Sunny watched Nephis turn her head in slight confusion mixed with concern as to why Kai had fallen out of his chair. Of course, she didn't show it; her face still wore the emotionless mask she constantly wore in front of everyone.
He looked around the room again and could tell they had already summoned memories so that no one could hear this conversation.
After all, no one could have survived; they were all dead
Meanwhile, Effie eyed Sunny suspiciously. "So you're the infamous Lord of Shadows. You're a lot shorter than I imagined."
Sunny's eye twitched beneath his mask. "And you are just as obnoxious as I imagined, Saint Athena." He rolled his eyes but couldn't hold back the smile of familiarity from that small interaction.
"That's something we agree on, at least. It's good to meet you, Lord Shadow, and Changing Star is right. Night told us much about you." Jet stared at him nonchalantly, but Sunny could tell she was watching his every move.
"Yes, good things, I hope." He sat at the end of the table watching Kai stand up with a shaky form.
"L-Lord Shadow, it's uh nice to see you again." His voice wavered with weariness.
That poor man, Sunny, was far from done tormenting— er, teasing him.
"Likewise, Nightingale, well? Aren't you going to confirm my first statement? I'm sure the Princess Changing Star is waiting."
Kai looked to Nephis, who had been staring at him, and gave her a weak nod.
Sunny watched her subtly frown but nod.
"You want to help me take down the current leaders of humanity. Why?" She asked calmly.
"Why not? It sounds like you need all the help you can get. And this is something you can't bomb your way out of Star of Ruin." Sunny leaned forward.
"You, along with the prince of nothing, very recently destroyed a supply chain of wagons for clan valor, and you work for Ki Song, and you can see where my skepticism comes from, Lord Shadow." She slightly narrowed her eyes.
"Yes, the wagons, but who told of that, hm? The people I spared, that's who. Ki Song did not order me to do such a thing as I did." He continued, not giving her a chance to answer.
"Besides, you are working for The King of Swords, and if I recall correctly, you hate the man, do you not? He is one of the people who killed your father, right? You are working behind enemy territory just like I am." Sunny smiled darkly beneath his mask when her eyes slightly widened.
Nephis looked at Kai for confirmation and scowled once she received a nod. "Yes, indeed I am. For a reclusive hermit, you are well informed."
"Should you be so surprised? After all, Shadows are everywhere," Sunny nodded to a dark corner of the room.
Of course, he couldn't listen through any shadow, just his shadows, but his friends didn't have to know that—at least not right now.
And Sunny wasn't lying; he was exaggerating the truth a bit!
Huge difference.
"Never mind all of that! Have you come across a young man named Master Sunless in Raven Heart? He's yay tall, a hottie, dark hair, onyx eyes, wears a black mantle, he's a hottie, and has a hypnotizing voice— ow! Big sister!" Effie's head reeled forward.
Nephis tried to seem nonchalant about the topic, but Sunny could tell she was curious about it, too.
"You have a husband," Jet smacked her in the back of the head. She rolled her eyes and rubbed her temples in annoyance, while Kai put his head in his hands and the others shook their heads.
Effie immediately shook it off and went back to the topic at hand.
"So short, dark, and emo have you seen—" She began.
Sunny held up his hand, preventing her from asking again and forcing him to answer twice.
"I have indeed come across the pampered fool in Ravenheart; he seems to be friendly with some of the song sisters, specifically Beastmaster and Lonesome Howl." He leaned back, taking in their reactions.
"He's not a fool! He's a talented, gorgeous, surprisingly, somehow still single young man! But anyway, really? I'll bet one of the princesses has him look in their closet! I know I would if I weren't already married. What lucky girls they are," she grinned.
"Oh, Princess, I was going to hook you two up, but I guess I scared him off! I'll make it up to you and find you a nice man! Promise!" She winked at Nephis.
The huntress looked at Sunny.
"What about you?" Effie asked, raising an eyebrow.
"What about me?" He tilted his head, masking his confusion with a tone of boredom.
"Which one is your favorite?" She smiled widely.
'What!? Damnation!'
"Lightslayer, she is a formidable sparring partner."
It was true. Aside from the dark sea, the forsaken knight, the true darkness in the tunnels of Antarctica, and his venture in the outskirts of the hollow mountains, Sunny had yet to encounter another creature of true darkness, so Revel was the next best thing.
It would have been a pain to have her as an enemy if he chose to stay in Bastion and side with Clan Valor.
One thing he "learned" or, at the very least, speculated about Revel was her flaw. She seemed to have a flaw similar to the great sorcerer Noctis.
The immortal Saint's flaw was that when the moonlight was out, he was at his strongest, and he could not be out in the sun because it weakened him.
Huh, Noctis, now that Sunny thought about it.
His flaw was that he was strongest under the moonlight, meaning at night, and from the many things Sunny learned from teacher Julius. If Sunny was correct, Noctis meant "belonging to the night" or "of night." In Latin, one of the countless dead languages lost during the dark times.
What a strange coincidence.
No, not a coincidence. Nothing is ever a coincidence nowadays.
The same could be said for Revel, considering how sluggish she was during his encounter with himself outside the Queen's Palace and why he never sees her during the daytime.
That was her flaw; she could not be out during the day.
Sunny could exploit that flaw if they crossed swords for whatever reason.
He would hope not.
Sunny took a liking to her.
Usually, he would have worried about jinxing himself, but he didn't have fated anymore.
So he had nothing to worry about.
Probably.
Hopefully not.
'No use dwelling on it, I'll cross that bridge when I get there.' He thought.
He had been saying that a lot lately.
Effie's words pulled back to the present.
"Bullshit! You're a young man yourself, I think. But I mean your favorite Princess in general or…specifics besides combat." She gave a knowing smile.
"I have better things to do than that." Sunny scoffed.
"Oh, come on, don't give me that! You can't tell you haven't had indecent thoughts while being around transcended women, Lord Shadow. I mean, I know you've seen Beastmaster. That woman is a real head turner! All of the sisters are! It's why I'm glad I was stationed in Bastion! If I were in Ravenheart, I know that for a fact that if I looked away for a second, Boom! My husband is gone!" She laughed.
Sunny silently stared at her, watching her laugh slowly become nervous.
Effie cleared her throat after getting no reaction out of Sunny and continued.
"Well, unless you're playing for the other side, which there's nothing wrong with! This is a judge-free zone! That'll make things much more interesting to talk about going forward!" She held a teasing tone.
"Effie, please focus on what we originally gathered here for." White sparks ignited in Neph's eyes.
Sunny rolled his eyes at Effie's behavior and focused his attention on his friend, teacher, and former master. He thought he would feel the same emotions all those years ago in the tomb of oblivion, except the hollow feeling of not being remembered by her or anyone else.
Sunny felt nothing.
There was no spike in his heart rate at the sight of her inexpressive, beautiful face, no nervousness even after he admitted to himself that he loved her.
From obsession to nothing.
It was bittersweet, and Sunny didn't know how to feel about it at the moment because the woman had just asked him a question.
"Lord Shadow, are you loyal to any of the three sovereigns?" Her gaze bore through him.
"No." Sunny shook his head.
Kai, who had long regained his composure, nodded at Neph again.
"Do you plan to betray me at any point in time?" The corners of her mouth turned upward slightly.
What was she so smug about?
"No." He repeated.
Another nod from Kai, and the rare smile vanished just as fast as it appeared.
"Why are you helping me?" She finally asked once again.
"I'm not impressed with their performance in leading humanity; they limit humanity. Saint Soul Reaper, you served in Antarctica, did you not?" Sunny shrugged.
"Yes, I did. Millions of people died. I was the only survivor in my company, along with three others who were awakened." Jet's expression darkened.
"Indeed, millions died, wives, daughters, sisters, husbands, brothers, and sons. All because the rulers of humanity did not want to make a move yet.
Kai nodded to her and spoke with a tired tone. "Lady Nephis, I should tell you that even at Raven Heart, Lord Shadow has never told a lie. And he has not told one during this conversation either."
"Of course not, I never lie, I am the most honest person in the world, two worlds even."
Kai looked confused and slowly nodded again, causing Nephis to frown. "Or you could be so skilled at lying that you manipulate yourself to believe you are telling the truth, " she pondered.
Why couldn't she accept him and be done with it!?
He stopped and thought about it for a moment. To Nephis and everyone else at the table, a stranger who has every part of his skin covered up has just offered to help you kill the sovereigns.
'Huh? Since when did I seem this shady to people? Surely not this entire time!'
Sunny was the most trustworthy guy he knew!
Aside from Kai, obviously.
Nephis eventually spoke after being silent for a few moments, likely debating with Cassie in her head. "Fine, until you give me a reason not to, I will trust you, Lord Shadow. Welcome, you are now a part of the group that will kill the current rulers of humanity." She held out her hand.
Sunny shook it.
But it felt a little anticlimactic, didn't it?
That was it?
That was all it took?
Granted, Kai's presence helped his case by a large margin, but Sunny still expected more pushback from the Princess.
Who was Sunny to complain about an easy interrogation?
And it was all thanks to Kai and Cassie, obviously.
"What about the song sisters?" Nephis suddenly asked. "I am sure they will not react too kindly if they find out you are helping me kill their mother, Lord Shadow."
"Princess Seishan was trapped in the Dark City for a decade without her mother ever coming to get her or at least send someone to do so. No one forgets something like that. I am certain that seeds of doubt are already planted in her head." Sunny frowned beneath his mask.
Nephis nodded, though Sunny couldn't tell if she was satisfied with the answer.
How could anyone forget the dark city? It was where he first met Kai!
Speaking of Kai.
Sunny slowly turned his head to his dashing friend, who immediately felt his stare. Kai slowly turned his gaze towards Sunny with a look of despair.
"Nightingale, my best friend, I have more things to tell you about. You will love them. Would you like to hear?"
"Yes, go on, Lord Shadow." Kai took a deep breath, likely steeling himself for whatever was about to be said.
"If you say so. There was one time when I survived the obliterating divine rays of the Sun God, and not long after that, I found the severed arm of a daemon. I also ate the bone marrow of the demon's arm."
"I-I understand, that is, um, truly amazing Lord Shadow." Kai's eyes were wide as he held on to the table as if it were his lifeline, causing splinters of wood to fly due to his grip, while his face took on a shade of green.
His friend reached out a shaky hand toward a bottle of water and took a long drink.
Sunny suppressed a grin beneath his mask and nodded. "Oh yes, that sovereign I mentioned earlier? I killed him while only being a master at the time."
Kai immediately spat out his water and went into a coughing fit.
"Are you alright, friend?" Sunny leaned forward in his chair.
The former pop star pointed a shaky finger at Sunny, speaking between coughs. "Ah, Y-yes, I am fine, but you goodness. Gods help me make it through this day." He whispered the last part to himself.
Sunny felt a stare and saw Jet looking at both him and Kai with amusement evident in her eyes.
"Right, uh huh, only as a master. Now that the main conversation is over, I have to ask. What's with the outfit? Halloween isn't for another few months. And can you really turn into nightmare creatures on a full moon?" Jet stared at Sunny with curiosity.
"I like the color black. But what is Halloween? Is it the name of a Nightmare creature? And no, I do not turn into nightmare creatures on a full moon." He tilted his head. Sunny was genuinely curious about Halloween.
Aiko had mentioned having a Halloween party in the future, but he had no idea what she meant by that.
He would have Rain or Aiko explain it to him.
Jet gave him an odd look but nodded. "See? I figured those rumors weren't true."
"I can turn into them anytime I wish." Sunny interrupted her.
Soul Reaper blinked a few times, closed her mouth, and began to ponder silently.
"So, gloomy guy, what about that suit-wearing weirdo? You don't have a mirror or glass shard on your body, do you?" Effie raised a question.
"No."
Effie looked to Kai, who nodded while holding his head in hopelessness at Sunny's statements.
"Good!" The energetic woman nodded.
Sunny left the glass shard with his other body back at the Brilliant Emporium. Just because he was working with the bastard didn't mean he trusted him; hell, he would trust Aiko around his soul shards before he trusted Mordret!
Sunny turned back to Kai with a grin that the others couldn't see. He couldn't help it; it was just too much fun!
"Nightingale."
Kai flinched at his name and turned to look at Sunny.
"Y-yes?"
"I was once decapitated, but it wasn't all that fun, so I put my head back on. I don't recommend it."
Kai looked at him in horror.
"How could I forget? I killed two saints when I was just an awakened. They were the same person, by the way." Sunny looked away, trying not to laugh.
"T-that's no! How is that even possible?!" His friend cried out.
"Well, it's simple. I stabbed her and she died, twice." Sunny shrugged.
"What?!" Kai couldn't help but shout out.
"Yes, it was surprisingly easy, but I suppose I shouldn't mention that I did so well in my first nightmare that I awoke the god of death momentarily, and he personally blessed me." Sunny stood up.
His friend started hyperventilating.
The others stared in confusion throughout the conversation, looking at Kai with concern.
"It was good seeing you again, Nightingale. I will see you back at Raven Heart." Sunny shadow stepped out of the building and smiled before returning to the dream realm.
He shadow stepped in the Emporium, startling Aiko.
"Ah! Goddamnit! Don't scare me like that! Where the hell have you been, boss?!"
"Having a chat, that's all." He smiled at her.
Happy shadow walked out of the kitchen alongside Rain and hid in her shadow again.
Seeing her, Sunny smiled. "Well? How were things?"
"Don't you already know? You were here after all. Well, one of you was here," Rain asked, her confusion apparent on her face.
"Yes, I know, but I want to hear it from you!" He summoned the shadow chair and sat down.
"Well, Princess Hel visited, and well, it was nice at first until she started randomly screaming about death and rivers of blood and asked if you were looking for a girlfriend. Naturally, some customers left after that, so business has been slow these past couple of hours. But I think my cooking has improved!" She smiled smugly at the last statement.
"Oh, right! A man named Garfield came looking for you! He left after a while, but he was nice." She put her finger to her chin, eyebrows furrowed.
"And that's it. I'm not sure why you wanted me to tell you all of that when you were right here for the entire thing!" She scowled at him.
"I just wanted to hear it from my little sister! Now shoo shoo! I have a memory to start working on!" Sunny waved her off.
Sunny wondered what Eunbin was doing.
***
Eunbin wondered what Sunless was doing, probably making memories, pancakes, or both.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Howl came bursting through the doors.
"Sister! How are you doing?" Howl flopped on Eunbin's bed, sitting on the edge.
"I was doing well until you came here." She scoffed.
"That's uncalled for! Don't act- hm?" Howl pulled out a mirror shard and saw her reflection smiling at her.
Eunbin waved him off, but what he said next got her to sit up.
"Ladies! I have some essential news to inform you of!
It is about Master Sunless!" He smiled widely.