Shadow Slave

Now a demigod, Sunny visited the edges of NQSC once more.

Standing in a barren pathway formed by the deteriorating walls of rundown structures, he breathed in the polluted air deeply and winced. The odor was certainly familiar, but he didn’t feel welcomed here.

Not only because the outskirts had transformed just as completely as he had, but also because the world itself was pushing him away.

Sunny breathed out slowly, battling with the awkward sensation of not belonging. His abilities were heavily limited, and every intake of breath was difficult. A peculiar tiredness surrounded his thoughts, making him dull and sleepy. Most troubling of all, he could sense the very structure of reality trying to force him out — so, he had to actively concentrate to remain in position every single second.

It resembled the familiar motion of tugging on his tether to journey between realms, only sustained indefinitely. If he loosened his grip even momentarily, he would be sent back to the Dream Realm.

Sunny wasn’t in agony, but he still wanted to complain.

’How... discouraging...’

Even if he had never felt any love for the outskirts, sensing like an unwanted visitor in his own homeworld seemed somewhat harsh. Sunny was fairly certain that he was the only person from the slums of NQSC to have become Supreme... so, shouldn’t his homecoming have been a celebration?

Regardless, he stayed cautious. The outskirts were different now — this zone particularly was totally empty following the Dream Realm relocation. There were no inhabitants around, which meant that other creatures could have built their homes in the empty concrete wilderness.

Sunny wasn’t helpless in his current condition, but he was definitely much more exposed than he would be in the Dream Realm.

It was quite fascinating, actually. Both Sunny and Nephis felt the rejection of their homeworld differently from how most other Supremes would, and occupied opposite ends of the spectrum too.

For Sunny, it was much harder to remain here — that was because he contained his entire Domain within his spirit, and therefore, the principles governing the waking world fought against his heavy presence with extra intensity.

However, for Nephis, it was actually much simpler to stay on Earth than it would have been for other Supremes. That was because of her original Attribute, Dreamspawn, which made her a being naturally linked to both worlds.

Nevertheless, she couldn’t unleash her powers freely here, either... simply because of how destructive and overwhelming they were.

The waking world was complex and delicate, its damaged ecosystem fragile — if Nephis wasn’t careful with how she used her Aspect, she could break entire continents, trigger massive tidal waves that would sweep human communities off the face of the earth, bring an endless winter by blocking the sun with rising clouds of ash, and start devastating chains of supervolcanic explosions that would heat the oceans and split the ground.

So, even if the world wasn’t restricting Neph’s power as much, she had to keep it controlled herself.

’I wonder if either of us will be able to visit here at all if we become Sacred.’

Sunny suspected that his days of traveling to the waking world, at least, would be finished forever.

Resting against the wall, he exhaled deeply.

”When is he arriving?”

Just then, there was the noise of footsteps, and a tall figure entered the alley, glancing around with interest.

It was Kai, wearing an incredibly stylish collection of designer clothes, his striking green eyes and auburn hair standing out in the gloomy plainness of the outskirts like a bright signal.

Spotting Sunny, he paused for a moment, then smiled pleasantly.

”Oh! Hello there, young man. You must be a member of the Shadow Clan... please, take me to your leader. We have a meeting.”

Sunny gazed at him in bewilderment.

’What... is this idiot talking about?’

Then, it clicked.

Kai had never viewed the Lord of Shadows without a mask — and unlike Effie, who lived in Bastion, he had never met Master Sunless either. So, he must have pictured what every new recruit of the Shadow Clan imagined when entering the Dark Castle for the first time... a menacing, distant, and proud ruler sitting on a throne of bones. ℝ𝘼ɴŎᛒƐŞ

Instead, he met Sunny, who was younger than him by a few years, and appeared even younger due to his small height, thin frame, and pale skin.

Kai suddenly bent forward a bit and looked at Sunny with large eyes.

”Uh... I am sorry, b—but... may I ask what skin products you use? The weather in Ravenheart is too harsh, so I’ve been really struggling...”

Sunny stared at him silently, concealing how astonished he was.

’What?’

That was what Kai wanted to know? And beyond that... wasn’t he a Transcendent? What Saint would go around concerned about skin products? Were there even skin products for Saints?!

Finally, Sunny said in a flat voice:

”You may.”

Kai lifted an eyebrow.

”Excuse me?”

Sunny watched him for a few more moments, then smiled.

”I mean, you may ask. My skincare routine is a bit complicated, though! Listen carefully: first, you need to find a suit of armor crafted by the Prince of the Underworld. Then, you need to defeat about seven thousand of Nightmare Creatures while wearing that armor to connect it to your soul. The rest is pretty straightforward — you just need to overcome the Second and Third Nightmares, which you already have managed, and then reach Supremacy. That is the secret of how to get radiant, fresh skin like mine.”

Kai stared at him with large eyes.

After a while, he muttered in an uncertain tone:

”He’s... he’s not joking?”

Sunny grinned.

”Of course, I am not. I am the most truthful man in the world, after all. Two worlds, even.”

Then, he raised a hand and tapped the taller man on the shoulder.

”I’m the Lord of Shadows, by the way. You can call me Sunny.”