Sunny had been awake the entire night. His mind was too burdened with thoughts to allow him even a moment of rest. Last night's incident was one of them.
As the first rays of dawn bled across the horizon, the ocean began its retreat.
Sunny allowed himself a brief moment of respite, sitting at the edge of the island with his feet dangling over the vast coral labyrinth below. The sight was oddly mesmerizing.
Sighing, he turned his head toward the west. Toward the distant, unseen statue where he had once spent his first night. One of the seven. One of the so-called heroes of the Forgotten Shore.
There were so many things he had to do. Little things - surviving the labyrinth, reaching the city, raiding the Crimson Spire, changing the tides of fate...
Soon, his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of movement behind him. Nephis was awake.
"You are up early."
He simply nodded, not turning to face her.
A moment of silence stretched between them before she finally spoke again.
"You look troubled."
Again, no reply. He simply shook his head, almost subconsciously.
Nephis sighed softly. Without another word, she sat beside him, her gaze following his toward the horizon.
Neither of them spoke. A strange, heavy silence settled between them. Until, finally, Sunny broke it.
His voice was quiet, weighted with uncertainty—like he wanted to bury this topic in the deepest trenches of his mind. Like he wished he never had to speak of it again. But in the end, he did.
"About last night, I-"
He hesitated. The words caught in his throat, his mind scrambling to find the right ones. Before he could, Nephis spoke. Her voice was calm. Steady. Unyielding. Leaving no room for discussion.
"...Nothing happened."
Sunny turned to her in shock. Those weren't the words he had expected to hear. But they were the ones he had wanted most.
"Of course."
A subtle smile flickered across his face.
Then, as he looked at her properly for the first time that morning— His breath hitched.
She was no longer wearing crude garments of fiber and seaweed.
Instead, an elegant attire of deep red fabric adorned her figure. The cloth was rich yet simple, decorated with mild embellishments—almost reminiscent of a regal dress from a long-forgotten era.
It was incomplete, more like a piece of a grand outfit rather than the full thing.
It left her skin exposed in many places... but it was still far better than what she had been forced to wear before.
Sunny stared a bit too long. And then—Almost as if the words had risen from somewhere deep within him, slipping past his lips before he could stop them—"You look gorgeous."
The moment he noticed the faint shade of pink dusting her cheeks, realization struck him like a hammer.
His face burned.
Clearing his throat, he quickly added, "I mean—where did you get this dress from? Is this the same cape that... uh—You know what, never mind."
Nephis gave him a small smile and nodded.
"Thank you."
Then, with a composed expression, she continued,
"Yes. That Memory can shift between three forms, depending on the wielder's intent. A cape, this dress... and a partial armor that covers my vital points."
Her voice dropped slightly, her tone laced with regret.
"If only I had read the runes carefully before—"
She gritted her teeth and looked away.
Sunny was almost certain he had seen it. A faint blush. A fleeting trace of warmth on Nephis's usually emotionless face.
His smile widened.
'So the armor Memory isn't just a simple cape after all.'
Its default form had simply been set to a cape. That must have been the detail she overlooked, leading to last night's incident. Of course. That made sense.
Sunny sighed and decided to change the subject.
"You know, when I first saw you watching me from this island, I was..."
And so, the two of them talked—about this and that, about nothing in particular.
They sat at the edge of the island, their feet dangling over the vast coral labyrinth below, the scenery stretching endlessly into the distance.
Sunny couldn't help but notice something. Nephis had started expressing her emotions a lot better.
Whenever he said something ridiculous—when he twisted his words into a joke that sounded like a lie—she would smile. Sometimes, she would even chuckle, adding to the joke in her own way. Other times, she would even try to make a joke herself.
...They still needed a lot of work though, before they could actually make someone laugh.
The entire time, a bright smile remained plastered on Sunny's face. He was far too lost in the moment—so much so that he feared he might let something slip. Something he would regret.
Fortunately, that didn't happen. They simply enjoyed the moment. No battles. No schemes. No burdens. Just the two of them.
Sunny wished it could last forever. But like all good things, though, it had to come to an end.
A familiar rustling sound reached his ears. Gloomy, who had been watching over Cassie, noticed she suddenly stirred. The blind girl woke up. Her expression was a mix of nervousness and excitement. It was time to get to work.
"I had a vision!"
Cassie's voice rang out the moment she saw them approach, barely holding back her excitement.
Sunny raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, we'll listen to everything," he said as the two of them sat beside her. "But first, let's get you something to eat. You must be hungry."
Cassie nodded.
"I am, but it can wait!"
She was practically bursting with anticipation. Raising a finger, she pointed into the distance. Toward the west. Without waiting for a response, she continued.
"It's there. I saw it."
Her voice trembled slightly, as if she could barely believe the words she was saying.
"A castle. A castle full of people!"
...
The vision was exactly as Sunny remembered. Which was both a cause for relief... and concern.
'So the things I've changed have yet to show their effect.'
He sighed.
He wasn't all too surprised, though. This was only the first vision. There would be many more to come. Especially that one... Shadows devouring an angel.
That was the one he was most interested in. Would it still happen? Had he managed to alter its course?
A voice pulled him from his thoughts.
"What do you think, Sunny?"
Nephis was watching him. He blinked, shifting his gaze between her and Cassie.
Finally, he said, "Doesn't seem like we have a choice."
Of course, they had to travel west. Nephis and Cassie nodded. With that, they began their preparations.
Sitting around the fire, they had a light breakfast, exchanging quiet words here and there. Then, they abandoned the hill and set off.
Sunny walked in front, holding Abyssfang in his left hand and Azure Blade in his right.
Even though Abyssfang was a Transcendent Memory, on land it was nothing more than an above-average Awakened weapon. Despite being the strongest in his possession, it was the one he had the least experience with.
Azure Blade, on the other hand...
It was his first weapon. One he was far more in tune with. That was the weapon he would be relying on in battle. Abyssfang was merely there for reach, for leverage—for cutting down multiple enemies when necessary.
Behind him, Nephis moved steadily. A sword was manifested in her right hand, while a rope was held tightly in her left.
Sunny's gaze flicked to her weapon. It was different from the one she had used before.
'She must have received it after last night's fight.'
At the rear, Cassie followed, her hand gripping the golden rope, guided by Nephis. And ahead of them all— Gloomy moved silently, scouting for danger. For the first time in a long while, Sunny wasn't worried.
A carapace scavenger or two? He could handle them alone. With Nephis by his side? Four or five wouldn't be a problem. If push came to shove, even facing ten wasn't out of the question.
In fact, Sunny hoped they would run into some. The stronger they got, the better. His team was far more powerful than in his past life. And paradoxically, the dangers they faced now were far too low.
Because of all the Fallen and Corrupted abominations he had slain, there was no shortage of corpses littering the labyrinth. The scavengers had more than enough food. As a result, their numbers roaming the labyrinth had dwindled.
If they kept their current pace, avoiding every scavenger his shadow detected... They would reach the statue without encountering a single one. With hours of sunlight to spare.
'That would not do.'
A slight grimace appeared on Sunny's face. If he wanted to grow stronger as quickly as possible, he had to take advantage of every opportunity. And this? This was an absolute waste of one.
Without hesitation, he came to a sudden stop and turned around.
"Nephis, we need to talk."
...
At first, Nephis was confused. She had trouble believing what Sunny was suggesting.
"You want to hunt the scavengers instead of avoiding them?" she asked, incredulous.
No matter how she thought about it, it didn't make sense.
She had never heard of a Sleeper willingly seeking out Awakened creatures. It went against every lesson, every instinct, every rule of survival. Sleepers avoided Awakened beasts unless forced to fight them. That was how they stayed alive.
Yet, here was Sunny... proposing the opposite.
He met her gaze without hesitation.
"It's as I told you before," he said simply. "To get stronger, I need to kill. And I need to get stronger as soon as possible."
Nephis wanted to argue. No matter how capable Sunny was, throwing himself into danger unnecessarily was beyond reckless.
But then she saw it. That gleam in his eyes. Burning, intense— A deep, consuming desire. Something inside her stirred. A familiar feeling.
The same feeling that had driven her for as long as she could remember. The feeling of wanting to destroy something. The willingness to go to any length to do it. She wanted to destroy the Spell.
And just like that...
There was something Sunny wanted just as desperately. Something that made him seek danger. Something that made him willing to risk everything for the smallest opportunity to grow stronger.
Denying him now... It felt the same as if someone had tried to deny her the chance to destroy the Spell.
She couldn't do it. More than that, the thought of turning him down when he asked her so sincerely...
Nephis exhaled softly.
"We'll fight the ones near our path," she declared. "But we won't go out of our way to hunt them."
Sunny's face lit up.
"Of course. That's what I meant. Reaching the statue before sunset takes priority, after all."
And so, they continued on their journey. They didn't wander far from their route, but any scavenger that strayed too close met an unfortunate end.
Every time they engaged in battle, Nephis caught a glimpse of Sunny's expression. The sharp glint in his eyes. The triumphant grin that appeared every time his sword cut through chitin and flesh. A shout of exhilaration when another foe fell before him.
She let him deal the final blow to every scavenger: It was only natural. His Aspect required it. Except for the rare occasion when circumstances left her no choice.
Somewhere along the way, Nephis noticed something strange. A small smile had settled onto her lips. A warmth had taken root deep in her chest. A quiet ember, soothing and light. She hadn't even realized it was there.
It felt as though a burden—one she hadn't even noticed—had finally been lifted. A strange feeling. As if something she had longed for, without ever knowing it, had finally found its way into her grasp.
Despite her initial hesitation, she was enjoying the fights. That part wasn't surprising. She had always liked fighting.
But this... This was different. Something more. She realized it— But she didn't understand it.
Why did it feel different when she fought alongside Sunny? Or was it simply because... She was fighting with him?
In the end, Nephis drove the thoughts away. Whatever this feeling was... she was enjoying it. She didn't want anything to distract her from it. So, she simply allowed herself to be lost in it.
A voice pulled her from her thoughts.
"That's the statue I was talking about."
She looked up. There it stood—the massive, headless statue. The very same one Sunny had reached the night before being dragged into the ocean.
"So soon..."
The words escaped her in a whisper.
She had been so deeply lost that she hadn't even noticed how much time had passed. The sun was already sinking toward the horizon, leaving them with only a couple of hours of daylight.
Their destination was in sight. A quiet sigh left her lips, tinged with regret.
'Why did we reach here so soon?'
She wished she could have enjoyed the feeling... just a little longer.
...
By the time they climbed the statue, barely an hour of sunlight remained. Exhaustion weighed on all three of them—especially Sunny and Nephis after all the fighting. Wasting no time, they made a fire, cooked their meal, and ate in relative silence.
"The scavengers can't climb up here, so we don't need to keep watch," Sunny said. "In any case, my shadow doesn't sleep. It'll wake us if there's trouble."
Cassie and Nephis agreed without question.
Whatever needed to be said, whatever needed to be done, it would have to wait until morning.
Sunny lay down, exhaling in satisfaction. He had slain a considerable number of scavengers. His Shadow Core had grown. Unfortunately, he hadn't obtained the Echo he had in his previous life. Even so, he was satisfied with his progress. A small smile touched his lips as he closed his eyes.
'Now I can sleep peacefully.'
...Or so he thought.
...
"...Sunny! Are you alright?"
A voice pulled him violently from his sleep. Cassie's hands gripped his shoulders, shaking him. Her face was tense with worry.
'Huh...?'
His mind was sluggish, disoriented. Then, awareness struck. His body was trembling.
A deep, pulsing pain throbbed in his skull. His skin was drenched with sweat. His breath came in ragged, uneven gasps, his heart hammering against his ribs. It was as if he had just survived a panic attack.
But the last thing he remembered was... Going to sleep.
'What the hell? Did I just experience a nightmare?'
That was impossible. Sleepers weren't supposed to dream in the Dream Realm.
A heavy weight pressed down on his chest. A strange, hollow emptiness gnawed at his soul.
Sunny knew he had been dreaming. Or rather... he had experienced something. A vision, perhaps—like the one of the girl dancing in Shadow God's temple.
But then...
'Why can't I remember it?'
He tried to rack his brain. Nothing. He tried again. Pain. Again. More pain.
"Nephis, Sunny is awake!" Cassie's voice barely registered.
He didn't hear the frantic footsteps rushing toward him. He didn't hear the desperate urgency in Nephis's voice as she called his name.
"Sunny, listen to me!"
None of it reached him. His world had shrunk to a singular purpose. To remember. To grasp onto whatever it was that had slipped from his mind. Whatever he had dreamt of felt important, far too important to forget.
But no matter how hard he tried... Nothing came back.
Nothing except—
"To break the chains of fate... a single cut has no effect... but a thousand? Ten thousand?..."
"Change the flow of the river of fate. Change the unchangeable."
The voice behind the words was lost. He had long forgotten who had spoken them—if anyone had spoken them at all. All that remained... Were the words.
And the quiet, burning tears in his eyes.
AN: Hiatus announcement (I can't believe I am doing this )
Lately, the idea of a one shot is brewing in my mind, so I am going to take some time off and try to make it. It's been extremely difficult as it involves writing the one thing I am weak at - CASUAL CONVERSATIONS 😭
I thought about a wedding one shot between sunny and Nephis after they become supreme, but so far writing the casual wedding stuff has been the greatest hurdle 😔
However! I will be taking an opportunity to learn more about this stuff and try to make a decent enough one shot. Hence, the hiatus. Hope yall understand.
I will probably be back in a couple weeks or so (Unless yall bombard me with comments then I'll have no choice but to return early 🫠)
Anyways, hope yall liked this fic so far. Do let me know in the comments what you think about the story.