Sunny Shrugged and tilted his head.
S: So?
N: Last night was too long. You literally kept us up all night long.
Cassia almost choked on her food
Ca: Nephis, you really have to work on your phrasing.
N: What was wrong with it this time?
Ca: I will tell you later.
With that, their training continued. They getting stronger and stronger until the time had come for them to enter their sleeping pods.
The last day before their departure, Nephis met with Sunny in their clearing alone now. Cassia wanted to sleep early, apparently.
When Nephis approached him, she asked.
N: Let's spar, but for real this time.
S: What do you mean by: for real.
N: Fight me not as my lover but as an enemy.
S: I can't do that.
N: can't or don't want to.
S: Don't want to.
N: Please. Just one exchange.
S: one.
Nephis smiled slightly and got ready.
Sunny faced away from her, his smile vanishing from his lips, and once he faced her, she understood why he didn't want to fight her for real. If till now she was fighting a beautiful, mesmerising dance, now it was just nothing. Not a hint of emotion, not a hint of killing intent, nor bloodlust, it felt as if his whole existence was disappearing. She tensed up, feeling something cold grasp her heart. Shadows darkened, got colder, more deadly, but most importantly, abnormal. Her Field of view was getting consumed by the darkness of shadows, despite her desperate attempts to get her body to move, it refused. It was frozen in place. Or was she just looking at it at incredible speed, but her body could not react in time?
The blade of a training sword stopped next to her head gust of wind wiping her hair back. The thrust of Sunny's blade was so strong blade vibrated violently and broke apart.
Sunny sight, and looked up at Nephis with a sad, almost hurt expression in his eyes. Not letting her say anything, he just left.
Nephis stood there for some time and hung her head low, and fell on her knees a tear fell down her cheek onto the grass below her.
N: I think I should apologise.
Before they separated, Sunny pulled Nephis by her hand and asked.
S: Same place as last time?
N: Sure.
With that, they separated and went to their own sleeping pots.
When Sunny emerged in the wast sea, it felt different. Less oppressive and more calm. He didn't feel threatened at all despite all the horrors swimming around him.
Sunny swam up and looked around himself. As he summoned his armour giant shark started to swim towards him.
It didn't get close enough, tho, since it suddenly got slower and slower, getting strangled by Sunny's serpent.
He, meanwhile, swam to the shore like a mountain and climbed on top of it.
S: I should feel happy about saying it, but there are more important matters I have to attend to.
He sat down and closed his eyes, concentrating.
S: world essence here is great, I should get to master rank in a couple of months, but we need to help Nephis build her cohort, overthrow the caste, kill a bunch of incredibly strong opponents and not let Nephis get stuck here like last time. That's a lot of work. Not to mention, I want to get some of my shadows back. 3 or 4 would be nice. I don't think getting the 5th is realistic, so I will stick with what I can achieve.
After some time, he lay on his back and closed his eyes.
S: Do you know anything about relationships?
Eurys looked at him with surprise, mixed with his eyes.
Eu: So our young Shadow wants to learn some adult stuff, ha?!
The arrow almost pierced his head as soon as he said that.
Eu: Sorry, sorry. I will answer honestly. I don't really know much, but I do understand that every relationship is different.
He sighed and looked up at the archer in the trees.
Eu: Aulin and I are married.
S: Ha?
Eu: What, did you see me compliment another female in the group? Not only does she excite me, no, that is wrong… more like makes me whole. You might think that all those shots are threatening, but no, they are like our communication that we are alive.
S: weird.
Eu: What can I say, I am not exactly sane. That aside, look here.
He showed him the arrow, and it disassembled into feathers. This is her innate ability, you know. Making arrows out of whatever she desires.
S: Did you ever fight seriously?
Au: once.
Sunny tried to locate the elusive archer but failed.
Au: and I regretted it for a long time after.
S: Why?
Au: Why else? Euryn, despite how he looks, is incredibly powerful. If we were to be enemies, I would not last even a minute, regardless of how far I'd go or where I'd hide.
Au: he just attacked right as I asked, and I wasn't even able to move. Why are you asking anyway? Did you fight a girl you like?
S:…no, but yes at the same time.
Eu: How does that make sense?
Lu: Because he is from the future, and I don't mean it as you are from a different timeline, which was very obvious, but from your timeline's future.
Lu: How did you return to the past, tho?
S: How do you know all this?
Au: he might not be the strongest fighter of the nine, but his divination aspect is beyond the comprehension of the human mind.
S: I see.
Lu: Well, I don't really want you to tell me about what happened to us. I will leave that decision to the other, tho.
A: Back to your first question.
Auro was leaning against a tree to his right and continued.
A: Make her laugh, that's the important part. The rest will come naturally. Now, back to training.
Sunny opened his eyes, and it was morning already.
S: Protect her. Ha… that's easier said than done. She is like a magnet to disasters, but I love her nonetheless.
After he slid down the mountain, he went ahead and slaughtered a bunch of carapace scavengers, well, more like every scavenger he could see, filling up his hungry shadow core.
After another treacherous day of wandering the vast expanse of the dark sea, he decided to do something stupid. Hunt in the water. This was truly one of the worst decisions he could have made in a very long time, but his greed for getting stronger and faster suppressed any of those fears. After 3 days of cruel walking and bleeding from his shoulders, torso, face and arms, he was finally able to fill up his second core getting back his happy shadow. This boon did bring him some relief, but it did not heal him. Although he did not have a weaver lineage as last time. He had a lineage of a Shadow and Dream God. They greatly enhanced his ability with shadows and comprehension, but not healing. His restrictions for using essence to use his abilities were reduced as well, to some degree at least.
S: I should be getting closer to Neph's camp, right?
He looked at his 2 shadows and said.
S: Find it.
With that, they separated from his body, making him significantly weaker, but his training with the nine was very helpful.
He received the location where they are and called them back. Right as they merged with him, he could breathe again. Still bleeding and ragged.
After he made his way to their camp, he sent Happy Shadow to let them know he was near.
He wasn't even able to climb up because Nephis ran at the shadow, who returned to Sunny as soon as it was spotted and passed it, making her way past the rough terrain in a medium incline, now it was descent, but the point is the same.
As she spotted Sunny, she crashed into him, not even realising how wounded he was.
Therefore, he was unable to withstand the hug and tumbled down the hill, getting more bruises. The only thing he could do in that split second was to cover Neph's head so it won't get injured. After a couple of rolls, they stopped at the bottom of the hill. Nephis was hugging him tightly.
S: Neph?
His voice was strained, tired, but still loving.
She heard his voice sounding strained and let go of him, finally seeing how wounded and deserving he was.
S: Hey, Neph, how are you doing?
N: Could you do me a favour, Sunny?
S: depends on the favour.
N: Don't stop me if I want to heal you.
S: I will try.
As he said that he got engulfed by white flames, healing him in a matter of seconds.
N: You are a monster already?
S: Sorry. I guess I pushed my luck a bit too much.
N: Just be more careful, Sunny. If you were to die, I don't think.
Sunny kissed her, not letting her finish.
S: I won't die. I promise.
Nephis reluctantly nodded her head and helped him stand up.
As they ascended the hill, Sunny noticed Cassia turning to face them with a gentle smile.
Ca: Sunny. I am so happy you are here too.
S: How is your awareness?
Ca: Great, after you taught me how to use it. I can move normally now.
S: I see that's really good, then.
S: Don't forget about collecting essence from the world, it might be strange, but trust me, it is as we practised in the clearing. It will require a lot of your consciousness to keep it flowing steadily.
Sunny, Nephis and Cassia assess their strengths and decide to head to the Dark Castle. They didn't really need to explain to her why it is dangerous to go there since she felt movement under their safe place, and that thing was even further.
Their way through the labyrinth was significantly faster than it was last time they were here, and unlike in that past, this time, Cassia was much more comfortable while walking and traversing the dream realm. Sunny felt the most at peace of them all. Maybe it was because he was awakened, or maybe because he was Heir to Shadow God and Disciple of Dream God or a combination of both.
Despite all of the hardships, they reached the abominable tree that bound them to its root for countless days.
Instead of them fearing that monster, they faced it knowing what was at stake. The demon that guarded the tree posed them a great amount of trouble in the past, but that was past, and now they were different.
They easily killed the Demon without breaking a sweat. Sunny ordered his Serpant to hunt around the tree for the time being and in the meantime they set their camp, build their ship and when Cassia said she sensed something high up in the top of the tree, Sunny used his teachings from Aulin and swiftly climbed the tree teaching it's nest and killing the egg getting the large amount of soul fragments. He acquired something but didn't really care at the moment, and so he just dropped down from the tree, falling into its shadow and then walked out of it.
Nephis tilted her head and asked.
N: Couldn't you shadow step from here up there?
S: No, I did try, but there were no shadows for me to exit from that were large enough. I am far too weak to become a completely formless shadow, you know.
N: I see.
Cassia meanwhile, was looking into the distance and asked.
Ca: who is cooking today? Should I?
N&S: No!