Shadow Slave Cinema (reaction fanfic)-Chapter 14: Glory to the Strong

The onslaught continued on the screen, as the world around them seemed to dim and lose opacity. Nothing mattered anymore.

Everything was meaningless before the battle they were witnessing as the two giant serpents violently bore into each other.

It was mesmerizing.

It was horrifying.

It was...

Glorious

"Spectacular..." Julius breathlessly whispered,

"Oh Gods, this is too much...." Beastmaster sighed, her tone uncomfortably reminiscent of a moan, causing the other Blood Sisters to shudder, but not betray their attention.

"Monster..." Saint Cor hissed,

Rain stared at the carnage blankly, as her eyes impossibly widened, her mouth hanging open at an impossible angle. Since the revelation about her brother's identity came into fruition, she had been grappling with memories about all his supposed fibs and tales of strenuous perils, always deeming them as meaningless propaganda to insinuate his position.

But every waking moment since the revelation, her stomach continued to uncomfortably drop, to a point she couldn't understand how, like a wormhole.

Because, now...

She was seeing it.

She was actively witnessing an unfathomable battle that seemed like something Gods would partake in, except it was not a God or a Daemon, but something seemingly much worse.

Her own brother.

And at the behest of the carnage, the only thing she could imagine were all the times she voiced her annoyance and spite about his stupid demeanor, even when she had pushed it and sometimes kicked and punched him around to express it.

Of course, he never retaliated nor voiced his anger at her acts.

Because he didn't need to, seemingly with a flick of his wrist, he could destroy a city.

She nervously gulped,

"Let by gones be by gones..?" she nervously whispered, now considering how many times she had quite literally, shown death the middle finger.

"Jesus Neph, your boyfriend is a fucking monster....." Effie gasped, as the rest of the cohort nodded in both admiration and concern.

"Quite, literally" Kai chimed in, as they all briefly looked at her for a response. Nephis continued to stare at the screen in a trance, before her lips moved.

"His performance is good" she flatly voiced, causing Effie and Kai to once again choke and cough in agitation, their eyes slightly twitching and the implication behind her words.

Like usual, Nephis was oblivious to the double meaning, still enchanted by the scene.

"She really needs to learn how to read between the lines..." Effie grumbled in disappointment

But Nephis brought no attention to her soliloquy, as she continued speaking.

"I've currently lost my legs thrice, my arms over seven times, severed in half once and had my entire body crushed twice...." she echoed in thought, as the others listened in awe.

"Except none of that has happened to him..." she echoed in thought, as she paused and her lips curled into a smile of rare admiration.

"And he's still going....."

All of them stared at her with wide eyes, as they realised the scope of the fight, slowly lowering themselves back into their seats. Even Jet was having a hard time keeping her focus, while also shielding Ling who squirmed in her lap to see the battle.

Of course, Nephis had built her battle art around sacrificing parts of her body to create openings and retaliate, seeing she could take it with her flames. But Sunny didn't have that reassurance.

He didn't have the comfort that his limbs and his body would regenerate, and yet he still fought with his life on the line.

Anything less would defy the very nature of his existence—an existence that had endured four years beyond erasure, lingering where nothing should remain.

It was inevitable. A soul too spiteful to vanish.

No...

It was only fitting.

For the one who shattered Fate itself and wielded death as his own.

Following his wrathful roar, the Shell hiding below his scales turned into the adamantine Mantle. A fearsome obsidian armor encased his flexible body, light as a feather and crafted so intricately as not to restrict his movement in any way.

The water exploded into the air when he dove into the depths... the depths that belonged to him, and him alone.

"OLD SNAKE!"

The call escaped his monstrous maw, turned into a senseless roar.

...What he had done was simple, but also indescribably hard. He had dove deeper into Shadow Dance than ever before, mirroring both the mind and the physique of a Nightmare Creature. He had not been sure that it would be possible until the last moment, but his meticulous preparation paid off. It was do or die, nothing less.

He had spent countless hours observing the Azure Serpent and learning everything there was to learn about it. Then, he dissolved into the shadows, and manifested himself back into a tangible form. Finally, he summoned the dead shadow of the Black Turtle, which he had lured into the Lantern, to form a mighty shell around his fragile incarnation.

But, for the first time, the shape of his shell was not that of the shadow fiend. Instead, it was the shape of a monstrous river serpent... the shape of the mad beast whom he feared, admired, and wanted to kill.

Of course, this Shadow Shell could not compare to the real thing. He was only an Ascended, after all, while the Azure Serpent was a Great Beast. It was weaker, less resilient, and smaller - maybe a quarter of the size of the actual abomination.

However, it was suffused with the power of both shadows and soul flame, granting it power well beyond the limits of what an Ascended could possess.

Eyes narrowed,

'Shell?'

'Shadow Dance?'

'Dissolved into shadows?

'Fragile incarnation?'

"What is...h-how....it doesn't make sense!" Rained whined in protest

"Indeed, it does seem like we have evaluated his aspect completely wrong..." Ananke murmured, as Rain looked at her with compliance.

"B-But still! Shadow Dance? Shadow Shell? Shadow world? Incarnations? There's too many factors, and it changes everything we know is just apparently wrong!" she exclaimed in complaint as others nodded their heads.

"Yes...it is peculiar that he did no such things earlier when we saw him fight the SkinWalker...he only fought with his skill and a part of his Aspect that involved, manifesting shadows..." Saint Cor muttered in thought.

"Observant, we know that he has an Aspect related to creating avatars, the mysterious art of Weaving and an affiliation to Shadow God..."

"But just having an affiliation as Shadow's lineage doesn't account for all these unknown abilities..." Revel echoed in contemplation.

"T-That's just a cheat! How come other lineage holders don't have such a variety of abilities!" Luster cried in protest, as others nodded in agreement.

Despite the carnage on screen, their attention strangely was unified in diversion to the topic at hand, their thoughts interrupted at the sound of vigorous ramblings.

"Perhaps....his Aspect is just related to Shadows..." Julius echoed,

Eyes widened in shock, as he continued.

"The ability to manifest Shadows aligns with the ability gained once one becomes a master, the granted "authority" to influence parts of their Aspect and the corresponding elements and source. His other ability hinted at being able to control other Shadows and his own, which may possibly be his dormant ability. And lastly there is his ability to seemingly become, a shadow and move through them." he finished.

"Then you suggest..?" Jest commented in a low tone, causing everyone to lean in anticipation.

Julius smiled,

"Yes, it is possible....that the avatars are just one of his abilities he gained after attaching Transcendence" he boomed in excitement.

The words traveled through the air like a shockwave, as everyone shuddered slightly at the revelation. This....this was too strong.

"You believe in such an overpowered development?" Gilead questioned in a serious tone.

Julius paused as he rubbed his chin, a slight smile growing.

"It is merely a heartfelt hypothesis, like I said earlier, we can only learn more until we form a more viable and concrete answer" he sighed.

"T-Then how did he turn into the giant snake?" Rain uttered in confusion.

Daeron rose, he's alerting everyone.

"It's me. He's copying me." he said flatly.

Eyes widened as faces betrayed any hidden emotion, everyone was petrified.

"I assume this is some complex technique he has developed with his Aspect and his Legacy relic, a technique that pushes him beyond the limits. This....Shadow Dance, he speaks of, likely plays a key part..."

Everyone was rooted in confusion, a flurry of emotions like a hurricane in their existence. Firstly, it was just overpowered, how could anyone argue? A technique that allowed one to copy the abilities of another? It was like a perfect late throw in rock-paper-scissors, except one opponent knew what how the other was thinking and would act.

The other shock, was the name of the art itself...

Shadow Dance...

It sounded, weirdly.....enchanting

How could a dance be a deadly battle art? Naturally, in history, some had developed and taken such actions, street dancing was a prime example. One of the most flexible and complicated forms of combat, was Capoeira; a traditional native dance that was transformed into a deadly battle art where one's joints, limbs and whole being were a weapon itself.

And the most dangerous part about it, was its fluidity.

Shadow Dance, seemed to also have that fluidity. No....it was fluidity itself.

Was there any limit to what it could copy and reflect.

Morgan and Nephis's eyes glinted at the idea. Despite their origins, both were connoisseurs in war, and their curiosity was burning, just like their will to learn more.

Others had...estranged thoughts.

Mostly Rain and Effie. Rain couldn't picture her master and her brother, dancing as a means of battle, although it suited his demeanor. Effie meanwhile, had quite, perverse, visions of what sunny would look like while dancing.

To put it simply, her imagination was captured in a more.....seductive, manner than deadly.

Fortunately, they were brought back to reality by the sound of clapping coming from Noctis in the second row.

"Well said! Well said! Truly, your insight befits that of a King!" Noctis chortled, his praise laced with amusement. Daeron gave a slow nod, acknowledging the sentiment.

"How so?" Nephis pressed, her voice firm.

Noctis tilted his head, a knowing smile curling his lips.

"After all, he is a shadow—a Divine one, no less. His existence is shaped by his will alone. Who else would he reflect, if not his own God?" he chuckled, his words hanging in the air like an omen.

"Reflect?" Modret murmured, intrigued.

Noctis nodded, his gaze distant in thought before he slowly turned back, his expression unreadable.

"Tell me... what is more important? Shadow or Light?" His voice rang through the room, carrying an eerie weight.

Some tilted their heads in confusion.

"The light...?" Rain muttered, uncertain.

"Both," Cassie answered without hesitation.

Noctis clapped his hands together, grinning. "Bravo! Full points!" His enthusiasm carried an unsettling edge, as if he were revealing a long-forgotten truth.

"Light and darkness are bound—one cannot exist without the other. Shadows cling to form, but they have no will of their own. For light to be recognized, shadows must exist. For shadows to take shape, light must shine. They do not oppose, they complete one another."

His words were woven with a quiet reverence, like a priest delivering a sermon of forgotten gods.

Then, he leaned forward, his voice dropping into a hush. "But what happens... if one abandons the other?"

A silence fell.

"Just get to the point," Gilead grumbled, his patience wearing thin.

Noctis sighed theatrically, feigning hurt before continuing, his voice now carrying the weight of something far more serious.

"It's simple. Light, left unchecked, is an untamed fire. It grows, expands, devours all within reach. But no matter how great it becomes, its hunger will exhaust it in time just as its ambition to change everything in its image, leaving only embers in its wake...."

His eyes darkened.

"But shadows... shadows are different. Without light to tether them, they are free. Unbound. No longer restrained by the forms they once chained to. They do not burn out. They do not falter. They wait. They watch. And when the time is right, they rise... and they devour everything."

The words carried a chilling finality, one that sent a shiver through those who listened.

Noctis exhaled slowly before continuing. "And that brings me to my point. As a Shadow, Sunny naturally has the ability to reflect another. But that raises a question, doesn't it?"

His gaze swept across the room, his voice lowering.

"Who does Sunny shadow?"

A murmur rippled through the group. Heads lowered in contemplation.

Noctis was right.

Who did Sunny shadow?

Nephis felt something stir within her—a creeping dread, deep and cold. Their bond had always felt like more than just love. Something deeper. Something inevitable. Something she felt, that had been pushed out of her memory for her own good.

And if her growing fear was correct... what did it mean for him to be her shadow?

And how had he become so...?

Others were equally as insightful, as the some heads from both Song and Valor briefly turned to look at Nephis, their eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Daeron's voice broke the silence, low and measured. "Your words are insightful, but we have heard more than needed. What are you getting at?"

At that, Noctis's expression darkened, his previous amusement vanishing like smoke.

"Because..." he whispered,

"I am afraid."

Solvanne arched a brow. "Afraid?"

Noctis nodded. "Because from what we've learned, Sunny is free—for the first time, a shadow walks without a master. And that can only mean one thing..."

He let the silence linger, letting them feel the weight of his next words.

"He has broken from his chains. Unlike any other shadow in existence."

The air seemed to grow heavier.

"The construct itself is irrelevant," Noctis murmured. "What matters... is what comes after."

A deep hush fell over the room.

Jet's voice barely rose above a whisper. "So..."

Noctis gravely nodded. "So now, Sunny is a free Divine Shadow. No longer bound. No longer restrained. He will grow... and grow... until he becomes the very darkness that we fear from birth."

His voice dropped lower, almost reverent.

"Without light, only darkness remains. And darkness never ends. It is only held back."

No one spoke. The implications hung over them like a storm cloud. Slowly, their gazes drifted back to the screen, where the battle raged on. The climax was evidently near.

Noctis leaned back, his voice barely a whisper.

"It means that a calamity unrestrained... has been released into existence."

As their bodies brushed against each other, a vast stretch of the Mantle cracked and shattered. The shadows below rippled, the internal structure of the shell twisting and breaking apart. The violent currents created by the passing of the Azure Serpent's body were slowing him down, and his dark flesh was sliced open by the creature's dorsal fin. His shell was bleeding shadows.

His essence was being burned. His mind was drowning in pain and derangement. 'More! More! More!' Despite knowing that it would cost him his life, Sunny felt compelled to bite into the enemy's flesh and never let go, to hurt the foe as much as he could, even if it meant death.

To rip apart. To devour. To destroy.

...Instead, he continued to dodge the attacks of the Azure Serpent with clarity and skill, all the while attacking with hatred and fury when he could. And, all along, he was leading the Great Beast upward.

Finally, they broke the surface and clashed again above the water.

The suns were gone, and the river had not started glowing yet. The shaking world was dark. With a stifled roar, Sunny dodged the fangs of the Azure Serpent and tried to bite into an open wound on its mangled body, where white bone could be seen.

However, before he could, the mad beast's tail crashed into him like an obliterating ram, sending fragments of the Mantle flying through the air and a blinding flash of pain piercing in his soul. 'Argh!' Sunny fell heavily into the water, and a tall fountain of white foam rose into the sky.

The Azure Serpent let out a demented growl and lunged at him, aiming to bite the hateful worm in half. ...Before he could, however, two arrows - one black, one white - fell from the darkness and pierced its flesh.

Saint and Nephis had joined the battle.

"Saint?"

Effie's voice was laced with amusement, but beneath it lay something sharper—calculation, curiosity, something unspoken. She studied Nephis with an expression that was both knowing and thoughtful, rubbing her chin as if piecing together a puzzle no one else could see.

Nephis, sensing her lingering gaze, turned to face her, eyes cold and unreadable.

"What?" she asked flatly.

Effie sighed, shaking her head in what almost seemed like disappointment. When she spoke again, her voice had lowered into a murmur, each word deliberate.

"You don't strike me as the type to share... at least, not with someone who should have the first claim."

Nephis tilted her head slightly, confusion flickering in her silver eyes.

"Share?"

But Effie ignored her, still lost in thought. Her gaze sharpened, as if following a thread of logic only she could see.

"If the old bones are right, and this was before he could make bodies... then that would mean she was willing. But I just don't see how that's possible."

Before she could continue, a hand landed gently on her own, grounding her back to the present.

Effie blinked, startled.

"What?" Nephis pressed, irritation creeping into her voice at the unwelcome distraction from the battle.

Effie studied her carefully before leaning in, her tone almost playful yet layered with something deeper.

"Are you rational enough to share... if the circumstances provide a good reason?"

Nephis hesitated. The question caught her off guard, though she did not show it.

"That would depend on the request and the situation," she replied flatly. "But I would need to know more."

A spark of satisfaction flickered in Effie's eyes.

"That's all I needed to hear."

Her smile was slow, knowing—dangerous.

Nephis still stared at her, uncomprehending, but something in Effie's wolfish grin unsettled her.

And then—

"It's just strange," Effie mused, her voice turning almost sing-song. "I always took you for the possessive type. I didn't think you'd be the kind to share with this Saint gal."

A cold shudder traced down Nephis's spine.

"There is no indication that this... Saint, is a woman."

Her voice was sharp, immediate—too immediate.

Effie merely raised her hands in mock surrender, the grin never leaving her lips.

"Right, right..." she murmured, leaning back, only to find Jet staring at her with an incredulous mix of mirth and disbelief.

"You... you are just unbelievable," Jet muttered, shaking her head.

Effie shrugged, unbothered. "I am merely a person of passion, cursed by my own flaw."

Jet kicked her in the shin.

Meanwhile, Nephis had turned back to the screen, but her focus wavered. Something about this entire conversation had unsettled her. Her fingers twitched slightly against the armrest of her chair, an unfamiliar sensation creeping into her chest.

It was strange.

Not remembering what they had been to each other.

Not knowing what they felt.

And now, this supposed other woman—this presence that loomed in her blind spots, unaccounted for.

Her gaze flickered toward Cassie, seeking insight.

Cassie only shrugged... and smiled, far too amused for Nephis's liking.

Nephis leaned back into her chair, her expression unreadable, but her thoughts in disarray.

This feeling...

Was it agitation?

The idea of another woman being close to Sunny, attached to him in ways she could not even recall—why did it itch at the edges of her mind?

'No... No. There are too many unknowns.'

She blinked, exhaling slowly, forcing her thoughts back into alignment. Her focus shifted, once more analyzing the battle raging on before her.

And yet—

The feeling remained.

The two arrows had not seriously wounded the Azure Serpent, but they had distracted it for a second. That second was enough for Sunny to shake off the terrible pain of having his soul damaged and slightly repair his shell.

Letting out a wrathful hiss, he shot forward and bit into the side of the leviathan. Even though the Shadow Shell had no taste buds, he could swear that he sensed the salty taste of blood on his tongue.

"That taste drove him into a frenzy."

'Devour... I am going to devour you... I am going to rip you apart!'

Forgetting the pain, forgetting the suffering, Sunny pressed his mighty jaws together in an attempt to savage and mutilate his enemy. It was only through an incredible effort that he forced himself to maintain control and let go, dashing aside just in time to avoid being trapped and crushed in the coils of the Azure Serpent's colossal body.

A drop of cold fear fell into the incinerating inferno of his fury.

'This is dangerous...'

Battling a Great Beast was already perilous enough. But the act of assuming the shape and form of a Nightmare Creature, of diving into its mind and heart so deeply, was in and of itself a great danger. Sunny had used Shadow Dance to read abominations before, but he had never tried to manifest himself into one of them. It was too easy to get lost in that state — maybe forever.

Even the True Name was not a panacea. He also had to maintain his sense of self... while simultaneously denying it.

Maybe this... this was the fourth step of Shadow Dance.

The ability to preserve his identity while becoming truly formless in mind, body, and soul — and thus infinitely malleable, like all shadows were. As Sunny nimbly dodged the attacks of the Azure Serpent and lashed out with his sharp fangs and crushing tail, more arrows fell from the darkness.

Saint was not using [Death Dealer] anymore, instead trying to weigh the leviathan down with the help of [Burden of Peace]. Nephis was continuing to poison the Great Beast with the toxin of the Bitter Cusp.

However, the abomination had quickly grown impatient with their harassment. Its movements changed slightly, and the next time the two shot their bows, a tall wave suddenly rose, washing the arrows away.

That gave Sunny an opportunity to deliver a vicious blow, however. Coiling himself around a mangled span of the Azure Serpent's body, he slithered forward. His sharp dorsal fin bit into the mad beast's flesh, shredding it like a saw. The soft glow of the brightening water was suddenly painted in a crimson hue.

'Die, die, die... I am going to kill you...'

The Azure Serpent growled and lunged at him, madness burning in its bleeding eye.

It was probably thinking the same.

"He's...insane" Telle whispered, popcorn now traveling into her mouth at light speed as the battle reached its critendo. Windflower, did not share the same optimism, as her face was complicated, her hand now faltering.

She turned to Daeron with a grieved and saddened look.

He could only hold her gaze, and offer a meak smile of reassurance in return. Because it was also hard for him to watch. Not because of his pride of losing in the scuffle, but the state he was in.

The sight, was deplorable.

An insult to what he represented and had built in his name, now reduced to some mindless creature filled with rage, hellbent on bringing destruction to everything around it.

His fingers slightly twitched, as he steadied himself, breathing a slight sigh of relief at the prospect that his subjects didn't have to see such a harrowing sight.

Others were still drawn to the scene, struggling to balance their ratiolanilty by absorbing new information, while also indulging in the glorious spectacle. To put it simply, it was tough. Even for Transcendants who functioned different than humans, they were also struggling to keep their mind steady at the sight of such a glorious battle.

Whether one was depraved enough to find joy in the flying blood, prideful enough to search out a battle or in general, human, there was something for everyone to find solace in the moment.

Solvanne was especially entranced, her lips curling into a maddening grin as she chanted under her breath, "Glory....glory.....glory....glory....glory"

Next to her, Noctis shifted uncomfortably, for once seeming to want to get away from the women next to him, when it was usually the other way round...

Everyone was for once, brought together by the brutal spectacle, all of their wills burning to see the conclusion of such a fight.

Both of them were already half-dead. He had to kill the enemy... but being killed by the enemy seemed inevitable instead. So, then...

The two outcomes were not necessarily mutually exclusive. Being killed did not directly stand in the way of achieving his goal. It was only the timing of his death that was the issue. Sunny was filled with an indescribable, furious determination to slay the Azure Serpent.

Nothing mattered in front of this hatred and this consuming need... least of all death. It would be all worth it if he could just feel the life leaving his enemy's bleeding body.

'Mutual destruction...'

Yes... yes, he liked it. He liked it a lot.

This was the advantage he so desperately needed. Dangerous flames ignited in Sunny's onyx eyes as he twisted his long neck and glared at the reeling serpent. The Great Beast must have been growing weaker, as well... his attacks and the arrows of his companions were slowly grinding down its boundless endurance.

The abomination had been a split second too late and failed to evade being rammed by Sunny's serpentine head. Which finally gave him the chance. First, the water. The water had been constraining Sunny, and so, he had to wrestle the control of it from the Azure Serpent first. With his understanding of the Great Beast and the experience of watching Naeve and Bloodwave fight, he could achieve dominance for a few moments, at least. Coiling his mighty body like a spring, Sunny shot forward with incredible speed.

He moved it in a specific way, forcing a powerful current to rush outward and collide with the opposing one, which had been created by the ancient leviathan. A great whirlpool appeared where the two currents collided, and he tore through it, unopposed. Second, the target. The target was the Azure Serpent's titanic spine.

Sunny had to sever it no matter what. Usually, the spine would have been protected by layers of impenetrable muscle, a layer of impervious skin, and a dreadful armor of indestructible scales.

But the mad beast had been mangled and mutilated by the long weeks of warding off marauding abominations and the eerily monstrous butterfly. Large chunks of its flesh were missing, revealing bone.

At a particular spot just below its head, a long span of the spine was revealed, too. That was a good target to choose, especially because the abomination would not be able to use its jaws to defend it. And, lastly — the advantage.

Sunny did indeed possess an advantage in the battle of mutual destruction. It was because the Azure Serpent was made of flesh, while he was made of shadows. If he sustained too much damage, the Shadow Shell was going to fall apart... but his incarnation, which was small and hidden in its depths, could survive. It was just a matter of luck. Either he would be destroyed along with the Shell, or get lucky and remain alive. But regardless of the outcome, the hateful leviathan would die.

'I am fine with that...'

Growling viciously, the black serpent shot through the shining waters of the Great River — and, discarding all pretenses of defense, closed his jaws on the Great Beast's spine.

"Impressive, he can still strategically think amidst such a maddened state" Saint Cor mumbled, his eyes twinkling with admiration

"Indeed, his wit in battle is remarkably polished....such a shame he's not loyal..." Gilead murmured.

Jest looked at him with an intrigued glint in his eyes.

"Oh? Something other than loyalty and disappointment exits your mouth?" he mocked, causing Gilead to glare at him but not take the bait.

Jest sighed in disappointment, leaning back.

"Just looks like a bunch or rabid animals to me" he sighed, his tone slightly disappointed.

Gilead shifted, now facing Jest, his face now stern. Jest leaned forward, seemingly delighted that he had taken the bait.

"Do not compare, such mannerisms to that of a.... mindless animal" he hissed, causing Jest to grin.

"Oh ho! Is that not what we're witnessing? A clash between beast?" he mocked in a receding tone.

Gilead stiffened as he remained silent, a slow grin forming on his usual placant face. The sight caused Jest to stiffen, like he'd seen a ghost.

"Yes...beasts....Great Beasts, something a miserable goat like you could never compare to...." he echoed, his voice sinister with a hint of glee.

The joy dropped from Jests face, as he leaned back, a look of annoyance on his face. Tyris silently watched the whole ordeal with a slight smile of amusement, that brought a shiver to Saint Roan.

'Mutual destruction...'

The words reverberated in Nephis's mind, all to familiar. They were words she lived by, something that had been burned into her existence.

"The essence of combat is murder...." she whispered.

Her hands clenched around the armrests as she took a deep breath. It was troubling. Every moment they learned more and more about Sunny, and Nephis learned more and more of the harrowing truth about how close he had been to her.

At first, she had been enamoured, but now she rarely dreaded every moment, as she rarely felt unease to what troubling or heartbreaking news she would learn next.

Unbeknownst to her, the whisper that escaped her lips had not gone unheard, as Rain looked at her incredoublously.

'T-The essence of combat is murder...is..is that not what he told me??'

Had his supposed, generous, teachings been a stolen sharrade. One from Changing Star nonetheless!? She felt like her body would explode from the vortex of emotions that raged inside her. She peered down to try and get an answer of from her Shadow.

It also starred at the screen, taken an interest.

"Hey...." she whispered under her breath, but the Shadow didn't respond.

"Ahem.."she coughed, her voice now louder. But the Shadow still payed her no mind.

Rain's eye twitched. Oh, so now it was too good for her? After taking refuge in her shadow like a straggler out of her generosity, it now took her presence for granted? Her lips qivered in agitation, tempted to yell and expose everything.

But as she moved to do so, it finally turned around and looked at her, staring, before its hands began to move.

"WEAK."

Rain's shoulders slightly shook, as she threw herself back into her seat with a sizeable amount of force, causing a look of concern from Ananke.

"I give up. Just get me out of here, take me back to my normal life, where I get heckled for being me" she grumbled.

This time, it was nephis who heard the whisper, as she herself turned slightly to look at Rain with concern, opening her mouth to speak. But immediately, she was cut off by Effie and everyone else shooting out of their seats.

"HOLY, HE'S ACTUALLY DOING!!" She screamed in excitement,

"Dear Gods....." Ananke whispered.

Sunny bit into the spine of the Azure Serpent, igniting what little strength he had left into a violent and furious blaze. Billowing, shadows and flame rose from his onyx scales and wreathed him like a burial shroud.

His eyes shone with mad, morbid, murderous malice and chillingly cold killing intent. His jaw pressed down with enough force to shatter mountains.

...But the spine of a Great Beast was much stronger than a mountain chain. It resisted his obsidian fangs, refusing to be broken, cracked, or even scratched.

'Die! Die!'

Drowning in fury, Sunny put all of his resolve, all of his hatred, and all of his desire into crushing the indestructible bone. He violently jerked his head left and right, gnawing on the spine like a rabid dog. If he could not bite through it, he would saw through it. If he could not saw through it, he would grind it down...

The Azure Serpent was going to die, no matter what. It was already half-dead, anyway...

However, so was Sunny.

He sensed the gargantuan body of the ancient leviathan moving, and coldly refused to pay it any attention. It did not matter how the mad beast would try to destroy him, or if it would succeed. Sunny had already discarded his survival instinct. The mad beast could not reach him with its harrowing maw, which meant that it was not going to be able to kill him instantly. That was all he needed to know.

As his fangs scraped against the spine of the Azure Serpent in a frenzy, the abomination's mangled body rose and ensnared Sunny like a crushing vice. Once he was caught in the coils, there would be no escape... he knew it, but he did not care.

All he cared about was the feeling of a thin, shallow crack finally appearing under one of his fangs.

The leviathan's spine... was giving.

'Die!'

As dark glee washed over his heart, the coils tensed, crushing his ravaged shell. The strength contained within them was unlike anything Sunny had experienced before. It was truly, and utterly, harrowing. Pressing down with harrowing strength, the Azure Serpent turned the marble carapace of the Mantle into stone dust. The serpentine body beneath it was instantly broken, the onyx scales shattering, sharp edges of broken bones piercing the skin and protruding from the horrid wounds.

There was blinding pain... but Sunny did not care.

More cracks appeared on the abomination's spine now, spreading and merging with each other, and he could feel the giant body of his enemy twitching in pain. He could also feel fragments of bone sinking beneath his fangs.

Instead of struggling to save himself, Sunny ferociously bit down on the damaged spine of the leviathan and persisted in his frenzied attempts to break and mutilate it.

'Let's see which one of us dies first, old snake... as long... as you die first... I don't mind dying second...' The dorsal fin of the Great Beast effortlessly cut into his shell, slicing it open like a saw. Instead of blood, darkness flowed out of the vivisected serpent, only to dissolve and disappear in the soft radiance of the glowing water. Sunny pressed his jaws together in all-consuming fury... and finally felt the bone crumble beneath his bite.

'Will my incarnation be destroyed? Or won't it?' Not that it mattered too much...

Killing the enemy was the only thing that mattered. There was nothing else!

A strange sound that was half a deranged roar and half a wail of agony escaped from his maw. His jaws started to slowly move toward each other. At the same time, the damage his body had received was nearing the level of being catastrophic.

By all accounts, his shell should have already come undone - but Sunny had submerged so deeply into the sensation of being a serpent that his absolute belief held it together, still. He felt the shadows part before the sharp blade of the leviathan's fin, opening a straight path to the tiny incarnation hidden within them.

Death was swiftly approaching...

It was....

How could...

Nothing would be able to properly describe what they were witnessing. It was something beyond words, beyond comprehension, beyond anything they had ever seen before.

A battle of pure, unrelenting will. A nightmare made manifest. A tragedy wrapped in the guise of victory.

They watched in horrified awe, their breath caught in their throats, unable to tear their eyes away, even Nephis, seemed disturbed by the carnage.The sheer madness of it, the relentless fury, the way he refused to acknowledge his own destruction—it was monstrous. It was divine. It was something that should not have been possible, and yet, there it was, unfolding before their very eyes.

The raw, suffocating killing intent that pulsed from his shattered body was unlike anything they had ever known. It was a force, a truth, a declaration to the world itself.

He was breaking. He was dying.

But even as his body was torn apart, his mind did not waver.

That was what sent shivers down their spines.

That was what made their souls tremble.

A calamity did not falter. A calamity did not beg for salvation. A calamity did not fear death.

And that was what he had become.

The crowd sat in silence, dread pooling in their stomachs, as they realized something chilling.

He was not fighting to survive.

He was fighting simply to destroy.

Effie opened her mouth unconscously,

"No way he-", but before she could finish her sentence, a deafening sound caused the everyone to shudder and the room itself to quake.

CRACK

For a split second, the shadow flame billowing from his mangled body ignited with startling intensity. In Sunny's mind, everything disappeared. The only thing that remained was an imperative resolve to kill the enemy.

His jaw snapped with a deafening clap.

In the midst of the sea of blood, one of the serpents fell, as the other rose, towering over its limp corpse. In its mouth, its severed head was motionless, soon falling into the sea with a deafening boom.

The Onyx serpent remained standing victorious as it opened it maw, bellowing an earth shattering roar that even the heavens seemed to tremble to.

As it did so, the voice of the spell sounded, its voice booming.

[You have slain a Great Beast, Daeron of the Twilight Sea.]

[You have received a Memory.]

The whispers flowed into his soul as darkness encroached on his mind.

[...Your shadow grows stronger.]

And with that, the viewing abruptly ended, bringing the room back to usual, as everyone remained in silence.

Too shocked....

From his brutal victory.

Not even Noctis, who routinely stood with applause after each viewing, made a noise, shock also pointed on his face. Everyone remained in silence, some in shock, others in aspiring awe, while some dreaded at Sunny's potential now that he was a Saint.

Strangely, it was Daeron who rose, and cleared his throat.

"Now that such is done, it is best we deliberate what piece of history we should choose, now that the rewards are present." he echoed,

Effie, however violently disagreed.

"As if! There's so much we've glossed over! The fact that his Aspect is completely different than what we thought, his whole Aspect Legacy, that creepy technique, not to mention the stange.....shadow dance" she yelled without pause, having to gasp for air as she finished.

Daeron looked at her, before turning his head.

"Rightfully, but Julius's hypothesis is very strong and self explanatory. What now interests me most is his connection to Shadow God, and more importantly the mystery behind the Shadow dance and his Legacy...."

"...."

"Something I feel we may learn in no better place, than the Shadow Realm, in the [Solace in Defiance] option" he boomed.

'The Shadow Realm....'

The one realm which alluded everyone, the home and resting place of all living beings. The domain of the most mysterious and elusive of the gods.

And more importantly....

The place where supposedly met a Fated friend from long ago....

One that was contrasted to be hated by death.

It was a tease too endearing. Beastmaster was especially interested at the prospect of another person of similar nature to Sunny, how else would they be Fated companions? Also, since the revelation of his allegiance to Valor in the future, it was not too bad to prepare spares...

"Can never be too drastic..." she cooed

"Let's do so" Nephis replied, causing looks of confusion.

Secretly, she also wanted to see what secrets it held, especially after her encounter with that bastard skeleton.....Eurys of the nine, who she had dropped off by the entrance to the underworld at his request.

If not the Underworld, what closer entrance was there to the Shadow Realm?

Daeron nodded as he looked around for complaint, but nobody disagreed. Maybe they were all still slightly dazed from the fight to form truisve thoughts.

"Reward option two, [Pieces of Lost history], option [Solace in Defiance]" he boomed with confidence.

Everyone adjusted themselves in their seats as the theatre once again began to change, the curtains moving again towards the screen, as everyone braced in anticipation.

They had not forgotten, the fear they felt upon the Mad Princes realization of their existence.

Whose to say that something else, and possibly far worse wouldn't do the same?

Transparency became apparent, as the world around them changed, causing gasps to ring out.

'This was....the Shadow Realm?'

It was.....vast. A sinister desert of umbrella sand that stretched forever. The sky was also dark, dull and bleak devoid of any sunlight, the only source of light being a strange twisting vortex in the distance. Strangely...there were no bodies, or any form of corpses in sight. They had a pretty good view, supposedly having been placed on a giant mountain.

"It's....kind of plain" Jet said in an estranged tone.

"What did you expect?" Kai asked, a look of confusion on his face.

She shrugged, "I don't know? Fiery pits where people burn for their crimes, vast swarms of abominations tearing each other apart? It's kind of like....a draft, compared to what should be the final project."

"You would rather their be eternal pain and torment?" he replied with an incredulous look.

Jet snorted, "When did I say I wanted that? It's just not what I expected" she sighed.

Everyone was equally enamoured by the sight. Noctis and Julius were both gleaming, seemingly glowing at the prospect of uncovering more about the world, while everyone else stared in awe.

"But...where is this friend?" Cassie asked in a confused tone,

Everyone craned their vision around the room, trying to spot something in the desolate scape. But it seemed like it was not trying to hide from them, but instead come to them. As far in the distance on one of the high rocks, a deafening boom sounded.

"What is..." Revel murmured in a confused tone.

"A fight? Aren't they supposed to be friends!?" Effie exclaimed in disbelief, causing a chuckle to sound from the second row.

"A complicated friendship perhaps." Mordret cooed, causing both Song and Valor to glare at them. But their attention didn't last, as a figured shot past them, and landed not too far away from their space.

It was....a woman

No....

A Shadow?

Her form was obsolete, strangely hazy. There was no discernable features, apart from a ragged cloak made from unknown origins that flapped around her body. Her limbs and face were both dark, a literal shadow, as fumes wafted up. In her arm, a battleworn dagger of sorts was clenched as she looked in the distance.

"Another contender?" both Effie and Beastmaster grumbled,

Nephis also narrowed her eyes in confusion, but everyones attention was shifted as Daeron abruptly rose, his eyes strained, a chilling look....of shock, on his face.

"A dead Sacred...." he murmured, causing everyone to freeze.

A Sacred!??!

Someone above the level of a Soveriegn, something nobody had ever heard of or seen before in their time. Questions bursted from their mouths with unwarranted curiosity to the dangers of knowledge.

"A SACRED!??! HIS FRIEND IS A DAMN SACRED!??" Effie yelled in disbelief.

"He truly has connections...." Noctis hummed.

Everyone looked at Daeron with wide eyes for an answer, as he paused before continuing.

"Not a true Sacred but something slightly less, a shadow of its former glory, thus why she is dead" his voice echoed.

"B-But she's dead! Dead! That's it, kaput! Once you die you're dead!" Saint Roan stammered in disbelief

Daeron stood silent, before a slow smile crept his lips, "So what?"

Eyes rows in question,

"What?"

Daeron continued, unfalerting, "So what if they're dead? The weak wait for permission to exist, and lie down when their end is said. But the strong create their own purpose. A Sacred is not just an existence, but a singularity, something that bends and shapes everything to their will. They are not spectators, but Architects of their own destiny. Who says that death is the end for them? Death is just the beginning, a trivial obstacle in their path. If it is their will to continue existing, who dares oppose them?" he announced, causing everyone to shiver.

"Such a thing is possible...?" Julius whispered, his eyes twinkling with awe

Daeron chuckled, "They are what makes the impossible, possible"

"But still, why would a Sacred willing befriend someone of lower status, it seems unjust of their nature..." Morgan questioned in a serious tone.

"I don't think that's his friend" Rain whispered, causing everyone to glare at her, her shoulders stiffening.

"Why?" Morgan hissed, her tone dangerously low.

Rain gulped, before squinting her eyes at something in the distance, an awkward smile on her lips.

"Because I think he wants it dead" she muttered, as something blinked in the distance, before crashing not too far away, causing a plume of smoke to rise and the mountain to shudder.

What emerged, caused everyone's knees to tremble.

A dark figure clad in a fearsome onyx armour. His hair was snow white as it flowed in the wind, contrasted heavily with the fearsome dark mask of a daemon on his face, the mask of weaver. On his back, to grand wings similar to Nephis's rose, except their color was endlessly dark, like an abyss.

In his hands a fearsome odachi rested, while countless other seven armed hands protruded from his sides and back, having chosen to manifest them.

If death had an appearnce.....this was it.

The shadows seemed to bow in fear to their glorious ruler, as light seemed to be absorbed by his presence, like a black hole.

It was Sunny, although they couldn't believe it.

And he was equipped for war.

A low voice, hissed from his figure, "Miserable wretch, why can't you just let Shadow claim you?"

As everyone watched the fearsome figure approached, a booming laugh sounded from the crowd. It was Daeron.

"Ahahah! Such an endevarous, yet treacherous shadow! Of course he would hunt down even a Sacred!" he chortled, a look of rare shock on windflowers face at the sight.

"H-He...he's fighting a Sacred?" Nephis asked in a low tone

Daeron smiled wryly,

"What else? Perhaps the Gods and Daemons are lucky they have vanished from the world...as they would soon meet their end by being hunted by him. One could maybe even say they got the more fortunate ending! Such an overachiever, if he couldn't fight a God, he chose the second closest thing.....a Sacred" he mumbled in fascination.

"Then he is also Supreme in this moment..?" Seishan asked in a low tone.

Daeron shook his head, "No...it is not his style to be slightly below for such a matchup. But...he's close"

Nephis slightly shook.

'Close?'

Did this mean that he had grasped the secret of ascending to Supremacy without the Spell? If so....how far ahead of her was he? She became slightly giddy at the thought.

"But it's still a Sacred" Tyris said flatly,

Daeron leaned back, his lips curling in amusement, "All the more reason for him to hate them so much...."

A Sacred.... A being descended like a celestial verdict, its radiance absolute, a beacon of order that tolerated no flaw. Its every movement was ordained, every word a decree from existence itself. They were not a force, but existence itself.

Yet before it stood a Sunny.

An Error

Singularity of Fate

The Flaw of Existence.

The Shadow of Calamity.

A being that should not exist, a mistake in the fabric of the world, wrapped in shadows deeper than oblivion. It did not defy fate—it had already shattered it. Where the Sacred one moved with ordained purpose, the Error lurched with chaotic inevitability, its presence a wound in the very concept of being. Death coiled at its fingertips, not as an end, but as an unraveling of all things.

Reality refused to accept his existence.

What better way to vent his wrath, than to rid the intruder from his home and his heritage. An intruder in contrast to him, who was loved and recognised by existence.

What better satisfaction could one get...

Than brutally crushing such an ignorant bug?

The feelings were mutual, as the Shadow on the screen moved.

It seemingly listened to his words, slightly tilting its head. It had no mouth, nor was it capable of speech. Yet it seemed to recognise his hatred, as the shadows around its feet stirred.

It slowly raised its arm, pointing the dagger towards him.

No words were uttered, but the gesture spoke plenty, as it seemed to taunt him and his nature.

"Come try little Shadow"

Sunny's face was hidden behind Weaver's mask, but his bloodlust was more than present.

A slow wave of movement rippled through the room. One by one, the onlookers rose from their seats. Their heads bowed slightly—not in fear, but in acknowledgment. They thought the fight with the Skinwalker was the pinnacle, but it was in fact merely the crescent.

Above Master, Saints and even Supremes, at the level of a Calamity.

But this....