Sunny's eyes fluttered open, and darkness immediately embraced him, the illusions of sight fading.
The dream he had just now — if it even was a dream — was strange, to say the least. All along, Sunny had ones that were whole, descriptive scenes that he could understand. But this? This time it was fragments, uncompleted visions mashed together into one insensible mess.
And… Among them, the silver flame and the shadow surrounding it were the most noticeable. In fact, every dream he had would include them. It was like… fate was calling him; fate was calling them.
But…
'What is sloth telling me about these separate mysterious figures?'
Or…
'Is sloth telling me that I should know them?'
Which meant, he must have seen them before.
The flame? Could it be Changing Star of the Immortal Flame Clan? After all, she was the only Sleeper known to history — besides him of course — who possessed a True Name.
Then, what about the shadow?
'The shadow— it could be Cassie, I did see her controlling it during the stay in the Academy.'
However, it could also be someone else, Cassie was the more likely option.
'Whatever, the answer will appear sooner or later. I have to focus on getting to the hill — and finding who those Sleepers are.'
Summoning wisdom's rod, he asked about the surroundings, and willed the information to appear.
Red corals, dead scavenger, blue sky, soft mud…
There was nothing wrong from before he had slept.
Except… why was the sun shining above him? Didn't he fight the scavenger in the morning? How could it be noon?
'I didn't sleep that much, right?'
Sunny hopelessly thought.
'Has time passed that fast?'
He could face the Carapace Scavengers — and survive — but not the dark, abyssal sea. It was a miracle he had lived to tell the tale.
'I… I have to move!
He had to get to the opposite hill in time — there was no going back to the statue — he had to make it, or… his efforts for braving everything so far would be wasted.
Sunny stood up, or at least he tried to. Using sloth must have been more demanding than he had thought — his mental fatigue might have been cleared by the hours he had spent sleeping, and what he suspected was the support of the puppeteer's shroud.
The injuries he had suffered from his countless unorthodox roles and blind movement were also catching up to him, the crash into the red coral leaving a song of pain behind. The aftereffects had perhaps given him pain beyond the fight — adrenaline had soared through his blood back then, and the consequences of it were coming back to bite him.
It was in no way as hard as the fight with the scavenger though. The fight hadn't just given him pain, it gave him something more fundamental than that — the lack of hope, the lack of assurance — giving up was something that would have been sensible in his situation.
But he had to continue onwards.
'I could always rest later!' He screamed in his mind, 'Move, Sunny! Move! You have to!'
Straining all the muscles in his body, he forced them to move. It burned, but he continued to stand, he had to start moving! Or… or…
'Damnation! Stop caring about that and start moving Sunless!'
Firm in his will, Sunny stood up with one go, ignoring how his legs screamed in pain as they were forced beyond their capabilities — being a Sleeper had strengthened his body, but he was still dormant, he wasn't supposed to be fighting Awakened creatures blind! Or even Awakened at all!
Stumbling a bit, he gritted his teeth, and willed his body to balance itself — he couldn't fall after he spent so much time just from standing up.
Catching his breath, Sunny limped over to the nearby coral and leaned on it, his head arching to the back as he struggled to breathe.
The sleep he had just experienced wasn't enough, he was still tired — mentally and physically.
But he couldn't stop here.
After resting for a few more seconds, he used wisdom's rod again, ignoring how the requirement for it was draining him, making him more tired than he already was.
"There… it's that way." Sunny muttered, silently encouraging himself. He had gone through worse, he had gotten beaten harder than this back in reality, he had continued the trek towards the makeshift hospital for Rain back then — even when he was already drowning from protecting her, his eyes hallucinating as they had shown him illusions of the days when his parents had been here.
His mind still remembered the route, and his body could still move, albeit with pain. The problem was his mind, which wanted him to stop and rest.
However…
Sunny had bested his mind thousands of times back then, and so he can best it again. What was stopping him?
'I have to go to that hill!'
…He started the trek.
The first step–
His body screamed in pain; his head was a symphony of whispered lies and sweet temptation.
So what?
Sunny was a seer now, he knew the risks of what he was doing.
The second step–
It was alright.
Everything was fine.
Take the third step Sunny!
The third step–
The pain was bordering the line of ecstasy.
Was he mad?
The fourth step–
He let out a harrowing laugh.
His eyes snapped and he briefly saw thousands of strings.
Oh.
He really wasn't alright at all!
The fifth step–
This was getting easy, wasn't it?
He'll get there in time. Definitely.
Filled with sheer determination, and maybe a drop of madness, Sunny completed the first few steps. It would be easier to take 10 more, 20 more, or perhaps 100 more to reach the damned hill.
That's right, everything would be fine! He had gotten rid of fated after all!
Child of fate had played with him the night he entered the Forgotten Shore — but it was just that once — it wouldn't happen again, would it?
He was its child after all, bastard or not.
—-
Cassie determinedly paved the way forward, with Nephis following behind. She had agreed with her proposal to meet Sunny; they needed all the help they could get.
The twists and turns of the coral labyrinth were like a toddler's puzzle to her with gloomy by her side — she could see everything with this!
Recalling her shadow, she waited for the 'cool down' of using it to be over so she could send it out again.
Scouting the way had proven to be extremely useful.
After a few more minutes, Cassie once again cast gloomy out — to on top of one of the corals of the labyrinth — and looked through its eyes. She had to know where they should go before she could resume the search for Sunny. She couldn't possibly leave him alone knowing that he was here.
Resuming the scout, she controlled gloomy, turning it around so she could see every corner near them.
Good, there were no Scavengers yet.
Gloomy could focus on the more important role right now.
Sending it out, she placed her full attention on whatever it was showing, only leaving a silver of focus on not tripping or falling into the mud of the labyrinth.
Soon, gloomy arrived at the clearing from before, and Cassie scanned through the view, her eyes trying to find Sunny.
He wasn't there.
Where was he.
'He was just here seconds ago!'
Hurriedly, Cassie used gloomy to search for any clues from before, her heart pounding in her chest.
'He can't possibly be gone? I can't lose my only friend that soon!'
Looking down, she saw the briefest trail of footprints, the left footprint being more apparent than the right one — Sunny was hurt — he must be trying to get to somewhere high enough before the call of the night.
But…
The trail ended only after a few twists and turns.
Where was Sunny?
Commanding her shadow to climb up the nearby coral walls, her eyes shifted as she tried to find the possible route of where he had gone.
Just a few coral walls in front of where she and Nephis were currently situated, she spotted a mob of black hair — Sunny. He was limping as his eyes determinedly stared forward, a walking stick clutched in his hand, his body leaning onto the labyrinth walls as he tiredly walked forward.
He was hurt, just like what she had originally suspected.
She had to reach him.
Turning around, Cassie met Nephis' eyes.
"We're almost there. He's near."
Nephis nodded, as if urging her to go on, and so Cassie did.
In the few moments she conversed with Changing Star, there had always been something quite peculiar — Nephis would speak as little as she could, and usually complete a sentence with only 3 words.
She will never question Changing Star though — everyone had their discomforts and differences — she should respect her decision, just like how Nephis never asked anything more than what was crucial for surviving this unknown place.
Confidently, Cassie started the trek forward. They were almost there. She could finally see someone she was familiar with.
'Sunny, just wait a while longer… I'll come find you!'
—
Sunny continued to limp forward, determinedly walking towards his goal — one step at a time. He wasn't quite right in his head, hallucinating while he was grinding his way forward. Just a few moments ago, he had heard someone muttering his name like they knew him:
"Sunny…?" A whisper had come from behind, the tone of the voice eerily similar to Cassie's.
He must have been so mad that he was dreaming!
Where was Lost from Light, the one who had conquered an Awakened Tyrant by spitting on it, gone to now?
'Lost From Light? More like Lost from Sight!'
Hallucinating? That wasn't possible for the him before!
But taking away one's sight? It was most definitely a formula for making someone insane.
"Sunny…?" The same whisper resounded throughout the place again, but this time, it was louder. "Sunny? I know you're near here, if you can hear me, say something!"
He wanted to laugh.
Had he really lost his mind?
Ignoring the voice, he continued to walk forward.
It was just a taunt. There's no way Cassie could ever be here.
…or could she?
Child of Fate had played him so much — back when it was fated, and now that he was in this Forgotten Shore.
She… She might be here.
But should he risk it?
He did remember hearing a myth of nightmare creatures mimicking human behavior.
Cassie… Having her here would be a blessing, he wouldn't have to use wisdom's rod so much — it hurts his head. Should he answer the voice?
'What the hell Sunny!? Scared of taking risks? You have already brushed so close to death with the scavenger just now! Stop being a coward! No one can survive in the dream realm alone!'
That's right, even if it was the wrong call — why not try?
Taking in a deep breath, he opened his mouth:
"Who is it?" He said.
…The sound of footsteps resounded throughout the area.
There was someone.
Soon, he heard panting and wisdom's rod activated and blonde hair and blue eyes and— Cassie. It must be her. Why was she here? Was she ok? Never mind that, she must definitely be fine. She wasn't blind after all. However, sight did not guarantee survival, so was she ok?
…When did he start caring about other people?
'Care for yourself, you bastard!'
Shaking his head, Sunny focused on Cassie, willing wisdom's rod to describe every single detail of her.
She… She wasn't wearing anything — except for a braissiere made of seaweed, loosely tied over her naked body, covering her more private parts, also showcasing the fairness of her assets. The roundness of her—
'Damn it Sunny! Pure thoughts, pure thoughts! But– it's such a pity that I lost my sight…'
"Sunny!" She cried out, her voice filled with enthusiasm.
"Cassie…?" He hesitantly asked, hands reaching out to the sound.
A pair of hands clasped his own.
"Yes, it's me," She paused, "Are you alright?"
Normally, Sunny would have been embarrassed if a girl — a beautiful one he might add — had held his hand. Something that had never happened in his whole life. But… being blind might have helped with this part of him, he wasn't feeling that giddy like he thought he would have, which was a good thing. He wasn't a pervert!
"I'm alright." He said, waiting for Cassie to let go of his hands.
She never did.
"Uhh… Can you let go right now? Not that I'm complaining of course! It's just—"
"Sorry!" She immediately apologized, letting go of her hand, and through the enchantment of his walking stick, Sunny knew a deep blush must have formed on top of her face.
He didn't know what to say next.
'What should I speak about? I can't tell her about the Carapace Scavengers, it won't be believable… But should I discuss about— No Sunny! You bastard! What are you doing thinking about 'that'. Weren't you concerned about survival just a few minutes ago?'
Fuck survival.
There were more interesting thoughts to think about.
After a few seconds, another round of footsteps could be heard, and Sunny immediately tensed, looking towards the source of it, his eyes narrowing and all that.
If Cassie was here, she could be the Sleeper who had lit the flame last night. But, her Aspect was of shadows, not light. Or could he possibly be wrong?
Someone tugged the sleeve of his armor — Cassie.
"Nephis," She said, "That's Nephis. Changing Star. She's friendly."
He wanted to laugh, for the third time today.
'That Changing Star? I've seen her threaten Cassie before… Friendly? That's the opposite of friendly!'
However, if he were in her shoes, he would have done that as well. The first rule of the outskirts was to never trust anyone. But to show malice so openly? That was a big no no back where he came from.
'The hell? That makes me sound old.'
Focus Sunny. Focus.
Turning his head towards where Nephis most likely was, he opened his mouth:
"It's nice to finally meet the renowned Changing Star. I'm Sunless, but you can call me Sunny."
Even though he couldn't see her, he could feel the slight shift of the air as she nodded.
"Nephis."
'The hell? Just one word? Can't she say more?'
Cassie turned to him and hurriedly smiled, "She's not one for words."
Silence permeated the air. Until, Nephis asked, "What happened to you?"
…Sunny didn't know how he should answer.
He can't possibly tell them he killed a Scavenger blind! That's an otherworldly tale that he himself still couldn't believe that easily. Who would want to cooperate with a blind person?
'Yeah that's right, how about this? Hmm… It does seem like a believable tale.'
Sunny scratched his head, "I— I fell."
…Utter silence.
He sighed, "The Spell dropped me on a random statue thousands of miles off the ground. I tried walking around. And as you can see from my sort of broken body— fate didn't show compassion to those who needed it the most."
"How— how did you survive?"
"I don't know," He shook his head, "I was lucky. It was the brink of dawn, and the sea — at least what I know of the body of water — was retreating.
He shrugged.
"I guess those Nightmare Creatures down there do not like the taste of those who are blinded. I survived. Somehow. No food or water though. But… in my dream, I saw a shining flame that led to the far, far east. I started to work towards it slowly but surely. And… the rest of the story is something you all know — Cassie found me."
Nephis crossed her arms.
"What about the Nightmare Creatures?"
Hook, line, and sinker. That's it, that's the direction they have to think of. A believable lie is one mixed with truth, no matter how little. What they need to know… is that he wanted to survive, what about Nightmare Creatures? Who could prove that he met 2 of them already?
Dreams. He had to use his dreams. They'll know soon enough anyways — that way, they can't get rid of him. For how could they know where the gateway of this forsaken shore laid? If it even existed?
Sunny tilted his head.
"What Creature? I never saw those before," He snickered, "I can't even see if I actually passed them… All I know is that this place — it's important, my dreams tell me that there's some deep ancient secret hidden within this shore."
Telling them that he was a seer was a worthy sacrifice.
To lie meant to sacrifice a truth; a skill he was a master at — diversion to another topic, slowly but surely.
"Dreams?" Cassie exclaimed after a few seconds, "Are you a seer Sunny? That would explain the blind part then! Not— not that I mean any offense of course!"
"Do you know where we are?" Nephis asked, without much hope in her voice.
He shook his head, "My dreams… they are strange to say the least — vague and unreadable. The only thing I can say for sure is that last night, I saw a silver flame. It could be hinting at me meeting you and Cassie."
"I also saw a tall hill in my dreams! Do you know what laid there?"
Even though he knew the answer, he still had to ask — after all, he can't raise suspicion towards how in the world he knew of this.
Cassie smiled. Eerily.
'What a strange way of describing it my dear, dear rod.'
"Actually, we spent the last two days on that hill. We were just about to go back until I spotted you."
Sunny smiled back.
"Well, can I go with you?"
'Cassie will agree, but what about Changing Star? They'll allow this, right…?'
Turning towards Nephis, Cassie raised her eyebrows, the question written all across her face.
"I'm all for it, but what about you Nephis?"
Nephis stared at Sunny, her gaze calculating, like what Sunny had seen from his vision a few nights before.
After a while, she finally said something.
"No…"
'Huh!?'
"...problem.'
No problem.
'...That's one more thing to add to the list of everything wrong about the princess of the Immortal Flame Clan — Not that I really know how legacies work.'
Feeling his heart beat widely in his chest, Sunny smiled.
"Well. Alright…"