A frail looking boy sat on a rusted bench facing the police station. His eyes were as black as night and his skin was an unhealthy pale that only aided in the highlighting of the dark circles that plagued his eyes
Both his hands were wrapped around a cup of coffee
Not the synthetic crap that the people of his... circumstances were able to drink, No, this was the real deal. A hot cup of plant based coffee that only the higher ranked citizens could enjoy
Buying this single cup had cost Sunny most of his savings but he chose to spend it regardless. The chances of him getting another chance to do so were negligible
After all, he was going to die.
The warmth of the cup seeped into his hands and the steam blew against his face. The strong aroma entering his nose as he took a small sip
"Ack! So bitter!" - He grimaced immediately
He pierced the cup with an intense look and sighed. It was bitter, but it was paid for with his money and he was going to get his money's worth even if the taste made his taste buds recoil.
"I should have bought a piece of real meat instead. Who knew actual coffee was so disgusting? Well. It's going to keep me awake, at least."
He stared into the distance for a second, dozing off, and then he slapped himself in the face to wake up - "Tsk. What a rip-off."
He shook his head and sipped the last bits of the bitter liquid. His gaze wandered for a few seconds Rich people living in this part of the city were rushing past the small park on their way to work, staring at him with strange expressions.
It was a natural reaction honestly even if it were a bit rude, Sunny looked like a black spot on a white page here and his cheap tattered clothes and overall look due to the lack of sleep did not aid the situation
That was excluding his thin frame and pale skin not to mention his height that really set him apart from all those people, Everyone seemed so tall
Watching them with a bit of envy, he tossed the cup into a garbage bin. - "I guess that's what three full meals a day would do to you."
The cup missed the bin by a wide margin and fell on the ground. Sunny rolled his eyes in exasperation and moved to pick it up, but his hands never reached it.
As his back bent to reach for the cup, his hand out stretched. There seemed to have been frozen, as if he were art of a show that had just been paused
In that second perhaps he didn't know what had happened either
His mind had just exploded after all
In that brief second it was like every one of his senses had simultaneously shut down but that was the easy part of it because in the next second...
That explosion had created a hole, no, not a hole. A unfathomably deep basin that was being filled in mass. Torrents upon torrents and rivers upon rivers of memories were flowing into that basin filling it up like a sea
This forceful injection of thousands of scenes was not just painful. It was torturous , suffering incarnate and pure unfiltered agony multiplied by billions
Sunny tried to hold it back, he bit his lips causing blood to drip but that only stalled for a second or two because in the next moment he was screaming
He had fallen to his knees by now and his hand that moved to pick up the cup had crushed it already and was now clawing at the ground, his nails were peeling back as the skin grated and blood seeped out.
His other hand was on his forehead and that one was squeezing it, maybe it was an attempt to die to not feel the pain but it was failing to do anything
As more memories pooled in he had already began to tear at his face with both hands and after another few moments, the ability to scream was lost too. Perhaps he had ruptured his voice cords.
But the pool continued to fill
Eventually he fell over flat, his body convulsing on the ground as his eyes rolled back and foam started to appear in his mouth.
The most curious part?
He was awake through it all, and yet he was not truly 'here' or 'there.' if he were he would have noticed how the police had started to run over from the station and how his self inflicted wounds were healing
It was like he was in his own mind. He was seeing visions.
No, calling them visions felt inaccurate; it was more like they were memories.
But whose memories are these?
He was seeing through the eyes of this being but there were others in the memory too.
The being in front of him caught his attention
"I love you, Sunny..." - That angel just said his name.
'What?!"
It was like another cold flood had poured over him this one not bringing pain, just dread and sadness because he had just found out who's memories this was
These were his memories.
There were so many things he saw... so many things that did not make sense flowing from one to another over and over.
There was a black mountain, an endless black sea, a dark castle, and floating islands connected by chains; there was a woman so immeasurably beautiful that he could not even describe her; then there was bone-chilling cold and millions of corpses; there was a river that flowed endlessly from the future into the past and back, a colossal skeleton, and a city that denied death itself... The memories flowed like torrents, flowing faster and faster and faster, more and more.
And then it slowed, and something more horrifying than all those memories combined
There was a Void, and in that Void there were beings his mind struggled to comprehend.
There was a deep shadow that was on his knees, and similarly there was a radiant light that was on her knees too. Their heads were touching, and their hands were holding each other's, but one had a peaceful expression, and the other didn't.
"I'm sorry… just like all those years ago, I'm forcing you to leave me behind, but I don't think I'm coming back from this one..." - The angel spoke.
The Shadow didn't say anything. He just shut his eyes tight, trying to hold back the tears.
How numb had he become to human emotions after becoming divine... well, he had attempted to keep some of his humanity, and this was it showing.
"I'm sorry," he said after a few seconds, "I..."
"You know, if I hadn't taken that hit... I would have been forced to be here alone... in the void. Incorruptible... running, hiding... endlessly."
The last horror they had slain together was particularly dreadful... It was probably the only thing in here that could have permanently killed either of them in here.
It was a god.
A Corrupted God
No, this God was the source of Corruption.
The Dream God
"So don't be sorry, Sunny... It's actually nice..."
Sunny chuckled at her—"What part of this is nice?"
"I don't quite know myself... maybe it's the idea of dying before you. It means I won't have to live without you alone in this void..." - Her head slumped against his chest.
Silence
Was that true? Was he going to live here now? Hiding and running...
No
Sunny smiled slightly even though his tears were flowing freely now.
"That was a pretty shitty thing to say, Neph..."—Was that her attempt at trying to make him feel better?
It didn't.
He carried her with his hands as he stood. There were 6 more of him that were standing there in a wide half circle.
"Should we kill him?"
"Ah, what a ridiculous thing to say... of course we shouldn't; we should kill him," the other pointed at another.
"This isn't the time to be joking... you idiots."
"Did we go insane from grief?"
That avatar of Sunny had summoned a serpent. The last shadow of the God of Death
The midnight black odachi shone with a sharp light. How magnificent the serpent had become... Sunny doubted any divine memory, even one at the 7th tier, would be as potent, deadly, and useful.
Well, Serpent was that too, wasn't it? A divine titan
How unfortunate it was that her blade would be marred with the 'blood' of her own master.
The Avatar holding the blade and the one holding Nephis were the only ones left in their human forms.
"So we all agreed you're the sacrifice?"
"...Of course we do, idiot. I'm you."
There was no one to even admire this scene he was putting up, but it felt good to reminisce about the old days with Kai, Effie, Jet, and Cassie.
The Avatar swung the blade at Sunny's neck.
But it never hit.
There was a cold chill that made his spine tingle despite being dead and the chill did not come from the blade
Sunny opened his eyes instantly and went on alert and in front of him grasping... well grasping himself was a hand carved from shadows. Sunny felt no malice so the avatar took the chance and instantly stepped away, wrapping around Sunny and Serpent now in his hand. His Aura as the god of death was nothing short of magnificent and now multiplied 6 times more made it all that more oppressive
But how come those 2 beings in front seemed just as deadly, if not more
'Who...'
"The serpents born of my mark truly are loyal to their masters... to allow them death before succumbing to it as well..."
That line allowed Sunny's mind to click into place
He knew the 2 beings in front of him. He knew them better than any one in the world, 2 worlds even not that there was any one left in either, or the worlds themselves for that matter
The being that had just spoke had been connected to Sunny ever since the first nightmare, and the other had been connected to him since... honestly it was probably since his birth or even before.
Shadow God and the Daemon of Fate
Shadow and Weaver
"I thought you were dead?" - Sunny's spat the words from his mouth with a level of hate that actually managed to raise Weavers brow. Well no one would know that because of the fearsome mask he dawned
"Being dead is quite inefficient as you would know" the daemon in the black robes and fearsome mask spoke a smile was evident even through the mask
"We are dead... this is but a remnant will we had left behind" - He paused and the hand that was floating in the air had dissipated back to the Realm of well... himself
"Let us not focus on our death... but on your life." - The god's voice was worlds apart from Weaver's. It was deep and yet soft, of course it did. The Gods voice seemed to portray peace, an endless peace - "You've done well."
Sunny scoffed, "Done well? Oh, we should celebrate this accomplishment with my companions. Oh, wait..." - Sunny spun around—"They're all dead aside from myself...." - He smiled again, this one strained far to much - "Then again, so am I"
Sunny started to laugh madly to himself as the god looked at him with a pained expression.
Weaver looked somewhere else in the almost distance—"Lost from Light."
They spoke, this voice was not as gentle as the Shadow. This one was raspy and bone-chilling.
"Listen, We have little time for your self-loathing."
Sunny turned his head—"Oh, on the contrary, you ugly bastard, we have all the time in the world that is till this little spell you made is destroyed too... there isn't a Realm for it to retreat to this time."
Shadow God spoke this time—"Listen, child..."
Weaver walked over—no, he didn't, it was like teleportation—"I chose you as an heir, filthy mongrel. You survived this long only because it was the fate I willed for you."
Sunny growled, grabbed the hand, and pushed it off—"I've suffered this much because of your spells—damned will and fate"
He paused and raised his hand, the one fashioned from shadows, and pointed at them both, as he didn't want to let go of Nephis's corpse.
"Actually, why should I give either of you the remaining time of my life? The world went to shit because of you fucking pieces of nightmare shit!"
Shadow and Weaver both paused at an eerily similar time.
Weaver laughed, and Shadow's face grew more solemn.
"Good, good little protégé, your will remains strong, hopefully your past will inherit this."
Sunny paused—"What?"
"We can send your memory back, little Shadow... to your past self." - Shadow God explained
"How"
"I can pull a few strings." - Weaver raised his arms, there were needles glinting.
There was a moment of pause as if he were coming to terms with what had been said, [Mind Weave] had allowed him to process that far to fast
"... Why? Why me? Why not you or Nephis?" - Sunny questioned
"Because you were Fated."
Sunny's head snapped to Weaver again—"What do you mean 'we're'?"
"Come now, you surely understand after losing your fate once."
"Stop spouting bullshit riddles and just tell me what you mean."
"Fate connects you to everything... what happens if there's nothing to be connected to?" - Shadow spoke, drawing his attention.
"Fateless... again?"
"Not quite, being Fateless meant you would have no connections in the world, but what's happened now is that there is no world to have connections with."
He sighed—"We cannot go back for the reason we were never in fate's web as deeply as you were, and sending the wills back hundreds of millennia will reduce them but not your memories. The start of your life did not begin eons ago."
Sunny gritted his teeth—"What's the point of going back if I'm still fated everything will play out the exact same"
"Will it?" - Weaver spoke: "Fate had been thoroughly destroyed by you, and you had been moving simply according to my plans ever since you lost your fate, but what happens when you send back a shard of the being that broke fate to a past where fate was still omnipotent?"
"Do you have to speak like a poet, or is that your flaw?"
"Humans... always so dumb," Weaver whispered. "I can send your memories back to the start of your journey with your connection to the spell. Fate would be restored to its past self too, but yours won't. Your nature will be a breaker, You will still be connected to fate and you will still be fated but the strings tying you to events will be weak and brittle and you can choose to break those which you choose"
"....Then I see no reason why not"
And so Weaver's hand had started moving—"Ah, there is a little gift we have for you."
Sunny looked at them and scrunched his face—"What is it? Are you actually weaving a gateway to throw me into the voids hands?"
Shadow chuckled—"Not quite..."
"Another Unholy Titan to face"
"He means we have blessings for you, dirty mongrel."
"Is this how ancient deities act?"
"Well...Weaver has always been odd, to say the least...ah, where was I?" —He raised his hand and pointed a finger at Sunny—"I had given you my blessing in the past. We plan to give you more to aid in the sealing of the dream and void."
The inky blood flowed into the strings Weaver had woven.
"A bit late, but sure, what is it?" - Greed would always be a virtue of his.
"I will change your innate ability and... allow my lineage to coexist with his. It will surely be of great assistance."
"And that one?" - Sunny pointed at Weaver.
"I'm letting my lineage remain in your arms, and I'm letting it coexist with his and I'm altering you pasts mind to be able to remember everything. Is that not enough?"
"No, you stingy bastard." -Sunny rolled his eyes.
"Fine, I'll throw in an attribute now shut it and prepare yourself... ah, wait, he can't. Actually, by now he's almost done with it. Some of the changes will reveal itself when you succeed in the nightmare and some before" The mask turned from the strings and stared at Sunny- "Any messages for your self?"
The Daemon had thrown something into the strings as well
Sunny smiled. "Grow. Grow as fast as possible and change everything i wanted to..."
Suddenly the stars in the inner lining of the spell started to be extinguished one by one as the Void flowed in and just as it neared the golden strings Weaver had been weaving glowed and there was a blinding flash of light
There was a loud gasp that caused everyone to wake with a start - Sunny had woke
A groan escaped from his along with a gasp as he tried to wake, he was not able to. He was tied
He tried to focus and the people in the back ground had become more distinct, the ancient memory had already settled
'That's not possible that couldn't have happened'
"Hey kid, you okay?"
Sunny's head ached like hell, and the light that whoever was shining into his eyes was making it worse - 'What was that... that couldn't have been real'
"Hey! I'm talking to you!"
Sunny had come to barely and swallowed—"Uh, no, I...what happened?"
"You just started screaming in front of the station, your eyes rolled back, and you started having a seizure, so we brought you here and tied you down so you don't hurt yourself... well, at least you're alive."
The man moved to remove the binds.
"No, don't."
The officer paused. "Why? Are you on something we should know about?"
"No, nothing like that..." - Sunny yawned and it turned into a groan, and then his forehead knotted in pain. - "As demanded by the Third Special Directive, I am here to surrender myself as a carrier of the Nightmare Spell."
The policemen's eyes widened.
"Are you sure you are infected? When did you start showing symptoms?"
Sunny shrugged.
"A week ago?"
The officer became visibly paler.
"Shit."
The man spoke slowly. He did not scream this time because everyone in the station was gathered in this underground room. It had taken a lot to hold him down - "Attention, Code Black"
Sunny's head was cold now like everything was settling and that's what bothered him - He was tied down to the same medical torture looking chair and now just like the last time, The same gray haired man had walked in and asked the same exact question
"What's your name, kid?"
Sunny's eyes narrowed his mind was reeling - 'Don't tell me that its all true... that all of those were memories of the future.
"Sunless."
The old policeman raised an eyebrow. - "Sunless? That's a strange name."
Sunny tried to shrug but couldn't since he was tied down, instead as he spoke. - "What's so strange about it? At least I have a name. Back in the outskirts, not everyone even gets one."
He yawned now The pain had subsided fully. - "It's because I was born during a solar eclipse. My mom had a poetic soul, you see."
The old policeman grunted. - "Do you want me to contact your family?"
Sunny simply shook his head. - "They're dead. Don't bother."
For a second, there was a dark look on the policeman's face. Then his expression turned serious. - "Alright, Sunless. How long can you stay awake?"
"Uh… not long."
The policeman sighed. - "Then we don't have time for the full procedure. Try to resist for as long as you can and listen to me very carefully. Okay?"
Not waiting for a response, he added, "How much do you know about the Nightmare Spell?"
'He is going to tell me about the Aspects of the person in my nightmare and then about the humans... then about having to pretend its an illusion..."
"Don't worry... I'll try my hardest to survive or at least take as long as possible to die."
The grumpy officer gave a half-assed smile—"Good kid, a word of advice. remember that the beings you see in the nightmare..."
"It's an illusion conjured by the spell, I know" Sunny finished.
The man's eyebrows rose - "Good luck"
Sunny was already falling into the spell's embrace; he heard the voices of the officers.
"You think he'll make it?" One of them seemed worried, naturally, they were. Mundane people were not meant to fight an awakened nightmare creature.
"I think so... he has a look in his eye..."
Of course Sunny had a glint in his eye. He was most likely the first person in the entire history of the nightmare spell to know the contents of his nightmare before hand and if what he saw was true Sunny had already begun weaving a plan
He was going to find out if it was real and if it was. Sunny was going to change everything
[Aspirant! Welcome to the Nightmare Spell. Prepare for Your First Trial. …]