Sunny found himself in a liminal space between dreams and reality. The world was a pool of pitch-black ink, and his body felt as light as air.
He could feel his muscles tensing, the blood flowing through his veins, and his heart beating with a rhythmic normalcy—yet he felt as fragile as paper. He possessed mass, but lacked weight. The sensation was that of a feather submerged in a bottomless inkwell.
Above him, myriads of stars sparkled like distant diamonds, interconnected by shimmering silver threads according to a logic that escaped his mortal mind.
This was the Nightmare Spell. The legacy of Weaver, the Daemon of Fate—the one who had conceived of his existence thousands of years ago, long before the war waged by the Nine emptied the heavens, exterminated the divine beings, and left every Realm in shattered ruins.
"So, it's truly over," Sunny muttered, feeling the adrenaline drain from his system, leaving a faint aftershock trembling through his floating form. He could hardly believe his own sentence was served.
One month. A long, interminable month. It had been like living a second life—a third, in his case.
"Let's try to avoid a fourth," he sighed, rubbing his face with both hands. But his relief was short-lived.
As he stopped, his thoughts immediately raced toward Master Jet.
"That's right!" Sunny slapped his temple. "That poor woman is probably still sitting there, waiting for me to wake up. Dammit!"
Then, the rest of the implications came crashing in. For Sunny, the worst had yet to come; this was merely the prelude to a journey that had barely begun.
Now that he had conquered his First Nightmare, he would have to attend the Academy for the Awakened.
There, he would encounter two girls—the two who could be considered the "better halves" of the original Sunless. And also the two who had caused him to suffer like a dog through a cycle of betrayals, unspoken words, and buried secrets.
"How did people ever think those three had a healthy relationship? Hell! Sunless had literally developed a better relationship with a rock. A rock!"
Then he thought of the time remaining until the Winter Solstice—the day all Sleepers are forced by the Spell to enter the Dream Realm and begin their desperate pilgrimage home. Coincidentally, it was also his birthday.
If you're lucky, you materialize near a conquered Citadel, a frontier of humanity. If you're Sunless...
"Please, by the Dead Gods! By all that is sacred and profane! Tell me that when I wake up, there's at least more than seven days left before the Solstice," he pleaded with the void, clutching his head.
There were other thoughts Sunny wished to dwell upon, but the luxury was denied him. In the next instant, the darkness vibrated, and the Nightmare Spell began his appraisal.
[You have received a Shadow: Myriad Shade.]
Sunny felt his heart implode within that sea of ink.
A pressure like a crushing vice clamped down on his chest. Bittersweet tears fell in torrents from his reddened eyes as a flood of agonizing emotions swept over him—joy, sorrow, confusion, and a searing sense of relief.
Without a second thought, he summoned his runes.
---
Shadow: [Myriad Shade].
Shadow Rank: Ascendant.
Shadow Class: Beast.
Shadow Attributes: [Shadow Slave], [Flame of Divinity], [Battle Master].
Shadow Abilities: [Shadow Support], [Shadow Step], [Shadow Manifestation].
Shadow Description: [The Priestesses of Shadows were the keepers of secrets; they were the true incarnation of the Mystery of the Shadow God. But some among them held more mysteries than others.]
---
"I will come back to you..."
Thene had kept her promise.
It was impossible. Defying every grain of reason, ignoring even the absolute law of death, Thene had found her way back to him.
How? Sunny didn't know, and he realized he didn't want to know. He was just so... happy.
"Thank you... thank you, Thene. Truly."
As he pulled his knees to his chest to stifle his sobs and let the grief wash away, the Spell resumed its judgment.
[Aspirant! Your trial is over.]
[The bearer of the Empty Chalice spent his days in the Temple dedicated to the God of Shadows, at peace and content. Then, the followers of the Empire came and took everything he held dear in his name. Broken and in chains, he nearly give up, until the demon within told him to rise. The sun set. When it rose again, heroes lay shattered, and monsters were devoured in his wake. Unsatisfied, he ascended the black mountain, offered his blood upon the altar of a long-forgotten God, and fed the survivors of the night to the shadows. The Gods were dead, and yet they listened.]
[You have defeated sixty-seven Dormant Beasts: Mountain King's Larva.]
[You have defeated thirty-four Dormant humans, names unknown.]
[You have defeated...]
[You have defeated...]
[...]
[You have defeated an Awakened Tyrant: Mountain King.]
[...]
[You have defeated an Awakened Human: Auro of the Nine.]
[You have defeated an Ascendant Human: Goliath, Champion of War.]
[You have received the Shadow God's blessing.]
[You have received the Heart God's blessing.]
[You have received the War God's blessing.]
[You have achieved the impossible!]
Sunny wiped the tears from his face, steadying his breath as he looked up, curious to see his final grade. The Spell's voice seemed unusually excited by his feats.
[Final Appraisal: Absolutely Enchanting. Your treachery is a Demon Lord in the making.]
"Well... what can I say? Thanks, Spell," Sunny muttered, unable to suppress a grin that lit up the surrounding darkness.
He had no idea if "Absolutely Enchanting" was higher than "Glorious", but considering his achievements...
The Spell continued, and Sunny knew what was coming next. His gaze sharpened as new runes appeared like letters hammered out by a typewriter.
[Dreamer Sunless, receive your boon!]
[You have been bestowed a True Name: Lost from L■■■■■■■]
Sunny blinked, confused. "What the hell-"
It was like watching a computer screen glitch. No, it was more like the flickering distortion of an old cathode-ray tube television.
"What just happened?"
After a moment, the Spell stabilized and resumed its appraisal.
[This True Name has lost its meaning and vanished into the void.]
"What?!" Sunny was speechless.
[You have been bestowed a True Name: Everlasting Gloom.]
Sunny didn't know how to feel.
On one hand, he liked the new name; it created a clear boundary between himself and the original Sunless. On the other, as a former reader of the story, he was attached to Lost from Light. A part of him mourned the loss.
But the new name raised a vital question: a True Name is tethered to the fate of the world. If he now possessed a different name, would he still walk the same path?
Only time would tell. Meanwhile, the Spell ignored his doubts.
[Your aspect is ready to evolve. Evolve Aspect?]
Sunny clenched his fists and straightened his back. Taking a deep, steadying breath, he spoke firmly: "Yes!"
'If the original Sunless' Aspect evolved from Temple Slave to Shadow Slave,' he reasoned, 'and I am an Empty Chalice... will mine become a Shadow Chalice?'
The odds of receiving [Shadow Bond] were slim, but not zero.
[Dormant Aspect Empty Chalice is evolving...]
[New Aspect acquired.]
[Aspect Rank: Divine.]
Sunny wasn't surprised by the rank, though he was exhilarated. After everything he had endured and the blessings of three deities, he expected nothing less.
[Aspect Name: Shadow Chalice.]
Sunny blinked in pure shock.
"Hah! So... I was right." he proclaimed, feeling a surge of pride in his own deductive skills. But then, a thought struck him: what happened to the blessings of War and Heart?
Aspect: [Shadow Chalice]
Aspect Description: [You are a miraculous shadow left behind by a dead God. As a divine shadow, you possess plenty of strange and wondrous powers. However, your existence is empty and lonesome; no being can cast your existence. The Chalice you bear is your only master.]
Innate Ability: [Shapeless Shade]
Ability Description: [Your Chalice is full; now only one final step remains for the receptacle to take its shape. It demands sacrifices.]
"Oooookay... what?!"
Sunny rubbed his temples. It was all so cryptic.
It felt like the Spell was mocking him, yet these couldn't be random instructions.
"What do you mean 'sacrifices'? Do I have to kill people? Would it kill you to be a bit clearer, you twisted piece of clockwork?!"
If the Nightmare Spell were capable of laughter, it was surely laughing now. Without giving him time to ponder his new Aspect, its mystical gears ground forward.
[The first seal is broken.]
[Awakening dormant powers...]
At that exact moment, something incredible began to stir within Sunny.
A bottomless abyss in his soul was being filled by a light as white as a newborn star at the very center of his being.
It was pleasant—so warm. His body was being reconstructed from the ground up. His skin became smoother and more vibrant, the features of his face sharpened into a more defined cast, the onyx of his eyes deepened, and his muscles filled out with lean, corded strength.
It was an energy that saturated every fiber of his being. A small death that heralded a rebirth of the flesh.
Sunny threw his head back, stretching his limbs into the void as he inhaled deeply, letting himself be cradled by that surging euphoria.
"Wow!" He couldn't find the right words to descrive how good he felt at that moment.
[Awakening Aspect Ability...]
"Here it comes!"
[Aspect Ability Acquired.]
Aspect Ability: [Shadow Control]
Ability Description: [Your shadow is more independent than most. It is empathetic and an invaluable helper.]
"It's... the same?" Sunny thought, staring at the runes of his ability with a hint of disappointment. He had expected his abilities to be as different as his Aspect and True Name. However, he realized that even if he were a different person, he was still, fundamentally, a Divine Shadow.
'Do I have the same path of ascension as well? I need to study this more closely,' he mused, rubbing his chin and finding it pleasantly smooth.
Then...
His heart skipped—not once, but seven full beats.
His pupils dilated in pure, unadulterated terror. His palms grew slick with sweat, and the muscles at the base of his spine tightened so hard he felt as though his very bones might snap.
The Spell seemed beyond amused by his sudden realization—by the fact that he had finally remembered the inevitable.
That every power comes with a price.
[All power has a price.]
"No, please!"
Sunny squeezed his eyes shut, wishing he never had to open them again.
"Let it be the same... let it be the same..."
He repeated it like an endless prayer, a desperate mantra. Until the Spell—cynical as ever—delivered its final sentence.
[You have received a Flaw.]
[Your Flaw is: ...]