[Author Note: Cassie didn't know Sunny name at this time, she knew after this flashback.]
Cassie frowned. She had been watching the Lord of Shadows' memories for a while now.
She saw how he ventured into the Hollow Mountains, surviving there in a way no one had ever thought possible.
She didn't see the creatures that lived there, but... she felt them through Sunny.
No wonder it was impossible—the things that lived there were unimaginable.
She continued watching as the Lord of Shadows finally reached the other side. The place that made them what they are now.
"I'm back..."
Cassie had suspected that Sunny was on the Forgotten Shore too, but now she was certain.
The problem was that she didn't remember him. Cassie's memory was far superior to most. She remembered every face of those who had lived on the Forgotten Shore, yet she didn't recognize him at all.
This deepened her frown, and the suspicion that her memories had been tampered with grew stronger.
'Hmm... so he also fought in the Siege of the Crimson Spire.'
She wasn't surprised that he had escaped the Forgotten Shore. He must have exited through the Gate.
Cassie watched as the Lord of Shadows gathered the remains of the Dreamers of the Dark City. She watched as he made graves for them and carved a few runes into the surface of the black stone.
The runes read:
[Here lie those who extinguished the sun
Dreamers of the Dark City
Sleep well
Your nightmare is over.]
Cassie whispered under her breath, "Thank you, all of you. Sleep well. Your nightmare is over."
With everything done, Sunny marched toward the Dark City, but what he found there was entirely different.
Cassie's eyes widened. She never thought she would see a sun in the sky.
The only sun there had been was that of the Crimson Spire, and even that wasn't a true sun.
Yet here, before her eyes, was a sun that shone with warm light.
Sunny walked toward the once Dark City. Before, there had been nothing but ashen ground, but now there was green grass with trees all around.
Reaching the city, Sunny entered using [Shadow Step].
The Dark City had never disappointed Cassie.
Through the Lord of Shadows' memories, she saw a city like Bastion, though far smaller. It was just as alive as Bastion was.
Men and women walked the streets, living their lives. The women giggled, the men laughed. It was so different from the life they had known there, which had been filled with nothing but blood and fear.
Sunny moved through the shadows, listening to conversations.
He deduced two things:
One, all the residents of the "Bright City" had not been summoned to the Forgotten Shore but had been rescued by one of the Children—most likely the Child of Time.
Two, the ruler of the Bright City was undoubtedly Raphael.
Cassie already knew this. One day, hundreds of Sleepers had been found near the Citadels of both the Sword Domain and the Song Domain. The first to notice this were the Sovereigns themselves.
Those Sleepers were interrogated, and they all told the same story.
"When we were lost, injured, and afraid, His Grace sent one of his Children to take us to his kingdom, where we all lived in peace and harmony under his protection."
Some even believed that Raphael was a god. He created things from nothing and brought life to a dead land.
Those people were religious fanatics. They brought books they called Genesis and began sharing what was written, but they were quickly suppressed.
Cassie sighed and continued watching as Shadow moved throughout the city until he reached a cathedral.
The once-dark cathedral was now brimming with light. Its white marble and stained glass reflected the light of the sun, making it look divine.
Entering the cathedral, Cassie saw the man who was with the Lord of Shadows.
The First Child of Raphael: Adam, the Child of Fate.
Cassie didn't know what the connection between him and Sunny was, but she knew she would find out soon.
In front of Adam stood a statue of Raphael.
Cassie immediately recognized him. It was the same as the middle head of the Three-Headed Titan.
This time, there was only one head, and behind it was a disk resembling the sun.
Shadow sat on one of the benches, watching everyone... praying? He wasn't sure what they were doing.
Cassie watched as the Lord of Shadows tried to leave, just like the others, but Adam suddenly spoke to him.
They conversed, which led to the Lord of Shadows meeting Raphael.
Cassie focused on the conversation between Sunny and Raphael.
"Who would have thought that a divine shadow still exists, even after the death of the Shadow God?"
'So the Lord of Shadows is a divine shadow, and it seems that divine shadows can't exist without the Shadow God...'
Suddenly, everything became blurry. Cassie couldn't hear or see the rest of the conversation between them.
The only reason for that to happen was because Shadow himself didn't want her to see that memory.
Of course, she could force it, but she chose not to.
The memory sped up, as if watching a video at double speed.
Cassie continued watching, and finally, she learned the truth that broke her heart.
The two of them... had actually been three, all along.
With that, Cassie closed her eyes, breaking the connection between her and the Lord of Shadows.
***
It had been some time since Cassie had seen Sunny's memories.
But now, here they were again. Without explanation, he asked her to see his memories once more, but this time, he said it would be the last.
She looked into Sunny's eyes and ventured in, with Sunny guiding her.
What she saw made her body tremble. There, before her eyes, stood the creation of humanity.
The land Sunny stood upon was the same as the one where hell had descended upon them.
Without a doubt, what was in front of her was Antarctica...
'I thought we had more time...'
Suddenly, Cassie felt someone approaching Sunny. Since he was looking down at the ground, he didn't notice at first.
Sunny raised his head to see Adam moving toward him.
The two spoke, and their conversation made Cassie understand many things.
Somehow, Raphael had been able to remember Sunny. The secret of "No Body" was revealed. No Body was Sunny, and Sunny knew everything about the Tomb of Ariel because he had challenged the Nightmare with them.
But what made Cassie's breathing quicken and her body tremble in fear was what Raphael told Sunny.
He had lost against Nether... The Daemon of Destiny and the Lastborn of the Forgotten God had finally awakened.
The war that was coming was not a war between humanity to determine who would wear the crown of humanity... no.
It was a war that would determine whether humanity would live or perish.
***
A mid chapter about a mid volume what can I say? I really hate Volume 8 man like I tried writing this chapter a lot of times, but I couldn't. It was so boring.
Anyways we will enter the War arc next chapter that's why I want to ask you all something and try to guess.
Who will be the first to achieve Supremacy? [Btw I gave a hint in the last chapter]
If you have any questions, you can find me in the official Shadow Slave discord. just go to the Fanfiction room, and search for mine, it's named after the FF name.
Leave a review on this fanfic, chapter and some power stones, so more people can read it.
See you again next time👋