It was now the morning and Yoru had chosen to shamelessly indulge in self-pity.
Nothing ever seemed to go right for him.
Since the moment he came to this world, he had been plagued with misfortune everywhere he went and in every action he took.
When he first woke up within the original Yoru's Nightmare, he was impaled and subjected to pain so severe it eclipsed anything he had known before.
Later, in the academy, he experienced setback after setback.
The blunder in the dual he had made with Nephis - causing her to suspect him. Then his attempt to fix it, only to make things worse when Caster overheard their conversation.
Now, even the Scion of Han Li was not just wary of him but also very likely wanted him dead.
There was the mistake of being too forward with Sunny as well, that resulted in the strenuous relationship they had today.
And now this.
He had lost his arm. He had lost Nephis and Cassie. And he had lost his hope.
He kept telling himself that he was a miracle, and that things would work out, but the world - this world - was much too unforgiving for that.
It had only been a month and he was tired… so tired.
Yoru was not one to feel sorry for himself. In fact, he despised such self-pity. But in his current state… he didn't care.
Footsteps approached him and Yoru opened his eyes to see Sunny towering over him. Which was an unfamiliar sight.
"I wish for some jerky."
Lean, dried, cured meat strips shimmered into existence and Sunny caught them in his hand.
As he chewed, he walked back over to his side of the hill and sat on the ground. He looked out over the crimson maze, wearing an expression Yoru couldn't quite decipher.
After some time Sunny spoke:
"You should eat something as well, you know."
"I'm fine."
Sunny clicked his tongue.
"I didn't drag you through that god-forsaken labyrinth just for you to decide you'd rather die up here."
Was this really how someone was supposed to comfort another who had gone through such trauma?
Then, Yoru remembered that Sunny had always been terrible at talking to people.
He took a moment and replied in a quiet voice that lacked all the confidence and bravado he once had in spades.
"Thank you for that… but you should've left me there for the sea to wash me away. Or for some abomination to stumble upon my body. Besides, what good comes from keeping myself alive. I'm of no use like this, and wherever I go… misfortune follows."
Usually, Yoru would be embarrassed at the edginess of his words but they were honestly true. There was misery in everything he did.
"So what? If the outskirts taught me anything, it's that those who are missing appendages and limbs are the second most to be feared."
Yoru raised his eyebrows, intrigued by the notion.
"Really? How so?"
Sunny blinked.
"Isn't it obvious? Despite their circumstance, they stood back up and made themselves feared. Even when they had less than others, they rose to the top of the food chain and remained there.
One of the most notorious gangsters in NQSC was known as One-armed Johan... the stories I heard about him were chilling. You wouldn't believe that a man with one arm was capable of such things. I made sure to stay far away from his district no matter what."
Sunny's attempt at comfort may have actually worked if Yoru's problems only concerned the loss of his arm, but his issues went far beyond just that. He had failed over and over again constantly, even when he succeeded he would lose in equal measure. His will was supposed to shape the world, but it seemed as if the world rejected it instead.
After a long silence Yoru replied dismissively:
"Well, thanks for sharing but I can assure you. My situation is vastly different from any limbless outskirts thug."
Sunny scoffed and stood up with a sharp exhale.
"I tried to do the motivational pep talk thing but it's really not my style. You speak like such a legacy brat sometimes it's easy to forget you grew up in the same environment as me. So I'll say this in a way you can understand…"
Towering over Yoru once again with a strip of jerky in his hand, Sunny looked down on him with a cruel smirk plastered across his face, like a black market dealer gazing upon new taboo to sell.
"You can gladly go ahead and walk into the nest of a tyrant for all I care. But you see, I ended up saving your sorry life - Twice! So as I'm sure you're well aware… you are indebted to me. So until you pay off said debt, you are not allowed to die. I have plenty of wishes that I need granted, so until you fulfil them all… your death can wait."
"…"
Yoru was astounded. He stared at Sunny wordlessly, his mouth hung slightly ajar.
After a few moments of stunned silence, Yoru finally managed to speak.
"Why…? Why do I need to live? Why do you want me to live so badly? You could've just left me in the maze but you didn't! And don't tell me it's because I can grant you your wishes. We both know I'm a cheapskate, so what's the real reason!?"
His voice had come out with much more passion and rage than intended, sending another swathe of throbbing pain through his body.
Sunny remained silent for a while, seemingly sifting through his words and thoughts, a dark shadow passing over his face. Eventually he said:
"I don't know why you need to live. That's an answer only you yourself can come up with. As for me, I live in spite. In spite of all those who said I didn't long for this world and in spite of those who want to remove me from it. And what more reason do I need than that?"
Yoru was aware of what drove Sunny in the beginning. Spite was one of, if not the most strongest of Sunny's emotions. It was what allowed him to achieve the impossible in his first nightmare. It had helped him survive being gutted in the dark city and so much more.
He considered his own spite as well. The spite he felt towards the entity who had brought him here in the first place.
The Forgotten God.
That was obviously the culprit of his transmigration. Who else possessed the ability to tear beings from other realms and assimilate them into their own?
If it wasn't for that sleeping bastard, Yoru would've been back home surrounded by his family, tasked with monotonous mundane homework and enjoying the comfort of his bed. In fact, his name wouldn't be Yoru at all.
However… spite could only take him so far. He was different from Sunny, he was only an outskirts rat in name alone, he never experienced hardships that warranted such hate.
Whilst Yoru was lost in his thoughts, Sunny continued:
"As for why I didn't leave you in the maze, it's quite simple."
He hesitated, then added flatly:
"I'd regret doing so."
Yoru stared at him, disbelief mixing with exhaustion.
'He can't lie but there's no way that's the truth!'
Maybe he was referring to the regret he'd feel on his conscious? Or perhaps he'd regret not making better use of Yoru's Aspect whilst he had the chance? Like the irritation of wasting a useful tool before it had served its purpose.
Yoru snorted weakly.
"Did that crab hit you in the head harder than I thought?"
Sunny blinked and turned to him.
"What's that supposed to mean!?"
"I just can't picture you lying awake at night, haunted by the thought of leaving me to rot in the mud." Yoru replied quietly.
Sunny studied him for a moment, then scoffed.
"Who do you take me for? I'm not some heartless bastard." He paused, frowning. "I mean… I once killed a man for his shoes - but that was entirely deserved!"
Yoru laughed. When it faded, there was more mirth in his voice:
"That's… weirdly touching. Still, you should've left me behind. Every time I do something, it goes wrong. It's more fitting to call me a curse than a miracle."
Sunny grimaced.
"That's less than ideal, sure. But I don't really care what you call yourself. Curse, miracle... makes no difference as long as you repay your debt to me. And in order for you to do that, you'll need to live…"
He drew a slow breath.
"So here's my first wish. I know you're useless at the grand stuff and can only grant the bare minimum, so I'll keep it simple."
Sunny paused again, as if embarrassed to say his next words.
After a few moments he forced them out:
"...I wish for you to survive. That's it."
Silence hung in the air once more.
Yoru wore a stunned expression but it wasn't because of the cheesiness of Sunny's words. It was more so an internal matter.
[Cherished] had activated and Yoru could feel the intense sincerity of Sunny's wish. However, The amount of meaning behind them was a bit unsettling to say the least. It felt as though is very soul was enlightened, cleansing his body of any negative thoughts and basking him in a strange sense of euphoria.
He had a few different reasons as to why this wish in particular was so strong.
Firstly, his survival benefitted Sunny. His aspect could provide them with an endless source of sustenance so they wouldn't need to endanger themselves against any beasts unless absolutely necessary. Yoru himself, although he wouldn't be able to face any abominations in direct combat, could act as a good meat shield if needed as well.
Secondly, having two pairs of eyes on the situation allowed for multiple perspectives, so just the mere fact that Sunny wasn't alone was a great boon.
And finally… perhaps Sunny truly did care for him… somewhat.
'So my efforts weren't entirely in vain after all.'
Yoru exhaled slowly, then looked up at Sunny and managed a crooked smile.
"You're a kind of a tsundere, aren't you?"
Sunny frowned.
"I don't know what a tis-hundree is."
"Ah, don't worry about it. Anyways… consider your wish granted."
Turning his gaze westward, toward the terrible maze of coral and gray horizons, Yoru's expression grew distant.
'...I'll try my best at least...'
That, for now, would have to be enough.