Five sleepers were lying on the ground, exhausted and utterly defeated.
Sitting calmly to the side was Sunny, watching Caster with thinly veiled malice.
Overall, the fight had been easy; only at certain moments had the pair of fools and Caster put him in a tight spot. But even then, they couldn't do much.
Still, what little they managed was quite a lot, in his opinion.
His expression turned serious—if they were capable of putting him in trouble, then fighting several lieutenants or Fallen creatures would still be a matter of life and death.
He dismissed those thoughts and cast a glance at the pair of weak boys.
Harper did exactly what he expected—nothing. Although he knew a bit of fencing, he was practically a novice; his fighting style was almost nonexistent, and his fundamentals could be blown away by a gust of wind.
The one who gave him a couple of surprises was Patrick; at times he was caught off guard by a slash or precise trap that forced him to make very exact movements to avoid them. The problem was that the boy was quite slow and his actions were very predictable.
He didn't seem to know much about swordsmanship beyond the basics, and like Harper, his fundamentals were nonexistent.
But for that same reason—his lack of skill—they had great potential. He didn't yet know much about their abilities and aspects, but he could tell Harper seemed a bit slippery at times, and Patrick was much stronger than he appeared.
'I've got something to work with.'
While the boys rested on the ground and Caster shot him a strange look, Sunny summoned a Memory.
A small wooden box with no edges appeared in his hand, with barely enough space for his hand to fit inside.
He reached in and pulled out an Awakened Soul Shard.
He tossed a shard to each boy and spoke.
"If you come train with me every day from now on, I'll give you a Soul Shard. And the deal still stands—if you manage to graze me, I'll give each of you a Fallen Memory."
Harper and Patrick exchanged nervous glances, while Caster turned toward the pair of fools.
Sunny smiled—though only slightly. This was the beginning of his Shadow Clan.
Then his gaze shifted to Caster and his smile vanished. He still didn't quite know what to do with that boy; he'd probably try to kill Nephis, or maybe he'd give up at some point after realizing the difference in power.
'I'll see what he does later.'
To be honest, he wanted to keep Caster alive—no matter how much he disliked him, he was very strong, on the level of the lieutenants of the Dark City. Losing an Awakened like him would be regrettable.
He sighed—there was nothing he could do for now.
A soft tapping sounded on the stone of the wall, and two quieter ones followed.
Sunny turned with a faint smile.
"Well, what a generous offer. Might I join as well, Lord Sunless?"
Seishan approached the group, with a pair of maidens behind her, all dressed in light fabric clothing that covered them from head to toe.
Ki Song's daughter wore white plate armor with gray cloth beneath it; on her hand was a tasteful scarlet bracelet with small details resembling thirsty beasts.
One of the attendants cast a faint glance at Jack—so subtle that probably only a couple of people noticed.
"Seishan, good that you're here. I was just looking for you."
With a gesture, Seishan sent the two girls to separate the rest of the group.
The two walked until they were a bit farther away, far enough that no one would hear their conversation.
"You started quite fast. I thought you'd take more time to recruit," Seishan said, maintaining her formal tone.
Sunny shifted slightly, uncomfortable.
"Well, I found some rather interesting people. Once I finish training them, I'll start recruiting a lot more. Now I need you to tell me something."
The Legacy turned her head and inclined it deliberately.
"What is it?"
"I need two things in particular. First, I want you to help me train them—and I also want you to accompany me on my next hunt."
Seishan lifted her hand, covering her mouth.
"Ju, ju, ju. I shall gladly do it, Lord Sunless. This is an honor I do not deserve."
Saying this, she began walking back toward the group.
'Was she… mocking me?'
He shook his head—she was too serious for such things… probably.
He stared at his group of followers with severity.
I suppose I've got a lot of work to do.
- - -
In a bar inside the Bright Castle.
A small, black-haired girl looked around in boredom.
There was plenty of noise—lately it always felt like that. Hunters and guards completely filled the place; several of her workers moved between the tables carrying drinks and food.
She was enjoying a beer in a corner.
She had dedicated herself to what she did best—money. She had created an empire in the Dark City.
Though it had been a bit difficult; the Lord had regulated food and essential goods like water, clothing, weapons, etc. That left her little room to maneuver, so she had to get creative.
After pulling a few strings, she obtained a small stall in one of the outer bases. There she set up several tables and games. At first, entrance was free—the men of the Dark City came just to hang out, looking for nothing more than entertainment.
Then she added games, bets. When she had more money, she bought some herbs to make drinks. Then came alcohol—and everything changed. The bets grew, the crowd grew, and her sales grew as well.
And after a lot of effort, she established more stalls in the other bases and finally in the Bright Castle. Now she was the richest person in the Dark City—her wealth reached 400 Soul Shards and was still rising.
Despite that, she felt bored.
She slammed the table with force.
It shouldn't be like this! I should be bathing in money every day with a smile!
While she complained internally, a small shadow sat at her table; with a smile on his face, he ordered a beer.
When Aiko noticed him, she shot him a threatening glare.
"Hey, can't you see this table's taken?"
Instead of apologizing and leaving, the figure widened his smile and spoke mockingly.
"Is that how you treat your boss?"
Aiko was about to jump up and throw the guy out, but after analyzing his words she spat out her drink.
She looked at his face.
Not as handsome as before, but still charming.
A pair of deep eyes stared back at her.
Her hand trembled, and then—she leaped.
She jumped toward the figure with a genuine smile.
"Boss!"
She fell on top of Sunny and hugged him tightly, then put even more strength into her embrace.
He looked at her, bewildered.
Meanwhile, she curled herself into a ball against his chest as discreetly as she could.
- - -
Sunny watched as the girl slowly clung to him like glue.
The situation was a bit strange for him.
Back then, Aiko had been one of the few people Sunny interacted with constantly—mainly because she managed the remnants of humanity.
Their relationship, in his opinion, hadn't changed much since their time in the Brilliant Emporium, yet she seemed to have missed him quite a bit for some reason.
Not knowing what to do, he weakly raised a hand and patted her head.
"It's good to see you again, Aiko."
He looked around—several tables were already directing their attention toward them.
"Perhaps it'd be better to find a private place."
Aiko didn't let go of him and instead pointed toward a door beside the bar.
He sighed and walked toward it.
He stopped in front of the door, noticing some eccentric patterns on it and how well-crafted it was.
'This girl…'
He grabbed the handle and opened it, revealing a simple office with only a tasteful desk and chair—decorated with piles and piles of Soul Shards.
Sunny froze and stared at the girl with wide eyes.
He closed the door behind him and patted her back to make her get down.
But Aiko did not let go; instead, she tilted her head toward him, a finger tracing along his chest.
"You know, boss… I've been feeling very lonely lately."
He froze.
"You spent years without talking to me or looking for me."
Her finger moved in circles, brushing his chest several times.
"And a few more trapped alone in the city."
Her finger stopped in the middle of his chest.
"I think I might have some kind of trauma now… that means you owe me compensation."
A bright smile illuminated her face.
'Ah, of course, it was that. What else could I expect from her?'
He coughed.
"Right now I don't have much money, Aiko."
She kept smiling and staring at him in silence; he maintained a serious face.
The girl finally gave in—her smile vanished, replaced by a grimace.
She clicked her tongue and pulled away from him.
"There's nothing I can do, then."
She pointed a finger at him.
"But you owe me!"
Silence settled for a few seconds, broken by a soft whisper from the woman.
"It's good to see you again."
Sunny turned around, preparing to leave.
"Likewise."