Sunny's expression remained shrouded in tension and unease. Still, not a single muscle twitched between them until, after what felt like an hour, Sunny finally relaxed. He let go of her arm and rose.
Nephis fixed her gaze on him, her eyes demanding answers. Before she could ask, Sunny spoke quietly.
"Look around you."
She obeyed, scanning the battlefield. Even though she could not see as well as Sunny in the dark, the dim light on her palm was enough to navigate.
Corpses of scavengers were strewn all around—some dismembered, some intact. At first, she wasn't sure what she was meant to notice. Then, as her eyes drifted toward the edge of the island, a sudden realization dawned on her.
The edge was empty. No bodies lay there, though most of the scavengers had come from that direction.
That could only mean—
"A dangerous abomination was stalking the island from the ocean," Sunny continued, his tone low and measured. "The commotion we created must have drawn it here. It dragged away the corpses within its reach. If it had known that uncorrupted Sleeper souls were present on this island... it would have gone very badly for us."
...
"One, two, three..."
Twenty-one.
'That were all the soul fragments we got from killing the entire horde of scavangers.'
Sunny stared at the small pile of shards before him, his expression darkening.
'Damn that bastard.'
If not for that thieving monster, they would have gained far more. But there had been no way to stop it—not on land. That abomination had stalked them, stealing what should have been theirs.
But if it ever crossed his path in the ocean…
A voice pulled him from his thoughts.
"Sunny, Nephis, are you alright?"
He glanced at Cassie.
The entire time that creature had been stalking the island, she had remained hidden behind the rocks. But somehow, she had still known of its presence without his warning.
Sunny wasn't surprised.
The blind girl always knew more about things than them, and her foresight and instincts were even above Sunny. It would be the most difficult for anyone to catch her off guard.
"Yeah, we're fine," he replied with a shrug.
Nephis nodded before asking in return, "Are you?"
Cassie smiled, though there was no joy in it.
"As good as I can be after waiting helplessly while the two of you risked your lives against these… creatures."
Sunny sighed.
"You don't need to feel guilty about it. All aspects are suited for different things. Just because you can't fight doesn't mean you don't contribute."
That was the truth. If not for Cassie's visions, they never would have reached the Dark City in his previous life. They would have perished, wandering blindly in an unknown direction.
But his words did little to comfort her. The guilt was still there, written on her face.
She opened her mouth, as if to argue. For a moment, her lips trembled, words forming—but none came. Instead, she simply lowered herself onto the ground beside them, her blank eyes seeming to focus on something far away.
Silence hung between them. Until Nephis finally broke it.
"Memory?"
She was looking at Sunny, expectation clear in her gaze.
Sunny blinked.
Only then did he notice—Nephis was clutching at her makeshift brassiere, barely holding it together. It must have been damaged during the brutal fight.
Heat crept up his face. He hadn't realized he had been staring.
She couldn't see well in the dark—no normal human could—but for some reason, he imagined her piercing gaze locking onto his face, catching the slight blush and and the less than lascivious smilethat had spread across it.
He forced himself to look away.
'She's going to think I'm a pervert!'
Although, he wouldn't have minded it if-
'Pure thoughts!'
"Wait a minute," he said quickly, composing himself. "I haven't checked my runes yet."
Immediately, familiar runes appeared before him.
*
Name: Sunless.
True Name: Lost from Light.
Rank: Dreamer.
Shadow Core: Dormant
Shadow Fragments: [300/1000].
Three hundred fragments.
Sunny exhaled slowly, watching the runes float in his vision.
'I had Two hundred and thirty-two before. That means I killed thirty-four scavengers.'
Nephis had probably slain another twenty.
A small smile crept onto his face.
'Not bad.'
They were now far stronger than he had been when they entered the dark city in his previous life. And Nephis… after absorbing her share of the fragments, she would be even deadlier. Not to mention, their coordination was nothing to scoff at either. The battle had proven that much.
Overall, Sunny was very satisfied with their progress. He allowed himself a small moment of respite.
Now, if only the ripples of change he had set in motion could grow into mighty waves—ones strong enough to shatter the chains of fate.
He pushed the thought aside and focused on the next set of runes.
Memories: [Silver Bell], [Puppeteer's Shroud], [Epitaph of Silent Rebirth], [Chrysalis of Eternal Eclipse], [???], [Azure blade], [Azure Pearl], [Duskrend]
Azure blade...
Sunny's gaze lingered on the familiar name.
It was the first blade he had ever wielded in his past life. And now, he had obtained it once again. A strange feeling stirred within him. Nostalgia? Something else?
He dismissed the thought. He didn't have time for such things.
'Three new Memories.'
After slaughtering the scavenger horde, he had gained three. Yet, after spending an entire night battling abominations in the dark sea, he had only received a single one.
Sunny scoffed.
His luck was truly something else.
Shaking his head, he turned his focus to the next set of runes.
Memory: [Azure Pearl]
Memory type: charm.
A charm.
Sunny's lips curled slightly.
Charms were the rarest type of Memory. That he had obtained one so early… It was truly fortunate.
His gaze flicked to the description.
Memory description: [When his blade broke, and his shield cracked, his luck saved him.]
The description was short and criptic. But it seemed like this memory has something to do with luck.
Sunny frowned.
Was this similar to the charm Luster had obtained in Antarctica? That one was supposed to increase his luck. Did it actually even work? He had never been sure.
In the end, Luster had been one of only two survivors from his squad. And on top of that, he had ended up with Kim. The two would have likely married once they returned from Antarctica.
Now that he thought about it, the charm probably worked.
Sunny sighed.
He would have liked to meet them again. If only he could have cleared his third nightmare...
A sudden pain throbbed in his temple. It vanished just as quickly, leaving behind a fleeting trace of something hollow.
As he was thinking, obtaining a charm—especially one tied to luck—was no small thing. For someone like him, who often found himself in the worst possible situations… It was the best thing he could have asked.
Sunny's gaze flicked back to the runes.
'Does this charm have an active enchantment? Or a passive one, like Luster?'
That was worth testing. He had a tiny bit of control over essence now, thanks to Serpent. It was enough to activate an active enchantment.
Before he entertained the idea, though, his eyes shifted toward Nephis. She was staring at him, unblinking. Her hands clutched her makeshift brassiere. Letting go would probably cause it to fall apart immediately.
She was waiting.
Waiting for confirmation that he had received an armor Memory, before going to make a new one.
Sunny sighed.
'I should check if the third memory I got is an armor or not first.'
His gaze sharpened as he focused on the runes describing his final reward.
Memory: [Duskrend]
Memory Rank: Awakened.
Memory type: Armor.
His eyes widened slightly.
A slow smile tugged at his lips.
'So I got an armor memory after all.'
Without bothering to read its description, he immediately turned to Nephis and gave her a nod.
"I have good news for you. One of the memories I received is an armor."
Nephis's face lit up—just for a moment. Without hesitation, she extended her hand expectantly.
Cassie clapped her hands, relief clear in her voice.
"Finally! Now you have something decent to wear. You don't know how guilty I had been feeling all this time, using your armor."
She turned towards Sunny and smiled.
Sunny smiled back, then reached out, taking Nephis's arm.
He was just as glad as she was. Not only because Nephis would no longer have to struggle with a makeshift outfit… But also because he wouldn't have to struggle to maintain a composed expression every time he looked at her.
Honestly, it was a relief.
A familiar warmth traveled from his soul to hers as the Memory transferred. Nephis turned away, her silver eyes focused on something unseen. She was probably reading the runes of her new Memory.
Leaving her to it, Sunny took the opportunity to summon the Azure Pearl.
White sparks flickered across his palm, coalescing into a small, luminous sphere. A pearl with a soft, azure glow rested against his skin, its surface impossibly smooth.
It was beautiful.
Looking at it felt like gazing into the depths of a serene, undisturbed lake.
'So this charm is supposed to increase my luck?'
Sunny studied it for a few seconds, then began to flow essence into it.
His mind sharpened as he focused, directing the minute stream of essence within his body with Serpent's help. Carefully, he diverted it into the Memory, anticipation flickering in his chest.
He couldn't wait to see what kind of enchantment his lucky charm possessed.
Then—
The smile vanished from his face.
His expression twisted in disbelief as a thin crack formed along the pearl's surface.
The crack spread, webbing through the azure glow—until, in an instant, the entire thing shattered into a cascade of white sparks.
The Spell's familiar voice whispered in his mind.
[Your memory has been destroyed.]
Sunny grimaced, his hand shooting up to cover his mouth before a curse could escape.
'What the hell! What kind of enchantment destroys the memory?!'
His fingers tightened against his lips as frustration burned through him. His jaw clenched. He almost wanted to scream.
He looked up, ready to vent his anger on something—anything— Then froze.
His breath hitched. His mind went blank. His eyes widened as heat crawled up his cheeks.
'W-what!?'
For a single second that stretched into eternity, a crushing weight pressed down on his mind, paralyzing him.
Right in front of him…
On the ground…
Laid the makeshift brassiere Nephis had been clutching onto just moments ago. And above it, she sat frozen, facing him directly.
The Awakened Memory she had just summoned fluttered softly against her back.
A cloak.
Not armor. Not anything remotely close to armor. Just a light, flowing cape… that covered nothing but her back.
An expression of pure shock and confusion was etched onto her face. Then realization dawned.
Her gaze flicked downward, then back up.
Their eyes met.
Nephis's cheeks flushed pink, her eyes widening with the smallest hint of horror.
Immediately, she grabbed onto the edges of the cloak as if her life depended on it and spun away.
At the same time, Sunny slapped a hand over his eyes and turned his head so fast he nearly gave himself whiplash.
A heavy silence settled over the air.
Neither of them moved. Neither of them spoke.
Sunny's mind was blank, his entire existence frozen in place.
'What in the hell...!?'
Thoughts spiraled chaotically in Sunny's mind.
Did that really just happen?
How?
Why?
And most importantly—how in the abyss was a mere cape categorized as an armor-type Memory? It left her front completely exposed!
Sunny struggled to accept the absurdity of the situation. Somewhere in the depths of his memory, he vaguely recalled something similar happening in his previous life. Back then, the culprit had been a carapace scavenger that forced Nephis into a desperate fight. Given the circumstances, it was understandable. And even then, he had barely caught a glimpse before she covered herself.
But now…
Now, there had been no battle. No struggle. No reason for something like this to happen. Yet, against all logic, it had.
The worst part? It had taken them both completely by surprise. There had been no warning, no time to react. And as a result—
There had been nothing obstructing his view.
Sunny clenched his fists, his expression twisting.
'How in the hell did this even happen while we were just sitting around after the fight was over?'
It wasn't exactly impossible. But the odds were astronomically low.
First of all, he had obtained an armor-type Memory that wasn't even armor, but a cape. How often did that happen? Almost never. He had never heard of an armor Memory turning out to be a cape before.
But that alone wasn't enough to explain this.
In his eagerness to test the charm, he had carelessly transferred the Memory to Nephis without even reading its description. Nephis, in turn, must have skimmed over the runes in her own rush to finally have something decent to wear. And on top of that, the moment the Memory materialized, she had let her guard down—allowing the makeshift brassiere to fall, assuming she was already clad in proper armor.
What were the odds of all those things happening together?
With those kinds of chances, Sunny would have gladly taken his luck jumping into the mouth of a Corrupted abomination and ripping its heart out.
Well… he had already done that without the luck but-
That's how utterly ridiculous this was.
Which begged the question—
Was it really just a coincidence?
Sunny doubted it. Especially when he considered another improbable incident that had happened just moments before.
'That stupid charm...'
As soon as he had poured essence into it, the Azure Pearl had shattered. It was almost as if he had consumed it.
Sunny's expression darkened.
'Was it a one-time-use Memory? Did it grant me tremendous luck for a single instant?'
If so…
Then that meant…
His so-called "moment of great luck" had been this.
A muscle twitched in his jaw.
He could have used that Memory in a thousand different situations. There was no shortage of moments where tremendous luck could have saved his life.
It was basically a free pass—an escape from one of the many harrowing trials that his accursed [Fated] attribute was hellbent on throwing at him.
And he had wasted that priceless boon on…
On…
A violent blush spread across Sunny's face as Nephis' image reappeared in his mind.
'W-well...'
He coughed internally.
Maybe it wasn't so bad after all—
"Did you see it?"
A quiet voice cut through the heavy silence like a blade. A chill crawled down Sunny's spine.
Slowly, hesitantly, he turned his head. Nephis sat with her back toward him, her fingers gripping the edges of the cape tightly.
Sunny swallowed.
He badly wanted to say no. But his Flaw refused to let him lie.
The pain built, sharp and demanding. He endured it for as long as he could—
Until he couldn't.
"...Yes."
Sunny had no idea what Nephis was thinking right now. And he wasn't about to find out. He couldn't even bring himself to look at her face.
But whatever was going through her mind…
It didn't feel good.
Another voice pulled him from his spiraling thoughts.
"What happened? Is there something else around us?"
Cassie's voice was soft, tinged with concern. She had picked up on the strange exchange between them, mistaking it for the threat of a nightmare creature. Turning her head slightly, she faced Sunny, waiting patiently for an explanation.
He forced his voice to remain steady.
"No. We are completely safe here."
At his reassurance, Cassie relaxed. Her shoulders slumped, the tension leaving her body.
"Thank god. Now we can finally rest! The two of you must be tired after fighting for so long."
She hesitated for a moment, then asked,
"Nephis? How is the Memory that Sunny gave you? Is it comfortable to wear?"
Another silence.
Before Nephis could answer, Sunny spoke.
"I will take the first watch. You two, rest while there's time. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day."
Without waiting for a response, he turned and strode toward the edge of the island.
He didn't look back. He couldn't.
He had no idea how he was going to explain this situation to Nephis if she questioned him in the morning. His mind raced, playing through different scenarios.
No, I didn't give you that cape knowing this would happen. I didn't even know it was a cape!
The culprit was that stupid charm I got. It was a one-time-use charm that blessed its wielder with luck.
No, I am not a pervert. The charm only considered this situation "lucky" for me because it was you, I swear!
The more he thought about it, the worse it became.
There was just no way to explain this that wouldn't make him sound either like a complete pervert or force him to reveal things he wasn't ready to share yet—like the fact that he knew the future.
Or that his evil past self—which was somehow a Corrupted Titan—was lurking somewhere, messing with the timeline, scheming in the shadows.
Sunny sighed, rubbing his face.
'At this rate, rather than suspecting me of being an assassin, she'll actually kill me for being a pervert…'
AN: Do share your thoughts in the comments xD
Might go on hiatus for a week because I am thinking of making another one-shot. It is still a thought tho and I might drop it at any moment so expect a chapter anyway :)