The tram rattled along its elevated track, Sunny sat near the back with his hood up and hands shoved deep into the pockets of his jacket. He looked like any other early morning commuter.
"Hey, did you see the video?" A young man's voice cut through the quiet a few rows down.
"Huh, what video?" The man's friend replied, sounding half‑asleep.
"The Lord Mongrel one man!" The first one exclaimed loudly.
"Yeah? You showed me that one last week?" The other said with confusion as he yawned.
"No! The new one!" the first guy insisted, already getting worked up. "It's all over the network! He beat seventy people in less than an hour!"
'Hmm?'
Sunny's eyes shifted, just slightly, enough to catch the two men in his peripheral vision.
"What!? Seventy!?" The friend shouted, now fully awake.
Their voices rose, drawing the attention of several passengers. A few people turned their heads.
"Yeah!" the first guy continued, practically vibrating. "And get this, his last opponent was Gemma!"
There was a beat of silence.
"...Who?"
More silence followed as the first one stared at his friend incredulously.
"Oh, come on, man… Gemma! One of the Seven Stars of the Forgotten Shore!"
The friend blinked.
"Wait, wait, wait. Really? How have I never heard of him? Which star is he?"
The first guy stared at the other like he ate crayons.
"...You have dumbass, he's the sixth star." He groaned out as he facepalmed.
"...Whoa… And Mongrel beat him?" The second said dumbly.
"Hell yeah he did!" the first guy crowed while pointing a finger. "And it's Lord Mongrel! Show some respect to the name!"
"Okay! Okay!" the friend said, hands raised in surrender. "Geez. Let me see this video."
Sunny turned his attention away as they pulled out a communicator.
He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, letting the rattling of the tram fade into the background. He'd lived through this exact nightmare last week when Mongrel first debuted. Back then, the hype had burned bright and fast, three days of chaos, then blissful silence.
At least… he thought it had faded.
'...Come to think of it… I stopped checking the network after the first few days…'
A cold, creeping dread slid down his spine.
Very reluctantly, he pulled out his communicator. His thumb hovered over the screen for a moment before he typed the first few letters:
"Mon-"
He didn't even get to finish because the search bar autofilled instantly.
Mongrel
Mongrel fight
Mongrel vs Gemma
Lord Mongrel compilation
Sunny stared at the list, horrified. He swallowed hard and tapped the first link. The page loaded ad his eyes nearly bulged out of his skull.
The view count on the first video, the original Mongrel debut, had gone from seven zeroes to eight. And the latest video of his fight against Gemma was rapidly closing the gap.
Sunny was starting to feel faint.
He opened another link and…
"Night&Gale representative agency publishes an official statement: popular idol and fashion icon, Night, is NOT the controversial Dreamscape sensation, nor has he ever participated in any scandalous activities under the alias Mongrel…"
Sunny read the latest news title on the screen of his communicator and covered his face with a hand.
'Oh, gods…'
He hurriedly shoved the communicator back into his pocket.
How did poor Kai end up being involved in this mess? Had the world gone completely insane?!
He grumbled under his breath, sinking deeper into his seat as the tram came to a halt. The doors slid open, and Sunny wasted no time escaping into the cool morning air.
He walked to a café a kilometer or so away from the heavily guarded entrance of Rain's school.
The happy shadow was still following Rain, stealthily moving from one shadowy patch to another. Then, it waited for a good opportunity and dove inside the shadow of one of the kids walking toward the same classroom as her.
Sunny got comfortable and ordered a few pastries and a pot of tea.
He pulled out his communicator and opened his messages.
While reviewing the minutes of the meetings her skip- was too busy to attend, he made sure to 'delegate' the majority of his paperwork to Gemma, along with a video link of the Mongrel fight so the slacker knew Sunny was onto him.
'Right, let's get some work done.'
***
Rain strode through the school gates, backpack strapped securely to her shoulders. She paused briefly to offer a polite bow to the teacher on gate duty this morning, and hoped he didn't notice the dark bags under her eyes.
Stifling a yawn she entered the school grounds as spotted her friends gathered near the courtyard steps and hurried over with even steps.
She approached and exchanged the proper tilt of the head with both. Proper social ritual concluded their eyes shined.
"Did you see it? Did you see it?" she blurted out in a hushed whisper.
"Ohmygods, yes!" Lani squealed, grabbing Rain's arm. "I watched it this morning!"
"I know right!?" Rain squealed back before coughing and glancing around. It wouldn't be good if one of the cliques noticed her faux pas.
Mira crossed her arms and grimaced. "I still think he's kind of scary."
Rain gasped quietly. "Scary? He's so cool! Did you see the part where he dodged Gemma's strike by like-" She held her fingers a millimeter apart. "-this much?"
Lani nodded vigorously at her description.
She'd watched the fight so many times she could practically recite it. The way Mongrel moved, like he already knew what his opponent was going to do. The way he stood still until the last possible second, then exploded into motion.
Lani leaned in. "I still can't believe it was seventy. Like… seventy. In a row."
Rain bobbed her head excitedly while pumping her fists and bouncing on her heels. "And he didn't even look tired! He just kept going and going and going, like he was fighting practice dummies!"
Mira just sighed and put a hand to her temples at her friends antics
Rain reached around to her backpack.
"Oh! Oh! Check this out!"
Rain rummaged in the side pocket and pulled out a keychain with Mongrels fearsome mask depicted.
She smirked smugly at her friends as she presented the trinket.
"Cool, huh?"
Lani's eyes shone when she saw keychain as she reached out to touch it.
"Woah!"
Mira crossed her arms over her chest and snorted.
"You're both obsessed."
***
Sunny had his elbows on the table and his face in his hands as he listened to Rain and her friends gossip about Mongrel.
He groaned quietly.
"...Damnation… What did I do to deserve this." He mumbled under his breath as his ears burned.
He was screaming internally.
'Since when was Rain a Mongrel fangirl!?'
At least one of her friends had her head on straight, he ran his hands down his face and took a sip of tea to calm himself.
Then another.
And another not stopping until he emptied the cup.
It didn't help.
He set the cup down with a dull clink, exhaled through his nose, and immediately refilled it. The pot was steaming, but Sunny didn't care, he needed something to hold onto before he died of secondhand embarrassment.
He took another long drink.
This was going to be a long day.
***
Later that day, Sunny opened the door to his home, kicked off his shoes at the entrance, dumped his jacket onto the table before flopping face down onto the couch and letting out a long tired groan.
Eventually, he fumbled blindly in his pocket for his communicator, he pulled it out and squinted at the screen.
'Half an hour until Neph and Cass arrive…'
He sighed and rolled onto his back.
He stared at the ceiling and decided to get changed and just relax until they arrived. He sat up and make his way to his bedroom. After pulling on a dark gray shirt and a pair of shorts he wandered back downstairs and settled onto the couch once more.
Half an hour passed faster than he expected.
A knock sounded at the door.
Sunny pushed himself up with a resigned grunt and went to answer it. He pulled the door open, holding it with one arm.
Nephis and Cassie stood there, smiling warmly.
Nephis was carrying a bag but was in her usual disguise while Cassie had her hair in a large braid and sunglasses covered her eyes. She was wearing a sky blue short dress with a white cardigan on top of it and a pair of matching sneakers.
"Sunny! It's been too long!" Cassie said brightly, immediately stepping forward to wrap him in a tight hug.
He returned it with his free arm, patting her back.
"It's only been a week Cass."
She pulled back, raising a brow.
"It would have been less if you decided to actually show up to the manor."
Sunny groaned, shutting the door behind them.
"And deal with everyone's teasing? No, thanks, honestly you'd think they'd treat one of their leaders with some more respect."
Neph stepped forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"Only the hunters tease you." She said with a slight smile.
Sunny sighed resignedly.
"Yeah, well you would think they'll learn their lesson after a few beat downs."
Cassie giggled behind her hand as she looped her arm through his.
"Those beat downs are the reason why they keep teasing you. You don't train with them otherwise."
Sunny shook his head.
"Those damn masochists…" He muttered under his breath.
He guided Cassie toward the table, quirking a brow as he glanced at her outfit while she took off her sunglasses and put them on the table.
"You're not planning on fighting in those, right?"
Cassie smirked, mischief written all over her face, she grabbed the hem of her cardigan and dress and pulled them off in one smooth motion
Sunny's eyes widened in panic before narrowing as Cassie revealed the navy long-sleeved athletic top and sport shorts she was wearing underneath.
Cassie spun once with her arms out.
"Ta-Da! Looks good right?" She said with a wink as she struck a pose.
Sunny pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Yes, Cassie. It looks great." He said with a small sigh, while wondering how many times one person can sigh in a single day
Nephis huffed in amusement and brushed her hand across his small of his back as she passed.
"I'll go get changed." She said softly.
Sunny nodded.
"Feel free to use any of the rooms upstairs." He tilted his head towards the stairs.
She gave a small nod and strutted up the stairs.
Sunny watched her go before he turned back to Cassie
"So, how's the night temple?" He said, thankful she wasn't able to see the faint dusting of red on his face.
Cassie made a sour face.
"It's… still creepy to be honest, and Saint Cormac is still an ass, luckily he went on an expedition a couple of days ago so I don't have to deal with him for now." She said while folding her arms under her chest.
Sunny nodded sympathetically.
"Hmm, and how's the search for that root going?"
She lowered her head and sighed.
"Slow, it'll probably take another month or so. What about you?" She said as she lifted her head to look at him.
"I'm having the hunters scout out the best path to shipwreck island" He scratched the back of his head. "There's been some concerning rumors about some of the islands on the way however, so I'll be heading out to check them myself soon."
They chatted comfortably until footsteps sounded on the stairs.
Nephis descended, no longer in disguise.
Her silver hair was tied into a neat ponytail, and she wore a simple black training set, sports bra, leggings, and trainers. The dark fabric contrasted sharply with her alabaster skin, giving her an almost luminous presence.
Sunny's thoughts stalled.
'Damnation…'
He could barely tear his gaze away from her.
Nephis cocked her hip and raised her brow with a small smirk.
"Should we get started?"
"Ye-" His voice cracked, he cleared his throat. "Yeah, this way."
Slightly flushed, he let Cassie take his arm again as he led them toward the basement.
***
The lights flickered on as the three entered the underground dojo, Sunny stepped onto the center of the mat.
Nephis and Cassie moved to opposite edges of the mat.
He summoned serpent in it's odachi form and with a thought, he dulled the edge, there was no need to truly hurt them after all.
He sent his shadows away, and he exhaled slowly.
"Make it difficult."
The girls nodded.
Cassie summoned Quiet Dancer, the slender rapier materializing in her hand in a show of sparks as she coiled her body low, weight balanced on the balls of her feet.
Nephis bent her legs as she brandished her longsword, her eyes burning with argent fire.
There was a moment of silence.
Cassie lunged first, blade tip aimed for his center mass.
Sunny swung Serpent catching the rapier and redirecting the thrust upward with a sharp twist of his wrists.
Cassie released her weapon mid‑motion, letting the rapier fly as she jumped backward, landing lightly out of reach.
Sunny didn't have the time to capitalize on her retreat as Nephis was already upon him.
Her overhead strike came down like a falling star.
Sunny twisted, deflecting the blow with the flat of his odachi. But Nephis's strength and speed were monstrous, the moment her blade slid off his, she changed direction mid‑swing, forcing him to adjust instantly.
He let the force of her strike throw him back, using the momentum to spin just as Quiet Dancer streaked towards him.
He batted the cantankerous rapier aside with the flat of his blade, sending it spinning through the air. Cassie caught it and immediately lunged low, aiming for his leg.
Sunny swung down, the weight of the blow forcing the tip of her weapon to pierce deep into the mat instead.
Before he could follow up with a lethal strike the flat of Nephis's sword slammed into his arm.
The impact sent him tumbling across the mat.
He hissed as he rolled, stabbing Serpent into the floor to stop his momentum as he rose to his feet.
'That's going to bruise.'
He felt a shadow above him.
Cassie had leapt high, her braid whipping behind her. Sunny aimed a cut at her legs, but his blade passed through empty air.
She was too high, Quiet Dancer had pulled her upward mid‑jump, giving her unnatural height.
Sunny barely had time to worry about the blind girl before Nephis closed the distance again.
They exchanged a flurry of blows, steel clashing and sending sparks flying. Nephis's strikes were relentless, precise, and brutally efficient.
Then Quiet Dancer plummeted from above.
Sunny dodged the descending rapier by a hair, the blade merely leaving a gash instead of impaling him.
But he didn't dodge Cassie.
The seer landed behind him in a crouch with catlike grace, she extended two knuckles and drove a sharp strike into his kidney as she absorbed the kinetic energy from her landing to close the distance.
The blow distorted his rhythm just enough for Nephis to drive her knee into his gut. Sunny's breath exploded out of him as he was sent rolling across the mat.
He coughed, staring up at the ceiling.
Cassie leaned over him, concern softening her features.
"Are you alright?"
Nephis stood beside her, extending a hand down to him.
Sunny groaned.
"I will be."
He took Nephis's hand, and she pulled him up, her flames washed over him, knitting bruises and easing the ache in his muscles.
He sighed in relief as her flames restored him.
He squeezed her hand in thanks before letting go, and he looked at the two.
"Again."
***
Sunny's lungs were burning, and his torn shirt clung to his back with sweat. His arms felt heavy, but his grip on Serpent was still firm.
He rolled his shoulders, trying to shake out an ache.
This was the last round.
He could feel it.
Cassie and Nephis stood at opposite ends of the mat again, their breathing was steady, and their stances sharp.
They looked like they could go for another hour.
Sunny envied them a little for that.
"Alright…" he muttered, voice rough. "One more."
There was no need for a signal.
Nephis struck first, she dashed in with a diagonal cut meant to force him into a predictable dodge.
Sunny didn't dodge instead he stepped into the swing, letting the blade slide along the flat of his odachi, then twisted sharply.
The redirection forced Nephis's sword up, leaving her open for the briefest of moments.
Sunny took advantage immediately, slamming the pommel of Serpent into her shoulder.
Nephis slid back a step, eyes widening slightly.
Sunny didn't have time to feel proud.
Cassie had closed the distance.
Quiet Dancer flickered toward his ribs, but Sunny parried it with a quick, precise motion, then snapped his knee upward.
Cassie twisted away, but his knee grazed her hip.
She hissed and spun back with the momentum.
Nephis was already moving again.
She swept low, aiming to take his legs out from under him.
Sunny jumped.
Which was exactly what Cassie was waiting for.
Quiet Dancer glinted as it dove from the air, aiming straight for his leg. Sunny twisted, but he lacked mobility mid‑air, the rapier bit deep into his thigh and he landed in a pained crouch.
Nephis didn't hesitate.
She stepped in, thrusting her sword toward his sternum.
Sunny desperately rolled to the side, feeling the tip tear a new hole in the fabric of his shirt.
He came up swinging.
Nephis parried, sparks flickering as the blades clashed.
Cassie slid in behind him, sweeping her leg in a low arc.
Sunny attempted to jump again but his injured led betrayed him.
Her foot hooked under his ankle, and with a twist of her hips, she sent him stumbling sideways.
Right into Nephis.
Her elbow slammed into his ribs.
Sunny gasped as his ribs cracked, barely keeping his footing and stumbling back.
Nephis stepped in, blade flashing.
Sunny blocked, but the force rattled his bones. She didn't relent. She shifted her grip and slammed the pommel toward his jaw.
Sunny ducked under it and swept her legs.
Nephis jumped and Sunny pivoted seeking to strike her mid‑air.
But the Quiet Dancer suddenly interposed his blade blocked the blow.
He leapt back.
He was losing.
But he was grinning.
He could feel it, the pieces were coming together, he was close.
Cassie darted in low, aiming a palm strike at his knee.
Sunny twisted, causing her to miss by a hair, then hit her shoulder with his pommel.
Cassie stumbled and dove to the side to avoid more retribution.
Nephis dashed in, faster than before.
Sunny parried the first strike.
Blocked the second.
Redirected the third.
He was barely keeping up.
Cassie flanked him.
Nephis pressed forward.
Sunny's muscles screamed, but he pushed through it.
Sunny blocked Nephis's first strike, but Cassie kicked his ankle and he buckled.
Nephis's blade swung again and slammed into his shoulder. Cassie struck his cracked ribs with two knuckles as the pommel of Quiet Dancer slammed into the back of his leg.
Unable to withstand the assault Sunny fell to one knee.
Nephis's sword came down for the finishing blow.
Sunny thrust up, binding their blades and twisting
Using the last of his energy he shot up, using the momentum to leverage the silver longsword out of her hand.
He had disarmed her.
He grinned at the stunned expression on her face, until he yelped as she grabbed his wrist and collar and threw him over her shoulder.
He landed hard, the impact knocking the wind out of him.
For a moment, Sunny just lay there, sprawled on the mat, chest heaving as the ceiling swam in and out of focus above him.
His body throbbed with the dull ache of a hundred small bruises, but his mind… his mind was alight.
The fight repeated through his mind over and over and over, each repetition shining a new light on his understanding.
But there was something else too.
Vermilion eyes filled with excitement, plum blossoms falling and covering the ground in a pink carpet, a pale and elegant hand piercing his chest, the same hand withdrawn and dripping in his own blood.
Parallel memories, his and not his, ran through his head, coalescing, merging.
Sunny sucked in a breath and forced himself upright. He crossed his legs, grounding himself, and closed his eyes.
He fell inward.
In the solitude of his mind a thousand battles raged, experiences both his and not. The dance smoothed and progressed. Until…
[Your Aspect Legacy mastery level has increased.]
[You have received the right to claim a Legacy Relic.]
[...Your Shadow has evolved.]
The spell resounded in his mind.
'Huh? Which shadow? Serpent?'
He summoned Serpents runes
Shadow: [Soul Serpent].
Shadow Rank: Awakened.
Shadow Class: Devil.
Shadow Attributes: [Shadow Guide], [Soul Weapon]. [Soul Beast].
Shadow Abilities: [Serpentine Steel], [Soul Reaver], [Grace of Shadows], [Formless].
Sunny blinked a couple of times as he read the description.
'…That's new.'
The [Formless] ability allowed his shadow to take the form of any shade in his soul sea as long as it's rank and class equaled or surpassed the shades.
'That's… actually useful.'
But he pushed the thought aside. He had something more important to deal with.
He turned to the next cluster of runes.
Aspect Legacy: [Shadow Dance].
Shadow Dance Mastery Level: [2/7].
First Relic: Claimed.
Second Relic: [Claim].
Third Relic: Unearned…
Concentrating on the second Relic, Sunny said confidently.
"Claim!"
For a second, nothing happened. Sunny waited, full of anticipation.
He looked around the dojo, seeing Nephis and Cassie looking at him strangely.
Their hair was damp, and they had changed back into their civilian clothes.
Sunny coughed into his fist.
"Uh, hey… How long was I out of it?"
A smile tugged at Nephis's lips while Cassie simply shook her head in mirth.
"A little over two hours." Nephis said.
Sunny's smile stilled at that.
"Two hours? I must ha-"
[You have claimed an Aspect Legacy Relic.]
[You have received a Memory.]
He was interrupted by the spell, and he held his palm to the two.
"Hold on."
Sunny hurriedly glanced at the runes describing his Memories, searching for a new one.
…A moment later, when he saw it, his heart skipped a beat, and he momentarily forgot how to breathe.
Out there in the darkness of the underground dojo, several familiar runes shone with ethereal light.
Memory: [Drop of Ichor].
Sunny held his breath, staring at the runes intensely. He knew what that Memory was.
Another drop of divine blood…
And knowing where the Shadow Slave Aspect had come from and to which deity it was connected, it wasn't hard to guess whose blood it was.
Shadow God… this Memory was of a drop of Shadow God's blood.
...And in that drop was his lineage.
"Can't be…"
"Sunny? What is it?"
Cassie's voice reached him, and he looked up at her.
He looked back to the runes, and then to Nephis.
He swallowed before returning his gaze to Cassie.
He already has a divine lineage, and so does Nephis. But Cassie lacks one.
Two divine lineages is too much, even for his [Fated] attribute.
His thoughts wandered, his lineage was of Weavers, the Daemon of Fate… Cassie has a powerful aspect related to Fate.
'Damnation… did I plunder a lineage meant for Cassie?'
It fit, almost. He shook his head. No, he only managed to retrieve it in the first place due to the unique nature of his shadow core.
Unless… he was meant to give it to her… but that wou-
"Sunny?"
His spiraling mind was interrupted by Neph's concerned voice.
As some point she and Cass had approached and sat down in front of him.
He looked between them.
"...I received a Drop of Ichor…"
They both inhaled sharply.
"From your legacy? …Shadow?" Nephis asked.
Sunny nodded.
"Yes, but I already have a lineage, and so do you Neph…" He turned to the blind seer. "Cass… Do you-"
She shook her head emphatically
"No, it belongs to you."
Sunny bit the corner of his lip and nodded again.
He summoned the Drop of Ichor
As soon as Sunny willed the drop of ichor to manifest itself into reality, the darkness in the corners of the dojo suddenly came to life. Countless shadows moved and danced around him, forming an invisible whirlpool. Their movements were strange and erratic, fraught with anticipation, excitement, and longing.
Slowly, golden sparks of light appeared in the air in front of him and then shot toward a single point in space, coalescing into a small radiant dot. However, the Memory did not appear yet. Instead, more and more sparks flew into it, thousands upon thousands of them, until, at last, it seemed as though wide streams of brilliant golden light were constantly flowing into the slowly growing sphere of radiance.
This continued for almost an entire minute, and when the sparks finally disappeared, a brilliant drop of golden liquid was floating in the air in front of Sunny. It was suffused with a beautiful light that didn't seem blinding, but was somehow able to illuminate the entire expanse of the dojo.
…However, there was also something dark about the shining drop of divine blood. Contrasted against its golden radiance, the shadows around him were now suddenly much deeper, darker, and starkly pronounced. All their movement ceased, as though they were frozen still by awe and reverence.
Nephis and Cassie stared in wonder at the spectacle.
[You have acquired a drop of ichor. Do you wish to consume it?]
Sunny sighed, remembering the agony of the previous time he had decided to snack on a piece of divinity.
"Yes."
Cassie's eyes widened in horror.
"SUNNY WAI-
[...So be it.]
The golden drop suddenly separated into four equal parts, which then shot toward his chest, abdomen, and head. The radiant droplets entered his four Shadow Cores and disappeared, dissolving into the darkness of his soul.
Burning cold flooded his veins, the golden liquid flowing through previously unknown channels carved into his being. Blood Weave surged, it lunged at the Ichor with hunger, it intended to devour the divinity. It lashed at the channels the divine blood flowed through, but its rage was impotent, the echoes of power that carved those pathways was greater than anything Sunny had ever felt. That power, that Sacred essence, protected the lineage of Shadow, it isolated it from Blood Weave as the fragment of Weavers lineage sought to devour it.
A war was waged in his body and Sunny's world turned red, in the distance he could hear someone scream in utter agony.
The edge of his vision dimmed, as if swirling shadows were creeping over him.
He thought he felt someone holding him and calling his name.
His vision went black, the last thing he heard was the spells confused whisper.
[You have received an attribute.]
[Spark of Divinity has evolved.]
[...You have received a ??? Legacy…]
***
A/N: Hey all, sorry for not posting last week, I had written most of the chapter but I felt that the quality of my writing had dropped recently so I ended up re-doing most of it. which caused the delay. Let me know how I did, feedback and criticisms are always welcome.