Sunny sat in the passenger seat of Jet's PTV, his gaze lost in the horizon. He leaned his chin on his right hand, his elbow resting on the armrest beneath the window. A red bump crowned his forehead—a parting gift from Jet that served as a stinging
third eye.
Outside, the lights of the NQSC blurred past like musical notes on a staff, playing a relentless, silent symphony.
Inside his head, tortuous questions and dark thoughts chased one after another in a loop. His left hand gripped the emerald prism of the pendant, which pulsed with a soft, comforting green light against his chest.
Sunny pictured him sitting on the dashboard, pulling a coin from his pocket and offering it with a flourish.
Without moving his gaze, Sunny replied: 'I was thinking about what happened earlier. In the bathroom. That collapse.'
<
The [Hero's Solace] hanging from his neck had become a literal lifeline.
'When I was in my First Nightmare,' Sunny explained, 'there was a... light inside me.'
<> the Cricket tilted its head.
'Yes. A spark of sorts.' Sunny gave a microscopic nod. 'Whenever the pressure became too much, or the fear grew overwhelming, this presence would ignite deep inside me. It kept me steady. It's the same reason I stayed calm enough to face Goliath or survive those nights on the Black Mountain. But earlier... in that bathroom... Poof. It was gone. Vanished into thin air.'
He adjusted the chain of the pendant to ensure it wouldn't slip. 'My theory is that it was swept away by the divine blessings. But the real question is: when did I ever have something like that to begin with?'
<
Sunny's first suspicion had fallen on [Shadow Weave], since he didn't know the perks of that fragment of the forbidden lineage. Shadows and souls were one and the same in this world, and the spark had come directly from the core of his being.
But logic dictated that if it were the Weave, the protection would have persisted even after the Nightmare.
Sunny squeezed the emerald prism so hard his knuckles turned white. 'And there's something else that bothers me. This Memory, [Hero's Solace].'
<
'It's too convenient,' Sunny muttered. 'Receiving the exact tool I needed for a breakdown I didn't know I was going to have. Fate in this world is playing grandmaster chess while everyone else is playing checkers. Which brings us to the elephant in the room.'
The Cricket hesitated, not wanting to see him spiral again. <
Sunny didn't nod, but his eyes burned with a mix of terror and grim determination.
---
Attribute: [Foreign]
"Fate does not rest upon a void; it creates its own pillars. The strings of fate wrap tightly around you; as one of its pillars, its weaves are more malleable in your presence."
---
'The attribute calls me a pillar of Fate. Do you know what that means? It means that every change we've seen so far were all settlement cracks in its tapestry.'
The Jiminy Cricket lost its usual loquacity. Its eyes widened as it finally grasped the gravity of his realization.
'Think of Fate as a massive skyscraper,' Sunny continued inwardly. 'When you change the foundation or move a primary support beam, the whole structure groans. You get "settlement cracks" in the walls. They look terrifying, but they're just the building adjusting to a new center of gravity. Right now, the story is cracking because I've shifted the weight.'
He looked at the passing buildings, his heart heavy. 'But eventually, the building stops groaning. The cracks settle. And that's what scares me. Once the tapestry of Fate "settles", what will happen next? How far will these changes go, and what will all of these mean for me?'
The question hung heavy in the air, finding no rest.
Silence returned to Sunny's mind. Both he and his Flaw sat in mute contemplation of the city lights, watching the world adjust to its new, dangerous support beam.
Then, the smooth, familiar voice of Jet finally pulled him back to reality.
"Sunny?" Jet called his name. Judging by the slight edge in her tone, it was at least the seventh time she had tried to get his attention.
"Huh?" Sunny snapped his head up, refocusing on the driver's seat.
There sat the stunning Master with raven-black hair and piercing blue eyes.
"Were you even listening to the advice I was giving you?" Jet asked, her patience clearly wearing thin.
Sunny took a split second to scan his memories of the Novel to match what Jet was likely trying to say.
"You were giving me advice," he said with a decisive nod. "You told me to reject the psychological counseling they'll try to shove down my throat during the interview, to take only the Wilderness Survival course, and to make allies wherever possible once I'm inside the Academy. Am I right?"
Jet shot him a look that promised a quick trip through the windshield. "I will throw you out of this win-" She stopped mid-sentence, genuinely surprised.
The Master had been bracing herself for another one of his relentless, flirtatious remarks. To her astonishment, Sunless had actually answered seriously. "Oh. Well... yes. Exactly."
She turned her eyes back to the road, focusing on the drive.
"The reason I'm advising both you and Yuki against taking other courses," Jet continued, "is that as Outskirts rats, you already know how to survive the gutter. But the Dream Realm is a hell of a different caliber."
Jet glanced at the rearview mirror. The ice girl was sitting perfectly centered in the back seat, listening with eerie, silent intensity.
"I don't know about you, Yuki, but I've already given Sunny here a few lessons in combat. If you want to learn how to actually stay alive out there, Professor Julius is the one to talk to. That man knows his craft better than anyone else."
Both Sunny and Yuki nodded.
After a few more minutes, the three of them finally reached their destination.
Master Jet's PTV came to a halt in the public parking area of the Academy, positioned perfectly parallel to the massive gateway of the institute's outer walls. The vehicle's headlights cut through the gloom, illuminating the pavement like the glowing eyes of a predator staring into the dark.
The place was immense, the size of a small city, and its walls loomed as high as those of a fortress. In truth, the Academy was a fortress. This was where Sunny would have to learn everything he needed to survive—and he only had one month to do it.
With a forced "Hi," Yuki bid farewell to Master Jet, pushing the limits of her communication skills. She opened the door and stepped out of the PTV, her silhouette quickly fading into the cold light of the entrance.
Now, only Sunny and Jet remained inside the car.
Jet kept her hands gripped tightly on the cold, steering wheel. Sunny sat beside her, staring at the massive Academy gates looming ahead, illuminated by the PTV's harsh headlights.
"Do you think you'll come to visit me before the Winter Solstice?" Sunny asked, his voice quiet, careful not to meet her eyes.
"I will," Jet replied instantly.
She took a long, heavy breath. If she were being honest with herself, the Soul Reaper would have preferred one of his usual, shameless flirtations over this heavy silence.
Without a word, Sunny leaned over and wrapped his arms around her waist in a sudden, fierce embrace. Startled at first, Jet finally let go of the wheel and returned the gesture. Her body, though cold and deceased, seemed to strain to offer him whatever warmth it could muster.
After a moment, Sunny pulled away, opened the door, and stepped out into the night air.
"Sunny," Jet called out at the last second.
He turned back toward her, the shadows dancing in his wake.
"Yeah?" he asked with a warm, genuine smile.
Jet reached out a hand as if to grab the words floating in the air, but they eluded her. She hesitated, her composure wavering. "Just... try not to scare the girls off with that long tongue of yours once you're inside, okay?" she said finally, a small, teasing smile playing on her lips.
Sunny's grin instantly turned roguish. "Of course. Why? Are you having second thoughts about that kiss from earlier? If I were you, I'd take the chance while you still have it." He raised his hands, palms to the sky in a mock-casual gesture. "Who knows? The next time you'll see me coming out of here, you might find me with a beauty in each arm."
"In your dreams," Jet chuckled, the sound genuine and light, echoing inside the cabin. 'Yes. This is better,' she thought, though a feeling of regret lingered in her chest.
Their eyes met one last time.
"See you soon, little Devil," Jet said softly.
"See you soon, Jet," Sunny replied.
He began to close the door, but paused.
"Sunny." Jet tried to call him one last time.
He looked at her again. Through his Shadow sense, he could feel a storm of complicated emotions swirling within her shadow. The strongest among them was regret.
"I..." Jet started, but once again, the words failed to find their footing.
It pained Sunny to see her like this. He had never seen the formidable Master Jet so lost. It completely ruined the reputation of the cold, ruthless "Soul Reaper" the government had built around her.
He decided to bail her out the only way he knew how.
"What? Too shy?" he asked, his smirk radiating pure audacity. "Tell you what, I'll close my eyes to make it easier for you."
Jet pouted, then flashed a dangerously playful smile. "Close your eyes and I'll show you exactly what I'll give you."
With that final jab, the tension broke. Sunny gave her a lingering wave as she pulled away, the PTV's taillights eventually vanishing into the thick, dark morning mist.
Sunny turned and walked toward the Academy gates, where Yuki stood waiting, her intense gaze fixed on him. The massive iron gates were still sealed shut.
As he reached her side, he glanced to his left. There, standing near the entrance, was another girl—one with hair like shimmering, vibrant silver.