"Sunny, there's something I need to know."
"Why are you hiding your true name?"
His breath hitched, his eyes flew open, and his jaw dropped. Her words felt like a knife pointed at him. He was cornered, his blood pooling and making him even paler than usual. He broke out in a cold sweat, feeling as if he were in a life-or-death situation; although it was just a question, it was the worst question he could have been asked. A whirlwind of emotions emerged inside him. With each passing second without an answer, the pain of his flaw intensified. With no other escape, he replied in a nervous, terrified voice:
"...B-because... it's dangerous, bad, very bad!... You... H-how do you know I have a true name!?"
He raised his voice, hyperventilating as if he had run a marathon. His vision gradually blurred.
'How does she know? Does anyone else know? She can see others' attributes, what if she lied to me and can see more than that? No... not her. But then?'
In his panic, his mind was in chaos, so much so that he didn't see the hand reaching for him. His arm was grabbed, pulling him out of his turbulent thoughts.
"Sunny, are you okay? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you."
Sunny lifted his head to look at her. He could see how regret was clearly etched on her face, but her twisted expression was enough to snap Sunny back from the hole he was about to fall into.
"Yes... you just took me by surprise. Still, how...?"
"Let me explain. I think I should have explained it to you differently."
Cassie, gathering her arms, crossed them. She was tense, and he recognized it.
"I wanted to talk about this with you here, as I don't think we'll have another chance to have this much privacy for a long time."
"I had a vision before we reached the tree. I didn't tell you about it because Nephis was there."
Sunny relaxed noticeably. Her voice was like music to him, but the topic she was touching on still made him feel anxious.
"What did you see?"
Cassie frowned, her expression a mix of sorrow and deep sadness as she carefully organized her words, and said:
"You were drinking with someone, and all of a sudden you jumped on him and plunged a knife into his neck, killing him while you spoke your true name. I didn't see much further or back... It was something unpleasant."
Sunny could only react by freezing. His hands were clenched in a fist.
'She knows. Why did I say it while killing someone?'
The scenario he had once envisioned could become a reality. He had worked hard so that no one would suspect him and he wouldn't have to reveal his true name. His stomach hurt, a growing pressure in his chest.
"Sunny, please, tell me why you're hiding it."
He didn't want to say it, not even to her, but he already had an idea that it didn't mean anything good. Taking a moment to calm down, he gathered the necessary courage and explained to her what it meant for someone to speak his true name and how he would become a slave to whoever named him.
"I understand..."
Cassie's expression was a mix of concern and guilt.
"...Do you know who I killed in that vision?"
"I couldn't see him clearly. I'm sorry, that's all I can remember. I couldn't see anything else."
An uncomfortable and heavy silence filled the room. As the silence stretched on, Sunny's mind filled with questions: 'What do I do now that she knows? Can I even do anything? I know she wouldn't use it against me, but still...'
Several minutes passed in the same position, until Sunny moved, settling into bed and lying on his side. Cassie snapped out of her thoughts when she felt the movement. She followed suit and settled in to hug his back. Words weren't necessary; the physical contact and silent company served as a natural calming agent for both of them.
It was close to midday. His plan was to explore with his shadow, but due to his turbulent mental state, he didn't feel up to doing it immediately.
'I need to calm down. This isn't something I can simply postpone; every bit of information counts.'
He tried to take his mind somewhere else, searching for some sensation or memory that would take him to another place. But it didn't work. The emotions were too chaotic to concentrate on anything else. Cassie's soft voice said in a whisper behind his ear:
"I won't ever tell anyone about this."
Sunny, literally, opened his eyes, an idea crossing his mind.
'Oh, right, there it was. I don't have to dig through my mind for an escape. I have heaven itself right next to me.'
He pushed against the girl, grabbing her and pressing her against him in a hug.
"S-Sunny, what are you doing?"
She wasn't expecting such a sudden and spontaneous reaction from her beloved, so it was a surprise to feel his arms around her, holding on, and also to feel his breath against her neck. Her breasts pressed against the figure holding her.
"I'm trying to relax."
His voice vibrated against the girl's perfect white skin. Sunny's breathing was heavy, he almost seemed to be sniffing her, and he was. Finding comfort in her scent, his mind began to relax. The pressure between their bodies gave him divine relief, and the final touch was that Cassie accepted his embrace and returned the hug, arranging her arms, one behind his head and the other on his back.
His recovery was even faster than he had expected. The warmth that Cassie gave him was all he needed right now.
"I already know," Sunny murmured.
His hand, which at that moment was caressing her black hair, stopped at the question.
"What thing?"
"That you would never tell anyone..."
He pulled away just a little, enough to be able to look at her and appreciate her properly. He would have preferred that Cassie never know this, never have had this conversation, and much less that she knew the words that would condemn him to slavery.
'But if it's her and only her, then he could...'
"I feel safe with you and I trust that, knowing all that, you will never use it against me."
"...I have to confess that when you mentioned the topic of my true name, for a moment I doubted you... I was afraid..."
He paused and, looking into her deep blue eyes, found the right words to express what he felt.
"But I want you to know that, if it's you, I can bear it. There's no other person in the world... in fact, in two worlds... with whom I feel more comfortable knowing this."
Turning his head, breaking eye contact, he felt embarrassed by his cheesy words.
'But hasn't this whole journey, in retrospect, been the pinnacle of forced and cheesy romanticism?'
After finishing his little speech, he hid again between Cassie's neck and cleavage. A radiant smile appeared on his face, though no pair of eyes could see it.
"You always know how to put me in a good mood."
'I am happier in this desolate place than when I was in the academy,' Cassie thought as she rubbed her face against Sunny's head.
Soon, both of their breaths stabilized and they fell into a deep sleep in the safety of their company.
'Shit, I fell asleep.' Sunny cursed mentally. The result of his search for relaxation had been too positive: he fell asleep and lost valuable hours of information.
'How much time has passed? Damn it!... but it seems it's not too late, maybe I can salvage something.'
He was about to get up, but he noticed that Cassie was still sleeping, holding on to him. Well, they were both holding on to each other. It was then that Sunny thought:
'I don't have to get up, right? My shadow will move for me... I can stay like this while I control my shadow in perfect comfort... You're a genius, Sunless.'
Noticing the movement, Sunny glanced at his shadow, which seemed to react with jealousy and annoyance at its master's comfort.
'Come on, move, it's time to work,' he mentally commanded.
Cassie was still sleeping, but in her unconsciousness, a somewhat familiar sensation came over her. She had known it since facing her first nightmare, which she still hadn't completely gotten used to. Like a light bulb, something turned on.
XXX
In an almost primordial darkness...
Sunny, lying on the comfortable bed, felt plagued by a boredom he hadn't experienced in a long time. He had become a robot, purposeless and with very few stimuli. He just stared at the ceiling, postponing the inevitable.
"I've already made my decision, but still..."
It was a matter of packing the little he had and leaving, abandoning this place. Food wouldn't be a very big problem for now. He had a good amount of meat at his disposal that would take at least a few days to spoil. It would be enough to start the journey calmly. Water was not a problem. But, despite everything being technically ready, his mind wasn't. Leaving the safety of these four walls seemed irrational to him.
He probably would have stayed there a little longer without argument, but after spending months killing nightmare creatures left and right, he was faced with a somewhat incredible reality: he had erased from existence the vast majority of creatures that inhabited the area. With this in mind, he had to leave or he would die of hunger.
Gathering the courage and spirit he had left, he sat on the bed. He appreciated the room in which he had spent a year of his life.
"I guess this is goodbye. Thank you, room, for letting me stay! Oh, no, don't worry, I know how to take care of myself very well. What's more, I wish you the best of luck. I hope we'll meet again someday. Yes, yes, thank you very much!"
Sunny spoke to the room as if he were having a conversation with another human being. Standing up from the bed, he approached a wall full of scratches and added one to the pile of hundreds that were etched there. Approaching the exit, he turned, giving it one last look, admiring his room for the last time (at least for now and he hoped forever).
"Mrs. Bed, if one day I become a powerful enough guy, I'll come and take you with me! Yes, I know, it's a bold proposition, but I'm a man of my word! Or at least I was... but don't worry, I'll take you with me."
Turning towards the exit, his previously cheerful and playful expression disappeared. Sighing heavily, his eyes dropped to look only at the floor. He wanted to throw himself back into bed and never leave it again. He rummaged inside the puppeteer's shroud and took out a piece of cloth, the only support he had left, the only link that kept him sane, or at least held him back from going completely crazy.
It was a blue ribbon, it wasn't a memory granted by the spell, it was just a simple piece of cloth, nothing more. He brought it to his face, closed his eyes and, as if in a prayer, he remained silent. But instead of saying a prayer, he just gently smelled it. Sunny was a little disheartened to feel that the ribbon's own essence was fading with each passing day. He lifted his head and put the piece of cloth away. Stretching his muscles, he groaned, recovering his previous mood.
"I can go calmly, I don't think anyone is waiting for me to get home. In fact, I don't even have a home!"
Calmly, he left the old abandoned cathedral, walking relaxed and appreciating the landscape. There was almost nothing left that could attack him, and one of his shadows would alert him of any problems.
"But even those damn guys were carefree!"
The hours passed. He could have simply left the dark city area, but he had to make one last visit first. Detouring, he walked another hour until he reached his destination. He appreciated the ruins of the once glorious and beautiful castle, now burned and fallen. He tried to perceive any creature that might be wandering around here, but there was nothing, neither life nor death, just nothing. And that's how Sunny's last few days have been for a little less than a week.
"I have to say goodbye to you too, friend. I won't be able to do regular cleanings for you anymore because I'm getting out of here! That's right, maybe it's sudden for you, since we don't see each other too much, but I wanted to stop by and say goodbye. Know that I will miss you."
Sunny looked intently at the ruins as if he expected an emotional and sad response from the inanimate and ruined site.
"Well, I think that was the last thing."
Turning around, he walked at a relaxed and unhurried pace for a few hours.
"Alright, let's play a guessing game with time!"
Sunny invoked a familiar rock in his hand.
"Tell me, how many hours have we been walking?"
The rock unexpectedly replied.
"Seven? Eight? Nine?"
"Hey! It's not fair to say more than one number, you cheated! I'm sorry, but you lost. The answer is that... I don't know!"
Since light was stripped from this place, Sunny's perception of time was completely altered. He had a count of days on the cathedral wall that he updated every time he woke up, which he thought would be around a night's sleep. According to his count, more than a year had passed, but it could perfectly be much more.
Sunny finally stopped when he recognized a familiar figure. It was the statue with its hand raised, the one where Sunny, Cassie, and Nephis took shelter after being attacked by tentacles while traveling on the makeshift boat.
"This brings back a lot of memories!"
Sunny remembered the traumatic experience that caused him to have to go rescue Cassie.
"It's not that I regret it, but I would prefer to forget some things."
Finally, Sunny remembered his confession and his first kiss with his beloved. This, far from making him happy, made him clench his teeth, holding back the tears that threatened to well up in his eyes. These memories were both his comfort and his condemnation; they brought him both relief and pain. He clenched his fists, almost making them bleed from the force.
'...I should stop pretending I'm not crazy. Maybe I'll end up becoming one for real... Although, who am I trying to fool? I'm certainly already a little crazy.'
Taking out the piece of cloth again, he looked at it for a long time before putting it away again. With a serious look towards the dark and desolate horizon, an ancient plea, but still burned into his mind, appeared:
'Please, don't abandon me... you have to come back to me.'
"I'll try."
Cassie woke up, her eyes flying open. Tears fell like waterfalls from her eyes. In a panic, with her hands, she looked for Sunny, finding him quickly. She was next to him, just as they had slept; he was still in her arms. He seemed to be asleep. She didn't know how many hours had passed since she fell asleep.
She bit her lip, suppressing a cry of frustration caused by the terrible revelation. Her mind still couldn't get used to the information that had come to her head in that way. She couldn't understand the vision; for her, everything was dark, not only could she not see, but it seemed like a perpetual night. She managed to rescue the essence, and what she was able to rescue was that Sunny would be alone and adrift, and that terrified her.
Shaking Sunny gently, she subtly noticed him waking up, groaning:
"Is something wrong?"
She suppressed the urge to hug him as tightly as she could and said:
"Sunny, I had another vision... and there are things I still haven't told you."