Chapter 5 : Back once again

[Welcome to the Dream Realm, Sunless!]

After hearing this. Sunny found himself blind and drowning. His body started trembling uncontrollably. His body shivered in horror as he remembered that nightmare. Which was so real.

For moments, he thought he was in that nightmare again. His body froze from fear.

Only after he started feeling pain from the lack of oxygen did he realize that it wasn't the nightmare but rather he was thrown back again in the forgotten shore.

Sunny used his shadow sense to know the directions. But after he got his sense of direction back, he sensed a huge creature coming towards him.

Sunny quickly wrapped his shadow around him and started swimming to the top as fast as he could.

After he popped out of the water and looked around him in a hurry. He saw the familiar neck platform. It wasn't far away from him, but with the creature speed, there wasn't enough time.

Sunny knew there wasn't enough time to swim away to the platform. So, in a desperate attempt, he ordered Serpent to turn into an odachi.

In a second, Sunny was holding a fearsome looking odachi. He looked at the creature coming towards him at an enormous speed.

The nightmare creature looked like a shark covered with steel armor with sharp spikes coming out from it, with a demonic looking humanoid face that was unpleasant to look at. But the creature looked so injured. His armor is almost broken. Blood gushed out from his body. And it seemed like he was escaping from another terror deep in sea.

And it seemed like the shark didn't notice Sunny. It was like he was just escaping towards the same direction where Sunny was.

Sunny wasted no time as he moved quickly swim to the side and slashed the odachi on his face. The odachi slashed through it face and his whole body. The weight on the odachi was so much. Sunny could barely keep his on his sword as the shark dashed beside him.

More blood gushed from the injuries, and then a voice echoed in Sunny's head.

[You have slain a corrupted devil, Steel shark]

[...your shadow grows stronger.]

Sunny ignored the voice as he wasted no time swimming to the platform. In just a second from swimming away , huge scary looking tentacles wrapped around the corpse of the steel shark and started pulling him down.

In less than a moment. Sunny pounced off the water and laid on the plat form. He kept laying there breathing for a while then summoned his runes.

Shadow fragments [48/1000]

Sunny felt a wave of enjoyment as his shadow fragments finally increased. He then dismissed his runes and just laid down on the platform and slept.

....

Sunny woke up when the artificial sun started appearing on the horizon. The sea started receding, and the water level dropped. And after a while the black sea has fully disappeared and a land appeared.

Sunny looked at the forgotten shore. After almost 10 years, he was back again.

Sunny sighed on the beautiful yet weird view and started using his shadow sense. An ability he got from the shadow god lineage is that he could share his sense in any shadow in the area, he could make them his eyes, his ears and his hands in the future when he becomes a Ascended.

For now, he's range half a mile. He could see from any shadow in this range. It was so powerful. He could potentially spy on anyone in the area without them noticing. This will also help him with keeping his shadow with him all the time now that he doesn't need to send him to scout.

Sunny started scanning the area as the carapace scavengers came out from their hiding spot.

Sunny choosed to hunt this day rather than searching for neph. He was sure that she was somewhere near, and he knew that in this night she'll make a fire. With this he would know where're they located at.

After scanning the area, Sunny started going down the statue and entered the labyrinth. Sunny sensed two carapace scavengers coming towards his way. He hid on a tree near him. Waiting for the right moment to strike.

Just when the second scavenger was directly under him, Sunny jumped and thrusted his sword right at the weak point in the back. With one blow, Sunny killed the nightmare creature.

[You have slain..

Sunny ignored the spell voice and turned to the next scavenger. It already noticed him and lunged an attack with his left pincer.

Sunny dodged the attack by an inche and delivered a fast slashed towards the joints connecting the left pincer. With a clean cut, the left pincer was unattached from the scavenger's body and without giving the monster anytime to realize what just happened, Sunny jumped from the scavenger he was standing on, to the weak point of the other beast. With a swift motion, Sunny attacked the weak point and killed the scavenger.

[You have slain an awakened beast, carapace scavenger]

[... Your shadow grows stronger]

[You have received a Memory: Azure blade]

Sunny was surprised. He didn't expect to get the memory again. He summoned his runes and focused on the memory.

Memory: [Azure Blade].

Memory Type: Weapon.

Memory Rank: Awakened.

Memory Description: [On this forgotten shore, only steel remembers]

Sunny summoned his new weapon, and a sharp, light sword immediately appeared in his hand. It was about a meter long, including the handle. A gentle smile appeared on his face as he remembered the days he learned swordsmanship on Neph's hands. And how this weapon was his first weapon.

'Good, now that I have a weapon. I can make serpent help in the up coming fights'

....

For the whole day, with the help of Serpent. Sunny kept searching for small carapace scavengers hordes. After killing them and taking their soul shards,  he started heading back.

In the night. Sunny checked today's spoils and was pleased. Today only, he was able to take down 16 carapace scavengers. Two hordes of three scavengers. The other ten were all hordes of 2. Sunny summoned his runes.

Shadow fragments: [80/1000]

Sunny smiled after checking the number and went to sleep.

In the middle of the night, he woke up from his shadow. He looked at the east and saw a little light coming out from a flame. After knowing where the girls were, he went back to sleep.

....

After the water descended. Sunny went in the direction he saw the fire came from. On his way he had to fight three scavengers that were on his way. Although he could've just go through them easily without them noticing him with his improved shadow abilities. But two of them were severely injured. Both missing one of their pincers and half of their legs. The third one had only one pincer lost.

Taking them out wasn't hard. After killing the least injured one, Sunny sent serpent on one of the scavengers, and Sunny took care of the other one.

[You have slain an awakened beast, carapace scavenger]

[You have received an Echo: carapace scavenger]

Sunny widened his eyes in surprise.

'Hmm, it seems like I will get the same things I got in my first life. That's good to know' Sunny thought for a moment, then continued his journey. After one hour, he saw something from a nearby shadow

Two beautiful girls were walking in the labyrinth. A golden rope connecting them.

'Finally found you.' Sunny sighed in relief and started going to where they are. He sent his shadow before so that Neph doesn't attack him suddenly. He saw the puzzlement look on Neph's face when she looked at his shadow, who was waving to her.

'She looks funny' Sunny chuckled. After a minute, he called on them.

"Neph! Cassie!" Sunny shouted as he came out and waved his hand.

"Sunny?" Both girls repeated in surprise. Cassie was smiling happily as she heard Sunny. Neph was also a little surprised, but it didn't appear on her face. She just raised her eyebrows a little.

"Right in the flesh." Sunny said with a smile.

Neph examined Sunny and was surprised to see that he wasn't injured at all. It didn't look like he was suffering or something. Of course, she of all people knew really how strong Sunny is. In all their training sessions, Sunny was always the one with the upper hand. He looked like he could see through her every technique. It was like she's an open book in front of him.

Neph was a little happy that they found someone else, and he happened to be someone strong like her. But inside, she was still suspicious of him.

"Anyway, it's good to you both fine. Also, is the light from the last night were from you? Because I was heading there" Sunny asked even though he knew.

"Yeah, but it turns out that making light in the night is a dangerous thing to do" Cassie replied to him in somewhere scared tone

Sunny looked at her for a while and then said "Well, it's getting a little late, we have to find a high place. Do you know the path to your place?" He said while looking at Neph

"We were just heading back." Cassie said with a smile.

"Well, can I come with you?"

Cassie looked at Neph with a wandering expression

Neph looked at Sunny and said

"No..."

Sunny frowned

"Problem."

Sunny was dumbfounded for a moment.'No way I fell for it again'

Sunny then smiled awkwardly and said, "Lead the way, please. Oh also, " Sunny summoned his echo.

Neph was surprised to see that he already has an Echo.

"You've killed one already" Neph was surprised by that considering that he wasn't injured at all

"Well, I actually got this Echo just before I met you. I said I was heading this way. And I found 3 carapace scavengers and killed them." Sunny said in the most normal tone like this was something normal

Neph looked at him with disbelief. Then she thought to herself that his Aspect could have a healing ability just like her. That's way he didn't looked injured at all. Or maybe he was just lying about killing 3 of them.

Cassie was also in shock.

"Anyway, we can make it carry Cassie."

After Sunny said that Cassie was happy from this fact. She knew that if they headed back it would take longer than needed because of her.

After getting on the Echo. The cohort started going to the hill. It didn't take the a long time before they arrived. Using the golden rope, they all reached the top of the hill.

It wasn't the night yet, so Neph started preparing dinner. Sunny gave her the scavenger meat and let her cook the dinner.

"So Sunny, where did you stay in the past days?" Cassie asked while eating

"Well, where I was dropped, there was a large statue near me. It's about 200 meters long with its head cut off. The platform there isn't that big, but it's good. Also, it's in the west." Sunny said while chewing.

"Oh also," Sunny stopped to swallow the peice of meat. "There is a corrupted devil corpse at the statue. It's quite big. And hundreds of the scavengers are gathered there. From what I saw, I think it will last for two more days. "

"How did you know it's a corrupted devil?" This time Neph asked in curiosity

"The Spell declared that when I killed it" both Neph and Cassie's eyes widened in shock

"How is this even possible!" Cassie protested in shock.

"Well, I just staped it with my sword, and it died. It was already dead, I just got the last hit." Neph and Cassie kept silent from this insane story. For a while, only the sound of his chewing filled the air. After they finished, the sea had already started rising, and they stayed the whole night on the hill.

Sunny stood up and looked at the two girls and said, "Okay, since we will be depending on each other. Let me introduce myself formally and share my abilities. I'm Sunless, but you can call me Sunny...."

Sunny stopped for a while, then a big smirk appeared on his face "or you could call me..."

"Lost From Light"

_______________

Hello, everyone. hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'll be posting more chapters in the next two days. Maybe 2 or 3. Who knows. But I'll see what I can do. Later