Chapter Text
Slice!
The jade sword easily ripped through a Fallen Devil, slicing it like butter. Sunny grabbed onto the mangled corpse fiercely and slammed it into a crowd of Nightmare Creatures. They scattered as the body crashed into the pavement, causing the ground to ripple like water.
"Wow! You're really angry, huh?"
The Sin of Solace jeered at him from a distance as Sunny and his Shadows took on the Nightmare Gate. By now, Sunny had manifested all six of his shadows with his Transcendent Ability, so seven Sunnys were currently tearing through the horde.
If there was any advantage to being stuck in a dream for years, it was that he had the experience of a fleshed-out Sovereign, so he could immediately launch a devastating attack with multiple avatars despite receiving his Ability only a few minutes prior.
"You can really swing that sword! You should start thanking me; after all, I'm the strongest sword in your arsenal."
Sunny gritted his teeth as he ducked low, making way for another avatar to leap over him.
"Just shut up already!"
The Sin of Solace watched in amusement as Sunny furiously drove his sword into the skull of a Corrupted Beast. Another avatar lunged from the horde and slammed its body into the Corrupted Beast, finishing it.
"Just keep on fighting, Sunny... You'll surely win eventually!"
Sunny's grip tightened around his sword as he dove into the horde once again.
***
Atop a mountain of bones, belonging to both humans and Nightmare Creatures alike, was a man with wings.
He was tall, slender, and impossibly handsome. He had luscious dark auburn hair, flawless ivory skin, and mesmerizing, electric green eyes. He was slumped on the mountain of bones, staring into the foggy sky listlessly.
After the Sovereigns had abandoned the real world, pollution had gone far more out of control than it had been previously. Factories were left completely unchecked, belching out smoke at an unprecedented rate. Soon, the skies became permanently cloudy, veiled with smoke.
The man watched the blanket of smoke pass by listlessly.
That man was perhaps the most feared man in the real world. Nobody knew why he never went to the Dream Realm, but only that he would prowl the streets of abandoned cities, always returning to the same mountain of bones.
That mountain of bones was a memorial, built by Changing Star and the Fire Keepers. It was made to honor those who had fallen in the failed rebellion, and the man would spend most of his days here, seemingly unable to part with it.
That man was known as the Dread Lord. The former Steward of the West. Nightingale.
That man was Kai.
He often spent his days resting at the memorial of the fallen, getting himself drunk on spirits and wine. At other times, he would ruthlessly hunt down Nightmare Creatures.
Yet no matter what, he never joined Nephis again. Every time Nephis and the Fire Keepers approached him at the memorial, he refused to fight for them again.
Racked with survivor's guilt, he could barely get up in the morning. Every time the sun managed to peek through the screen of smoke to shine upon him, he felt the guilt wash over him again. He winced every moment he was alive. With every step, he felt like he was carrying the mountain of his dead comrades.
Resting upon the mountain of bones, Kai stared at the smoky sky with his enhanced vision.
Yet another thing he was blessed with.
For he was the only one who could see the stars through the smoke.
***
"Mommy! This one is Dad, this one is me, and this one is you!"
Ling Ling smiled with glee as he played with his mother. Effie grinned softly, looking up to see the walls around her.
It was only for a short time, but Effie was finally allowed to visit her sweet son. His holding cell was a cold steel room, but it was lined with bright plastic posters. The holding cell was plastered with bright, sunny hills and rainbows.
Ling Ling happily played with his plastic toys, using them to form a small, fake family.
"When's Dad coming back?"
The question hit Effie like a rusty knife. For a second, her smile faltered as terrible memories came flooding back. Her husband, on a rainy battlefield, his blood soaking her hands...
She shook the thought out of her mind frantically and put on her smile again.
"He's just out on a trip, don't worry."
Ling Ling smiled, now reassured, and continued playing.
Shortly after, a small group of Awakened dressed in full black entered the room. Effie remained stoically silent as they surrounded her.
"Anvil has orders for you. Please respond immediately."
Effie remained still, staring at the fake, plastic family that Ling Ling had built.
One of the Awakened, likely an Ascended, began speaking again.
"If you ever want to see your son again, you'll need to comply."
Effie rose from her seat silently, following the Awakened as they guided her out of the holding cell.
"Mommy, where are you going?"
She glanced back at Ling Ling one last time. She wore a careful smile as she said her goodbyes.
"Mommy's just going on a short trip. I'll be back soon, I promise."
The steel door to the holding cell closed agonizingly slowly, like it was teasing her. For a second, she saw Ling Ling's broken expression through a slit in the door.
"Okay... Goodbye..."
Effie sucked in a deep breath as the door finally closed. She turned around coldly, facing the Ascended in black.
Despite their face being completely covered, Effie could feel a strange sense of pity from them.
"Nephis and the Fire Keepers have started another riot. It's very small, though, and only limited to a few villages and towns. It's just good for breaking down morale."
Effie nodded silently as she summoned her trusty spear.
'I must do this... for Ling Ling.'
***
Morgan watched calmly as blood sprayed everywhere.
In the streets of Oak Valley, a small region in the Dream Realm, a mass genocide was occurring. Screams filled the valley as people were getting killed by their own friends and families. Each one of these killers had strange, glassy eyes.
It looked like her brother had gone mad.
She sighed as she watched the massacre; there was nothing she could do. Unless Mordret challenged her directly, there was no way to stop him.
She didn't know what happened, but all that she knew was that Anvil had somehow found Mordret and had driven him mad. However, shortly before being driven mad, Mordret managed to choke out one last word to her through a vessel.
It was a random, elderly merchant who had approached her during the rebellion. The merchant seemed incredibly pained and distressed, and had said:
"Find... your... lost... reflection..."
Shortly after, the merchant died.
To be honest with herself, she wasn't particularly troubled about Mordret; in fact, the more he suffered, the better. So she hadn't heeded his words.
Though occasionally, she did wonder why Mordret chose her of all people to send his last words to.
But for now, she had larger enemies to worry about.
Namely, Jet.
Her pale fingers traced a long scar that stretched across her cheek. It was a blazing, crimson red that made her wince every time the wind blew.
That scar was left by Jet.
During the rebellion, they had happened to engage in a fatal battle. Initially, Morgan had wanted to approach the objective, but fate had a different plan.
The two had ended up engrossed in a full-on battle, with their lives on the line. The battle had only ended when Anvil and Ki Song had arrived on the battlefield.
But before Jet fled, she left one final gift. A strike straight towards her skull.
The battle had marred her body and soul so badly that she wasn't even able to engage in the battle after that. While they had ended up winning against the rebellion, Morgan had lost.
And that was far more bitter than the other way around.
Yet Jet still lived, so Morgan still had a goal.
To kill her.
***
Seishan clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging into her palms so hard that they began bleeding. Her teeth were biting her lips furiously as she watched each of her sisters get beaten.
By their own mother, Ki Song.
None of the sisters knew why, but something had changed about their mother. She was no longer the loving and caring woman that they once knew. Over time, she had slowly turned abusive and hateful, often taking her anger out on her children.
"Mother, calm down!"
Revel desperately shielded one of her fellow sisters as Ki Song threw a heavy punch at them.
"Perhaps you all would be better off dead... Then at least I could control you..."
Revel gritted her teeth as she fled from her mother's wrath.
Ever since the rebellion, the power balance had shifted. Many of Ki Song's soldiers had died, and Anvil had acquired a large amount of power, including the famous Raised by Wolves. Meanwhile, Ki Song was left in the dust. Revel believed that this was the reason for her mother's change in behavior, but even then...
Perhaps... the sisters should simply betray her...
***
Sunny panted desperately as the jade sword tumbled from his trembling hands. Saint was broken and beaten, ruby dust flooding from her ivory skin. Fiend's unbreakable steel armor was cracked, and Sunny had dismissed a couple of his avatars. Blood streamed down his body as the horde of Nightmare Creatures had finally paused.
"Wow, that was quite a powerful Gate! Or perhaps, you're just really weak..."
Sunny clenched his fists and picked up the jade blade once again. He felt a strong, rippling presence emanating from the Gate. It was the Gate Guardian.
"This world is ruined; Nightmare Creatures have devoured everything, your cohort is separated and broken, and the Sovereigns are unstoppable. So why do you still fight?"
For a second, Sunny spared a glance at the mad wraith. The Sin of Solace stared back at him, this time with utter confusion.
Sunny's face split into a wild grin.
"Because this world still has its star."
"The Star of Change, the Star of Ruin."
"Not even the gods can defy our will."
Sunny turned back to witness the Gate Guardian emerging from the Gate like a demon from hell. He looked at the beast with a slight gleam in his eyes.
The Sin of Solace dissolved into laughter, mocking Sunny hysterically.
"Hah! You still believe in hope after all?"
Sunny didn't deign to respond, and instead settled calmly. He raised the sword above him, ready to face the enemy in front of him.
The Sin of Solace grinned.
"Fine. Let's see what you can do in this hellhole, Lost From Light."
Sunny grinned and charged.