"Because that is Baba Yaga," Sunny stated casually. "Or more accurately…my brother."
'Heh, he came around to it.'
Juno had been tracking Sunny's movements since, well, the moment he'd walked out of the Bright Castle. Adjusting his own hunting schedule to match Sunny's had been a chore, but he'd had to. Sunny wasn't meant to die here, but since Juno had started tugging on Fate, all kinds of accidents suddenly became much more likely.
Luckily, it seemed to have paid off.
'What a monstrous fellow, that guy.'
The changes were obvious.
First and most notably was Sunny's appearance. Months in the Dark City would make anyone look like a corpse, and Sunny was no exception. He looked half a corpse and half a mud golem dragged through a battlefield. His armor also seemed to have lived through better times, decades ago. Torn, dented, and damaged, the whole set was stained in a hundred different shades of grime and old blood.
But all those wounds were proof of battle. Evidence of how dangerous Sunny had grown.
It truly could be said that the Forgotten Shore was a crucible for Sleepers. Populated by Awakened and ruled over by Fallen, no Sleeper was supposed to survive this hellhole, much less alone.
But Sunny did it. Juno had done it. Nephis, Cassie, Effie, the first Bright Lord and his cohort, and thousands more. They all, as Sleepers, had survived this cursed land with nothing but the things they had from their First Nightmare.
In perspective, this whole place was maddening. If a Sleeper defeated one or two Awakened abominations, they would have been labeled a talent. A dozen, they would have been labeled the second coming of the Immortal Flame or Broken Sword. But, what if a Sleeper had killed hundreds, or maybe even over a thousand, Awakened Nightmare Creatures as a Sleeper?
They would be the face of Awakened.
Sunny had now become one of those legendary hunters of the Forgotten Shore with a kill count of over one hundred. Evident by the sheer strength radiating from him. He was easily twice as strong as the kid who had first stumbled into this lovely neighborhood. His stance was surer, his gaze steadier; even the way his shadow clung to him felt heavier, more purposeful.
And on top of that, it was obvious he'd unlocked Shadow Dance.
After all, that was what Juno had been going for. He had pushed Sunny incredibly hard in that direction, all in hopes of him getting the Soul Serpent before he left the Forgotten Shore. That incessant talking had not gone to waste, as Sunny was now able to sense his shadow even when Juno was under Snake's Mask and the Shadowsteel Mantle. The first time he had just used his mask, Sunny's awareness had been clumsy and shallow. Now, his ability to feel another presence was sharp and layered; he'd reacted to the smallest distortion of shadow like a drawn blade.
If that weren't enough, he'd reclaimed Stone Saint as well. With her, with Shadow Dance, and with more fragments than he'd originally had, Sunny stood a very real chance of becoming a Monster before the siege of the Crimson Spire even began.
Juno was so proud of his brother.
'Ah, it brings tears to my eyes.'
Sunny closed the distance between them. After almost five months, they were face‑to‑face again — close enough that neither had any excuse not to speak. And yet. Both of them had plenty to say, and neither knew how to start, so the silence did what silences do when two socially defective people find themselves reunited: it stretched, and settled, and made itself comfortable. Somewhere beyond them, the ruined city groaned.
Juno broke first.
He stuck out his hand, grinning like he did the first time they met.
"You called me your brother! I knew it would get through to you eventually." A beat. "Well — hello to you too, big brother."
Sunny's mouth twitched, then curved. He took the offered hand and shook it, grip firm despite the lingering exhaustion in his limbs.
"Well, what a devilishly handsome bastard you still are," he said. "Look at me compared to you. Life is truly unfair."
Up close, Juno still looked irritatingly composed. He wore a handsome black mantle, had clean hair, and an even bigger frame than before. The Dark City had made him only prettier!
Juno's grin widened. Sunny complimenting another man's looks meant they were close, on good terms, and he knew it.
"If we get you cleaned up," Juno said, giving him an appraising look, "you're going to look like the flower boy you always were."
Sunny groaned.
"Ugh, not you too. Why does it have to be you and Effie who call me that? The worst two people to get that idea."
Juno barked out a laugh, bright and unrestrained.
"Well, great minds think alike, after all."
Sunny's expression made it very clear he disagreed with the idea that either of their minds was great, especially Effie's. Still, his grip didn't loosen until Juno's did. For a second longer than was strictly necessary, neither of them let go.
Then their hands parted. The amusement faded by degrees from Juno's eyes, replaced by something sharper, more measuring.
"Though," he said, tone smoothing out, "why did you dismiss Midnight Shard?"
Sunny's shoulders tensed a little, instinctively bracing.
"I thought you knew," Juno continued calmly, "that we are in a Death Zone?"
For a moment, Sunny just stared at him a little nervously.
Then, slowly, the corner of his mouth curled up.
"…Bold words," he drawled, "from someone who took off his mask the moment I walked up to him."
Juno blinked.
Juno didn't even blink.
"Oh no," he said dryly, spreading his hands a little. "My terrible secret. The horror. Whatever will I do now that my presence is noticeable? Is a Fallen going to snatch me up and eat me?"
Sunny snorted.
"Sure. You just want the Soul Shards from it, don't you?"
Juno tilted his head, considering.
"If I admit it was for dramatic effect," he mused, "will you stop trying to psychoanalyze me?"
"No," Sunny said. "Though I don't know what that word means."
Juno looked taken aback, and then spent almost five whole minutes explaining the meaning of the word he used and its history.
Finally, however, a throat was cleared behind Sunny, and Juno had stopped his long drawl.
"Um," Kai ventured carefully, "sorry to interrupt the… reunion? But, could you tell me what is going on?"
…
Half an hour later, Kai stood there wide-eyed and trying to process the epic of Juno.
"So let me get this straight," he said slowly. "Baba Yaga is a sixteen-year-old named Juno, who is also incidentally your brother? He survived and did all that in the Crimson Labyrinth, too? And now he's been running around the ruins saving hunting parties and murdering Fallen for fun. Most importantly, he also has a True Name?"
"Not for fun," Juno corrected. "For the spoils I get from it."
Kai looked between them.
"That doesn't actually make it better."
Sunny shrugged.
"That's the only reason you will ever get from Juno."
Kai exhaled, pinching the bridge of his nose much like Juno had a moment ago.
"This explains so much and absolutely nothing at the same time," he muttered.
Sunny decided to spare his sanity a little and changed the subject.
"So," he said, nodding at the black mantle draped over Juno's shoulders, "what's with the cloak?"
Juno's grin returned, sharper now.
"Ascended Memory," he said. "Second tier. Came off a very annoying Fallen Monster shadow wraith thing.
Sunny and Kai both stared.
"Second tier?" Sunny repeated. "You mean—"
"Yup," he stated simply. "This thing has so many great functions, too! I can turn fully invisible with even a little bit of shadow touching me, the cloak can harden into metal, and the hood hides my face!"
Kai gaped.
This was clearly the wrong thing to ask to get his friend to calm down.
This, however, only made Sunny even more curious. Compared to him, who had killed about seventy abominations in the last 2 months, where did Juno rank?
"I stopped counting after the three hundredth Awakened Nightmare Creature, and only eleven Fallen ones. All those were so hard. Well, except the Beasts. Those were relatively easy, actually."
Sunny choked.
"Three hundred—"
Kai made a faint, strangled sound.
Before either of them could ask more, Juno lifted a hand.
"Save it," he said. "I didn't come here to brag. Well, not only to brag. I've got business."
Sunny narrowed his eyes.
"What kind of business?"
"The profitable kind," Juno replied. "For both of us."
Juno flicked his wrist, and suddenly over a dozen Memories started to manifest around him. Soon, they all took form, and Sunny could see them all. Most were weapons, but some were random items like a block of stone or a feather.
"Seventeen Memories," Juno began. "All Awakened. Most third-tier, a few second, and first ones too. Weapons, armor, tools, odds and ends. I don't need them since my weapon is way better than anything I have gotten, and my new armor is decent enough."
Sunny stared at the seventeen items in front of him. If most were third-tier, all Awakened, then that meant he could easily get over twenty extra shadow fragments for Saint!
Looking suspiciously at Juno, Sunny didn't let his excitement show.
"What's the price?" he asked warily.
Juno's mouth quirked.
"You still ask that?" he said. "Of course, it's two favors! Oh, and a promise to find me an incredible bow, Memory, since I am lacking one."
Sunny grimaced.
"You still haven't used any of those favors from before. What are they for?"
"Ah, that's a secret. I currently have 6 favors from you, and I already have plans for them all."
Sunny hesitated.
Seventeen Awakened Memories. Months of hunting compressed into a single deal. "Two favors," he repeated. "And a bow."
"And a bow," Juno agreed.
Sunny exhaled.
"Fine. Deal."
Juno pumped his fists.
Dismissing the Memories, Sunny saw them all disappear back into nothingness. However, quickly enough, Juno placed his hand on his shoulder and began transferring the Memories over.
After a couple of seconds, the process was complete, and the two stepped apart. Sunny had just gained a massive power boost in terms of furthering the Saints' power, and Juno had gained a couple of favors. To Sunny, it seemed like this truly was a good deal.
Suddenly, Juno placed his hand on his shoulder once again and transferred one last Memory.
[Obtained Memory, Tablet of the Two Children.]
Sunny frowned slightly.
"What is this?"
"Communication Memory," Juno said. "Pair‑bound. You write on one with blood, and it shows up on the other until erased. I got it, and figured who else to give it to than you?"
Summoning the tablet, a blank piece of metal appeared in his hands. The tablet was not really a tablet at all.
"However, it takes some time for messages to appear on the other tablet. It apparently scales with distance exponentially, so be careful of that."
Sunny nodded and dismissed the Memory.
Kai coughed softly.
"Speaking of writing," he said, shifting his weight, "I, uh… have a favor to ask too."
Both of them looked at him.
Kai swallowed.
"Can I… get your autograph?" he blurted at Juno. "Eventually, I mean. You kind of have a fan club."
Sunny stared at him.
"A fan club?"
Juno's eyes lit with unholy amusement.
"Next time," he said graciously.
Kai hesitated for another moment.
"Also… what's your favorite song?"
Juno blinked.
"My… favorite songs?"
"Songs," Kai said, flushing. "You're the first True Name bearer I talked with, so I figured your taste in music would be… I don't know. Good?"
Juno stared at him for a moment, then huffed out a laugh.
"I'm going to disappoint you," he warned. "They're not exactly popular."
Kai leaned forward anyway, eyes bright.
Juno ticked them off on his fingers.
"Stairway to Heaven, Led Zeppelin. War Pigs, Black Sabbath. Stay Here 4 Life, A$AP Rocky. Earrings, Malcolm Todd." He paused, then added, "And probably my favorite… Touch the Sky, Kanye West."
Kai just stared.
"That's…" he said weakly, "I've never heard of any of those songs."
Sunny squinted at Juno.
"Of course, your favorite song is literally called Touch the Sky," he muttered. "Could you be any more on‑brand?"
Juno smiled, unbothered.
"You asked," he said. "Blame the fan."
After that, the conversation had wrapped up. Juno had apparently only come out to Sunny to give him the Memories, and didn't plan on staying around longer. He claimed he hadn't slept at all because of a nasty Awakened Tyrant that he had just taken care of, so he needed to go do that as quickly as possible. Thus, the brief reunion of the brothers was coming to an end, but before Juno completely flew off on his Echo, he seemingly had something more to say.
Looking down from his massive crow, Juno gave a piece of cryptic advice to Sunny.
"Not all stone is useless, and especially not stone that feels special. Take it."
Before Sunny could ask what the hell that was, Juno had commanded his Echo to kick off, and he was already high in the sky.
'Damn it, why can't my Aspect allow me to fly? How unfair.'
…
Dusky's wings beat a steady rhythm beneath him, each downstroke sending the air shivering past Juno's cloak.
The Dark City spread out below like a split‑open carcass: ribs of broken streets, organs of ruined plazas, veins of alleyways pulsing with weak, malignant life. From above, even the Forgotten Shore looked small. Was that technically wrong? Yes. But, it couldn't be understated just how much better Dark City was compared to the Crimson Labyrinth.
He smiled to himself.
He was still not used to being able to summon so many Memories at once. Truly, being a Demon was a blessing.
It had happened over a month ago, after he had stored up a couple of Soul Shards and advanced in the safety of his camp. This advancement had also felt much different from the previous ones, and that wasn't just because of the massive amounts of pain.
Somehow, this core felt way stronger than it was supposed to be.
Juno credited this amazing fact to his meditation. Since he had split off from Sunny, Nephis, and Cassie, he had gotten a lot of free time to meditate. This, combined with his now four-way Split Mind, led him to control his essence much better and quicker than he was supposed to.
If he didn't already have Soul Cores, he would have been able to form one and advance months ago. But, instead of that, he was still a Dormant Demon.
Still, Juno didn't let himself get down from this since his Runes just kept on growing. Now, after selling all his unneeded Memories, his Runes read much better.
Name: Juno
True Name: [Sun Chaser]
Rank: Dreamer
Class: Demon
Soul Cores: [3/7]
Soul Fragments: [532/3000]
Glories: [Glory of War], [Glory of the King], [Glory of the Gambit]
Memories:
[King's Execution], [A Snake's Mask], [Away From Home], [Azure Carapace],
[Iron Boots], [Tablet of Two Children], [Shadowsteel Mantle],
[Chase of Knowledge], [Purple Cover]
Echoes: [Spawn of the Dusk Crow]
Attributes:
[Dream's Spawn], [Flame of Divinity], [Anunakki], [Malicious],
[Indomitable Humanity], [Godscorn]
Aspect: [Godless Blade]
Aspect Rank: Divine
Flaw: [Constellation of Avarice]
Flaw Description: [A slave to better things. Riches, power, fame, items, knowledge, experience, or people. Once you desire something, it is incredibly hard to let it go.]
Five hundred thirty‑two fragments out of three thousand. That was all that mattered relating to his natural Awakening.
Before that, however, came the need to sleep.
'Hehe, it's time to sleepmaxx.'