On his first night in the waking world, Sunny dreamt.
From the depths of his mind, memories surfaced from the body he had borrowed during the First Nightmare. It seemed that the original child of shadows was once again offering to him a performance.
In a vast hall, cloaked by darkness, seven tall braziers burned valiantly with pale flames against the encroaching shadows. At the edges of the faint light, a handful of motionless figures stood.
A woman stepped into the center of the formation and began to dance to the haunting sound of a zither. The seven shadows cast by the braziers danced with her, formless and fluid. Her movements were as mesmerizing and graceful as they were the first time Sunny had this dream. He watched in contentment, entranced by the flawless execution of the dance.
Soon, he found himself opening his eyes.
[You have received an Aspect Legacy, Shadow Dance.]
[Your Aspect Legacy mastery level has increased.]
[You have received the right to claim a Legacy Relic.]
[Your Aspect Legacy mastery level has increased.]
[You have received the right to claim a Legacy Relic.]
[Your Aspect Legacy mastery level has increased.]
[You have received the right to claim a Legacy Relic.]
Sunny stretched as he got out of bed.
'That was easier than expected. I suppose it makes sense. This Aspect Legacy is based on knowledge, not some special condition like Jet's was. It should work the same for Neph's, right? Hmm.'
Sunny opened his runes.
***
Name: Sunless
True Name: Lost from Light
Rank: Dreamer
Shadow Core: Dormant
Shadow Fragments: [17/1000]
Memories: [Silver Bell], [Quiet Resolve], [Puppeteer's Shroud]
Attributes: [Unchained], [Fatecharmed], [Mark of Divinity], [Shadowtouched], [Inoculated]
Aspect: [The Eclipse.]
Aspect Rank: Divine.
Aspect Description: [Shadow cradled your birth, and your form was swaddled by Fate. Chosen by both, yet accepting neither, you have turned your claimants against one another. As the encroaching shade of a slain future, you command frightening powers drawn from your umbra, and bear knowledge that should not be.]
Innate Ability: [Totality.]
Ability Description: [A star is not eclipsed just by the moon, but also by the vast emptiness of space itself. In rejecting being cast by light, you also embody the eclipse that does not pass — a darkness without origin, requiring no cause, and answering to none.]
Aspect Legacy: [Shadow Dance]
Flaw: [Transparent Conscience]
Flaw Description: [You cannot lie, and your true feelings may not be hidden.]
***
'I need to look at those attributes too.'
Sunny focused on the runes for his Aspect Legacy.
Shadow Dance Description: [Once an elegant dance, now a deadly battle art. This mysterious style was created by the treacherous Lost From Light after witnessing a graceful slave dancing with her shadows. Who else could have taken something so beautiful and turned it into something so vile?]
Shadow Dance Mastery Level: [3/7]
First Relic: [Claim].
Second Relic: [Claim].
Third Relic: [Claim].
Fourth Relic: Inaccessible.
Fifth Relic: Unearned.
Sixth Relic: ...
Sunny smiled, then frowned. Since his Aspect Legacy was knowledge-based, he retained his level of mastery. So why was the fourth step inaccessible?
'Do I need Shadow Manifestation? I can't exactly take the form of others without it.'
Regardless, the more important issue was that mastery of the third step would made Serpent an Ascended Beast. This... would be a welcome boon during his journey through the Forgotten Shore. However, it wasn't a silver bullet that guaranteed his safety. Sunny's first reclaimed Shadow was certainly powerful, but their base form would be small in stature until his class increased. When the snake's small stature proved a hurdle to high to overcome, their best use would be through the [Soul Weapon] ability. This meant Sunny would be fighting enemies, but he doubted this would be a problem. Between his vastly increased fighting experience and Ascended Memory equivalent weapon, he was capable of much more than his original venture into the Dream Realm.
There was also the matter of what to do about the Drop of Ichor. He would need to figure out a few things before making that decision.
[You have received an Aspect Legacy Relic.]
[You have received a Shadow: Soul Serpent.]
[You have claimed an Aspect Legacy Relic.]
[You have received a Memory, Drop of Ichor]
[You have claimed an Aspect Legacy Relic.]
[You have received a Memory, Shadow Lantern]
He opened the runes for his familiar items and verified that they were as he remembered. Once done, he turned his attention back to his attributes.
[Shadowtouched] Attribute Description: "You have defied the nature of shadows, becoming something invisibly different. Through their grace, you remain kin."
[Inoculated] Attribute Description: "You have claimed Forbidden Knowledge."
'Being a shadow without a master comes with its consequences, it seems. So be it.'
Given the Spell's decision to speak of the Forgotten God, Sunny deduced that he had innately gained a resistance to corruption from uncovering the secrets in the Tomb of Ariel.
'Resistance is a far cry from immunity though. Especially for something so dangerous.'
Sunny closed his runes and began preparing for his day. It would certainly be an eventful one. He had already delayed his intake interview by a day to gather his thoughts, so it would be his first item to attend to.
***
In a sterile room of the Sleeper complex, Sunny responded monotonously to the curious prodding of a government official. Naturally, he had turned down psychological counseling, so the interview smoothly shifted towards questions about his Aspect.
"Would you mind telling me about the type of Aspect Ability you received, as in combat, sorcery, utility?"
Sunny had already thought through how to answer and decided he didn't need to hide so much of his strength. He had no intention of interacting with Caster or any of the other Sleepers at the academy. Not standing out in either direction would make their interactions in the Dream Realm smoother.
Obviously though, he wouldn't share everything.
"Sure. My Aspect allows me to move my shadow freely and see through it. I am also camouflaged when in darkness."
He demonstrated by sending his shadow in and out of the interview room. He had chosen to reveal these parts of his powers to project the image of a scout. It would likely place him somewhere in the middle of the Sleepers—below those with the impressive combat-focused Aspects, but above most others.
The interview continued, with questions for follow-up details and clarifications about the effectiveness of his ability to hide in shadows. When the interviewer was satisfied with the information she had gathered, Sunny was sent to the cafeteria.
This was where the true trial would begin. Knowing that Cassie couldn't perceive the effects of his new Flaw, Sunny felt confident in befriending her. Spotting her from across the room, he was delighted to see her sitting alone, lazily picking at her breakfast.
Sunny grabbed a tray of food and approached the corner where Cassie was seated. He purposefully made extra noise while sitting down, ensuring she'd recognize that someone had joined her.
"Hello, would you mind if I joined you?"