated and was scared of social interaction, apart from anyone other than her.

But now, all her shadow did was stare at her silently, like it was observing something it had long lost and cherished.

Her eyes narrowed as unease grew in her stomach,

"Really? So shy that you want me to introduce you or something?"

"Why don't you go greet your supposed girlfriend who now, kind of knows who you are?" she hissed in a joking tone.

The shadow briefly stared at her, before it slowly turned its head to look at Nephis, who was currently conversing with the rest of the cohort. It stared at her for a lengthy amount of time, seemingly deep in thought, before it then turned back to face her.

It raised its hands, fingers moving, seemingly trying to communicate with….literal, shadow puppets.

Rain watched with wide eyes as it stopped, finally having formed a message,

"MISSED.YOU."

Rain shuddered, as her eyes grew wide with shock,

There had been no indication or reason for her brother to suddenly appear or be brought here.

And yet he missed her?

Sure, Rain was an excellent disciple, a prodigy one might say, that people should feel honored to be in the grace of while teaching. But it hadn't been that long since they had been brought here.

She thought…..and hoped.

Nevertheless, it didn't make sense for her Master to immediately convey his feelings about how he missed her. Maybe now that his identity had been revealed to her, his emotions were slipping and becoming soft…

No….

That was not his style, if anything he would be grinning ear to ear as he instead taunted her about how he always said so, and that she should learn to be more honest like him…

'Missed you….'

Rain's eye twitched,

'No way.....'

'WAS THE PRINCE OF MADNESS IN HER SHADOW?!?!'

She became light headed at the realization. It explained it all, from the unusual behaviour to the unsettling cold feeling she felt from him…

But how!?

Had he in fact managed to breach the place and jumped into her shadow unnoticed, or had some unseen change happened that allowed him into the room? Slowly, she turned back to her shadow, her anxiety screaming as her lips twitched with an awkward smile.

"I-It's you i-isn't it..?" she stammered, her breath shaky.

The shadow continued to hold eye contact, as it briefly nodded, causing Rain's body shake.

The Mad Prince was indeed hiding in her shadow….

She was reeling. The literal evil and corrupted version of her brother was now hiding in her shadow and talking to her. What the hell would happen next!?!

Jump out and kill everyone?

Plot to destroy this place?

Corrupt everyone?

Terrible possibilities flooded her mind, as she groaned in stress. Her eyes flashing back, scanning him for any suspicious activity. But there was none.

It simply stared at her, slightly tilting its head.

At the sight, Rain's heart softened, fear and stress slightly calming. Yes, it was an evil and corrupted version of her brother…..but it was still…..her brother. It was still Sunny, the amazing person who she had learned so much about, and seen do so many aspiring things, which left her giddy, excited, and although she hated to admit it…..proud.

Her brother was a freaking Divine, Saint, connected to Daemons and the Shadow God!

Who wouldn't want to gloat about such things?

But more importantly….he was still her brother and master, who clearly loved and cared for her deeply. She had caught a glimpse at what she dreaded he had gone through alone, and so it felt wrong for her to look at him with disgust and rejection.

More importantly….it seemed like he was calm around her.

Like she was some sort of beacon….or anchor, that calmed him and slightly quelled the madness and corruption within.

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, before looking at her shadow.

"How did you get here?" she questioned

The shadow slightly turned, pointing at the screen.

So the room did act and pull him here…..

"Why?" she pressed.

The shadow remained silent for a few seconds, before it shrugged nonchalantly. It seemed he didn't know either.

"Can you talk or do anything, or are you also mundane in here?" she continued, her voice full of suspicion.

Her shadow looked at her, as his hands moved once again, forming a new statement.

"I.SHADOW."

'Yes, yes, and I Rain…'

She leaned back, sighing in relief. So, it indeed did seem like he couldn't do anything, not even speak, which was a relief. Properly and perfectly filling the role of a shadow, like he was. Though, it was a question on how long and if she could even hide this from everyone else.

She frowned.

Why should she?

It wasn't her responsibility. Why the hell did she have so many bums freeloading in her shadow like it was their home? And for free? She scoffed at the prospect of how her hospitality was being taken advantage of.

'From now on, this shadow ain't free….i'm establishing rent you damn cheapskate! One memory capable of killing a God periodically, or at least some world changing information!'

'Take it or find someone else's shadow to mooch on!"

She paused as her eyes narrowed,

'Wait…I can't be too cruel of a landlord, or else I may actually lose my tenant…I can adjust the demands later' she murmured in deep thought

More importantly, she was puzzled on what would happen once she left this place whenever that was. What would happen then? How the hell would she explain what happened to her Master, including how there was an alternate corrupted version of him chilling in her shadow?

Would they fight over custody of her shadow?

Like two roaches?

That was given if she survived until she could leave, and what would happen to her after returning to the real world was its own problem entirely….

Her eyes narrowed,

"Will you kill everyone in this room?" she questioned in a serious tone.

Her Shadow twitched, as if scoffing, before raising its shoulders to imitate a shrug.

Rain's eyes twitched,

She slowly turned around, to sneak a glance at Mordret. Currently, he was watching with amusement as Morgan conversed with the other Valor Saints in a serious tone. He didn't notice her gaze to her delight. She turned back around, rubbing her face with agitation.

'Great…now there's two, lunatics in this room, except one is my brother' she silently groaned.

Fortunately, people began to quiet down, clearly wishing to discuss the events that had just transpired, so they could better understand Sunny and his backstory. And hopefully….leave this place.

Julius stepped up,

"So…..that somewhat solves the mystery of their Third Nightmare, and also reveals a lot of information"

"Especially the warning to not trust the gods…" his voice echoed, as eyes narrowed.

'Never trust the Gods and their vain lies…'

The statement still repeated in everyone's minds, it left them all shook at the ambiguity. Something the Gods had done or knew, and thus erased it from the world. Something so terrible, that even the mention of the truth would supposedly bring corruption.

It was mortifying.

Some even regretted now knowing this reclusive information, fearing that it would cause unseen forces to put their attention on them. But what was done was done. Now that they knew the truth, they had to understand and live with it….or find peace in oblivion.

And yet….

The Prince of Madness had learned the truth.

Who else, but such a treacherous existence could pry into the secrets of Gods and get away with it?

He had learned the truth and endured the corruption for eons, and still managed to escape. Now residing in an ordinary Cafe. It was disorienting to comprehend.

Noctis coughed, "Indeed, I never put my faith fully in the Gods, I always had an uncomfortable feeling they were hiding something"

Heads turned towards him in interest.

"How so?" Saint Cor questioned,

Noctis laughed, "Anyone who's lived long enough would have noticed it….something happened….they grew distant from everything, sometimes even lashing out, but mostly forsaking their believers in silence"

Daeron and Windflower silently lowered their heads, as they thought about the words.

"Indeed….it is a mystery which we know little and risk learning about….our only hope is to learn more through filtered information in the viewings" Daeron murmured.

Everyone became silent.

'More viewings…'

Eyes slightly dropped at the mention of the words, conflict breathing in everyone's minds. Naturally, they yearned to learn more about the mystery of Sunny's existence, gaining vast knowledge about hidden secrets and unknown information.

But in the end….

It was tiring.

As one ascends, their existence changes. Food becomes less necessary, thought processes become complex and accelerated, their entire biology changes. But at the end of the day….they're human.

And humans have their limits.

The air became heavy as people rubbed their faces in thought, their minds wandering until a light flashed on the screen. Slowly everyone turned, looking to see what two viewing options they had now.

But everyone froze.

Because there was now something different on the screen.

Instead of two options, a long sentence now blinked,

[You have deepened your knowledge of the Forgotten One]

[Spectators may now take a break to process information]

[Please follow the path to the waiting room]

As the statements flashed, the curtains fluttered as they snaked towards the screen, as if they were alive.

They covered every part, as something behind them seemed to move. What felt like forever finally ended, as the curtains moved in the middle, revealing a long hallway, with similar curtains for walls.

There was no visible end in sight, and it seemed to stretch forever.

Everyone stared quietly at the scene, unsure what to think.

It wanted them to go somewhere?

"Do we have a choice?" Jet asked with a sigh, causing people to look around.

"It seems not, it's best to just follow what this thing intends, either way, it won't harm us anyway" Seishan chimed in.

"It's like an intermission on a late night show!" Jest laughed,

Everyone paused as they looked at Daeron. Although they were all mundane, Daeron was a Supreme and a prominent leader, thus although everyone had experienced leadership, it could not compare. It was best at times to confide in one, they had survived and been successful for a reason.

Daeron paused, as he looked at the gateway for a few seconds,

"It seems like our only course of action" he sighed, as everyone understood and sat up, making their way down the aisle.

Soon, everyone met at the front in their previous groups. Valor and the cohort, who had also adopted Rain, Ananke and Ling. Song and the Blood sisters, and finally the randoms who also now included Telle. Although part of her wanted to go with her parents group, she got along well with Windflower in the short amount of time, though they didn't converse much. There was no awkward silence, everything felt natural….like it was a friendship meant to be.

Of course, she had looked to Tyris and Roan for permission first, and they calmly agreed, although Morgan gave them a questioning look.

They stood in silence.

"So who's gonna go fir-" Effie joked before immediately being cut off as two figures walked past her and through the entrance.

It was Noctis and Julius, seemingly having been unable to contain their excitement of the unknown. Julius was already on one knee as he studied the marbled floor, as Noctis looked up at the endless tall curtains falling from above, his hands on his hips as he smiled.

He seemed to sense the eyes on him, as he turned around with a wide grin.

"Do I look corrupted to you? I think I look just fine, maybe even better than usual under this lighting!" he chortled

Everyone stared at him with varying thoughts as some shrugged their shoulders.

Nephis looked at the cohort as they nodded, her lips curling slightly.

"Lets go" she firmly said, as they walked under the curtain and into the hallway.

Morgan and the rest of Valor followed shortly behind. Rain was the last in the group as she hesitantly looked at the shadow planted at her feet which stared silently back. She took a deep breath, before marching to join the group.

Mordret took notice of this as his lips curled, his brow raising in curiosity.

Shortly after, Daeron's group followed and then so did Song.

Finally everyone was in the hallway, as they turned around and watched the curtains move, closing the path. Looks of concern came into fruition as people looked at each other.

"Well now there really is no going back" Kai murmured, a slight hint of fear in his voice.

"We can only move forward" Ananke echoed, her reassuring smile reigniting everyone's spirit.

Effie picked up Ling who squealed and placed him on her shoulders as his hands rested on top of her head, his face gleaming from having such a high vantage point. Everyone shuffled forward slowly along the path.

There was no noise as they did so.

If anything it was too quiet and awkward. Mortal enemies of different origins were now casually walking together down a hall. They all felt…strange. Some were even conflicted on whether they should uphold their dignity and launch themselves at the other. Morgan and the Blood Sister were especially on edge, the frustration visible on their faces as their muscles underneath their skin twitched.

But they couldn't do anything, the violence warning still blinking in their minds, taunting them to act out of line.

They continued to walk for a few minutes, expecting something to happen.

However, nothing did.

Steps became louder and louder from the endless silence in the hallway. Their path didn't deviate once, if anything, it felt almost like it was stretching out and becoming longer. Seconds become minutes, as minutes turned into what felt like hours.

Slowly fear started to creep in.

How long were they going to walk before they reached their destination?

Hours? Days? Weeks?

To such an entity, time was perceived as a different concept, so they didn't know what it felt was short or long compared to their perspective. More importantly….there was nothing. No form of stimuli while they traversed.

Such conditions would make a human crack,

And such conditions seemed to meet their purpose, as Effie broke the silence with a groan.

"For Spell's sake! How long is it gonna make us walk for!" she grumbled in complaint, as she looked at the cohort, who could only shrug.

"We've traversed longer on the Forgotten shore" Kai mumbled,

Effie snorted,

"And? At least there were things to fight and eat along the way, there's nothing here! Like an upper-class nightmare!" she whined,

The others could only stare at her blankly as she looked away with annoyance, her eyes moving onto Rain who was strangely walking with her head tilted down, focused on her shadow.

"What's got your interest?" she asked in a bored tone,

Rain twitched as she hurriedly looked up, an awkward smile on her face as she struggled to respond.

"Not much, just thinking about how my brother is the world's greatest achiever, while i'm not even awakened" she mumbled in dejection.

Effie stared at her, as a signature wolfish grin found itself on her face,

"I know right! Truly he is the princesses man, I cannot imagine anyone else standing next to this immoveable ice-flower" she cooed, causing Rain to twitch, but before she could speak up, Effie continued.

"Really makes me wonder how far they've gone…." she muttered

Rain's mouth hung open, at the words.

Her cheapskate, hooligan of a master, her brother…..with Nephis. The idea had completely slipped her mind with the recent viewing, but now it was back and alive, like a tumor.

And although she would rather die than admit it.

Rain was also very curious…..

She looked at her shadow for some sort of answer, but it didn't change. However, she could weirdly…feel it? Like it was radiating emotion, an emotion that was….curiosity.

Effie watched her as she walked in silence, her smile growing at the scene of the effectiveness of her prodding, enjoying the sight of her very own corruption at work

Her grin widened,

"So…..who do you think is dominant? I have all my money on Nephis" she cooed, causing Rain to stop on the spot.

She stared at Effie with wide eyes as her mouth opened and closed, seemingly malfunctioning. Pressing for the kill, Effie leaned forward, expecting an answer. But before she could get one, she stumbled forward as a pain shot up from her heel.

She yelped as she turned around, to find Jet glaring at her,

"You…you're lucky I'm mundane right now, otherwise I would have done a lot worse. Stop spreading your corruption when my nephew is inches from the source" she growled.

Effie stared at her, as a look of curiosity took over her face,

"You know…"

"It slipped my mind, since we've been brought here, have you been….alright? Since you're, you know…." her voice drifting off

Jet paused, as she raised an arm over her heart, as if feeling for a pulse, before sighing.

"No, it seems i'm still same ol' bag of flesh, but this place seems to be feeding me a steady flow of essence which is keeping me normal."

"Just like how Cassie has been granted weird artificial vision which allows her to see despite having her blindfold on. It's strange….this place isn't enforcing or making changes to overcome obstacles, it's weirdly….. superseding it", her voice dronning off.

"Sounds fancy for a way to call this place strange" Effie replied in a complacent tone,

Ling shifted on her shoulders, "Mom..when will we get there?" Ling whined,

Effie tilted her head up, until her face was inches away from his, as she smiled.

"Not long dumpling….I hope" she replied,

"But i'm bored..." he whined

Effie clicked her tongue.

She hadn't taken into account how long it would be before they reached wherever they were heading, and Ling was a child, a naturally ticking time bomb. Ever since returning from the Forgotten Shore, she had faced many harrowing Nightmare creatures and abominations.

But ever since she had Ling, she realised one thing.

No Nightmare Creature could compare to the impatience and boredom of an infant, it was its own horror.

Her eyes darted nervously as she looked around for anything, but there was none. She turned to the cohort, but their faces were distant, especially Cassie and Nephis who held solemn looks, clearly deep in thought. Valor was a no go, and she didn't have the confidence to ask the others she didn't know.

She closed her eyes as she took a deep breath,

"Ah screw it…." she mumbled

"Hey..um…screen? This walk is very refreshing and nice, but how long will it take for us to reach the place? And can we have anything to pass the time?" she asked in an awkward tone.

Glares immediately landed on Effie, she could only raise her hands in protest.

"What? I have a bored child here! You may not know it, but a child without stimulation is an accident waiting to happen!" she argued in protest.

Tyris and Roan slightly flinched at the words, but didn't falter,

Morgan opened her mouth to reprimand her for acting on her own coalition without considering the rest, while possibly wasting their last question. Before she could make a noise, floating words blinked in front of the crowd.

[You may be allowed to see the Cosmos during travel]

[Questions unrelated to the viewing are unlimited but at the same time limited]

[Please be wary and do not stare to deep into the void]

Eyes widened as before anyone could protest, the curtains on both sides began to churn. Holes and gaps started to appear as the fabric moved, revealing….nothing.

As eyes squinted, billions of tiny lights started to come into view, as gasps rang out.

They were in space!

Somehow they were walking in a space that was up in space. They could see it all, from the distant twinkling stars to the iridescent glowing nebulas and galaxies.

All of it was right before their eyes, like a never ending painting.

Nobody breathed as they all stared out, staring at the cosmic beauty.

One word could only describe it.

And it was beautiful, dreadfully beautiful and infinite.

They were only brought back to reality by excited ramblings that resounded from the middle of the crowd.

It was Noctis, who was sniffling as he wiped his eyes.

"Marvelous, I am truly blessed under the moon, or all the moons in fact to witness such a spectacle" he whispered.

"What is this?" Daeron asked with intrigue, looking at Julius.

Julius nodded,

"This is what we call space, it is the space outside our worlds, our better said, the Divine realms"

"It is the home and birthplace of the Gods, and more…." he whispered, his eyes tearing.

Daeron and the others who had never seen such a spectacle starred in silence at the vast world that had been hidden from their eyes, Windflower was the exception, who munched on her popcorn with a quickened pace, her eyes twinkling.

So their lives had been so small…..

They continued to look in silence, until Julius loudly coughed bringing everyone's attention back to him.

"While it is all marvelous, this is merely to provide some stimuli, we should not stray from our path and goal." he announced,

Morgan nodded,

"Let's continue" she boomed, causing some looks from Song, but they still followed.

All of them continued to march, as they stared past the shifting curtains out into the void. Times seemed to speed up, as they found themselves having a large distance without even realizing. Because there was something else that alerted them of their passage.

It was the Cosmos,

It had…changed.

Before, what was a painting of vibrant colors, now had taken a different darker saturation. Everything seemed colder and more alien, like a place outside of their existence, although they didn't know how to describe it.

Everywhere they looked, stars and planets all looked….the same. Red, blood red, like a giant carpet of flesh and blood. A festering plague that seemed to spread and encompass everything. All except one lone planet that it hadn't touched.

It looked like Earth.

But…it wasn't?

They couldn't describe it. It looked in every way like earth, but in their souls they could tell it was not. Everyone was confused.

"Where….where is this?" Revel echoed in a confused tone, as the Blood sisters nodded in equal confusion.

"A different galaxy?" Julius murmured

"You're suggesting that we've somehow traversed the equivalent of light years with mere steps?" Gilead

Julius tilted his head as he smiled sheepishly,

"You expect me to explain something that is at the level of a God, or maybe even beyond?" he sighed. Gilead held his gaze for a few moments before looking out.

"This is…." Ananke whispered, as she looked at Nephis

She nodded.

"Corruption. It seems like even so far away the corruption spreads" she lamented in a solemn tone.

Everyone silently stared at the view, dread clawing at them from the sight of the scale.

So many….

So many had already fallen, and yet it seemed like their own world was one of the last. But also…this one, they were looking at.

"Why hasn't that world fallen?" Kim asked in a wary tone, as everyone looked at her.

"Who knows…maybe it also has been infected by the Nightmare Spell?" Saint Cor echoed.

"Doesn't explain why we've never heard or seen it before, they could have at least sent us a postcard" Jest mumbled.

"Maybe they have already fallen," Cassie solemnly replied.

"Umm..I don't think so" Rain replied, in a rushed voice.

Everyone turned to her, eyes full of interest and suspicion.

"Why do you say that?" Saint Cor pressed, as everyone leaned forward awaiting her answer with eager curiosity.

Rain looked around at everyone, as she looked out again, rubbing her eyes twice and blinking before turning back and pointing her finger.

"Because there's a person out there" she said in a hollow tone.

Eyes widened in shock as everyone shifted to the side, squirting their eyes as they looked out. Shaky breaths could be heard, as everyone seemed to have finally locked onto the same thing.

Not too far away, drifting….

Was a figure.

A human figure.

Nobody moved as they stared at the body. It was really a human. A human woman. Some rubbed their eyes in certainty that their mind was playing tricks on them, but it was very real.

She was drifting parallel to their path.

Her attire was unique, a long stylish beige dress with frills at the bottom, neck and cuffs. Embroidered flowers of different colors below the torso, where a large leather book hung from a stylish belt. Her ethnicity was unclear, but her face was like a mesmerizing doll, accompanied by lucious brown locks that fell over her shoulders. Atop her head, was a curt, but cute western tophat made of straw with a green ribbon, that accompanied her green eyes.

Which were staring back at them.

She blinked as she looked at them, seeming to be able to perceive them, similar to how the Mad Prince did. Her mouth opened as she tried to say something to them, but no words came through; and even if they did, they were all too shocked to register them.

"S-SHE'S ALIVE OUT THERE?" Kai yelled in disbelief,

"How?" Nephis echoed.

"An aspect of sorts?" Solvanne muttered in thought,

Everyone continued to stare at the woman in disbelief as she attempted to communicate with them, eventually stopping as she looked at them blankly. Then, she grabbed the book by her waist and opened it, flicking through pages as if looking for something.

"She wants to tell us something.." Cassie murmured,

"We can't" a voice sounded from behind them,

Daeron stepped forward, his eyes sharp as he stared at the woman, "We don't know her origins or her intentions, what she's trying to tell or communicate to us could be dangerous"

"Indeed" Ananke continued, "Her words alone could bring some sort of corruption to us" she murmured,

Shoulders stiffened as eyes narrowed at the woman, who had now pulled out a feathered Quill and was writing something. Everyone held their breath as they waited to see what she would show them.

But before she could finish, she paused, turning around, seeming to look at something in the distance.

"There's something out there..?" Beastmaster muttered

Everyone took a step forward, in anticipation to see what she was looking at.

The woman, turned back with a look of panic on her face. She frantically ripped out the paper she had written on, and pushed it towards them. Then, before anyone could react, she waved at them before a strange door appeared behind her, which she stepped into and disappeared with.

Jaws hung open in confusion at what they just witnessed.

"What jus-" Rain stammered,

But before she could finish, the curtains shifted, closing the viewing and returning the pathway to normal. Everyone, still dumbfounded looked up as new statement blinked in the air,

[Cosmos view has halted]

[Malicious presence detected]

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In the empty void where the woman had just been, the paper drifted slowly as ice began to form around the edges.

On the paper was some strange foreign language, a mix of incoherent scribbles and symbols. Fortunately, it did not matter whether they had seen what was written on the paper, as they had been blocked from their connection to everything including the Nightmare Spell. Thus, they would not have been able to understand what was written on it.

But if they had waited a little longer, they may have seen the paper.

In an unknown language, two simple lines were scribbled.

It's origin unknown, but if one could translate it to english.

It would read.

"The Fool"

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I think it's necessary to have a small break for the spectators to process what they've seen and learned.

Transcendent, Supreme or more, humans have limits. o_o

This little segment won't be long, and next chapter they will return to the cinema for good old viewings and reactions,

SO DON'T WORRY! THIS IS STILL A REACTION FIC!

I just thought this would be fun :)

Also, it may or may not have importance later in the story…..

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