Cassie spoke with a burst of excitement.
"I got an Echo!"
Sunny glanced at his Shadow Fragments.
[101/1000]
During his original journey through the Forgotten Shore, the Carapace Scavenger Echo had seemed powerful, capable of holding its ground against abominations of a higher class. But now, with the benefit of hindsight, Sunny realized it wasn't as exceptional as he had once thought. Any Echo born from a Beast or Monster would naturally be more capable than its original self, simply because it was now guided by a much greater intelligence. Truly exceptional beings like Saint or Fiend contended with creatures of a higher rank, not just class, and they did so purely by their own merit.
Even if he had a second core, Sunny wouldn't have turned the Echo into a Shadow. It was better off in Cassie's hands.
But practical concerns did not occupy the forefront of his mind. What truly captured his attention was how similar Cassie had become to his old self. Between her newfound affinity for shadows and the gear she wielded, the resemblance was uncanny.
He spun around and motioned for Gloomy to wave the girl over.
"That's lucky to be the first thing you find in the Dream Realm. Your soul arsenal is already far past what a Sleeper should typically possess. I will be sending Serpent out to hunt, so you will be taking care of the enemies directly in our path alongside your Echo."
Cassie nodded, and they continued deeper into the coral labyrinth.
Somewhat shamefully, Sunny wrestled with a twinge of jealousy. He couldn't help but be envious of the training conditions that were provided to Cassie. His own path to mastery had been far less favorable, and his background from the outskirts only exacerbated that. Nephis was realistically the best teacher he could have gotten, yet, seeing the kind of growth that Cassie was experiencing, he couldn't shake the thought of how much faster he could have developed if given the same resources.
Still, Sunny wouldn't change his original journey. The world—two worlds actually—felt incomplete without Nephis. Or maybe it was just he who felt incomplete without her. It was hard to tell, and that doubt gnawed at the edges of his thoughts. Flashes of their journeys through this very land haunted his mind, and he grew irritated at his mental turmoil.
'Ironic to be burdened with memories in a land called the Forgotten Shore.'
It was a frustrating dynamic. Losing her in exchange for freedom was a price he'd never been willing to pay. If he had been, he would've found a way to end her life himself.
But now, he was unable to enslave himself to bring her back.
The choices presented to him were insufficient. He would find his own way.
***
The Sleeper duo pressed on through the coral maze as evening approached. As the sun dipped toward the horizon, they reached a towering stone cliff and began climbing its sheer face.
Sunny had sent Gloomy ahead as soon as they entered range, confirming that the island was uninhabited for now. But come tomorrow, a violent storm would sweep through this part of the Forgotten Shore, bringing unwanted company with it.
For the moment, the area was safe. While Sunny worked on drying meat for their meal, Cassie practiced her sword swings. With the menial tasks requiring little of his attention, Sunny's thoughts wandered toward the future.
'We can't leave Blood Weave and the Midnight Shard behind, so we'll need to fight through the Ashen Barrow.'
He had a few strategies in mind for dealing with the two abominations there, but each carried risk. Sunny was far more powerful than a Sleeper had any right to be, but an unusually strong Awakened Demon empowered by an Awakened Terror would be unwise to fight head-on at his current state. Not that he doubted he could win if it came to it, but doing so without sustaining injuries would be tricky. Without Nephis to act as a safety net in that regard, it was one of his major concerns going into battles now.
Sunny idly wondered if there was a way to get the Vile Thieving Bird's Spawn to fall from its nest and drain the essence from the two abominations. The Spell probably wouldn't allow the Midnight Shard to be lost if the guardian was killed by a non-human, but something about the plan felt wrong. His intuition told him it was a poor idea.
The original strategy they'd used—luring a monster from the Dark Sea to weaken the Carapace Demon—was still viable. But it meant approaching during the day and hiding in the canopy until nightfall to carry out the plan. He hated the thought of exposing them both to the hex for so long again. He wasn't sure if [Unchained] would protect him from the enthralling process, but his gut told him it wouldn't. The tree's mind attack made its victims want to be thralls. While Sunny's new Memory, [Quiet Resolve], and Cassie's lineage would give them a better chance of escaping its influence... that wasn't good enough for him.
He would not let the Soul Devouring Tree live this time. They would find another way to deal with the Demon—one that didn't require waiting around. Once the guardian was gone, he would make sure the accursed flora's shadow occupied a special spot in the depths of his Soul Sea.
***
In the quiet of a starless night, Sunny lay restless.
Lately, he'd noticed that his attempts to control his emotions had become increasingly futile. It started when he received his flaw. His rational mind no longer held the same sway over his feelings. He was starting to grasp a deeper layer of his predicament—his inability to conceal his emotions didn't just apply to others. It applied to himself, too.
It explained his emotional dysfunction recently. Sunny was no stranger to suffering in his past life, but his ability to cope had been much better than it was now. Surges of grief haunted much of his waking moments, especially when left to his thoughts. It was unlike him to let out tears so easily, let alone in front of others like he had done the prior day.
His empty gaze lingered on the void above.
A fierce flame of determination still burned within him, brighter than any sun. But his eyes remained lightless, clouded by a sorrow that would not be shaken.
***
The following morning, Sunny awoke to a nudge from Cassie.
"I had a dream."
Once Sunny managed to shake the lingering lethargy from his body, Cassie continued.
"In my vision, powerful winged chimeras seemed to be hunting something. What do you make of it?"
Sunny turned toward the east, where a storm crept over the horizon. He had originally planned to head westward and outrun it, but now he found himself thankful for Cassie's Aspect.
"Your Aspect was likely warning us of danger along our path to the west. There is a storm brewing in the east. I think it best to maintain a low profile until the two dangers pass by."
On their original trip through the Dream Realm, they had reached this same cliff while fleeing from the storm in the distance. After dispatching a Carapace Centurion that had sought shelter here, a Spire Messenger from the west had taken the corpse under the cover of night.
Even though he had much greater power, Sunny would not risk fighting one. A single could probably be done, but the moment a second appeared, they would be hopelessly outmatched. Given Cassie's vision, it seemed there were multiple hunting in the labyrinth ahead.
Shadow Fragments: [119/1000]
Serpent had been providing a steady trickle of Shadow Fragments, but it wasn't nearly enough to take on abominations of the Fallen rank. For now, they would be hunkering down for the day.
That did raise the question of why Spire Messengers were so far east though.
'Do they get sent to hunt for the new Sleepers every solstice?' Sunny thought. 'It would make sense that it took them a few days to get this far...'
Regardless of the reason, Cassie would appreciate the extra time to practice.
***
Some hours later, as the storm approached, various Scavengers of the Carapace Legion began to climb the slopes leading to the top of the cliff formation. Cassie and Sunny gazed indifferently below at the armored crustaceans, picking them off in surgical ambushes. By their eighth victim, rain had started to fall along the ridge.
At this point, Cassie had grown quite adept at fighting the Scavengers. It was time for her to be challenged once again, so Sunny was glad to see the approach of a Centurion.
"We've only fought Beasts so far. Our next target is a Monster, it doesn't have the same weak spot along its back."
Cassie nodded, and the two awaited their prey' approach.
After spotting them, it swelled with rage. Crimson fire danced in its eyes as it charged up the ridge. This was to be further practice for Cassie in reading the movements of Nightmare Creatures during actual fights, so they wouldn't be relying on any tricks or ambush. Sunny would draw its attention first, giving Cassie the opportunity to observe and learn.
Sunny stepped in front of Cassie, positioning himself between her and the Centurion. She stayed a few paces behind, ready.
Sunny wielded an Ascended-equivalent sword, but he knew he couldn't just block the creature's blows—his arms were the limiting factor. Instead, he danced around the edges of its reach. As Cassie lowered her center of gravity to sprint, Sunny dashed left, narrowly avoiding a blow.
Cassie circled right, mirroring his movement. With one scythe extended from a failed strike, the Centurion couldn't defend both sides using its remaining arm. So, it backpedaled, raising both of its scythes above its head for crushing overhead blows.
Cassie was preparing for this, and had summoned her Echo a few paces in front of her to dive onto the foe's back. Heedless of the chitin spikes it impaled itself on, the Scavenger Echo grasped the Monster's raised scythes with its pincers and pulled back.
The Centurion struggled against the Echo, giving Cassie and Sunny the chance to dart forward and launch their attacks. Cassie drove her blade into the gap between its torso and carapace, while Sunny quickly made paralyzing strikes across its limbs.
Eventually, the Centurion threw the Scavenger off its back and into the ground, leaving its scythes freed again. Cassie retracted her blade and dove out from under the beast behind Sunny. She hurriedly dismissed her Echo to prevent any more damage from being dealt.
The creature's wounds had left it in a poor state, and its movements grew sluggish. Instead of retreating to keep his distance, Sunny pressed in. A sloppy strike from the Centurion left it wide open, and Sunny seized the opportunity to sever the offending scythe.
With the foe now partially disarmed, Sunny let Cassie circle to the side of its missing scythe. After a methodic dance of shifting in and out to make safe strikes, the crustacean's blood loss began to take a toll.
The outcome of the fight was becoming clear.
In a final, desperate attempt to take one of them down with it, the half-dead abomination threw its massive body weight toward Cassie. Sunny's heart skipped a beat, but to his relief, Cassie was quick to react, diving out of the way just in time.
Sunny leapt forward and plunged his sword downwards into the socket connecting the Centurion's scythe and torso. With havoc wrought on its internal organs, it fell limp.
[You have slain an Awakened Monster, Carapace Centurion.]
[You have received a Memory: Starlight Legion Armor.]
[Your shadow grows stronger.]
After swapping armor memories, Sunny gave praise to Cassie's contributions during the fight.
When the Spire Messenger eventually came to collect the corpse, it never had a chance of detecting the two among the shadows.