Chapter 20: Shadows

Third POV:

Strange, beautiful, and an ominous-looking gem lay in the remnants of the Forsaken Knight. It was utterly black, as though suffused with impenetrable darkness. The glossy black surface seemed to devour light, turning the vast hall of the ruined cathedral even darker than it had been before.

Sunny gazed through it and under its surface.

Deep within that black void, crimson flames burned with a menacing red glow. It was pulsating in a slow and bizarre rhythm, drowning everything around in dim red light. Painted by it, the surroundings seemed to be drenched and stained by blood. The gem looked like a bloody, still-beating heart that Sunny had torn out of someone's chest.

Gazing at it, Sunny felt a sense of foreboding.

'What the hell is this thing?'

The gem looked sort of like a soul shard, but... different. He had never seen a black shard, to begin with, or one radiating such an intense glow. It also didn't seem like a piece of a broken core. On the contrary, it appeared whole

'The whole soul sea?'

'Or perhaps the soul itself?'

Sunny didn't know what that thing exactly was.

But Sunny knew that He needed it.

Sunny walked forward as Nephis dismissed her flames, both of them were exhausted, fighting their direct counter wasn't an easy thing to do no matter how strong oneself was.

Sunny knelt down to pick up the gem. As his hands reached for it, his shadows rippled in rejection. Sunny ignored it but the moment his bare fingertips touched the surface of the gem it bounced off with a spark. It sent an electric impulse through his body.

Sunny flinched as he looked at his hand in confusion.

'What the heck?'

It took Sunny a couple of moments to conclude that his Shadowy nature and the elemental darkness of the gem must have clashed creating this peculiar phenomenon.

Sunny confirmed it further when Nephis did the same and was met with the same reaction. Elemental darkness has its own elemental force, one that is both independent and opposed to light. Instead of a simple lack of light like shadows, pure darkness is a rival of light. Since light and shadows always go hand in hand, the elemental darkness was also the enemy of shadows.

Sunny stood by Neph's side, both eyeing the dark gem. Soon Effie and the rest of the cohort walked towards their directions. Noticing the pile of rusted steel Effie asked cautiously.

"Is it finally over?"

Sunny and Nephis silently and simultaneously nodded their heads.

Nephis was still suffering from the excessive use of her aspect, after all, her flaw wasn't the merciful one to begin with. Neph's face was flushed as Trickles of sweat cascaded down her face, her eyes reddened as she silently chewed on the inside of her cheek to suppress the pain. Although her face looked expressionless and normal as always, Sunny knew her well enough to discern the smallest details of her body language.

Sunny was able to read and understand a much more deceptive and intelligent version of Nephis. So the current Nephis looked quite immature and clumsy at hiding her pain.

Sunny cursed inwardly.

Most of the burden of fighting the fallen devil had fallen upon their shoulders, and Saint's absence had become much more pronounced. The cohort—aside from Nephis and Sunny—had retreated mid-fight under Sunny's orders, while Sunny and Nephis dealt with the Forsaken Knight.

Despite being an awakened Titan, fighting a direct counter of one's aspect while being a whole Rank blew them was a dangerous gamble.

"They actually killed it…."

Caster's whispering voice sounded from the back, full of disbelief.

Sunny turned to look at Nephis, ignoring Caster.

"Do you mind if I take this?"

Sunny asked pointing at the ominous-looking gemstone.

Nephis silently nodded, unable to utter a word.

Sunny summoned the Covetous Coffer and opened its lid. Turning toward Effie who was the closest to his side Sunny asked:

"Can you pick this one for me?"

Effie looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Why don't you pick it up yourself?"

It was only natural for her to ask since she was not present when both Sunny and Nephis couldn't pick the gem up.

"I would've picked it up if I could."

Sunny shrugged.

Effie's eyes darted back and forth between the gem and Sunny. Her expression was perplexed.

"Fine…but Doofus, if you want to pull a prank on me, I will make sure to ra—"

Before she could finish her sentence though, Kai walked toward the gem and effortlessly picked it up. Cautiously walking toward Sunny Kai offered him the gem but Sunny didn't take it, and simply pointed at the open lid of the Coffer.

Kai nodded and simply tossed the gem in the maw of the Coffer. The memory closed its lid and Sunny Soon dismissed the Coffer.

Effie just stared at them.

Sunny turned to her with an amused smile.

"What? You thought I would waste my time pulling a prank on you in a ruined city filled with deadly abominations ready to rip us apart and notice?"

Sunny shrugged, a chuckle involuntarily escaping his lips.

Effie let out a low growl.

"Whatever, who's in their right mind would pick an ominous-looking rock that a fallen devil had left behind anyway? It definitely couldn't been me."

Kai sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

"Anyway, let's leave this place, it gives me the creeps. We also need to rest."

At Effie's words, Soon the cohort headed toward the entrance of the ruined cathedral. Sunny and Nephis were the last to leave. However, before Nephis could take a step forward to follow the cohort, a dark-haired figure slipped under her arm and took her hand. locking it over his shoulder, Sunny's other Hand slid to the other side behind her back and pulled Nephis by her waist making her lean on him.

Neph's startled voice could be heard.

"S...Sunny wa—"

Sunny cut her off.

"Just keep walking. You're wounded."

And just like that, the cohort left the hall of the ruined cathedral and headed toward Sunny's old chamber.

****

The light of lanterns invaded the spacious room that had once belonged to the priestess of this ancient temple. With six people entering its peaceful haven, however, it didn't seem so vast anymore.

Sunny looked around and sighed. The hidden quarters were just like he had left him. There were pieces of simple, but luxurious furniture carved out of pale wood, with a few mismatched things that he had scavenged from the ruins. The stone walls were decorated with intricate engravings. An empty chest that used to be full of shimmering soul shards stood dark and empty.

On one of the walls, sets of lines were scratched into the stone, marking all the days he had spent living in the ruined cathedral. For a long time, this had been his home once. The second best home he ever had, really, which was a sad thing to say about a windowless stone room hidden in the middle of a cursed city.

But Sunny liked it a lot. He was surely going to miss this dark and quiet place very much, but definitely not as much as his own home.

Caster and Nephis were looking around with interest. Neph even showed a bit of curiosity.

With a strange look on her face, Nephis turned to Sunny and asked:

"This… this is where you lived?"

Sunny raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

"Yeah. Why?"

Nephis stayed silent for a moment and then said, Her voice even:

"No, nothing. It's just that… this place..feels just like you."

'What does she mean by that?'

Hearing that, Effie couldn't help but laugh.

"Uh… wait till you see what's in his closet, Night."

Sunny gave her a menacing look, but thought better of saying anything.

He understood that the huntress was just trying to lighten the mood.

Knowing what was going to come next, every member of the cohort was consumed by fear and doubt right now. Effie more than the rest, because her role in the spectacle that Gunalug had planned for them was especially cruel.

Sunny sighed.

A bit later, they were sitting around the hearth, the smell of food still lingering in the air. Everyone was silent, looking at the fire, their minds consumed with dark thoughts.

As for Sunny he just watched the shadows dance on the walls of the hidden chamber.

After a while, Nephis finally broke the silence. Turning to him, she lingered for a bit, and then asked:

"We will be leaving in the morning. Will you come with us?"

Her voice sounded even, as always. But Sunny knew her well enough to discern notes of a suppressed emotion in it.

Hope…

Sunny's decision was long set in stone.

With a calm expression, he looked at Nephis and said:

"I will."

At his words, her face visibly lit up. Sunny continued, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Although not tomorrow, I will definitely join you a few days from now. I still have things to finish which might take a few days, but once it's done, I'll join you for better or worse."

She was silent for a few moments, and then a soft smile appeared on her face.

"…Thank you. I have some preparations to make, too. We will return to the Bright Castle together, then."

He gave her a nod and turned away.

These past few months Nephis had grown quite fond of her cohort. Thanks to Sunny's efforts, She seemed to be more at ease around them —except for Caster— she would express herself in more ways than just a casual smile or fleeting tasteless joke.

Nephis had never shown any sign of being able to feel fear or showed weakness, at least not in front of the people she was supposed to lead. But Sunny knew that it was just a front. In fact, she knew fear all too well. Better than anyone here, except maybe for him.

She was introduced to it at a very young age, after all.

Behind her indifferent face and even voice, she must have been scared, too. She was just a young girl, after all.

As the only person who she could trust, she must have been subconsciously looking for solace in his company.

So Sunny didn't turn her down.

Not that he wished to.

After a while, the cohort decided to take a good night's rest with Sunny staying up on guard. He was left alone with his thoughts.

Sunny had a lot to do.

And a Lot to confirm.

The first thing he decided to do was obviously to check the underground chamber of the ancient temple.

Where he first found the Weaver's Mask.

****

As soon as the dawn came, bringing with it the mournful sound of retreating waves, Nephis and her cohort left the ruined cathedral.

Sunny remained alone, standing on the edge between the darkness of the old temple and the light of the new day.

Lingering in the ornate doorway, he remained motionless for a while and watched as the artificial sun rose into the bleak grey skies above the cursed city.

Turning around, Sunny returned into the darkness.

The grand hall of the ruined cathedral was peaceful and quiet. Without the menacing steel guardian, there was no one here to disturb the silence anymore. Even the darkness that populated the corners was empty and docile now, not at all the living entity it had been once.

…It felt sort of lonesome.

Freely walking through the echoing expanse of the magnificent hall, Sunny looked around, taking in the sight of the cathedral that had sheltered in the past from a new perspective.

Just as he remembered.

It looked majestic.

But it was also not safe anymore.

With the Black Knight dead, no one was left to defend the cathedral from the Nightmare Creatures that would want to claim it as their nest. So Sunny couldn't stay here for long.

Not that he had the luxury of that choice anymore.

Throwing one last look at the beautiful dark hall, Sunny sighed and began climbing the statue of the nameless goddess.

That little climbing brought a nostalgic feeling to him.

Back in the hidden chamber, it was once again utterly dark. Sunny hesitated for a bit and began collecting his belongings.

It didn't take him long.

It wasn't like he lacked anything but it held a certain meaning for him.

Even though he knew that Growing attached to material things was pointless on this Forgotten Shore where only Steel remembers, Sunny couldn't help himself.

Before his regression back in the real world, and before his Awakening, Sunny never had a home like this, nor a lot of stuff to call his own. He had dreamed of enjoying a lavish lifestyle after becoming an Awakened but got stuck in this hell instead. This spacious room he called his home was a form of consolation.

It was his first home.

Despite feeling sad about leaving all of his spoils behind, he knew that he had to.

In the end, he only took the bare necessities and then tidied the place up, wishing to leave it clean and orderly despite knowing that there was little chance of anyone stumbling on this place again.

After everything was done, Sunny glanced at the tranquil room and Then, he walked over to the wall where he had once scratched countless lines into the stone to count the days and summoned the Prowling Thorn.

Just like before. He wanted to leave a mark of his presence here. Something to tell that he had lived in this hidden chamber, in the ancient ruined cathedral, in the Dark City, on the Forgotten Shore…

In this world. A small mark to witness that he had been here, had struggled here and then left to fight for a chance to escape.

What he really wanted to carve into the wall was his True Name. His paranoia would have kicked in if Sunny hadn't determined who his master would be beforehand.

Finally, he raised the kunai and carved something beneath the lines that marked the days he had spent living in the ruined cathedral.

Then, Sunny turned around and walked away.

There were two runes left on the wall behind him.

One meant light.

The other meant lost.

*****

There were two things Sunny wanted to accomplish in the upcoming few days. One was a venture to the north of the dark city, and the other one was right here in the ruined cathedral.

Returning to the grand hall, Sunny walked past the statue of the nameless goddess and dove into one of the doors leading into the temple's inner sanctum.

Walking through the rooms and corridors that the priests and priestesses had once used, he looked around and didn't notice anything of interest. Everything was pretty much the same destroyed and ruined, with only a few mundane things remaining untouched.

There was nothing here at all — at least that was what others would think.

Sunny, however, stopped in front of a certain wall and tilted his head.

There was nothing special about that wall, at least nothing that could be seen. But he could feel a heavy mass of shadows hiding behind it, as though there was a hollow space there.

After searching for a while, he found a hidden lever. The ancient mechanism had rusted through and disintegrated over the thousands of years of neglect, of course. So it didn't budge.

With a sigh, Sunny summoned the Midnight Shard, looked closer at the hollow wall, and inserted the tachi into the seam between its moving parts. Then, he unceremoniously used the unbreakable blade as a lever and pushed with all his inhuman strength.

With a terrible scraping sound, a part of the wall slid away. The air rushed past Sunny, entering the dark mouth of a narrow corridor.

Behind it, a set of stone stairs led down.

Deep down underground.

With a resentful grimace, Sunny flourished the Midnight Shard to shake off the dust that clung to it, put it on his shoulder, and entered the secret passage.

After a minute or so of walking down the stairwell, Sunny entered a large chamber that seemed to be carved into the bedrock, as opposed to being constructed by a human hand. On the other side of it, a large door forged from black steel stood, illuminated by seven burning torches.

The metal from which the monolithic door was made looked eerily familiar. It was the same dark, lusterless, impenetrable alloy that the Black Knight had been made of.

'…How come those torches are still burning?'

Had they been aflame for several thousand years?

Come to think of it, the torches looked very strange. They seemed to be producing light, but it was pale and ghostly. There was no heat that came with it, too.

The shadows cast by the ghostly flames were the most disturbing, though. Because of the movements of the fire, they were supposed to be dancing on the floor. But instead, the shadows were absolutely motionless. It was as though the light of the torches had trapped and paralyzed them somehow.

A moment later something unexpected happened.

Something that wasn't supposed to happen.

Six of the Burning torches died.

Bathing the underground chamber in deep dreadful shadows.

The motionless shadows rippled. Coming to life.

The remaining torch's flames dimmed but didn't disappear. As if fighting its way to break through the shadows.

Sunny's instinct and intuition flared up.

'What the hell is happening?!'

He immediately took a defensive stance pulling the midnight shard close to his body. A chill ran down his spine making every strand of hair on his body stand.

Something flickered in the corner of his vision. Sunny instantly turned his head toward the direction he felt the movement from, and swiftly swung his sword to attack whatever lurked in the Shadows.

But he was late.

Too late.

Six Shadowy tentacles shot from the shadows and were a hair's breadth away from stabbing his fatal points.

A single move meant his death.

Sunny froze.

And So did the Shadows.

He could feel it.

He could feel the Shadows.

As well as So many emotions radiating from these Shadows. Just like the ones he encountered at the underworld maze.

But these emotions were much more pronounced, much more powerful, and much more potent.

Hatred, Grief, Sadness, Resentment, Longing and Madness.

Sunny could feel them as if he was the one who experienced them.

'What is this?'

Sunny fought to stay focused from all the unbearable emotions he was experiencing. Without him realizing Sunny was kneeling on the ground with his head hung low.

Painfully lifting his head up, Sunny looked forward toward the Steel door. His attention was immediately drawn toward a single humanoid Shadow standing motionlessly under the still burning torch.

Although "He" wasn't moving and simply standing there, it radiated the strongest "emotion" that Sunny could feel.

Loneliness.

Sunny's mind was barely holding on with the other Six emotions he was experiencing but this by far was the strongest emotion out of them all.

Sunny felt deathly claws gripping on his heart as if it were trying to crush his heart in their grip. Tears rolled down Sunny's cheeks. His mouth trembling as it dried, Sunny felt as if a huge boulder was on his chest.

Even with his immunity to mind attacks, Sunny felt these emotions were wreaking havoc inside his mind.

Sunny couldn't breathe.

His own emotions were choking him.

'Just what the hell is this??'

Soon a new "emotion" emerged.

Regret.

The moment Sunny felt that, a blinding light almost knocked him unconscious.

The remaining torch surged with radiance suppressing the Shadows. Sunny gasped for air as the deathly grip finally let go of his heart.

His raging emotions subsided.

Sunny fell down on all fours. A mixture of sweat, tears, and saliva dripped off his face as he struggled to catch his breath.

'W…What was that just now?'

Looking forward Sunny saw the burning torch, as it was radiating a white flames rather than the usual ghastly flames he remembered.

'Something…..Something isn't right.'

Sunny thought for a moment, and then immediately ordered his own shadows to stay back. The shadows did not protest — in fact, they were visibly relieved. Taking a few exaggerated steps back, they merged with the deep darkness at the exit of the stairwell and waited there.

'These torches are… they are definitely some sort of a protective charm. I am sure that their power can harm even shadows as was evident just now. But why did six of those torches simply disappear.'

'And what were they suppressing?'

Sunny struggled to stand up. As he stood, he picked up the Midnight Shard that had fallen to the ground at some point.

'I need to leave this place as soon as possible.'

Stepping close to the monolithic black door, Sunny gazed at it. There was a small keyhole hidden on its dark surface.

Pulling on the string tied around his neck, Sunny took off the small metal key that hung on it and gripped it tightly in his hand.

he forcefully inserted the key into the lock of the black door.

…It fit perfectly. As soon as Sunny put the key into the lock, the light of divinity it emanated suddenly became brighter.

Sunny sighed, then readied himself and turned the key.

Something clicked inside the metal door, and then it silently opened. The pale light of the torch swayed, as though moved by an otherworldly wind.

Behind the door, a small room was carved into the rock.

And Just as he expected.

The supposedly corpse of the High Priest from Weave's Church….

Was nowhere to be found.