In the cold light of dawn, a gargantuan crimson tower rose from the Labyrinth like a bloodied sword thrust into the heavens by some primordial titan. Crimson coral streamed from its walls like the blood of gods, spreading outward to devour the Forgotten Shore. The tower stood on an island surrounded by black water that did not disappear with the rising sun; instead, it lingered and moved endlessly, forming a giant whirlpool. Unclear shapes moved beneath the surface, drowning the hearts of those who approached with dread.
Sunny looked up at the endless expanse of the cyclopean structure. Up close, it looked even more ominous, oppressive, and utterly evil, emanating a sense of harrowing power that no human could hope to challenge. And yet, that was exactly what they were going to do.
For the past week, five hundred members of the Dreamer Army had traversed the Labyrinth to reach this place. They had slaughtered countless Nightmare Creatures and avoided attracting the wrath of the dwellers of the deep. Now, they made final preparations… checking armor, building fortifications, or praying to dead gods.
Truth be told, Sunny appeared to be the only idle person. So he looked down at his runes.
Name: Sunless.
True Name: Lost from Light.
Rank: Dreamer.
Class: Monster.
Shadow Cores: [2/7].
Shadow Fragments: [21/2000]
Memories: [Silver Bell], [Puppeteer's Shroud], [Midnight Shard], [Ordinary Rock], [Prowling Thorn], [Endless Spring], [Blood Blossom], [Moonlight Shard], [Weaver's Mask].
He had grown leaps and bounds during this time, more than he could ever imagine. The addition of a second shadow core was simply a game changer, not just with the extra strength it granted him, but also with the creation of his new shadow helper happy, he can now multiply his base strength to four times than normal.
He was probably the strongest, if not the second strongest sleeper currently in the forgotten shore.
And it showed as, after his fight with Harus, the residents of the dark city quieted down whenever he was present. There were equal amounts of fear and respect when their eyes fell on him. Respect, for killing the butcher of the forgotten shore. And Fear, for his newfound power and the things he could do with it.
Echoes: [Marble Saint]
Shadow Rank: Awakened.
Shadow Class: Demon.
Shadow Attributes: [Battle Master], [Stalwart], [Spark of Divinity].
Shadow Abilities: [Weapon Sage], [Underworld Armament].
Saint had also changed. She was an awakened demon now, and had grown taller and was now even more oppressive. Her graceful stonelike armor, which had looked as though it was cut from granite before, was now entirely black and glossy, like obsidian… or onyx. In fact, it was very much like the shattered onyx armor he had purchased with Kai's help.
And finally was his aspect relic.
Shadow: [Soul Serpent].
Shadow Rank: Dormant.
Shadow Class: Monster.
Shadow Attributes: [Shadow Guide], [Soul Weapon].
Shadow Description: [When the end came, Shadow was the last of the gods to be destroyed. Many have resented him for creating death, but in the end, death embraced all.]
While the [Soul Weapon] wasn't particularly useful, as any weapon it created was limited to the Dormant rank. But, [Shadow Guide] was a different matter. It was another trump card, allowing him to channel a minuscule amounts of shadow essence even as a Sleeper. Subtly empowering his strikes.
Combining all his abilities and shadows, he was confident enough to take down any sleeper, including Nephis.
He closed his eyes as the runes disappeared.
Nephis still hadn't told him his exact role. With a sigh, he approached Changing Star, who sat by a fire. She had changed much since they first met, yet remained the same—calm, confident, with ivory skin and silver hair, though her eyes seemed hollower these days.
"This is very strange, don't you think?" Sunny asked, sitting down. "If someone described this scene to me a year ago, I would have been perplexed. And yet, here we are. We've come very far. The three of us."
They glanced at Cassie, who stood nearby explaining something to the Artisan representatives, her delicate hand resting on the hilt of the Quiet Dancer.
"Yes," Nephis nodded. "And now, we just need to make one last step."
That final step would be the hardest yet. Incomparably so.
"So, what do you want me to do?" Sunny asked. "From how you kept avoiding the subject, I'm guessing it's not something trivial."
Changing Star smiled, white sparks dancing in her eyes. "A really small thing, really."
She turned to face the Crimson Spire, hesitated, then said, "...Give me your hand."
When Sunny complied, something traveled through her cool skin into his Shadow Core. He summoned the runes and saw it listed among his Memories: *Oath Key: [7]*. Somehow, she had gathered the remaining six keys from the rest, entrusting them all to him.
"...I want you to destroy the dark sea," she said calmly. "Or banish it, at least."
Sunny grinned. "A really small thing, indeed."
Very soon, the sun rose higher, and the dark whirlpool surrounding the Spire became smaller. Several bridges of red coral rose from its depths, connecting the island to the shore. And out on that island, countless silhouettes began to move—Nightmare Creatures of every description crawling out of the crimson mounds.
There were members of the carapace legion: scavengers, centurions, and demons. There were colonies of carnivorous worms, giant centipedes secreting corrosive oil, and eerie vines that crawled like snakes. There were creatures like black masses of rotten bones, and humanoids made of rock with terrible maws. Swarms of translucent insects, massive spiders clad in iron armor, beasts that shot bone spears, and beasts that turned prey to stone with their gaze. Corpses with red flowers growing from their flesh, and giant abominations resembling praying mantises made of glass and blood-red clay.
All moved together in strange harmony, subjugated by the Crimson Terror, flowing toward the human army like a terrible wave.
From the outskirts of the Spire, where the coral formed a solid red mass, Effie stood at the center of the front row. Several hundred people stood beside her, staring with horror at the approaching wave. With her tall stature, archaic armor glistening in the sun, and a flowing white cloak woven from starlight, Effie looked like a bastion of strength—a mythical hero stepped from legend.
…But she was scared shitless.
'Fuck me sideways… fuck, fuck, fuck!' she thought, looking at the rolling horde.
When someone dropped their weapon and stepped back, Effie snarled: "Stand your ground, wretches! If anyone runs, I'll kill you myself!"
Strangely, her irritated shout calmed the fear in their hearts. There was nowhere to run, anyway. If they were going to die, they might as well die like humans.
She gripped her spear and glanced sideways at Caster and Gemma beside her. Who would have thought she and the leader of Gunlaug's Hunters would fight side by side? She wished Doofus—Sunny—was there. He was probably hiding somewhere dark, doing something too insane to be entrusted to anyone else.
"First mark!" Effie screamed.
Her shout was repeated by Seishan, commanding the second line, and reached Night in the third. The plan was simple: the first line would hold, changing places with the second when tired, while the third eviscerated as many creatures as possible. But first, they had to withstand the initial charge.
Somewhere behind, the enchanting voice of their resident idol commanded the siege engines to fire. A melodic sound rang out, and six heavy metal spears—each at least two meters long—flew above their heads with incredible speed. They streaked through the air and collided with the horde, sending bits of chitin and streams of blood to the ground. One beheaded a giant crab; another pierced through a blood-red mantis and skewered several monsters behind it.
But the wave did not slow.
"Second mark!"
A rain of arrows fell, mixed with slings, crossbows, and Aspect Abilities—flying blades of wind, fire, ice, and soul essence bombs. Still, the monsters only became more frenzied.
Effie threw the Zenith Shard, empowered by the Crown of Dawn's enchantment, shattering a steel demon's carapace. "Brace!"
That's all she had time to yell before the wave crashed into the human line.
Things were turning from dire to desperate. The first line was almost gone, the second completely engulfed. The iron net looked ready to break, covered with a carpet of dead creatures, the battlefield submerged in deepening twilight.
On the tall coral mound, Sunny stood observing, a slight frown on his face but eyes calm. The Dreamer Army was besieged from two sides—ground and air. Every second, humans died, their cries fusing with the roaring wails of monsters into a deafening wave of dissonant noise.
He turned to Nephis. She sat on the ground, face calm, eyes closed. On her forehead, the gem of the Dawn Shard burned with furious white light, feeding hundreds of Memories with raw power. She appeared in profound meditation, seemingly unaffected by the decimation below.
Cassie stood beside her, hand on the Quiet Dancer's hilt, looking at the ground. Her other Echoes had been destroyed in the first line.
Sunny wanted to say something, but thought better of it. The time for conversation was over. He faced the Crimson Spire, then strained his eyes to find Effie and Kai in the chaos.
'Don't die just yet, fools…'
Down below, Effie spun her spear, drawing wide arcs in the air. Her body was covered in blood, armor broken, but on her face was a wide, joyful grin. She was enjoying herself—this was exhilarating!
But she was growing tired. '...Heavy. That damn shield is so heavy…'
Kai, meanwhile, noticed the entire net was now covered with corpses. Daylight barely seeped through, and the iron wires groaned under the weight, on the verge of tearing apart.
'Oh no!'
It was at that moment that Nephis suddenly opened her eyes. In them, two blinding white flames burned. Her pale face became illuminated like that of a merciless celestial creature.
Turning to Sunny, she said:
"It's time."
He sighed. Indeed, it was time for them to play their roles.
As Neph stood and summoned her sword, Sunny flexed his shoulders. The Midnight Shard remained hidden in his Shadow Core.
He glanced at Cassie, hesitated, then smiled.
"Hey, Cas. I'll… see you on the other side, I guess."
She nodded slowly and turned away.
'...Don't die.'
"That's my cue, I guess."
Together, he and Nephis walked to the edge and jumped down, leaving Cassie alone on top.
Landing softly, Sunny waved to Neph. "I'll go first. Good luck."
He turned toward the battlefield and inhaled. Before him, the desperately fighting army was intertwined with the nightmare horde in the darkness cast by the groaning net.
The whole battlefield had become a realm of blood, death… and shadow. The more corpses piled on the net, the deeper and darker the shadows became.
This was Sunny's territory now.
Stepping into the darkness, he became almost invisible. The shadows embraced him, hiding his figure and movements. Veiled in their embrace, he steeled his will and dashed toward the battlefield.
He ran past the partially toppled hospital tent where a flying creature wreaked havoc, pierced by arrows but still deadly. He moved past without looking back.
Stepping through the deepest shadows, he ran past the siege engines and noticed Aiko helping an exhausted Artisan load one last spear, pushing it up with stubborn determination despite its weight.
Then he was between the archers. He saw Kai looking around with a lost look, wanting to stop and reassure him, but couldn't.
Sliding between them unseen, he left the third line and dashed toward the second. Here, remaining unseen became harder. The second line had lost all pretense of order but remained unbroken. Seishan had prevented any abominations from reaching the archers, fighting with darkly fascinating grace, the Sunlight Shard rising and falling with terrifying power.
When a carapace scavenger tore the war hammer from her hand, Seishan's body underwent a subtle change. She grew taller, limbs elongating, spine twisting. Her smooth grey skin became like a shark's, eyes rolling back to reveal a second pair of pupils—vertical, surrounded by red. Her jaw unhinged, revealing rows of terrible fangs. She broke the creature's carapace with her bare fist, then tore its limb apart with her jaws.
Leaving that disturbing scene, Sunny moved into deeper shadows and ran toward the first line. There, the mass of abominations and humans was almost impenetrable. Drawing a deep breath, Sunny dove into the sea of Nightmare Creatures.
Moving like a dancer between their chaotically moving bodies, he dodged and avoided them, keeping to the shadows. A few times he dashed beneath tall abominations or jumped over others, even running on top of them—shoulder to carapace to slippery ground.
He saw Effie, spinning her spear, covered in blood but grinning. He saw the three champions holding back the endless tide, the Sleepers dying around them, the archers firing upward at the descending swarm, the iron net groaning under the weight of the dead.
And after an eternity, he broke free of the endless mass.
Now, there was nothing in front of him but the wide expanse of the cursed black water, and the mass of the Crimson Spire stretching endlessly into the skies.
Behind him, the battle raged on—the Dreamer Army bleeding and dying, holding on by threads, waiting for the moment when the shadows would finally consume them all, or set them free.
But Sunny had reached the water. It was time to fulfill his promise.
It was time to destroy the dark sea.
Sunny stood at the precipice of the battlefield, his expression blank. Behind him, the Dreamer Army's desperate struggle continued, their lines buckling under the nightmare horde until a blinding explosion of light announced Changing Star's arrival. The battlefield's acoustics shifted, the howling of abominations taking on an anxious, muffled quality as Nephis began her slaughter.
Sunny did not turn to look.
The bridge of crimson coral stretched across the whirlpool of black water, choked with Nightmare Creatures scrambling toward the human lines. The situation was mathematically simple: the tail end of the horde was visible, but the bridge itself remained saturated with hostiles. To walk it meant death. To fly it meant exposure.
Sunny took three steps back, Gloomy compressing around his body. He accelerated, Saint moving in perfect synchronization to present her shield not as protection, but as a launch platform. Sunny's foot touched the onyx surface, Gloomy and Saint's combined force propelling him into the air. The Dark Wing unfurled behind him, rendering his mass negligible as he soared over the churning black water, the wind screaming past his ears.
Momentum decay followed predictable physics. At the apex of his arc, as gravity began to reclaim him, Sunny hurled the Prowling Thorn. The heavy kunai bit into the coral bridge's surface, and he hauled on the invisible thread, redirecting his descent into a controlled glide. He landed in a combat roll, absorbing the impact shock, and surged to his feet with the Midnight Shard already manifesting in his dominant hand. No words. No wasted breath. He simply ran.
Throwing all unnecessary thoughts out of his head, Sunny rushed toward the Spire. His goal was almost in sight.
'Seven severed heads… guarding seven locks…'
This was what Cassie had told them a year ago, at the start of this cursed journey. Somewhere at the base of the Crimson Spire, there was a place where one could insert seven keys into seven locks to seal the curse of the all-consuming darkness underground once more, thus restoring the oath of the ancient heroes.
Shard Memories had given ChangingS Star's cohort these keys, and now, Sunny held all of them in his soul.
He just had to find the locks…
And very soon, he did.
Hidden behind a tall mound of crimson coral, a vast expanse of flat surface led all the way to the walls of the corrupted Spire. On it, arranged in a wide semi-circle, seven giant heads stared away from Sunny.
Despite the fact that they were facing the other way, he recognized them immediately.
These were the stolen heads of the seven colossal statues that stood across the desolate hell of the Forgotten Shore, ones that had been torn off their shoulders by the Crimson Terror thousands of years ago and then brought here, to lay at the base of its citadel for all eternity.
The Lord, the Priestess, the Knight, the Hunter, the Builder, the Slayer, and the Stranger.
Their gazes were aimed at the gargantuan gates of the Spire.
And there, on those gates, the image of seven shining stars was engraved into the ancient stone.
Each star had a dark keyhole in its radiant center. Summoning Saint to stand side by side with him once again, Sunny glanced at the gates of the Spire, grimaced, and jumped down from the mound of coral. Out there on the island, it was quiet. Too quiet.
Even though all the Nightmare Creatures were now behind him, slowly devouring the Dreamer Army, the open space pierced by the gazes of the severed heads of stone colossus was too ominous and foreboding to not spell trouble.
But Sunny was done being afraid a long time ago.
'You fear me, instead.'
Walking forward, he passed between the giant heads and entered the empty space in front of the cyclopean gates. Feeling as though someone was staring at his back, Sunny shivered and approached the seven locks.
Halfway to the gates, he stopped, hesitated for a moment and then looked back, at stone heads.
This was the first time he saw the faces of the seven heroes.
The face of the Lord was noble and dignified, the face of the Priestess — beautiful and gentle. The Slayer was arrogant and cold, her lips twisted in a crooked grin. The Stranger wore a helmet, darkness nesting in the crack of its visor.
'...People. They were just people.'
Turning away, Sunny sighed, then shook his head in dejection.
'I won't judge you for what you have done. But I hope… I really that we will be able to do better.'
With that, he took another step forward…
The Spire eclipsed the sky as he approached, becoming a vertical wall of reality. At its base, behind a mound of crimson coral, lay the seven severed heads of the ancient heroes—the Lord, the Priestess, the Knight, the Hunter, the Builder, the Slayer, and the Stranger. Their stone gazes faced the gargantuan gates, where seven stars with dark keyholes awaited.
The air grew heavy. Crimson coral shards levitated, spinning in cyclones, coalescing into seven towering silhouettes. Sunny's grip tightened on the Midnight Shard. The coral golems solidified—corrupted facsimiles of the ancient heroes, each radiating terrible power.
The Knight raised a longsword; the Slayer grinned with a twisted stiletto; the Hunter poised with a spear; the Builder hefted a war hammer; the Stranger donned a round shield and blade; the Priestess stood graceful and deadly with empty hands; and the Lord stood apart, massive and noble, a crown of crimson light burning upon his forehead.
Seven against one. Sunny's mouth twisted into something that was not a smile. His eyes turned cold and ruthless.
He moved.
The dance began. His center of gravity shifting into impossible angles, movements flowing with supernatural fluidity. He seemed to flicker, afterimages trailing behind him as he closed the distance.
The Midnight Shard sang through the air in a horizontal arc aimed at the Knight's neck, but the golem's coral blade intercepted with terrifying speed. The impact rang like a bell, sending shockwaves through Sunny's arms even with his shadow reinforcing him.
A fraction of a second later, the Builder's war hammer descended toward his temple with enough force to crater stone. Sunny executed a sharp move, bending with the strike, as the tachi scraped against the golem's vambrace, drawing a line of crimson dust.
Saint engaged simultaneously, her onyx blade clashing against the Stranger, Builder, and Hunter in a ferocious melee. There were no commands given. She moved with flawless technique, but she was outnumbered. A spear thrust caught her shield, followed by a hammer blow that shattered her armor plate, sending ruby dust flowing like blood.
Sunny faced three opponents alone—the Knight, Slayer, and the Priestess. They moved with coordinated precision, their coral weapons tracing lethal geometries. The Knight's blade scraped his ribs, drawing blood despite Gloomy's protection. The Slayer's stiletto kissed his cheek, leaving a shallow cut. The Priestess lunged, her hands like striking serpents aimed at his throat.
Sunny's arms blurred, wielding both tachi and dagger as he summoned Moonlight Shard in a defensive web of steel. He wasn't merely blocking; he was redirecting, using Gloomy's augmentation to perform acrobatic feats, as he backflipped over the Knight's horizontal slash, twisting mid-air to evade the Slayer's thrust, landing on the Priestess's extended arm to launch himself backward.
Yet they were relentless. The Knight's sword caught his shoulder, nearly dislocating it. The Slayer's follow-up forced him to cross both blades in an X-block that sent him skidding backward, boots digging furrows in the coral. Blood streamed from minor wounds.
He analyzed. The Lord stood apart, the crimson crown pulsing like a heart. Just as Nephis's Dawn Shard elevated her allies, this profane gem empowered the other six, bringing them to the threshold of the Fallen Rank. The math was clear: he needed to deal with the Lord first.
Sunny made the calculation. Saint was taking too much damage. But he needed seconds.
Saint abandoned her defensive stance. She allowed the Hunter's spear to pierce her chest, the force shattering her onyx cuirass. Ruby dust flowed like blood as the spear bit deep into her stonelike flesh.
But she caught the shaft with her shield hand, twisted with devastating strength, and flung the golem away. Then she was among Sunny's opponents, her dark sword falling upon the Knight, Slayer, and Priestess in a suicidal onslaught that bought him exactly a few moments of freedom.
She was being dismantled. A blow severed her shield arm at the elbow. Another cracked her helmet, destroying one ruby eye. She staggered, fell to one knee.
Sunny didn't watch. He was already moving toward the Lord, Gloomy strengthening him as he moved with explosive speed.
He executed a down maneuver, his body low to the ground, blades trailing sparks as he closed the distance.
The Lord moved with impossible speed, disappearing and reappearing meters away, but Sunny had anticipated it.
He intercepted the golem, catching the massive fist between his body and arm.
The position immobilized one of his hands and forced him to drop the Midnight Shard. The Lord raised his other fist to crush Sunny's skull.
Sunny's free hand shot forward, fingers wrapped in Gloomy's densest concentration. He grabbed the crimson crown—the Lord's power source—and ripped it from the golem's forehead. Crimson threads snapped like violin strings. The golem staggered, its augmentation severed.
Without hesitation, Sunny released the hand, caught the falling Midnight Shard, and delivered an upward slash fueled by Gloomy's full augmentation.
The blade met coral and didn't stop, splitting the Lord from groin to crown in a fountain of crimson dust. The empowerment vanished. The remaining six golems slowed, their power dropping to mere Awakened Rank.
Behind him, Saint was falling. The Builder's hammer rose; the Hunter's spear flew toward her heart. Sunny summoned her back into his core an instant before impact, the shadows swallowing her wounded form into the nurturing black flames. The six remaining golems turned to face him, but Sunny was already moving.
This was his domain.
The golems hesitated, scanning the darkness. The Priestess raised her hands, summoning a blinding light that revealed Sunny's silhouette, but he was already shifting tactics. The Prowling Thorn appeared from nowhere, striking the Stranger's neck—not to kill, but to distract. As the golem reached to remove it, Sunny emerged from the shadow behind the Slayer, both blades crossed in a scissors-cut that sent her head tumbling. No sound. No declaration. Just mechanical death.
He became a phantom. Gloomy and Happy wrapped around him, making him smoke and shadow.
The Knight turned, but Sunny was already above him, having launched off a coral outcropping with agility.
The Midnight Shard fell like executioner's steel, decapitating the Hunter who stood behind where Sunny had been.
Four down.
The Stranger swung his shield in a desperate arc, but Sunny caught it with his left hand, using it as leverage to yank himself forward while simultaneously pulling the shield aside.
He passed through the golem's guard like water, resummoning the Moonlight shard, as it pierced the coral heart while the Midnight Shard removed the head.
The Builder fell next, overwhelmed by Sunny's dual wielding frenzy.
The Priestess tried her light again, but Sunny closed his eyes, trusting Gloomy's sensory sharing, and cut her down with a single, perfect thrust through the throat.
Six piles of coral dissolved into the rising black water.
[You have slain an awakened…]
[Your shadow…]
[You have received a…]
Sunny stood alone, chest heaving, two Shadow Cores burning like stars in his soul. He spat blood and coral dust, then turned toward the gates as the storm arrived.
Sunny approached the crimson tower alone, battling the storm and rising black water. Reaching the gates, he stared at the seven-star sigil.
'This better work…'
He inserted the first Oath Key. Far away, Changing Star fought in the waist-deep water, her radiance burning bright against the monsters.
Moving to the next star, Sunny summoned the second key.
'Terrible… what would that even look like? What can be more terrible than my current situation?'
As if answering, black tentacles rose from the waves behind him, shattering coral. Countless others followed.
'Me and my big damn mouth!'
He hurried, inserting the third and fourth keys as the water rose higher. A gust nearly threw him into the stone. With the fifth key in place, the tentacles slithered closer.
'Curse it all!'
He drove in the sixth key and dove, swimming to the last star. Just before the tentacles reached him, he thrust the seventh key home.
"Crap!"
The gates shuddered and opened outward, slamming into Sunny and dragging him through the water before throwing him onto a coral mound. He watched in disbelief as the black sea flowed backward, sucked into the Spire along with the tentacles. The storm died instantly, clouds tearing apart to reveal a white sun.
The cursed sea vanished completely, leaving only an empty moat.
Sunny stared upward, stunned.
'Did we… did we actually do it?'
...Did he actually destroy the dark sea?