Fate's Slave - Shadow Slave X Honkai Star Rail

”I’ve heard that Shadow was the god of death. I wonder if you could one day bring out my demise.”

”What an idiot. Why do you always use these mid builds?”

”I’m not as good as you are when it comes to tricking people, so do you mind if I rely on you, Sunny?”

”Listen, once you wake up, check the [Vessel of Remembrance] the moment you are alone.”

***

”...I don’t know CPR.”

”Nobody ever thought you did.”

”What’s that supposed to mean?!”

”...Nothing, I’ll handle this myself.”

’...What?’

Sunny cracked opened his eyes.

’Huh? What is that?’

A blurry object was moving towards him. It seemed whitish, with a black top and a roundish shape.

He blinked a few times, the image starting to grow clearer.

Horror spread across his face. Sunny kicked out.

***

”Uhm... my bad?”

Sunny scratched the back of his head while looking apologetically at the duo in front of him. The black-haired boy was clutching his stomach, keeled over on the floor. Next to him was a pink haired girl, who was rubbing his back while glancing between the two boys.

’I didn’t kick that hard, did I?’

Maybe he did, since it felt as if he pumping all the energy in his body to his right leg. He also felt unnaturally strong...

’I must have been imagining things.’

The boy who Sunny had just kicked stood up, seemingly no worse for wear. He glanced at him for a moment, with a perplexed expression.

”...You’re an Awakened.”

Sunny blinked. He had only just cleared the First Nightmare, so he should only be a mere Dreamer — also referred to as Sleepers — currently.

”Uh... I’m actually a Sleeper... I just completed my First Nightmare.”

Sunny took a look around. This place was... very alien to him. It looked nothing like the outskirts that he was familiar with.

”Actually, where am I? Did I get abducted or something?”

As he looked back at the two youths in front of him, he noticed something strange...

’They don’t seem very tall. The girl is around the same height as me, and the guy’s only a couple inches more...’

To Sunny, everyone looked tall to him, as he was extremely short.

He looked down.

’No way...’

He was huge!

Sunny resisted the urge to jump up and down. Nobody would pick on him for his short stature anymore! Rather, he will be the one doing the picking!

He didn’t know becoming a Sleeper had such benefits!

’Ah... It was all worth it.’

”Huh? Don’t you work here? This is the Herta Space Station, obviously.”

The girl with hair that reminds him of cotton candy was the one who spoke. He remembered when his mother took him and his little sister, Rain, to a small carnival in the city. They didn’t have enough money to go on any rides, but they were at least able to afford some of the fluffy stuff.

Sunny felt a pressure start to grow once the girl had asked whether or not he had worked here.

’Seriously?!’

”...No, I don’t work here. I’m only thirteen, you know?”

It seemed that his Flaw did not only restrict him from lying, but he was also compelled to answer any question directed towards him.

’If someone asked me if I had a True Name...’

...Sunny knew what he would have to do in such a scenario.

The duo narrowed their eyes at him, looking him up and down. Sunny shuffled awkwardly at their gaze. Taking a glance down at himself, he couldn’t find anything wrong. Well, he was wearing clothes that he didn’t own, relatively nice ones as well.

’Huh? What’s that?’

When he stared down at his jacket — which was a mix of black and yellow — he noticed what seemed to be a nexus of lights. It was as if his jacket was transparent, and he was able to see within it.

The nexus consisted of radiant anchors, which were held together by elusive strings to form complicated patterns.

’...That’s... something to look into.’

He couldn’t right now, since he was in front of two people, but once he was alone, he definitely would.

...Was there something else he needed to do?

The black haired boy sighed.

”Your age aside, this place is dangerous. The station is being attacked by the Antimatter Legion, so we should head to the master control zone.”

’The Antimatter Legion...’

Sunny had heard of them. They were the servants of an Aeon — beings that embodied a concept to such a degree that they became akin to a god. He didn’t know much, as information in the outskirts was quite lacking.

”I see... Oh, my name is Sunless by the way. You can call me Sunny though.”

After saying his name the pink-haired girl widened her eyes, while the black-haired boy narrowed them. They studied him for a moment, before making eye contact with each other. The girl shook her head.

”Probably not. The hair and eye color are wrong, and the height is just—”

The boy cut her off.

”I get what you mean. You don’t need to explain it.”

While Sunny was confused about the topic of their conversation, they both turned back towards him.

”I’m Dan Heng, and this is March 7th. We’re members of the Astral Express.”

As they introduced themselves, Sunny looked closely at their appearances while also comparing their behaviors, something that he needed to do in his First Nightmare in order to survive. Naturally, he would continue to do the same here as well.

First was the girl named March:

Her eyes, a muted lavender, scanned the world with a blatant curiosity and optimism — not searching, but noticing, which marked her impulsiveness. She wore a uniform of cool blues and soft whites, the fabric neat and deliberate, with gold buttons and a ribbon tied at her chest. A compact camera hung from her belt, bright against the muted palette, hinting at a habit of recording more than participating.

Despite her apparent cheeriness, Sunny detected a reflexive cautiousness with each shift of her stance. It was as if she was always prepared for something to go wrong without warning — an instinct born of experience. She looked like someone who moved through the world without asking permission, and without needing to.

’Obviously an Awakened... same for the other guy.’

Dan Heng stood with the quiet ease of someone who had already measured the room — and found it wanting. Dark hair framed his face in uneven layers, tousled not by carelessness but by a lack of concern for appearances. His expression was unreadable, not guarded but indifferent — like someone who had long since stopped expecting surprises. Eyes half-lidded, his gaze drifted without urgency, calculating without seeming to.

His outfit mirrored that same restraint. A high-collared black shirt, layered beneath a coat of white and teal, was clipped and belted with sharp lines and minimal flair. Armor adorned one shoulder — seemingly useless, but Sunny knew a Memory when he sees one — while intricate patterns traced his sleeves and boots, subtle nods to precision rather than vanity. He wore control like a second skin, not flaunted but woven into every step. Calm, deliberate, and distant — he moved like someone always three moves ahead, and too tired to explain why.

’So if he’s the brain, would she be the brawn?’

It was a very common trope in the media he used to consume when he was a child — back when he wasn’t homeless, but still very low-income. People tended to brush it off as something used for comedic purposes. However, Sunny understood that there was some truth to it.

A team of pure strength would exhaust their energy quickly, while a cohort of geniuses would be effective in some, but not all situations. In reality, versatility was the ultimate force in this world. Being able to tackle any scenario with acceptable efficiency was much more useful than over-specialization.

In particular, Sunny’s ideal party of Awakened was an all-rounder, a frontline fighter, a ranged fighter, a healer, support that can sustain the team, and support that gives the fighters an easier time slaying their opponents.

Sunny blinked. He had never thought much about such things before, but his thoughts seemed quite feasible. In fact, he could clearly imagine the effectiveness of his ideal lineup, almost like he was a master tactician selecting warriors for an upcoming battle.

His mind never had such clarity. Was this a benefit of conquering the First Nightmare? If so, he’d never heard of it.

’Weird.’

Brushing it off as a simple lack of information due to his upbringing, he noticed that Miss Cotton Candy was sending him a probing look.

”Do people usually have names like that where you’re from?”

’Huh? Is she mocking me?’

Sure, Sunless might have been a strange name... but wasn’t hers even worse? After all, who would name their kid after a day on a calendar?

”Uh... I don’t think so. Is yours?”

Sunny never socialized much, but he was pretty sure returning questions was a core part of small talk — if that’s what this was. Either way, he was genuinely curious.

Also, maybe it was due to the strangeness of the situation, but her words from earlier finally registered as he realized he was on a space station! In space!

He got out of the trenches!

’Why am I here in the first place though?’

Sunny was becoming convinced that he was abducted.

Meanwhile March slightly stuck her tongue out in focus — yes, as in literal sense — creating a strange scene as she thought. Sunny felt like he had been enlightened.

He had initially thought that it was a strange act that fictional characters did in cartoons and the like, but it seemed that there was some truth those depictions!

”...I’m not sure either. Probably not though! It would be weird if there was a March 8th, and March 9th, and a 10th...and there’s only so many days a year, so there would probably be multiple of each!”

She laughed at her own joke.

”Actually, I’ve heard of another guy with the same name as you! He’s probably one of the most famous Awakened in a long time... he even has his own movie! For a second, I almost thought you were him, but you two look nothing alike.”

Dan Heng sighed in exasperation.

”March, you don’t know what he actually looks like. That was just an actor on a screen.”

She blew a raspberry at him.

”It has to be somewhat accurate, right? Besides; tall, dark, and broody? It perfectly fits!”

Although Sunny was slightly intrigued — after all, it wasn’t everyday that you learn that a poor fellow shares the same name as you, especially one like Sunless — he remembered that there was more important things to worry about.

”Yeah... so, anyways, since I don’t work here, and I have no idea how I got here, could you point me towards somewhere that I can figure something out? I’m... really lost right now.”

Dan Heng came to his assistance.

”Back to the Master Control Zone. Asta and the other researchers have gathered there.”

March cheerfully nodded as she continued where he left off:

”Plus that’s where we parked the Astral Express! I don’t know if you could fight or not, but me and Dan Heng will protect you if you can’t.”

Sunny blinked, recognizing an unfamiliar term.

”The Astral Express?”

’...It can’t be a space train, right? That’d be ridiculous.’

She stared at him like he grew a second head.

”Yeah, you’ve never heard of it? The Express comes here every once in a while.”

Picking up where she left off, Dan Heng explained:

”It’s a unique train that can travel between the stars with the power of the Trailblaze Aeon.”

’Huh. It really is a space train.’

Considering that he had never seen a train before, the idea of one in space was even more alien and absurd.

Actually, everything recently was ridiculous. Awakened Tyrants in his First Nightmare, gaining a True Name and a Divine Aspect, his strange Innate Ability, finding himself on a space station, and now learning about trains that can travel through space.

Honestly, it felt like a whole new world. One that almost frightened him enough that he wanted to return to his life as a vagrant in the outskirts, before he got infected.

Almost.

There was nothing left for him on Earth, so... maybe he’ll just find something else to do.

But before that, he needed to worry about the Winter Solstice. That was when Sleepers like him — people who had survived the First Nightmare — were sent into the real Dream Realm. They would be thrown into the wilderness, and would have to find a way to escape. Once they did, they would truly become Awakened.

As he was now, he shouldn’t have been much different from a normal human.

But he then remembered how Dan Heng had made obviously felt pain after he accidentally kicked him in the stomach. That shouldn’t have been possible.

An inkling of suspicion grew in the back of Sunny’s mind.

’...I need to check my runes. Fast.’

Sunny suggested that they should go. As March agreed, Dan Heng shook his head.

”You and March go back together. Arlan from the Security Department lost contact in the vicinity. I need to find him first.”

March’s eyes widened in recognition, seemingly remembering something of the sort, but having forgotten about it.

”Oh, all right. You stay safe.”

Dan Heng nodded as he walked past them. Suddenly, white light danced in his hand, stretching and elongating to form a weapon.

The spear stood tall and formidable, its dark shaft etched with quiet strength. At its heart, where blade met handle, a crescent-shaped brace cradled a glowing orb. The orb spun slowly, suspended by unseen magic, its motion seamless — binding blade and shaft in a silent dance of power. Intricate runes traced the steel, whispering of ancient battles, while the rear flared into a jagged counterweight, balanced and lethal. This was no ordinary weapon — it was forged with purpose, alive with enchantment.

Inwardly, Sunny frowned in envy.

’All I have is a Dormant knife... while this guy gets a cool spear! How is that fair?!’

As Dan Heng walked out of view after turning a corner, March turned toward him.

”Do you have a weapon?”

Sunny paused, feeling the pressure from his Flaw build up. He nodded, alleviating it.

’Nothing as impressive as that though.’

Mentally sighing, he tried to summon a dagger. Considering the fact that the Antimatter Legion was attacking, it would be careless to stay unarmed.

Sunny and March both blinked.

A graceful dagger with a long and slender blade appeared in his hand. It tapered to a needle-like point and had a simple cross-guard, with a handle made from glossy black wood. It seemed to be forged out of clear, misty glass. In the darkness, the ghostly stiletto was nearly invisible.

This wasn’t the weapon he had been attempting to summon. He didn’t have a single Memory like it. Hell, it felt too powerful to be something he recieved in the Nightmare.

Even stranger though, which caught even March’s attention, was that it appeared instantaneously. All Memories took time to be summoned, so having it appear in his hand on command was... strange, to say the least.

’...So that’s what it is.’

Just to make sure, he tried to specifically summon the Dagger of Peace, the weapon he had recieved in his First Nightmare.

Nothing came.

Silently taking a deep breath, he dismissed the stiletto, watching as it disappeared as quickly as he had summoned it. Then, using unfamiliar muscle memory, another weapon began to manifest, appearing in the white sparks as Dan Heng’s spear did.

Now, An austere tachi, between seventy and eighty centimeters long. It was made of bright, lustrous metal, and the hilt was made of polished black wood.

Then, before March could ask any questions about the ghostly stiletto, he casually smiled as if nothing happened.

”We should get going, don’t you think?”

***

Name: Sunless

True Name: Lost From Light

Rank: Awakened

Class: Monster

Shadow Cores: [2/7]

Shadow Fragments: [1948/2000]

***

Following March through the corridors of the space station, Sunny pursed his lips while reading his runes. His suspicions were correct.

An unknown amount of time had passed since he had been through his First Nightmare. Now, he was an Awakened... and not just a mere Awakened at that.

A Monster.

The runes told him that he had multiple Shadow Cores, and that he was currently a Monster. Awakened humans did not have the ability to have multiple Soul Cores, as that was only limited to Nightmare Creatures. Yet, Sunny seemed to be the exception.

He could have went into his Soul Sea, but he was too busy following March. He decided to check the rest of his runes instead.

He first noticed that his list of Memories had changed drastically. Some memories he had before at the end of his First Nightmare were gone, and he had acquired new ones. This was why when he tried to summon the Dagger of Peace, he instead summoned the Moonlight Shard — the dagger that had the ability to appear in his hand without buildup.

Memories: [Weaver’s Mask], [Silver Bell], [Puppeteer’s Shroud], [Vessel of Remembrance], [Midnight Shard], [Moonlight Shard], [Dusk Shard], [Prowling Thorn], [Mantle of the Underworld], [Ordinary Rock], [Autumn Leaf], [Blood Blossom], [Broken Oath], [Dark Wing], [Endless Spring], [Finality’s Farewell].

Echoes: —

He had looked through them all, and found that he was familiar with each of their capabilities. Interestingly enough, none of them seemed useless. Awakened tended to have some junk lying around, but unless they sold or traded them away, then they were bound to stick around.

Sunny himself had quite a plentiful amount of useless Memories after killing all those Mountain King’s Larva. Which meant that he had gotten rid of them all within the time between his First Nightmare and now.

In fact, only three of his Memories were still present in his soul arsenal. The Silver Bell he used to lure the Mountain King, the Puppeteer’s Shroud he earned from slaying that same Tyrant, and the Vessel of Remembrance he got when he killed that one unnamed Awakened.

Not Auro of the Nine, who was not only quite strange for being named when the other humans weren’t, but Sunny didn’t get anything from killing him.

He also found that he was now able to see the tier and enchantments of a Memory. This wasn’t something that Awakened has the ability to do — not unless they had an Aspect related to Memory creation. To know the tier of a Memory, one simply had to know where they got it from. The tier corresponded to the amount of Soul Cores the slain foe had. An Awakened Beast would bestow an Awakened Memory of the first tier.

However, if obtained through other means, there was simply no way of knowing for sure.

As for enchantments, the only way to figure them out was through trial and error, along with the Memory description and pure intuition. As such, it was difficult for Awakend to figure out the best way to use the tools they had been granted.

The corners of Sunny’s lips slightly curled up as he realized this, distracting him from the gravity of his situation.

Most of his Memories were tools and charms, which were used as utility. He had the Puppeteer’s Shroud and Mantle of the Underworld as armor; the former was an Awakened Memory of the fifth tier — matching the Mountain King’s status as an Awakened Tyrant — while the latter was an Ascended Memory of the sixth tier — which corresponded to a Fallen Terror.

Sunny frowned.

’How the hell would I kill a Fallen Terror?’

Even as he was now, that was simply impossible. After all, that would be an entire Rank and four Classes above him.

After a moment of pondering, he realized that it wasn’t too ridiculous. With sufficient planning, resources, and enough luck, it wasn’t impossible. The Mountain King was an Awakened Tyrant while Sunny hadn’t even recieved an Aspect Ability.

Yet, it fell, while Sunny lived.

He also had the Midnight Shard and Moonlight Shard as his main weapons. The former was an Awakened Memory of the third tier, a tachi, while the latter was an Ascended Memory of the first tier, a dagger.

They seemed to be part of a set. He also had a shield called the Dusk Shard, but he wasn’t the type to use something like that.

He also had Weaver’s Mask

A Divine Memory of the seventh tier.

An Unholy Titan.

It was impossible to imagine what such an entity looked like. Nobody in humanity ever faced a creature of the Cursed Rank, and a handful could be said to have defeated one of the Great Rank. However, those individuals were Saints, the strongest humanity had to offer. Not only that, but they’ve never faced anything above a Great Monster.

So... what could possibly explain what he held in his soul?

Actually, there was an explanation. It wasn’t that Supreme — which was equivalent to Great — and Sacred — which was equivalent to Cursed — Memories didn’t exist. Rather, they weren’t obtained through defeating Nightmare Creatures of that Rank. Some Memories were obtained through random encounters in the Dream Realm.

With his [Fated] Attribute, it wasn’t impossible for him to gain one at that level.

When worn, it provided three enchantments. One completely masked his identity, [Mantle of Lies]. Specifically, it hid things he couldn’t control, like his height and voice. He couldn’t do anything about his hair, armor, weapons, and the like.

The second one... reversed one’s Flaw, [Simple Trick].

It didn’t get rid of it. Instead, he would do the exact opposite of what his Flaw forced him to do. Sunny, who had to tell the truth, would be forced to always lie. In a way, that was a Flaw in and of itself.

As for the third enchantment... [???].

That was it. There was no explanation, and Sunny wasn’t inclined to mess with it. So, he moved on to something else.

Memory Description: [Weaver believed that knowledge was the origin of power and so always hid behind numerous lies, wearing them as a mantle. No one knew Weaver’s thoughts, Weaver’s face, and Weaver’s heart. Even the gods could not see what hid behind the mask.]

’No wonder.’

The description was perfect for a mask that was a Divine Memory.

As he looked through his runes, he found a new section.

Shadows: [Marble Saint], [Soul Serpent].

’Shadows?’

Sunny easily deduced that this was an extension of his Aspect, but he wasn’t sure exactly what it was supposed to do. He focused on the runes for a moment, seeing more details.

Shadow: [Marble Saint].

Shadow Rank: Awakened.

Shadow Class: Demon.

’Hm...’

As Sunny looked at the runes, Sunny was reminded of Echoes, which were a copy of slain enemies that were commanded by the killer. Just to be sure, he needed to know more.

Shadow Attributes: [Battle Master], [Stalwart], [Spark of Divinity].

[Battle Master]: ”Born on the battlefield, the Shadow Saint is proficient in all forms of combat.”

[Stalwart]: ”The Stone Saint is highly resistant to all forms of damage, as well as being fully immune to mind and soul attacks.”

[Spark of Divinity]: ”Every fire starts from a spark. Somewhere deep within your soul, a radiant spark shines with divine light.”

Now, Sunny was sure. This Shadow of his known as Marble Saint functioned the same as an Echo, although, possibly much better.

Shadow Abilities: [Weapon Sage], [Underworld Armament].

[Weapon Sage]: ”Shadow Saint can effectively wield any weapon-type Memory.”

[Underworld Armament]: ”Shadow Saint’s armor can accommodate a charm Memory to inherit its enchantments.”

He could probably give Saint the Dusk Shard, as he didn’t think he would do well with a shield. Sunny didn’t know why, but he instinctively felt that the last time he used a shield, he ended up with broken bones.

He shivered.

Lastly was the Shadow’s description:

Shadow Description: [Shadow Saint was created by the treacherous Lost From Light in the cursed darkness of the Forgotten Shore.]

’Tch. Can’t the Spell call me something other than treacherous?’

Although he was peeved at the epithet, he noticed something in the Shadow’s description.

’Forgotten Shore.’

Sunny assumed that it was a place, and decided to look into it as it might provide clues to help fill in his memory.

There was something else however...

Shadow Fragments: [179/200]

Sunny’s breath hitched.

”Are you okay?”

Sunny flinched when he caught March looking at him. She must have heard his reaction to his runes.

”Oh, me? I’m doing absolutely fantastic.”

March stared at him for a moment before turning away. She seemed to grumble something about ’crazy people.’

Anyways, it seemed that his Shadows had the ability to grow. This immediately made them infinitely more valuable than an Echo, as Echoes were permanently stuck at their Rank.

This meant that even if Sunny were to reach the level of a Saint, his Shadows would still be able to keep up with him.

Unfortunately, he still wasn’t aware of the way to get Shadow Fragments.

He sighed, before checking his other Shadow.

Shadow: [Soul Serpent].

Shadow Rank: Dormant.

Shadow Class: Monster.

Shadow Attributes: [Shadow Guide], [Soul Weapon].

[Shadow Guide]: ”Soul Serpent guides Shadow Essence as it flows through your body.”

[Soul Weapon]: ”Soul Serpent can assume the form of a weapon.”

He inwardly frowned, feeling like the abilities were quite strange. Not only was the Soul Serpent a weapon of sorts, but it seemed to assist him in controlling his Essence. Shadow Essence, actually, not Soul Essence.

It made sense, considering he had Shadow Cores.

Sunny read Serpent’s description.

Shadow Description: [When the end came, Shadow was the last of the gods to be destroyed. Many have resented him for creating death, but in the end, death embraced all.]

As he read the runes, and found how much they were connected to his own Aspect, his eyes slightly widened.

’Is this...?’

Not having an answer yet, he continued to check his runes. If he was correct, then he was bound to find it if he kept searching.

He checked his Attributes and Abilities. Since he was now an Awakened, he should have another Aspect Ability. This was technically quite good, but Sunny still wasn’t sure what his first ability did.

Sunny paused for a moment, before looking behind him. His shadow was split in two, but was otherwise normal.

’Nothing out of the ordinary...’

He thought something moved behind him, but it seemed not.

Attributes: [Fated], [Essence of Divinity], [Child of Shadows], [The War], [Breach of Styx], [Blood Weave], [Gazed].

Sunny’s eyes widened. One of his Attributes evolved, and he got four new Attributes!

[Essence of Divinity]: ”The conflicting remnants of the Gods have altered the structure of your soul. Your Essence is more potent than those at your Rank.”

’That’s useful, I guess.’

This made him naturally superior to other humans of the same Rank. Not that he needed it, as he was a Monster, not a Beast like other Awakened.

[The War]: ”You have stolen a fragment from the lineage of War God.”

Although it seemed very significant, Sunny couldn’t derive anything practical from it, so he moved on.

[Breach of Styx]: ”The Gods once agreed to never bless the same mortal. However, an eternity after their demise, this sacred pact was broken by the treacherous Lost From Light.”

’...Does the Spell not know any other adjectives?’

He was starting to get tired of being called treacherous. Anyways, this one also seemed to be more of a compliment rather than something he could use.

[Blood Weave]: ”You have inherited a part of Weaver’s forbidden lineage. Your blood has been altered and embued with odd tenacity.”

’That Weaver guy again...’

Sunny felt his head ache for a moment, before suddenly remembering something.

***

”Hail Weaver

Demon of Fate

Firstborn

Of the -Unknown-”

***

Sunny looked at March once he snapped out of it, making sure he was still following her. It seemed that reading the [Blood Weave] Attribute Description caused him to recall something.

This one actually seemed to provide him with tangible benefits, which made him quite happy. He then checked the last Attribute.

[Gazed]: An Aeon has laid it’s eyes upon you, and left your mind, body, and soul intact.

’An Aeon?’

Whatever the attribute was referring to must have been extremely dangerous, if his mind, body, and soul were in danger.

Their wasn’t much to gleam from his Attributes, outside of the fact that his blood was more tenacious and his Shadow Essence was more potent. Now he had to check his Aspect abilities.

Aspect: [Shadow Slave].

Aspect Rank: Divine.

Aspect Description: [You are a miraculous shadow left behind by a dead god. As a divine shadow, you possess plenty of strange and wondrous powers. However, your existence is empty and lonesome; you mourn the passing of your former master and long to find a new one.]

Innate Ability: [Shadow Bond].

Ability Description: [Find a worthy master and let them know your True Name. Once they recite it out loud, you will be bound to their will, unable to disobey any command. It is improper for a shadow, let alone a divine one, to walk around without a master.]

As Sunny was about to chack his Abilities. He froze. He reread the runes again and again, yet they didn’t change. A cold feeling of despair rose in his chest — he just noticed his heart hadn’t been beating since he woke up — as sweat started to roll down his face.

’No...’

Master: AR-26710.

Sunny snapped out of it when he... sensed someone approaching. It was a strange feeling, disconnected from his other senses. He could feel each movement of the object, but he wanted to be able to see in more detail.

His vision split in three.

Sunny would have thought he would get disoriented by such a feeling, but instead, it felt natural, like something he always knew how to do. He was able to see himself from two different perspectives. Sunny turned around, staring back at the other source of his sight.

He looked at the two shadows on the ground. One of which looked at him like he was a dissapointment, while the other looked as if it was the king of the world.

’Gloomy, Haughty.’

Sunny remembered the nicknames he had given the two shadows. He couldn’t recall much, but he knew that they were his only friends.

’Huh? That didn’t sound right...’

Whether it was due to the self-deprecating fact that his only friends were an extension of himself, or if that fact proved untrue in the time between now and his First Nightmare, he didn’t know.

What he did know, was that whatever was approaching wasn’t human, if the sounds of the footsteps were anything to go off of.

He felt as if his shadows were a second and third body, and he could control them as naturally as he breathed. They moved up the wall of the space station, setting themselves on the roof. They moved extremely fast, as they headed towards where Sunny sensed the beings.

’A... shadow sense.’

The extra sense that allowed Sunny to feel the shadow of objects must have been gained from his Aspect. Meanwhile, he guessed that Shadow Control was what allowed him to control his shadow.

’An invaluable helper indeed.’

Through the eyes of his two shadows, Sunny saw two humanoids with glowing blades in place of their arms. They had dark, purple, shell-like bodies, and didn’t have what would be recognized as a face. Among them was a floating orb with a segmented, silver shell, and a core that reminded Sunny of the stars in the night sky.

He looked towards March.

”I saw some purple creatures. They’re coming this way.”

A look of realization appeared on her face.

”Oh, that’s the Legion. How did you see them anyways?”

He was going to give her a vague answer, before realizing something. It would be better to be straightforward rather than hide too much. Instead, giving her a fair amount of information while hiding his full capabilities was better. He couldn’t lie anyways, so he may as well control the truth enough so that there wasn’t too much disparity between what he says and what he does.

”My Aspect is good for scouting. I can use my shadow to look around for me.”

March blinked for a moment, before seeming disturbed as she muttered under her breath:

”Is this some sort of trend...?”

Sunny blinked.

She shook her head before extending out a hand. A bow materialized in her hand after a dance of white sparks. It had a silver frame and a glowing, light blue string.

Dismissing his jacket, which he deduced is the Finality’s Farewell, he summoned the Puppeteer’s Shroud which enshrouded him in light, string-like armor, similar to a cocoon. Interestingly enough, while you couldn’t wear multiple garment or armor Memories at the same time, you could wear an armor alongside a garment.

Once the Legion turned the corner, Sunny called his shadows back to him, feeling them climb onto his body. His power doubled, before tripling.

’...Huh?’

He wasn’t aware he could do that. It was kind of like muscle memory, now that he thought about it.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see March drawing her bow without any arrows. Suddenly, an arrow formed of pink and blue ice formed.

’Must be an enchantment.’

The Legion seemed to have spotted them, as the two humanoids dashed in their direction. The floating orb was charging up some sort of attack, as energy was being absorbed by it.

March let go of her arrow, causing it detonate to detonate in cold mist as it hit the orb. It wasn’t dead, but clearly disoriented, if the way it was wobbling in the air was any indication.

Sunny ducked under a slash from one of the humanoids, before kicking out his leg. Now that he had read his runes, he knew what that surge of energy from back when he kicked Dan Heng was. He was manipulating his Shadow Essence, using it to amp his attacks.

Combined with the shadows overlapped on him, which further tripled his strength, he was able to easily trip the humanoid. Setting his eyes on the other, he stabbed down, piercing the skull of the enemy he had sent to the ground.

[You have slain an Awakened Beast, Voidranger: Reaver.]

[Your shadow grows stronger.]

He felt himself absorb something, but he had no time to waste. The other Reaver was already approaching, despite seeing how easily Sunny had killed it’s brethren. It dashed forward, arms raised in order to cleave him in two.

However, it seemed to greatly underestimate the treacherous Lost From Light.

In an instant, Sunny was behind the Reaver, traveling without even taking a step forward. Sunny stabbed the Midnight Shard forward, piercing through where a human’s heart and spine would be. The Reaver twitched for a moment, before finally dying.

[You have slain an Awakened Beast, Voidranger: Reaver.]

[Your shadow grows stronger.]

Sunny was astonished at what had just happened. He was able to think with extreme clarity, thinking of nothing but how to kill his opponent, and prevent himself from being killed. At the same time, his movements were fluid, basically formless. In a way, he felt like he was a shadow himself.

’Well... I guess I technically am.’

As the Reaver slipped off of Sunny’s blade, he glanced at March. His eyes widened at the sight.

In her hands were the two halves of the orb, as if it was torn apart. Both her and the orb were covered in frost. She seemed to have been physically empowered, similar to the augmentations from his shadow.

Well, he wasn’t going to ask.

”You’re stronger than you look... Seem to be quite the fighter.”

Sunny tilted his head at her acknowledgment. Then, he haughtily huffed:

”Hmph. You should’ve seen me before. I was a malnourished slave beefing with Awakened Tyrants.”

He said all this with a smirk on his face in order to really sell it. A look of disbelief appeared on her face.

”Uh-huh. Right.”

’Nailed it!’

”So we’ll take that elevator on the central platform to go down to the master control zone. Do you know the way?”

Sunny deadpanned.

”...Didn’t I say that I don’t work here?”

March pursed her lips together.

”...Well, maybe you just have amnesia, and was part of the security here.”

Sunny blinked. It wasn’t impossible... but he really doubted it.

He’ll ask around later.

”If I did have amnesia, then I’d still not know my way around.”

In fact, he did have amnesia. She didn’t need to know that though, so he’ll keep that to himself.

Sunny glanced in the direction of the elevator, locating it through his shadows.

”...Give me a second.”

And he was gone.

March looked left and right, trying to locate the treacherous shadow.

”...Dan Heng is going to kill me.”

***

The moment Sunny reappeared, he had his sword stabbed within a Reaver.

[You have slain an Awakened Beast, Voidwalker: Reaver.]

[Your shadow grows stronger.]

Sunny had figured out a lot of things. First off, was that his Awakened Ability allowed him to instantaneously travel between shadows. Just now, he had used it to travel to the Reaver before impaling it.

Secondly, he had figured out how to gain Shadow Fragments. All he had to do was kill enemies, and his counter would go up. Sunny guessed that once he fully saturated his Core, he would grow a third one. He also concluded that was why he had two shadows, and not just one.

Once he had a third Core, he would gain a third shadow.

Sunny jumped over the beam of energy coming his way. He decided to try something else...

Out of his shadow, a female knight with armor made of black marble appeared. She held onto a broadsword and a shield, and immediately blocked another beam of energy. The beams were being fired by those orb-like enemies.

As Saint appeared on the battlefield, Sunny commanded her to go after the two orbs. He was going after a floating humanoid, similar to the reavers, but without the blades on it’s arms. It’s color scheme was also different, with a silver body instead of a purple one.

It was surrounded by floating purple shards, which were radiating energy.

Sunny sprinted towards the creature, moving the Haughty shadow to Saint.

However, the moment that the haughty shadow left his body, something inherently changed within Sunny’s mind.

He felt energy course through his body, giving him a rush of pure destructive energy. However, it was untamed, having nothing for it to be contained in.

’Huh?’

He didn’t know what this feeling was, but it seemed to have to do with the removal of the Haughty shadow. He had no time to think, as the enemy before him was using the purple shards as a conduit for an attack — most likely a blast of some sort.

Using his Awakened Ability, Sunny once again found himself behind the enemy, stabbing forth in order to kill it. The foe was slightly more durable, but wasn’t powerful enough to resist the Midnight Shard.

[You have slain an Awakened Demon, Voidranger: Distorter.]

[Your shadow grows stronger.]

Sunny looked to check how his Shadow was doing.

Saint held up the two orbs before smashing them together, crushing them to dust. She turned over to Sunny, banging her chest in pride.

[You have slain an Awakened Beast, Baryon.]

[You have slain an Awakened Beast, Baryon.]

[Your shadow grows stronger.]

’That’s... weird.’

Echoes did not have the ability to display emotions, as they were only an echo of their former self. It seemed that his Shadows were different, however.

Sunny dismissed Saint back into his Soul Sea. By sending his Memories, Echoes, and most likely his Shadows into his soul sea, they would be able to recover from any damage they had previously taken. Saint wasn’t injured, but he would prefer to keep her hidden.

March approached him, sending him an annoyed expression as she went towards the elevator. She fiddled with the control panel before sighing in disappointment.

”Ah, I knew it...”

”It’s broken?”

”—But it wasn’t me! The Antimatter Legion must have broken it!”

’I didn’t even accuse you... yet.’

March looked back at the elevator.

”Too bad Dan Heng’s not here. He’s like a walking encyclopedia... He knows a ton of complicated stuff — maybe even elevator repair...”

”I don’t know that one.”

March jumped at the voice, while Sunny simply turned his head. He had noticed Dan Heng approaching them for awhile, thanks to his shadows, but didn’t tell March just to mess with her.

”Whoa! Why are you here!?”

”I took another route to the upper level, and I saw you guys from up there. I found Arlan, by the way.”

’...Didn’t he say that this Arlan guy was head of security?’

”Would he be able to help out with the elevator?”

Sunny could have easily stepped into the shadows and go to the master control zone, but he didn’t want to expose that ability to them just yet. Although March had somewhat witnessed it, she most likely assumed that he was using a stealth ability, as it lined up with his ability to scout.

Dan Heng thought about it for a moment.

”I suppose as the head of the Security Department, he should know.”

March beamed at this stroke of luck.

”Then let’s go talk to him!”

***

Sunny was... conflicted.

As the trio were walking through the long, winding halls of the space station, Sunny kept staring at the sets of runes from before.

Master: AR-26710

If Sunny understood this correctly, this... AR-26710 was his master. Considering the strangeness of the name, he tried to deny it by brushing it off as some kind of bug in the Nightmare Spell.

However, once he focused on the runes, he realized that he was wrong.

It opened up a whole other set of runes, which displayed his master’s Attributes, True Name, Aspect, Memories, and all other relevant information. He didn’t bother reading it. Not at this moment at least.

The situation could go wrong very quickly if he met this person, so it would be stupid to not be aware of their abilities. But now wasn’t he time, as he still hadn’t finished reading the rest of his runes.

Aspect Ability: [Shadow Control]

Ability Description: [Your shadow is more independent than most. It is an invaluable helper.]

As he had thought, the ability to use his shadows to scout or augment himself was his Dormant Ability. He had also been able to use Haughty to augment Saint earlier, bringing him to believe that he might be able to do the same with his Memories.

It also seemed that his Shadows like Saint and Serpent might have been an extension of that Ability, as they fell under the same description

Aspect Ability: [Shadow Step].

Ability Description: [You can move freely between shadows, traveling from one to another in an instant.]

He was not only able to instantaneously teleport, but he even had the ability to stay in the intangible form of a shadow.

’...Looks like I was right.’

The satisfaction of being correct almost submerged the dread of being enslaved.

Almost.

Aspect Legacy: [Shadow Dance].

Sunny had an Aspect Legacy!

Aspect Legacy’s were something every Aspect had — something of a gift from the spell. They were usually memories or echoes that synchronized extremely well with an Awakened’s Aspect, and were passed down among Legacy Clans — bloodlines of Awakened warriors.

The obtainment of one was extremely specific, and varied across Aspects. Most people would go their entire lives without ever unlocking it.

Sunny immediately checked the description, wondering what exactly it did.

Shadow Dance Description: [Once an elegant dance, now a deadly battle art. This mysterious style was created by the treacherous Lost From Light after witnessing a graceful slave dancing with her shadows. Who else could have taken something so beautiful and turned it into something so vile?]

’Again with this treacherous stuff... I’m not that treacherous, okay? So what if I lie, manipulate, and backstab people all the time. That’s just being smart...’

Despite his complaints, Sunny was actually quite pleased. This seemed to explain how he was able to move the way he did, switching through different styles as easily as he breathed.

However, it was quite strange.

He never heard of an Aspect Legacy granting something like a fighting style. It would have made more sense if he had been granted a Shadow, similar to Saint.

Considering he had a Divine Aspect however, he assumed that his Legacy’s potential was vast.

And vast it was.

’Seven... Seven of them!’

Shadow Dance Mastery Level: [1/7]

First Relic: [Claimed].

Second Relic: [Unearned].

Third Relic...

There were a total of seven lines of runes, each promising him a Legacy Relic once he achieved the corresponding level of mastery with his newly envisioned battle style.

Seven of them!

Not one, not even two or three. But seven.

Whole Legacy Clans were created around a single Legacy Relic. Sunny couldn’t even imagine what he would be able to do with seven.

Start a family and turn it into the most powerful clan in the world? No, that would mean putting all his eggs into one basket. Better create several clans!

Right! Why start a family when you can start seven?

Wait, no... that didn’t sound right...

Right?

”What are you spacing out for?”

Sunny looked up at the duo in front of him. They seemed to have noticed how lost in thought he was.

”Just thinking about starting a Legacy clan. Have you ever thought about starting a clan, huh, March?”

She grimaced, shooting him a look of disgust. Dan Heng looked away, his shoulders lightly shaking. Sunny’s gaze switched between them.

”So... am I missing something here?”

March scowled at him.

”I’ll have you know, I’m a lady of high standards! Inviting me to... ’create’ a clan with you only half a system hour after meeting me? I mean, who even does that?!”

Sunny stared at her for a moment, before making a sound of realization. It seemed that he had failed yet another human interaction.

”Oh, I didn’t mean it like that, sorry. I’d never consider you, so don’t worry.”

Dan Heng’s stoic persona almost crumbled, but he kept it together with the perseverance and discipline he had honed over the years.

Meanwhile March gaped at Sunny, appalled.

The boy in question blinked.

”Uh... did I say something wrong?”

March clicked her tongue at him, before grabbing onto Dan Heng’s arm and dragging him forward.

While the two were walking away, Sunny decided to check something.

First Relic: [Claimed].

The only thing he had that was suitable to be a Legacy Relic was Soul Serpent. It’s description and Attributes were a dead giveaway to it’s origins, due to how it seemed related to his Aspect.

However, it had no Shadow Fragment counter. How was it supposed to grow? If it was tied to Sunny’s soul, then it should be Awakened, not Dormant.

Maybe... maybe its Rank was not tied to Sunny’s soul, but to his comprehension of the Shadow Dance? Currently, he had mastered only the first of the seven steps of the battle art, and the Serpent belonged to the first of the seven Ranks. Would it evolve to a higher Rank if he mastered more steps?

Out of curiosity, he summoned Serpent, seeing that March and Dan Heng had went ahead.

Nothing happened.

’As expected.’

However, something did change. Not on a visual level, but rather, within him. Based on the [Shadow Guide] Attribute, and the fact that Serpent didn’t have anything related to a living being, he guessed that it didn’t have a physical body.

He felt the shadow essence within him flow with more intent. Due to the [Essence of Divinity] attribute, Sunny figured that his Shadow Essence was more potent than most. With Serpent however, the flow was much more precise. He would most likely spend less Essence using Shadow Step. The same would go for when he used his Essence to strengthen himself.

He had hoped to see a giant serpent made out of shadows appear in front of him, with black scales as thick as plate armor and a mouth wide enough to swallow his enemies whole. Or an average-sized snake, at least!

But there was nothing.

He even checked to see if a new shadow joined his two invaluable helpers, but no. Both rested on the floor, one seemingly arrogant, the other bored and in a perpetually bad mood.

’Weird...’

He raised a hand to rub his eyes, but froze at the last moment.

’What is that?’

There was something dark on the skin of his wrist and forearm, peaking out from beneath the jacket.

’...What? I have... a tattoo now?’

Of course, Sunny recognized the serpent immediately. The nameless temple slave bore the mark on his skin!

It was the Shadow God’s mark.

Sunny blinked a couple of times, then stared at his left wrist, where the head of the Soul Serpent was drawn under his skin. Its scales were so intricate that it almost seemed as if the creature was moving.

Now... it really was moving.

Following Sunny’s mental command, the Soul Serpent slithered up to his hand, and then escaped from it, turning into a dark blade. As the coils moved across his body, the blade grew longer and longer, until a hilt wrapped in black leather rested comfortably in his grip.

The tattoo was gone.

Sunny found himself holding a lusterless greatsword. It was a menacing, formidable, foreboding odachi.

Including the hilt, the odachi was as long as he was tall. It was surprisingly light for its length, but heavy enough to inflict truly devastating wounds.

Almost invisible on the dark steel, an lifelike image of a coiling serpent was etched into its blade.

He weighed the greatsword in his hands for a while, then smiled darkly.

’...Truly, this is a weapon worthy of a shadow.’

It was still weak, though. If it was a Memory, it would have been only a Dormant one of the second tier. Sunny was going to have to put in some work to make the dark odachi really fearsome.

With a sigh, he commanded the Serpent to slither back onto his body, returning to the form of a tattoo. He summoned the Puppeteer’s Shroud, allowing him to cover up his forearms. This time, he summoned it under his mundane clothes as well, which consisted of a loose white shirt, and dark pants.

You could only tell he was wearing armor if you looked at his arms due to how thin it was.

With his Serpent now hidden, he sent out a shadow right behind the two members of the Astral Express. Using shadow step, he reappeared right behind them, not being noticed.

As expected, the cost to use shadow step had definitely decreased.

”Hey.”

March jumped in shock, just like when Dan Heng met up with them at the elevator.

’What a one-trick pony.’

Sunny didn’t know what a pony was. He just heard the phrase somewhere.

March whirled around.

”Wha- how did you get here so fast?!”

Sunny scoffed.

”What? Can’t teleport? How pedestrian... oh, and there’s some more of the Legion ahead. I think they heard you.”

March paled.

***

[You have slain an Awakened Monster, Antibaryon.]

[Your shadow grows stronger.]

As the three of them fought against the Antimatter Legion, Sunny used one of his shadows to keep an eye on the two. He was able to somewhat deduce what their Aspects allowed them to do.

March had the ability to lower the temperature around her, creating pinkish ice. Her physical capabilities seemed to increase depending on how cold she was. Even if she didn’t use her Aspect, Sunny still noticed a slight increase in physical ability whenever the room got colder.

As for Dan Heng, Sunny only figured out one of his Aspect abilities. He seemed to be able to inflict some sort of deterioration on his enemies, allowing him to kill them easier. It wasn’t to the point where they crumbled on their own, but he was able to inflict more damage with his blows.

Sunny also noticed that he used a spear memory with a rotating orb in the middle. It was also possible that the deteriorative effect was an enchantment, and not an Aspect ability.

’Now that I think about it...’

”Do you two not have any armor memories?”

March flinched(again), turning towards Dan Heng while shaking her head rapidly. The nonchalant Awakened shook his head in exasperation, before replying to Sunny.

”March keeps getting the two of us in some... difficult situations. Our armor memories never survives. We use garments instead... which somehow have lasted much longer than any of our armor.”

Sunny sent him a pitying look.

’What bad luck...’

After a minute or two of walking, the trio had found who they were looking for.

Arlan was a young boy with dark skin and grey hair. Sunny could see a few scars on his body, mainly an x-shaped one on his face.

Sunny could instinctively tell that he wasn’t an Awakened.

’What the hell...’

The boy must have been a Sleeper. Sunny thought it was strange that a mere Dormant human would be tasked with the security of the space station, but he didn’t worry about it too much. Although it made the security seem unreliable, it was ultimately none of his business.

The boy looked at them, left hand clutching his right.

”Hey... you’re all together?”

March stepped up.

”Yep, we’re from the Astral Express~”

’Don’t lump me in with you!’

While Sunny was having his inner monologue, Arlan asked Dan Heng if a ’Madam Herta’ sent them.

’Must be the owner of this space station.’

He remembered that it was called the Herta Space Station. Not very original, but... what could one do?

”It’s just a coincidence. We came to deliver the rare relic Herta trusted us to find... We didn’t expect to arrive during an invasion.”

March chimed in with a question.

”Why is the Antimatter Legion targeting you guys? It seems they just ignored the surface of the planet and came straight to the space station.”

Arlan looked down at his feet.

”I... have no idea. The Legion came at a very suspicious time — almost right after the security system suddenly failed. Lady... Lead Researcher Asta immediately began to organize the evacuation. I was supposed to cover everyone as they evacuated, but... I didn’t expect to end up failing in this task.”

Dan Heng shook his head.

”Don’t be too hard on yourself. Your leg and dominant hand were injured. It was a wise decision to hide here and avoid a head-on encounter with the Legion.”

Sunny stared off into the distance.

’Man, they’re really getting all heartfelt huh? This is getting really awkward.’

March joined in on all this... ’heartfelt’ stuff.

”Yeah! Most of the staff have been evacuated safely, so right now our highest priority is to return to the master control zone and plan a counterattack! So... do you know how to use the elevator? I couldn’t start it...”

***

Bring Arlan along with them, they traveled towards the elevator on the highest floor. Dan Heng looked towards Arlan, asking a question:

”Do you know why the Antimatter Legion would invade the station, Arlan?”

”They must’ve come for Madam Herta’s collection... But as to why, I still...”

”I heard there’s something called a Stellaron in Madam Herta’s collection.”

”...That’s not the kind of information someone in my position would have access to.”

The word Stellaron sounded familiar to Sunny. Very familiar, in fact. Yet, he couldn’t quite recall what it was...

’Ah...’

Sunny’s shadows had located three enemies ahead. Two of them were the Reavers he had killed earlier, while the third was similar to a centaur. It had a four legged lower body with a humanoid upper body. For some reason, it had it’s arms crossed.

”We have company.”

’I’ve always wanted to say that line.’

March and Dan Heng nodded, while Arlan looked at them in confusion. Dan Heng wasn’t told about his Aspect, but he seemed to be quite quick on the uptake.

They looked around a corner, seeing the three foes standing motionlessly. March drew her bow, standing next to Arlan. Sunny and Dan Heng went out to confront the Antimatter Legion, having already summoned their respective weapons.

The Reaver’s immediately sprinted towards the two, getting ready to dismantle them with their blade-arms. An arrow streaked through the air, blue light following it as it struck the one of the Reavers. Dan Heng impaled it with his spear, easily stabbing through.

On the other hand, Sunny was trying to figure out what that sensation of clarity from before was, as he avoided the attacks of the uninjured Reaver. Currently, he was able to predict each swing as he weaved between the attacks with ease.

In his blind spot, the four-legged half-humanoid creature had created a bow made out of swirling energy. It fired, the arrow obviously supposed to hit Sunny.

Dan Heng’s eyes widened in alarm.

”Move!”

Sunny did not listen.

As the arrow was released from the bow, seeming like a streak of light, it approached Lost From Light, about to end his journey after it had barely began.

Unfortunately, the archer did not account for this shadow’s treachery.

One moment, he was dancing between the attacks of the Reaver, the next, he was falling from the ceiling.

’There’s shadows above you too!’

Using Shadow Control, Sunny sent one of his shadows to the ceiling while the other augmented himself. He then used Shadow Step to appear right above the centaur-like enemy, blade aimed downwards.

The arrow pierced the Reaver, causing the archer to look confused as it killed it’s own ally.

[You have defeated an Awakened Beast, Voidwalker: Reaver.]

[Your shadow grows stronger.]

The spell considered the kill as his own, since he was the last Awakened to deal damage to it.

’You’re next.’

Sunny landed on the back of the last remaining foe, immediately decapitating it with the Midnight Shard.

[You have defeated an awakened devil, Voidwalker: Trampler.]

[Your shadow grows stronger.]

[You have recieved a memory, Thief’s Instinct.]

Sunny released a breath.

He had... gotten quite a bit stronger since he had completed his Nightmare, hadn’t he?

As the Trampler was about to fall to it’s knees, Sunny hopped off it’s back. He walked over to where the others were. March grumbled something about him being a show-off, Dan Heng sighed in exasperation, while Arlan...

”...Why are you looking at me like that?”

The kid basically had sparkles in his eyes.

”Uh... it’s nothing!”

Sunny narrowed his eyes at him for a second, before shrugging. Dan Heng glanced at him.

”Where did you learn how to do that?”

Sunny smirked as he crossed his arms.

”Oh, that? It’s more of a party trick than anything else. Actually, I knew a shortstack who had a lot of party tricks under her belt. She must have rubbed off on me.”

’...Wait a second.’

Although everything he said sounded familiar, he couldn’t quite remember any such person. He just had a foretelling of mischief, neediness, and psychotic obsession.

Like a Fool.

***

Sunny was not a pervert.

Nope, not at all.

Just because he was taking sneak peaks at this woman’s... prodigious chest did not mean anything!

”Are you alright Arlan? Asta’s been worried about you.”

The boy in question nodded at the woman’s question.

”I’m fine, a quick patching up will do. Thanks for asking. I’ll report the situation to Lead Researcher Asta immediately. Bye.”

And he was gone.

Now all the focus was on him. He yawned, feeling drowsy.

’Oh, look... I’m popular.’

This mysterious woman just smiled softly at him, before starting to introduce herself.

”Hey, nice to meet you. I’m Himeko, navigator of the Astral Express.”

Sunny locked in.

Which was to say, he fumbled horribly.

”Hi... uh... I’m Sunless, but people just call me Sunny... well, not a lot of people, but some do! And it’s nice to meet your che— You! Nice to meet you!”

Then, whether it was due to nervousness while before a beautiful woman, or due to the fact that he was already tired, Sunny face planted on the floor.

March looked at his unconscious form for a moment, before looking between Dan Heng and Himeko.

”So... considering that his name is Sunless, and he has shadow abilities, can we just brush it off as a coincidence? My whole worldview might get flipped upside down...”

Himeko’s eyes widened in recognition. She looked down at Sunny for a moment.

”...Although I agree that it’s a little unbelievable, I don’t think this is a mere coincidence. Dan Heng?”

She turned to the boy, who nodded in agreement.

”I’ve seen him fight firsthand, and March has too — even if she wants to deny it. He dealt with the Legion’s members a like it was just an average Tuesday. Granted, they aren’t that strong, but when it comes to physical strength, speed, and skill? He has us both beat... well, maybe March could beat him in an arm-wrestling competition. If she fully augments herself.”

A single moniker passed through their minds. Almost two years ago, a hero led an army of Sleepers through what many could consider the depths of hell. He reached a city ran by a tyrannical king, liberated those under his rule, and led them back to the real world.

In the process, he slayed the very sun that shined down on that hell.

Sunless, the Starkiller.

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