Sunny stared at the piece of paper in his hand, heaving a long sigh.
'Finally…'
"Well done."
A voice pulled him from his thoughts, causing the paper to fall into the dark waters of his soul as his spirit body vanished due to his lack of focus.
After a week of trying, Sunny had succeeded.
Using Shadow Step as a conduit, he had managed to pull the piece of paper inside his soul.
It had taken far too much effort for a simple piece of paper, but he was still overjoyed.
Sunny took several deep breaths, the exhausting of the past week catching up. He likely could've learned faster, but he had to stop several times along the way to prevent himself from using too much essence, always keeping at least half.
"Thank you, Lady Hope."
"You are taking a break now?"
Sunny nodded.
"Yeah…"
Sitting down, he summoned the Covetous Coffer, preparing a hearty meal for himself and Hope.
In the darkness of the hall, they shared a quiet conversation.
'My food supplies are running low now… I might need to restock soon.'
After finishing the meal, he yawned.
"I'm quite tired, Lady Hope… I'm going to sleep for a bit."
Hope nodded.
"Sweet dreams."
Sunny smiled slightly at the ironic statement.
And after getting comfortable, Sunny was fast asleep.
***
Within the underground chamber of the Temple of the Moon, rivers of blood flowed.
'Almost…'
Noctis floated in the center of a ring of moonlight, blood pouring from massive gashes on his back.
Moonlight poured in through a small gap in the ceiling, fueling him with spirit essence.
The ritual had been going on for hours now, as he did not want to waste any moonlight.
And it looked like today his efforts were going to bear fruit.
In the center of the ring below him, a heart and a pair of eyes lay still.
It was the ones Shadow had left behind at the Shrine within Nether's Tower.
The man had foolishly left such vital parts of himself behind, ripe for the taking. It didn't exactly make the ritual a surefire method, but it definitely helped him a damn lot.
'Normally the ritual would consume such things though… How strange. What sort of ritual did he perform?'
The ritual was obviously one dedicated to the Storm God, but what kind would it be? The Storm God didn't exactly demand blood sacrifices like some of the other ones did, she was far more reasonable with her blessings and guidance, practically anyone could receive it if they knew what they were doing.
But the ritual Shadow had performed was quite a brutal one. To survive such a thing, he had to have a method of healing himself. Just another thing to watch out for.
Blood continued to pour from him, fueling his ritual.
Eventually though, the sun began to rise.
Noctis let out a long sigh, descending to the ground.
"Ah… what a pain."
The sun felt pleasant on his skin, but the feeling of crippling weakness that came with it did not.
'Seems I won't be completing it tonight.'
It would have to wait until the moon rose once more.
***
Sunny shot up with a startled gasp.
He… he had just had a strange dream.
It had felt startlingly real… as if he had been there personally.
From what he could remember…
He saw an overturned PTV, its metal frame bent horribly out of shape.
He had heard screaming.
And crying. Lots of crying.
Then there was a strange, terrible silence.
'No… no no no…'
"That was not a dream."
Sunny felt Hope's gaze on him. Her words had confirmed his suspicions, causing him to clench his fists tightly.
It had been a vision from the real world.
The gloomy shadow… must have tried to send some sort of warning to him, but due to the realms separating them he had only been able to receive it as a strange encrypted dream.
'What… what happened…'
Remembering the overturned PTV caused his stomach to churn painfully.
Had… had something happened to Nephis? Had he spent too long in the Nightmare, and something happened that even gloomy and Solvane had failed to prevent?
'No… the crying had been Nephis' voice. Something must've happened to someone if she's crying like that...'
How could this be? Had something happened to Thrain? To Calida?
'Calida should be fine... It... Thrain...'
He needed to leave. Immediately.
'But… I haven't…'
His plan wasn't finished yet. He still wanted to spend more time with Hope. Just now, she had been showing him some historical places from the distant past. He had been enjoying it, immersing himself in the learning.
Sunny calmed his breathing.
"I'm sorry, Lady Hope. It seems I won't be able to stay much longer."
Hope did not move, only speaking after a while.
"I understand."
He was blessed. To have received such a wondrous opportunity, to have been able to learn from a great and wonderful daemon.
But now, he was going to have to cut it short.
He still had responsibilities in the real world. Out there, there were still people who needed him. People who were waiting for him, perhaps wondering if he would even make it.
"Lady Hope, do you think you could break one chain on your own?"
Hope tilted her head slightly.
"I believe so. Why?"
Sunny sighed.
"Noctis was kicked out a while ago. I have no idea where he is currently. Chances are, he'll show up sooner or later, but just in case he doesn't…"
"I see."
Sunny nodded gratefully.
"I'll be off."
Hope did not respond, only quietly watching the place Sunny had just vanished from.
...In the darkness of the grand hall, a sad smile crept up on her face.
***
The moon hung silently in the night sky.
Sevras was still standing before the large window, the stone on its sill turned to dust from him gripping it too hard.
Tonight was another silent night, just as last week had been.
'When are you going to show up? When?'
His eyes no longer darted from building to building. His vision was no longer even focused, his sight blurred from the overuse of his eyes. Even as an immortal, his body was not perfect. It was only his death that had been taken away.
His own finger tapped against his thigh, the dull sound his armour produced giving him only minor comfort.
Noctis still had not returned. Aidre still had not said anything. Even his brother did not look at him the same way anymore.
'I still need to apologize for yelling at him.'
Semos had been a pillar of support his entire life. Even if they did not always agree on things, he was still his brother. Nothing could ever change that.
Then, Sevras shifted.
Something in the room had changed.
Whipping around, he scanned the space behind him.
It was empty.
Yet he couldn't shake the feeling that someone was there. As someone who had lived for over a thousand years, he trusted his own instincts more than most.
"Who's there?!"
And just then, he heard someone click their tongue in annoyance.
With a light blue shimmer, someone appeared.
Shadow.
"Me."
"You…!"
Sevras did not waste a single moment. His saber was in his hand immediately, and he shot towards Shadow at startling speeds, ignoring the weakness of his Flaw.
Stone exploded beneath his feet, the building nearly crumbling from the weight of his steps.
Shadow disappeared a moment later, clearly not looking for a direct confrontation.
"Semos, Aidre!"
His deep voice boomed across the building.
On the middle floors, Semos tensed.
In the basement, Aidre looked down and sighed.
"He's here!"
And despite their recent schism, his fellow Chain Lords reacted immediately.
Light flooded the premises and the plantlife below surged.
And on one of the roads below, he saw it.
Stumbling out of the shadows was Shadow, clutching a dark blade.
All the feelings that had been gnawing away at the back of his mind faded.
Now, he only felt burning rage.
"Shadow!!"
Leaping through the window, he immediately pursued the fiend, not yet assuming his transformation in fear of destroying the city.
Luckily for them, Shadow had attacked at night, so nobody was wandering the streets currently.
With a resounding boom, he landed where Shadow had been standing a moment ago, a net of cracks spreading on the stone pavement, the fiend having only barely dodged.
The lantern on his waist clicked open, shadows flooding out of it to form a sphere of darkness.
But this time, he was ready.
Flames erupted from his palm, banishing the shadows before the man could escape.
"You won't get away. Never again."
Just as he said that, Semos landed behind him, the echo of his footfalls clear in the silence of the night. Not too far away, Aidre emerged from the ground as well.
"He's really here…"
Shadow slowly stood up, the black stone-like armour he always wore now covered in soot from the flames.
"Three against one… a little unfair, don't you thi-"
"Silence. Just die, impostor."
And just before Sevras could dash forward, a loud screech echoed across the world.
Sevras and Semos looked up in horror, the screech sounding terribly familiar.
A colossal vulture flew over the city, countless smaller versions of itself splitting from it and flying towards the city below.
"No… how did it get past the scouts?"
And when they looked back, Shadow was gone. Aidre silently stared at the spot he had just been in.
"...Lady Aidre, Semos, look for Shadow. I will fight the Titan."
Sevras leapt into the sky, assuming his transformation with a roar. All across the city soldiers and Awakened were woken up, and the whole city was put into high alert. The constant shouting of orders were drowned out by the screams of civilians and screeches of vultures.
In the sky, the Ivory Dragon met the Titan with a deafening boom, the fury of their clash only barely not reaching the city.
Lanterns ignited all over the city, bathing it in light and warmth, Awakened with luminous Aspects activated their abilities, and enchantments that were created to combat shadows were activated. The city had not been caught off guard. The timing was unexpected, but their preparations had not been for naught.
Perhaps if Sunny just had a little more time, Hope's Poison would wear down their wills, causing their guards to drop.
But tonight was the night.
He couldn't simply ignore the vision he saw. He needed to leave as soon as possible.
Including the time it had taken to reach the Ivory Tower, Sunny had been in the Nightmare for two months now. Only two short months, but something had already happened out there in the waking world.
The Chain Lords didn't know how desperate he was. They didn't know him at all. They wouldn't understand what he was doing, nor would he ask them to. He didn't feel great about it either, but they were going to die tonight.
He had waited until the middle of the night to make sure Sevras' Flaw was at its strongest, but that was the limit to how long he was willing to wait.
In the sky, Sevras clashed with Serpent, his flames igniting the sky. There was no clear victor just yet, but it was obvious that Serpent would outlast him. Its lacking offensive power meant that The Fire could resist its soul harvesting wind, but in terms of essence, it had plenty of spirits gathered. It was only a matter of time.
At the city below though, Sunny had bigger problems.
Semos and Aidre dashed from rooftop to rooftop, searching for him.
'That Sun Prince bastard is really annoying…'
The dome of light he emitted made him effectively blind, there wasn't much Sunny could do against him. He had been able to figure out a decent chunk of his Aspect, and even had guesses of what his Flaw was, but that information wasn't helping much yet. He needed to assassinate him, as he wouldn't be able to do much against a Saint whose Aspect countered his, and that wasn't counting the other Saint running around looking for him.
From within the shadows, Sunny sighed.
'What a pain.'
He really would've preferred to attack at another time, but there was always a chance his plan would fail, he still had things he could put in motion if he ever needed to speed up his schedule.
Like the current siege of the city.
He had to move Serpent through the sky below to avoid detection from their scouts, and had planned on using it as a surprise attack, but it had been forced to reveal itself anyways when Sunny had been caught out by Sevras and Semos.
He sighed again.
'Seems I've been found again.'
The dome of light passed over him, forcing him out of the shadows.
Semos' head immediately flicked towards him, sensing his presence.
"There!"
***
Semos turned towards the presence he felt appear abruptly.
Sure enough, it was Shadow.
"There!"
Reaching behind his back, Semos grabbed a thin spear and imbued it with light.
'May this spear dispel all darkness.'
He whispered a silent prayer into it, soft light glowing beneath his skin.
A second later, his arm whipped forward, the air around him exploding with light as the spear shot straight towards the stumbling man.
Before he had even thrown his spear, the lantern at Shadow's waist opened, flooding the world around him with shadows.
'I can't let him get away again!'
It was clear that Shadow's spatial movement ability only worked in the presence of shadows, he just had to make sure the shadows around him were dispelled faster than he could escape into them.
Sevras was counting on him. He couldn't fail.
The sphere immediately crumbled as the spear neared it, the light within banishing all shadows.
With a loud crash, the spear embedded itself into the pavement, only barely missing Shadow. A long gash ran down the side of his ribs, his armour failing to provide any defense against his spear.
Shadow grunted in pain, temporarily falling to one knee as the light began to seep into his body.
'Got him!'
Semos immediately ran forward. He did not have enough time to ready another spear, so he was going to resort to using his fists instead. In a direct fight, the impostor was quite weak. From the little information they had managed to gather on him, he was actually only an Ascended, so against Transcendents like them he needed to keep his distance.
But the next moment, he felt something cold.
Killing intent surged from Shadow like a wave of malice, causing him to slow down ever so slightly.
Darkness flooded the world, the Shadow Lantern devouring all the light around him.
Semos ignored it, continuing his dash forward.
'May all the darkness around me fade.'
Light exploded from his body, far more intense than the usual dome of light that he used. The darkness around him was banished immediately.
Finally, he reached Shadow.
Swinging a fist imbued with light, Semos felt it strike something.
Unfortunately, that something was the palm of a dark fiend that towered over him.
Shadow stood over him, three of his now four arms used to stop the punch. His other arm raised, a blade held within.
Semos dashed back immediately before Shadow could strike them.
'Not running this time, are you?'
Semos couldn't help but smile.
Their battle could finally end tonight. The feelings that tormented every single day would finally be put to rest.
'Where's Lady Aidre?'
She should've arrived to back him up by now. Together, they could put him down for good.
He took a deep breath and prepared himself.
A power from deep within his soul shook, awaiting his call. Thanks to his unique composition, there was something he could do far better than most — the Sorcery of Names. He had spent decades studying the scrolls within Hope's Tower, and he was quite skilled at it.
Golden light appeared from inside his body, shining through every orifice.
He prepared to speak the Name of the Sun.
The winds around him stirred, and light ignited within his chest.
Shadow nervously took a step back at the sight of it.
'Die.'
He opened his mouth, and the clouds above them parted.
Despite the fact that it was night, light began to shine in the sky above.
His eyes igniting with brilliant gold, Semos spoke the-
"Urk-!"
...
Drip. Drip.
Semos took a step forward, stumbling.
Stabbed straight through his back was a long tree root that had emerged from the cracks he had created in the pavement earlier.
More roots emerged from the ground, wrapping around his arms, legs, and neck.
'A-Ah…'
He could only barely move his head back to get a look at his attacker.
"L-Lady Aidre…"
The attack was so sudden that he did not even have time to assume his Transcendent Form.
He tried to speak the Name of the Sun again, but the root around his neck tightened even more, and he could feel his bones strain against its grasp.
'No… No!'
Sevras had always suspected it. He had always suspected it. Lady Aidre had truly betrayed them!
Standing atop a rooftop nearby, just barely out of range of his dome of light, Aidre stood with an outstretched arm, a sullen look upon her face.
Even as he felt a knife bury itself into his heart, Semos never looked away from Aidre.
As he heard the sound of countless bones snapping, he could've sworn he saw her mouth an apology.
***
Sunny stood silently as the light around him dissipated, his shadow sense finally returning. The roots binding Semos receded, allowing his body to fall to the ground, the ruby knife buried in his chest crumbling into shards of solid blood. Although he had buried the knife within his chest, Aidre had been the one to kill him, so the Spell remained silent.
He could feel Aidre looking at him, but he did not react.
Semos had seemed like a decent man, but he did not let that stop him. Sunny had nothing against him, but he was one of Hope's Chains, and he was not going to let him go.
Of all the Chain Lords, he was likely the least suited for combat, even less so than Aidre. His Aspect seemed like the supportive type, only able to imbue other things with power rather than himself. It was to the point where Sunny could dodge one of his spears despite the fact he couldn't even see it coming.
There was another thing as well that made him even more terrifying.
His Flaw.
Or at least, what Sunny suspected his Flaw to be.
'I'm pretty sure he had something like a perfect memory.'
Normally that would seem like a decent ability to have, but knowing how Flaws worked, it most likely felt like he was constantly experiencing his entire life at once. Even for a normal person, such a thing would be difficult to bear, but for an immortal? It had to have been terrible. But it was thanks to that Flaw that Sunny realised he could most likely use the Sorcery of Names. But it was also thanks to that Flaw that Semos was tormented by Sunny's actions far more than Sevras ever was, as every single time they were apart he would silently pray to himself, perhaps to distract himself from the memories.
'Your nightmare is over now, so… I hope you find peace, wherever you go.'
He paid his respects to his adversary. Despite the fact he wasn't the most powerful of the bunch, he was likely the most suited to fight him.
Sunny sighed and turned to Aidre.
"Thank you."
Earlier, in the second that Sevras and Semos had been distracted by Serpent, she flashed the iron knife to him and nodded. That was all the proof Sunny really needed. She had even stood outside the range of Semos' light, as she knew he couldn't see, instead relying on his shadow sense.
Aidre nodded.
"Just don't mess it up."
Sunny scoffed. Just who did she think he was?
"And I've been wanting to ask, what did you mean by 'I'll leave the choice with you'?"
Sunny blinked.
'Oh…'
"That… Well, you also want to free Hope, don't you? I gave you the knife to give you the choice of helping me or not. Did I uh… not make that clear? Sorry."
Aidre's stare intensified.
"And how did you know I wanted to free Hope?"
Sunny met her gaze unflinchingly despite the fact he couldn't truly see her face.
"Your son told me."
Aidre froze for a moment before sighing.
"...That brat."
Just before their conversation could continue, a wail echoed across the entire city.
After seeing the sun almost descend for a moment, Sevras must have realised something had happened to Semos. And when he looked down, all he could see was his prone body laying on the ground.
Sunny instinctively turned his head toward the sound.
He couldn't accurately tell where Sevras was without his sight, but he could roughly tell where he was thanks to the shadow he had wrapped around Serpent.
Aidre leapt from where she was, landing not too far away from him.
"Now what?"
Sunny sighed.
"What do you think? We slay the dragon."
Aidre nodded.
"That wound looks bad. Want me to heal it?"
Sunny shook his head.
"I'll be fine."
Actually, he would have much preferred for her to heal him as he believed she would actually be able to restore his eyes, but he couldn't trust her not to try anything just yet, so he'd wait a bit longer for her to prove herself.
"What's your plan for Se-"
Another roar interrupted them, this time it was much closer.
'Cr-'
Sunny barely even had any time to react as flames washed over where he and Aidre were just standing.
"Aidre… you traitor! You… you…!"
His deep voice billowed across the surrounding street, the depths of his rage palpable with every word.
Only now, his words were tainted with madness.
A second later, Serpent slammed into his back, its talons scraping against his scales, leaving deep grooves.
"I'll find you… I'll find you! You bastards! You'll all pay! You'll…!"
Sevras' words devolved into belligerent roars as he took to the skies once more.
All around the city, smaller versions of the Great Spirit Gatherer were besieging scores of Awakened as they desperately evacuated the civilians of the city. Strangely though, not a single person had been killed so far. If Sevras had paid any more attention, he would've realised the fact. The only casualty so far had been his very own brother.
This was by design. Sunny was already not a fan of having to kill the Chain Lords, he wasn't about to slaughter the innocent civilians of the city as well. In this time, they hadn't even started sacrificing the brightest members of the Sun Legion yet. It was a perfectly normal and picturesque city. Sunny wasn't about to ruin that just to further his own goals, even if they were just Nightmare inhabitants. It would've definitely benefited him to kill them as well, as Serpent's Soul Reaver would supply him with an endless amount of essence from it. But still, he chose not to.
Searching through his shadow sense, Sunny found the place where Aidre had escaped to. She wasn't completely unscathed from the earlier attack and was busy healing herself beneath a large tree.
Sunny appeared atop one of the branches above her, casually sitting down.
Aidre's head whipped around at the foreign presence, only to relax at the sight of him.
"So this is your plan then? Just let him fight your… vulture?"
Sunny nodded.
"That's right. Because of that pesky divine lineage, he likely won't lose any time soon, but neither will my Shadow. So I'll just let him tire himself out."
Aidre nodded and went back to healing herself.
The two sat in silence for a while, neither of them even looking at each other.