Sunny watched as the water came rushing down from the tap, leaning closer while cupping his hands to wash his face.
Today, they were going to the mall for Jet since she returned from the Dream Realm and became an Awakened. This time, she joined the government; while maintaining more of her freedom.
'This time she won't overwork herself.'
The thought made his lips part as they reached his eyes.
They were all happy. All of them. Usually he would be drowning, wondering if he deserved it, wondering what would happen if they found out, but this time he tossed the thoughts aside. Today was a day for celebration.
"Sunny?" A voice echoed throughout their home. It was his dad.
"Yeah, I'm coming." he replied after splashing the water on his face. Looking at the mirror, he could see the hateful glare of his past self, but he didn't care.
Walking down the stairs, he saw them. All of them. Waiting for him with a smile, "I am ready."
---
They started walking towards the mall when, within a few minutes, he noticed something.
Right on the corner of a street, a girl with pale skin, deep brown eyes and black hair walked towards them, or at least in that direction.
It was someone Sunny knew very well—even if her hair was different—and someone he dreaded to meet.
It was... Nephis.
The girl he loved.
The girl he hated more than anything.
She was walking towards them, along with another man—an Awakened—while wearing a hoodie and track pants. She wore her headphones as she walked, while carrying a half-detached look.
The Awakened, meanwhile, made sure she was walking properly. As soon as their eyes met, Neph suddenly froze—almost losing her balance. They still held each other's gaze, their eyes never leaving the other's eyes.
Sunny felt his finger twitch, while his other hand clenched its fist, his nails almost drawing blood as it almost dug through his palm. It felt weird for both his hands to display the exact opposite reaction, but somehow that's what happened.
---
Red watched Sunny staring at the girl, his gaze never leaving her eyes.
Recognition.
Fear.
Hatred.
Betrayal.
Dissatisfaction...? The dissatisfaction instantly changed to realisation.
Red watched as Sunny's nails almost dug into his palm, and flinched in surprise.
Disgust.
Red's flaw started detecting emotions as if he was in a crowded place.
Hope. Love. Longing.
Then it was instantly followed by self-hatred.
That made Red pause and look at Sunny before turning his gaze towards the unknown girl. 'How does he know her?'
And why was he in love? Why did he feel so many mixed emotions?
As for the girl, the emotions followed the same way as Sunny's.
Physical pain.
She almost staggered, before composint her face.
Recognition.
Pain again, both physical and emotional.
Once again, she slightly swayed.
Confusion.
Satisfaction?
Despair.
Hope.
Slight hatred.
Love.
Guilt. The kind that came from failure. Betrayal.
All those emotions were laid out to him. Bare. All those thoughts came as words instead of images. Emotions poured into his mind, causing countless, contradictions.
He paused, his breath still for a moment in stark contrast to the raging emotions pulling at his mind like a treacherous riptide. The slight parting of his lips in a silent cry was his only concession to the emotional onslaught; the rest of his expression froze into a mask of neutrality. The mask was just so he could hide what he felt from his family.
They felt as if—as if it were felt by some ancient beings who lived for millions of years, had millions of years of experience, but no. Sunny felt a lot of things... but to think he felt this towards someone else? Another child?
That felt... Too horrible for a child.
'Who was he?'
Red felt his fingers twitch, he almost summoned a Memory but he remembered that Sunny was, in fact, his own son.
His flaw told him enough; there were enough signs...
'So why?'
What happened between those two?
---
"This time... this time, save Rain."
Those were the last words Neph heard when the world turned white...
Suddenly she found herself standing on a street, and then she blinked. She felt as if she was pushed very far away by a raging wave, drowning in its currents.
'Sunny?'
Was that him?
Could it—could it really be him?
And how did he do it?
'How did he make us both come back?'
She could see all his Memories, so it was unlikely to be due to one...
'No, there was one possibility.'
Sunny always kept it on him. Summoned.
[Re Route]
Memory Rank: ???
Memory tier: ???
Memory Type: ???
Memory Description: [A promise between a Slave and a Priest, both wishing to fulfil each other's desires]
Memory Enchantments: [Corrupted Relapse]
Memory Rank: ???
Memory Tier: ???
Memory Type: ???
All of it had question marks, so in hindsight it had to be obvious. She should have guessed it earlier.
Then, all her mental walls broke down like a crumbling dam.
'I could have saved my dad... I could have saved him, if—if I got my memories earlier.'
But could she really? Wasn't she a failure?
Sure, she survived assassination attempts as a child. Sure, she survived the Forgotten Shore... and helped everyone escape, but the price? She lost her best friend. Her love. The only person she trusted aside from Cas.
'But, then again... I am a regressor like some of those webtoons Sunny and Cassie mentioned once.'
Well, she came back, so this time—this time she would save Sunny, Cassie, and even more people... and, this time, neither of them would be left behind!
'I know how to escape it quicker. Maybe I will help him save Antarctica...'
She didn't know the details but she did know about the tragic fate of Falcon Scott, and that Sunny was there. She would save it. She would be the Star of Change the world would win... And their favour would be the last step to crush the Sovereigns.
'This time I can trap Caster, and maybe the I would be a we.' Her fist clenched at the thought, and the rest of her was barely brought to control as she realised where she was.
Would her Sunny be here? With her? Did he regress too or did he do something to have a better life?
It said [Corrupted Relapse], so did he plant a seed of corruption in someone close to him? His dad?
'Sunny... I am sorry.'
Then, she watched as a girl in black hair having pale skin walked towards Sunny, and grabbed his hands.
'Is she your sister? If so... I hope all of you can be happy this time.'
Maybe she shouldn't enter his life this time... but that was impossible. She needed him in the Forgotten Shore, just like how it was the other way around.
'Last time I was the one who tore them apart.' She thought. If it was her will, who dared to stop her?
Then, she watched as Sunny turned to leave. Was she imagining it or was there a moment of hesitation?
---
Sunny watched as Neph swayed, as she recollected herself, and the slight twitch he noticed in her shadow. He wanted to kill her, but at the same time there was a treacherous thought which made him want to hug her, and yet there was a thought making him want to just—just leave.
It was rational.
If he stayed, he would either kill her or, he hated to admit it, hug her. If he did that, than his whole plan would crumble like a sand castle.
Just then, Rain tugged his T-Shirt, pulling him out of his thoughts.
'For now I will focus on this.' he thought, just wanting to forget for a moment.
---
Author's Note: ugh it physically hurts me to use --- instead of just leaving a gap of two or more lines. Anyways, sorry for the chapter being short. The chapter was initially going to be A LOT bigger (2.5k) but like 1.2k words of shit was garbage utter trash and extra yap (I got carried away listening to a song)
Oh well, I will try posting 3-4 chapters this month (this one included) and 2 chapters of my other fic. I will also finish the chapter 1 rewrite