Sunny stared at the description of his runes for a few seconds before moving to the shining lines beneath it.
Shadow Dance Mastery Level: [0/7].
First Relic: Unearned.
Second Relic: Unearned.
Third Relic...
'Relic? I'll get something if I complete the first mastery of this... dance?'
Sunny sat in silence but his concentration was broken as Nephis' voice broke the silence that had enveloped the headless statue.
"What was that?"
Sunny turned to her tilting his head slightly, "what do you mean?"
"When you were fighting, you... changed."
"That... umm" Sunny looked away rubbing the back of his neck, "I was just trying something"
Nephis closed her eyes and let out a sigh.
Is she annoyed that I won't tell her?' Sunny shook his head, 'no, can't be. Right?'.
"I'm going to sleep" Sunny turned away from Nephis and Cassie.
"Goodnight Sunny" Cassie said looking in the direction that his voice came from.
"Night." Sunny mumbled.
_______
It had been hours since Sunless had fallen asleep. If Nephis had to take a guess she would suspect that it was around midnight.
Nephis was lying down on the ground looking up at the pitch black sky, her eyes reluctantly stayed open, she was tired.
She looked in the direction that Sunny was meant to be sleeping.
'He really went to sleep?'
But soon she heard the footsteps of someone, she sat up straight and got ready to summon her weapon.
"It's alright, it's me" Sunny's voice echoed in the silence.
"Why are you up?" Nephis said relaxing slightly.
"To take over watch, what else." Sunny replied.
Nephis head tilted slightly, "why?"
"You must be tired right? So let's switch watch duty's every night."
Nephis hesitated slightly, 'is he going to kill me in my sleep?'
The thought came uninvited but stayed.
"You can't stay awake forever," Sunny added calmly. "I need you at your best if we run into something."
Then she lay back down, turning away from him.
Her eyes were closed and yet she was wide awake.
The night stretched on like that, Sunny was reading his runes while Nephis stayed awake.
Soon light invaded their darkness, letting them once again behold the hell that they had been sent to.
________
'Practicing the dance obviously allows me to unlock shadow dance in the first place... but...'
Sunny's gaze lingered on his shadow.
Ever since his sister pointed it out, he couldn't ignore it.
It moved... differently.
No matter what he did.
It was insidious. Shapeless. Ever-changing.
But wasn't that what a shadow was supposed to be?
Or...
Was it trying to show him something?
A shadow reflects what it's cast from.
So why did his feel... separate?
Independent?
Sunny exhaled slowly.
He needed to get rid of the soul shards he had stock piled anyway.
"Hey Nephis can I ask something of you?"
Nephis turned to the approaching Sunny, a slight nod made Sunny continue speaking.
"Can my shadow attach itself to yours?"
Nephis looked at him doubtfully at least he thought she did.
"Don't worry it won't affect your combat ability at all! And..." Sunny stoped to grab the bag made of seaweed from his waist.
"I will give you this bag of soul shards." Sunny smiled.
Nephis blinked looking at the crudely made bag in front of her.
A long minute of silence stretched then she nodded taking the bag Sunny had in his hand.
A smile played on his lips as he walked back to sit down on the ground.
______
Nights stretched, days passed.
Sunny had finally attained something that he had been working on since he completed his nightmare.
The very first mastery of shadow dance.
His runes shimmered in the darkness of the forgotten shore.
Shadow Dance Mastery Level: [1/7].
They had made it to the Ashen Barrow.
He had made a joke as soon as he had seen the surrounding area.
_____
"Looks like even nature said nope." Sunny said with a lazy tone.
He had turned to looked at the girls behind him only to see there unamused glares directed at him, even Cassie had her eyes pined to his position looking like he had just insulted her entire family.
_____
Sunny let out a melodious laugh thinking about it, quickly he shut his mouth though.
He was the person on watch for the remainder of the night, he had switched with Nephis half way through so she could get some rest.
It seemed over the life and death battles that they had faced, she had come to trust him.
Cassie had became more confident in her ability's over their travelling, they had run into many abominations, but the one he couldn't forget was the Carapace Centurion.
It had been there toughest opponent yet, and had battered Sunny and Nephis quite a lot. Sunny shook his head trying not to think of that encounter.
Cassie had also another vision.
But it wasn't like the last.
'A radiant gate poured light into the world, a beacon against the dark. Yet before it stood a wounded angel, its blood dimming the scarce glow. Shadows gathered, clawing at the dying brilliance. Still, the angel did not fall—it endured, defiant, as though bound by a will greater than death itself.'
'A bright gate shining light into the world, a beacon of hope. But a bleeding angel stained the light, the shadows around it grasped at the fading light. But the angel seemed to refuse to go, as though bound by a will greater than death itself'
That was how Cassie had described a particular scene in her vision.
Sunny turned his head back to his runes he would ponder on it later but for now he wanted to see just what his battle art would give him.