Sunny was visibly taken aback but recovered quickly, eyeing me with suspicion.
"Why are you asking a question like that?" he asked, his voice edged with wariness.
I shrugged. "Just curious."
Sunny's frown deepened. "I doubt people would ask such a question unless they expect it to happen."
"Nahhh, you're just overthinking it," I said with an easy smile.
Sunny simply stared.
"What?~ Can't people have random thoughts like these pop into their heads?" I added, exaggerating my tone slightly.
Rolling his eyes, he let out a small huff but didn't drop his guard. His senses remained sharp, alert to any potential threats lurking in the ruins.
"No, I would not forgive them," he said at last.
His response wasn't immediate, but it still managed to catch me off guard. I paused for a moment, absorbing the weight of his words.
After all, this wasn't like reading a novel. If I had simply read this exchange in a book, I might not have reacted much. But now, standing in this world—no, being "envisioned" into it—I found myself deeply conflicted.
Originally, I thought I had been isekai'd into Shadow Slave, only to be told that I wasn't real. Or rather, that the "real" me created this version of me. But that raised more questions than answers. Had my main body transmigrated into this world? Or had I always been here, from the past to the future, from the beginning to the end—merely handing down knowledge of events in the form of memories of having read a novel?
If it had been any other reader who actually transmigrated into this world and learned what had been revealed to me, they might have had an existential crisis.
Yet, for some reason, I had taken the news with unsettling calmness.
It was disturbing.
Even though the Spectator Pathway was known for being the hardest to lose control in, I couldn't help but wonder—had I subconsciously always known? That my existence was not as straightforward as I once believed? That I was… created? Perhaps I had simply never been given the chance to confront it directly until now.
And then there was Adam.
Had he been in my position once? Had he figured it out on his own? Did he nearly lose himself in the process?
Was that why he decided to help me?
I glanced at the apparition standing silently beside me.
The Hanged Man—humanity of the Ancient Sun God. A being who had lost control, yet Adam seemed perfectly fine. Perhaps it was the portion of the Visionary's abilities within him keeping him stable. But if that was true, then with me having more humanity and having the foundation of a visionary, wouldn't he have merged with me to escape the pain of that knowledge?
But then again… something about that theory didn't quite make sense—
My thoughts were abruptly interrupted as Sunny spoke again.
"I wouldn't forgive a betrayal. Even if my life was on the line."
"Why not?" I cut in before I could stop myself.
Sunny's gaze sharpened. "Because—"
"For someone who values his own life over others," I pressed, "and for someone who twists truth into falsehood just to save his own skin from potential dangers—wouldn't a betrayal that saved your life be worth forgiving?"
By now, we had lost count of how many times we interrupted each other.
Sunny shot me a sharp look, irritation flashing across his face. "What the hell are you talking about? You asked about betrayal, and no matter how I see it, betrayal is unforgivable."
His voice was laced with frustration now. "You remember Nephis? How unreasonable and downright mad she is? Is it wrong to be a coward in a world like this? All I wanted was a damn peaceful life, but no—Fate just loves to mess with me. First, it sent me into my first Nightmare, where I was practically—"
He stopped abruptly, as if he had almost let something slip.
His teeth clenched.
Compared to the novel Sunny and the Sunny sitting in front of me now, the difference was undeniable.
The novel had always painted him as a tenacious cockroach—unyielding, cunning, unbreakable. But the reality was far more nuanced.
Tenacity was just one side of the coin. The other was despair. And spite.
A person could reach such a level of despair that their actions no longer followed logic. And spite… spite was what kept Sunny moving forward. He didn't just want to survive—he refused to let existence itself erase him simply because he was small and weak.
That was the part of him that hadn't changed. Not now, and not even in the future after his Third Nightmare.
A bitter chuckle escaped my lips before I could stop it.
"I apologize," I said, shaking my head. "It seems I had too much going on in my head. I didn't realize I was judging you based on a character you have not yet become."
Sunny blinked, caught off guard. "…What the hell are you talking about?"
I laughed lightly.
"Sorry. It seems I'm not in the best state of mind."
~~~~~~~
After saying that, Ivan remained silent for a long while. It almost seemed as if he wasn't there anymore—not physically, at least. His light gold eyes dimmed, losing focus, as if he were staring at something far beyond the present moment.
Then, slowly, he turned his head and looked at Sunny. His expression was unreadable, his lips pressed into a thin line. It was clear he was struggling to put something into words. Finally, in a solemn tone, he spoke—
His irises darkened, shifting into an eerie, abyssal shade of gold. A color that seemed too deep, too consuming. The sight of it sent a shudder through Sunny's spine—a kind of fear he had never felt before.
"What you fear in others is often a reflection of what you refuse to see in yourself…"
His voice was calm, yet it carried an unsettling weight, as if his words held a truth that should never be spoken aloud.
"For only in facing despair can one begin to understand freedom."
The words lingered in the frigid air, swallowed by the silence of the dark city.
Before Sunny could fully process Ivan's words, the unsettling silence was abruptly shattered.
"Oh my, would you look at that?" Ivan suddenly quipped, his tone light and playful, as if their previous conversation had been nothing more than a passing jest. "It's getting late. You should get moving before the nightmare creatures start crawling out. I hear they have a taste for overthinkers."
Sunny blinked. For a moment, the eerie weight in the air dissipated, leaving behind nothing but the casual teasing. It was almost as if the conversation before had never happened.
He didn't linger on it. The moment had passed, and with it, his attention shifted back to his Shadow Sense—something he hadn't even realized he'd neglected entirely. A flicker of irritation crossed his face. He should have been more focused.
Pushing aside whatever strange atmosphere lingered, Sunny stood up.
"Yeah, whatever. you wont be seeing me for a while."
He turned, ready to leave, when he was interrupted yet again.
"Sunny."
Ivan's voice cut through the night.
Let's meet again."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Sorry for the late update, a little announcement here, there will be a mini arc coming soon which is why i have not yet updated in a while, this chapter would the be last chapter before the new mini arc starts, i will be taking atleast another 1 or 2 weeks, there will atleast 20 chapters all at once to make up for the time i am taking and another 5 to 6 chapters shortly after the first 20 chapters in updated.
a small warning sunny's character might be a little different from the original, obviously due to my weak writting skills, so i would like to avoid sunny pov's until i get a better grasp of his character traits. so do bare with me on any inconsistencies that might come from his writting in this fic.
me and flashtheash100 made a discord server for this fic and holy emperor fic, if your interested, do join us, and let us know your thoughts, Link: https://discord.gg/6GPNddXN
thank you for your patience i hope you have a great time. -Spinelesstree77