Chapter Text
The spring sunlight was a peculiar blend of warmth and gentleness, something that Sunny hadn't expected for Relz.
Despite the deep desire that all of the city's inhabitants could feel the same searing heartache that Relz had endured, all that lay in the air these days was a sense of dizziness and a dull ache that permeated throughout the bones. Sunny attempted to repress these feelings as she strolled through the city, yet the truth of the matter was that it seemed as if the entire world was ailing — feeble — and in some way not quite correct.
Relz’s toneless voice suddenly rang through Sunny’s ears. They glanced at Sunny with something like curiosity, but no sign of life flickered across their faces. “Do you wish for your soul to be released from the body of your mortal coil?”
“Ah, what do you mean by that? Of course I wish to continue living,” Sunny lied effortlessly, even though she felt her cheeks heat slightly at the implication in those words. The question had been posed in such an inscrutable manner that it had sounded like more of a rhetorical exercise than an actual demand. “But I'm not sure I'll be able to get rid of the pain in my stomach and lungs if I don't have a reason to live anymore.”
Relz nodded. “Your existence is meaningless unless you fulfill your destiny to live on in this world.” they intoned in that same monotone. “It won't be long before the consumption entirely swallows your body. When it happens, there's little difference between being alive and being dead."
Sunny's gaze dropped to the ground. The idea of her life being drained away filled her with dread, yet she found solace in the thought that there was still so much to learn and experience in the world. But how could she achieve anything when she was unable to breathe properly?
“Do you know why you keep spewing black ink?” Relz asked suddenly, snapping Sunny out of her thoughts. “If you had, you could have understood your situation better."
Sunny looked up again, eyes wide. There was something about this conversation, something that made it feel more real, that left her feeling vulnerable and exposed. “It is about the disease of the mind?”
“Exactly,” Relz responded. The tone of their voice had lost its monotonous lilt. In fact, it almost sounded excited, although it was difficult to tell just where this excitement resided, considering they didn't smile or blink nor did they show any emotion other than being calm. Their mouth remained in an expressionless line. "That which lies within your mind — that which is the root cause of your physical suffering – has become corrupted.”
“So... it must have done something horrible to make people suffer?”
“In essence," Relz agreed. "You are suffering because you've forgotten a lesson. You were born into this world and learned the knowledge of how to survive from others. But now you're dying, slowly choking to death inside your own skull as you struggle to hold onto what little sanity remains.”
“You must be mistaken.” Sunny said quietly. Her head spun from all the questions and the implications. It took her a moment to realize that she'd spoken aloud. She cleared her throat and forced herself to speak louder. “I am not losing any part of myself.”
Her eyes met Relz's again. Something flashed across Relz's face. A flash of understanding, perhaps, or regret. “How can you claim otherwise?” they demanded softly.
The words caught in Sunny's throat. “Because,” she finally managed to say. Her heart hammered against her chest. “There are things I want to do. Things I want to see. Places I want to go to and experiences that I want to experience — not this endless loop of death.”
“Oh, Sunny…” Relz reached out to her. Their touch sent waves of discomfort rushing through Sunny's skin. She flinched away sharply, causing Relz to pull back their hand. “You truly are a child who believes in fairy tales. Why does everyone here believe in them? Do you think we would be foolish enough to forget their truth when it threatens our lives?"
“Then what is happening to me?” Sunny pressed.
“This is your karma,” Relz replied. "You cannot deny it, so stop trying.”
The air around Sunny felt thick, as if the weight of the metropolis crushing down on her had become too heavy for her bare feet to walk beneath. It was a place she couldn't control, not while trapped inside herself. She shook her head violently, attempting to shake off her uneasiness.
“Isn’t our city beautiful? Isn’t it worth preserving?” Sunny said brightly. “We don’t even need to fear this city, do we? After all, who will attack us? Who will come after us?”
“Can’t you see?” Relz’s voice cut through Sunny’s words like steel through butter. “This city is cursed. Cursed to be devoured by its own flesh. People are selfish creatures with desires that transcend their mortality, and they always seek to satisfy them. It is no different than a plague that spreads indiscriminately through the land and leaves nothing standing but the corpses of its victims.”
“And you've been living in a false lie until now because you've been lonely, haven't you, Sunny?” Relz asked calmly, watching as Sunny struggled to gather herself. Relz’s eyes were cold, devoid of any trace of warmth or kindness whatsoever. “You sought comfort in your own delusions, but it is time to move on. This city is the beginning of your demise, so it’s best you accept this truth sooner rather than later.”
They reached over and laid a gentle hand upon Sunny’s shoulder. “What do you hope to accomplish here?” they asked softly.
Before Sunny could say anything, a spit of ink splattered on the sidewalk. She instinctively raised a hand to hide her face from the spray. Sunny gazed at herself in terror as the sensation crept through her garments and legs, making every single article of clothing harden with a static charge.
“I wish…” Sunny began hesitantly, her voice cracking. She took a breath and tried again. “I wish for everyone to stop suffering.”
Relz tilted their head. Their eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “How do you intend to do that? Your efforts will only worsen the suffering and destroy the souls of the people who dwell here.”
Sunny had no idea what to do with her wrath. It still burned and plagued her, made her yell and shatter the world. She felt everything – too intensely, too sharply.
“Then I will destroy this city. And once I do so, then the suffering will stop.” Sunny declared fiercely. She clenched her fists so tightly her nails dug into her palms. Relz’s words pierced her like glass shards, making the pain spread throughout her body.
Hated and cared for, adored and feared, more than other people she could never fit into.
“Eat my flesh, my blood and give birth to me again.” Sunny muttered quietly, staring blankly ahead. She stared past Relz’s figure; into another world entirely, one where she belonged with someone else. One where she would never hurt, nor die, nor be tortured, nor succumb to darkness.