Ananke possessed a curious Aspect that was almost entirely benign and Utility-oriented, but could become incredibly devastating if a certain condition was met.
Her Dormant Ability was quite simple: it allowed her to manifest her soul essence as matter. It was similar to Shadow Manifestation in many ways, with the main difference being that the source of manifested matter was innate to Ananke, not external like the shadows Sunny used. That was where the silver strings had come from — they were Ananke's soul essence given material form.
As Ananke had told them, the strings of silver silk were the most natural form her essence took and the very first one she learned to use. Later, as her skill as an Awakened improved and her powers grew, she became quite adept at manifesting her essence in all kinds of shapes and forms. From fishing lines to tools and weapons, she could create almost anything.
Most importantly, the matter created from her essence maintained its form permanently — unless she wished otherwise.
So, while she did create essence tools at times, for the sake of convenience, what she mostly used her Dormant Ability for was creating materials for the craftsmen of the River People to use. Metal, stone, silk, and even soil... needless to say, her Aspect had been a blessing to those who lived on the Great River, where all resources were scarce.
That Ability had only become more precious as Ananke rose in Rank, of course, because the innate quality of the matter created from her essence rose too. And that was where her ability differed from Shadow Manifestation — unlike Sunny's manifested shadows, whose quality degraded when he made the manifestation permanent, things Ananke created always remained the same. Actually, Ananke's Dormant Ability was difficult to discuss without mentioning her Awakened Ability, because even she was at times unclear about where one ended and the other one began.
Her Awakened Ability allowed Ananke to transform matter — inanimate matter, at least. Like an alchemist capable of turning lead into gold, she could change any element into a different one. She was able to change the material composition of her manifested essence, as well, which was what allowed her to use her Dormant Ability so flexibly.
The combination of these two Abilities made Ananke a perfect mender, as well. She could infuse a broken thing with her essence, fusing the broken parts together while replacing the lost ones with essence manifested to flawlessly match the material of whatever it was she mended.
As Ananke told them, mending things had been one of her main occupations, as well as what she was most known for outside of creating soil for the gardens of Weave to grow upon, stone for the builders to use in construction, and silk for sails and garments to be woven from.
Her Ascended Ability was, in a sense, a continuation of that skill she had developed. It allowed her to infuse both inanimate objects and living beings with her essence, perfecting and improving them — very much like the rebirth Awakened underwent when reaching a new Rank, albeit on a smaller scale.
The soil Ananke infused with her essence was more fertile, the trees she nurtured bore more fruit, and the people she blessed were both stronger and healthier, their minds clearer.
The blessing persisted until the infused essence was exhausted, which took a long while — but even after it was gone, the items and beings who had received it continued to enjoy the benefits of having been transformed into a better version of themselves.
So far, Ananke's Aspect seemed purely constructive and nurturing in nature — and it was... except for when her Transformation Ability was concerned.
She did not mention how exactly her Transcendent form looked, but the effect of her Transformation was drastic. Because when Ananke used her Transcendent Ability, the effect of the other three Abilities was reversed.
Instead of manifesting her essence into matter, she could disintegrate matter to replenish her essence.
Instead of infusing things with soul essence to enhance them, she could siphon their essence to enhance herself instead.
Instead of changing the material composition of inanimate objects, she could change the material composition of living things — in other words, she could gaze upon someone to turn their flesh to stone, touch them to turn their bodies into gold, or even wound them to turn their blood into acid...
All the while weakening them by draining their souls to heal and empower herself, and replenishing her soul essence by destroying matter around her.
Needless to say, that Transformation Ability seemed quite sinister, which was why Ananke did not use it often.
As for her Supreme Ability... she wasn't very clear as to what it was capable of, since she had no Domain and no subjects. In theory, gaining access to a vast sea of spirit essence could make her other Aspect Abilities drastically more potent, as well as grant the benefit of her blessing to an entire land she ruled or to an entire people who followed her.
Apart from that...
Looking at the silk thread Ananke offered him, Sunny slid his fingers across its smooth surface.
'Essence silk...'
The strings of soul essence Ananke wove were very much like the strings of shadow essence Sunny used to create Memories, except they were given a material form. Up to that final step, however, the process of creating them was practically identical to his own, even if it was instinctual for Ananke, while for him it was a learned skill. Ananke was not a weaver, though, because she lacked the ability to perceive spellweaves. And yet Sunny still felt that she had the capacity to become one, as long as someone showed her the way.𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
He had a tentative hope that the ability to weave was hidden somewhere among the facets of her Aspect, waiting to be discovered — just like he had discovered many applications of his powers outside the strict limits of the Aspect Abilities defined by the Nightmare Spell. If so, Sunny could impart his knowledge of weaving to Ananke. Wouldn't it be great for other weavers to exist in the world? His own skill as a sorcerer had advanced greatly after studying a spellweave created by just one other master — the spellweave of Ananke's Mantle. How much would it improve if there were more sorcerers for him to collaborate and share insights with?
All that was a matter for the future, though...
For now, they had a Cursed Terror to slay. Sunny headed toward the cliffs, looking at the spot where the Mad Prince had carved his name into the stone once.
Of course, there was nothing there, since that monster was an apparition of the Nightmare and had never managed to escape into reality — because the Sin of Solace was vanquished by Sunny before turning him into the Mad Prince... right here, on the placid waters of the lake hidden in the heart of the Estuary.
The seven incarnations of Sunny delved into the chaotic labyrinth of jagged rocks.
Just as he had suspected, the stone maze was different from how it had been in the Nightmare. Perhaps the shifting currents and the death of the Great River had changed it, or maybe it was simply never the same — in any case, it took Sunny a long while to find the correct path.
His seven incarnations wandered in the darkness. The silver strings extended endlessly, marking their passage — because of them, Sunny could easily find his way back after encountering a dead end or see if he had already been to a particular passage. So, in the end, he discovered the path to the inner lake relatively quickly.
Sunny returned for Nephis and Ananke and led them through the maze, picking up his incarnations in the process. As they walked, Sunny spoke in a subdued tone:
"Once we leave the maze and enter the inner lake, we will be judged by the Guardian of the Sanctuary — a being Ariel left behind to prevent those who had succumbed to the Corruption from reaching the burial chamber. None of us is a Nightmare Creature, so we should be fine... still, it's better to prepare ourselves in advance."
There was the question of how the Thieving Bird had made it past the Guardian, of course. But then again, that thing seemed capable of getting anywhere it wanted to go, and taking anything it wanted to take — so, it was not surprising that the loathsome bird had found its way to Oblivion's grave without drawing the ire of the Guardian. Finally, the terrifying expanse of the inner lake revealed itself in all its chilling glory. The waters here were littered with floating corpses — too many of them to count — all belonging to powerful abominations. There were husks of the Nightmare Butterflies, carcasses of abhorrent leviathans, and ghastly corpses that Sunny did not even want to look at, let alone describe.
However...
He froze, stunned for a few moments. Sunny did not feel a horrible gaze falling upon him from beneath the mass of water. Instead... among the floating corpses, he saw one that he had not seen before.
It was difficult to miss, considering how colossal it was, towering above the water like a mountain and effortlessly dwarfing every other carcass.
The creature was impossible to define, since it didn't resemble any living being Sunny had seen before. It had pale grey hide, and its body was mostly formless, resembling a mountain of flesh that gave way to a tangle of enormous, eerie tentacles...
There was a strange quality about it, as well. As if they were looking at a broken construct instead of a dead creature.
The body of the odd being was viciously ravaged and torn open, an avalanche of pale innards and mysterious liquid spilling into the lake from the terrible wound.
It was the Guardian of the Estuary... dead and destroyed.
Sunny studied the colossal corpse for a long while, unable to speak.
Eventually, he shook his head.
"I guess being judged won't be a problem after all."
Because the judge was gone.
It did not matter whether the Guardian had been some ancient horror Ariel commanded to watch over the Estuary or a strange kind of artificial construct he left behind to serve the same purpose. Now that the creature was destroyed, Sunny and his companions were about to face the real problem...
The thing that had destroyed the Guardian and left its corpse in such a sorry state.
Chapter 2948
The three of them walked among the floating corpses, overtaken by a heavy and oppressive feeling of apprehension. Then, they finally reached clear waters and continued forward, toward the vague speck of darkness visible on the horizon.
This was where Sunny had confronted the Sin of Solace and saved himself from becoming the Mad Prince... in the Nightmare. Of course, no one but himself remembered that clash now. Not even a reflection of his inner struggle had remained, captured in the waters of time — it was all gone, erased from existence. Having never existed at all.
As they walked, Sunny remembered the last chapter of his journey to the Well of Wishes.
Up ahead, in the darkness, he had encountered the future version of himself. His current self, that was — or rather, a Nightmare phantom of his current self, summoned into existence by the peculiar nature of the Estuary.
Sunny smiled faintly.
It would have been fun, to speak to his younger self and experience the other side of that conversation. But it was not meant to be... that conversation had happened in the Nightmare, after all, while he was in the real Tomb of Ariel now.
What was it that he had said to his younger, foolish self?
He had summoned Weaver's Mask and lied about being a mere Saint while claiming to be the most honest person in the world. Then, he dismissed the mask and told his younger self that he was neither alive nor a human... just a phantom of a lost shadow, conjured by the Spell. Which was true, because Sunny had killed himself in Godgrave to become Supreme, so he was a true Shadow Creature now — a being born from a dead man's shade.
As for being lost... well, that did not require an explanation.
In the end, Sunny told himself to turn back, because his younger self was not ready for what would come next. It was an earnest plea... the years of loneliness and desperation he had experienced after losing his fate almost drove him to the edge, after all. The pain and torment of those days still haunted him, sometimes.
But even as he was telling his younger self to turn back, he would have known that the young fool was never going to listen. In fact, the Nightmare phantom of Sunny did not really want his younger version to turn back, most likely — after all, Sunny knew what he had to sacrifice and endure in order to become the man he was today.
So, in the end, he had simply encouraged his younger self to hurry, because the Nightmare was ending by then. Nephis was already in Verge, burning the First Seeker with her flames, moments away from destroying its core... Sunny would know it because he had already experienced the end of the Nightmare when he was younger. And so, his younger self continued forward. That damn fool...
Sunny's smile widened a little.
'And now, I am back.'
The dark mountain was already looming in front of them.
It was just like he had remembered — forlorn and lonesome, crowned by two peaks. One was broken, and one was as sharp as a spear. A vertical rift split the base of the mountain, leading deep inside. Sunny stopped in the shadow of the mountain and glanced at his companions.
He remained silent for a few seconds before speaking:
"We will go no further."
Nephis and Ananke glanced at him in surprise.
"Why is that?"
Sunny studied the mountain, then sighed.
"This is a grave. It is... a sacred place. I don't want to disturb the peace of the one who is resting there with a fierce battle."
Oblivion was long dead, and Sunny wasn't one to give in to sentiment. But he had felt the sincerity and sorrow Ariel had put into building a peaceful grave for his sister... and Weaver had, too. The world itself seemed to mourn the loss of the nameless daemon. Both her life and her death were forgotten by everyone, so this grave was the only trace of Oblivion left in existence.
Sunny knew that feeling. His parents were gone, as well, and they didn't even get to have graves. All that marked their passing were two lines carved into a lonesome tree by their son...
That tree now grew in the courtyard of the Nameless Temple. Sunny knew how he would feel if some bastard accidentally destroyed it while fighting a battle, so he felt reluctant to confront a Cursed Terror inside the burial chamber.
He glanced at Ananke.
"Besides, I suspect that only those whose souls burn with the Flame of Divinity may enter the mountain. If I am correct, Ananke won't be able to accompany us inside."
Sunny turned around to the mountain and added:
"We'll lure the Vile Thieving Bird here. So, prepare for battle."
The preparations did not take long.
First, Sunny summoned the ancient shadows of the Shadow Realm from the Lantern and manifested them, covering a vast span of the lake with a thick layer of solid matter — while they could walk across water by commanding it to support their weight, fighting against a superior enemy on such a fickle surface was not the best of ideas.
Neither was engaging the Vile Thieving Bird in the air, where it was at home. Sure, they would most likely begin the battle in the sky — but if they wanted to minimize their disadvantage, they would have to bring the Terror down as soon as possible and continue fighting on the ground.
Sunny manifested the Jade Mantle, covering himself in an impenetrable black carapace. His incarnation was augmented by all six of the remaining shadows, and all seven links of the Curse were now connected into a chain, empowered by the [Underworld Armament] trait of his soulbound armor. This seamless union of a soulbound Memory and a shadowbound Memory was truly a frightening thing, but Sunny had a sinking suspicion that even their power would be insufficient in the battle to come.
Serpent slithered down his arm and manifested itself as a fearsome black odachi. At the same time, Saint and Slayer rose from the darkness, taking their place behind him — one standing to his left, the other to his right.
Then, the darkness surged, and the endless ranks of the Shadow Legion marched onto the surface of the Estuary Lake, arraying themselves in front of the lonesome mountain.
...Compared to Sunny, the preparations of Nephis and Ananke were not as grand. Nephis simply summoned the blessing and exhaled slowly, closing her eyes to ready her mind for the battle. Ananke, meanwhile, dismissed her mantle and summoned a suit of light armor instead — the armor seemed to have been made from glossy black whaleskin, decorated with pieces of nacre shell and azure thread.
A silver harpoon made from Supreme soul essence appeared in her hand.
And through all of that, Sunny could not help but think a single thought...
'We are really doing this.'
Even after braving the Nightmare Desert and sailing the still darkness of the Great River, he couldn't quite believe that they were about to fight a Cursed Terror — a profane deity far more powerful than any they had encountered before, and an especially ghastly one, at that.
Sunny chuckled inwardly.
'Huh, would you look at that. I am actually afraid.'
Sunny used to be scared of pretty much everything — most things were terrifying in this harrowing world, after all. But gradually, he lost his ability to be frightened, as if the quota of fear he had been issued at birth ended up being exhausted way too soon. The Vile Thieving Bird, though... he had encountered it back when fear was still his frequent companion, and the memory of its talons piercing his soul left a scar. That scar was letting itself be known now, making him feel like a young Master who was helpless in the face of a Cursed creature once again. But even more potent than the cold apprehension of having to face the Vile Thieving Bird was a different feeling.
Sunny could not believe that he was that close to regaining his fate and being remembered by the people he cared about, either.
The thing he had longed for and dreamed of for so many years was so close now. It was almost as if he could reach and touch it... could taste it.
'I feel like I am ready to kill a hundred Cursed Terrors, as long as it means getting back what I lost.'
Sunny exhaled slowly, cleansing his mind of all unnecessary thoughts.
In the silence that followed, Ananke asked cautiously:
"By the way, Lord Sunless... if I may ask... how, exactly, are we going to lure a Cursed Terror out of its lair?"
He looked at her sideways and smiled.
"It's easy."
With that, he raised a hand and summoned a small silver bell.
As its clear ringing washed over the entirety of the Estuary Lake, Sunny took a deep breath and shouted as loud as he could — and as a Supreme, he could shout pretty loudly:
"Hey! Come out and face me, you vile bird! You repugnant scum! You degenerate fowl! Or are you scared to show your atrocious excuse of a face here, huh?! Come get me, you wretched chicken!"
Nephis and Ananke stared at him with peculiar expressions.
Despite their lack of faith, though, they did not have to wait long for an answer to come.
Even if that answer was not what any of them had expected.