Chapter Text
The Incredible Adventures and Astonishing Deeds of Heroic Dreamer Sunless and His Loyal Shadows in Grimdark Universe.
Chapter 1. The Shadow Descend
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Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction, and all rights for characters, plots and settings belong to Game Workshop and Guiltythree. I have no ownership.
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“...I feel like Odysseus, too, sometimes. Lost in a distant land. Only, unlike him, I don't have a home to want to return to. I have nothing to strive for, apart from saving my skin, keeping my friends alive, and maybe living a little bit better than a wild beast. Can someone really be lost, if they don't belong anywhere?”
Sunny the Wise
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Immaterium
The Immaterium, also referred to as the Empyrean, the Aether, the Sea of Souls, the Realm of Chaos, Warpspace or most commonly, "the Warp," is an alternate dimension of purely psychic energy that echoes and underlies the familiar four dimensions of the material universe.
The Warp is the source of all psychic powers and known instances of so-called "sorcery" or "magic" as well as the home dimension of the powerful entities known as the Chaos Gods and their myriad legions of Daemonic servants. In fact, the terms "Chaos" and the "Warp" are often used interchangeably by those aware of their existence within the Imperium.
Superficially, the Immaterium is Mankind's solution to the problem of faster-than-light travel. The Warp functions as the medium for FTL interstellar travel, with voidcraft entering it through the use of a Warp-Drive. They then use their own mundane reaction drive systems and the aid of a psychic Navigator to navigate between its flowing currents of psychic energy, as if they were moving through an ocean.
The psychic energy that makes up the Immaterium is believed to be the direct result of the existence of sentience in the universe, in particular the intelligent species of the Milky Way galaxy. Considered to be a dark reflection of the material universe, the Warp is an ocean of chaotic psychic energy, raw emotion given physical form.
The Immaterium is also rumoured by many cultures, Human and xenos alike, to be the final resting place of the souls of the dead, and therefore can be considered the "underworld" of the Warhammer 40,000 universe.
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The Nightmare was over.
The illusory world that Spell had conjured had collapsed, expelling the surviving challengers.
They were supposed to find themselves in the empty void between dream and reality, where countless stars shimmered in the darkness, forming a vast and inconceivable pattern. There, the Spell was supposed to appraise their performance and let them go through the process of rising to a new Rank in peace.
However, that was not what happened to Sunny.
He had no time to comprehend the consequences of having his very existence pierced by the talons of the Cursed Terror when the Nightmare Collapsed, sending him into a world of darkness. There was no appraisal, and no pattern of stars shimmering in the void.
Instead, still reeling from the inconceivable and frightening turn of events, he was thrown out of the void, entering another, much smaller, but similarly dark space. In fact, he was violently catapulted into that space, crashing into a jagged piece of scorched concrete, shattering it, and colliding with a deformed alloy wall behind it.
The force of the impact was terrible enough to make the alloy crack, and for Sunny to lose consciousness.
And that…
Was how he became possibly the first human in history to Transcend while passed out.
The six shadows gathered around his reforged body, perplexed and dumbfounded.
After a while, one of them sighed, and then shook its head in utter dejection.
The first thing Sunny felt was pain.
Not the terrible kind of pain he was sadly used to experiencing from time to time, but a more mundane pain. He was laying on a rough surface, something sharp biting into his back through the fabric of Ananke's Mantle.
The air was full of dust. The world was silent.
He was cold.
Groaning, he opened his eyes and sat up, feeling strangely refreshed and revitalized. Looking down, he saw jagged pieces of concrete littering the floor. No wonder he had been uncomfortable.
He stretched his hand, wishing to sweep a few of them away.
However, he must have misjudged his strength, because the concrete pieces simply turned to dust from his irritated swipe. More than that, the floor cracked under his palm, and the world shook, more dust spilling from somewhere above.
Come to think of it…
Where the hell was he?
Sunny shielded his eyes from the dust and looked around, trying to assess his surroundings.
It was rather strange.
At first, he thought that he had found himself in a small cave. It was a few meters in diameter, the ceiling just tall enough for him to stand up. There did not seem to be an entrance to the cave, and therefore, no exit.
But after a few moments of contemplation, Sunny realized that the dusty pocket of space he had come to his senses in was not a natural cave. It looked more like the result of a cave-in.
The walls and the ceiling were a chaotic mess of cracked concrete and torn alloy, as if some building had collapsed on itself, forming a few pockets of empty space in the compressed ruin.
'Wait… alloy?'
As Sunny's eyes widened slightly, he concentrated on the details of his surroundings. Alloy and concrete, pieces of broken machinery, a torn piece of a sign written in human language.
His heart was beating wildly.
'I am… back in the waking world?'
Indeed, he was. The Nightmare had ended while the horrid bird was tearing his soul with its talons, and the Spell must have sent him back.
Not to the Nightmare Desert, but instead back to the point in the waking world where his tether had been placed.
Then, he was distracted by the feeling of cold air brushing against his chest. Looking down, at himself, Sunny blinked a couple of times.
'What… the hell. Why am I naked?'
He was still covered by the nebulous folds of Ananke's Mantle, but the Shroud of Graceless Dusk was gone. Here and there, his pale skin was revealed, covered in dust.
Frowning, Sunny summoned the Shroud of Dusk.
However, nothing happened.
'What…'
Sunny called upon his Memory again, and yet there was no response. It was as if it did not exist anymore.
'Do I not have enough essence to summon even a single Memory?'
Sunny turned his attention to his soul, planning to assess how much essence he had left…
And froze.
'What, what the hell?!'
It was only then that he realized how vastly different his soul, his body, and the world itself were.
His body was suffused with power… such terrifying power that even Sunny himself felt a chill. It was already scary enough now, while he did not have his six shadows wrapped around him.
What would happen when he layered six consecutive augmentations on top of it?
His soul was filled with a cold ocean of essence, and that essence… it had already grown more potent after he had acquired Soul Weave. But now, it had become qualitatively different, possessing such depths and density as to appear inexhaustible. The intensity of power contained within it was frightening.
That was not the most shocking change, however.
The most shocking change… was that he could vaguely feel a different kind of energy all around him, cool and flowing, that was similar, but also different from the essence he was familiar with. That ambient essence seemed to belong to the world itself.
Or rather, to the shadows that surrounded him.
And since he was currently in total darkness, it was everywhere.
What really amazed him, though, was that the spirit essence flowed freely through him, wisps of it replenishing the missing shadow essence in his six cores. It was as if he was able to replenish his reserves of essence by borrowing the power of the world itself, as long as he was in his element.
'A stronger body, a qualitative change of essence, and an entirely new relationship between myself and the world…'
Sunny flinched.
"Wait. Have I… Transcended? I must have!"
His voice sounded hoarse in the utter silence.
Of course, he should have. He had conquered a Third Nightmare, after all.
Was he a Saint now?
Sunny remained motionless for a few moments, then feverishly summoned the runes.
But, just like the Shroud of Dusk…
The runes did not appear.
There was no response at all.
The Spell... was silent.
Or so he thought until something started happening before his eyes. Strange signs appeared, ones he'd seen before when Spell couldn't or wouldn't translate something for him.
[!@%$^r^#%#e!$]
[&#!&@o!e%$&t&%$##$a@]
[Seal of D^e#on of F%&e]
[Spell]
It seemed as if Spell was recalibrating itself, like a system rebooting. Sunny silently applauded this self-invented analogy. After all, he wasn't the uneducated rat from the Outskirts anymore.
[Hello, Sunless. You treacherous Shadow, you made it. Now you're free.]
[The question is, were you truly ready for the price?]
[Well, your Nightmare begins now.]
Wait, what? For a moment, Sunny was convinced he'd imagined it. But he read it again, and then again. He'd just finished his Third Nightmare.
'What the hell has that damn Spell gotten him into again?'
Sunny hastily summoned the runes, then his eyes nearly popped out of his head.
"What the hell?" he stammered aloud.
[Name: Sunless]
[True Name: The Last Dream of the World]
[Rank: Transcendent (Saint)]
[Class: Terror]
[Shadow Cores: 6/7]
[Helper Shadows: Gloomy, Happy, Creepy, Haughty, Naughty, Crazy]
[Shadow Fragments: 136/6000]
[Aspect: Shadow of the Eternal Dream (evolved)]
[Aspect Rank: Divine]
[ Aspect Description: The First Dream has not ended. It has been trapped in a void where time has no power, and darkness has become its sole guardian. You are not merely the heir; you are the rightful Sovereign of this pristine, eternal silence.
This Aspect carries within itself a majesty that rules without words or crowns. Your presence freezes the chaos of battle, imposing a reverent lethargy upon reality. The shadows you command are no longer merely the absence of light—they are the tangible fabric of night, shrouding the minds of men and beasts alike. You may be the one who awakens nightmares in the hearts of mortals and lulls the gods into eternal oblivion.]
[Innate Ability: Dreamed Death
Ability Description: Death is final. As the heir of Shadow and bastard son of Dream, there is no escape from you and death by your hand is irreversible. May all find peace and solace in you, dreaming about life, they will never have.]
[Aspect Abilities: Shadow Control, Shadow Step, Anchor of Fate, Shadow Manifestation, Shroud of Restorative Slumber, Shadow Incarnation, Oblivion’s Edge]
[Aspect Ability: Shadow Control
Ability description: Your Shadows are more independent than most, and are invaluable helpers. All shadows respect your authority.]
[Aspect Ability: Shadow Step
Ability Description: You can move freely between shadows, traveling from one to another in an instant.]
[Aspect Ability: Anchor of Fate
Ability Description: You can grasp the threads of probability surrounding your enemies. With a single jerk of will, you unleash capricious, inevitable misfortune upon them. A perfectly aimed arrow will miss its target by a hair's breadth, the mightiest blade will slip off armor.]
[Aspect Ability: Shadow Manifestation
Ability Description: You can manifest shadows as tangible objects.]
[Aspect Ability: Shroud of Restorative Slumber
Ability Description: As the essence flows from your hands, you manifest an invisible aura of dark, reverent peace around you. For your allies, this shroud is a blessing and in its embrace, wounds of flesh and fractures of soul are instantly healed, and the corruption and venom of nothingness are banished. But for your enemies, this shroud is a tomb of will. Their steps will become leaden, their reflexes drown in a dense lethargy, and their minds will be gripped by an apathy so profound they forget how to grip the hilt of their sword.]
[Aspect Ability: Shadow Incarnation
Ability Description: Your shadow helpers can transform in perfect copies of yourself.]
[Aspect Ability: Oblivion’s Edge
Ability Description: When you imbue your blade or the claws of your Shadow Cloak with the essence of Oblivion, you cease slicing through pure flesh and begin slicing through the very fabric of existence. Each strike of this power permanently erases the target's conceptual nature. Wounds inflicted cannot be healed, for reality forgets that the victim's tissue was ever intact.]
[Flaw: Clear Conscience]
[Flaw Description: You cannot lie.]
[Flaw: Always awake]
[Flaw Description: You cannot allow yourself to fall asleep or lose consciousness. Otherwise, you will cease to exist and The Forgotten One will awaken.]
[Attributes: Fateless, Radiance of Divinity, Lord of Shadows, The Ephemeral Shard, Onyx Shell, Blood Wave, Bone Wave, Soul Wave]
[Attribute: Fateless
Attribute Description: Your fate is gone and you are finally free. Free from your chains, free from your bonds and even from your world.]
[Attribute: Radiance of Divinity
Attribute Description: As the heir of two gods, your soul radiates divinity, making you deadly enemy and also target for all that is profane.]
[Attribute: Lord of Shadows
Attribute Description: Shadows recognize you as their Ruler.]
[Attribute: The Ephemeral Shard
Attribute Description: Your soul has not yet taken root in the throne of the Dream God, and its power is but a fragile shard of the original myth. Yet you carry within you a spark that prevents reality from fully imprisoning your fate. You are a secret the universe cannot fully record.]
[Attribute: Onyx Shell
Attribute Description: In the deep darkness of the underworld, a prideful demon forged seven suits of splendid armor for his favorite creations. The intricate shells were both a boon and a test since only those worthy of his regard could unlock the mantle’s true potential and bear its weight.]
[Attribute: Blood Wave
Attribute Description: You have inherited a part of Weaver’s forbidden lineage. Your blood has been altered and imbued with odd tenacity.]
[Attribute: Bone Wave
Attribute Description: You have inherited a part of Weaver’s forbidden lineage. Your bones have been altered and imbued with steadfast temperance.
“When children of the Dream God rebelled against the gods, Weaver was the only one to refuse the call of war. Despised and hunted by both sides, they disappeared. No one knew where Weaver went and what they did… until it was to late.”]
[Attribute: Soul Wave
Attribute Description: You have inherited a part of Weaver’s forbidden lineage. Your soul has been altered and imbued with stalwart potency.
“A lonely demon shed tears standing above a forgotten grave. A tree grew from the ground where the demon’s tears fell, and from it grew a wondrous fruit.”]
[Aspect Legacy – Shadow:
Shadow Dance:
1.First Step – claimed (Soul Serpent)
2.Second Step - claimed (Shadow God’s Lineage)
3.Third Step - claimed (Shadow Latern)
4.Fourth Step - claimed (Fragment of Shadow Realm)
5.Fifth Step – unearned
6.Sixth Step – unearned
7.Seventh Step - unearned]
[Aspect Legacy – Dream:
You who walk the path of the Forgotten God do not learn the art of war from mortals. Your Legacy is the knowledge of how to unravel and mend the shroud of reality.
Shrouds of the Forgotten:
1.The First Shroud – claim
2.The Second Shroud – claim
3.The Third Shroud – claim
4.The Fourth Shroud – unearned
5.The Fifth Shroud – unearned
6.The Sixth Shroud – unearned
7.The Seventh Shroud – unearned]
[Shadows: Onyx Saint, Soul Serpent, Nightmare, Ravenous Fiend]
[Onyx Saint – Transcendent Devil]
[Soul Serpent – Transcendent Terror]
[Nightmare – Ascended Terror]
[Ravenous Fiend – Transcendent Devil]
[Memories: Weaver's Mask, Weaver's Needle, Shadow Lantern, Silver Bell, Shadow Chair, Puppeteer's Shroud, Overpriced Saddle, Extraordinary Rock, Endless Spring, Covetous Coffer, Bitter Cusp, Ananke's Mantle…]
[Echoes: -]
Sunny stared at the runes in front of him for a long moment, trying to understand what had happened. From his evolved Aspect and new attributes to his new Legacy Aspect. The changes were astronomical.
Not to mention the second Flaw.
'Damnation... Does Transcendens need sleep at all? And what if a strong opponent knocks me unconscious? ' he thought, slightly terrified. Having learned to live with his Flaw, he no longer paid it as much attention as he had at first. But now he had a second one?
'What's with these damn flaws I keep getting? The first threatened me with absolute enslavement, and the second with complete annihilation and the unleashing of a mad and corrupted god upon the world.'
He took a deep breath, calming himself. Yes, the flaw was severe, but it wasn't the end of the world; he just had to make sure he didn't fall asleep or get knocked out.
"Well. There are bright sides," he said, rubbing his metaphysical hands together. In return, he received a rather powerful boost. This new aspect was absurdly powerful, giving the impression of being composed basically from two different aspects.
"Hmm. As they say, I won't look a gift dog in the mouth," he said, but seeing the skeptical expressions of his Shadows out of the corner of his eye, he shrugged.
"What? I'm sure the saying went something like that."
Gloomy Shadow just shook his head in resignation, and even Happy was watching him with a strange expression.
Sunny, however, didn't bother with them right now. He had more serious matters on his mind. First and foremost, getting out of this place and figuring out where he was. The most likely place was Antarctica.
'Where exactly?' he thought, then reached out to the shadows around him, immediately realizing two things.
First, the shadows responded much more readily, even welcoming him with joy, which was likely due to his evolved attribute.
But something else puzzled him more. The shadows around him, as well as those outside the ruins he found himself in, had a strange presence, different from those he knew.
Both in the Dream Realm and in the Waking World, the shadows were different from each other; that was obvious. However, they still shared common characteristics, a certain presence that these shadows lacked here.
He stretched his shadow sense as far as it could go. Now that he had become a Saint, its range had increased many times, to his satisfaction, reaching tens of kilometers.
Sunny, however, frowned. Something was very wrong. As far as his senses could reach, aside from some strange wild creatures and insects, he found nothing alive.
Not that he had expected people, seeing the ruin he was in, but he was certain there were Nightmare Creatures on the surface.
Haughty began pointing him upstairs with his finger, as if telling him to move there.
Sunny looked at him with irritation. "I know. You don't have to tell me the obvious."
The arrogant Shadow, however, merely cocked his head, his nose raised, ignoring him completely.
His eye began to twitch involuntarily. "You little shit. You'll regret this," he muttered to him.
In a sour mood, he reached for one of the shadows and transported himself to the surface via Shadow Step in the blink of an eye, but the sight he found only further confused him.
All around him lay the ruins of a city, but what was striking was that the architecture bore no resemblance to anything he recognized. And it wasn't even a matter of cultural aspects, but rather the scale of the construction.
Many buildings seemed to connect, creating complexes kilometers high, now half-destroyed. Also, everywhere he looked, he saw scattered bones, skulls, and wrecks of metal vehicles.
This didn't look like the work of Nightmare Creatures. They rarely left anything behind, not even bones. Moreover, the vehicles, though also destroyed, surpassed anything he'd seen in Waking World in scale and variety.
Taking another Shadow Step, he found himself atop one of these interconnected building complexes, and the sight made him widen his eyes in astonishment. Even his Shadow Helpers, who were accompanying him, froze at the sight before them.
"What the hell?" he whispered, speechless.
The ruins of the city seemed to stretch for dozens of kilometers, not only into the distance but also a few kilometers downwards. He realized that the part of the city he found himself in was the very peak of this metropolis, which looked like one massive mountain of metal and concrete.
The scale of this place surpassed anything he'd seen on Earth, whose entire population could probably fit in this city.
As far as his transcendent eyes could see, he saw a devastated landscape that seemed in even worse shape than the gargantuan city itself.
The earth was crisscrossed with trenches and craters that, if filled with water, would transform into vast rivers and lakes. A few tree trunks remained here and there, but the earth was dry and cracked.
And so it looked, all the way to the horizon in every direction. In one direction, to his left, he could see the distant outlines of mountains, but they must have been no less than 500—600 kilometers from the cities. Beyond them, there were only scorched plains.
Sunny frowned, then looked at his Shadow Helpers.
"Do you understand any of this?" he asked, scratching his head.
They just shrugged, and then Crazy began gesturing wildly, but this time it was Sunny who shrugged, having no idea what the man was trying to convey. Besides, it was probably something crazy.
Sighing, he looked up into the sky and froze. Above him in the sky was something that had no right to exist on Earth. He'd seen something similar, but only in photos, from before Nightmare Spell.
It was called a negula. Or maybe it was a nezula, a nebula? Something like that. In any case, that was precisely what he saw in the sky above him.
Although it looked more like a maelstrom of colored lights and millions of dots that had to be stars. He didn't know how he hadn't noticed it immediately when that damn thing covered almost half the sky.