In the vast empty darkness, myriads of distant stars were shimmering with ethereal light. The vista of the night sky was boundless and stark, full of promise and mystery.
Above it was another sky. This one blue and bright, full of sunlight and gentle winds. White clouds flowed across it, telling enchanting stories with their movement and shapes.
Between the bright sky and the dark sky, an island floated in the air. It was surrounded by freely levitating pieces of rock and ancient masonry, its surface awash in the soft radiance of the sun, its underbelly veiled by impenetrable darkness.
Several gargantuan chains stretched away from the island, cracking thunderously as it slowly rose and fell.
The clangor of iron was almost loud enough to drown Sunny's voice… almost.
"...Argh! Drop dead, bastard! Damn you! Crap!"
Sunny had a good reason to be screaming bloody murder, because he was seconds away from being eaten alive.
Near the edge of the flying island, where the forest covering its surface made way for a narrow expanse of patchy grass, a massive wolf-like beast was currently trying to swallow him whole.
The Nightmare Creature was the size of a small truck, with fur as tough as steel wire and a long, terrifying muzzle. Its jaws were wide enough to bite a human in half, and strong enough to crush both bones and armor into dust.
Currently, those jaws were trying to close on Sunny, and the only thing preventing them from doing so were his hands — he held the upper jaw of the beast with one, and the lower jaw with another, trying with all his strength to keep them open.
His muscles felt as though they were about to explode.
The abomination was also trying to bite down on the hateful human with all of its tremendous might, but for the moment, neither of them could overpower the other.
It was just a matter of time, though.
Sunny was burning through his essence to augment his physical strength, and those reserves were not endless. When the well of power ran dry, he would lose this contest.
'Not good…'
About two months had passed after he had chosen to come to this place, and now, Sunny was starting to seriously doubt his decision.
Why didn't he just go to Bastion? He would be safe and sound behind its walls right now. Maybe even in the embrace of a beautiful...
As though trying to add insult to injury, the Nightmare Creature interrupted his thought by leting out a deafening growl and doubling its efforts to devour him. Sunny felt a putrid wind brush past his face and grimaced miserably. The stench coming out of the beast's maw was unbearable.
'Just... don't feint...'
His hands trembled, and the terrible fangs of the beast came a few centimeters closer to sinking into his flesh. Sunny gritted his teeth, and then yelled:
"Saint! A little help here, dammit!"
But the taciturn demon was nowhere to be seen. She was a good couple hundred meters away, standing atop a low hill.
Sunny groaned and tried to push the jaws of the abomination away, but it was useless. The damn creature was just too strong...
A few seconds later, though, something hissed past his shoulders, and two menacing black arrows sunk into the feral eyes of the beast. They arrived almost simultaneously.
'Thanks!'
Using the momentary shudder that ran through the wolf's body, Sunny pushed the jaws sideways, allowed them to close with a loud crack, and poured as much essence as he could into a vicious throw.
The massive body of the Nightmare Creature flew for good ten meters and crashed into a trunk of an ancient oak, plowing straight through and turning it into splinters.
Sunny fell to his knees and drew in a shaky breath. Then, he quickly glanced back.
Far in the distance, a graceful dark silhouette was outlined against the bright sky. Saint held a powerful Memory bow in her hands, its limbs made out of horn and polished black wood. Two ruby eyes burned behind the visor of her helmet, and a crimson coral gem was set into the center of her obsidian breastplate.
'Nice shots…'
She wouldn't be able to help him any further, though, at least not for a dozen seconds. Sunny was pretty sure that the Shadow had spent all of her arrows while they were fighting with the pack, and now, she had to dismiss and summon them anew.
At least the leader of the monstrous wolves was now blind… probably. Not that it was going to stop the bastard.
The Nightmare Creature was already rising from the ground, howling furiously.
'Curse you…'
Panting, Sunny crawled a few steps and picked up the Midnight Shard. The austere tachi was as sharp and deadly as ever…
The problem was, that the last remaining abomination was clearly of the Fallen Rank, so the stalwart blade was having trouble breaking through its hide.
Still, Sunny had to work with what he had.
Making sure that the sun was behind him, he stood up and leaned on his sword, watching tiredly as the massive beast turned its ugly head and faced him.
The dreadful wolf lowered its muzzle to the ground, then growled with murderous rage. Bits of saliva flew from its maw and fell to the ground. Then, pushing with its mighty hind legs, the Nightmare Creature lunged at Sunny.
Covering the distance between them in an instance, the beast brought its terrible jaws on the tiny human once again… and bit on emptiness.
In the place where Sunny stood just a moment ago, there was now nothing but air, light… and shadows.
Appearing from the Nightmare Creature's own shadow, Sunny dove between its hind legs and thrust the Midnight Shard upward, aiming at the soft belly of the fearsome beast. The tachi pierced the pale skin without much problem and sunk into the flesh of the abomination.
As blood poured to the ground, the creature staggered and fell. A low whine escaped from its mouth.
Very soon, it was all over.
Falling onto the ground in complete exhaustion, Sunny tried to catch his breath and listened to the silence. Soon, he heard the sweet sound of the Spell whispering:
[You have slain a Fallen Monster, Dread Wolf.]
[...Your shadow grows stronger.]
Sunny lay still for a while, then summoned the runes and looked at the dreadful number:
Shadow Fragments: [197/2000].
He sighed.
The task of pursuing power had turned out to be much more difficult than he had anticipated, and for one simple reason: after becoming an Awakened, he now received fewer fragments from killing Nightmare Creatures.
If before he could get two by slaying an Awakened Monster, now it was one. If before he could receive four by slaying a Fallen Monster, now it was two. What's worse, his hopes of growing strong by hunting down scores of Dormant creatures had been mercilessly crushed, because he didn't receive any fragments from killing those weaker than him at all.
Which was a real disappointment. Who didn't love punching down? Sunny was at the very bottom of the power structure for most of his life, so he had been really looking forward to having an opportunity to bully something weaker than him, for a change. Alas, it had turned out to be a waste of his time.
Of course, Sunny had also become tremendously more powerful. He could handle himself in a fight with Fallen Beasts, and even Monsters… especially with the help of Saint. That was the only reason why he had not fallen off behind Nephis, who was still alive somewhere in the Dream Realm, and growing more powerful with each day.
He had not managed to diminish the gap between them by a lot, but at least he was not worse off than at the start of this.
Thinking of Changing Star, Sunny looked into the distance. A somber expression appeared on his face.
'...Think about something else.'
There was only one bright side to all of this.
While Dormant creatures did not bring him any shadow fragments, they did bring him Memories. And those Memories could be fed to Saint.
Her own counter now showed:
Shadow Fragments: [157/200].
'Not bad…'
A low, eerie sound of giant iron links scraping against each other interrupted his thoughts. The island Sunny was currently on seemed to have entered the ascending phase, so his time here was running short.
Standing up with a sigh, Sunny summoned the Moonlight Shard and walked over to the corpse of the Dread Wolf. He had to retrieve the soul shards before it was too late.
The Chained Isles… the Chained Isles were a strange place.
Situated at the very north of the territories claimed by humans, they bordered the Hollow Mountains. That was one of the reasons why Sunny had chosen that region as his hunting grounds.
But it wasn't the only one…
The whole region consisted of numerous islands that somehow floated in the air, connected to each other by gargantuan iron chains. It was mostly unexplored, and the Awakened population here was not very large. Notably, there were not a lot of Masters and Saints here, especially those associated with the Legacy clans... be it great or lesser.
What the Chained Island had in abundance, instead, were the Nightmare Creatures of all kinds, from Dormant ones, to Awakened, Fallen, and terrifying Corrupted abominations. Each island had its own menagerie of horrors, and the level of threat differed from one to another. Most were utterly deadly, though. Much more deadly than an average Awakened was supposed to be able to handle.
But Sunny was not an average Awakened. To him, this was a perfect hunting ground, a place where he could sharpen his blade without being seen by those who served the Sovereigns. Or at least he had thought that way, at the start… right now, he was starting to suspect that it was more of a place where he could die terribly without being seen by anyone who would have been able to help.
Just like Master Jet said, the Chained Islands were a hellish land.
And not only because of the Nightmare Creatures. The place itself was capable of killing a person… or, rather, its sky could.
High above the floating island, there was the usual sky with the sun, the moon, and beautiful stars that shined brightly at night.
However, there was another sky in this strange land, the one that was below the islands. It was always dark, and the ethereal lights burning at an unimaginable distance in its vast expanse only looked like the stars. No one really knew what they were.
The only thing that humans knew was that the Sky Below was seemingly endless. On his first day on the Isles, Sunny had asked what was down there. The answer he received was simple:
"Nothing."
Descending into the Below was not immediately dangerous, but there was nothing there. Some crazy daredevil had once fought his way through the hunting grounds of Nightmare Creatures that dwelled beneath the islands and spent a whole week flying straight down. He had to turn back, eventually, because out there in the boundless darkness, his mind began to show signs of breaking apart. Even the winged Echo he used to descend into the Below had almost gone insane.
But other than being absolutely empty, the Sky Below did not seem to pose a threat.
…Flying above the Chained Isles, however, was rather deadly. The higher one went, the more crushing their weight would become, until they would either fall down, or their body would simply implode.
That was why every human on the Chained Isles knew to pay attention to the sound of rattling chains. Every island in the region went through cycles of ascending and descending, and as they rose too high, the pressure on their surface grew tremendously, to the point where it was impossible to move... or breathe.
Ideally, Sunny had to get off the ascending island before that happened.
He should not have been lingering to retrieve the soul shards from the corpses of the monstrous wolves he and Saint had killed, really. But…
His eyes glistened with avarice.
Soul shards meant money, and if there was one thing Sunny really enjoyed, it was making money. No amount was ever enough.
An independent Awakened like him had a lot of expenses…
'Fine. It's fine. I'll be off this thing in no time…'
He quickly cut the dead beasts apart and fished out the soul shards from inside their bodies. Hiding the beautiful crystals in his pack, Sunny hesitated for a little, then sent his essence flowing and tossed the first corpse off the edge of the island.
He was planning to come back here soon, and leaving so much meat lying around could make the future visit rather problematic.
...Sunny only had one more carcass to dispose of when he suddenly noticed a swift silhouette descending from the skies.
Commanding Saint to hide herself in the shadows, he summoned the Midnight Shard and looked up tensely.
'...What the hell?'
Surrounded by a halo of sunlight, a majestic griffin was quickly approaching the island. At first, Sunny assumed that it was a Nightmare Creature, but then noticed a human figure on the monster's back.
A human rider meant that the magnificent griffin was an Echo.
Sunny's face grew dim.
Very few people could have such an Echo on the Chained Isles. And out of those...
He was pretty sure that he knew the identity of the unwelcomed visitor.
The griffin folded its white wings and dove down, then opened them up near the ground to slow its fall. Sunny raised his hand to cover his eyes from the dust that was sent into the air by the powerful gust of wind.
'...Strong.'
The mighty beast shone with ethereal light and disintegrated into a rain of sparks, letting the rider land nimbly on the ground. He regained his balance swiftly and straightened, then turned to Sunny.
The man in front of him was tall and had broad, powerful shoulders. He was wearing a light armor crafted from the adamantine scales of an unknown monster, with a blue scarf wrapped carelessly around his neck. His hair was the color of straw, as was his manly beard.
The stranger's eyes were bright blue, and dangerously attentive.
Sunny stared at the man for a moment, then bowed respectfully, hiding his face in the process.
"Master Roan."
Indeed, the man in front of him was none other than Ascended Roan of the White Feather clan — one of the only three Masters on the Chained Isles.
Well… there were probably only three.
Unlike the Forgotten Shore, this region of the Dream Realm had several Gateways. Two were found, conquered, and turned into Citadels by humans. Both Sunny and Master Roan — as well as pretty much everyone else on the Chained Isles — belonged to one of them, the Sanctuary of Noctis. That Citadel was ruled by the White Feather clan, which was one of the vassal clans to the great clan Valor.
The second Citadel was rather mysterious. It was situated at the very edge of the region, near the dreaded Hollow Mountains, and belonged to Valor itself. Only those in direct service to the great clan were anchored at its Gateway, so Sunny had no idea what went on there, and how powerful the Awakened stationed at the Citadel were.
He did, however, know a bit about Master Roan.
The man was married to the only Saint on the Chained Isles, after all!
...Roan looked Sunny up and down, then gave him a friendly smile.
"Do we know each other?"
Sunny shook his head.
"No, sir, we haven't met before. I have just Awakened a couple of months ago, so… uh... I am new to the Chained Isles."
The strapping Master nodded and then glanced at the carcass of a Fallen wolf that Sunny had failed to throw over the edge of the island in time. When Roan turned to him again, there was a measured look in his piercing blue eyes.
"Did you kill that beast?"
Sunny lingered for a few moments, then nodded.
"Yeah. I… well, I can be very lucky, on occasion."
The tall man shook his head.
"This is a Fallen Beast… ah. You must be Sunless, then. From the Forgotten Shore."
Sunny smiled.
'Curses. He knows my name...'
He had nothing against the older man, but preferred to remain unknown and underestimated. Especially when dealing with Legacies.
"Yeah. That's me."
Master Roan nodded, as though everything suddenly made sense, and then briefly looked at the sky.
"You should know that it is dangerous to remain on an ascending island, right? Why are you still here?"
Sunny hesitated for a few moments, then shrugged.
"I was just about the leave and escape to the next one over when you appeared… sir."
The tall man sighed.
"Yeah, that's what I figured. You've spent all your luck on that beast, though, it seems. All three of the island connected to this one are also ascending. You wouldn't have been able to escape even if you left on time."
Sunny stared at him for a while, a sour expression appearing on his face.
'...Damn it.'
"Uh… what about that beautiful griffin of yours, sir? Surely, it can bring us both away to safety?'
Roan grinned.
"He is rather beautiful, ain't he? Well, not that it matters. In theory, we can dive below the islands and escape through the Sky Below, but believe me, you wouldn't want to meet the things that dwell on the dark side of the Isles. Even I prefer to avoid those things."
Sunny blinked.
"Then what do we do?"
The tall man laughed.
"I guess you're about to experience your first Crushing, Sunless. Don't worry, though! The chains of this island are on the shorter side, so it won't ascend too high… well, most likely. And I'll be here to bring you back to the Citadel if you pass out. Provided that we survive, of course."
'Great…'
This wasn't Sunny's first Crushing, actually. And that was exactly why he didn't want to experience it again.
But there was no other choice, it seemed.
With a sigh, he dismissed Saint, who had been hiding in the shadows all along, and took off his pack. Then Sunny found a soft-looking patch of grass and placed it on the ground. Behind him, Master Roan dismissed his scale armor and unwrapped his scarf, then tied it around his waist.
The less weight was on the human body during the Crushing, the easier it was to endure, and the more chances of survival there were. However, the Puppeteer's Shroud was made mostly out of soft fabric, so Sunny left it on. He also wanted to neither reveal nor dismiss the Soul Serpent.
As the giant chains groaned and rang thunderously, and the island rose higher and higher, the two of them lay on the grass and prepared to be crushed.
Master Roan stared at Sunny's slender physique, then at his own mighty muscles, and sighed with envy.
The Chained Isles was one of the very few places in the Dream Realm where being small and light was an advantage.
"...If you feel like passing out, turn your head to the side. Wouldn't want to suffocate on your own spit or vomit, right? Uh… sorry for being crass, kid."
Sunny grimaced and thanked the older man in a suppressed voice.
He was already feeling an invisible force pushing him into the ground.
'This... is going to suck.'
As if answering his thoughts, the invisible force suddenly grew stronger, crashing into him like a giant hammer.