As Sunny and Seishan continued to converse about money and profits, the awkwardness in their conversation disappeared, replaced with mutual avarice.
Seishan wanted to get her hands on his surplus of soul shards, while Sunny wanted a chunk of Song's limitless supply of credits.
The Chain of Nightmares was nowhere near its beginning yet, so Sunny wanted to sell his soul shards before their prices tanked due to the rapid opening of gates. And with the current lack of Masters and Saints, the price was higher than Sunny had ever seen.
He could practically hear the clinking of coins already!
Sensing the now far more casual atmosphere, Nephis tentatively left the sofa.
"M-Miss Seishan?"
Seishan turned, eyeing the girl curiously.
"Yes?"
"Can… Can I please have your autograph!"
"..."
Seishan turned to see Sunny smiling smugly, before turning back to Nephis.
"I can do that. But, might I ask why?"
Nephis smiled brightly at the question.
"Because… Because you were so cool in Tales of the Shore!"
Gears seemed to be turning in Seishan's head as she stared at the girl blankly.
And after a few seconds, she sighed and placed a palm over her face.
"...Right."
Taking a small piece of synthetic paper from Nephis, Seishan signed it in quite a fashionable manner, using a stick of lipstick as her pen.
'Wasteful!'
Sunny did not know how much it had cost, but from the gold trimmings on its case, it had to be a lot!
As Nephis ran off with a smile, Seishan turned back to Sunny with a sigh.
"Please don't tell me you were watching that movie right before I arrived…"
"We were. Have you seen it?"
"...I have not."
A small voice yelled out from the sofa.
"You should!"
Sunny and Seishan glanced at each other.
A vicious smile appeared on Sunny's face.
…And that was how they ended up sitting together on the sofa.
On one side, Seishan sat, her hands elegantly placed in her lap.
On the other side, Sunny and Nephis sat, with Nephis putting Sunny between herself and Seishan, safely tucked away beneath Sunny's arm as his hand rested atop her head.
The ball wasn't until the evening, and the afternoon had only just begun. They still had plenty of time to spare.
Sunny was going to use that time wisely.
"Wow, so cool! Did you really say that?"
A scene of Seishan leading her small cohort against some of the Dark City's denizens was playing on the screen. The actress playing Seishan had just shouted an atrocious one-liner as she bravely led the humans in the fight for their survival.
And Seishan… was currently hiding her face, her head turned away from Sunny, a tint of red appearing on her features.
Sunny felt vicious glee at her plight.
'Serves you right! You and your damned mother wouldn't stop teasing me, so now it's my turn!'
As Seishan was one of the major characters of the movie, she had plenty of scenes, all of which Sunny enthusiastically commented on.
"Please… stop."
Seishan's face was buried in her palms, not wanting to watch the movie for another second.
Sunny laughed delightfully, earning himself a strange look from Nephis.
***
'Ah… so this is how it feels?'
Seishan was struggling to keep herself together.
The movie… she should've been more involved in the production. And she most definitely should not have left it to her subordinates!
'I should've known… those two, they're too reverent!'
She had thought it would've been fine to leave her dialogue in the hands of her cohort from the Forgotten Shore, as they had known her quite well, but…
Their attempts at making her seem cooler were… quite clumsy.
And worst of all, Sunny most certainly knew she didn't act like that on the Forgotten Shore. The Seishan of the Forgotten Shore had been… quite desperate. She didn't even hesitate back when Sunny offered her soul shards, not giving him even a single second to change his mind.
Perhaps to her subordinates she was calm, collected, and dignified. But to someone as smart as Sunny, she was sure he could see straight through her, even back then.
'Ahh! I never should have come here!'
"Wow, Seishan, look! Did you really kill that Demon with a single blow? Impressive!"
The scene playing was one where she stood over the corpse of an Awakened Demon, blood dripping from her hands as she leaned her head back, the rain pouring from the sky falling on her face dramatically as she took a deep breath.
"Gaha! So cool!"
The teasing voice of Sunny continued to pester her as she refused to dignify his mockery with a response.
'Just what have I done to deserve this?'
She thought for a moment.
'There was that one time…'
When her and mother made Sunny dress up…
'And that other time…'
Where she called him princess…
'And that other time…'
Where she called him beautiful…
'And tha- Okay, nevermind.'
Seishan resigned herself to her fate, praying that the movie would end soon.
…And after what felt like forever, the movie ended.
'Thank the gods…'
The movie itself wasn't too terrible, but…
Seishan turned to Sunny slightly, expecting a taunting smile on his face, but Sunny wasn't even looking her way. Instead, his arms were around Nephis, who Seishan only just now noticed was fast asleep.
"...This girl. Always falling asleep on me!"
Sunny spoke in a hushed tone, careful not to wake her up.
Sighing as he stood up, Sunny turned to her.
"...Let's go."
"What about the girl?"
"She'll be fine, I have someone else here to look after her."
Seishan nodded, curious on who it was.
'I'll ask later.'
Sunny carefully put a warm blanket over the girl before tenderly brushing his hands across her face, removing the strands of hair that were stuck in her mouth.
Seishan's heart was moved ever-so-slightly by the sight.
***
Sunny and Seishan had left to the Song Compound to prepare for the ball, leaving Nephis behind.
On the sofa in a dimly lit home, she was snoring away, a string of drool escaping her mouth.
Sitting on the floor beside the sofa, a terrifyingly beautiful woman sat, her figure lined with a lovely red tunic. Her skin was black as the night, and her eyes seemed to be carved from glittering onyx gems, a hint of desire burning deep within.
Currently, the woman was poking the sleeping girl's face.
Of course, the woman was Solvane.
Sunny had already informed Thrain that he needed to come pick up Nephis, but he didn't want to leave her alone, nor did he want to wake her up. So he simply left Nephis in Solvane's care.
They had interacted several times now, and Sunny trusted Solvane enough with a task as simple as this. And if something unforeseen happened, the lazy shadow was always on standby anyways.
"...D…s…"
In between snores, the girl murmured in her sleep.
***
In one of the lower floors of the Song Compound, Sunny looked at an assortment of outfits.
Having already changed into his disguise before leaving, Sunny now only needed to pick an outfit for the ball.
Mercifully, the only options present were tastefully made suits, each tailored to perfection.
Sunny… really didn't want to know how Clan Song knew his exact measurements.
Picking the suit and coat that hid his features the best without diminishing his style, Sunny looked at himself in the mirror.
…It was a little scary how nice he looked.
'Just kill me…'
Seishan's figure was also in the mirror, her gaze sweeping him up and down. After a while, she nodded and gave him a thumbs up.
"Looks good! Okay, let's go."
They soon left the Song Compound, heading to the Annual Ball in the back of a spacious limousine.
Sunny gazed at the jade bracelet on his wrist with slight curiosity. Across from him, Seishan sat, reading something on her communicator.
As they were currently the only two Song Princesses that were Awakened, they were the only ones heading to the ball. Eunbin and Revel were busy preparing for the Winter Solstice, so they were not partaking in the festivities.
'Come to think of it, why don't they just anchor themselves in Ravenheart?'
They were already in the Dream Realm, why didn't they just take the Gateway in the Jade Palace, skipping the Winter Solstice entirely?
'Well, I'm sure there's a reason.'
Either they had something in mind, or Ki Song was going to let them be whisked away by the Spell as a means to grow their strength.
'What a brute.'
She seemed to care so much about her daughters, and yet she was willing to let some malevolent deity send them away to gods know where?
If Sunny had not intervened, Seishan would've been lost in the Forgotten Shore for another ten years! Was her daughter being lost for four months not enough of a lesson for Ki Song?
Sunny glanced at Seishan in slight pity, unnoticed to her.
…And after a while, they arrived.
Sunny already knew what he needed to do, and that was to be cool and don't do anything crazy!
He had some leeway in how he could act, but the main thing he was supposed to do was attract attention, but not questions.
How was he going to do that? Hell if he knew, but Seishan said she'd handle it, so he would let her. Then again, there shouldn't be too much to worry about, as although he was a rising star, he was still a mere Awakened. And aside from his performance at the category three gate some months ago, Suming had made no more appearances in the Waking World. And even that performance wasn't something that could be accurately shared, only spread through reports and word of mouth.
So all in all, Sunny wasn't terribly worried.
What was the worst that could happen?
'Maybe something like a Titan falling on our heads. Hah! Like that's ever gonna happen…'
Then again, something like that had indeed happened to him once… or twice.
'...Let's just get this over with.'
Walking side-by-side with Seishan, Sunny approached the stronghold of Clan Valor.
Sunny spared the armored guards a small glance as he strode across the vermillion carpet, making his way towards the familiar wooden gates.
Entering the grand hall, a voice announced:
"Lady Seishan and Lady Suming of the Song Clan!"
For a moment, many conversations paused, as numerous sets of eyes fell upon them.
But then, the moment passed, many gazes still lingering on them.
The hall of exquisitely dressed people resumed their conversations, the relaxing music reverberating throughout the place.
Searching the hall, Sunny spotted at least several dozen Masters, and only a couple of Saints.
'This is quite a large undertaking for a clan that's supposedly busy with their expansion…'
In fact, not a single Saint of Song was present, as they were currently out in the far reaches, searching for new Citadels or slaughtering nightmare creatures. Most of the Masters present were of Valor, or a subsidiary clan of theirs. Around half the Awakened present were of Valor's, in fact, with the other half split between Clan Song and the House of Night.
'Such might…'
How had the Song Clan ever stood a change in the future? Just how had they managed to turn the tides against a clan with such a large advantage?
Sunny was still unsure, not bothering to ponder further upon the subject.
Now within the grand hall, Sunny and Seishan walked towards that offered the drinks and refreshments, as another wave of arrivals were announced.
Through his shadows that were currently sweeping the hall, Sunny could hear some hushed whispers.
"So that's the new girl…"
"What presence!"
"So these are Song's first..."
Compared to the reactions Changing Star had received in Sunny's memories, these ones were… quite lackluster.
Perhaps he was blinded by how wildly famous Nephis was in the past, but he found himself mildly disappointed.
'Bah! Doesn't matter!'
Sunny followed Seishan closely as they walked through the hall, many people greeting them as they responded politely.
As the heiress of a great clan, many people were bound to want to acquaint themselves with her. Seishan welcomed them all with confident smiles and pleasant words.
Sunny also received some greetings, but nowhere near as many as Seishan.
'Good!'
It seemed that Ki Song had kept her word, with Song Suming's name barely being publicized. To the people that had heard, it was a name to watch out for. But the majority of people here weren't even Awakened, and had never heard of them outside of rumors.
All Sunny had to do was be cool and let Seishan do the talking. That suited him just fine.
And after a few minutes, he heard something interesting.
"Lady Radiant Dawn of Valor! Knight Gilead! Knight Amiran! Knight…"
The conversations within the hall went silent as people turned to the newcomers.
Aria and her cohort within Clan Valor had arrived, as she had parted ways with her previous cohort after she joined them.
Striding in with a cool expression, Aria wore a sharp suit with a vermillion cloak trailing behind her. Her ensemble was somewhat reminiscent of what Sunny remembered Morgan wearing.
Aria's inspiring story had been spread all across the land, her deeds, her accomplishments, and her bravery were something that most people had heard about at some point. Although her fame had not quite been as magnificent as Changing Star's had once been, it wasn't like it paled in comparison either. Her feats were something no regular Sleeper could accomplish, and her leadership, power, and tactics were incredible.
With her humble origin and heartbreaking story, she was beloved by millions across the world, often called the second coming of Broken Sword or Smile of Heaven.
Her confident gaze swapped across the hall, a small smile on her face.
For a moment, her gaze paused at the sight of Sunny.
'Hm?'
What was that?
'She definitely paused when she saw me… No way, right?'
Perhaps he was overthinking it, but surely she didn't recognize him…
She must have been given a task by Valor to find out more about him, it was only logical. Both of them were powerful new talents in the world of Awakened, with both of them having similar origins on top of that.
Sunny watched carefully as many people approached Aria as she made her way across the ball, hoping to acquaint themselves with her.
His staring was interrupted when he heard a voice.
"Is that you, little Shan?"
An old man and mature woman approached them.
Seishan turned to them with a bright smile.
"Grandpa Orum! Aunt Helie! It's good to see you."
Seishan set down her drink and approached the two, giving the woman a warm hug as the old man smiled.
Sunny did not move, still staring at the crowd as he sipped his drink.
'That guy, what a fossil!'
The older man was definitely an Awakened from the first generation, one who had survived the descent of the Nightmare Spell. Shifting his vision, Sunny saw that he was an Ascended, and the woman was Awakened.
Sunny did not listen to their conversation, only focusing on the faces in the crowd.
"...that's Suming, mother only brought her in recently. She's quite the talent!"
Hearing them talk about him, Sunny turned to them and gave them a small smile and wave.
Their conversation continued as Sunny immediately lost interest, once more scanning the crowd.
After a while, the two left and Seishan returned to Sunny's side.
He didn't pay her much attention though, as he noticed a peculiar figure in the crowd.
There was an old man and a young girl, and there were quite a lot of people either staring at them or trying to speak with them.
Sunny easily recognized the two, as they were quite famous.
One was Saint Jest of Dagonet, a powerful figure that served under Valor, and the other one was… Morgan. She seemed to be about ten years old, and her signature red eyes weren't present, instead being a sharp grey. She wore a frilly red dress, and spoke comfortably with some other noble kids her age.
'Huh. Didn't know they were that close.'
Sunny was unsure of Jest's relationship with Anvil, but if Morgan was entrusted with him, they had to be close. Sunny half expected Morgan to be with Madoc instead, but he had guessed wrong.
But as Sunny looked at Jest, their gazes met, causing the old man to smile dangerously.
'Crap!'
Sunny's eyes coolly flicked away, his internal panic not showing whatsoever.
'How… Why?'
Saint Jest was sure to have felt the stares of many other people aside from him, so why did he only meet his gaze?
'This place really is dangerous.'
Sunny decided to be a bit more cautious. Transcendents were not people to be trifled with.
His gaze moved away from them, instead searching elsewhere.
He soon spotted Saint Tyris and her daughter, a mundane girl around Morgan's age with golden blonde hair.
His gaze did not linger for long, sweeping elsewhere. Saint Hearth did not seem to be present, and neither was Nightwalker, much to Sunny's disappointment.
'I wanted to meet that guy at least once.'
Sunny was near certain he was dead or missing by now, but he still held hope.
His gaze swept across the crowd some more, and he had spotted a curious figure.
He only looked for a moment, before continuing to scan the crowd.
'...Shit. Shit!'
As he was trying to be careful, he had looked over the crowd with his shifted vision.
And in the crowd, he noticed someone terrifying.
Asterion!
He wore the guise of a distinguished gentleman, seemingly a regular old mundane businessman. He was enjoying a drink as he spoke to some older folks who seemed quite similar to him.
Sunny was not sure why he was here, and he did not want to know.
'Surely… surely not, right?'
Was he going to strike today? Or had he simply snuck in out of curiosity?
Sunny was going to… ignore him.
There was nothing he could do about a Sovereign's scheme, and he would simply pretend it had nothing to do with him. Because it didn't! He wanted nothing to do with that scary guy!
Sipping his drink, Sunny took a deep breath and remained as calm as he could.
'It's got nothing to do with me. Nothing!'
His gaze continued across the crowd, finally stopping as he spotted a certain woman.
'There you are…'
Although he knew she existed, he had no clue what the woman looked like.
The woman in question was Saint Mara, possibly one of the only Transcendent within the ranks of Clan Song currently. Sunny was unsure of her origins, but he knew she was a friend of Ki Song back in her younger days.
He had never heard of her in the future though, so she must have died somewhere along the way.
Sunny checked her sublime features carefully, committing her appearance to memory before he continued to scan the crowd, now looking for no one in particular.
Out in the crowd, he had spotted some familiar faces.
In a group of some stuck-up looking folk, Master Cormac conversed comfortably.
In a group of old and tough looking veterans, Sunny saw Master Randall.
In a group of Song Clan members, Awakened Fass stood silently with his arms crossed. Sunny recognized the man because… it was a younger and less scarred version of Dire Fang, the Saint he had once killed.
He also saw Awakened Roan smiling awkwardly as a group of noble ladies spoke with him, swooning at his every word, earning him some terrifying stares from Tyris.
And lastly, he saw a tall, dark-skinned man sipping a drink as he conversed with an indigo-eyed man with dark blue accents in his hair. It was Master Bloodwave and Awakened Naeve.
'Strange… so strange.'
Seeing the younger versions of the people he knew in the future… so strange! Before, they had all been lofty legacies, practically out of his reach… But now, they stood on practically equal grounds. After all, Sunny was currently a direct member of the Song Clan, a bonafide legacy.
Sunny's musing was cut short by the tapping of a glass.
A tall figure appeared on the balcony above.
The man was strong and severe, with a sharp face and even sharper, cold eyes. His black hair shone with dark luster, as if it was made from steel. He was wearing an elegant attire that somehow looked like a suit of impregnable armor despite being made of nothing but black fabric. His vermilion cloak moved slightly, as if touched by invisible wind.
It was Whispering Blade, the nominal leader of Valor.
"Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed guests. Welcome to the annual ball of the great clan Valor. It is my honor and pleasure to welcome you all under our roof once again. In the past year, many things have happened. Today, I would like to make a toast."
He raised his glass into the air, a pleasant smile on his face.
"To our new Saint, Lady Tyris! Having braved the horrors of the Third Nightmare, she has returned, now crowned with a true name. Sky Tide!"
Although many people seemed to be aware of the fact already, there were still plenty of people unaware that there was a new Transcendent within the ranks of the humans. It seemed that Valor had used the timing of the ball to announce her transcendence.
A wave of cheers and surprised voices resounded throughout the grand hall, as many people began to clap.
Sunny clapped quietly and politely, thinking deeply to himself:
'Wait, just Tyris?'
Did she not have a cohort with her in the nightmare?
Had she completed the nightmare alone? Or was she its only survivor?
Whatever the answer was, Sunny did not envy her.
'So you were alone too…'
Of course, Sunny did not really face the hell before him alone, but that did not stop him from feeling lonely. Everyone around him… not a single one of them truly knew him.
Not Aria, not Jet, not Seishan, not Nephis.
Perhaps that was for the best.
'Huh, I should really befriend more guys. Isn't this ratio a little too atrocious?'
Sunny was momentarily distracted from his thoughts by the ridiculousness of them. The closest person he had to a guy friend was… Thrain?
'...Damnation.'
"...I was supposed to speak a bit more but, ah, I was never one for speeches. Today is a joyful day, so let the ball commence!"
As soon as he said that, the space in the middle of the hall was cleared, and the musicians started to play a magnificent and emotional composition. Whispering Blade danced the first dance himself, accompanied by a beautiful, mature woman. Moving with elegance and grace, they both looked breathtakingly splendid.
'...They really just do this song and dance every year?'
Madoc's speech… even the music that was being played in the ball was remarkably similar to the one Sunny had attended… over twelve years from now.
Sunny glanced at the many pairs approaching the middle of the hall.
He had nobody to dance with… so he simply looked away, going back to sipping his drink and staring at nothing in particular.
That was what he thought… until…
"Seishan. It's good to see you."
'...Shit.'
A comfortable smile worn by a tough looking face spoke to them.
Aria had approached them.
Although she had greeted Seishan, she was unmistakably staring… right at Sunny.
And her gaze was quite scary.