Alone in an unkempt cemetery, the long grass swayed in the wind, as a stunning man stared silently at a tree. The shadows around him shifted, seemingly confused but in awe at his presence, before they wholeheartedly bared their existence to his will.
The man didn't react, as he instead lurched over, clutching his temples as a hiss sounded out.
"Ah damn it….."
Sunny slightly winced as he resisted the powerful push of the War Realm, it stabbed and pushed at his existence, like a nagging elder scolding and telling him to leave. However, having kept his existence aflame in the Hollow mountains for over a year without a True Name, resisting the lull of the Nothing.
This was like childsplay.
Slowly he straightened himself, his will coiling around his body and compressing, like an armadillo reinforcing himself. The invisible prodding lessened, now becoming a slight tap, a very annoying tap. For a normal Supreme, they would have very limited time in this realm—but Sunny was far from a normal Supreme, thus he could prolong and choose the length of his stay.
Although it would become increasingly frustrating….
He glanced down, noticing the sinister Onyx mantle still draped around his body.
Within a heartbeat, it dissolved, replaced by a stylish black tunic. It unfurled itself across his body, well fitted but loose and spacious around the forearms. On his back, a pair of shadow hands stretched out, gathering his long silky hair and tying it into a loose messy knot.
If a bystander had seen him, they would have had to look twice to make sure a murim jade beauty from their comics was indeed before their eyes.
Well…..
It wasn't wrong to call Sunny such, he was indeed a bonafide jade beauty. Without a doubt, he was currently the most eye-appealing person in all….worlds.
But that was the last thing on his mind. A wooden chair rose from behind him, welcoming its master as he leaned forward—pinching his nose in confusion as his eyes squinted.
"How….where do i even start?"
Taking a shaky breath, he glanced up at his six shadows. Sunny slightly stretched his shadow sense, before allowing the six other shadows to manifest and summon chairs for themselves. Each body had a unique way of prostrating themselves. One Sunny leaned back in a nonchalant manner, another spread his legs and slouched like a thug, one sat straight and well kept, another brought their legs up and curled into a ball, one flipped the chair around and the last one sat silently with a crazed look.
They sat in a circle, the Sunny roundtable, a brief moment of silence before one Sunny spoke up.
"So….this isn't our earth"
The other Sunny's looked at him in disappointment, as the one who spoke up shrugged.
"Clearly it isn't, that bastard Anvil is still alive and in control of Valor"
A gloomy looking Sunny nodded solemnly, "Then the queen is also more-or-less the same and also in control of Ravenheart"
"So what?" a slightly crazed Sunny muttered, leaning back, "One of us is more than enough to kill them both."
A snort rang out, as a lazy looking Sunny massaged his temples.
"That's besides the point, not to mention a category seven Nightmare Gate of after-math"
The other Sunny's nodded solemnly in agreement, before another coughed to grab their attention.
"The pyramid, right?"
Heads subtly nodded as sighs rang out.
"Without a doubt, we all heard the sounds of strings snapping"
"Damn Ariel, why couldn't he keep his projects hidden like Weaver?"
"I really hate that pyramid"
"Gods…..how does this even make sense at all?"
Their rants droned on, until the real Sunny clapped his hands, causing the others to quiet down and straighten their posture.
"Yes, this indeed has something to do with escaping the pyramid and going against fate" he echoed.
The Sunny's beamed, exchanging smiles as some bumped fists, their actions stopping as the shadows became cold and threatening.
"Subsequently…..we have ended up in a different reality, or the past, i'm not quite sure." he sighed, "Regardless, we are now in a tricky situation as an unknown Supreme at a time where two are ruling everyone and everything from the shadows."
He paused, glancing up at the moon with estranged eyes.
"Not to mention the bastard man on the moon"
One of the Sunny's politely raised their hand, as the main body nodded.
"So what? Isn't this great? We have an opportunity to change things for the better, we have the power to do so!"
Another eagerly nodded, "Exactly! Everything in our Soul Sea is in check, the troops are ready to go, all the memories and junk are just as we left them."
Another hoarsely chuckled as he stared at the ground, "Yes…..we have an opportunity to change the mistakes and hardships we had to experience."
The other nodded in silence, as they all stared at the ground, slightly spacing out. A new reality….a fresh start, a chance to amend the grief and pain he had lived through and endured. A chance to make things he always desired right.
They snapped out of the dream like thoughts as the main body chuckled.
"Funny, even with such an opportunity…..we can't fulfill what we desire most"
Their faces grew dark, hands slightly clenching, as their voices whispered in unison
"Can never be known, can never be loved, can never be worshipped"
...
"....Can never belong"
A pathetic chuckle escaped his lips, "Wow, even in a new reality—not a single person knows or remembers who I am"
"Maybe it's for the better….wherever we go, ruin just seems to follow" another whispered.
The eyes of all the Sunnys became dark, their individuality fading.
"Arghh damnit all!" the main body cursed, rubbing their hair, "Only me, myself and all my other selves to blame, the answer was inches away from my fingertips and I blew it"
The others clicked their tongues as they shook their heads, "Yep it's all your fault you terribly gorgeous moron"
Sunny stared at them silently, his lips slightly curling.
"Ah well, you see…..I was scared" he whispered, "In that moment where everything could change, I was scared, so terribly scared of losing it all again, t-that I panicked…."
The other tilted their heads, a voice speaking up, "And you ran away"
The main body could only chuckle, opening his palms as a shadowy wine cup manifested and a vintage wine bottle was pulled out of his Soul Sea. In an effortless motion, he flicked off the top with his fingers, a shadow hand a few meters away rising from the ground to catch the rubbish, placing it in a bin.
Pouring himself a glass, he took a long swig, staring at the sky.
"Yes…I ran away. Maybe I shouldn't have, but I did" he said, his lips curling, "Because I am a coward, the most powerful and prideful coward in all of two worlds, a human coward."
"So what was the point of getting so strong?" the other inquired.
The main body paused, seeming to remember something, "Strong? I never wanted to be so strong, I wanted to live! I just wanted to live the life I never had the chance to, but I guess….that was never truly my choice."
"....I survived, I killed, I learned, I grew, I suffered. My whole existence changed after that trial, it's hard to believe I'm the same name to the face" he paused, slightly frowning, "....actually, it's pretty impossible to put my name to this face."
The others scoffed in annoyance, "Get to the point you wannabe idol!"
Wine slightly spilled as Sunny shot up, "I am no deplorable idol! Kai never succeeded in dragging me into that hell! Well….he might have tried if remembered me"
"That's besides the point!" he huffed, taking a swig as he leaned back, "I guess i-it's just…..no matter how much I change….."
.....
"....I'll always be me"
…..
"And that's why I ran away…because I was scared, just the same as when I woke up from the trial….from losing everything dear that I had gained instead of lost."
Silence hung in the air as he finished his glass, refilling it without a second notice. They remained like that for a while, before one Sunny spoke up, his voice low and distant.
"Ahh…..but that was our chance for Nephis to remember me"
Nephis….
The name brought an unexplainable warmth inside, that both healed and tore his being apart. From the Forgotten Shore, all the way to the battle of God Grave. He was still unsure and conflicted about what he truly felt, nor would he be able to explain it.
It was probably for the better, any explanation would simplify what he truly felt.
If he could compress it into a single honest statement, it would be….
"I love Nephis…"
The most honest words he had ever spoken since awakening, something even his flaw couldn't scale to. A bittersweet smile tugged at his conflicted face, an ocean of memories grounding him.
He could only let out a saddened laugh,
"Yeah…I guess I am very conflicted over not getting to experience that"
The others frowned, crossing their arms as they spread their legs in a thug like manner.
"Then go back dumbass! By now the loop has reset, and we know the tricks and schemes of that chicken wing! It would be lightwork, painful, but lightwork!"
Silently the main body stared at them, swirling the wine in his cup.
"I don't know"
The other Sunny's shot up in outrage, their voices loud, "YOU DON'T KNOW!?"
"Shhh! Morons, don't cause a commotion!" he hissed, "I just…."
He paused, considering his words.
"I just can't put a finger on one of the two, they're both heart-wrenching condemnations. Stay alone and forgotten, or be remember and condemned to my Fate as the oh-so terrible heir, all while being a slave"
He paused, resting against his arm, "Ahh….i'm only sympathising more and more with Cassie in grief."
Slowly he gripped the wine glass, lifting it up above his head as if brandishing a staff. He silently gazed at his action, weakly smiling, his voice tender:
"So….why do I have to choose? Why can't I create my own choice?" he said, spreading his arms dramatically, "And low and behold! I did, now on a path that wasn't supposed to be a choice, truly free!"
"But…" the others said while frowning, "We're already wasting time as we speak, things could still be progressing in our actual reality at this very moment."
The real Sunny hummed, "Possible…. but just like with the Tomb, time likely isn't linear as it seems between these two points, it's more like my actual reality is sort of on pause or moving at a very slow speed in comparison to this present. Time could also be frozen in the midst of my presence here, following the quantum law of the observer effect."
Eyes widened in spite, "You! Says the slum kid who never finished or graduated school!"
A chuckle rang out,
"....but, I did have a great teacher in that small time" he said, looking off in a certain direction, "And I also indirectly learned a lot from the eccentric rambles of a bright professor inside an armoured vehicle on any icy plane."
The shadows shuddered as the air became chilly, "Just admit it! You're too scared to go back and do what you should have done!"
The main body smiled, subtly nodding in humility.
"...Maybe you're right, I am just a coward looking for an excuse to experience this world" he whispered, before turning around, "But, I also do know a thing or two about time paradoxes"
The Sunny's shook their heads in dejection, "In a world where nobody knows you"
"Yeah, not so different from my life in the last few years" he sighed.
The sunny's continued to shake their heads in dejection, "And without Nephis or Rain"
"Ah, yes.." he murmured, "I would also need some time alone to think about that"
The Sunny's continued to shake their heads at an alarming velocity, "You condemned your world and will die alone a fool"
The main body titled his head, a smile on his face, "Ah well, I have already died an annoying amount of times, and at the hands of my own foolish self-nonetheless! Besides…"
He spread his arms carefree, "If I die, then I drag you miserable bunch with me!"
The others scoffed in annoyance, "You're drunk."
"Quite the opposite" he chuckled, "How does a Supreme get drunk? I've been experimenting a bit"
The six other Sunny's silently stared at him, before dissolving into the shadows, re-attaching to his feet. He finished his glass, the wine-cup dissolving as he walked over and tossed the bottle into the bin, returning in front of the tree.
'I can't tell if this is a bad habit or a smart method for mental fortitude…'
He looked it up and down, before resting a hand on the marks, a small smile on his lips.
"If anything, this is more like a vacation to gather my thoughts on my decision before I return to the pyramid." he chuckled, before looking away, "Besides….there is another me already working hard as he should"
He paused.
"How about I go check on hi—no, myself?"
The shadows welcomed him as he dissolved and moved at impossible speeds, manifesting on the roof of a particular academy. Silently, he looked across the rooftops, glancing down at the entrance.
"Ah, how pitifully nostalgic"
He closed his eyes, spreading his shadow sense to his limit. Before becoming Supreme his range had been roughly 50km, but after becoming Supreme it had nearly doubled—now a staggering 90km in radius. Still, he had to filter the unnecessary data and senses, although he was Supreme, the sensory overload was too much stimulation for his mind.
"Not in the academy, not in the neighbourhood….antarctica? No….it's still too pedestrian and calm, and most definitely not around the Tomb, I unconsciously checked when I left for Bastion"
Eventually his search stopped, as he felt a familiar presence in an underground chamber
…..and an even fainter and unfamiliar one next to it.
His fingers twitched as his eyes widened in disbelief.
"No way..."
****************
In the reinforced steel chamber beneath a police station, government official Jet leaned against a wall in a chair, fiddling with a crow feather. Briefly, her attention turned as she glanced at a figure strapped to a table, the sight causing her eyes to twitch.
"It's like staring at a ghost from the past…" she muttered, a slight chuckle escaping.
"An alive ghost"
She propped herself forward, staring at the child on the table, her eyes deep and complicated….but flickering with a spark of hope.
'Come on….you can do it'
Her attention was diverted as a knock sounded on the door, a shadowy figure standing behind the blurry reinforced glass.
Jet grumbled, "Identify yourself"
She could have sworn the figure on the other side slightly shook, as the air became slightly chilly.
"Goddamit, I'm already freezing off here monitoring this poor kid! Speak!"
A cough resounded from the other side as a voice spoke, "Apologies, we require your assistance with some paperwork applications regarding the child who is currently under their trial."
Jet's eyes narrowed, her tone low, "You're speaking as if he's a lost cause and you want me to sign his corpse off"
"No such thing mam!" they quickly replied, their tone clear, "...besides, I think he will do just fine"
'Oh, so now you have a conscious for us slum kids?'
Jet stood up, pausing as she took a step towards the door, "Your voice, I don't recognize it from the workers at the front"
The figure stood motionlessly on the other side, before bringing the silhouette of an arm up and rubbing their head, "Ah, I was getting some coffee before you arrived, tough times"
Jet glanced back at the table before sighing, "Yes, very tough times for overworked people like us."
She reached forward, slightly infusing essence into her palms, turning the cold iron handle, the door creaking open slowly. However, there was no person nor figure standing waiting for her. Jet stared in confusion at the spot before her, as a voice trailed from down the hallway.
"Sorry, I would like to get this over quickly, don't mind me rushing ahead"
She stared blankly down the hall, before turning around and locking the door, speed walking ahead, grumbling underneath her breath, "Unbelievable, they treat me as such just because i'm not a snotty legacy"
In the silent chamber, the shadows shifted—covering the cameras and manifesting across the door. Then, a dazzlingly eerie man stepped out of the corner of the room—like he'd always been there. In his palm he tossed an ordinary looking rock up and down, dismissing it as he stood beside the table, staring at the child.
"Now this is just strange"
Silently he stared at the boy who lay on the table, his appearance easily mistaken for a corpse. His body was covered in blemishes and healed cuts, bones pushing against the fragile skin. Clothing was disgusting and dirty, covered in holes and poorly sewn tears. On his hollow and malnourished face, a distant look settled as he dreamed a strange forlorn dream.
His gaze moved down, narrowing as he looked inside the boy.
Unseen to the eye, a disgusting blotch of darkness faintly pulsed, contained by an invisible cage.
The sight was harrowing and haunting to say the least, as Sunny silently stared….at his true self.
His lips quivered, as he raised his arm, briefly brushing the weakly coiled fist. It….was so weak, so weak and fragile that he feared he would bruise it with a slightly sharp breath.
At his feet, Happy leaned forward, slightly tapping the child's shadow, a childlike smile on its face.
"Yeah, yeah….good times when it was just us"
The other shadows turned, looking at him in offense, invoking a light laugh.
"...yeah, you're all great. I would have never made it this far without you guys"
Silently he stared at the sleeping body, multiple lifetimes of memories flashing before his eyes as a bittersweet smile tugged at his lips. He silently cursed as a lone tear fell down his face.
"Mom would definitely be proud"
He turned, his gaze passing over the numerous shadows which had gathered in the room, observing their lord and the child before him.
Sunny smiled.
"Natural you'd want to gather, moments before witnessing the birth of your heir"
The shadows however, did not voice their feelings, causing Sunny to frown. He raised his arm, prepared to belittle their incompetence, however his ears pricked at a noise behind him.
Twitch
He whirled around.
Only wishing he hadn't.
On the table, the hands of the boy were violently twitching as his body convulsed. But the sight didn't even register to Sunny, as his world crumbled at what he saw inside.
The blotch of darkness spasmed…..
…..and grew
The room violently shook, as Sunny stared with eyes of disbelief at the scene. Shakingly, he raised his hands and placed them on top of the boy's chest, feeling his pulse weaken.
His voice a broken whisper,
"No…."
All around, the shadows became deeper, cold and dark….with pain and anguish, as their ruler's voice cried out.
"NO!!"
Just as nobody could reach him in all his life, neither he himself could reach out to…..himself, in the dreadful moment. He was so painfully helpless at what was happening before him, only able to cradle the broken body as tears of anguish streamed down his face, dampening the child's hair.
His voice a croaky sob, "N-No…y-you, you are Lost from Light! You are t-the one born and destined to rule the shadows, the bastard son of fate!"
The body continued to convulse as he hugged it, the light from the lamp above dimming as the shadows swirled, crying in grief.
"L-Lost from Light! Y-You a-are Lost f-from Light!"
Inside, the darkness continued to grow, spreading out around his heart as his own stopped beating.
"You're not nobody! You're Sunny! You're Sunles-"
And in that moment…..
The light in both Sunny's extinguished.
As only darkness remained, ever welcoming and cold—reaching out.
The child stopped convulsing as his pulse weakened, finally disappearing. Around his body, blotches of darkness began to bloom and spread like terrible blisters. Sunny looked at the body, his face unreadable and dark, a pitiful sob sounding out.
"I-I'm sorry"
As the darkness continued to spread, he raised his arm, a sleek dagger rising from his palm, cutting the tears that fell from his face.
"I-I'm s-so so sorry"
And he brought it down, swift and merciful—stabbing through the cold heart of the child. The darkness writhed, retreating into the body as everything went limp and cold. A melancholic voice whispering words of dread in his ear:
[You have slain a Dormant Beast, Sunless]
The body slipped from his shaky grasp, falling onto the floor with a thud—as silence held in the air.
And then, he screamed….
He screamed with all his might as the shadows ran away in fear, as the chamber shook and cracks formed on the walls. His voice shook the whole building, as he lurched forward in agony, grasping…..his lifeless body.
A broken whisper escaping his quivering lips, "W-What is this….h-how…n-no! What's meant to happen, how are we suppose t-"
The body didn't speak, only staring silently at its killer.
Alone, he kneeled on the ravished chamber, a silent voice whispering.
.....
".....i'm sorry"
BANG
Outside in the hallway, a door blasted off its hinges as a figure dashed towards the room with impossible speed, arriving before the door. Not even wasting a second, the door was ripped in half as Master Jet blurred through the gap into the room
Her eyes wide….
Only to find it empty, everything still and silent—disrupted by splinters of steel falling from the cracks.
She fully examined the room before standing beside the table.
Blood dripped from the tightly clenched fists, now turning red.
Her face was grim and torn, her shoulders stiff as she exhaled, taking a shaky breath as she lowered herself onto the ground—-her head resting against the table.
"Your Nightmare is over"
**********
In a world of darkness, a figure moved with blinding speed—carrying the lifeless body of a child as all the shadows watched in silence.
The grass stirred, as a man rose from the shadows—carrying a body in his arms. Behind him, a swarm of shadows silently followed like a mourning funeral party.
Finally, he stopped before a tree. Gingerly, he laid the body before it, his knees shaking as he crumbled forward. The child's breath had long since ceased, but Sunny clung to that frail, cooling hand like it might stir again under the weight of his will. His shadows stood silent, frozen, for even they could feel the unbearable fracture in their master's soul.
A terrible silence fell, so thick it swallowed all hope. Even the shadows recoiled—not from fear, but mourning.
Because in that moment, it wasn't just the boy who had died.
It was Sunny.
The Sunny that dreamt, that hoped, that still believed he could claw something beautiful out of the ruins of this existence—that Sunny died alone in his trial.
And the Supreme who remained?
He was just a god cradling a ghost, a miserable god who thought he could have a break and create instead of destroy.
A lone shadow who stood motionless before the tree, as the darkness welcomed him.
Only darkness.