Excited whispers rang out as everyone watched the spar, their eyes eager and full of fascination.
"Holy! They have to be the strongest in the academy!"
"I-I can't even follow their movements!"
"Are they really dreamers like us…."
Above them all hidden in the shadow of the lamp, Sunny listened silently as he observed the battle. Only a minute had passed since the spar had begun and he was still fighting the urge to manifest and enjoy some wine—even having second thoughts about summoning another avatar to do so in secrecy somewhere else. But it wouldn't be the same if he wasn't directly drinking it.
He watched as Nephis and Caster exchanged blows below.
When he had arrived at the academy in his own timeline, the sight of their exchange had left quite an impression on him, but now…..
It was honestly a bit disappointing.
Having survived and experienced so many gruesome battles, he was desensitized to such a light exchange, one that didn't even create shockwaves and tremors that changed the surrounding land.
'It's kind of cute to see how unpolished and unthreatening it is….'
In the ring, Caster was on an unrelenting offensive. Using his trained muscles he repeatedly closed the distance between the two—his arms and legs flew in combination, something reminiscent of Muay Thai. He threw sharp punches and kicks aimed at her ribs, face and calves, trying to break her stability and chain attacks.
But Nephis was just as tough as Sunny remembered.
She held her ground firmly as she sidestepped his kicks, parrying his punches and jabs with her shoulder and forearms—delivering quick blows of equal exchange. Sunny watched as he read both their movements. Nephis was cleverly still hiding the true nature of her combat that she learned from her clan and father, while mixing in some well-trained defensive stances that protected her vitals.
Her true lethality was with a sword, but that didn't make her any less threatening unarmed.
There was also something else that caught Sunny's attention.
In the future Nephis's Transcendent battle art and combat had drastically evolved as she indulged and pushed through pain during ascension. Before, she was comparable to an armed fortress. Her defense was scarily flawless, letting no attacks through as she took advantage when an enemy slipped up or hastily approached without properly guarding themselves—quickly delivering a devastating counter-attack.
But as she experienced more and more pain….
It changed.
Instead of having a fortified entrance that enemies couldn't brute force through….she had strangely abandoned the gateway and focused entirely on the offensive. Her offense was a relentless whirlwind, but if an enemy saw a chance and ran through the gates to do some damage….they were only falling into a trap. Nephis purposefully left taunting gaps in her defense and created opportunities that goaded the enemy to take advantage of; and of course they did, while paying the price. Every opening would allow the enemy to do some damage but nothing close to lethal. A stab to the ribs, a blow to the neck, a deep cut in the leg….all of it healed impossibly quick, leaving the opponent vulnerable as she then punished them with an even more devastating wound that they could not recover from.
Thus, it was quite scary to fight Nephis, as one couldn't properly tell what were faints and openings which in reality were insidious traps that tempted and lured the enemy into a situation they couldn't escape unscathed from.
But as Sunny's eyes narrowed…he was now able to flawlessly read and predict the flow of battle.
And a new sight was unraveling before him.
'Is she already trying to adapt and change her style…?'
Nephis caught a blow with her shoulder as she side-stepped in, feinting with a punch to his liver. Caster brought his right leg up as he leaned forward to close the gap….only for Nephis to deliver a devastating kick to the ribs on his left side. A quick breath escaped between his clenched teeth as he winced. However, instead of retreating and making space….Nephis instead leaned back, angeling her body to make it look like she was trying to follow up with a high kick to his neck.
Caster noticed and took the bait, twisting his body left as he tried to elbow her face.
Only….Nephis continued to twist her body as her feet left the ground, delivering a brutal roundhouse kick to his chest, knocking him a few feet away.
A look of surprise flashed across Caster's face before he grimaced in pain, pulling himself up as he rubbed his chest—feeling a bruise forming beneath. All around the room, the shadows became much lighter.
He smiled, a bit of blood on his teeth.
"You are quite terrifying…I expect no less of a trained Legacy"
Nephis only stared at him blankly.
Without wasting a second Caster activated his Aspect as the teacher on the side yelled something—but no words got through. His body became a blur as he closed the distance in a blink. His fists and legs flew at Nephis at frightening speeds for a dreamer, although they were in slow-motion for Sunny.
Nephis remained unphased as she blocked with her shoulders, forearms and knees while slightly stepping back. Despite Caster using his Aspect, Nephis didn't change—remaining as herself as she slowly began to block his blows with increasing speed while sneaking in additional exchanges to his chest and calves.
'Aahhh this is great….'
Sunny watched with increasing amusement as Caster's face became more and more frustrated, the veins on his neck and forehead bulging as he kept increasing his speed. But Nephis also kept up, all while not using her Aspect.
Eventually, he gave up on the offensive as he backed off making some space. A few laboured gasps escaped his mouth before he once again blurred, only this time he didn't directly attack her. After-images began to form behind him as he zipped around Nephis at blinding speeds, sometimes moving in only to abruptly veer away—trying to create an opening.
Nephis stood still on the spot, her arms dropping down as she seemingly gave up on defense.
Wasting not a second, Caster rushed at her from behind….but Nephis had already seen it.
Instead of pulling up her arms to block or side-step, she instead whipped around and closed the distance with a single movement. Sunny watched as Caster slightly faltered, a look of confusion appearing on his face. In one swift motion she swung her elbow forward catching him on the neck—unable to stop his momentum as he was violently thrown to the ground.
His pupils dilated as he hoarsely gasped for air, his windpipe damaged.
Nephis looked down at him before turning to the wide-eyed professor, speaking flatly.
"You should get him a medic"
The professor moved to Caster's side as Nephis walked away quietly. All around her, people murmured in awe at the display of power. Caster regained his senses as he brought himself up, pushing the helpers away as he spat a mouthful of blood onto the mat and walked away.
Sunny blinked.
'Did she always end it off so violently?'
Caster approached Nephis as he brought his hand up to shake hers. Only…Nephis did not greet it as she looked at him, before grabbing a towel to wipe her face as she walked away—leaving him standing alone.
…..
"Well that was quite boring"
In truth, Sunny had been looking forward to seeing them spar. But after watching them for a bit….he was honestly disappointed.
And bored.
He was getting increasingly bored.
To a Supreme, a fight without Will and flawless essence utilization in harmony with one's Aspect and Memories…..was like watching bugs fight. The sight of Caster's futile efforts and pain had brought him some short lived joy, but that was about it. In fact, he had been silently criticizing and chastising their mistakes the whole time.
"I really do have a lot to teach her….."
He spread his consciousness, letting out a quiet sigh.
"Well atleast I have some fruitful battles awaiting me"
******
Far to the north, on a frozen European coast…
A shadow rose silently from the sand, stepping onto the icy shore. The wind howled over churning waters, but the figure paid it no mind. Its black eyes turned south—toward the glacial continent of Antarctica.
Darkness rippled beneath the surface.
The Shadow's presence spread into the ocean depths, farther and farther—reaching into the stygian trenches where light did not live. But something else stirred….
Nightmare Gates. So many… hidden beneath the sea, spawning horrors that ravaged aquatic ecosystems and slaughtered refugee transports by the millions. There were very few Saints with Aspects and prowess in water combat outside of House Night, thus they could only control the areas near human settlements while more and more gates were left untouched. Sunny smiled…
"I guess i'll be lessening the burden of your work BloodWave"
It was time to do some fishing.
Without a sound, the figure stepped into the sea, swallowed by the deep—a legion of shadows silently rising on the ocean bed as they marched deeper.
On the desolate moon high above, the corpse of a man in a spacesuit stirred as an invisible wave passed through him.
It turned its head, looking in the direction of earth, towards the white polar caps.
"Oho…what's this?"
********
Somewhere else in the dream realm, another Shadow traveled at impossible speeds.
Under the scorching sun of the desert, Sunny moved in the direction of the Burned Forest—a trail of silence followed. Where he passed, Nightmare Creatures vanished—dragged screaming into the dark beneath the sand.
Moments later, fountains of blood and pulverized bones erupted in his wake.
He manifested atop a large dune, pausing as he looked at the Tomb of Ariel in the distance. His shadow sense spread around the edge of the desert as he found the structure of an ashen tree.
…..
He shook his head in dejection.
"No, he'll just relentlessly ask me to kill him. Later….later…."
He summoned the Endless Spring, taking a few sips before diving back into the shadows, approaching the boundary of the Heart God's realm.
********
In the training hall, the shadows became lighter as Sunny pleasantly smiled—a flood of Shadow fragments now trickling into his Souls as more and more shades manifested in his Soul sea.
While war between the Sovereigns had not been initiated yet, he still had to move and make preparations. Even if he did have seven bodies….he was still one person who had to fight two clans that controlled the whole world. Hence he had sent off two of his bodies to go and grow his Shadow legion.
There were very few places he could safely gather new soldiers with the Sovereigns still ruling.
The Forgotten Shore was a possibility….but that was even more annoyingly frustrating. If Sunny wanted, he could wipe out Gunlang and his clique with but a thought. But he couldn't risk taking over his rule—not to mention revealing himself to Seishan who would report him to her mother as soon as she could. An Heir of Weaver could never be worshipped after-all, and the plausibility of his connection in this world still put him on edge. Additionally, the residents would grow impatient and urge him to take them back to the waking world….but Sunny couldn't do that.
Not yet at least….
Nephis needed a strong foundation to make an entrance into the world.
And Sunny was going to create a mark in history with the new Firekeepers.
All of it would take shape in a month with the Winter Solstice approaching. That was why he shied away from intervening on the Forgotten Shore. But that didn't stop him from sneaking around—checking up on Kai and Effie while killing a few extra Nightmare creatures around the Dark City in secrecy, giving an opportunity for unfortunate souls to pay the fee for the castle.
His priority was to grow as much as he could before the Sovereigns caught on.
They were complicated enemies….but Sunny had no doubt they could put their differences aside momentarily to snuff out an unfamiliar third-party.
He would have happily stormed Godgrave, there were more than enough abominations he would love to join his ranks, but it was too risky. Godgrave was the boundary between Ravenheart and Bastion. If he were to storm in and wipe all the Nightmare creatures that resided, there were two subsequent risks.
Scouts from both sides could notice the abundance of corpses and lack of Nightmare creatures, alerting their Sovereigns and potentially hastening the declaration of war, with a presented empty battlefield. Additionally, there were too many citadels that Sunny couldn't claim. If he did so, any other Saint would notice his mark and report—while any additional untouched ones would be claimed and strengthen the Sovereign's domains.
Therefore the depths of the ocean on earth and the Burned Forest were the safest places he could collect new soldiers. The Burned Forest was untouched by anyone and the depths of the ocean were more than enough to shy away any Saint. Of course the presence of his domain had been unleashed once he had summoned his shadow legion in the waters, but he was in depths far away from humanity, making the presence of his domain significantly weak or close to non-existent; while also constantly searching through the shadows for any approaching vessels.
But he had no doubt that the DreamSpawn had sensed him.
He was a problem for the future…..
Honestly….it was all very meticulous.
'I came here for a vacation just to slave away in secrecy!'
An average Supreme, and two at that were nothing in comparison to Sunny who was a Divine Supreme. Quite easily he could kill them, but it was far too complicated. Both foundations would lose their leaders, and Sunny was not one to lead—drowned in paper-work and authority.
He would happily sit on the sides as a shadow!
Thus, things had to progress slowly….so he could nurture a worthy group, and forge a radiant star that rightfully deserved to rule over humanity.
A shadow wasn't one for the spotlight….
He did not have a place in this world.
And he would never belong here.
As the Heir of Weaver and an error in the world, he wasn't allowed to make connections or grow close to anyone.
…..
Well a few at least.
"Cassie should be done with her classes now maybe I should go s-"
He froze, watching as something unusual folded before him under the noses of every other student in the room. Nephis was walking calmly towards the exit as she wiped her face, and behind her…..Caster followed. Sunny could practically taste his bloodlust.
'What is he….'
Caster followed a distance behind Nephis, his eyes deadpan and murderous. His palms twitched as faint sparks of light began to manifest, his pace increasing.
Sunny looked at the teacher in alarm, but all of them were too focused on monitoring the fight.
Caster leaned forward, his knees bending as he activated his Aspect and launched at her from behind. While his speed was frightening for a Dreamer, time seemed to slow as Sunny watched it all unfold.
'T-This….this never happened before….'
Caster had always hidden his intention while Nephis had suspected…but had never acted out like this! Was this a result of his interference in the world….
His Supreme mind raced as things moved in slow-motion. Caster likely wouldn't be able to kill Nephis in one swift action with her protective flames kicking in, healing her and allowing her to retaliate and the other professors to notice.
But what if they didn't?
What if this time, Nephis didn't react and her flames couldn't heal her? What if Caster was successful and managed to end her life before anyone could react….what if he ended Nephis before the legend of Changing Star was born?
...
The shadows became hostile and dark as Sunny hissed.
"Bastard…what do you think you're doing!?"
Below Caster his shadow shifted. Too quick for the eye to see, a tiny seven fingered arm slashed out, cutting his achilles tendon—retreating back into the shadows before his body even realized it had been cut. His legs went limp, crashing into the ground with a loud thud. He yelled in pain, instinctively dismissing his forming memory before it took shape.
Everyone turned in alarm as professor Rock rushed over, looking at the wound before glaring at Nephis.
"Did you do this?"
Nephis gazed at them with a confused and slightly unsure look, before opening her mouth to reply. But Caster cut her off before she could speak.
"No! She did nothing…I must have overdone it, sustained internal injuries from the spar."
Professor Rock silently glanced between the two before waving for another professor to get a medic. He let out a quiet curse before rising, turning back to the wide eyed crowd of students.
"You lot, this session is dismissed early! Clean up and get back to your quarters."
He kneeled down looking at Caster who held his bloody leg, "We have a healer in close proximity, your leg will be fine."
Lastly, he looked at Nephis, pausing, before speaking in a low tone.
"You also go clean up….expect to be brought in for questioning later"
Looking down, his eyes narrowed at Caster.
"You too."
Both of them silently nodded, as Nephis walked out the doors towards the changing room—Caster lying quietly in a growing pool of blood, his eyes deep and conflicted. He lay in the room alone, glancing up as a lamp slightly swung. On top of the roof of the academy Sunny manifested. He grabbed another bottle of wine from his soul sea and poured himself a shadowy glass.
'Damn it! Is the rate of change with events increasing?'
He cursed.
This….this was bad.
Sunny thought his death was the only canon event that had shifted in this world, but now….it seemed like things were unraveling more and more in disorder. What would go wrong next? What development would be quickened? Who else would die….
He bit his lip, straining his consciousness further as more and more shades entered his Soul Sea. He scowl escaped between his teeth.
"I'm gonna have to teach that wretch a proper lesson…."
He took a sip.
'How dare he…..how dare he try to harm his future student!'
Looking at the conflagrant hues of orange and purple from the setting sun, Sunny looked out quietly. His mind raced as he went through the order of events, processing what he should be wary of and take action against. He slightly faltered as the image of Caster yelling in pain flashed across his mind, causing him to smile.
He raised his shadow glass, toasting the sun.
"I think that actually went quite well!"
He chuckled, taking a deep sip as he rested in the shadow of the terrace.
**********
Alone in the women's changing room, Nephis sat quietly. Her eyes were blank as she replayed the spar in her mind—making mental adjustments and critiques. She frowned in confusion as she remembered what had just transpired.
The sudden collapse and screams of pain as the Legacy rolled in his blood.
Her face darkened as the door creaked open, her muscles tensing in preparation. Only….to relax, as an unimposing person carefully walked into the room.
Nephis stood up.
Apoised girl with blond hair and a blue blindfold took a step forward, her shoulders tense and speaking of anxiety. She stood still before carefully speaking out.
"Is anyone here?"
Nephis looked her up and down, before responding in a placant tone.
"Everyone else has cleaned up and gone back to their dorms, why are you here so late?"
Cassie stood still, shifting the cane in her palms.
"I-I heard there was an accident that happened in the training hall while I wasn't there…"
She paused, smiling lightly as she raised her voice a little.
"And I'm also looking for someone who's quite hard to find"