In a silent barren desert, everything lay still under the scorching sun. Not a sound nor soul in sight, only the silent rustling of the sand shifting under the wind. However under the desolate land, the dunes suddenly shuddered, as the sand slightly churned.
BOOM
Off in the distance, a tremor ran through the ground, causing the dunes to once again sway. Stretched across the plane, a hazy shadow of a pyramid slightly quivered.
BOOM
Ancient and absolute, the Tomb of Ariel towered above the desert, as for the first time in eons….it slightly shook. Somewhere inside the Tomb, shockwaves continued to roll out as the sand outside vibrated. Around the pyramid, the shadows lay silent, as if waiting for something…..or someone.
The Tomb held many dreadful secrets.
But it seemed to also hide an even more dreadful battle, one shrouded from the world, as a final grand shockwave rang out. One could only imagine the power it held, as the surrounding dunes shifted and fell, while the pyramid slightly groaned, before finally becoming still.
On an eternal twisting river of time, in a dreadful chamber, five figures clad in sinister armour stood atop the corpse of a terrible bird. A litany of weapons were embedded all over the corpse, shadows of spears, axes, arrows and greatswords, soaked in the blood of the Vile Thieving Bird.
Its head fell to the side, its eyes glazed and blank.
It was dead.
A thud sounded out, as one of the five figures fell to the ground, the others dissolving into the shadows.
Sunny wretched as blood splattered onto the ground, dripping from a myriad of wounds and cuts, his face an unhealthy pale as laboured pants rang out. He gripped his chest violently, rolling on the ground as he screamed in agony, a tsunami of shadow fragments flooding into his being as two new Shadow cores formed and his wounded soul replenished itself.
"Why….why does it always have to be so painful?"
He groaned, propping himself up with his arm, clawing his way towards the corpse.
"Really? How does she casually do such a rash and painful thing like it's nothing?"
Slowly, the pain began to subside as he stood atop the corpse, staring at it silently.
A Cursed Terror…
The Vile Thieving Bird that both the Gods and Daemon's couldn't successfully kill.
Had finally met a brutal end by his hands.
Of course it was nothing close to a light victory, if anything he had been moments away from losing. The Vile Thieving bird was fabled for countlessly escaping both Gods and Daemons, but that didn't mean it was anything but weak, Sunny could relate as a fellow cockroach. Damn thing had managed to take out two of his souls towards the end, not to mention the two more in the midst of battle, where he had sent off a portion of his army towards the edge of Twilight in search of victims, quickly recovering and feeding his essence.
Sunny raised his palm, calling on Serpent to take shape, as he channeled his will with lethal spite on its edge, severing the head in one fell swoop, his lips curling into snarl.
"Find peace within me you wretch"
The chamber waited in silence as Sunny blankly stared at the corpse, unsure if it was real.
Words couldn't describe the maelstrom of emotions that screamed inside. A voice screaming in triumphant victory, a voice whispering in pain, a voice spitting curses and damnation, a voice muttering in awe, a voice mumbling silent thanks for its benevolent act that allowed him to survive on the forgotten shore.
But there was also a voice much louder than the rest, one with a mixture of pain and hesitation.
"So…its come to this"
Although it was dead, something invisible to the eye was still alive and pulsing within its corpse. A hazy light that shifted, briefly glowing as it formed a runic expression, one that caused Sunny's lips to quiver.
'Lost from Light'
It flared, calling his existence as his arm unconsciously lifted, fingers shaky. Everything could be fixed with such a simple action.
Everyone would remember him again.
Everyone would love him again.
He wouldn't be so painfully alone.
…..
Nephis would finally remember who he was.
As the hopeful thoughts nudged him forward, he hesitated, his hands faltering as contrasting painful memories screamed in the back of his mind.
The last words of Anvil, the warning that caused his stomach to drop in despair.
The hollow words as Nephis coldly ordered him dismiss his crown, his body acting against his will.
His name being commanded as the one he had started to trust, betrayed and stole everything away that he so badly desired in his pitiful life.
Most painful of all...the helpless feeling.
The feeling as something in his existence became shackled and complete, as somebody else's body moved in response, as somebody else spoke on command.
That awful helpless feeling.
...
The feeling of a slave
Which it seemed he was only allowed to exist as.
He had been so consumed by anger and rage during the battle, that its purpose and reason had briefly slipped his conscious.
His body uncontrollably shivered as distant memories of the past flashed before his eyes, the time when he conversed with his future and past self. The remorseful and helpless tone his future self had spoken to him with, the tone of one who could never change.
The same tone he spoke to himself with.
His hands shook as his lips quivered, "N-No…."
He knelt forward, his hands pulling at his face as the ghostly voices continued to sound in his head.
'Nobody is free Sunless, the only freedom we have is the chains we place on ourselves'
'I-I hope you'll choose the latter, is it so terrible to be together with us in a relationship that's built of trust?'
'Identify yourself'
'Master, who are you really?'
'It seems you are the man of my dreams Master Sunless'
'An Heir of Weaver must never be known, never be loved, such an existence cannot be allowed'
Alone in the chamber, six shadows watched in silence as their lord silently shook, tears escaping between his fingers, as his shaky breath rang out.
"Be alone and forgotten, or be remembered and condemned to death and solitude…."
His fingers curled as his hands turned into fists, striking down with blinding speed, creating a crater of cracks as the chamber shook, his hoarse voice ringing out.
"IT'S NOT FAIR! You fucking bastards, why didn't you just let me die on that altar instead of tormenting me like this!!?"
His rage collapsed into sobs.
Shaking, he curled into himself as his tears seeped into the shattered stone.
"I-It's not fair…"
And he remained like that—lost to time, a monument of agony in the dead chamber—until finally, his hands slowly fell away from his face. A whisper brushed through the silence, not his own, but Cassie's voice, faint and delicate like a memory caught in the wind.
"...Says who?"
The breath caught in his throat.
He staggered to his feet, his limbs swaying unsteady but moving nonetheless. The corpse of the Vile Thieving Bird lay before him still, its vast wings sprawled in death, the runic light still pulsing faintly above its breast.
"So what if it's impossible?" he muttered, as though possessed by echoes of who he once was. "I'll do it anyway."
He had come here for something—to reclaim his fate, to reconnect with the Nightmare Spell and chase the impossible dream of becoming Sacred. The path to salvation or destruction. He needed the Spell… or he needed time. And here, buried in the deepest Tomb the world had forgotten, he had all the time in the world.
The Mad Prince had superseded the loop.
Why couldn't he?
"No… No! You can't be cowardly now," he growled to himself. "Not here. Not when you have the power to change everything!"
His hands raised… then lowered. Then raised again. They shook, caught in a dance of desperate uncertainty, slick with sweat. His whole body trembled.
"W-When did I become so selfless?" he stammered. "This isn't me—I'm not some hero! I'm not noble! I'm a coward! I-I don't want to do this…"
His pupils widened, breath ragged. He was a mess of contradictions, pulled apart by memory and longing. Inches from the light, it called to him—beckoning him.
It's warmth caused contrasting memories to surface as uncontrollable tears streamed from his eyes.
Nephis.
Their laughter on the Chainbreaker.
Their first embrace on the Ivory Island.
The nights they held each other in loving silence. .
But then came the cold.
Her voice, commanding him like a marionette.
The chain tightening around his soul.
The horror as his body moved against his will toward the gateway.
Shadows watched with anxiety, as his hands moved to be inches away from the runic light, his fingers trembled.
Then, a voice — terrible and old — echoed through his existence.
"Go… Lost from Light."
The words cut him like a knife as his heart shattered, taking a step back.
And he ran.
Before he could think, before he could scream, his body dissolved into shadows and fled. Tears streamed from his eyes as he blurred into motion, faster than he had ever moved in his life.
He didn't look back.
He ran like a coward.
He ran away as a human being.
Like a dark comet streaking across the sky, he burst from the entrance of the chamber, a grand pair of wings erupting from his back with an explosion of shadow and anguish. The air cracked with thunder as he broke the sound barrier.
Still he flew, a destructive shockwave chasing behind him.
Two more pairs of nebulous wings manifested on his back, as he continued to accelerate. His body pulsed with raw essence, every beat of his heart pounding with rage, grief, and shame.
The wind screamed in his ears.
And he screamed with it.
Before he knew it, he was already leaving the river, its silhouette shrinking behind him as he approached the boundary of the pyramid. Across the wall, shapes shifted as a swarm of giant butterflies, Great Nightmares creatures, detached and surged towards him.
Sunny couldn't care less, as his voice screamed.
"MOVE!"
The ancient shadows on the walls responded to his command, detaching themselves from the walls as they plummeted from above, like a dreadful hail.
Their forms twisted and sharpened, contorting into a storm of blades, descending and piercing through the butterflies, dragging their corpses into the eternal chasm below.
Inhumane screeches and wails rang out as corpses fell and blood rained everywhere.
But it didn't even register to Sunny as he reached the wall.
Stretching his arm out, he expanded his shadow sense to its fullest, as he felt the world outside. Dissolving into the shadows, he surged forward, trying to reach and step out. In the shadow world, a gargantuan shadow took shape, it's roar causing the world to shake as six hands manifested and reached forward—grabbing at the space before him, ripping it apart.
All around him, the pyramid seemed to scream, as if in alarm from what he was trying to do, an action against the script that was not meant to happen. Invisible forces pulled on his existence, trying to drag him back so he could fulfill his fate. They remained in a stalemate, neither able to overpower the other.
All around the towering daemon, the shadows shivered as their ruler's voice boomed out.
"You miserable lot... AID YOUR SOVEREIGN, AID YOUR GOD!"
Without hesitation, millions of shadows surged, wrapping and merging with the towering figure, the tremors increasing violently as everything screamed.
In the world of shadows, reality quivered as Sunny's voice rang out, full of mirth and rage.
"YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST CHAIN ME DOWN?"
Screaming with his entire existence, he pulled on the invisible chains that dragged him back. His will flared, as seven great suns in the world of shadows glowed.
"YOU THINK YOU CAN DECIDE MY FATE!?!?"
They continued to flare, illuminating the eternally dark world, as the shadows ran away and kneeled in fear. In a place unknown, the sounds of strings snapping rang out, as Sunny pushed forward, the pull on his form weakening as he grabbed onto the shadows, his voice screaming out.
"You think you can oppose my will? JUST TRY AND STOP ME!!"
With that one final declaration, he finally slipped free from the pull as he dove into the shadows, momentarily blinded by light as all sense of direction became warped, his consciousness slipping.
…..
In the world of shadows, he silently drifted for an unknown period of time.
Until his form slightly quivered, a tremble in the dark.
Slowly, his eyes fluttered open—wisps of smoke curling from his sockets as he floated, disembodied, in the ink-black abyss.
"I… I did it," he whispered, voice hoarse with disbelief. "I felt it. I escaped. I went against what was meant to happen…"
A strange laugh escaped him, part sob, part exhale, part something deeper. For a moment, the darkness above shimmered—he felt the pull of light—and without hesitation, surged toward it.
Though his form was that of a shadow in this world, wispy tears of smoke leaked from his eyes, as he glanced up and felt the world above him, the light growing until finally he manifested atop a lone dune.
The shadows peeled away as he emerged beneath the pale sky. Sunlight kissed his skin. It felt… warm. Real. Too real.
Squinting his eyes, he slowly turned, staring at the ominous figure of the pyramid that seemed to look back at him in disappointment.
A ridiculous grin crept on his face, as he kneeled in the sand, tears sizzling as they fell down.
"Fate….I actually managed to escape my fate!"
As the warmth of the sun washed across his body, he slowly fell into the shadows, surging in the direction of Bastion. He didn't care what argument would ensue, he didn't care if he she didn't remember.
At that moment, he just wanted to see them.
He wanted to see all of them, Nephis, Cassie, Effie, Kai, Jet.
…..
Rain
He just… wanted to go home.
It did not take long with his evolved shadow step after becoming Supreme, what should have taken months or years simply took him a few hours, as he manifested atop on a hill not too far away.
Alone at a good distance, his figure stepped out from behind a tree, moving the branches as he stepped into view, a look of relief on his face.
But…
His eyes narrowed.
"…Where is it?"
Confusion etched across his face, as his Supreme vision scanned the stronghold, unable to spot the noticeable flying island.
"The Island? Did they relocate it? A contingency? Protocol?"
He tilted his head, sensing the world.
Time hadn't passed enough for such a drastic change.
Something was wrong.
Very, very wrong.
His gaze became slightly worried as he dove into the shadows, approaching the walls in no time, before abruptly halting. All around, the shadows stirred, becoming unfathomably deep and cold.
He felt it.
The warmth was gone.
Where her domain should have radiated with luminous heat, there was only a suffocating chill. A familiar, commanding coldness sank into the air—icy, oppressive, tyrannical.
His breath hitched.
"No… that's not…"
He froze, a whisper on his lips.
"…Anvil?"
His voice cracked in disbelief.
"That's his domain. But he's dead—I killed him myself. His shadow serves as a footrest in my Soul Sea! He's gone!"
He slightly approached, only to retreat and hide his presence as he felt Anvil's domain slightly react, becoming threatening and sharp, as to warn off an approaching Nightmare Creature. Sunny was dumbstruck,
"I-It's real….how!?!? I killed him! Even Nephis wouldn't rest, she'd incinerate him without hesitation if she felt his presence!"
He froze.
Silently, he called out with his will to Nephis, searching for the beacon of response from her domain. His heart dropped…..there was none.
.....
"What the hell is….."
Without wasting a second, he retreated a great distance, before emerging and calling on his tether, a crack appearing in the air as a gateway opened before him. Not even taking a breath, he passed through, manifesting and dismissing the gate before anyone could notice.
He was glad that he did, otherwise the shock from what he saw might have caused it to slip his mind.
As before him…..a fragile tree stood in the ill-kept cemetery.
Three marks scarred its bark.
One looked freshly carved.
Sunny stepped forward, his face blank as his pupils shook. His fingers brushed the newest groove, tracing its shape. His throat tightened. The wind felt too still, too reverent.
His voice was a broken whisper.
"This… what is this?"
The world didn't answer.
He raised his eyes to the horizon, heart hammering against his ribs.
The sky above felt foreign.
The earth beneath his feet unfamiliar.
The silence too absolute.
His voice cracked, trembling as he dared to speak the question rising in his soul:
"…Is this even my world?"