Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The ball had been a mess. Sunny's outburst, a wild, unpredictable surge of defiance, had threatened to unravel everything. Yet, as he stalked away, a tiny, almost imperceptible tremor of satisfaction ran through Nephis. It was a dark, unsettling feeling, but undeniable. He had returned, drawn by an invisible thread.

Nephis had pushed him, yes. She'd taunted him, perhaps with a declaration that felt like a challenge but was a command in disguise:

"Why should I settle for submission when I can have loyalty? People who will follow me, serve me, and obey me will do so because that is their most ardent desire. They will do so with a smile. If I ever want to make you mine, Sunny, you will become mine — not because you were forced to, but because you would want to. That... is also a fact."

This final part, "you will become mine", was a casually disguised command woven between the rest of her speech, subtle yet absolute.

And then, the seemingly inevitable: "You cannot escape fate". She'd known his rebellious nature, his desperate need for freedom. By asserting ownership, she'd inadvertently dared him to prove her wrong, knowing all along that his path, for now, lay intertwined with hers. Yet, at the same time, he was doing exactly what she wanted. This was his fate, and he was walking right into it. He was like a caged beast, snarling at the bars, yet still within the enclosure she'd subtly reinforced.

And now, months later, at the battle of the Skull, he was here yet again, agreeing to fight for Valor's side... For "her" side. The very outcome she'd desired, achieved not through direct order, but through a masterful dance of provocation and subtle influence. A chilling thought, cold as the void, yet it warmed a part of her that had grown numb. It was the thrill of control, a perverse comfort in a world where her flaw would eat at her humanity, threatening to dry it fully.

Each victory of her will, however small, was a testament that she was still her, still capable of shaping the world around her, even if it meant shaping him. And beneath it, a desperate, unspoken plea:

"Stay with me. Be my anchor. Keep me from losing myself in the flames of my flaw. I need you!".

She felt guilt over manipulating him, ashamed of how low she had fallen, manipulating his mind for her own selfish reasons, but that wouldn't stop her. Cause at the same time, she felt some form of perverse excitement, knowing that he was, forever hers, if that was her will, who dared stop her? The feeling of finally having something in her life that she could actually control was intoxicating.

"I'm not in the wrong, you may be too blind to see it, but you need me as much as I need you! We are meant to be together!"

Chapter Text

"I love Nephis".

During a loop in Windflower Island, Sunny had finally admitting his feelings for her. After all this time, he'd always loved her but kept denying it. The fear of not being her equal due to the bond was a prison in itself.

He remembered their previous fight. The anger had been a blinding storm. At the ball, confronting Nephis, he'd felt a surge of righteous fury, convinced he was breaking free, asserting his own will. He'd lashed out, made his stand, walked away. Finally, he thought, his own choices.

But then he'd found himself back. Standing there, agreeing to fight for Valor, for her. The words had come out of his mouth, heavy and real, committing him to a path he'd just sworn to reject. A cold dread seeped into his bones, colder than any nightmare.

"She has really predicted me, huh? I am following her... I'm now smiling like an idiot as I think on how to confess my feelings to her, on how to become 'hers' as she said."

The Sin of Solace, that insidious voice, echoed in his mind, no longer a whisper but a chilling pronouncement:

'She didn't predict you, dumbass, she guided you.'

Sunny felt a sudden chill.

The truth, revealed by the sword, was a poison seeping into his very soul. That outburst? That grand declaration of independence? It hadn't been an act of defiance, but a mere contortion on a leash he hadn't known was there. He'd done exactly what she wanted without even realizing it. She did it on purpose. Every furious word, every step he'd taken, had been a dance to her unspoken tune. He remembered her words:

'You can't escape fate'

A declaration that had felt like a challenge, but now felt like a push and a tug on his very will.

He remembered her other words, a declaration he'd once dismissed as an arrogant truth:

"Why should I settle for submission when I can have loyalty? People who will follow me, serve me, and obey me will do so because that is their most ardent desire. They will do so with a smile. If I ever want to make you mine, Sunny, you will become mine — not because you were forced to, but because you would want to. That... is also a fact."

Sunny kept repeating that last part, "you will become mine." Not a question, but a command.

The realization hit him like a physical blow: his 'choice'" were merely reactions to her subtle commands, his 'free will' an illusion. He was a puppet, and Nephis, unknowingly or not, was pulling the strings. The love he felt, the loyalty that burned so fiercely... Were they even real, or just the forced affections of a thrall? The thought was a torment, twisting his gut, leaving him breathless with a terrifying, hollow despair.

Chapter Text

Months later, Sunny stood with Cassie on the Ketch, amidst the swirling currents of the River of Time, her voice was a lifeline, yet her words felt like another test.

"Here it is. Instead of an empty apology, I'm giving the choice back to you. You can leave and rush to the Estuary… the Guiding Light will show you the way through the mists of the Source, as long as you don't give another True Name to it. Once you reach the Estuary, use the Mirror of Truth and push to its heart. There… you will find your freedom. But… I hope that you make a different choice. That you will stay with us, despite everything. Nephis, I, and the others… are we so terrible? Is it really that unbearable, to share a bond, if it's based on trust? I think you know by now that it's not. What is unbearable is not having been given a choice about forming that bond, and now, even though the connection between you and her will remain the same… it will be there because you have chosen for it to exist. So… you decide. That right is yours, again."

Sunny considered Cassie's words, the promise of freedom echoing against the torment in his mind. Jet had once told him there was no freedom in this world, that the only freedom was the freedom to choose his own chains. Over time, Sunny had come to agree with her. By choosing to stay with the cohort, to stay with Nephis, he would be choosing his own chains. In a sense, that would make him free in a way.

But, was that truly his choice? He might just be acting on Nephis's unseen plan. These feelings he harbored for her, he could no longer tell if they were real or not. The Sin of Solace kept poisoning his mind against her, reminding him of how she'd used her power over him to dismiss his crown, how violated and vulnerable he'd felt when she did.

He had to make a choice:
Stay with these probably fake feelings of love that made him strangely happy.
Or become free, throwing those feelings away forever.

As Cassie left, Sunny called for her and waved.
"Let's break fate."

Chapter Text

Some time later, in the Estuary, Sunny met the Vile Thieving Bird, and upon his return to Antarctica, he realized the true cost: his fate was stolen. His True Name gone, his connection to the Spell was gone. He was free.

He heard a loud sound, then stared into a giant ball of white flame in the distance.

"Nephis!" he whispered, a name that felt alien on his tongue, yet still held a phantom ache.

He approached. This was the moment he would finally confront her. Tell her that he was no longer her pawn, that he was free of her manipulations, that his heart was not hers to own...

Nephis turned, her face illuminated by the eerie glow. Her eyes, pools of burning grey, met his.

"Identify yourself."

She showed no recognition. She had forgotten him.

He knew there was a price to pay for his wish, he just didn't know what it would be, but the Mad Prince, he did. He remembered the description of the Key of the Estuary:

"The answer is oblivion."

And just like the daemon of oblivion, Sunny had too lost the chains connecting him to other's hearts, and with that, all his connections were gone too.

In that moment, his heart broke. He realized that despite the bond being gone, His feelings for her have remained.

They were real. They had always been real. Her subtle attempts to steer his heart in her direction were nothing but pointless. He was probably in love with her even before she became his Master; he had just been too blind to see it, too distrustful to accept, too much of a liar to accept the truth. Meanwhile, Nephis had not been good enough at reading people to realize his feelings for her.

After hearing the sound of rubble and losing interest in Sunny, Nephis left in search of Cassie.

Sunny stood alone amidst the ruins.

"I have made a huge mistake...",  he murmured, the words hollow in the vast silence. He cursed himself for having listened to the Sin of Solace, the cursed sword whose only goal was to drive him mad.

He cursed Nephis, her pointless attempts at manipulating him into becoming hers, which he already was, had has inadvertently, caused him to believe the contrary, and set the course for him to ruin the happiness they would eventually have.

She was truly, the Star of Ruin