Hard earned Truth

So, it had finally come to this, the one goal Sunny had been aiming for all along. Once again, he had achieved the impossible.

The Song Sisters were no longer part of Ki Song's domain. Their eyes had been opened by the man who had first shattered their will with brutal force.

At least some of them.

Now there was one more thing he needed to do. After all, they were allies now.

He stood up and snapped his fingers. He didn't need to do it, but it added a cool touch to his actions.

In an instant, the Song Sisters felt their bodies brimming with power, as if something stolen from them had finally been restored.

"My Aspect… it's unsealed," Revel whispered, almost unable to believe it. Her hands instinctively reached for her neck, expecting the familiar touch of cold metal, but there was nothing.

Sunny had dismissed their shackles.

Everyone stared at him in stunned silence. Sure, they were allies now, but giving them full access to their powers again was something nobody had expected him to do.

At least not so soon.

A knowing smile appeared on Revel's lips. She knew exactly why he did it, and she also knew why they had worn those shackles in the first place.

"They weren't for your safety, right?" she asked, giving him a smug look.

Sunny just smirked, clearly amused that she had figured it out.

"Not really, no. I put them on you so you wouldn't have any choice but to stay," he replied, his tone laced with mischief. "The other reason was to avoid having to kill you if you suddenly decided to act up." He sighed, relieved to finally let go of that burden.

"It was for your protection. No matter what you think, I don't have the luxury…or strength, to keep you all alive in a fight. I would have to do the same thing I did in the Battle of Godheart: spare the ones I least wanted to kill and send Master Sunless to dig graves for the rest."

The sisters exchanged glances, and a small chuckle broke out before it erupted into full-blown laughter.

Silent was the first to compose herself. She gave him a playful smile and leaned back.

"Aww... Would you have left flowers for the ones you killed too?" she teased, sounding completely at ease. "Honestly, how can someone be so soft and caring while being ruthlessly merciless at the same time?"

Sunny just nodded along, knowing exactly what she meant.

"I guess you're right. Having multiple bodies does that to a person," he replied, heading for the kitchen to refill his coffee. His voice carried a note of sincerity. "You're free now. Do whatever you want. You can finally take a walk outside of my Soul Sea," he called from the kitchen while brewing another cup of his life-saving beverage.

When he returned, he was surprised to see that only Revel remained, sipping her coffee.

He sat down, leaning back in his chair, and gazed at the now nearly empty table, letting out a long, tired sigh.

"Well, I guess they had better things to do than hang around in this warmth-deprived Soul Sea," he muttered, taking a sip to hide his slight disappointment.

'I guess that's what I get for having a little fun by messing around,' he thought, closing his eyes. 'Until I found out.'

Reality was cruel, but leave the cage open and you lose the amusement of being able to look at your wild Animals.

Revel's voice broke through his musings.

"You really are a softy deep down," she teased with a raised eyebrow.

Sunny opened his eyes and looked at her evenly, which only made her chuckle.

"You really think they'd just leave this place? To do what? Go back to the battlefield and pretend nothing happened?" she scoffed, raising her mug with a sly grin. "They just went outside to spar a bit, now that they finally have their Aspects back."

Sunny frowned and checked with his Shadow Sense. Sure enough, their shadows danced in pairs, some aggressive, others more controlled, but all of them carried a sense of ease and freedom.

"They're at ease," he mumbled, feeling both relieved and curious about what lay ahead.

Now, there were seven more people he could rely on.

"Maybe I'm not that bad after all," he said with a playful chuckle.

"No, you're not," Revel agreed, raising her coffee cup toward him. "Why would we leave? We've got shelter, good food, and we don't even have to do chores since your shadow handles everything. Plus, we get amazing coffee and good company."

Sunny raised his cup as well.

"To our future friendship… Lightslayer," he toasted.

"To our future Friendship…Sunny."

[Author's Note: Writing this feels like an ending. Even though it was supposed to be the finale, I, as usual, couldn't help but make it longer. I just can't let go of this fanfic, like so many others...I hope.

Sigh... damn my ambitions. 🫠

Anyway... back to the chapter.]

Outside, the sisters clashed with graceful precision.

Beastmaster was conjuring illusions again, keeping Revel's advice in mind. Despite her efforts, something still felt off…Sunny could tell that her illusionary shadows didn't quite match the real thing. Without Shadow Sense, she might never grasp how they were truly supposed to be.

But that suited him just fine, he would be the only one who could tell. Not Ki Song. That was all that mattered.

Howl and Silent were fiercely clashing in their transcendent forms, reveling in the rush of being able to use them again. They wouldn't stop until they had determined who the most ferocious beast truly was.

Meanwhile, Moonveil and Seishan were sparring too. Though their powers could suppress Aspects or feed off each other's blood, they weren't focused on that now. They just needed to vent their frustration after being tricked and made look like a bunch of fools.

Not just by sunny, which they could understand, but by a woman they once saw as their mother.

Hel, left without a sparring partner, had other plans. Intrigued, she made her way to the Nameless Temple, seeking out a conversation instead.

Meanwhile, far away from both realms, Sunny was making a difficult decision. As he did, his Soul Sea trembled.

The sisters looked up at the now seven black suns above them, not having noticed the new core before.

But that wasn't of interest right now, noticing one of the soul cores starting to crack. The shallow waters around them rose and fell in slow, deliberate waves.

"What is happening?" Seishan shouted as the water stirred restlessly.

Her expression turned from wonder to fear when a figure clad in onyx armor appeared beside her. She looked at him, eyes wide with expectation, and he spoke in a dark, solemn tone.

"I just got a new shadow. Unfortunately, it's a bit rebellious," he grinned behind his visor and added with a dark chuckle, "But I expected nothing less from the shadow of a Sacred being."

Seishan could only stare, speechless, as his voice thundered through his Soul Sea with all his might.

"INSIDE THE BASEMENT OF THE MIMIC… NOW!"

Beastmaster frowned but didn't get a chance to respond before Sunny's bloodlust washed over them like a tidal wave.

"No time to argue, Bin. The rules don't matter right now."

Without another word, they all followed his command. The Song Sisters quickly reached the door and glanced back just in time to see Nephis dragging both Rain and Hel with her. As soon as she arrived, a barrage of questions hit her from all sides.

Naturally, she had no answers.

"How am I supposed to know? With him, literally anything is possible," she replied, keeping her usual composed demeanor, and went inside.

They exchanged quick nods before following her lead. Inside, the door to the basement stood wide open, and as they descended, a breathtaking sight revealed itself before them.

Countless materials from Nightmare Creatures, along with Soul Shards of unparalleled quality and quantity, glimmered under the dim light.

Once again, it was something utterly impossible.

"Not even the Song Domain has such a collection of resources. What in the world…?" they muttered, completely awestruck by the scene.

But their amazement quickly faded as their eyes fell on the one man who could explain it all. Only, he didn't look too well…at least one of him didn't. It seemed as if he had been shredded by a cursed lawnmower.

Standing there wasn't the usual composed and unyielding Lord of Shadows, but a man still clad in onyx armor from neck to toe, or what was left of it.

The difference?

His body was covered in wounds, one more gruesome than the next. Blood sprayed from the remnants of his armor as it struggled to flow back to where it belonged. His face was a twisted mess of shredded flesh, but somehow, it still bore a bright, albeit forced, smile, the corners of his mouth cut open deep into his jaw, forming a bloody Chelsea smile.

And yet, despite it all, the man remained standing.

By his side stood Revel, his incarnation of Master Sunless and another avatar, that one looking much better. Between their feet sat a small lantern seemingly carved from darkness, its gate shut tight.

Nephis rushed to his side, concern breaking through her usually perfect, composed expression.

"What in the world happened to you?" she demanded, immediately starting to heal whatever mess his body had become.

Falling into her embrace, he just mumbled under his breath with a now more genuine, albeit exhausted, smile.

"Oh, nothing much. I just killed two minor gods and had a talk with an old friend of yours." He chuckled weakly as she held him close.

Bathed in the warmth of her Aspect and body, Sunny felt his heart slow and his body begin to heal. His flesh mended itself, reshaping into a majestic form once again. The onyx shell, seemingly satisfied with its performance against a Sacred Shadow, slowly dissolved, as if it, too, needed a rest.

Now left in nothing but black shorts, Sunny closed his eyes and let his other incarnations take care of the aftermath.

The others stared at him in shock.

He killed two minor gods? Impossible. This time, it was nothing short of absolutely impossible.

There was no way to make that statement sound even remotely plausible.

So, he didn't even try.

However, he knew he had to address the state of his Soul Core. Taking a deep breath, both of his incarnations did the same, while the newcomer wisely remained silent.

"When I finally managed to kill that damn archer, I gained her as a Shadow. But... she is the shadow of a Sacred being, so her will wasn't easily forced into submission." He exhaled slowly, the headache from dealing with it already pounding in his skull.

"That means she still had some fight left in her. So, she did the unthinkable, she tried to break out of one of my cores. I forced her into the Nameless Temple. Now she's trapped in the Vault Room where I let Bin, Silent, and Howl wake up."

His explanation, as usual, didn't really help much. They knew what had happened, but understanding it was still beyond them. Trying to make sense of Sunny was a fool's errand, so they just accepted it for what it was.

Nephis, still kneeling beside him, was visibly relieved that he hadn't succumbed to his wounds. Sunny knew she would demand a more detailed explanation later, but for now, she was just grateful he was still breathing.

Revel crossed her arms, one eyebrow raised skeptically.

"So what now? Are you just gonna keep your unyielding Shadow locked in that basement?" she asked, clearly unimpressed.

Sunny just chuckled softly.

"Sure, what other choice do I have?" He dismissed the Shadow Lantern, wary that one of the horrors he had been warned about might find its way to the gate from inside.

Then he added something that sounded far more promising and gave him a sense of satisfaction as he spoke.

"My control over it should become more profound when I become supreme." His smile widened slightly as he continued.

"After all, I've just been told I'm only one step away from achieving that."