(Convergence Arc – I)
The morning after a divine-scale battle is not glorious. It's humiliating.
Sora woke up face-down in mud, his majestic cloak acting as a very unmajestic puddle absorber. A frog sat comfortably on his back like it owned the throne now.
Sora: "...Huh. So this is what victory tastes like."
He spat out dirt.
Sora: "Earth-flavored despair. My favorite."
His body, though shattered the night before, had already regenerated — but his dignity? That was another story.
All around him, his shadow familiars peeked nervously from behind trees. Their goo-like heads trembled, whispering among themselves.
Minion A: "Is he… alive?"
Minion B: "He looks mostly dead."
Minion A: "Mostly? That's just his normal resting face, idiot."
One particularly bold minion waddled closer.
Minion C: "My Liege, your performance last night was glorious! You and the Saintess—bang!—sky splitting!—boom!—divine light! And then…"
He paused dramatically.
Minion C: "…you got buried under a boulder."
Sora: "You dare narrate my trauma like it's a stage play?"
Minion C: "As your humble chronicler, yes."
Sora sighed and collapsed against a nearby rock, staring at the morning sky. Clouds drifted lazily across the blue, utterly ignoring the fact that the world had nearly ended a few hours ago.
Sora: "Unbelievable. I fought a saint, shattered the heavens, and the universe rewards me with mosquitoes."
A single mosquito landed on his face. He vaporized it.
Far below the cliffs, rumors had already spread like wildfire. Traveling merchants, terrified farmers, even passing priests — all told different versions of the same story.
Random Traveler (rumor): "The sky cracked open!"
Random Farmer (rumor): "A god of darkness descended!"
Random Priest (rumor): "He sneezed, and three trees exploded!"
Sora: "...They're already mythologizing my allergies."
His shadow servants unrolled a crude map — upside down — and began reporting nonsense.
Minion A: "The northern lords are fortifying their cities."
Minion B: "The Radiant Order's summoning reinforcements."
Minion C: "Also… apparently you've been declared a national disaster, my Lord."
Sora: "…What."
Minion C: "They've issued an official decree: 'All sightings of the Shadow Sovereign must be reported immediately. Avoid eye contact. Offer light crystals as tribute.'"
Sora slumped further down the rock, dragging his cloak like a defeated blanket burrito.
Sora: "Perfect. I'm now a walking natural calamity. Step aside volcanoes, the shadow king has a hangover."
Sora: "Maybe I should just retire. Grow vegetables. Rule over potatoes instead."
Minion B: "We could start a kingdom of root crops!"
Sora: "You're promoted."
The rest groaned.
Sora finally stood, dusting himself off.
Sora: "Alright… enough sulking. I need information. If the Order's moving again, they'll send someone strong—"
He paused, remembering her eyes — gold and crimson, framed by light that refused to fade even in darkness.
Sora: "Seraphine… Just what are you planning?"
Minion A (whispering): "He's doing the dramatic name thing again."
Minion B (whispering): "Shh, it's character development."
Sora: "You two! Patrol duty. Before I make you develop as fertilizer."
They vanished immediately
Sora sighed again, the kind of sigh that carried a thousand years of regret and mild annoyance.
Sora: "Alright, Shadow Sovereign, let's try being productive for once. Step one: find civilization. Step two: pretend not to be an eldritch horror"
He took one confident step forward— —and immediately fell into a ditch.
Minion A: "My Lord, you've… found a trench."
Sora: "It's reconnaissance"
Minion B: "Of course, my Lord. Very strategic."
Sora: "...This is going to be a long arc."