Sunny and Ares had a relatively "good" night of rest—if you didn't count being jolted awake in the middle of it.
It was the movement of Sunny's shadow that disturbed their sleep, a silent ripple stretching and twisting across the ground. Before she could even react, Ares was already awake beside her, tense and prepared for a fight.
For a moment, neither of them moved. Their ears strained against the silence, waiting for a sound, a sign of something lurking in the darkness. It could be anything. The tentacled horror that had nearly dragged Sunny into the abyss. A predator. A new nightmare they had yet to encounter.
But the sea remained eerily calm, its surface smooth and undisturbed. A vast, deceiving stillness that masked unseen horrors beneath.
"What happened?" Ares whispered, his voice low.
Sunny didn't answer immediately. Her gaze was fixed on her shadow, which kept pointing toward something in the distance. Slowly, she turned her head, eyes narrowing.
"See for yourself," she murmured.
Ares followed her line of sight.
Out there, barely visible against the endless darkness, a small orange light shimmered atop the restless waves. It flickered, its reflection breaking apart and reforming with the movement of the sea.
Something about it made his heart beat faster.
They both watched in silence. A few moments later, the light vanished.
"Other Sleepers? A natural phenomenon? Or a monster laying a trap?" Sunny whispered, her voice thoughtful yet cautious.
Ares smirked. "I guess we know where we're heading."
Sunny turned to him, an eyebrow raised. "Why?"
"Because, my stupid little Sunny, that 'light' is Nephis."
She scoffed. "Oh, and how did you figure that out, mister know-it-all?"
Ares grinned, stretching out as if the answer were obvious. "Call it instinct."
Weirdly enough, Sunny didn't question him. Ares's instincts had a way of being annoyingly accurate. She had seen it firsthand—every time they sparred, every time he seemed to predict her moves and beat her black and blue.
And so, the night passed. The pale sun began its slow ascent, pushing away the darkness with its cold, ghostly light.
At first light, they moved.
They climbed down from the ruins of the headless statue—their silent guardian—and set off toward the distant coral pillar that pierced the sky.
The terrain twisted and turned, jagged and unnatural, forming a maze of crimson stone and sharp coral.
The Crimson Labyrinth.
Navigating it should have been difficult. But with Sunny's shadow acting as a guide and Ares's uncanny ability to sense danger, they avoided most of the lurking threats. The journey was smooth. Too smooth.
But hunger clawed at them.
Two days without food had left Sunny weak. It was a familiar feeling, one she had learned to suppress. But ignoring it didn't make it go away.
Then, they spotted it.
buried in the mud, its thick, jagged shell covered in deep cracks, an injured Carapace Scavenger lay still.
A perfect meal.
Ares turned to Sunny and gave her a look. Handle it.
She clicked her tongue. Tch... what a gentleman. But there was no irritation in her voice. If anything, she looked almost... eager.
Ares took a few steps back, staying close enough to intervene but far enough to give her space. This was her stage.
Sunny advanced carefully. Step by step.
The scavenger remained motionless. A trick of the mud, blending it seamlessly with its surroundings.
She kept moving. Closer. Closer.
She was nearly within arm's reach when the ground beneath her exploded.
A massive pincer shot out of the mud, snapping toward her with terrifying speed.
Sunny twisted, narrowly dodging. The air whooshed as the claw slammed shut just inches from her face. The sheer force of the attack cracked the earth, sending mud and debris flying.
She barely had time to register the attack before the creature lunged again.
This time, she was ready.
Her shadow surged forward, wrapping around her like a second skin, reinforcing her body. She gripped the sharpened bone in her hand, her makeshift spear, her fang in the dark.
The scavenger struck again.
Sunny moved.
She weaved through its attacks, her body flowing like liquid shadow. The creature's claws slammed into the ground, missing her by mere inches. Again. And again. The mud churned beneath them, turning into a battlefield of destruction.
But Sunny was faster. Smarter.
She was studying it. The way its movements slowed right before an attack. The slight delay between its strikes. The tiny opening it left after each miss.
Her opportunity.
The scavenger reared back, its massive claw rising high, preparing for a crushing blow.
Sunny lunged forward.
A feint.
The creature fell for it, slamming its claw into empty space as she disappeared.
Moving like a shadow, she reappeared before the monster like death, her hand lashing out with strength and merciless violence.
The bone spear struck true, penetrating its small eye.
The monster screeched. A high-pitched, chittering sound that sent a shiver down her spine.
It thrashed wildly, its claws flailing, desperate to strike her.
But Sunny was already moving.
She twisted the weapon, pushing it deeper, her shadow gripping it like a vice. Dark, oily blood spilled over her hands, staining the mud.
The scavenger's movements slowed.
And then—one final thrust.
The bone spear pierced its brain.
The creature convulsed.
Then, at last, it fell still.
Silence returned.
Sunny exhaled, pulling her weapon free. Her hands trembled slightly from exertion, but she ignored it.
Ares clapped.
"Well, that was dramatic."
She shot him a glare but didn't argue.
Instead of responding to Ares's silent challenge, Sunny smirked and slowly raised her hand.
In an instant, a burst of white sparks flickered in the air, illuminating her face with a soft glow.
With a quiet hum of power, her weapon appeared.
A sharp, light sword materialized in her grip, its steel gleaming with a mesmerizing azure hue. The blade was about a meter long, including the handle—straight, single-edged, and ending in an angular tip. Layers of folded metal ran through its surface, forming a beautiful, almost hypnotic pattern, like ripples in a calm sea. Deep inside the steel, faint white sparks flickered and danced, as though tiny stars were trapped within.
The crossguard was minimalistic, offering little protection to the wielder's hands. A sword made not for defense, but for pure offense.
It was a weapon meant for cutting.
A subtle grin tugged at the corner of her lips as she summoned her shadow, letting it slither along the length of the Azure Blade.
The steel darkened instantly, turning a deep bluish-black, absorbing the light around it. The white sparks remained, now standing out against the darkened metal, resembling a sky full of stars.
Sunny gave the sword an experimental swing. The sharp edge whistled through the air, slicing with effortless precision.
She adjusted her grip and swung again. The blade was light, fast, deadly.
She liked it.
Ares, who had been watching, exhaled sharply and folded his arms.
"…What a show-off," he grunted.
Sunny smirked, twisting the sword left and right. "What? Jealous?"
Ares scoffed. "My hands are enough for you, brat."
As if to prove his point, he raised his hands, flexing his armored claws. The sharp, black talons gleamed in an early crimson, looking every bit as lethal as any blade.
Sunny's smirk twitched.
"...Bastard."
Deciding that it wasn't worth getting smacked in the head, she huffed and turned away, lowering her sword. With one last glance at her beautiful new weapon, she dismissed it with a flick of her wrist. The Azure Blade dissolved into white sparks before disappearing completely.
Time to focus.
Kneeling down, she began working on the scavenger's corpse.
Through the Crimson Labyrinth
Their "trip" through the labyrinth of coral was... surprisingly easy.
Despite the twisting, jagged pathways and the eerie silence that hung over the landscape like a shroud, they moved without much trouble. The combined efforts of Sunny's shadow—guiding them through the safest paths—and Ares's sharp instincts made navigating the maze effortless.
The deeper they went, the more unsettling the atmosphere became.
The sharp coral formations looked almost alive, twisting unnaturally in the dim light. The ground was uneven, a mix of smooth rock and brittle, shattered bones.
They would occasionally meet injured Carapace Scavengers which they easily dispatched, hoarding their flesh and soul stones for later use.
As they neared their destination, Sunny suddenly stopped.
Ares, sensing her shift, slowed his steps and glanced at her. "What?"
She didn't answer right away.
Instead, she turned to him and smiled.
"I guess you were right."
Before he could ask what she meant, a sound broke the silence.
Footsteps.
Someone was approaching.
A shadow passed between the coral pillars.
Then, just as Sunny had said, a figure stepped into the clearing.