"Join me, Lost from Light."
Sunny involuntarily took a step forward. He grit his teeth as he continued walking towards Nephis. Surrounded by his Shadows and shades, he had failed to convince her and had failed to stop her. The corpses of Great and Cursed Nightmare creatures littered the battlefield of North America and Sunny's eyes rose towards a Category 5 Nightmare Gate.
Nephis wore a triumphant smile as she turned her gaze towards the gate. She was going to reclaim part of what the Spell has taken from her and with Sunny at her beck and call her odds increased tenfold.
"Wait just a little while longer, mother."
Before the Dreamspawn fell at the return of the two Sovereigns, he had revealed information in hopes to either sway Nephis to his side or cause a mental shock large enough to win the battle. Unfortunately for him, despite ending the King of Nothing, he could not survive the wrath of two sovereigns after Cassie had erased his existence from all memory except that the the trio.
Still, the truth that Asterion felt hunger towards emotions still trapped within the gate in North America added evidence towards the theory of her father, that Smile of Heaven was still alive and could be saved. The Fire which had once been a blessing for humanity burned even more for the sole goal of saving her mother and destroying the Spell.
And of course there was the truth that Sunny had concealed for years. Not only had his betrayal in the Tomb of Ariel in their third nightmare cut her, but the knowledge that he lived years in a relationship with her while maintaining such an imbalance of knowledge had shattered any feelings of warmth towards him.
After all, Nephis had began to suspect prior to regaining her memories that the Lord of Shadows was reluctant to destroy the Spell. At the very least their wills were not aligned. However, the Shadow Bond did not require their desires to be the same, Sunny was an invaluable tool for her goals with or without his agency.
This is how they came to a contentious climax in North America, concluding with the Lord of Shadows failing and being bent to the will of the Star of Ruin.
Suddenly, two figures dashes out from the sea of shades towards Sunny. One was a young woman who bore a striking resemblance to himself, Rain the Princess Saint of Shadow. The other wore a blue blindfold and had beautiful blond hair, Cassie the Song of the Fallen.
"Rain I just need a few seconds," said Cassie.
"Hurry, I will hold her for as long as I can but... she is a Sovereign," Rain said, activating a series of epitaphs on her target and former teacher, Nephis.
"Return to the Dream Realm as fast as you can, your brother would not want his escape tainted by you facing a worse fate," replied Cassie.
Nephis was frozen, not just in shock but also because Rain had all her transcendent focus on immobilizing her. She saw a glint of an object in Cassie's hand and then her and Sunny vanished along with his shadows and shades.
"Sorry teacher," said Rain as she pulled on her tether and returned to the Nameless Temple.
Cassie was an oracle. She saw more than anyone in the world, two worlds even. Her foresight had been severely dampened ever since her third nightmare, however when the Lord of Shadows and Changing Star defeated the bird that had escaped the Tomb of Ariel the amount she saw was overwhelming.
She saw the futures that would never be due to the choices she and Sunny made on the River of Time. She saw the past that she had forgotten and the pasts that never were. Finally, she saw the branches of future that were yet to come, thrust forward by the actions of the strongest individuals of the War Realm.
It terrified her. She gripped the shard of a mirror that she was given by the King of Nothing during the time they spent in a wary and untrusting alliance before the Dreamspawn killed him. Blood ran down her arm, but she paid it no mind because the only futures possible would only, could only bring ruin. Nephis had suffered too many mental traumas and held too much power, she was a piece on the board that no matter what would destroy the game itself.
Cassie fell to her knees, she had failed. In her pursuit of an ideal future all her chances were eliminated. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up at the concerned gaze of the princess of Shadow. Rain's existence was a unique one, an extraordinary one. An existence that no one had thought possible, no one except Sunny. Invigorated by the reminder of the impossible and driven by her rejection of determinism, she gazed back into the strings of Fate.
No matter what string forward she followed she was met by ruin. She continued to gaze to no avail and yet Cassie refused, she traversed the strings until she realized that she had ended up gazing backwards in time. After all the string of Fate did not just extent into the future but into the past as well. And in this she saw a string, a narrow path through the ruin. It would be surrounded by ruin, by corruption, by opposition, however it existed.
From this Cassie formed her plan and turning to Promise of a Distant Sky, made her own promise that she would toil for her last resort, no matter how impossible. It did not matter if her efforts were ultimately to no avail she would try despite that, despite Fate.
Sunny was being pulled into a mirror. Although Mordret was dead, he still felt uncomfortable seeing a gallery of reflections of himself and Cassie while being pulled into the shard she had brought along with Rain in order to remove him from Nephis's control. After a few seconds he was thrust out of the mirror realm and caught himself on a cold ebony floor.
He, no they, were in what seemed to be the Ebony tower. Behind him was a mirror that quickly shattered and fell to the floor. He shook his head, no longer under the compelling control of the Shadow Bond. Getting his bearings back he looked at the woman next to him, complicated emotions rising inside of him.
Sunny and Cassie shared a rocky history to say the least. There were extremely strong feelings of care, familiarity, fondness, and even trust. While also having feelings of resentment, distrust, and unresolved past. If Sunny had to use one word to describe their relationship it would be ambiguous. They had both acted with extreme devotion to each other at times, and yet both (though Cassie more than Sunny) had treated the other with betrayal or overt animosity.
"What are you trying to do Cas?" asked Sunny. She had once chosen Nephis over him, and yet had seemingly risked her life to choose him over Nephis. A choice more consistent with her actions that led to their eventful third nightmare.
"I'm... fighting selfishly for a future I desire." said Cassie. Beginning to stand, she walked outside of the tower.
Sunny followed her, not exactly feeling reassured by her answer.
"What exactly do you mean by 'a future I desire'," he asked.
Cassie was silent for a moment. Her attention elsewhere for a split moment before a look of relief landed on her face. Turning back to face Sunny.
"Rain is safe, she made it back to the Nameless Temple and is with Revel. To answer to your question, a future in which I acted more aligned with my truest feelings, or rather a past in which I do." replied Cassie.
Sunny was silent for a moment. He was glad to hear that Rain was safe and that Revel was seemingly protecting the Shadow Clan. However, the last part of Cassie's answer left him with a pressing question.
"A past in which you act more with your truest feelings?" he said skeptically.
"Yes, I will explain more on the way, but right now we need to get moving." replied Cassie.
"Moving where?" Sunny asked with a frown.
Cassie laughed slightly.
"Sorry to make you do this again in such a short timeframe, but we must go back to the Tomb of Ariel." she answered. Pointing out into in front of the tower.
It was then that Sunny realized that they were not in the true Ebony Tower, rather they were in a reflection of it on the opposite side of the Hollow Mountains facing a desert where a war perpetually was waged and where a tomb for a daemon was built.
"If we go there, I will be able to give you another chance at creating a new future." Cassie stated.
"Are you giving up on this one?" Sunny asked with some resentment. His emotions were at all time high for volatility and the oracle was suggesting that he be used again by her as a tool.
"I... am. Sunny no matter how I try, no future from this point ends in anything but ruin for all. We are on a collision course with annihilation that is inevitable. If we try right here it will be to no avail." she said with a bitter expression.
"But there is a path through the past that I saw, only you can do it. Maybe I can only imagine you being able to do it. Regardless, if you want to save yourself, save Rain, save anything, then I can promise you this is the only path." Cassie stated this with certain determination.
Sunny looked at her for a meaningful few seconds before accepting that Cassie was telling him the truth or at least the truth as she believed it to be. He walked towards her and putting his hand on her shoulder dissolved them into shadows and stepped into the desert.
Sunny gazed out at a desert. Night was falling soon which meant that he would be making the harrowing journey to the Tomb of Ariel shortly. He glanced at Cassie and steeled himself for the night ahead.
When he and Nephis made the journey they had enlisted the help of Azarax and had fought through the battle of the Doom War. This time Sunny would be employing a new strategy. Cassie still being a Saint was a much lighter burden to carry through shadows than Nephis would be. Additionally, the area Sunny chose was where Azarax was still rampaging drawing a lot of the battle as well as turning his old legions against the deathless as an organized unit.
These two factors allowed for Sunny to come up with the following strategy: To rush through the shadows to the Tomb as quickly as possible.
Of course Sunny expected to face a few harrowing foes that could attack him even while in his incorporeal form. But he was no longer a frog in a well, no longer a simple piece on a chess board. He was strong enough to exert his Will on the world.
Suddenly a hand began to rise from the sand, catching the attention of both Sunny and Cassie. With a sigh, Sunny gently offered his hand to Cassie who took it.
"Are you ready?" she asked. Concern written on her face.
"Why wouldn't I be, I already conquered this place once and then won a custody dispute with a Cursed bird" he said with a confident smile.
Sunny lifted Cassie in a bridal carry and with a determined look in his onyx eyes shot forward as a shadow.
Sunny's pace was much faster than before. Even with a slightly slowed pace he estimated that he would reach the Tomb in one night. The deathless were lessened and while this was the outer edges of the conflict he could tell Azarax's presence made an immense impact. Additionally, while a few deathless caused him to have to weave and dodge, most were either too occupied by the battle or unable to harm his incorporeal form.
Sunny quickened his pace, throwing himself into the more chaotic and dangerous areas of the conflict. As he progressed deathless increasingly struck out at him to the extend that he could not evade all of the incoming attacks. However, he remaining unscathed and at his same pace. Any time that a deathless tried to strike Sunny a shield or claw made out of shadows would either block or destroy the attack. Saint and Fiend were constantly moving within his shadow waiting to defend Sunny.
He continued forward.
[Sunny, how are things going?] the words of Cassie softly resounded in his mind.
[Well, we should be able to reach the Tomb by morning] he answered.
[Thank you. I will use the time until then to try and gleam what I can for our plan. Please be careful.] Cassie said.
[I will be.] Sunny said simply.
Night had nearly reached it's height and Sunny just crossed the halfway point. Through his shadow sense he could tell that Azarax was somewhere near, slightly more in the battle. The carnage and brutal efficiency with which he approached war was truly fearsome to behold either through his shadow sense or when he crossed the desert with Nephis. The rampage of the Plague of Steel took so much attention off Sunny, despite this the second half remained the obstacle to see whether morning he would make it to the Tomb.
Countless deathless were capable of injuring him now. Saint and Fiend were not able to mitigate all of the deadly assaults launched at the supreme shadow. Sunny grit his teeth and called on his secondary safeguard, a wolf with three eyes burst onto the desert with a deadly huntress atop its back. Flanking the supreme shadow from the other side a black stallion with crimson eyes emerged from the shadows with an armored king followed by six floating swords riding into the battle.
Suddenly Sunny's pace once again quickened. Slayer riding the Sacred shade of the wolf hunted down any threat from his right flank, while Serpent took the shape of Anvil cleaving it's way through the left flank with Nightmare. The two pairs were more deadly than a legion of Saints protecting Sunny in his race through the desert.
However, as powerful as he is, Sunny approached the final stretch of the race with a grim apprehension. He could feel the closeness of the Tomb and the reprieve of the morning, however he was running on empty, his army of shades was nearly depleted having been used as a shield for Slayer and the wolf. Nightmare and Serpent could both melt into shadow, but they too were almost at the point where Sunny would want to recall them into his Soul Sea for protection.
Resolving that he would have to bear the last stretch alone, two shadows emerged from him. Saint and Fiend took to the battlefield not merely as protection while traveling but in the flesh. Sunny slowed his pace and tried to call them back. A horrifyingly powerful deathless seeing Sunny's slowed speed launched itself at him only to be met by the full fury of his shadows.
Aside from the Mimic, this was the first time in a long time that Sunny was with all his Shadows.
For a moment time seemed to stop. Sunny stared at his shadows and they stared back.
Sunny once again went to call them back, but his motivation shattered as Saint put her arms around him and pulled him into a hug.
"M-master... th-thank you" Fiend said.
Saint then pushed Sunny away and turned to face the battle of the Doom War. Failing in his fight against tears Sunny gave his shadows one last look before dashing back towards the Tomb. He was going to reach his goal before the deathless could claim his Shadows, or at the very least he would not let their sacrifice go in vain.
[Your shadow has been destroyed]
Sunny grit his teeth and turning slightly corporal decimated the deathless near him in anger.
[Your shadow has been destroyed]
Sunny darted faster and faster refusing to look at which of his shadows had met the end of their fate.
[Your shadow has been destroyed]
[Your shadow has been destroyed]
A mass of shadows burst onto the desert. Sunny fell to his knees, gently dropping Cassie in front of him. Tears streaming down his face. Cassie cradled his head and held him for what seemed to him to be an eternity. Serpent had been the only one to have survived the battle. It coiled itself around the pair and nuzzled its master.
"I'm sorry," Cassie simply said. There was nothing else to say.
After a while, Sunny got up and wiping his face set his gaze on the black marble in front of him.
"Please just tell me it was worth it." Sunny implored Cassie.
"I believe it was, without them there would have been no chance at a future." she said.
"What needs to be done." Sunny asked walking closer to the Tomb.
"We need to find the corpse of the bird you killed. Then together we must weave a memory." Cassie replied.
Sunny nodded and called Serpent back to his Soul Sea. Then holding Cassie's hand shadow stepped to a different part of the pyramid.
In front of them was the corpse of the Vile Thieving Bird. The result of its harrowing fight with Sunny and Nephis. Cassie went to it and began to remove its talons along with the Sacred shards.
"Only with its talons can you weave the memory, only with my aspect can you weave the enchantments, and only you can weave a memory." Cassie explained.
"What enchantments will I be weaving and where do I begin?" Sunny asked.
"We need three and my aspect with guide one of them. The talons will provide the innate enchantment of manipulating one's strings of fate. The last enchantment is akin to the one the corrupted you wove to survive Time." Cassie answered.
Sunny nodded and splitting himself into seven began to augment the talons into a memory. Anchoring the innate enchantment and the one akin to the Estuary Key was straining but for Sunny this was just a matter of time.
His original avatar remained in conversation with Cassie.
"How will your aspect guide the last one and how will the memory save the future?" Sunny inquired.
"My aspect is tailored primarily with fate, but it is also entwined with memories. Really memories are a part of one's fate. Using my aspect I will guide you to weave an enchantment that will sent our memories back through your fate to when you were touched by the Spell. Of course my memories will be bound to your fate and I was unable to see how my younger self would receive them, however you will have all your memories up to this point. That is how you will save the future, by getting a second chance" said Cassie.
A couple of Sunny's avatars were stunned for a second. Processing what the girl had told him. Time travel?
"So the plan is to send me back in time." Sunny said incredulously.
"More or less. Are you okay with that?" asked Cassie.
Sunny considered the sheer weight of what Cassie aimed to do. It was beyond ambitious. However, if it could be done so much could be changed. So much could be salvaged and not only would that which is doomed in the future be given a second wind, but also tragedies of the past.
"Yes, I am okay with this." Sunny answered affirmatively.
Cassie smiled at him.
"I must warn you that if we do this the path will be much more perilous than before. I'm sorry I cannot see how but I could see the it surrounded by that which would aim to destroy it." Cassie warned.
"That is fine, I might have more insight than you here. When we do this we will be throwing a wrench into Fate and who knows how many other goings on the the Realm. I would be inclined to believe that this will result in some action by Weaver or some unintended consequences with corruption, the Void, and maybe even the forgotten god." said Sunny.
Cassie thought about Sunny's conclusions. All of which were spot on. She had always appreciated not only Sunny's strength, loyalty, humor, and character, but also his interest and thoughtfulness towards knowledge. She beamed at him impressed.
"I think that sounds exactly right, I'll try and see what I can to help you navigate with that in mind." said Cassie.
"Thank you, I had a question if you don't mind?" said Sunny. To which Cassie shook her head.
"I want to ask how is this going to help you live according to your truest feelings, if I am the one going back?" Sunny asked.
"Oh, well right now my truest feelings are to believe in and give everything I have to you. Even if my past self can't access my memories and lives shackled to fears and external pressure, the fact that you will exist will satisfy my internal desires right now." said Cassie.
Sunny was stunned. He never would have thought that the girl who took his freedom would give up everything she had to him on the basis of faith.
"Why? Why trust everything you have to me." asked Sunny.
Cassie smiled softly with a look of melancholy.
"Because you are special to me." she said simply.
"When I first received my aspect and flaw I only saw one person from our class. And that person was you. That made you special. I... lost my way. I was scared of the futures I saw. I was heartbroken went you told Nephis you would not have helped me on the Forgotten Shore. I was disappointed in myself when I told Nephis your weakness. I was blinded by the world when worry about the Sovereigns and Fate overcame my will." Cassie said all this with bitterness and a hint of sorrow.
"But I have a chance to change that. I have a chance to act, to help you without being led astray right now by outside interference. And if I am lucky, I will have a chance to help myself or at least the past version of myself." Cassie finished her explanation to Sunny.
Sunny was not sure how to respond to this. Sunny's feelings towards Cassie were hard to explain. However, Cassie had just been honest and vulnerable to him, mending a large amount of the ambiguity of the relationship. On her end it was as if a wall had been destroyed, bringing Cassie closer to him.
In almost all of Sunny's relationships there existed an air of untruthfulness. Whether it be from a lack of communication or the complexities of Fateless, Sunny had always felt an ocean of separation between him and others. And yet Cassie was here and had just built a bridge that could span the width of the sea. Sunny simply had to finish the bridge.
"Cassie, thank you I promise that I won't let this chance go to waste. I-I am not going to apologize for any of my actions. I still think my resentment and hate was justified, but I want you to know if I knew your burden at the time I might have chosen differently. And from this point forward I want to start from scratch, after all it seems like if we do this we'll only have each other." said Sunny.
"Thank you Sunny. And if I didn't make it clear giving up your true name was the greatest regret I have." she said.
They stood in silence for a minute, until one of Sunny's avatars told them that the memories final enchantments were all that was left.
Cassie took Sunny's hand and began to use her aspect to divine the demarkation of the memories out of fate itself. She traversed the tapestry of herself and Sunny. She began to bleed from her mouth, both her good eye and her empty socket, her nose, and ears. The task was excruciating, however in the end Song of the Fallen succeeded and before the two sat a talon of a bird that hummed with power.