{At this point, this is held together by my hopes and dreams, as well as the random people who find it. There is yet another change that I am too lazy to go back and add, so I will just mention it.
His Awakened ability was [Shadow Strike], an early access version of shadow blade Kurt's ability, as well as an ability he simply gains access to as a supreme. There was 0 need for something so weak. Now, he has this as an awakened ability.
[Shadow Mark] Ability Description: [Mark the shadow of your targets, anchoring yourself to them no matter the distance.]
Basically, it will allow him to use the shadows he has marked to see, no matter how far they are. Same for shadow step. They basically become his shadows, allowing him to teleport to them from any distance for a set amount of essence, or just use it to keep track of them.
I am unbelievably lazy, so let's just move on, shall we?
~*~
Sunny had spent some time with the cohort, watching as Eurys taught them the basics of ascending. He already knew the path to sainthood, but there were various reasons he did not attempt to Transcend.
For one, he had been an Ascended for less than a day and was not exactly in a hurry to become a Saint. But more than that, his cohort was still only awakened.
In the version that Sunny remembered, Nephis had returned shortly after Sunny and the others Ascended, but the same was not the case for Sunny.
He had used his future knowledge to reach Eurys and Ascend much faster than Nephis had, leaving his cohort lagging behind. This was not exactly a bad thing, it just meant that Sunny would have some extra time before they were ready to challenge third nightmare.
Which, to Sunny, was great. He had plenty of time to prepare in any way he could. Mainly reacquire his old shadows Nightmare, Fiend, and Marvelous Mimic, weave memories for the cohort, build the shadow clan, and much more.
Altogether, it would be a difficult task. But Sunny had to start somewhere.
That was what led to him standing on the edge of a familiar island. It was large and barren, save for the bed of white flowers that covered the entire island.
It was like a massive, beautiful flower garden, but Sunny was not convinced. His shadow sense extended even into the small shadows cast by the flowers.
All across the land, bones, skeletons of both awakened and beast alike lay covered in the white flowers, shrouded from sight.
This was not just some flower field, but a graveyard created from those cursed blooms.
Sunny didn't waste any time, he was here to find Nightmare, but a sentient shadow was not very easy to miss for someone like him.
The moment his shadow sense had covered the island, he had already found what he was looking for.
He moved fast, his feet silent as he raced across the island. From time to time, he dove into the shadows, emerging hundreds of meters ahead.
That stopped as he neared a familiar shadow.
However, what he saw was not anything he expected.
Standing in front of him was a large, towering creature that resembled a bull more than a horse.
Its maw had split open, revealing rows of jagged black teeth, its once lush mane tangled and matted with oozing black sludge.
Muscles bulged under its fur, a strange snarl leaving its throat.
As he stared at the once beautiful steeds corrupted form, Sunny frowned.
Peering deep into its soul, he saw six corrupted black orbs radiating menace.
"A corrupted shadow..." he murmured, clearly intrigued.
However, that lasted for but a second before the creature lunged at him, its teeth bared in a snarl.
With the grace of a seasoned warrior, he sidestepped, bring serpent down on its front limb.
Just as the blade was about to hit, the massive figure blurred, turning incorporeal.
Sunny smiled.
"Gotcha."
His blade sliced clean through the intangible shadow, severing its head from its neck.
Serpent was not just able to harm physical opponents, but incorporeal ones too.
There was no blood, not even a body, just shadows turning into wisps in the wind.
However, as it died, Sunny used every bit of his will on its shadow, trying to somehow make it submit.
As he stood, listening to the silence, he heard it.
The sound of the voice, low and quiet.
[You have slain a Fallen Terror, Nightmare.]
[Your shadow grows stronger.]
[You have received a shadow.]
He let out a shaky breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He had done it, he had gotten his trusty steed.
And all it had taken him was a single sword swing and the loss of his appetite.
A worthy trade.
He let out a small laugh before dismissing his blade.
This was the last thing he had to do before returning to the waking world. But he was done before he knew it.
It was kind of anti-climactic.
Sunny sighed, then with a flicker of intent, he vanished from sight.
~~~
It had been a few weeks since the miraculous return of Sunny had echoed through the streets of NQSC.
However, it was strange.
In the eyes of the public, there had been so much broadcasting from the government, so much propaganda and advertising.
And yet, they had never even seen him.
Sunny had not been seen at all since his arrival, leaving many people wandering where he was, or if any of it was even real at all.
With all of this talk of the mysterious Sunless, his wereabouts, theories, and random meaningless chatter.
The ominous rumors of Shadows. Killers and monsters, hiding in the dark went almost entirely unnoticed.
However, that was not the case for the unfortunate government workers in charge of keeping the public safe.
And this was what led to a certain Master receiving a report on her desk.
Master Jet's dark-rimmed eyes looked over the papers in her hands, in them was...
Shadowy figures killing to prove themselves, an organization based in hell itself, Monsters guarding their lair.
And at the center of it all, a real demon.
She tossed the papers on her desk, sighing heavily.
"Why am I always stuck with the crazies?"
Everything mentioned in the report sounded like nothing but nonsense, yet it had been sent to her for investigation on a possible safety risk.
To which she adamantly believed the only risk was to her own mental health.
But, it did not matter if she believed it, at the end of the day, she was but a worker.
After a long sigh, Jet stood, straightening her uniform.
It seemed it was time to play ghost hunter.
~
The stench of the outskirts never changed no matter how much time passed, the rotten odor filling the air with every breath Jet took.
It was just like she remembered, dark, left to rot. Forgotten.
As she walked, her gaze traveled left and right, the scenery nothing special.
She had been in the outskirts for a few hours by this point, yet she had found no signs of anything out of place.
There was no call of Nightmare, which ruled out a gate. There were also no signs of battle or struggle, at least not obvious enough that she had seen it.
It was becoming clear that simply wandering around would get her nowhere.
If she wanted to find anything of relevance, she needed to dig a bit deeper.
Her path changed as she reversed course, heading to a place she had passed earlier.
She simply stood across the small street, watching.
People constantly flowed in and out of the place, some only for food, others for drinks.
However, then she noticed something else.
From time to time, people dressed much differently from the average caste would pass through.
A normal government worker might not have noticed, however, she was a former street rat herself.
She knew places like this better than some people knew the back of their own hand.
Those that she spotted often wore robes or cloaks to hide themselves, some even wearing more average clothes, yet still carrying the air of someone out of place.
After watching for a few hours, Jet began to follow one of the cloaked figures as they left.
The didn't seem to notice, keeping their pace as they walked through the outskirts. They took a left, then a right before turning down a dark alley.
This was when Jet moved.
Speeding up, she entered the alley right behind them, the person spinning around to see her.
Jet was able to make out the man's features. Blonde hair, brown eyes, and a slightly chubby face.
His eyes widened in something like horror as he saw her standing there, before he turned and bolted.
An effort which carried him two steps before Jet crashed into him, sending him sprawling to the ground.
The moment they began to grapple, Jet realized that the man was only an Awakened. Definitely not a match for her.
She rolled him onto his stomach, pinning him under her weight, his arms pulled behind him uncomfortably.
"Arg, What?! What do you want?! Stop!"
She tightened her grip as she sat up straight.
"I am looking for shadows, heard of em?"
He flinched, his response coming in an instant.
"I don't know wha- AHH!"
She twisted his arm, making pain lance through his shoulder.
"Maybe something about trials and demons?"
A second passed before she wrenched his arm fully behind him, the sound of his shoulder rolling out of socket filling the alley.
"Agh! Ahahhhh!"
He nodded vigorously.
"Yes, yes! The Shadow Clan! The Shadow Clan!"
Jet frowned, her hand moving to the other arm.
"What are you talking about?"
He took a second to catch his breath before he started to speak.
"Trials to join a hidden clan, one like the Legacy clans, but for-"
"I asked about the clan, not its intended members."
The man twisted in her grip a bit, but continued.
"It is a shadowy organization that I am not sure is even real. I am trying to do the trials and all the information I know is given by a girl in the bar, that's all I know."
Jet pulled his arm just a bit.
"Are you sure that's all?"
He gulped and added.
"The demon is supposedly the leader, he is supposed to be some kind of Devil in human skin! That's all I know, I swear!"
Tears welled in his eyes as he begged Jet to believe him.
She scoffed, then released his arm.
Dusting her hands, she offered him a bright smile.
"Ah, would you mind telling me more about this girl? I am quite interested."