Chapter 690: One Question
Some time later, Sunny left the room, walked between the tall menhirs, and entered the sprawling garden of the Sanctuary. The cohort had intended to talk to Noctis together, but after his bombshell of a revelation, the others needed some time to digest all the new information and decided to stay behind.
'Understandable…'
In truth, Sunny wanted to be alone for a few minutes, as well. Although he felt that he had made the right decision, revealing his secrets was… an uncomfortable experience. He felt as if an invisible weight had been lifted off his shoulders, a bit, but also rattled and uneasy. He felt... naked.
Sunny could use a little solitude to gather his thoughts, too.
After the initial shock, he had gone into more detail about his capabilities, explaining how a Divine Aspect worked, and the circumstances of how he earned it. However, it was not like he knew a lot about this matter himself, so the conversation was not too long.
It had helped the others better understand his powers, as well as that of Nephis… and, most importantly, of Mordret. Now, they were as ready to face the Prince of Nothing as they could be, should a conflict with him happen. Additionally, due to everyone gaining deeper insight into Sunny's powers, their already profound synergy as a battle unit was bound to grow even more refined.
Sunny kept a few things to himself, as well. The difference was that if before there had been a strange dynamic between him and his friends, where they pretended to not know that he wasn't being entirely honest with them, and he pretended to not know that they knew… now, the existence of those white spots had been openly acknowledged by him.
Effie and Kai understood that there were things he wasn't ready to share, and why he was reluctant to do so. They seemed to respect his wishes.
All in all, it went surprisingly well.
Walking through the beautiful garden, which was illuminated by the pale light of the full moon, Sunny enjoyed the tranquil air of the Sanctuary. At some point, however, a slightly disconcerting thought entered his mind:
'I wonder… was this decision of mine influenced, to some degree, by Hope's poison? If so… what deep desire of mine had she amplified to push me toward being honest with my friends, for a change?"
Suddenly thoughtful, Sunny approached the door of the sorcerer's lair, waited patiently for the Sailor Dolls to open it, and walked inside.
'Maybe I was always…'
His eyes suddenly narrowed, and his hand shot to the side, ready to grasp the shaft of the Cruel Sight. Something was very wrong inside the dark hall… a thick, nauseating smell of blood invaded his nostrils, sending adrenalin coursing through his own. It surrounded him like a suffocating wave, as though a terrible massacre had just taken place in the immortal sorcerer's quarters.
…But Sunny did not see any corpses. The central chamber was just as he had left it the last time — empty of all furniture, with a vast circle of runes drawn on the stone floor. No, not entirely the same… the floor had cracked in several places, as though something was pushing at it from beneath, exerting devastating pressure on the ancient stones.
Noctis was still in the center of the circle. One of his sleeves was rolled up, and there was a deep cut on his left wrist, a stream of blood running down his hand and falling down like a crimson ribbon. In his other hand, he held the diamond sickle. The sorcerer was surrounded by a shallow pool of blood, however, it somehow failed to touch the hems of his garments.
Sunny stared at him for a few moments, noticing that the stone surface… seemed to be slowly absorbing the blood. Then, he gripped the emerald amulet and asked evenly:
"...Are you trying to kill yourself?"
Noctis slowly opened his eyes, glanced at Sunny, and smiled brightly. Then, acting as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening, he wiped the diamond sickle, hid it in the folds of his silk garment, and stoop up:
"What? Of course not! I'm too young to die!"
Sunny gave him a dubious look.
"Young? You are at least a thousand years old."
The sorcerer tilted his head, scratched his cheek with a thoughtful look, and then smiled even brighter:
"...What? Of course not! I'm too beautiful to die!"
Happy with himself, Noctis somehow made the cut on his wrist close, jumped over the pool of blood, and walked toward Sunny with a relaxed expression.
"Come… this place needs to be aired, I think. The garden is nice and chill, though."
Sunny threw one last look at the disappearing pool of blood. Did he imagine it… or had the stone floor of the chamber trembled slightly, just then? Shaking his head, he turned away and followed Noctis outside.
Together, they slowly headed for the Altar Island. Noctis seemed to enjoy the silence of the moonlit garden a lot… a minute or two later, though, he broke it with a carefree question:
"So, what did you want to tell me? Have you and your friends come to a decision?"
Sunny hesitated for a moment, then answered:
"We did. We… will help you free Hope."
Noctis grinned.
"Oh, wonderful!"
After that, he didn't say anything else.
Sunny waited for a while, a little confused. They had already reached the white altar and sat down on a stone bench, enjoying the sight of the pristine lake, with a pale circle of the moon reflecting on its calm surface. And yet, the sorcerer seemed to lose his ability to speak.
Slightly irritated, Sunny hesitated for a moment and then asked awkwardly:
"...So? Do you need me to give you the knives?"
Noctis looked at him with an easy smile and shrugged.
"Ah, no need. Keep them."
Sunny's eye twitched.
"What do you mean, keep them?! Wasn't the knives what you were after?"
The immortal sorcerer looked at the reflection of the moon, then waved a hand vaguely.
"We can deal with them when the time comes. Things will sort themselves out, one way or another."
He remained silent for a bit, and then added, his smile slowly disappearing:
"Now that the One in the North is dead, things will start moving faster. The other Chain Lords are probably already in motion."
Noctis sighed, then leaned back and looked up at the sky.
"We won't have as much time to prepare as I would have hoped. Two months, perhaps… maybe even less. You and your friends should spend that time wisely. Once the end starts, we won't have an opportunity to relax like this until it's all over."
Sunny grew silent, then looked at the tranquil lake. After a few moments, he said:
"We will help you, but I have some questions."
Amused by that statement, Noctis laughed.
"You even have questions on a night like this? Sunless… you should learn how to enjoy yourself, from time to time. Take a moment and appreciate the world. Otherwise, what is the point in living?"
Sunny glanced at him with a deadpan expression.
"Do I look like someone who knows what the point of living is? Thanks for the advice, I'll take your words to heart. However, I still have questions."
The sorcerer made a dour face and sighed.
"...Alright. One question. I'll answer one question. So think well before asking it!"
Sunny did not speak for a while, staring at the reflection of the moon. His face grew serious, deep shadows veiling his eyes.
After several minutes spent in silence, he finally frowned, looked at Noctis, and said:
"...Then tell me this one thing. Why did Sun God destroy Hope's Kingdom?"
The immortal raised his eyebrows, then threw his head back and laughed.
"By the Moon… of all the questions in the world, you just had to ask this one, didn't you!"
He shook his head, and then looked away.
"Well, a deal is a deal. I'll answer... like many others who tried to answer this question over the centuries. Some said that it was because she was a daemon, others said that it was because she was too powerful. That she had grown too prideful, or that she had grown too radiant, outshining even the Lord of Light. But they were all wrong. In truth… at least what I think is the truth… Hope wasn't punished because she was too powerful, too prideful, or too radiant."
He remained silent for a few moments, and then sighed.
"...It was because she was worshipped."
Chapter 691: Heresy
Sunny remained silent for a few moments, absorbing what Noctis had told him. The Altar Island was calm and tranquil, the lake surrounding it shimmering in the darkness with the reflected moonlight. The branches of the ancient tree swayed gently above his head.
'Because she was worshipped…'
He snorted and looked away, feeling bitterly disappointed, for some reason. After a while, he said darkly:
"So, what? That is all there is? Sun God was jealous?"
The sorcerer glanced at him, lingered for a moment, and then slowly shook his head.
"No… no, he wasn't."
Noctis remained silent for a bit, then sighed.
"The gods had never shown any animosity toward daemons. In fact, their relationship was somewhat friendly. In the battles of the ancient times, they even fought side by side as allies."
He frowned.
"Neither had the gods ever cared about whom or what the mortals worshipped. Ah, there were all kinds of silly cults before! There were rulers that proclaimed themselves divine, people who built temples to beasts and spirits… some oddballs even worshipped rocks. Or the Corrupted abominations… by the Moon, can you imagine? But the gods did not mind at all."
The sorcerer glanced up at the sky, thought for a bit, and then said somberly:
"However, people had never worshipped a daemon… before Hope. The daemons, you see, are elusive and solitary creatures by nature. There is the eldest, mysterious Weaver — the Demon of Fate, who is shrouded in countless layers of lies. Then there is the youngest, Nether — the Demon of Destiny, who secluded himself in the darkness of the Underworld. There is the Demon of Oblivion, whose name is long forgotten…"
Sunny listened attentively, absorbing the new information. Already accustomed to wielding the emerald medallion, he reflexively let go of the beautiful stone and allowed it to hand from the chain wrapped around his fingers, so that his thoughts remained private.
'Huh… so the Prince of the Underworld was actually called Nether? I wonder which came first, the name of the title… and he was also the Demon of Destiny, it seems. Wait, aren't fate and destiny the same thing? I guess they're not… the rune for destiny can also mean choice, after all… so, was he actually the Demon of Choice?'
His thoughts were interrupted by the sorcerer's wistful voice:
"...and the rest, each a personification of calamity and disaster. Mysterious, distant, and terrifying, each and every one of them. Or at least they were, until the Demon of Desire decided to come and live among us mortals, becoming known as Hope. She built her kingdom here, and soon, people learned to love her. And not long after that, they started to worship her."
Noctis paused and then continued, his face growing darker:
"And that was when we learned that while the gods were friendly to daemons and indifferent to mortals building temples to beasts, spirits, and rocks… they would not allow a daemon to be worshipped. They were so unwilling, in fact, that the Lord of Light brought down his flames upon the mortal realm, obliterating a whole chunk of it."
Sunny frowned, feeling a cold sense of dread permeate his heart. Remembering one of his nightmares, he shivered.
"...But why?"
The sorcerer looked at him with a bit of surprise and shrugged.
"Who knows? I guess only the gods do… well, and maybe a daemon or two. I doubt that even Hope knew what she had done wrong... but maybe she does, now. In any case, after her imprisonment, slowly, the idea of worshipping a daemon became tantamount to heresy."
Noctis suddenly laughed.
"What a strange word, heresy! Don't you think? It had not even existed when I was young, you know. But then, suddenly, each of the six cults started treating daemon worshippers as criminals, pests who were spreading a vile disease... and the concept of heresy was invented. Now, becoming a heretic means being hunted down and saying goodbye to your life…"
He grew silent, and then sighed.
"...We did not know it at the time, of course, but the destruction of the Kingdom of Hope was a turning point in history. With it, the Age of Heroes ended, and the current one — whatever it will be called one day — began. Ah, what a dreadful era! Nothing has gone right from then on…"
Sunny remained silent for a while, thinking that there was something strange about this whole story. Nothing made sense… the gods and the daemons had been allies once? Knowing that they would eventually clash in a devastating war, he could not quite believe it… however, on second thought, the Prince of the Underworld… Nether… was indeed described as having been close with the Goddes of the Black Skies once.
Who was to say that the other daemons had not consorted with the gods, as well?
But that only made the divine punishment that the Lord of Light had brought down upon the Kingdom of Hope more inexplicable and strange. And who had they been allied together against? The creatures of the Void? What was the exact timeline of all this convoluted nonsense? The Age of Heroes had ended with the imprisonment of Hope… but when had it started? And what had been happening before?
'Damn, so many questions…'
Sunny glanced at Noctis, hesitated for a few moments, and then grasped the emerald amulet again…
However, the sorcerer was having none of it. He glanced at Sunny and said with a smile:
"...I feel like you are about to ask me a question. That would be the second question… wait, no, the second one was whether or not Sun God was jealous! Wicked demon… you tricked me!"
Noctis shook his head, looked at Sunny with reproach, and stood up.
"Shame on you, Sunless! Good night. Tell your friends to prepare well in the time that we have left…"
With that, the sorcerer gave him another hurt look, then turned away and started walking back toward his residence.
After a few steps, however, he stopped and said in his usual carefree manner:
"Oh, yes… I almost forgot… you will have to go and retrieve the third knife, too. Don't worry, though, it is not going to be hard. Rather easy, really..."
Sunny, who was staring at the tranquil lake with a dark expression, simply nodded.
"Sure… wait, what? Why do we have to do it?! Go and get it yourself!"
Noctis hesitated for a bit, then sighed.
"Ah, I wish that I could. But… well… I might have said some nonsense about how my friend should only give the knife to someone of pure thought and heart… or something like that. And sadly, while I am the most outstanding person in all of the Kingdom of Hope in many regards… uh… purity is not my strong suit. You and your friends, however! You reak of purity… well, one or two of you, at least… for now…"
With that, the sorcerer winked at Sunny and strolled away, whistling a jovial tune.
Sunny watched him go, and then shook his head with a bewildered expression on his face.
'Wait… did he just… swindled me into getting another knife for him? Again?!'
He blinked a couple of times and clenched his four fists.
'...Damnation!'
Chapter 692: Free Time
After their conversation under that full moon, Noctis had secluded himself in his residence for a couple of weeks. Sunny tried to talk with the eccentric sorcerer a few times, but the silent Sailor Dolls refused to open the door and just stared at him with their crude wooden faces.
There was, of course, the option of simply using Shadow Step to get inside… but, somehow, Sunny suspected that intruding upon the immortal Transcendent would not have been the best idea. There were real souls trapped inside these Sailor Dolls, after all.
In the end, he and the other members of the cohort had no choice but to follow the advice Noctis gave him — to rest and prepare for what was about to come. Luckily, there were a lot of preparations they had to do.
While all four had trained themselves extensively before entering the Nightmare, many things happened since then. There were a lot of lessons they had learned in these three terrible months, most of them bringing the four Awakened to the very door of death. Now that they had time, they could go over everything they had learned, revisit it, and truly absorb it into their bones, connecting the new knowledge and skills to their foundation in a solid manner.
For Sunny, that meant several things.
The first one was Shadow Dance. He had found himself in a strange situation, having made the recent breakthrough inside of a nightmare... that he did not really remember.
Sunny could guess that mastering the third step of his battle style was tied to the fact that he had lived through countless nightmares and lost himself in them, becoming truly shapeless and formless… forgetting himself and turning into other people completely.
That observation was in line with how he had initially made progress to the third step of Shadow Step, back in the arena of the Red Colosseum, where he shadowed numerous Nightmare Creatures. Back then, he had almost lost himself, as well, but stopped at the last moment, fearing that he would not be able to come back.
Being trapped in the nightmares had made that frightening step for him, and so, he had approached the very edge of a breakthrough. The final piece of the puzzle had been trying to shadow the epitome of formlessness — another Shadow, Nightmare.
As a result of the breakthrough, Sunny's ability to recognize and gain insight into patterns of combat techniques had increased even more, now allowing him to understand and predict not only the movements and behavior of his enemies, but also intricately sense the flow of essence through their bodies, as well as — almost, but not quite — being able to predict their very thoughts.
However, there was one glaring flaw in this miraculous ability, one that he didn't know how to solve. For the first time since Sunny had created Shadow Dance, the elusive battle art was starting to seem… dangerous. Not only for his enemies, but also for himself.
What was the point of being able to kill something if he ran the risk of losing himself and becoming that thing forever?
To kill a dragon, one had to become a dragon...
Why would anyone want to achieve such a victory, if earning it meant ceasing to be themselves and becoming the very thing they had wanted to destroy?
For now, he didn't have a solution, and that made him more than a little bit nervous. So, Sunny decided to temporarily concentrate on other things.
He spent a large part of his days practicing archery with Kai. Sunny quickly realized that he would never be as talented of an archer as his friend was, but that did not mean that he could not achieve great results. In fact, his aim and skill with the bow were increasing at a steady pace.
Still, there was a question of distributing the tools the cohort possessed in the most efficient manner, so Sunny reluctantly tried to lend Morgan's Warbow to Kai. It was for naught, though — because of the [Unbending] enchantment of the bow, his friend was simply not strong enough to draw it.
When their training sessions were over, Sunny would usually return to his room and spent the rest of the day fruitlessly practicing weaving. He had achieved some progress in his attempt to learn how to copy enchantments, but not enough to make the altered weaves stable. The number of Memories he had won in the Red Colosseum was dwindling by the day with no apparent result, with made Sunny very frustrated.
It seemed that he had hit a bottleneck in his understanding of how spellweaves were supposed to work, and was in need of a mental breakthrough to push himself any further.
That breakthrough was not in a hurry to come, though.
…When the day was over and darkness encroached upon the world, Sunny turned to the third, and most time-consuming, part of his preparations… collecting shadow fragments to form his fourth core. Leaving the Sanctuary, he would travel to nearby islands in search of Nightmare Creatures to hunt, and killed those he could find and that were not beyond his ability to defeat.
By now, less than one hundred and fifty fragments separated him from becoming a Devil. The number seemed so small, but at the same time was more troublesome than it should have been.
The problem was in the fact that there were not as many Nightmare Creatures in the Kingdom of Hope as there had been on the Chained Isles in the future, especially not that close to the stronghold of one of the Chain Lords. As the result, his progress was torturously slow and tedious.
To accelerate it somehow, Sunny had made a frightening decision to leave the surface of the islands and take his hunting to their underside, where the true horrors of this land dwelled. Luckily, his new body was somewhat fit to do so — with his sharp claws and talons, he was able to climb any surface, no matter how steep, or even remain mobile while hanging entirely upside down.
And if he made a mistake, the Heavenly Burden was always at hand.
In combination with his swiftly improving archery skill and determination to form a new core before the culmination of the Nightmare arrived, Sunny was able to slay many dwellers of the Dark Side. There were indeed terrible and morbid creatures, and more than a few left scars on his body.
But it was still not fast enough.
By the end of the first two weeks, he was still not even halfway to his goal. And on that day, quietly and without any fanfare, something else happened.
Somewhere out there, in the wild reaches of the Dream Realm…
Changing Star of the Immortal Flame clan had finally become a Tyrant.
Chapter 693: Knowledge of Everything
Sunny was in his room, watching as a Memory disintegrated into a whirlwind of shimmering sparks, a dark expression on his face. He didn't need the Spell to inform him to know that he had just lost another one…
And yet, the ever-helpful Spell still whispered into his ear:
[Your Memory has been destroyed.]
Sunny snarled, then shook his head bitterly and summoned the runes, intending to check on how many expendable Memories he still had left. It was then that he decided to check on Neph's progress, which had long ago become a deeply ingrained habit of his.
Seeing that Changing Star was still alive and fighting brought him both relief and grim motivation.
Already sensing what he was about to see, Sunny stared at the runes and read:
Name: Nephis.
True Name: Changing Star.
Rank: Dormant.
Class: Tyrant.
Shadow Cores: [5/7].
Shadow Fragments: [0/5000].
He looked at the runes for some time, then sighed and dismissed them.
Just a few days ago, she was still far away from reaching the fifth core. After the Red Colosseum and his battle with Nightmare, the gap between them had shortened even more… but now, Neph had gone and done something crazy again, making it grow vast and infuriating once more.
He stared at the walls of his room darkly. It was as though the two of them were constantly playing an insane game of tug of war, fully knowing that one wrong move meant death, but equally unwilling to let the opponent win.
And from the very start of it, he had never been in the lead.
'How… tiresome.'
Sunny shook his head, realizing that he was in no mood to blindly throw himself at the impregnable barrier of weaving anymore. At least not today.
…His solemn mood changed, however, when the shadows he had stationed across from the sorcerer's door saw it open, and the familiar figure walk out, then wince at the bright sun.
Noctis looked a bit disheveled, with dark circles under his eyes and slightly messy hair. Considering who it was, though, Sunny could only guess whether the immortal was tired, or just hungover.
Still, this wasn't a chance he was ready to miss.
Wasting some essence to step through the shadows, Sunny appeared a few meters away from Noctis and looked at him with a guarded expression. The sorcerer blinked a couple of times, then put on a friendly smile:
"Sunless… you are still here? Haven't we just talked?"
Sunny inwardly rolled his eyes.
"...That was two weeks ago. Fifteen days, technically."
Noctis raised an eyebrow, shifted from foot to foot awkwardly, and then cleared his throat.
"Oh… really? I, uh… well, what a nice day! Can I help you with something, then?"
Sunny stared at the sorcerer for a few moments, then nodded.
"Yes. Yes, in fact, you can."
The immortal Transcendent smiled brightly.
"Well, why didn't you say so! We are friends, are we not, and friends are supposed to help each other… so, what do you need?"
Sunny gripped the emerald amulet tighter, hesitated for a second, and then said:
"...Can you teach me sorcery?"
***
Noctis continued to smile for a bit, then laughed.
"That's it? Sure, no problem. I am the greatest sorcerer in the Kingdom of Hope, after all! Under my guidance, you will become a distinguished sorcerer yourself in no time. Let me think… if we start right now…"
As Sunny smiled tentatively, he looked at the sky to gauge the time of day, thought for a bit, and then added:
"...we'll be finished at about the same time, a hundred years from now. Let us start!"
Sunny blinked.
"What? A hundred years?!"
The sorcerer frowned a little, then shrugged.
"Well, maybe two hundred years. That was how long it took me to learn the basics… if you mean true sorcery, of course, not those pitiful tricks others consider to be miracles. Uh, actually… what do you think sorcery is?"
Sunny hesitated, then said with uncertainty:
"The ability to manipulate magical energies through means that fall outside one's Aspect?"
Noctis stared at him for a bit, then sighed.
"A good enough answer, but no. Simply put, there is no such thing as sorcery. Or rather, there is no single thing called sorcery. But there are various ways to twist the underlying laws of the world to produce some effect, desirable or not. What we call sorcery is just a… a structured method of achieving a predictable result while doing so, with whatever means you possess. Usually with the help of soul essence."
He looked around, observing the landscape of the Sanctuary, and added:
"...Take me, for example. My Aspect has to do with souls, and so, I was able to learn a few things from the followers of Heart God — the God of Souls, as well as emotions, memory, hunger, and growth. However, I only became a true sorcerer after learning Hope's magic."
Sunny tilted his head a little.
"Hope's… magic?"
Noctis nodded.
"Ah, yes. The most common type of sorcery used by mortals — blindly and without a true understanding of its nature, I might add — comes from Hope. She is the one who invented writing, after all, and gifted it to us humans. What a wonderful invention it was! Writing itself does not produce sorcery, though."
He hesitated, and then added:
"Before Hope invented writing, the most common type of sorcery used by mortals, even more blindly, was the Sorcery of Names. You see, Sunless, everything that exists has a name. In fact, you might even say that a thing only starts to exist after it is given a name. A flower is just a flower, one among many, until you call it a rose. Then, roses are suddenly different from all the other flowers, and so, they come to exist."
Sunny frowned, not sure that he understood what the hell Noctis was talking about. Wouldn't roses exist even if they were not called roses? Well… in a sense, they wouldn't? Flowers that looked like roses would, but they would not be called roses, and so, there would not be roses…
'How confusing…'
The sorcerer, meanwhile, ignored his befuddlement and continued:
"However, not all names are equal. So are simply given and aren't worth much, while others have to be earned… and those names, the true names of things, hold power over them. Names are a powerful thing, Sunless… and so, a long time ago, people who learned those names could share in that power. However, their authority was obscure and fleeting, since it was only invoked when someone said the names aloud… and saying them with a mortal mouth was not an easy feat."
He suddenly smiled.
"But that was what made Hope's invention so ingenious, you see! Once writing appeared, one with enough knowledge could connect the names to material objects, granting the invocation permanence. Of course, it is not that simple… in fact, knowing the names of things and how to shape them into songs and phrases is incredibly hard, because with the knowledge of names comes the knowledge of everything."
Noctis let out a heavy sigh.
"Simply scribbling a rune without understanding its meaning would not do anything. So, it takes centuries to learn the very basics of runic sorcery. Unless you are intrinsically predisposed to it, of course… which no one is, except for Hope herself. But I will gladly teach you everything I know! If you have a century or two to spare, I mean..."
The sorcerer smiled brightly and stared at Sunny, sincerity written all other his obnoxiously beautiful face.
'That slimy bastard…'
Of course, Sunny did not have a couple of centuries to spare.
But… maybe… he didn't need to.
'Names are a powerful thing…'
Suddenly, a seed of an idea appeared in his mind.
"I… uh… maybe some other time."
Noctis sighed with regret and opened his mouth to say something… but the four-armed demon was already gone, swallowed by shadows.
The sorcerer stared at the shadows with a sour face, then shook his head and sighed again.
"What a strange fellow…"
Chapter 694: Key Piece
Back in the Red Colosseum, Sunny had spent an excruciating amount of time remembering and comparing the weaves of different Memories in order to understand what they had in common.
In his mind, there were three traits that all Memories shared: the ability to be summoned and dismissed, the ability to repair themselves while dismissed, and the connection to the wielder's soul.
By recognizing these three universal parts of the weave patterns, he thought that he had learned how to reproduce these simplest enchantments, at least to the point where he managed to create a simple pattern that allowed an item to be dismissed and summoned from essence.
…However, there was a fourth quality that all Memories shared, one that he had not thought about.
All Memories had a name.
'I am an idiot… such an idiot…'
He of all people should have known what power names wielded, considering that his own True Name was literally the key to having absolute control over him.
Appearing from the shadows that nestled in his room, Sunny fell on the bed and summoned the Silver Bell — the Memory with which he was familiar the most. He had spent countless hours studying its weave and trying to comprehend the secrets of how it worked… to little avail, up until now.
Staring beneath the surface of the small bell, he saw the beautiful and complicated pattern of ethereal strings that permeated it, with a single dimly glowing ember in its middle.
By now, Sunny had managed to recognize the parts of the weave that were responsible for all its unique qualities… or so he thought.
There were the three segments of the pattern that he had learned in the Red Colosseum, and the rest was the single enchantment of the bell. However, despite knowing all the parts, Sunny could never make sense of the whole weave… as though something was missing, making all his attempts to comprehend the logic and connections of the ethereal strings useless.
'There is one more element… the Silver Bell does have only a single enchantment, but it also has a name… the name that differentiates it from every other Memory, and thus, allows it to exist… somehow.'
Sunny stared at the part of the weave that he had thought was representing the enchantment for a long time, then summoned another Memory and studied it, as well. The task of separating one completely unique part of the weave from another completely unique part seemed impossible, at first… after all, he had nothing to use as a reference.
But he had something even better. The intrinsic predisposition to weaving that he had inherited from the Demon of Fate… the very quality that Noctis had mentioned Hope possessed when it came to runic sorcery, as its creator.
Sunny, of course, was no Weaver. But he was able to intuitively sense the purpose of spellweave elements due to his connection to the enigmatic daemon. That talent was literally in his blood. All Sunny had to do now… was carefully examine each and every string comprising the vast pattern, and sense which ones were meant to create sound, and which had no purpose he knew of.
The ones he knew nothing about had to do something with the name.
…Hours passed, and soon, it grew dark outside. Sunny continued to stare at the small silver bell, forgetting about his nightly hunt. And at some point in the middle of the night, his eyes suddenly widened.
'There… is it? Yes! I see it!'
Finally, he had managed to isolate the part of the weave that had nothing to do with the three universal enchantments, but also didn't seem to be connected to the actual purpose of the bell — producing a ringing that could be heard from miles away.
This… this had to be the part of the spellweave that described the name of the Memory. Such a vast and intricate pattern of ethereal strings, all to express two simple words…
Silver Bell.
As soon as Sunny mentally connected these two words with the pattern, a strange thing happened. The weave of the Silver Bell remained the same, but he suddenly saw it differently. It was as though the whole thing completely transformed in front of his eyes, while not changing at all.
The disparate parts suddenly seemed harmoniously connected, and the chaotic and senseless structure of the weave suddenly appeared to possess a strange and mysterious, but elegant and undeniable logic.
He was stunned.
'How… how did I not see this?'
The pattern was suddenly so much more open to him, so much easier to discern. And in the middle of it, weaving through every part of the tapestry of ethereal strings was the name, Silver Bell, which served as the bridge and the unifying element between them.
'...No wonder every Memory I tried to modify collapsed. I only missed the most important thing, damn!'
Sunny studied the weave of the Silver Bell with wide eyes, seeing the familiar parts of it in a new light.
…Then, however, a slight frown appeared on his face.
'Wait… what is that?'
Now that he saw the entirety of the logic behind the pattern — or rather, of the logic behind its foundational structure — he could also see an element that seemed alien to his understanding. By now, no part of this weave was supposed to remain unknown to him.
And yet, there was one.
More than that, that part of the weave was vast and terribly complicated, as much inherent to the whole structure of the Memory as its name. It was hard to notice at first, but if one knew what to look for, it was almost impossible to ignore.
'Huh… it is very pretty… but what the hell is it?'
He scowled, then glanced at the other Memory, wishing to compare its weave to that of the Silver Bell.
To Sunny's surprise, the vast and beautiful underlying pattern was there, as well, its presence as strange and unexplainable as before.
Suddenly tense, he summoned all of his Memories one after another, studying them… and finding the mysterious pattern everywhere!
'What the hell is it?!'
Sunny had no idea, and even his intuition was silent, not providing any hint as to the purpose of the everpresent hidden weave. The only clue he found was that a part of it bore a distant resemblance to the weave of the Moonlight Shard, and that its overall structure slightly resembled that of the name of the Silver Bell. However, the mysterious pattern was incomparably vaster and… deeper.
He scowled, and then suddenly tilted his head with a surprised expression.
"Moonlight… light…"
Sunny glanced at the weave again, and then froze.
"...Lost from Light?"
Chapter 695: Sonorous Silver Bell
…When morning came, Sunny was sitting on the floor with a wild look on his bestial face, his black coarse hair in a mess. There was a glowing golden needly in one of his hands and a small silver bell in the other. The other two held a flute that seemed to be either cut from jade or made out of polished emerald bone.
That was probably the best Memory he had received in the Red Colosseum… but right now, Sunny couldn't care about the flute any less.
Instead, all his attention was concentrated on the small bell.
Holding his breath, Sunny raised and shook it. However, instead of the clear ringing that would be heard from kilometers away, all he heard was a barely audible, melodious whisper.
I wild grin slowly appeared on his face, illuminating his face.
"I've... I've done it. I really did!"
Barely containing his excitement, Sunny summoned the runes and read the description of the bell:
Memory: Silver Bell.
Memory Rank: Dormant.
Memory Tier: II.
Memory Description: [A small memento of a long-lost home, which once brought its owner comfort and joy. Its clear ringing can be heard from miles away].
Memory Enchantments: [Silver Song], [Sonorous].
[Silver Song] Enchantment Description: "The ringing of this bell is not overly loud, but can be heard across a vast distance."
[Sonorous] Enchantment Description: "The owner can decide how loud this bell will ring."
Sunny's eyes glistened with joy.
Of course, these two enchantments were not that powerful. However, that did not matter… what mattered was the fact that there were now two of them, despite that there had only been one before.
He had finally managed to successfully copy and transplant an enchantment, albeit a simple one. He had studied the emerald bone flute, painstakingly recreated the weave of the [Sonorous] Enchantment, and integrated it into the weave of the Silver Bell… without destroying it. He had done it! He added a new enchantment to a Memory!
Failing to wipe the wide grin from his face, Sunny looked beneath the surface of the small bell. Now, its spellweave looked… very different.
Where there had once only been strings of ethereal light, now there were black strings made of shadows, as well. The two types of strings were intricately intertwined to create a complicated, and yet harmonious pattern.
More than that, the pattern of the Silver Bell used to have only one glowing ember that served as a nexus for the ethereal threads... but now, there were two — knowing that an additional enchantment would require a more powerful foundation, Sunny had used one of the soul shards in his possession to create a new anchor.
All of this had only been possible because of his new insight into the structure of weaves. Knowing that the name of a Memory was integral to its spellweave allowed Sunny to see the pattern as a whole, and so, he was finally able to change it without destroying the thing entirely.
Of course, he was still unable to even think about creating an enchantment of his own… but taking an already existing enchantment pattern and transplanting it into a different Memory was not outside of the realm of possibility for him anymore. Granted, it was not an easy process… just the simple [Sonorous] enchantment took a whole night and an ocean of shadow essence to create.
And that was after he had spent months staring at the Silver Bell and studying its spellweave.
But, still…
'Gods!'
The possibilities… were almost infinite. The ability to modify and change his Memories could open countless doors for him, in time… and that was only scratching the surface of his recent breakthrough.
Just the fact that he had been able to raise the Tier of the Silver Bell by adding an additional anchor was already promising enough.
Yes, it would take a lot of time and effort to solidify this success and learn how to copy enchantments faster and more reliably. There would be plenty of failures along the way…
But the more Sunny practiced, the more he would come to know about the logic and essence of weaving. One day in the future, he would gain enough knowledge and experience to take the next step and learn how to modify and change the enchantments themselves, altering their function.
And one day after that, far in the future, he just might learn enough to try creating an enchantment — and a Memory — of his own.
On the day he succeeded in that daunting endeavor…
On that day, Sunny would earn the right to call himself a true sorcerer.
...On that day, he would become a weaver.
***
Much later, Sunny emerged from his room, stared at the bright sun with a dissatisfied expression, yawned, and walked toward the spot where he and Kai usually practiced archery.
His friend was already there, wearing his charred wooden mask. There was a bow in his hands, and a quiver of arrows by his feet.
Noticing the four-armed demon, Kai turned his head and waved, greeting him.
"Good morning!"
Sunny rubbed his face, then revealed his sharp fangs in a frightening smile.
"...What's good about it? Ah, doesn't matter. Shall we start?"
The young man looked at him for a bit, then shrugged.
"Sure. But where have you been these last few days?"
Sunny blinked a couple of times.
"In my room? Wait, a few days passed? Huh… I must have lost the track of time…"
Kai tilted his head, then suddenly glanced at Sunny's hands:
"Oh… wait. Where is that emerald amulet Noctis gave you?"
Sunny glanced down with a guilty look, lingered for a bit, and answered reluctantly:
"Oh… that thing… I, uh, sort of broke it."
The young man's eyes widened.
"You broke… wait, then how am I hearing you?!"
At that moment, Sunny grinned and produced a simple-looking rock from the folds of his black kimono, then proudly presented it to Kai.
The archer stared at it with confusion:
"Is it… the Ordinary Rock?"
Continuing to grin, Sunny shook his head. Then, the rock suddenly spoke in his voice:
"It was. But now… it is the Extraordinary Rock! I… improved it, I guess. Now, it can do the same thing as the amulet, but as an active enchantment. So, no more blurting random thoughts for me! What a relief… I can curse out anyone I want in peace again… uh, I mean, can have some mental privacy again. It can also be really, really loud. So, its name changed as well."
Kai stared at him in bewilderment for a bit, then shook his head.
"Well… this is great! But, sadly, we don't have time to discuss it in detail… or practice archery, for that matter."
Sunny raised an eyebrow.
"Really? Why?"
The young man sighed, then stood up and picked up his quiver.
"It's Noctis… he wants to see us."
Chapter 696: Extraordinary Rock
Sunny remained silent for a few moments, then sighed and followed Kai through the garden. He felt a little uneasy about meeting Noctis…
'Surely, he won't be mad at me for breaking his amulet… well, who cares, anyway? That slick bastard owes me too much, already…'
Destroying the emerald amulet had not been his plan. Suny just really, really wanted to find a more efficient method of expressing himself, and the sorcerer's gift was the only thing in his possession that had a suitable enchantment.
The problem was that the enchantment was made with runes, and not a weave. So Sunny had no way to reproduce it.
…He could, however, try to turn the amulet into a Memory.
Sunny had already achieved something similar back in the Red Colosseum by weaving a basic enchantment of summoning into his slave collar. However, the process had never been completed, because the enchantment was destroyed in the clash with the collar's own magic, lasting only long enough to allow him to escape the cage.
Now, however, Sunny had plenty of time to make another attempt.
This time, armed with his new knowledge, he had a far better chance of success. Of course, it was not guaranteed, so he started by experimenting with a beautifully crafted wooden chair in his room.
Slowly and tediously, he created countless strings of the essence and weaved the three basic enchantments into the piece of furniture… only to see them — and the soul shard he had used as an anchor — disintegrate into a rain of ethereal sparks.
After thinking for a while and replenishing his essence, Sunny repeated the process, but this time with one additional step. He also weaved his True Name into the pattern, using it as the beacon for the enchantment that was responsible for connecting the Memory to the owner's soul.
And so, the chair… became a Memory, of sorts.
Now, there was a [???] in the list of Memories he owned, with a description that stated "This chair was turned into a Memory by Lost from Light... for reasons unknown". The chair could be summoned and dismissed at will, and even repaired itself while stored within his soul.
It could also be fed to Saint, increasing her shadow fragment count by half a point — since the single soul shard Sunny had used to create the weave was of the Awakened rank.
Satisfied with that, Sunny waited for his cores to regenerate enough essence, and repeated the process once again, now with the emerald amulet itself.
Sadly, the result… was not the same.
He did manage to make the amulet into a Memory. What was more, in the process, the Spell itself transformed the enchantment of the amulet from runic to a weave, showing just how ingenious Weaver's creation was.
However, the resulting pattern turned out to be unstable. Perhaps because of the alien nature of the amulet's magic, or perhaps because Sunny did not know its name, or how to name it using strings, it began to slowly unravel almost immediately after the transformation. All Sunny could do was feverishly study the weave of the swiftly decaying Memory before it completely fell apart.
Soom, the amulet destroyed itself.
But Sunny still managed to copy its enchantment onto the Ordinary Rock, as well as adding a new anchor to the weave of the Rock, thus elevating it to the Second Tier. He also went ahead and copied the [Sonorous] enchantment onto it, as well.
When he did, the name of the Memory changed, and the Ordinary Rock… became the Extraordinary Rock.
Overall, Sunny was very pleased with himself — not only because he managed to recreate another enchantment and confirm his ability to turn soul shards into food for his Shadows, but also because he would finally be able to speak his mind… without speaking everything that was on his mind in the process.
Gods knew he needed that!
The only bad thing about the whole situation was that Noctis's gift was destroyed. But, with some luck, the sorcerer would not even notice…
'Whatever…'
They met Effie near the wooden door. By now, the little girl's bruises had healed, and she looked like a vigorous, healthy child again.
...She was also gnawing on a large bone with a wild look on her face, seemingly making even the Sailor Dolls a bit nervous.
Noticing the two of them, Effie smiled.
"There you are!"
Kai greeted her, and then asked:
"Where's Cassie?"
The little girl swung her bone, pointing at the flying ship that hovered above the Sanctuary.
"There. Noctis is, too. Let's go?"
With that, she swallowed the remains of the bone and raised her hands, as if asking for a hug.
Kai sighed, then picked her up and flew into the sky. Sunny grimaced, summoned the Heavenly Burden, and followed.
Soon, they landed on the deck of the ship and found Cassie there, already waiting for them. The sorcerer was some distance away, watering the sacred tree.
The sight of him with a watering pot in hand was so mundane that it almost looked comical.
The members of the cohort approached Noctis and then stopped, waiting respectfully for him to notice them.
…After a while, Sunny cleared his throat.
Some time later, he growled loudly.
Finally, the sorcerer flinched, then turned around and smiled.
"Oh! You are finally here."
Sunny nodded, then asked cautiously:
"We are. What did you want to talk about?"
Noctis scratched his chin, then sighed.
"Well… it's time for the four of you to go and retrieve the Ruby Knife. It is not too far from here, being kept by a friend of mine. The whole trip should not take you more than a couple of days."
'...Sounds like another disaster.'
Sunny frowned, hesitated for a second, and then said:
"And what exactly do we need to do to get the knife from your… friend?"
Noctis blinked a couple of times, a confused look on his face.
"Oh… nothing? Just go there and tell her to give you the knife. As long as at least one of you is pure… in heart and thought… she will."
'Can't be that easy… and what does being pure even mean?'
Sunny wanted to ask a few questions, but then changed his mind. Speaking with Noctis more than absolutely necessary was… troublesome. It was also fruitless, since Noctis only ever revealed as much information as he wanted, and never more than that.
So, he simply said:
"And where does that friend of yours reside?"
The immortal Transcendent smiled, then conjured a map of the Kingdom of Hope from somewhere and pointed to a particular island.
"Here! See… it's really close…"
Sunny looked at where the sorcerer's manicured finger pointed… and paled.
He knew that island pretty well.
It was the island of the tranquil, clear lake that he had been advised to never approach… because the creature living in the lake was so terrifying that even Sky tide did not dare to venture there.
The creature was surely Corrupted, and as for its Rank, no one even had a guess.
Rattled, he glanced at Noctis with a dark expression and growled.
"Are you joking? There's a terrible, unsightly thing living in that lake!"
The sorcerer looked at him with reproach, and then said bitterly:
"Well… that unsightly thing is my friend. Shame on you, Sunless. Of all the creatures in the world, I thought that you would be the last to judge someone on their appearance… after all, you are a terrible and unsightly thing yourself… and yet, we are best friends…"
Chapter 697: Friendly Visit
Sunny stared at the sorcerer for a few moments, unamused. He really wanted to retort… but couldn't. The four-armed demon was indeed a fearsome and unsightly creature, as far as humans were concerned. So, denying it would have been a lie.
And while the Extraordinary Rock could repeat his thoughts, the thoughts it spoke aloud still had to be truthful.
With an irritated snarl, Sunny looked away and said:
"Fine. We will retrieve the Ruby Knife from your friend that lives in the lake. However… it would only be polite for you to return the favor and give us something in return, don't you think? To avoid putting a strain on our own friendship, you know…"
These were more or less the exact words Noctis had used to lure him into a confrontation with Nightmare, so Sunny was pretty sure that the sorcerer would not be able to refuse his request.
Indeed, the immortal looked at him with a pale smile, and then let out a slightly nervous laugh.
"Oh… yes, you are right, of course… huh… is there something particular you have in mind?"
Sunny nodded.
"As a matter of fact, I do."
With that, he pulled an amulet in the form of an anvil from the folds of his kimono and handed it to Noctis. This was the charm Master Welthe had worn in the Night Temple to protect herself from Mordret… after her death, the small talisman remained in his possession, revealing that it was not a Memory, but an actual object.
Considering its shape and the fame of the great clan Valor, especially when it came to forging weapons and tools, it was not hard to imagine how the charm came to be. However… that did not mean that Sunny understood how it worked.
And he really, really needed to.
Cassie was immune to Mordret's possession due to her blindness, and Sunny himself was protected by the army of shadows contained within his soul. Kai and Effie, however… when he imagined his friends meeting the Prince of Nothing, his blood turned cold.
"I want you to make something similar to this."
Noctis received that talisman and studied it with a curious smile. Slowly, however, the smile disappeared from his face. His grey eyes glinted with a strange emotion, and he said in a neutral tone:
"...Where did you get this?"
Sunny shrugged.
"Of an enemy's corpse. Well… more or less. Why?"
The sorcerer studied the small anvil for a bit more, and then shook his head with a sigh.
"I, uh… can't recreate this talisman. The sorcery used to enchant it is not something I have ever seen before. More than that, it was made for a reason that eludes me, and by someone far more powerful than I am. Which is a real feat, mind you, considering how mighty and talented I am! In any case, I can't do it. Think of something else."
Noctis glanced at the anvil amulet with a frown, and then returned it to Sunny.
'Someone… far more powerful?'
Sunny blinked a couple of times.
Had Mordret's father created the talisman to ward off his son personally? Just how dreadful the Sovereigns were to impress even an immortal Saint of the bygone era?
He lingered for a bit, then hid the little anvil and sighed.
"Alright then. I'll… think of something else. We will discuss it after the Ruby Knife is in our hands."
Noctis waved a hand and turned back to the sacred tree, then continued to water it.
"Fine, fine… just don't let your imagination run too wild. I am but a humble sorcerer, you know, not an actual deity… I only look like one... ah, yes, my heavenly beauty is indeed divine…"
Sunny sighed, then gestured to the other members of the cohort and turned around.
It was time to visit another of the humble sorcerer's friends.
***
Four Awakened were walking across the giant chain that swayed lightly, suspended between two skies — one blue and full of light, the other black and devoid of it.
Well, to be more precise, only Sunny and Cassie were walking. Kai was levitating above the links of the ancient chain, while Effie was sitting comfortably on Sunny's shoulders. In fact, the little girl was fast asleep… and drooling on his head.
In other circumstances, Sunny would have been outraged and shaken the fiendish child awake, but right now, he was too preoccupied with grim thoughts.
He wasn't even thinking about the creature they were about to face… no, his mind was still on the anvil talisman.
Since Noctis was unable to create a second one, someone in their cohort was going to have to remain without any defense against the Prince of Nothing… and now, Sunny had to decide who.
Was he going to give the charm to Kai, or to Effie?
As if reading his thoughts, the little girl suddenly shifted, then yawned and opened her eyes.
"Gods, Sunny… stop grinding your fangs so loud, will you? I can't sleep! What has gotten you so tense, anyway?"
He hesitated for a few moments, then shared his concerns. Both Cassie and Kai listened, as well, their faces turning as grim as his own.
…Effie, however, seemed unconcerned.
"What, that's it? How is this a problem… just give it to Kai, you doofus."
Sunny jumped down to the next link, holding Effie's skinny legs to prevent her from falling off, and then asked:
"Aren't you afraid of being consumed by Mordret?"
The little girl grimaced.
"You guys overestimate that Mordret guy a lot. He's not that dangerous."
Everyone grew silent, looking at her with doubt. Not dangerous? The hundred Lost warriors, two Ascended knights, and the whole of the northern reach of the Kingdom of Hope begged to differ.
She shook her head.
"What made him dangerous were the six cores he possessed. Inside the Soul Sea, that guy can mirror the Aspect of his enemy, correct? He can use the same Abilities, but charge them with the power of multiple cores."
Effie snorted.
"Well, he doesn't have six cores anymore. He only has one… maybe two or three, if he was very diligent and managed to create new ones. Doesn't really matter. Point is, he sacrificed his personal power to create five mirror monsters, which made the overall threat he represents far greater, but the danger to one's soul far lesser."
She thought for a bit, and then added thoughtfully:
"In fact, I would even say that what truly makes him dangerous are not his cores, but instead his skill and talent… his genius, even, when it comes to combat. The ability to mirror someone's Aspect sounds terrifying, but think about it… how long did it take you to get a grasp on how to properly use your Abilities? That guy has to fight someone with their own Aspect seconds after coming in possession of it… which is not an easy feat."
The little girl yawned again, and then settled into a more comfortable position.
"...More than that, he also inherits the person's Flaw. So, actually, it's just a question of skill and experience… let him invade my Soul Sea… I'll teach him some manners…"
With that… Effie fell asleep once again.
Sunny remained silent for a bit, then sighed and handed the anvil amulet to Kai, who received it with a doubtful expression on his face.
Effie was not wrong… now that Mordret did not possess an overwhelming advantage in raw power, this facet of his Aspect was less dangerous. It all came down to the nature of the victim's Abilities and their skill.
Effie was far more skilled in combat than Kai was… more than that, her own Aspect was all about physical might and melee combat, and he had never seen anyone more comfortable in their physicality than Effie. Even Mordret would find it difficult to utilize her Aspect better...
But, still…
Looking ahead, he scowled and said:
"...Let's hope we won't have to find out whether you are right or not. There is still a chance that we will not become enemies with Mordret in this Nightmare."
Effie shifted slightly, then said in a sleepy voice:
"Of course I'm right… now let me nap in peace…"
However, instead of doing that, Sunny shook her awake.
The little girl sighed with irritation.
"What?!"
He simply pointed forward.
"We're here."
…Just a hundred or so meters ahead, the slope of a flying island rose upward from the heavenly chain.
They had reached the tranquil lake.
Chapter 698: Creature of the Lake
Sunny landed on the very edge of the island and froze there, looking forward with a dark expression on his bestial face. The others remained silent, too, feeling his unease and tension.
The land in front of them seemed tranquil… beautiful, even. There was an expanse of vibrant green grass, and some distance away, it made way for the calm waters of a vast lake. Its surface was perfectly still and reflective, making it seem as though a piece of the blue sky above had somehow gotten embedded into the ground.
A gentle wind caressed their faces, and nothing broke the peaceful silence except for the rustle of grass and the distant rattling of chains.
…And yet, Sunny couldn't help but feel a sense of imminent danger.
He sighed, and then glanced at his friends with uncertainty.
"...Should we summon our armor and weapons?"
Kai hesitated for a moment, then said:
"Wouldn't that be seen as a sign of distrust and hostility? Pure heart, pure thoughts… whatever that means… does not seem to fit with being armed and ready for a fight."
Sunny grimaced.
"Yeah… however, what if we do have to fight?"
Effie smiled.
"The four of us should be able to at least retreat safely, should things go wrong. I mean, how terrible can that thing be?"
Sunny shivered, then shook his head.
"Terrible enough for Saints to fear it. I've… I've been to this island a few times, in the future, but stuck to the edges, never approaching the lake. So I don't actually know what kind of a creature lives in its depths. However… I did see bones laying on the shore. And just those bones alone looked like they had belonged to things I would not want to meet."
He hesitated for a while, then glanced at Cassie.
"What do you think?"
The young woman tilted her head a little, then said calmly:
"I don't feel any danger. Maybe Noctis was honest, this time."
Sunny sighed. Cassie's intuition had guided each of them through countless dangers unscathed… if she felt that it was safe, there was a good reason to listen.
That didn't mean that he had to be happy about it, though.
"Alright… no weapons or armor, for now. Just... pure thoughts…"
Together, they crossed the stretch of land between the edge of the island and the shore of the lake, stopping just a few steps away from the calm water. Because of how still and reflective it was, no one could peer beneath the surface… however, Sunny could feel something deep beneath the water. A vast and sprawling shadow… ancient, deep… unfathomable…
He shivered.
Sunny lingered for a bit, then cleared his throat and, feeling extremely stupid, addressed the lake:
"Uh… I am here to retrieve the Ruby Knife. Please… give it to me?"
There was a gust of wind… and nothing happened.
'Is it… is it because of Harper? Or all the things I've done to survive in the outskirts?'
A few moments later, Effie laughed.
"Oh… I guess you are not pure, Sunny… who would have thought!"
He gritted his teeth, then growled at her angrily.
"Go and try yourself, then!"
The little girl shook her head vigorously.
"No, no… no one has ever accused me of being pure, I think! Although…"
She thought for a bit, and then shrugged.
"I guess I am in the body of a child…"
The girl climbed down from Sunny's shoulders, approached the water, and stretched out a hand.
"Can I please have the knife, uh… Aunty from the lake?"
Once again, nothing happened. Effie remained there for a few moments, then sighed and took a step back.
"...Figures."
Finally, both of them turned and stared at Kai.
The young man hesitated for a few moments, then shook his head.
"I think Cassie should try."
Sunny and Effie glanced at each other, a little surprised, then shrugged and made way for the blind girl to approach the water. There was no harm in trying, anyway…
Cassie lingered for a few moments, then sighed and walked toward the shore. Stopping mere centimeters from the calm water, she lowered her head and said simply:
"I am here for the Ruby Knife."
At first, Sunny thought that she had failed as well… but then, the young woman suddenly paled and took a step back.
There was a ripple on the surface of the lake… and although the vast shadow hidden within it did not move, something suddenly appeared from beneath the water.
…A pale, white hand that held a long knife, which seemed to be made of solidified blood.
The hand rose from the water and offered it to Cassie, who suddenly trembled with her whole body and took another step back, shaking her head with a panicked look.
Then, however, she stopped. Her bloodless lips turned into a straight line, and, gritting her teeth, the young woman returned to the shore. There, she knelt and leaned forward, taking the Ruby Knife from the deathly white hand.
The hand let go of it easily and disappeared back into the water, and soon, nothing but a slowly dissipating ripple remained to remind them of its existence.
Sunny observed all of this in shock.
'It didn't move… the shadow did not even move…'
He was about to say something, but then, the water rippled again, and another hand emerged — this one black as coal and holding nothing. It slowly moved toward Cassie, then rose, and softly caressed her cheek. The young woman flinched when the black flesh touched her, but remained in place. A few seconds later, the black hand retreated back into the lake as well.
Cassie only moved when the ripples were gone, standing up and turning to them with a distant expression on her beautiful face. In the spot where the black hand touched her cheek, her skin turned grey and opened, drops of blood rolling down her chin.
She was holding the Ruby Knife in her trembling hands.
Sunny finally found himself able to speak:
"What… what the hell was that?"
Cassie remained motionless for a while, then suddenly shivered.
"I am… I don't know. Let's just get out of here. Please?"
He frowned, but did not object. To tell the truth, Sunny couldn't wait to get away from the lake himself.
As they were walking away, he briefly turned and looked at the tranquil water one last time.
Was it an illusion, or did the reflection of the sky on its surface seemed… darker?
***
As they were walking back across the chains, he looked at Kai and asked, a bit of curiosity finding its way into his voice:
"...How did you know that it will give the knife to Cassie?"
The blind girl turned her head slightly, as if equally interested to hear the answer. Even Effie seemed stumped.
The young man glanced at them and shrugged, smiling beneath his wooden mask.
"Pure heart, pure thoughts… all of us wondered what that means, right? Well… I think we all made a mistake, because it didn't really matter how we understood it. The only thing that mattered was how Noctis had understood it, centuries ago, when he entrusted the knife to the creature."
He grew silent for a bit, and then added:
"He gave the Ruby Knife away after finding out that Hope was driving the Chain Lords mad, fearing what he might do with it should the worst happen. So, to him, purity of heart and thought meant something very specific… the ability to remain of clear mind, true to his oath, and loyal to his sacred duty. And while none of us is perfect, Cassie is the most clear-headed and dutiful person I know."
Sunny tilted his head, not sure if he agreed with that statement… the creature of the lake had, though, which meant that Kai was at least partially right.
Or it had all been just a coincidence.
As he was remembering the past with a dark expression on his face, the young man suddenly spoke again, his voice hoarse and somber:
"...That was why Noctis had sent us to retrieve the knife instead of coming himself, I guess. Because he has gone mad, betrayed his oath, and abandoned his duty. And we… we are helping him walk even further on that path. Walk further into the madness, until he reaches its end…"