One day, deep within the quiet, echoing cave, Sunny stood alone.
The others had stepped out. Ava and Modret had gone to continue their own training and scouting, while the Dragon King's presence was nowhere to be seen—though Sunny knew better than to assume he wasn't watching.
Silence filled the cave.
A heavy, comfortable silence.
Sunny exhaled slowly.
His body relaxed, but his mind sharpened.
Then, without hesitation, he began.
Devil Dance.
This was not new to him.
It was something he had practiced before—something his body remembered even when his mind did not fully understand it. His limbs moved in a strange rhythm, neither fast nor slow, but precise. Each step seemed to follow an invisible pattern, as if guided by something deeper than conscious thought.
His feet slid across the stone floor.
His arms curved and twisted.
His breathing aligned with the movement.
The cave seemed to respond.
The faint glow of the crystals flickered slightly, as if disturbed by an unseen force.
Sunny's expression remained calm, but inside…
Something shifted.
He felt it.
Not for the first time—but this time, it was clearer.
Closer.
As he continued the dance, his awareness turned inward.
Into his Spirit Sea.
The vast, inner world that defined his existence.
At first, it was as it had always been—dark, deep, endless.
But then…
Something appeared.
A faint glow.
Red.
Sunny's movements slowed, but did not stop.
The glow intensified.
Spreading.
Growing.
And then—
Pain.
Sharp and sudden, it struck his chest.
Sunny's body faltered slightly, but he forced himself to continue the dance. His hand twitched toward his chest, but he resisted. The pain deepened, like something was forming within him, forcing its way into existence.
A red light began to shine from his chest.
It pulsed.
Once.
Twice.
Like a heartbeat.
Sunny's eyes narrowed.
Without breaking his stance, he pushed his awareness fully into his Spirit Sea.
And what he saw…
Made him still.
A moon.
A blood-red moon.
It hung in the vast darkness, slowly rising, its surface swirling like liquid blood. It pulsed with power—raw, ancient, and suffocating.
Sunny stared at it.
He didn't question it.
Didn't fear it.
He observed.
Because that was who he was.
Then—
A whisper.
Not loud.
Not soft.
But absolute.
"You have received your Delves."
The red moon pulsed brighter.
"You have unlocked your Blood Demon Core."
The words echoed through his Spirit Sea, leaving no room for doubt.
"Blood Demon Core count: 0/2000."
Silence followed.
Sunny remained still, his consciousness suspended within that endless inner world.
Delves.
Blood Demon Core.
0/2000.
A slow understanding formed.
Not complete.
But enough.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"So this is how it works…"
He withdrew his awareness from the Spirit Sea.
The cave returned.
The red glow faded.
The pain in his chest disappeared as suddenly as it had come.
But something remained.
A presence.
Four presences.
Sunny raised his hand slightly.
And without hesitation, he summoned them.
The air around him shifted.
Distorted.
Then—
They appeared.
Four figures stood before him.
All identical.
All Sunny.
Yet completely different.
They faced one another in silence.
But there was no confusion.
No need for introductions.
They shared everything.
Thoughts.
Vision.
Awareness.
They were not copies.
They were divisions.
One Sunny… split into four aspects.
Each one complete.
Each one aware.
One stepped forward.
His gaze was sharp, calculating—his presence focused and controlled.
"I am the mind," he said.
Another shifted slightly.
His aura was deeper, heavier—like something ancient and endless.
"I am the soul."
A third tilted his head, his presence instinctive, observant, almost intangible.
"I am the spirit."
The last one remained still.
The original.
The body.
Sunny.
The one who would remain visible.
The mind spoke again.
"We need distinction."
No one argued.
Because they were already in agreement.
"The body remains Sunny."
A simple truth.
"The spirit…" he paused briefly, correcting his own instinct before it formed fully, "…will be called Shade."
The spirit version smirked faintly.
"The soul will be called Forbidden God."
A strange stillness followed that name, as if even the air acknowledged it.
"And I," he finished, "am Mind Dominator."
Silence.
Complete understanding.
Then—
Purpose.
Mind Dominator stepped forward.
"We divide roles."
His gaze moved across them, though all of them already knew what would be said.
"I will venture outward," he said. "There are mysteries within this trial we do not understand. I will uncover them."
No disagreement.
"Shade," he continued, looking at the spirit aspect, "you will remain with the group."
Shade's eyes gleamed faintly.
"You will observe. Listen. Learn. Whatever Ava and Modret do—especially in secret—you will know."
A faint grin formed.
"And I remain unseen."
"Yes," Mind Dominator said. "You must not expose yourself."
He turned to Forbidden God.
"You will hunt."
The words carried weight.
"Grow stronger. Kill. Gather what we need. We require power—and you will obtain it."
Forbidden God's expression did not change.
But something in his presence deepened.
"I understand."
Finally, Mind Dominator looked at Sunny.
"The body remains."
Sunny nodded slightly.
"You will act as you always have. Train. Improve. Stay close to them. Do not let anything seem different."
Sunny exhaled.
"That won't be difficult."
A faint shared amusement passed between them.
Then Mind Dominator continued.
"There are questions that must be answered."
His tone sharpened.
"Why did the participants who followed Modret earlier… die?"
Silence.
"What is the true nature of this trial?"
Another pause.
"And the demon settlement Modret mentioned…"
His eyes darkened slightly.
"We find it."
All four understood.
This was no longer just survival.
This was strategy.
A layered existence.
Four paths.
One mind.
Mind Dominator stepped back.
"Begin."
The moment the word was spoken—
They moved.
Shade dissolved first.
His form fading into a barely perceptible presence before slipping directly into Sunny.
Gone.
Hidden.
Watching.
Forbidden God turned without a word.
His body flickered—
Then vanished.
Already heading toward the forest.
Already seeking prey.
Mind Dominator remained for a moment longer.
He looked at Sunny.
At himself.
At what they had become.
Then he turned.
And walked deeper into the unknown lands ahead—places the group had yet to explore.
He would go first.
Because knowledge came before power.
And someone had to claim it.
Soon, he too disappeared.
The cave fell silent again.
Only Sunny remained.
The original.
The visible one.
He stood still, feeling everything.
Shade's awareness.
Forbidden God's hunger.
Mind Dominator's focus.
All of it flowed back to him seamlessly.
He was never alone.
Not anymore.
Sunny clenched his fist slowly.
A small smile formed.
"Let's see how far this goes…"
Then he turned.
And walked out of the cave.
Back to the group.
Back to normal.
As if nothing had changed.
But in truth—
Everything had.