In the deadly silence that settled over the underground arena after the Spell had spoken its last sentence, Sunny stared motionlessly at the flakes of dust swirling in the air.
'...An Echo?'
He was now in possession of a new Echo.
A human Echo.
Of course, it was only logical that an Awakened could leave one behind. Sunny had received his first-ever Memory after killing a human, after all, and those were not too different. However, somehow, he had never considered commanding an Echo left behind by a dead man. One that he had killed with his own two hands, no less.
Wasn't it a little bit too ghastly?
He imagined the soulless, empty copy of Kurt staring at him with lifeless eyes, and shivered a little.
Using the indifferent mask on his face to cover up his discomfort, Sunny grabbed the corpse's leg as he dragged the dead man to the edge of the arena. With a single powerful leap, he landed on a disclosed, private balcony, one that only contained a single Saint along with a few handmaidens.
The young girls stared at Sunny in fear as he dragged Kurt towards Constance, who was completely unbothered as she wore a satisfied smile on her beautiful face while seated on a cushioned chair. Kurt's mangled head smeared blood on the floor, creating a bloody trail with each step Sunny took.
Once Sunny was a respectable distance from Constance, he gave her a courteous bow.
"I must apologize for the mess. He was more fragile than I expected."
Constance hummed, before sending a look towards her handmaidens. Without question, they all hurried away, leaving the two of them alone with only the other as company.
Well, Kurt was here too. But he was a little dead, so he didn't really count.
Constance crossed one leg over the other, drawing Sunny's gaze to her creamy thighs. Her gaze lingered on him for a moment, before she glanced down at the corpse he had pulled along.
"It's no wonder you carry such a large bounty. Kurt wasn't your average Awakened. Not only was he specifically groomed by the Sovereign of Valor to become a Saint in the future, but his Aspect is especially dangerous. It's not in a human's intuition to protect their shadow."
Sunny listened carefully, remembering that she previously mentioned that mysterious term: Sovereign. He made some guesses — very horrifying guesses that changed his worldview — but he couldn't be completely sure just yet.
He asked in the same indifferent tone:
"Why would he be so valued? He was quite weak."
Constance giggled for a moment at his bold dismissal of Kurt's strength, politely hiding her mouth with her hand.
"Ah, well, compared to you, I suppose any Awakened wouldn't pose much of a challenge. Elemental Aspects make up around ten to twenty percent of Aspects. Then, shadow-related Aspects make up a meager one percent of all elemental Aspects. Of course, this only consists of those who are known. Mysteries and shadows go hand-in-hand, after all."
She gave Sunny a knowing smile as she continued:
"Any faction would want to get their hands on an Awakened with an affinity for shadows. They are perfect spies… and assassins. It's no wonder that the Stellaron Hunters recruited you, even if you aren't as powerful as the rest."
'She noticed.'
Sunny wasn't too surprised. As one rose through the Ranks, their ability to perceive the world would be enhanced to suit their newfound strength. After all, if a Saint saw the world at the same speeds mundane humans did while moving at speeds that casually surpass light, then fights would be incredibly awkward.
So, it would have been stranger if Constance didn't see his shadow move on it's own, or that he used Shadow Step to arrive next to Kurt. He was a little bothered with the fact that she knew what his Aspect could do, but he was even more bothered by the fact that he had said that he wouldn't use his Aspect.
She rose from her seat, striding over to Sunny with powerful steps. He resisted the urge to step into the shadows, convinced that he would be caught before he could dive in. So, he waited with trepidation to see what would happen.
'Don't tell me she sent her servants away so that she could kill me with no witnesses?!'
Long, delicate fingers reached for Sunny's armored hand, clasping it as he heard a voice ring through his head.
[You have recieved a Memory.]
Behind Weaver's Mask, Sunny's eyes widened in relief. It looked like he would live another day.
"In all honesty, I had expected you to need a Memory to defeat Kurt. I wasn't expecting you to truly handicap yourself, even if you needed to use your Aspect."
Constance mused as she released his hand, fingers seemingly shaking a little. After a moment, the corners of her lips curled upwards.
"As impressed as I am, the Memory I gave you… is a rather special one. I assure you, there is no other quite like it."
Resisting the urge to summon the runes, Sunny asked:
"What does it do?"
Constance tittered as she returned to her seat.
"Well, you'll simply have to find out for yourself. I assure you… it will not disappoint. Moving on…"
Constance picked up a tablet on a coffee table next to her chair. Sunny also noticed a tea set.
"The profits from today's event far exceeded what would be made in a month. It seems that the people enjoy betting on battles between Awakened much more than those between Echoes."
Sunny deadpanned. Did people really enjoy violence that much?
She seemed to contemplate something for a moment, before asking:
"Perhaps… you could come here every once in a while. You could… properly reprimand troublemakers in the ring. Of course, you will be handsomely rewarded, although there isn't much of a chance of me granting you anything better than what I just gave you."
She paused for a moment, before continuing:
"And please use a proper weapon next time."
Sunny raised a brow at the strange request at the end, but didn't question it.
This… was quite the boon.
If he could come here to challenge criminals to a death match, then he would have a good source of souls to feed the Ghastly Hunger. Sunny would have a chance to consistently rearrange the devoured souls in order to keep find the best set of Aspect Abilities.
Summoning the Vessel of Remembrance, Sunny flipped open the journal under Constance's watchful gaze. Writing began to appear on a blank page, and after a few moments, Sunny cleanly tore it out. With a flick of his wrist, it glided over to Constance, who read it with curiosity.
He didn't waste another moment in her presence, slinging Kurt's corpse over his shoulder as he left her a few words.
"Read through it carefully."
Then, he disappeared.
***
Constance's eyes lingered on the spot where Mongrel had just been a moment ago. She watched as the small bundle of desires disappeared as if it was never never there in the first place, indicating that he was truly gone.
Constance resisted the urge to squeal in excitement as she read through the piece of paper he handed her.
'Bring irredeemable Awakened or Ascended criminals. Their bloodlust makes things more exciting. Send a message to this address when you've found a candidate… if I don't come, imprison them until I do. You decide the reward for winning. Their corpses will be added to my collection.'
Constance chuckled in amusement. He may have fooled the whole Universe into believing that he was a cold-blooded killer, but with her skill set, she would know better. After all, she had precisely felt the lust he held towards her, along with the desire to end Kurt's life faster.
He was just as human as the rest. To Constance, that only made him more interesting. Why would a man who feels disdain for the pain of others be such a renowned murderer? Was he unaware of the madness that plagues such individuals? He shouldn't have been.
Pulling out her phone, Constance opened her contacts with a triumphant grin. She sent a clip of the match between Mongrel and Kurt to her darling sister.
'Caterina is going to be quite jealous…'