Sunny found himself in a familiar space. Not long ago, he saw the patterns surrounding him from the outside after all.
[You have received a Memory: Puppeteer's Shroud]
[Aspirant! Your trial is over.]
[A slave once climbed a mountain. Atop the peak he entered a decrepit temple to offer himself upon an altar. The gods were dead, and yet they listened. Blessed, the child was tested.
In a realm of crimson coral, the slave was honed through perilous trials. He unearthed the mysteries of the forgotten land, and claimed the Forbidden Lineage. Atop the spire that lit the sky, a fated clash bound shadow to light.
He brought upheaval to the shattered remnants of the Kingdom of Hope. With unquenched desire for rampage, he fell through the sky to invade the kingdom's past. He slayed the shackles, and the Daemon of Desire spoke to him the original conspiracy.
In the Realm of War, he waged battle. Countless were felled, yet it wasn't enough. Frozen corpses painted his heart with hate.
Guided by a heretical seer's will, he sailed the River of Time. Through endless loops, he devised a way to shatter his chains. Returning through time to where his journey began, he stood unbroken to ascend the mountain again.]
[You have defeated four dormant beasts: Mountain King's Larva.]
[You have defeated three dormant humans, names unknown.]
[You have defeated an awakened human: Auro of the Nine.]
[You have defeated an awakened tyrant: Mountain King.]
[You have received the Shadow God's blessing.]
[The Spell acknowledges your inoculation to forbidden knowledge.]
[Your achievements are unfathomable!]
[Final Appraisal: Flawless. A fruit of the Nightmare Spell has blossomed.]
Sunny felt a weight descend upon his soul. This second chance was the culmination of his and Cassie's efforts.
Still, a small inexplicable regret washed over him. The Mad Prince had worked tirelessly to craft a perfect ending where Nephis and the cohort survived. Now, it all seemed pointless. Did their survival ever matter?
The chance to rectify his mistakes more than made up for it, but it was just a little bittersweet.
[Dreamer Sunless, receive your boon!]
[Your True Name has revealed itself: Lost from Light.]
'Not bestowed.'
True Names, Flaws, Aspects... all of them existed far before the Nightmare Spell. It was odd for the Spell to 'bestow' those gifts to him when they should come from inside him.
[Your Aspect has revealed itself.]
[Aspect Rank: Divine.]
[Aspect Name: The Eclipse.]
Sunny immediately summoned his runes.
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.]
'I'm... free.'
[The First Seal is broken.]
[Awakening dormant powers...]
Sunny's new Shadow Core began to gather within him. Waves of power surged into his body as he was rebuilt and revitalized.
Sunny basked in the euphoria, pleased at his shadow sense returning to him.
When the process completed, Sunny peered into his Soul Sea. It was as he remembered, though the lonely Shadow Core sitting high above felt slightly darker. Perhaps, because the strings of fate no longer shined upon his soul.
He awaited what would come next.
[Awakening Aspect Ability...]
[Aspect Ability acquired.]
[Aspect Ability Name: Shadow Control.]
Sunny was relieved at receiving the familiar ability. He did not doubt he could adapt to new ones, but he had grown quite fond of his arsenal of powers. He hoped his Aspect Legacy and future abilities would remain the same as well.
[All power has a price.]
[Your Flaw has revealed itself.]
Sunny's breathing halted, and his hands clenched.
Flaw: [Transparent Conscience.]
Flaw Description: [You cannot lie, and your true feelings may not be hidden.]
His heart leaped through his throat at the change. He summoned his runes in disbelief of his ears.
Evidently, a change to his Aspect would not come without a change to his flaw. While Sunny had learned how to live without direct deception, it seemed now he might have to learn to live without indirect deception as well.
'You're telling me my aspect is The Eclipse, but now I'm supposed to believe my conscience is transparent! Transparent?! If anything about me is transparent, how could I ever be an eclipse? Shit would shine through! I can't even curse out Weaver, this Flaw is mine! Hey me? Go fuck yourself!'
[You have acquired a new Attribute.]
[Your attributes have evolved.]
[Wake up, Lost from Light!]
The black void spun and disappeared.
***
Sunny opened his eyes.
The armored ceiling of the police station's vault hung above him and filled his vision. His ears rang loudly from the echo of a *BANG*.
'FUCK!'
Soul Reaper Jet's blade pressed against Sunny's throat. He immediately ceased moving. To his sides, on the floor, lied Sunny's crumpled metal restraints.
"Before you kill me, you should know that's one of my abilities. I'm not a Nightmare Creature."
Jet lowered her weapon.
"It seems so. Is this your flaw? Because if so that fucking sucks."
Sunny, grateful, finally let his gaze drift down to meet her.
"No? It's not my flaw. One of my abilities automatically rejects any restraints I haven't consented to. I apologize for the mess; I forgot it would activate when I woke up. I hardly see how that's such a terrible thing though."
Jet smirked. After a moment, she chuckled, "No, I didn't mean that. I meant your emotions leaking out of you."
Sunny choked on his words, coughing briefly before regaining a semblance of composure.
"I'm sorry, would you mind explaining what you mean?"
Jet sighed, and began speaking.
"Kid, just by looking at you I see exactly what you feel. Literally, and it's not from body language. Don't ask me to explain it, it just pops into my brain. Your emotions started with shock when your restraints blew off. Then, as soon as my blade extended, you felt regret. It transformed into hopelessness as I spoke, and now it's ended on... trust?"
Jet paused for the briefest moment, looking the boy up and down. "Surprising."
Sunny knew his flaw would bring a new set of challenges, but he had lost sight of how his original flaw once made him feel. It seemed he would learn all over again.
Silence brewed between the two, and despite Sunny's wish to bottle his emotions, he found it utterly impossible. Unnaturally impossible, even.
"Sheesh kid, that's one of the shittiest flaws I've ever seen. You don't know it, but that's saying something coming from me."
Sunny's crestfallen spirit radiated in both posture and presence, so Jet let out a sigh.
"Cmon kid, lighten up." Jet said, shaking her head. "Look on the bright side. An outskirts rat who somehow survived their First Nightmare woke up to a blade against their throat, and never felt an ounce of fear or panic. How does that work? Clearly, strength of mind is not something you lack."
Sunny's flaw recognized the earlier question as rhetorical, but he decided to answer anyways.
"Why would an Ascended antagonize a random orphan from the outskirts? We both know anyone would assume the worst if someone's restraints broke so violently. Does my background mean I should simply abandon critical thought?"
Jet nodded with a perceptive smile, seemingly pleased. "You're smart, I like that. Welcome back to the land of the living. Congratulations on surviving your First Nightmare, Sleeper Sunless."