Meeting With a Master

Having met up with Sparkle and receiving a harsh scolding, the two of them had arrived back at the Sanctuary. Curious about the purpose of the coins, Sunny asked if she had any divinations she could use to figure it out.

Luckily, it seemed that she did.

Taking one of the coins, Sparkle informed Sunny to not interrupt her as she entered her room. Not knowing what else to do, he leaned against the wall next to the door.

After a few moments, Sparkle exited the room. She handed him the coin back before telling him what he should do with it.

"I had a dream divination about the altar. Something might happen if you take them over there."

Mumbling a quick thanks, Sunny snuck on the Altar Island and placed all four of his coins on the cold surface of the stone monolith, then waited for a bit.

Nothing happened.

'Huh.'

Dissapointed, Sunny looked around to see if there was anything else he could try. Holding one of the coins in his hand, he waved it around to see if anything would occur. Seeing that nothing was happening, he went back and placed it on the altar.

Not wanting to miss anything, he waited patiently. After a while, the clouds parted, revealing the moon. Illuminated by pale moonlight, the four coins gleamed with a golden light.

…A moment later, the surface of the coins suddenly shone with ethereal radiance. The features of the person etched on them became sharper, then disappeared into the light.

When the light dissipated, the coins were gone.

Sunny stared at the empty spot where they had been just a few seconds ago with a bewildered expression.

It was then when the Spell suddenly whispered into his ear:

[Your shadow grows stronger.]

[Your shadow grows stronger.]

[Your shadow grows stronger.]

[Your shadow grows stronger.]

Sunny stared at the place where the coins used to be, then blinked.

'What just happened?'

He dropped the coins on the altar, it was illuminated by the moonlight, and disappeared. And then, he received a shadow fragment.

'No way…'

Holding back excitement, Sunny summoned the runes and read:

Shadow Fragments: [10/3000].

The last time he checked, there was only six. He had definitely, without a doubt, just received a shadow fragment for each of the strange golden coins.

'So it wasn't an ordinary coin, after all!'

A satisfied smile appeared on his lips.

Not only was the coin special, it was even not cursed. On the contrary, it was blessed!

'Well, that was the easiest shadow fragment I have ever received…'

Looking up at the moon, he realized that both the altar and the moonlight were necessary.

And also… was he seeing things, or had the obsidian dagger moved ever so slightly?

With a skeptical frown, Sunny tried to lift the damned knife, but just as before, nothing he did had any effect on it.

'Ugh, whatever!'

His recent discovery was enough of a reward in and of itself. He had received four shadow fragments — the equivalent of killing a Fallen Monster — without having to risk his life one bit. On its own, this amount was not that considerable… but what if he found a thousand, or even a few hundred of these miraculous coins?

What if he reached the treasury where the chest bitten into by the winged demon was hidden?

That… would change a lot.

The problem was, Sunny had no idea where to look.

Pacing back and forth, he thought for a while, and then said to himself:

"I should probably find an expert on all things Chained Isles."

Somebody who might know about this type of Nightmare Creature, their behavior, and usual haunts… somebody who had spent long years in this region of the Dream Realm and was friendly enough to talk to Sunny.

'Now who do I know who fits into all these criteria?'

Sunny stopped pacing, lingered for a few moments, and then turned his head to the ring of massive menhirs.

A strange expression appeared on his face.

***

In the early morning, a lone figure approached the hallway leading to the White Feather clan's residence.

Saint Tyris and her people occupied the northern part of the Sanctuary's interior. Sunny had no idea what went on there, since he had never been invited, but he knew that both entrances to their compound were usually guarded.

Today was not an exception.

Before Sunny could step foot inside the hallway, a young warrior in a cuirass decorated with etchings of hawk feathers appeared from an alcove and glanced at him with a vigilant expression.

"State your business, Awakened… Ah! Sir Sunless."

Sunny stared at the young man with an earnest expression, then smiled.

'Heh. He called me sir! It seems he recognizes greatness when he sees it.'

"Oh! I am here to see Master Roan. He once told me to come find him if I need anything. So… here I am. In need of something. Can you fetch him really quick?"

The guard blinked a couple of times, then frowned:

"What is this about, exactly?"

Sunny grinned, lingered for a few moments, and then said honestly:

"...Demon hunting."

Sunny had no idea if Master Roan was currently in the Sanctuary, but judging by the fact that the guard did not immediately send him away, he probably was.

With a respecting nod, the guard whistled softly and returned to his alcove. Nothing seemed to happen for a few minutes, but then, Sunny hear the sound of approaching footsteps.

A young woman wearing a simple white garment appeared from behind the curve of the corridor and glanced at him, then gestured for him to follow.

Sunny shifted slightly, then moved forward, walking behind the girl.

'What would you know? I am walking into the lair of a Legacy clan of my own free will. Never say never, I guess…'

He had really never expected himself to do something like this any time soon.

Instead of walking further into the compound, they entered a narrow staircase and ascended to the very top of the Sanctuary. There, massive stone monoliths lay flat on top of the menhirs, creating an almost uninterrupted surface.

There was a whole separate world above the Citadel, as it turned out. Grass and moss covered the expansive stone circle, which stretched far into the distance. Sunny could see guards standing at the outer edge of it, keeping watch on the neighboring islands. Here and there, siege weapons were placed at irregular intervals, aimed at the sky.

Right above the White Feather residence, a graceful structure was built on top of the ring of menhirs. With tall windows and beautiful ivy climbing its walls, it resembled a large stone chateau. The walls of the mansion were still wet from rain and shone softly in the light of the rising sun.

A path led from its door to an airy pavilion at the edge of the stone monolith, with a round table standing in its center.

The mighty griffin was laying near the pavilion, its head hidden under one of the eagle wings, while Master Roan himself seemed to be enjoying a hearty breakfast inside.

The young woman gestured for Sunny to go forward and walked toward the mansion, soon disappearing behind its door.

'...I guess this is how Saints live.'

For a moment, Sunny was full of envy. The chateau on top of the Sanctuary seemed so beautiful, simple, and peaceful… the complete opposite of the noisy, overcrowded, and poisoned world where he had come from.

Of course, that peace was a lie. The Dream Realm might have seemed like a paradise sometimes, but that paradise was dire and twisted, hiding all kinds of horrors that were ready to descend upon you at any moment.

'Whatever. I don't even live in the outskirts anymore, so I wouldn't say my living situation is that bad.'

Entering the pavilion, Sunny greeted Master Roan with all respect he could muster. The older man smiled and invited Sunny to seat with a relaxed gesture.

"Good morning, Sunless. I must admit, I didn't expect you to seek me out so soon. Did something happen?"

Sunny sat down, smiled politely, then shook his head.

"Nothing that I would want to concern you with. You see… I am not here to talk about something that happened, but more about something that might happen."

Master Roan raised an eyebrow and laughed:

"Don't tell me… wait… are you here with a business proposal? Am I about to become a customer of Sunny's Brilliant Emporium?"

Sunny choked. A strange development that had occurred in the gap of his memories was that he had a shop where he'd buy and sell memories. If he were to guess, it must have been to increase Saint's shadow fragments.

"Uh… no. What? Where did you hear about that?"

The handsome Master grinned.

"I hear things."

'What are those bastards saying behind my back?!'

Sunny forced out a smile, then shook his head.

"No, no. I am not here as a highly respected, rich, and famous entrepreneur. I am actually here as an advanced scout of the Sanctuary of Noctis."

Master Roan grew serious.

"Oh. Continue."

Sunny nodded, then hesitated for a bit, and finally said:

"After we parted two days ago, I returned to the Sanctuary. On my way back, however, I rested for a while on the Iron Hand Island. And there… well, I found the remains of a Nightmare Creature there."

The older man frowned slightly.

"That's not unheard of. Iron Hand is usually safe, but you know how Chained Isles are. Nightmare Creatures migrate, sometimes naturally, sometimes to avoid the Crushing."

Sunny scratched the back of his head.

"That's true. However, the abomination was a Fallen Demon. It is strange to see one that close to the Sanctuary, and especially so because I have never seen or even heard about that type of creature. It was rather scary."

Roan's frown deepened.

"A Fallen Demon on the Iron Hand Island? That is indeed strange. You've done well to bring me this information, Sunless. Did you get a good look at it, by any chance?"

Sunny sighed.

"Well, you see, it was in the depths of night."

Then, he smiled.

"...But, luckily, I can see perfectly in the dark! So, yes. I got a very good look. Let me describe it…"

He described the demon to the best of his ability, not sparing any detail. He even remembered every wound and injury on the abomination's body, hoping that their nature can shine a light on what exactly had killed the bastard.

The longer Sunny talked, the darker Master Roan's face became. Finishing his report, Sunny glanced at the older man and asked:

"So… what type of a demon was that, exactly? And why have I never encountered one before?"

Master Roan shook his head.

"You are lucky to have never met one of these fiends, kid. They are a very rare and vicious breed of Nightmare Creatures, known as Chain Worms. Luckily, it was already dead. Otherwise, I doubt that we would be having this conversation right now. Even I am reluctant to face a demon such as this alone. No offense, Sunless, but if that thing was alive, you would have ended up as its dinner."

Sunny hesitated for a bit, then asked cautiously:

"Chain Worms? Why are they called that?"

The older man sighed, then looked at the breathtaking vista of the Chained Isles in front of them.

After a while, he said:

"It is because these creatures feed on metal. Once one of the heavenly chains is weakened, they appear from the Dark Side to feast on it. Steel weapons are useless against these abominable things, so fighting one, let alone many, is almost an impossible task."

Master Roan stared into the distance with a bleak expression, and then added darkly:

"I've seen whole islands crumble into the Below because of their hunger…"

Master Roan grew silent for a few moments, then smiled after noticing Sunny's troubled expression:

"The heavenly chains near the Sanctuary are all fine, though. So you have nothing to worry about."

'That's not what I am worried about…'

Sunny had already received a piece of valuable information that could help him find the mysterious treasure. But he wanted to know more…

Before he could ask another question, however, a sudden shadow shrouded the pavilion, the stone chateau, and the expanse of weathered stone surrounding it — as though a cloud moved across the sun, hiding it.

The sleeping griffin stirred and raised its head, its vertical pupils narrowing.

Just a moment later, the shadow disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared. Simultaneously, a strange sound reached Sunny's ears — it was as though a thousand wings rustled as they cut the air.

Then, a woman was suddenly standing at the edge of the stone ring, her silhouette outlined against the rising sun by a bright halo.

It seemed as though she had always been there, but Sunny could swear that there was no one near them just a second ago.

'Oh…'

The woman was tall and slender, her posture straight like an arrow. She was wearing a light steel armor, its pauldrons and greaves decorated with white feathers. Her long blond hair was fluttering in the wind like a cascade of pale gold.

When she turned around, Sunny saw two piercing amber eyes staring at him, and shivered. Her face was cold and stunningly beautiful, more akin to that of a goddess than of a human being.

…The woman's pupils were narrow and vertical, exactly like those of the mighty griffin.

The ruler of the Sanctuary had returned home.

'Crap!'

With a shudder, Sunny forced himself to look away and hurriedly bowed.

This was his third time meeting Tyris of the White Feather clan, also known by her True Name, Sky Tide… one of the few Saints of the human race, the demigod in charge of the Chained Island.

Just by virtue of existing, the Saint exerted a strange influence on everything that surrounded her. It was not oppressive, like the dreadful aura of Gunlaug's golden armor, just… different. As if the world itself was reacting to her. The blades of grass seemed to bent slightly toward her, the winds sang subtly lower as she approached, and even sunlight appeared to become a bit brighter in her presence.

Master Roan shifted and rose from his seat.

"Good morning, sunshine!"

Sunny flinched.

'Uh… what?'

It took him a couple of seconds to realize that the fearless griffin rider was addressing his wife, and not him.

'Sunshine… sunshine?!'

Is that how he addressed a Saint?!

'Well, she is his wife, after all. I guess?'

Once he thought about it, everything made sense. But still, the idea of addressing a Transcendent as "sunshine" seemed very weird, for some reason.

Sunny cautiously looked up and saw a wide smile on Roan's face. Saint Tyris herself, however, was as cold as ever.

"Good morning, Ro."

Even her voice was cold and heavy, like the howl of an approaching storm.

Turning her head slightly, Saint Tyris looked at Sunny with a silent question.

…Countless poets would have been ruined if they saw the elegant curve of her eyebrow.

'Huh… wow... wait, what am I thinking about?'

Master Roan patted Sunny on the shoulder and said:

"Awakened Sunless visited to tell me about a demon he encountered on the Iron Hand Island. It was a Chain Worm… already dead, fortunately. Still, we should explore the nearby island. Don't you think?"

Saint Tyris lingered for a few moments, then shook her head.

"No need. The only failing chain on the Isles is far away from the Sanctuary, connecting Shipwreck Island to the Twisted Rock. This is where the Chain Worm came from. I just saw it myself."

She turned away, then sighed slightly.

"Of course, we will have to prepare. All islands are connected, after all. After the Twisted Rock falls, its demise will echo through the entire region. Many islands will shift, causing changes to the severity of the Crushing on others. The migrations patterns of the Nightmare Creatures will be affected, too."

'I should probably get going.'

Sunny cleared his throat, then said awkwardly:

"Uh… it's been an honor to meet you again, Lady Tyris. I… uh… shall take my leave, then."

Sky Tide nodded indifferently, then said:

"Thank you for informing us of your finding, Awakened Sunless."

He nodded, then rose from his seat and cautiously took a few steps away.

When Sunny was almost out of the pavilion, however, the cold voice of the Saint stopped him:

"Wait."

He turned around and forced out a smile:

"Yes? How can I help you?"

Tyris looked at him for a few moments, then said in a calm, emotionless tone:

"The Han Li Clan is attempting to start an expedition to cross the Hollow Mountains. I'm sure you are aware of the reason."

The corner of his lips twitched.

'No, I really don't know.'

Sunny cursed his amnesia.

The beautiful Saint lingered for a second, then elaborated:

"As Caster of the Han Li Clan was a member of your cohort in the Forgotten Shore, I felt that it was only natural to tell you."

With that, Sky Tide turned away, letting Sunny know that he was free to go.

He hesitated for a second, then walked away.

'Caster…'

Sunny unconsciously rubbed his wrists. That name was extremely familiar, and brought up some strange feeling within him…