Sunny took the pastries from the café while watching Rain through his shadow and occasionally glancing at his communicator. The people around him sat quietly, reading from their devices or speaking in low voices.
It was a very joyful day for him—well, not so much for the people around him. After all, a gate was about to open nearby.
Sunny had spent the past weeks in the Dream Realm collecting shadow fragments, getting closer and closer to the "Titan" core, or creating Memories and refining those he already had. Now, he was waiting for the gate to open near Rain's school so he could intercept it.
The alarm sounds went off on the devices, and people rushed out of the café in panic, while Sunny continued eating his delicious pastry. Everyone fled, and he was left alone in the café. Then, after finishing the last pastry in his mouth, he stepped into the shadows.
Sunny appeared in front of the gate, wearing the Weaver mask on his face, with a nest of impenetrable darkness within the mask's sockets. A long odachi rested on his shoulder while his shadows wrapped around his body. More than ten Awakened stood behind him, their faces filled with tension and regret. Sunny didn't look back; instead, he focused on the dark rift that tore through the fabric of reality, stretching several meters into the sky.
The light behaved oddly around the gate, warping unnaturally, while shadows writhed madly in a way that didn't suit them. One of the Awakened approached from behind and spoke to Sunny.
"Do you know how we're going to contain this thing?"
Sunny replied bluntly.
"No, I don't know how… I'll contain it alone."
The Awakened tried to speak further, but multiple silhouettes moved within the gate, and the first monster rushed out. It was a large black hunting dog with red-spotted fur and red eyes. Sunny swung the odachi swiftly and decapitated the dog.
[You have slain a Dormant Beast….]
It wasn't the last. Dozens more dogs surged forward, trying to surround Sunny, but he manipulated the shadow essence and, with overwhelming strength beyond that of an Awakened Terror, sliced through six of them with a single sweeping motion.
He moved like a demonic dancer among the Dormant beasts, slaughtering them like sheep. A pleased smile formed beneath the mask as he killed the creatures, while the Spell kept whispering the names of each fallen beast into his ear. Sunny's body twisted at tight angles, and in the next instant, an arrow grazed the surface of the Ebony mask. Primitive hunters with withered bodies emerged, wielding spears, stone axes, and longbows. Arrows rained toward Sunny, but he either dodged them or let them bounce off his armor.
He reached the first hunter and cleaved him from head to torso, leaving the stiff corpse on the ground, then looked around. The primitive hunters surrounded him with flint spears and stone axes, then stabbed. The spearheads shattered, and the axes bounced off his armor, but the impact sent tremors through his insides. Sunny steadied himself, transformed his weapon into a great halberd, and swung it at the group around him.
Their torsos were severed, and their rotting innards spilled onto the ground. Sunny shifted through the shadows and appeared behind one of the archers, crushing his head in his gauntleted hand.
Far away, across several buildings, Rain and the other students were hiding behind their teachers, who had summoned their Memories and were shielding them from the front. They watched the masked devil and the Awakeneds fighting the monsters emerging from the gate through the cameras placed outside the school.
A tense atmosphere filled the hall as they watched the masked devil killing the decaying corpses, slicing through them like withered branches. One of the teachers whispered in disbelief:
"He… he's a Monster!"
What Rain saw from the masked devil was a dance—an ugly and beautiful dance, stained with dark shadows and flying limbs. The devil moved through the hunters, taking them down one by one until none remained. Then, a massive shadow emerged from the gate—the first of the Fallen surged forward.
With its charge came a giant shadow that stretched from the Awakened at the back to the masked devil at the front. A giant black serpent clamped its jaws around the fur-covered bull-like creature's body. Bones shattered, and blood splattered onto the ground. Only half the beast remained, its spine protruding, a grim reminder of its shape. Rain was affected by the scene's beauty and bloodiness, wishing she could protect people like this person. But she held her breath when dozens of dark silhouettes emerged from the gate.
Dozens of the Fallen charged at the masked devil, but a knight clad in carnelian armor like the devil's appeared, along with a creature the size of a house with a chitinous shell, two pairs of pincers, and scythes. The Carnelian Knight moved, leaving a shadow image behind, and a loud crash followed as she struck one of the Fallen with her shield, crushing its head.
The scythe-beast launched its pincers at a creature, then cleaved it with its sharp blades, letting its guts spill like water. But the most terrifying was the sixty-meter-long serpent, biting off heads like snacks or smashing enemies with a tail powerful enough to crush a hill.
It was the first time Rain had seen Nightmare Creatures. Instead of fear and terror, which she was supposed to feel from the battle, she felt pity. The monsters howled in pain and despair when facing the devil and his army—instead of spreading fear, they were the ones afflicted by it. Rain thought:
"Is he even human to be able to do this? Is he a famous Master?"
The Awakeneds behind the masked devil trembled when a silhouette emerged from the dark rift. The Gate Guardian stepped out, four meters tall, with dried skin and pieces of parchment attached to his body. Metal and bone bracelets adorned his arms, and a skull with three eye sockets and glowing red embers sat atop his head. He had three ember-filled eyes as well.
The terrified Fallen let out a despairing roar at the sight of their leader, but Sunny had a different idea. He dived into the shadows, still holding his great halberd. As he emerged, a long spear rushed toward him. Sunny cursed and struck it with immense force, empowered by his innate ability, his shadows, and shadow essence. The blow was strong enough to crush a Fallen Demon's bones, but not a Tyrant—especially one this exceptional.
The halberd clashed with the spear's head and bounced back at Sunny. The Tyrant quickly reached to grab his stumbling foe but caught only shadows. He twisted to block a flying shield that cracked his skull.
The monster cried out in pain, then, in blind rage, charged toward the Saint, intent on destroying the one who had hurt him. In his fury, Sunny emerged from the shadows and struck the distracted Tyrant's arm with the halberd, severing it. The Tyrant staggered from Sunny's blow, giving the Saint a chance to charge and slash his leg deeply, down to the bone.
The Tyrant reached out and grabbed her, but there was no time for regret. The pincers clamped onto his arm, and the sharp scythes struck to sever it, pinning him down. Sunny took the opportunity.
He channeled shadow essence into his feet, leapt to the Tyrant's height, and brought the odachi down onto the skull with three sockets, shattering it to pieces. The red embers in the three eyes and the skull dimmed, and the Tyrant's body crashed to the ground as the Spell whispered:
[You have slain a Fallen Tyrant: Chieftain of the Hill Hunters]
One of the Awakeneds approached from behind, speaking in a trembling voice to Sunny.
"Sir, are you alright?"
Sunny's body was soaked in blood and things he didn't even want to name. He was also drenched in hot sweat and suffering from a headache, but he replied:
"No, I'm not. The government is coming now, so I'm leaving."
He stepped into the shadows and appeared inside the school, where a girl approached him, following a shadow that moved independently and clung to his feet. Rain raised her head from the shadow, gasped, and spoke in a trembling voice:
"You?!"
"It's not me. Now calm down, girl."
"But I saw you!"
"Oh, me and this beautiful mask."
Sunny removed the Weaver mask and exhaled in relief, then looked at Rain, whose face turned even paler.
"You!!"
"What?"
"You're Sunless! Herald of Death! Leader of the Crimson Spire Siege! Commander of the Sleepers Regiment! Friend of changing Star and the others!"
"Yes, it seems you've done your homework since our first meeting."
"You remember me?!"
"Of course I do. Honestly, your mother left quite an impression on me, so I remember you both well."
"But what are you doing here?! Are you some kind of stalker or something?!"
Sunny almost choked but responded, enduring the pain of his flaw.
"No, I came to retrieve my shadow and rest. As you saw, I've been through a long and dangerous battle."
Rain seemed to have found an interesting topic to talk about and immediately asked:
"I saw you! You were amazing! Can I become like you?!"
"I know, I'm incredibly amazing, right?!… As for whether you can become like me, that depends on a few things."
"Really?! What are those things?!"
"First and most important, it depends on your determination. Second… it depends on my mood."
Rain's jaw dropped at the absurdity happening before her. She was chatting with someone incredibly famous about something silly like fighting and training instead of trying to get close to him.
"You mean it depends on me, but more importantly, on your mood? What does that mean—will you be responsible for me or something?"
"Bingo!"
Sunny left Rain, who may have experienced the biggest shock of her life, to process all the absurdity that had just happened. He gave her his contact info to let him know her thoughts. Of course, none of this was "pure coincidence." It was Sunny's plan—even though being near Rain might affect her, he was, after all, a selfish person.
But he had a guarantee that he could protect her from his enemies. And the reason was simple—no one truly knew the extent of his power. Now that he was close to entering his second Nightmare after finishing it, there would be no one who could threaten him except the Saints. And even they wouldn't be able to comprehend his growth rate when he goes to the Antarctic, where chaos would soon reign.
Sunny reached home and stepped into the middle of the living room where Nephis sat watching the screen. When she looked at his dirty face, which didn't match his silk robe, she said:
"I knew it was you. You never rest. You look like you stumble into every important event."
"I do indeed! You'll see what we stumble into next."
Nephis sighed in exhaustion and said:
"Go shower. You're staining the floor with blood."
After showering in cold water, Sunny felt refreshed. He ate the meal Nephis had prepared—it was very delicious—then went to the living room where she sat. They sat on the same couch in silence, awkwardly watching the screen.
Sunny had never found himself alone with Nephis like this before—he was always running around doing important things. This rare moment meant a lot to him, so he had to take advantage of it. He had faced worse horrors and lived through life and death—why should he be afraid to get close to the one he loved?
So he inched closer, extended his arm, and placed it behind Nephis's neck. She responded awkwardly and leaned on him. They continued watching like that.