Starlight

The return to the Dark City was brutal.

Not bloody or desperate really, but long enough to be utterly exhausting. It took two months, roughly.

The labyrinth gave no quarter, but the cohort didn't falter. They had changed. Somewhere between arriving at the Hollow Mountains and today, something had shifted. They moved like a cohesive unit.

Not to say they hadn't before, but they now operated with a new level of trust.

Though they were still Sleepers, they each fought on a level that put most Awakened to shame. The effect only magnified when they fought together.

During their journey north through the labyrinth, their cores had saturated—Cassie, Kai, Effie, Aiko, and Caster... even Sunny's second core was nearly halfway there. Every battle had honed them. Every nightmare had fed them.

Even Saint had grown stronger.

With one more Shadow Fragment, she would become an Ascended. Sunny had purposefully held off on doing so though. The core of True Darkness in the Cathedral Knight would theoretically allow for her to still become a Demon, even if she consumed it while Ascended. Sunny didn't really want to take the risk that it wouldn't though.

They reached the outer wall of the Dark City as the false sun raised high above. At the outside edge of the wall, the fallen arm of the great priestess statue lay. It had cracked open a hole to the catacombs, near the Lord of the Dead's lair.

They stood at the edge of the city wall and stared down.

The last shard of the Starlight Legion's heroes lie in the hands of the Fallen Tyrant below.

Sunny squinted down toward the tomb.

He glanced sideways at the others and took a breath.

"In my original timeline," he said, voice quiet, "Nephis used a special plant Kido modified. It was engineered to feed off of bones, and weakened the Lord of the Dead's defenses. It took months to reach full effect though, and even then it was a hard fought battle."

There was a long silence. Then Cassie said:

"You think we can wait that long?"

Sunny shook his head.

"No, I don't have the patience. Let's kill it today! I'll start scouting."

Cassie was quiet for a few seconds, head tilted slightly as though listening to something no one else could hear.

"...You really believe we can do it?"

Sunny met her gaze.

"Why not?"

She didn't smile. But she nodded.

Gloomy sped off into the catacombs.

Kai looked at him. Then back at the pit, watching Gloomy vanish into the darkness. Then at him again.

"...You're serious."

"He's serious," Effie muttered. "Why is he always serious when he says things like that?"

Aiko chirped in next. "He said Fallen Tyrant, right? Just checking. I know I must've misheard."

Sunny responded with a wide grin. "No no no, dear Aiko! We are killing a Fallen Tyrant today. Besides, this is nothing to me! Have I told you the story of how I killed a Great Devil as a Sleeper? Twice? Have some ambition! What is a puny Fallen Tyrant compared to that, huh?"

There was a pause.

Kai slowly turned to look at him, expression hollow.

"Do you ever listen to yourself? Like actually stop and process the words you say out loud?"

Sunny nodded, far too cheerful.

"Of course I listen to myself! I am very good at it, in fact. For a while, a small corner of my brain even gave me live-action commentary."

He gestured vaguely to his temple.

"It told me little whispers of hateful insults and all my worst insecurities. Only the best content!"

He beamed.

"But honestly? Some of the best feedback I've ever gotten. Without it, I definitely would've lost my sanity!"

Kai didn't say anything. He just blinked rapidly a few times, then wiped at the corner of one eye.

"Is he—" Aiko started.

"He's crying," Effie confirmed, staring at Kai. "The lie-detection broke him."

Kai kept sniffling. No words. Just pain.

Effie turned back to Sunny.

"You can't just say things like that and smile. You're emotionally terrorizing Kai! There are rules to banter Sunny, are you some kind of monster?"

Sunny tilted his head, all innocence and mock confusion.

"Taxonomically? Yes. The Spell does classify me as one."

He smiled wider.

"Why, though? Getting curious? Ask a few more questions and I'll have to admit I wasn't technically human for a few thousand years. My live-action commentary host covered the whole arc!"

Effie threw her hands in the air.

"What is that even supposed to mean."

Aiko muttered softly to herself, hugging her shoulders while holding back nervous laughter.

"...He's not going to explain it. He never does. Just stop listening, Aiko, it'll all be fine soon..."

Kai wiped his face again.

"Sunny," he said, voice low and cracking slightly, "I beg you. Please. Just lie to me. Once."

Sunny lit up like a lantern.

"You know I can't do that, little Nightingale! I'm the most honest person in the world!"

He paused, then added brightly:

"Eight worlds, actually—depending on how you count timelines!"

Caster sighed like a man clocking into the office.

"Every time I think I understand you, you say something that expands my understanding of mental illness. It is genuinely impressive."

He paused. "...But whatever. Let's kill a Tyrant."

***

Sunny's eyes glazed for a moment as he focused through Gloomy's senses. The little shadow flitted through the cracked stone, slipping past collapsed columns and skeletal alcoves without making a sound.

It didn't take long to find what he was looking for.

The Lord of the Dead was napping in its lair—a vast, slumped shape of tangled bone nestled deep in the ruins. Further in, skeletons hung in alcoves by the dozens. Quiet for now, though they would come to life at their master's bidding.

He blinked, letting his senses return.

"Alright," Sunny said, standing up. "Our esteemed Fallen Tyrant is asleep. Its lair starts just past the broken ceiling. A bunch of skeletons are further in, and they'll swarm us if we take too long fighting."

He shuddered a bit as Gloomy slipped out of the ruins, catching one last glance of the monstrosity.

"Gods, that thing is gross."

Effie raised an eyebrow. "Define gross."

"It's a pile of bones the size of a house," Sunny replied. "Putrid flesh and rot all over."

Cassie tilted her head. "Does it control the other skeletons?"

Sunny nodded. "Yeah. They are its minions. We don't have a way to make them stay dead with our current equipment, so we need to kill the Tyrant fast. If we don't... well, we probably get swarmed and die."

There was a brief silence.

Then Aiko said quietly, "So, do you have a plan?"

Sunny gave her a grin.

"Yep, though I am not sure if you will like it in particular."

***

They gathered a short distance from the edge of the wall. Just far enough that the catacomb pit was out of sight.

Sunny had Effie transfer the Dusk Shard to him.

He summoned the shield, and it hit the ground with a powerful thunk.

"So," Sunny began, "Sleepers are unable to use the active enchantments of Memories, because we can't circulate essence."

Serpent uncoiled from his body, lazily dancing around his arm.

"However, using this little guy, I can."

He picked up the shield and turned it over like it weighed nothing.

"The enchantment on this shield allows the wielder to modify its weight. So, if I do this..."

He trailed off and surged essence into the shield, releasing it from his grasp. The shield suddenly sank into the stone with an oppressive, crushing weight.

Aiko raised her eyebrows. "Neat."

He reversed the weight and hoisted it back up with little effort.

"We can use this enchantment to kill it. Let me explain."

They all leaned in slightly.

"We fly up, and using its enchantment I can drop this thing on the Lord of the Dead like a meteorite."

The cohort scratched their chins in thought.

"So, I'm flying you up?" Kai asked.

Sunny nodded. "Aiko too. We can lighten the load using our Dark Wings. With the gliders and your strength, you should be able to carry both of us into position."

Aiko tilted her head. "I'm going with you?"

"Well, of course," Sunny replied. "We won't just be dropping it—we'll be falling alongside it. I'll increase its weight during the fall. You'll push on it with your telekinesis the entire way down. That'll help us adjust its trajectory midair, and it'll also increase the force of impact. It'll be more accurate, and hit harder."

Aiko paled slightly.

"Effie and Saint will handle baiting the Tyrant into position. You'll need to lead it to the ceiling breach—that's where we can hit it."

Effie winced, then sighed. "Great."

Sunny gave her a warm smile.

"Caster," he continued, "you'll be on crowd control. Once Effie and Saint have drawn the Tyrant, you'll slip past and intercept the skeletons. Keep them occupied as long as you can. If they swarm us, it could block a retreat and get one of us killed."

Caster nodded silently.

"Cassie," Sunny said, turning to her. "Stay near the impact zone with the Dawn Shard."

He reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder, transferring the Ordinary Rock.

"You'll use this to signal the drop. We'll follow your cue. Everyone got it?"

There was a long pause as the group absorbed the plan.

Effie folded her arms. "You know, you're insane."

Sunny shrugged. "Possibly. It's not the longest I've fallen and survived. We should be fine. Aiko and I can glide away before impact. I'd be more worried about the rest of you."

Effie, taking a cue from Aiko, paled visibly.

Cassie looked around the group, then asked quietly, "Do you really think this is going to work?"

Sunny met her eyes. He didn't smile.

"We have this massive wall to work with, and leveraging the environment is key to winning fights against powerful foes. It will work."

That was the end of it.

Everyone turned away to start preparing.

***

Cassie summoned the Dawn Shard and whispered her command to the Ordinary Rock before handing it to Aiko.

The team dispersed without another word.

Kai and Sunny discussed flight plans, scratching rough trajectories in the floor and marking where they'd aim to drop from. Of them all, Kai was the least nervous. He was the only one who wouldn't be in danger, after all.

Aiko sat cross-legged nearby, staring at the shield. She wasn't pale anymore—just quiet. Focused. Her fingers twitched occasionally, subtle pulses of telekinetic pressure, as if she were trying to memorize the shape of what she'd soon be pushing.

Far below, Effie leaned against a rock outcropping, stretching one arm across her chest until the shoulder joint popped. Then the other. She rolled her neck and exhaled slowly.

Saint stood motionless beside her, still and waiting.

Caster stood apart, sword unsheathed. He moved with silent grace, repeating meditative sword swings in slow, deliberate arcs.

They were ready.

***

The wind at the top of the wall was sharp and thin. It howled through broken stone and tattered banners, pulling at their clothes.

Sunny dismissed the Dusk Shard, then shifted his grip to one of Kai's harness lines. The Dark Wing materialized behind him.

"You good?" Kai asked, glancing back at him.

Sunny gave a short nod. "As I'll ever be."

Aiko was already set up to the side. Her hands hovered in the air, fingers twitching with practiced motion—like she was rehearsing the fall in her mind.

"Alright," Kai said.

The three shared a nod, then ran, and leaped off the wall.

The wind hit them as they shot into the air.

The Dark City shrank beneath them as they raised higher and higher. From the clouds, it looked less like a fortress and more like a tumor growing from the side of the Forgotten Shore's crater. The crimson labyrinth stretched out as far as the eye could see, appearing strangely peaceful.

Effie and Saint were already making their way into the ruins, tiny figures against the bone-white stone.

Sunny shifted slightly, summoning the Dusk Shard, weight as light as he could make it.

Higher.

Kai grunted with effort. The air thinned. Their ascent slowed.

They broke past the clouds, and the false sun above the sky flared. The ground was gone. There was only silence now.

Sunny held his breath.

Beside him, Aiko closed her eyes, hand still twitching, still feeling out the gravity of the thing they were about to do.

The Ordinary Rock vibrated in her palm.

One sound.

She opened her eyes.

"Cassie just gave the signal," she said.

Sunny turned his head toward Kai.

"Let go."

***

Effie stepped over the threshold of the catacomb ruin, balancing herself on Saint's arm.

The air inside was thick. Heavy with rot, dust, and a vile stench.

Bone crunched beneath her boots.

Saint moved beside her without a sound.

The lair was just ahead. A wide chamber where the broken ceiling let in a dim shaft of false sunlight. The shadows stretched long here, but they didn't move.

Yet.

Effie exhaled through her nose.

"You awake down there?" she yelled, smashing her spear against her shield.

The answer came in pieces.

First, a tremor in the floor. Then a sound—dry, splintering, like marrow cracking under pressure. Dust fell from the ceiling as something shifted in the darkness.

The Lord of the Dead stirred.

It unfolded from the shadows like a grotesque blossom. Bones scraping bone. A skull the size of a small carriage twisted toward her, jaws open in silent hunger. Ribcages, femurs, and spines had all been fused into its torso like bricks in a wall. It didn't have eyes, but it was staring at her.

Effie swallowed and raised her weapons.

"Well," she muttered, "He was right, you really are gross."

The Tyrant lunged forward.

Stone Saint stepped in front of her, shield raised. The impact shook the floor.

Effie didn't wait.

She turned and sprinted for the breach. The beast followed.

From the corner of her eye, she caught Caster darting past—slipping into the side corridors like a shadow with a blade.

Cassie's crown flared faintly in the distance. Saint and Effie made a fighting retreat, trading off blocking blows while pulling back towards their beacon of hope.

***

The sky above the Dark City was still.

Then a shadow moved.

Three shapes broke through the clouds—two humans and a falling comet.

The Dusk Shard ignited midair. Not with fire, but with weight.

Aiko forced the shield downward, pushing it far past terminal velocity, straining against the limits of her power. She had to do it now, while the shield was still light.

At last, Sunny poured essence into the Memory, and it responded with hunger. He wrapped both of his shadows around it, and its mass multiplied. The air screamed around them as gravity took hold.

Aiko's telekinesis gripped the shard's rim, holding its angle, guiding its descent. Each second she pushed, her limbs shook harder.

The Tyrant was in position. It had no idea.

Cassie's signal had been perfect.

Effie and Saint had drawn the monster dead-center beneath the breach. Caster was nowhere in sight—holding the line elsewhere. All the pieces were in motion.

"Now," Sunny whispered.

He surged more essence into the Dusk Shard. The shield shrieked as its weight spiked again—too dense for the sky to carry.

It became a falling star.

Aiko pushed herself off and veered hard to the right. Her wings caught the wind. Sunny followed a second later, his glider snapping open with a violent jerk as he banked away from the strike.

Below them, the comet fell.

Effie looked up, spotted the descending mass—and ran. She sprinted toward Caster's battle line. The two of them had to push through and regroup with the rest of the cohort inside the city. Saint barely held the line until the final moment, then vanished into the shadows.

The moment the Dusk Shard crossed into the Dawn Shard's aura, its mass warped the space around it.

On impact, the world shuddered. Then, for a single breath, it was consumed by light—so bright it erased sound itself.

The catacombs came undone. Bone splintered into a thousand shards, then were atomized by heat.

The Tyrant didn't scream. It didn't get the chance.

It simply ceased to be.

***

The crater still steamed.

Shattered bones littered the ruins, some fused into slag, others reduced to white dust. The Dusk Shard lay buried at the impact point, embedded deep in cracked stone.

A shadow passed overhead.

Kai landed first, glider folding tight behind him. Sunny and Aiko followed seconds later, hitting the ground with less grace and more weight.

Aiko stumbled, knees buckling. She didn't fall, but she stayed crouched, arms shaking.

Sunny dropped beside her, drained by essence exhaustion.

Cassie was already approaching from behind.

She reached them, and helped them to their feet.

They all stood there for a few seconds, staring at the hole they'd made in the world.

"Effie and Caster?" Cassie asked.

Sunny responded tiredly. "Safe. We need to meet them inside the City."

A pause.

Then he turned toward the city wall, dismissing the Dusk Shard.

"We're done here. Let's get going."

They had one final stop before returning to Bright Castle.