The Flip Side

Within the shadows, Sunny had a contemplative expression on his face. This… shouldn't be possible.

Why was there a large expanse of shadows under Belobog?

'I guess that's something to look into.'

Sunny attached himself to Dan Heng's shadow, becoming completely imperceptible from either him or March. Through his shadow sense, Sunny could feel one of the search parties approaching the two, meaning that a conflict was inevitable.

Honestly, Sunny couldn't understand what went through their heads. What was wrong with killing the Silvermane Guards? They were the ones that were pursuing them, so it would only be right to fight back. Besides, they must have been prepared to die when they decided that they should be going after three Awakened. Shouldn't they respect that resolve?

'Where do they get off judging me? How have they even survived this long in the first place…'

Sunny was envious of March and Dan Heng. He couldn't remember the past four years of his life, but he would bet everything on the possibility of his path being caked in blood. Being able to live a life in which one didn't have to kill seemed quite nice…

Which was why they were going to learn the cold truth now. Not killing an enemy is much harder than killing an enemy, especially when said enemies had no desire to hold back. In the guards perspective, they were rebels; enemies of Belobog. Sunny doubted that they would have the opportunity to worry about whether they might fatally injure one of them, as the soldiers would be going against superhumans.

This single difference in goals could decide whether or not Dan Heng and March would lose. It wouldn't do them any good to underestimate them just because they were normal humans. Not only that, but they had an Awakened among them, which adds another level of unpredictability.

…As such, Sunny was going to hide in the shadows to observe this encounter. He was curious about what the other two might employ, since they seemed quite confident in their ability to deal with this situation without spilling any blood. Maybe they had restraining Memories, or tricks that they had created with their Aspects.

As the Silvermane Guards appeared, Sunny watched the imminent encounter from the safety of the shadows. The petite girl that led the Silvermane Guards on this pursuit argued with Dan Heng for a couple minutes, demanding that they hand over Bronya — who was being held limply in March's arms — and to surrender so that they can be arrested.

Since the crime was staged by the Supreme Guardian, there were very low chances of them escaping execution — or at best, long-term imprisonment.

Naturally, March and Dan Heng weren't very accepting of those conditions, and after laying Bronya against a wall, they engaged the Silvermane Guards in combat.

The two of them fought valiantly against dozens of soldiers, with bullets and halberds wizzing around to stop them. March decreased the temperature to a degree that even normal humans can survive, but still causing the metal plates of their armor to stick together if she was lucky. Dan Heng meanwhile, showered them with quick bursts of water, making them even more vulnerable to the cold.

Meanwhile, the spectacled Awakened — named Pela — seemed to be a noncombatant. However, her Aspect was definitely combat-related. Sunny could see the effects that it had on March and Dan Heng, making them much weaker than they already were.

…If he had to take a guess, Sunny guessed that her Aspect had the ability to make someone more fragile.

After all, a stray bullet had pierced March's shoulder, which shouldn't have been possible considering that the Silvermane Guard's weapons weren't being augmented by Bronya's Aspect anymore.

A scream was torn from March's throat as she threw a kick that had more strength then she meant to put into it. Her leg connected with a soldier's lower face, caving in his helmet as he fell to the ground.

…Considering that he was struggling to get rid of the helmet, he certainly wasn't dead. However, if nobody removed the helmet off his skull, he might suffocate to death.

Looking around to make sure that nobody was looking, Sunny appeared behind the fallen Silvermane Guard. In less than a second, the guards helmet split open, revealing a gruff face along with a broken nose. The guard looked around in confusion to find who had cut open his helmet, but found nothing.

Sunny dismissed the Moonlight Shard in the shadows, sneaking around the streets of the Fragmentum. Keeping an eye on the state of the battlefield, he could see that Dan Heng and March were starting to sustain major injuries. A few bullet wounds in non-vital areas, shallow cuts from the halberds; and they were starting to succumb to exhaustion as well.

Every added enemy is an exponential increase in difficulty, not additive. Two Awakened going against dozens of Silvermane Guards and an Awakened that decreased how tenacious their bodies were wasn't something that they could shrug off.

He saw a soldier attempt to retrieve Bronya, who had been left behind to free up March's arms. Using Shadow Step, Sunny quickly knocked him out, once more disappearing from the battlefield.

'…Should I get involved now?'

Sunny wondered if it was too risky to allow them to keep fighting. They were quite injured, and unlike Lost From Light himself, they could bleed. And they were bleeding quite a lot as well.

Just as he was about to exit the shadows, several orbs fell in the middle of the street. Smoke started to fill the streets, causing Sunny to narrow his eyes.

The already exhausted Dan Heng and March passed out. However, the same occurred for the Silvermane Guards and Pela, who fell unconscious from the smoke that flooded the area.

'…Poisonous gas?'

If that was the case, Sunny would have felt a large amount of living shadows become wild shadows. Instead, they stayed the same as they always were, meaning that this was sleeping gas instead.

A voice resounded across the street.

"I have one thing to say: Sampo never lets friends who've helped him come to harm. I say what I mean... and I mean what I say."

…Well, this looked like a development.

Exiting the shadows while ignoring the sleeping gas around him, Sunny picked up Bronya from her position against a wall. Sending his shadows around, Sunny located Sampo Koski — the Master that had dipped after the Silvermane Guards had first encountered the trio.

Carrying Bronya, he saw Sampo flinch at his sudden appearance. The sleazy man sighed in relief once he got a better look at him through the smoke.

"Phew… I knew someone was missing. So, where were you while your friends were fighting an uphill battle?"

The man slung Dan Heng and March over his shoulders. Sunny simply shrugged.

"I was here the whole time."

It was the truth. He was hiding in the shadows, making sure that nothing irreversible happened. After all, these two were his responsibility currently. If they died on his watch, it would probably hurt his résumé.

Sighing, Sunny continued.

"Also, they aren't my friends."

Sampo chuckled at something he must have found funny, which caused Sunny to narrow his eyes.

"What?"

"Oh… nothing. I was just thinking that she really has her work cut out for her."

Sunny blinked in confusion.

"Who's 'her'?"

Completely ignoring his question, Sampo took a few steps before speaking:

"Follow me. I know a doctor that could help these two out."

His eyes lingered on Bronya in curiosity.

"…Isn't that the Supreme Guardian's daughter? What're you bringing her along for?"

Sunny stared at Bronya for a second, before smiling as he replied to Sampo:

"Insurance."

***

'…All of this, under Belobog?!'

Sunny's eyes widened, wondering how this place was hidden. Noticing his surprise, Sampo explained:

"Welcome to the Underworld, my friend. Where nothing but the most unfortunate dwell."

The Underworld of Belobog stretches before the eye like a forgotten world, a place where the dying light of the surface world can never quite reach. It's a labyrinth of shadowed streets and echoing chambers, a city of eternal twilight where the hum of ancient machinery is the only sound that pierces the stillness. The air is thick with the scent of rust and coal, the remnants of long-buried industry, and a constant low rumble reverberates through the ground, as though the city itself is alive, breathing beneath its stone skin.

The buildings are made of dark iron and crumbling stone, towering structures that lean at odd angles, their facades covered in grime and soot from centuries of neglect. The walls are lined with worn-out cables and pipes, their purpose forgotten, their rusted veins pumping lifeblood into a world that clings to what little energy it has left. Dim lanterns hang from the ceilings of narrow alleyways, casting pools of pale, flickering light, their glow too weak to push back the pressing darkness. It's a place where hope feels distant, where survival is the only currency that matters.

Sampo lead Sunny through it's dark streets, having arrived here with a secret entrance within the Fragmentum. The Underworld felt like a reflection of what lied above — making the Overworld seem like a place of luxury rather than a city that borders against a subzero extinction.

…This place reminded Sunny about the outskirts of the city he had lived in back on Earth. As he and Sampo passed by the denizens of the Underworld, Sunny could practically feel the depression in the atmosphere.

Sunny stopped walking as he caught a glimpse of something in an alleyway. Looking into it, his eyes made contact with a child that seemed to be no more than ten years old. The boy glared at him, cheeks sunken in.

'…Malnourished.'

Unpleasant thoughts and memories filled Sunny's mind, but he ignored them. Laying Bronya against a wall while leaving a shadow to watch over her unconscious form, Sunny approached the child.

Sampo looked back to see where Sunny had went, just to find him waking into an alleyway.

"Hey! Where are you…"

Once Sampo saw what he was doing, he sighed in exasperation.

"Don't even bother. That kid doesn't take anything from anyone… real stubborn about it too."

Sparks danced in Sunny's hand, a bottle forming in it. The boy took a step back, wary of the sudden phenomenon that occurred in front of him.

Tossing the Endless Spring at the boy, Sunny watched as he fumbled with it for a second. Looking up at Sunny, the boy scowled.

"I don't want it. Go bark up someone else's tree."

Sunny scoffed.

"What, do you think it's for you? I just don't think there's enough space in this hellhole for a brat's corpse."

He crouched down until he was around the boy's height. Considering the lack of nutrition, Sunny still ended up being a little taller despite the fact that he was crouching.

"Let me tell you something kid. Unless you have parents — which I doubt — nobody really cares about you. So if somebody gives you something, then that means they want something in return. Right now, I think that your dead body would be an eyesore."

"So if you don't want to cause problems for others, you better keep yourself alive. Got that?"

The kid stared at Sunny in apprehension, before sniffing the Endless Spring. Sunny grinned.

"You're a smart one, aren't you? You should always be suspicious of people that give you food and water. But… I don't think you know what poison smells like."

Snatching the Endless Spring out of the kids hands, Sunny took a sip out of it. Passing it back to the kid, he spoke:

"There. No poison."

The boy pursed his lips, before hesitatingly sipping from the Endless Spring. His sip started to dissolve into chugging…

Sunny patiently waited for around a minute, before his brows furrowed.

"If you keep drinking, your stomach might burst."

The boy stopped drinking, having an embarrassed expression on his face.

"Right… here."

The boy tried to return the Endless Spring to Sunny, but it wasn't necessary. The Memory disappeared in dancing sparks of light. The kid looked at his hands in fascination as Sunny walked away, finding Sampo who looked at the kid in confusion.

"…How did you do that?"

Sunny picked up Bronya. He felt the pressure from his Flaw build up, forcing him to answer the question.

"Kids like those understand things like hate better than love. They're more accepting of people doing things for selfish reasons rather than selfless ones."

Sampo looked back at where the child stood with an unreadable expression on his face.

"I don't think that's a good thing."

Sunny scoffed.

"Of course it isn't. But what else do rats have? All they can do is struggle to survive… the whole world is their enemy, so why should they care about it?"

With one last glance at the malnourished child, Sunny sighed as he followed Sampo. He didn't know if the kid's parents died, or had deemed him as too much as a burden, abandoning him.

Even so, as long as he thrashed and kicked until he couldn't, the boy might end up being fine.

Sampo just sighed.

"Still, that doesn't seem like a way anyone should live."