In the dark, lightless city was a duo of fallen demons. They looked like twins as they were identical in every aspect. They had red murderous eyes, and they had a humanoid appearance except they had huge, black horns and black fur covering their body like a werewolf. They had been searching for food but came up with nothing, one stared at the other, considering eating them. But before they could there was a sudden rocky sound behind them.
"Boo,"
Emanated from the darkness behind them as they struck in unison into the dark. Their strikes stuck false as all they managed to hit was air, confused they looked down and saw... an ordinary rock. Suddenly a sword appeared in one of the demon's skulls killing it instantly. Before the second demon could look for the danger a flaming sword appeared behind it like a miniature sun. The last thing the demon saw before death was a silver-haired girl.
***
Before this all happened there stood two figures crouching while staring at the fallen demons. One was wearing an onyx stone-like armor, and his black hair reached his shoulders so he had to tie it to not get in the way. The other figure was a graceful woman who wore pristine white armor with 7 stars embedded within it. The hair was also tied back with the same material as the man as they waited for the opportunity to attack. Eventually, they did when one got distracted by looking at the other so they started their plan.
Their plan was a simple yet effective plan that had worked most of the time for them. They would wait for the perfect time to throw [Ordanary Rock] behind them which will distract them. While distracted they will sneak up behind them and try to kill them in one hit if possible. Of course, anything a tier higher for example a devil would see through it so they would switch tactics. They had learned this the hard way while fighting a fallen devil in the streets which almost killed Nephis if Sunny hadn't stepped in....
Sunny shuttered a bit remembering that moment. That look of fear in Nephis's eyes as her attack simply rebounded back leaving her open the the creature's claws. 'Focus Sunny, no distractions, or else I might die.' Both of them knew the risk each time they went out of the cathedral that could lead to their demise. Fallen creatures - especially strong ones - were the only ones that survived the soul attack from the sun so they prowled about in every corner. That is why they mostly traveled on rooftops or in underground sewers to avoid them.
Sunny threw down [Ordinary Rock] and the events played out like in the beginning. Of which both demons died and both Sunny and Nephis sustained zero damage.
"Nice job Nephis," Sunny said in a whisper so as to not attract unwanted attention to her ear.
"Thanks, Sunny, you did a good job too with your demon, I'll collect the shards for us to stay here."
Sunny nodded even if she couldn't see but he was sure she knew because she started collecting the shards.
It had been a full month since they were stuck in this hell but they weren't doing that badly. 'Well it is pretty bad but we're not dead and are getting stronger every day, gotta count my blessings.' Overall though they were both physically and mentally fine as Nephis healed them after each battle and they had each other to keep themselves company. Still, Sunny missed everyone, of course, well maybe not Cassie at first but he had eventually forgiven her. Nephis didn't mind their predicament and at times expressed her gratitude for him staying with her with words or sometimes actions.
One time she gave him a memory that she said she didn't need. Sunny knew she was lying though from her cheeks being a bit red. 'I should check my ruins it has been what 9 days since I had?' Shaking his head he took a quick Look around for danger and stared at Nephis for a moment. He enjoyed the view of her digging up their shards before opening his ruins.
Name: Sunny
True name: Lost from Light
Rank: Dreamer
Class: Monster
Shadow Cores: Dormant
Shadow fragments: [1989/2000]
Looking at these ruins brought a smile to his face. 'Only 11 more fragments to go, let's hope I don't get into a bad situation when I meet quota.'
Memories: [Silver Bell], [Puppeteer's Shroud], [Dark Wing], [Endless Spring], [Extraordinary Rock], [Mantle of the Underworld], [Midnight Shard], [Moonlight Shard], [Prowling Thorn], [Weaver's Mask], [Blood Blossom], [Broken Oath], [Cradle of Eternal Frost], [Shadow of the Drowned Moon], [Ashwake], [Silent Thunder], [Burden of the Hunt], [Kindness of Ashes], [Kiss of the Twin Shadow], [Surge of the Broken Will], [Writ of the Bound Mind], [Burdenless Sanctum]
Echoes:
Shadows: [Stone Saint], [Soul Serpent]
Attributes: [Fated], [Flame of Divinity ], [Lord of Shadows], [Blood Weave], [Peace Maker], [Death], [Death's eye]
Aspect: [Shadow Slave]
Aspect Rank: Divine
Aspect Description:...
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.]
Of course, these were gray and lifeless because he had Nephis as his master now so he ignored her ruins that were below it and continued.
Aspect Ability: [Shadow Control].
Aspect Ability Description: [Your shadow is more independent than most. It is an invaluable helper.]
Flaw: [Clear Conscience].
Flaw Description: [You cannot lie.]
Aspect Legacy: [Shadow Dance]
Shadow Dance Description:...
Shadow Dance Mastery Level: [2/7]
First Relic: Claimed
Second Relic: Claimed
Third Relic: Unearned
Fourth Relic...
Sunny had completed many things during his month here in the Dark City. He had been able to increase his Shadow Dance mastery and his reward was Shadow Gods ichor. Sunny remembered when both lineages fought each other but in the end, it ended in a tie after Sunny commanded them to stop. So now he has a God's lineage and a Daemon lineage in his blood. It had evolved both [Spark of Divinity] and [Child of Shadows] to [Ember of Divinity] and [Lord of Shadows].
He had also received three new attributes, two from his Shadow lineage and one from burying the dead Sleepers. [Peace Maker], which he got from burying the dead Sleepers, was a passive attribute that shows how close creatures are to death. [Death], he had gotten from the Shadow lineage, just says he had inherited the full Shadow god lineage. And lastly, [Death's eye], allows him to see the weakest and most lethal spots on anything like creatures, items, etc. It was very helpful in scouting missions as he gets to see where the creature's weak spots are and how close it is to death, which helps decide if they can kill it or not.
Sunny was also able to manipulate shadows now. He can turn them tangible, although they are very weak. Sunny figured out that he was able to do it now only because he had inherited Shadow God's blood, which increased his affinity with shadows. But also because he now has the attribute of [Lord of Shadows] which makes him a ruler among them and makes them his subjects. Only the most ancient shadows were able to resist his rule though it wasn't a problem normally as their rare. It proved to be useful in small but menial tasks or to trip a creature like slipping on a banana peel, whatever a banana was.
Sunny had also received many new memories, either from creatures or Nephis. They all had very basic functions and he was able to sum up all of their abilities in a sentence each.
[Cradle of Eternal Frost]: it was practically a freezer as it was able to store, preserve, and was a cold-based Memory.
[Shadow of the Drowned Moon]: it was a cape that increased Stealth, and defense, it also gave an increase in speed every hour for five minutes.
[Ashwake]: it was a very sharp sword that was able to set off miniature explosions when deep inside an enemy's flesh.
[Silent Thunder]: it was a bow that never missed its intended target and was silent.
[Burden of the Hunt]: it was a quiver that enhanced every arrow inside it and came with arrows already inside.
[Kindness of Ashes]: it was a vase that helped with recovery and stress, Sunny liked this one especially since it reduced how many times Nephis used her aspect
[Kiss of the Twin Shadow]: it was a pair of daggers that were quick, lethally sharp, and struck quietly. Perfect for the self-proclaimed best assassin in two worlds.
[Surge of the Broken Will]: it was a charm that strengthened its user by buffing their overall physical abilities.
[Burdenless Sanctum]: it was a storage Box (Item Storage / Dimensional Space)
Sunny had also received a new memory from the Fallen demon. Reading its description it also had a simple but very useful enchantment.
[Writ of the Bound Mind, 1]: It allowed the wielder to communicate telepathically with the other wielder who had the other.
'Huh useful to stay silent and out of one, does that mean Nephis had received one too?'
"Hey, Neph."
"Yes, sunny?"
"Have you received a new memory that is perhaps called "Writ of the Bound Mind, 2"?"
"I don't know I haven't checked my ruins yet but I heard that I've received a memory, you can check my ruins if you want to see them."
She then turned her attention back to the creatures. She had already taken the shards out of the first so she needed to take the ones from the second.
Sunny blushed a little, he knew it was normal for her to have that level of trust with him. After all, he had absolute trust in her too and she wouldn't even need to ask to check his ruins as he didn't mind. 'But still...' Sunny blushed a little before shaking his head and going to her ruins and then her memories. Sure enough at the bottom of her ruins, there was a new memory called, "[Writ of the Bound Mind, 2]". 'So my theory was correct although the enchantment did mention there being another but I needed to be sure.'
"Sunny I've gotten the shards, let's go now if you're done."
"Yeah, we can go now c'mon."
He felt a hand slip into his and interlock with his fingers as he realized it was Nephis's. Sunny blushed a little at the contact and Nephis turned her face away from him. Neither said anything to the other and after Sunny's embarrassment faded he started leading the both of them back to their base of operations, aka the cathedral.
'Why did I do this? Why did I do that!' Were Nephis's thoughts as they walked side by side. Although she was criticizing herself in her thoughts, a small triumphant part of her felt proud. After all, Sunny wasn't pulling away which made her happy for some odd reason and made her feel something she couldn't quite describe. She then turned to tell him something to start up a conversation but a finger landed on her lips, shushing her before she even spoke.
"Let's try out our new shared memories, it allows us to communicate telepathically."
Nodding her head she started summoning her memory at the same time he had. As soon as the golden sparks disappeared there was a silver ring on both of their ring fingers.
'This...looks like an engagement ring!'
'What's an engagement ring? Also, woah so it does work and I'm glad it's a passive enchantment.'
'Yeah, you're the only one who can use their essence, lucky you. Also, how do you not know what an engagement ring is Sunny?'
'Well, I was perhaps busy not trying to die in the outskirts to attend school like everyone else.'
'Oh yeah I'm sorry...also an engagement ring is something given to their partner -bf or gf - when they propose to marry them. I remember in one of my few memories with my dad that he wore his all the time. He was a good father even if he wasn't around much, he's...someone I miss and find myself thinking about a lot.'
Cutting the connection for a moment she thought 'though I think about you a lot more than him.' Before then reconnecting her connection with Sunny's mind.
'How...interesting that is, you seem to know a lot about marriage. Nephis since you're technically a princess, were you going to be married off like in those webtoons before everything happened?' Nephis immediately had a baffled look on her face before letting out a small chuckle. She had been emoting a lot more recently and she guessed it was because with Sunny she didn't have to be Changing Star, she was just Nephis.
'No Sunny I was not going to be married off to some snobby rich kid. My mother believed in loving whoever you want you know. After all, my father was from the outskirts just like you, though I don't think he had a divine aspect.'
'From the outskirts like me...huh, I can see why he made it through the ranks. I had realized during the academy that outskirts people might be better for the spell than legacies.'
'I think so too as legacies are too sheltered sometimes like me.'
They both then fell into a quiet silence as they walked along the rooftops. It wasn't an awkward silence but a peaceful and relaxing one. One made when no words needed to be said and just enjoyed each other's company. Even they made it back to the cathedral where Sunny led her down the roof and into the priestess's room. Nephis had done some remodeling over the month whenever she got bored so it looked less like a cheap motel room and more like an actual room. Dismissing their armors and only leaving the undergarments beneath them and lighting up the place, Nephis then went to lie down and rest while Sunny decided to plan.
Nephis had found a leftover piece of parchment in the ruins of the Bright Castle and ever since then, it had been used as a planing sheet. Their plan was pretty simple and yet had proved to be difficult as Sunny looked at their "To Do" list.
1. kill all remaining creatures inside the Dark City and get memories.
2. Store as much food in Sunny's freezer.
3. Go West and try to find a 2nd nightmare seed or a citadel.
The first two choices Sunny had agreed with instantly. After all Sunny had no complaints about getting stronger and racking up memories to feed to Saint, even if she's an ascended demon now. But the third choice...Sunny was still adamant about it but could not suggest a better one. To the East was the nightmare desert which was a death zone as the weakest creatures there were of the Great rank. South was where the Hollow Mountains were and Sunny never wanted to go there again. That left both North and West as their only viable options. They both eventually decided going North was a bad idea because it went away from civilization so the West was their only choice even if it was unexplored.
So both Sunny and Nephis had been trying to complete the first two tasks before venturing into the unknown. They had great success as they had 3 months' worth of food inside his freezer and the creatures they had killed today were the last of the creatures inhabiting the dark City.
"Hey Sunny if you want... can you brush my hair for me?"
"Sure I don't mind."
Putting the paper back into the drawer, Sunny stood up and made his way over to her. Nephis padded some space next to her on the bed, which Sunny then sat at before she laid her head on his lap facing down. Sunny didn't blush like the first time as this had become a daily thing where they sat together in silence as Sunny braided. With Nephis's teaching, he has become somewhat of a pro at braiding which wasn't a bad skill to have in his opinion. They would also talk during these moments so they both got to know each other more and today would be another one of those days.
"So Nephis can you tell me who is Aster, Song, and Vale? Another question is what's a domain?"
Sunny had pondered this question for a while and decided to just ask her directly in the end. He felt her shoulders tense at the name before relaxing again, after a few moments she spoke.
"They're the nicknames of my dad's old friends, Ki Song, anvil, and Aster-. It's not a good idea to ever say the name of the third one, rumor has it that if spoken, he'll be able to hear you and grow stronger. As for domains... I don't know much about that. I just know when you reach supremacy you can force your ideas into the world and that they're practically immortal inside them. They rule over their respective clans like Anvil rules Valor and Ki Song rules Song, except for Aster as he went missing a while ago."
"How come I've never heard of them then? Why would they keep themselves hidden and if they're your dad's friends why didn't they help when your clan was falling apart?"
Sunny had started channeling his rage into his braiding for a bit now. After all, he was mad that they wouldn't help his belov... friend, clan out.
"I don't know why they stay in hiding, maybe it's because they don't want the public to know about their existence. Could be that it's part of their agenda, either way, they had been hidden from even books, and only high-class people know about them. And for not helping my clan... they're the ones who helped destroy it. After Immortal Flame's death and my father, Broken Sword, died my clan went downhill. At first, it was them bribing people in the clan to leave, when that didn't work they forced them to...and even killed them in some cases.
Some left out of fear, and some left because the clan was slowly dying. Eventually, even my grandmother died due to old age and I didn't cry as hard in that day ever again. She was my last remaining family aside from my Hollow mother, I felt so alone that I even visited my mother from time to time and more frequently. Eventually, they sent assassins to kill me but I got infected around that time so I sold everything except the mansion and dismissed all my remaining loyal servants."
As Nephis finished speaking Sunny had completed brushing her hair clean. She then sat up next to him and they sat side by side for a few moments.
"This will be our last day here right?"
Sunny asked with a bit of uneasiness in his voice.
"Yes... tomorrow we start traveling West and hope for the best..."
Nephis then grabbed his hand tightly and looked at him.
"Are you scared Sunny? You, the Lord of Shadows and Lost from Light, scared of the unknown? She said royally when saying his made-up titles.
"Of course, I'm scared Neph, what if we die out there or face something we can't handle...or worse if you die and if I'm left alone. I don't want to lose you, you are all I have left you know, I can't lose you."
"Sunny...you won't lose me, I promise."
Raising her voice as if giving a speech she continued.
"After all, are we not the strongest Sleepers in history? If it's our will to survive and escape then who stops us?"
Sunny smiled and Nephis did too, as they both then started to laugh in the dimly cozy room. Both of their laughs were heartfelt as they laughed together. Eventually, they decided to go to sleep in the royal bed, each with a smile on their face as they rested peacefully for tomorrow.