Shadow Slave Cinema (reaction fanfic)-Chapter 19: History lesson

"Who…who dares to pry into my secrets?"

…..

Strange, wasn’t it all too strange? No matter how much they learned and thought they rose, ignorance seemed to be an unseen necessary equilibrium to all desire.

The past often reflected itself in the future.

But that didn’t mean the same mistakes had to as well.

Muscles were tense and heartbeats were quickened, their breaths however, were rhythmic and trained, willing their body to calm down. The crowd remained stiff, like statues in a cemetery, while their emotions were more than alive.

Their eyes remained locked at the scene, unwavering, not a betrayal distraction.

A shame, if they had glanced away for a split second….

They might have noticed a strange sight.

On the floor by Rain’s feet, her shadow was now quite alive compared to how it had previously been. It lurched back and forth like an impatient child, as its arm’s flailed and pointed erratically. It seemed to be amused…or angered? Maybe the two emotions had merged into one after so many years of maddened solitude an torture.

But it was clearly trying to communicate or convey what it had on its mind, it’s just that no clear answer or feeling could be discerned behind its actions.

’Haha! What an audacious fossil, come! Join me in the shadows, it’s getting quite lonely here! Perhaps we can pull our cunning intellect together to escape this predicament and slaughter every miserable wretch in this room!’’

Or was it something more along the lines of….

’Treacherous bastard! I got this shadow first, it’s my home! If you somehow get pulled into this place, expect to get kicked out, trying to infringe on my squatters rights!’

It’s actions only ceased as Sunny seemed to recover himself on the screen.

’What is this lunatic saying now?’

"Strange, you say you can’t die, but your mind seems to be failing you"

The skull somehow snorted in response:

"You can’t hear those strange murmurs?"

Sunny’s eye twitched, suddenly overcome by a strange urge to punt the skull with as much force as he could. His voice sounded out, now slightly aggravated:

"What murmurs! If anything made noise in this place, you would only hear it right before it killed you!"

The skull seemed to consider something for a lengthy while, before it’s usual annoying humor returned:

"Bah! No mind, not something the puny likes of you could understand…"

Sunny only stared, the urge now having taken over his body, as he now had to will his body into submission into not kicking the miserable skull with the force of a Transcendent Titan.

"You were just praising me as an exalted being, a Divine Shadow, a few moments ago"

The skull only laughed.

"Exalted you are, but heavily flawed as well! It’s strangely insulting to see one of such origin be so...flawed, ha!"

...

So….he had heard them?

Clearly not at the same awareness of the Prince of Madness who mentioned something about sensing and hearing them through their shadows.

But Euyrs, didn’t have such abilities.

Atleast to their knowledge.

Nephis’s eyes narrowed, deep in thought.

’This….is this the utilization of Will? Is that how he heard us?’

It seemed both logical and illogical at the same time. Will, being able to harness and utilize it in such a way….it didn’t seem like something a human could do. But the path to ascension made those who walked it less and less human. From being slightly stronger and using strange abilities, to having their entire being rebuilt and pulled into a realm of its own. It was frightening to reminisce about how simple the past had been, but they could only move forward.

Thus, it only seemed possible for Will to be wielded in such a manner.

It was also valuable to Nephis, every second they were in this place, it felt like she was indirectly learning more and more about the secrets to the path of Supremacy. Even more so, on why Daeron had been slightly more reserved in recent moments.

But apart from that, she was slightly envious.

If Euyrs and the Mad Prince could do it…..

Could Sunny also hear them?

Even more so, could he possibly be brought to the space? Naturally it would be a complicated nightmare on what would happen. But momentarily, she desired nothing more, being able to see and touch him after learning so much.

...

Was it wrong?

Desire in itself was a selfish construct.

Sunny shook his head.

"You said this is Shadow God’s corpse, if so…..then what killed him?"

Hearing his question, Eurys chuckled.

"What killed Death? My, oh my! I wish I knew. Sadly, by the time the gods perished, I was already nailed to that damned tree. The view from there was not great."

Sunny stared at him somberly. Somehow, he doubted that the skeleton was being entirely honest. The white skull betrayed no emotion, however.

Eventually, Eurys offered him a bone:

"I doubt it were the daemons, though. By the end of it all, they were losing the war pretty badly. Otherwise, I would not have been captured by the warriors of the Divine Host, would I?" He laughed.

Sunny surmised two things from that statement.

First, that at least one of the Nine — Eurys — had participated in the Doom War under the banner of the Demon Army.

Second… that the daemons seemed to have lost the war, or at least had been close to losing it near the end. That was the first true piece of information about the Doom War he had received. Sunny smiled darkly.

"...Are you sure that you weren’t the one who killed Shadow God? I’ve heard that you boasted once about slitting a god’s throat."

Eurys exploded with laughter after hearing that.

"Oh… so you have met that abominable girl, it seems! Good, good. I’m glad that she has survived, nephilim or not."

Heads slowly turned to the direction of the first row, the rest of the cohort slightly raised their shoulders. After not having mentioned or brought up their existence, it did indeed seem like he was more limited in sensing them. Thus, someone finally spoke up.

"You’ve met this ancient jokester?" Jest piqued, his face a strange mixture of humor and hostility.

They all paused, waiting to see a noticeable reaction to the voice. But Eurys didn’t change.

Morgan nodded, a cold smile forming on her lips, "Indeed, please tell us, isn’t it natural for family to share…..sister?"

Nephis’s shoulders slightly tightened, as the faces of the cohort became dark. After a moment of silence Nephis turned to face the crowd, her face with usual indifference, but clearly hiding a storm of emotions.

"Yes I have met him, but it’s not something I think fondly of" she echoed in a still voice.

Jest cocked his eyebrow, "Oh? And how so?"

Nephis only stared at him, "Is it not natural to want to forget about such time? Those moments only bring pain"

Her words struck something in Jest. His expression shifted, then went carefully blank. As if something old and buried stirred within him.

Slowly, he lowered himself, his face grim, his gaze turning inward. Even Gilead seemed to be slightly perturbed by the unceremonious reaction.

"But it is important nonetheless for connections to form so we may all leave this place" Julius commented, his tone quiet and careful.

The intensity in her gaze seemed to flicker, as she hesitantly continued:

"Years ago, back when I was trapped in that hell, I met him, and then subsequently found and conquered…..my Second Nightmare"

The air vibrated at the remark.

Who hadn’t heard about the incredulous tale? A trial deemed an impossibility, that the Changing Star of the Immortal Flame had conquered, and thus rose into the world like a pillar of light. A light of bravery.

A light of change.

Even Daeron’s eyes slightly widened. He was not completely familiar with the concept of "Nightmares" from pieces of information from their time, but he was piecing bits together. But more importantly, he felt it.

He felt the shift in the air, as the wills of those who knew, seemed to quell and kneel before the statement.

His eyes shone with a twinkle of admiration, as his lips slightly curled. A sign of content, of recognition, from one valiant ruler, to one destined to be from birth.

"The future is quite fearsome…." he whispered.

"Did he also mention in such detail about his feat of apparently….slitting the throat of a God?" Julius echoed, his tone slightly impatient and eager.

"No, really! How does one even do something so simple sounding, there must be more to it" Saint Helie voiced

Nephis briefly nodded,

"He briefly mentioned it, but never in such detail, nor with so much extra information"

Noctis clapped his hands,

"Seems he has a growing soft spot, or a spiteful spot for our shadow!" he chuckled.

Mordret also stared at the scene, his face complicated as a rare, honest smile, found itself on his face, "Solace in defiance, two slaves who are hated by existence"

He chuckled, his desire to learn his connection to Sunny only growing.

"Is it any wonder they understand each other?"

He paused for a moment, and then chuckled.

"Yes, I did indeed tell her that I had slit a god’s throat once. However, I never said that it had killed the god! What kind of god would die from such a trifle?"

Sunny winced from the amount of nonsense he had been subjected to in the last few minutes.

’What? What does he mean?’

"...I thought you said that the Shadow Realm was Shadow God’s corpse? His body was quite huge, then. Pray tell, how would one slit the throat of an entire realm?"

The skeleton, who had remained motionless all that time, finally moved.

Eurys… shook his skull, the bones scraping unpleasantly against each other.

"No, but what kind of divine shadow are you? Don’t you know anything, boy?" Sunny scowled.

"How am I supposed to know anything if the god who was supposed to cast me is dead?!"

Eyrus stared at him silently for a while, then returned to his previous pose and grew still once again.

"A better question would be how can you even exist, but… fair is fair. To answer your questions — gods were indeed vast and unfathomable, but they took mortal vessels from time to time. Avatars, as some called them. Those were easier to reach."

Sunny blinked a couple of times. Mortal avatars… that he could wrap his head around. After all, he had avatars of his own, even if they were not exactly the same. What surprised him more was that Eurys seemed to have no idea about how Sunny had come to be a Shadow Slave.

Well… it made sense, in hindsight.

The talkative skeleton seemed like someone who knew so much as to almost seem omniscient, but reasonably, that knowledge only encompassed the past. If he had really spent thousands of years nailed to a tree in the Nightmare Desert, he would not know anything about what had happened after the final days of the Doom War.

To him, the Nightmare Spell was merely a fringe cult that a small group of believers was spreading secretly in the Mortal Realms. He would not know what Sunny and Nephis really were, or how they had come to be that way. Sunny tilted his head a little, suddenly coming up with another question.

It was hard to collect his thoughts because there were too many things he wanted to ask, but that one was, perhaps, the most vital.

Effie frowned, "Why is his personality all over the place? Is he bipolar? He acts like a badly written plot character in a story"

She turned to the others, but they could only shrug, seemingly also equally confused. The girl, Rain, was still seemingly petrified, while her shadow strangely flicked. Ling was growing slightly agitated, unable to follow along, while Ananke sat in silence, seemingly soaking up all the information.

She turned for Nephis for her opinion on the matter, but stopped.

Strangely, she seemed to be very agitated.

When Sunny had uttered the words Shadow Slave, Nephis had tensed. But now, seeing her fully, Effie realized the depth of her reaction.

Her hands clenched the armrests with such force that her knuckles had gone white—no, blue. Tiny beads of sweat slid down her neck, yet her face remained eerily dry. Her eyes were wide, pupils shaking.

She looked like someone drowning in the past.

Effie’s teasing smirk faded.

’Come on now… I was just trying to lighten the mood. Why are you acting like you’re remembering… I don’t know, enslaving him or something?’

Slowly, she reached out and placed a hand on Nephis’s shoulder. The moment her fingers touched her, Nephis flinched.

Effie softened her grip.

"Hey… are you feeling okay? You don’t look as radiant as usual."

Nephis turned to her, dazed, before glancing down at her own hand. She wiped her neck, staring at the sweat glistening on her fingertips. Her voice, when she spoke, was quiet.

"Strange… when he said Shadow Slave, I just…"

Her gaze grew distant, heavy with something unspoken.

"I just… my body reacted. I don’t know why, but it was terrible. It reminded me of the worst of times… and yet—"

She hesitated, swallowing back her words.

"…"

"The feeling was worse than anything I’d ever known. Like everything in existence was screaming, like the very fabric of the world was… wrong."

Effie’s heart clenched.

She hadn’t meant to do this—to pull at something buried so deep.

But Nephis wasn’t done.

"It’s happened before. Some words… spark memories. And then, just for a moment, I see someone’s eyes."

"I don’t know whose they are, but…"

"....."

Her voice wavered, barely above a whisper.

"They’re just so painfully sad. Like everything they loved was taken from them."

She wiped her face, then turned to Effie, her expression raw.

"And the worst part is… I think they belong to Sunny."

Silence fell.

"I think that I did something so indescribably terrible to hurt him in the past. And yet….I can’t remember anything"

The words seem to have a life of their own, a human life; as they moved with spite and anger, piercing Cassie who sat next to her. Her face also growing dark, as her lips slightly quivered.

Because she knew.

She didn’t remember but she knew from the viewings, that indirectly she had caused him to lose his Fate and be forgotten by everyone and everything.

Behind her blindfold, which hid both herself and her emotions from the world, a lone tear escaped and rolled down her face.

"Friends..."

"...."

Her lips quivered into a pathetic smile, "What type of friends are we to have hurt him so much, and yet he still fought with us…."

Effie’s face was now pained, deeply regretful of having opened such a Pandora’s box of emotions that usually remained frozen and shut, now overflowing. Awkwardly, she grabbed Nephis’s shoulders and she slightly shook her.

"Y-You…such an overthinker! We don’t even know the full story, and yet here you are, thinking so far ahead into the future, or uhhhh….the past! Instead of the present!" she weakly chortled.

"Maybe we’ll get to see what you’re speculating, it’s probably just a silly, meaningless fight you two had! You’re describing it like it decided everything" she weakly chortled.

The honest joke was enough, Nephis blinked.

Then, slowly—hesitantly—the tightness in her expression eased. Her usual glow, though faint, started to return.

By her side, Ananke placed her hand over hers, a warm forgiving smile on her face:

"She’s right. Only time will tell, time will tell all.." she lamented.

All the while, Rain listened while still trapped between them, coughing a choked sound.

Everyone turned to look at her.

Her face was frozen in an expression of absolute horror, like a child trapped in a war she never enlisted in.

Her lips trembled.

"…it’s just strange" she croaked. "From what I can remember, i’m not infected….and yet I can’t help but have second thoughts that i’ve been dragged into a Nightmare designed for me"

Effie snorted.

Nephis blinked at her—then, to Effie’s surprise, let out the faintest, faintest chuckle.

And just like that, the suffocating weight in the air began to subside, as the screen flashed again.

"...You are the first being from the ancient times I’ve met who is not entirely insane and consumed by Corruption. How come?"

Eurys stared at him with the black gaping holes of his empty eye sockets.

"Haven’t you met that abominable girl, as well?" Sunny scoffed.

"That’s different! She’s from the waking world, just like I am."

The skeleton let out a chuckle. "The waking world? What’s that?"

Sunny suppressed a sigh.

’He’s clueless.’

After lingering for a few moments, Sunny tried to explain:

"The waking world… is the last of the Divine Realms. There are people still living there, free of Corruption. The rest of them, as well as all the Mortal Realms, have already been swallowed up by the Dream Realm, and are only populated by Nightmare Creatures — that’s what we call the Corrupted Ones. However, our world is being consumed by the Dream Realm too, piece by piece."

Eurys sighed. "Oh… then you and your people must be fighting against the Corruption with all your might, united against a common foe. What brilliant camaraderie! No wonder a divine shadow and an abominable nephilim can exchange words so freely."

Sunny coughed in embarrassment.

"Actually… currently, my people are at war. With each other. Have I mentioned that the last Divine Realm is the Realm of War God?" Eurys remained silent for a long while, and then suddenly exploded with laughter. This time, he laughed longer than usual, and his laughter seemed different from before. It was tinged with mysterious darkness.

After a while, the white skull turned a little to stare at Sunny.

"War God? My, oh my! Such irony."

Julius continued to practically froth at the mouth, his hands fidgeting, trying to grab anything he could use to write it all down.

He was slightly willing to risk it all and ask for a pen and a notebook, but his calculative demeanour outweighed the pros and cons.

At the mention of the War God, a smug look found itself on Morgan’s face, as she turned to send a message to the puppets of the Beat God heir. But her actions halted physically, as the words that spoke next seemed to command her.

He paused for a moment, and then added: "You asked who the Nine were? Well… to tell you the truth, child of War…"

His tone turned a little cold.

"Regardless of who we were, we hated War God and her children the most."

A ripple of tension spread through the Valor Saints. Some stiffened, their faces darkening, while others exchanged unreadable glances. Across from them, smirks curled on the lips of the BloodSisters.

Morgan remained motionless, back still turned, hiding the slight twitch in her jaw.

BeastMaster clapped her hands, her grin wide and mocking. "Wow! Spoken by such an accomplished being—Valor really picked the wrong god to follow!"

"The only god whose realm hasn’t been corrupted yet," Gilead muttered, his voice low and sharp.

A scoff came from above.

"We’re all children of War, in a sense," Tyris said flatly. "Born and raised in her domain."

"Please." Silent Stalker sneered. "This isn’t my world by choice. I’m just living in it."

"Ravenheart is the only world that matters," Deathsinger added.

The Valor Saints bristled, muscles tensing as they prepared to snap back. But before they could, a quiet sigh cut through the rising hostility.

Daeron, seated in the second row, exhaled softly.

’Truly, this Nightmare Spell has babied these warriors, they wouldn’t last a second in our world…’

’Honor is merely a code to help someone walk a righteous path, it’s directive is truly not to govern nor decide an individual’s purpose’

He briefly glanced at Julius, the person who he had only been quite fond of since his arrival. Noticing the look, he coughed to catch everyone’s attention as he rose.

"Please, are we glossing over what our ears have just been graced with? Divine realms! Bodies of Gods! Avatars, isn’t a revelational wonder to gawk at instead!"

His gaze swept the room as he honestly smiled, his demeanor slightly calming the tension, as others began to consider the plausibility and seriousness of the information.

Saint Roan shifted, "It would explain a lot with the Dream Realms geography…..why the Chained Isles differ so drastically compared to Bastion, or Storm Sea"

"Still….why would the geography differ so greatly if it’s in the body of one God" Kai murmured

Noctis blinked, confusion on his face.

"How strange your education must be, it’s natural knowledge that the Storm Sea is the realm and the body of the Storm God!" he chortled.

Kai hesitated. His tone wavered.

"T-Then why is it part of the Dream Realm?"

Noctis raised a confident finger—then paused. A crease formed between his brows.

"...That is something my brilliant mind cannot answer," he declared proudly.

Solvanne snorted.

Julius, who had been absorbing everything, suddenly whispered, almost to himself:

"Then… does that mean all the Divine Realms are merging? That the landscapes, the shifting environments, all belong to different divine bodies—melding into something new?"

His eyes widened as the realization hit.

A silence fell over the room.

"Then there’s something even more grand which is going on, something that everyone including the Supreme’s is ignorant of…." Saint Cor said in a wistful tone.

"No…"

Eyes moved to trace the source of the sound, landing on a seat in the front row, as a figure rose, golden locks shifting.

"It’s not hidden knowledge, it’s just forgotten," she echoed.

"Then…" Saint Helie wavered, her tone uncertain, "You suggest that you knew this knowledge?"

Cassie tilted her head, "Of course not, but someone else did"

Slowly she raised her finger, diverting attention back to the screen.

"The Tomb of Ariel, the prison meant to guard some terrible truth, something the Prince of Madness learned and was tormented by through thousands of years of corruption."

She paused, taking a deep breath:

"And something which only Sunny likely knows, after escaping both the Tomb and Fate, it seemed like the only compromise existence would allow in exchange for such knowledge"

…..

’Do not trust the God’s and their vain lies’

The chilling final statement the Mad Prince had left them with before being silenced. Or so they thought, as still unbeknownst to everyone on the floor, Rain’s shadow was once again active.

Furiously shaking like an impatient toddler, wanting to proudly tell the information he had been carrying for so long.

"And yet he’s done nothing" Saint Gilead sighed, disappointed in his tone.

Effie shot up, "Hey asshole! Everyone and everything forgot about him! His life was not one shackled by stupid pride and honor, you think he’d immediately slave away without taking some time alone to breathe?"

Morgan raised a mocking eyebrow, "Slave away? All while making pancakes and coffee in a cafe under the noses of everyone?" she jeered.

Effie’s hand curled into a fist,

"They’re damn good pancakes! Even the God’s would enjoy them if they were alive!"

Ling punched his fist up in a mimicking manner, "And the ice-cream" he cheered. Morgan only glared at him in response, as Effie’s face became dangerous.

"We don’t know what he’s been doing all this time, we forgot after all" Jet said in a placant tone.

"Well, apart from fighting dead Sacred beings and other abominations, doesn’t seem like a lot" Luster said in a sarcastic manner.

Telle and Windflower glanced at each other with an estranged look, both understanding bored at the disruption to the show.

"Why complain and speculate when we can get answers just by quietly watching" Ananke softly murmured.

Noctis clapped his hands, his face alleviated, "Well said, the show must go on!"

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Strangely, the Cinema seemed to also agree for once, as the screen continued.

’So the Nine were determined to destroy the Empire…’

And Auro had been only posing as a loyal imperial soldier. No wonder he had seemed so different from the rest of the slavers…

It was a tantalizing piece of information.

Still. In Sunny’s First Nightmare, Auro had been merely an Awakened swordsman, and one who did not seem to have unsealed his Aspect yet, at that. So, the Nine must not have been that powerful back then. How had nine people hoped to destroy an empire that enjoyed the favor of a god?

He wanted to know more.

"So, it was just the nine of you against the entire Empire?" Eurys scoffed.

"Questions, questions, questions… you are so full of questions, boy. Why are you so interested in the ancient past, anyway?"

Sunny smiled darkly, reminding himself to be polite and ingratiate himself with the mysterious skeleton. "Oh. Two reasons, mainly…"

’Be nice, be polite. You need to get into his good graces!’ His mouth moved on its own:

"Because we are still paying for the sins committed by you vile bastards in that ancient past! If you impossible, abhorrent fools did not go and break the damn world back then, I wouldn’t have been so desperate to learn how to fix it, would I?!" Eurys just stared at him silently with empty eye sockets.

He did not seem too offended, but... Sunny took a deep breath and held it, struggling to suppress his scathing fury. The seventh incarnation, meanwhile, spoke in a more neutral tone:

"Well, and also — you might not know it, but the Nightmare Spell has been running rampant for thousands of years. These days, it is more or less the only god that exists. The Dream Realm, meanwhile, is blooming with what we call Nightmare Seeds, and if you enter one, the Spell gives you a special trial. That trial takes the form of an event from the ancient past,so knowing more about the past makes it easier to survive there." He paused, then added:

"Obviously, the Nightmares are quite deadly. So one would naturally have no reason to enter one, except for the fact that if a blooming Seed is left intact, it will continue to infect the world with Corruption. Something like that, at least."

For the first time, Eurys seemed a little surprised.

"Weaver’s little spell? So it has gotten that powerful? Huh… how surprising. No wonder that abominable girl reeked of daemon, then."

Sunny’s eye twitched. ’...Little spell?’

He took another deep breath and forced his original body to speak:

"So, what? Are you going to persecute me needlessly just because of where I come from? Let me tell you something, Eurys…"

He looked at the skeleton somberly. "...being petty is unbecoming of a gentleman! Spitefulness is a hideous thing, a blemish on one’s character, and an obstacle on the path to virtue. An enlightened man must know how to let go of grudges and embrace forgiveness! Tolerance and compassion pave the road to grace!"

Of course, Sunny was no gentleman, had no interest whatsoever in being virtuous, considered enlightened values to be synonymous with foolishness, and preferred to stay as far away from grace as possible, lest he catch it. But the ancient skeleton did not need to know that. Eurys remained silent for a while, then sighed.

"My, oh my… how eloquent! Don’t you worry, boy. I wasn’t going to act on my distaste for your kind — it’s all in the ancient past, anyway. Let bygones be bygones. I was just contemplating how deeply ironic it is, that after thousands of years, the only ones who remain are the children of War. You can’t even imagine." Sunny grinned.

"Well… I’ll be able to imagine if you explain things properly." The skeleton stared at him silently for a while.

Then, Eurys chuckled. "Ah, but you expressed how desperate your need for knowledge is. So why should I share mine for free?"

A thud sounded out, as people turned in their seats in a startled manner.

However, nothing could have startled them more than the sight before them. As the self-proclaimed Lord of the East, Noctis, was now rolling on the ground before his seat, howls of laughter escaping his mouth as tears formed in his eyes.

His laughter lessened as he wheezed for air, having laughed so passionately,

"Gods, I just….I can’t get enough! Hahaha! I love it, I love it so much! This place brings me here and shows and teaches me such things, and now it puts on the most humorous display of jesters I’ve seen in all my years!" he choked.

He slowly pulled himself back into his seat, Solvanne facing the other way, a look of disgust and disbelief on her face, not wanting to associate with him. Like a parent too embarrassed to stop their child from acting out.

Slowly he wiped the tears from his face, "Ahh! Such audacious and treacherous bastards, even with their lives on the line in such a predicament, they have the spite to barter with each other!"

Everyone stared at him in disbelief.

"ARE YOU INSANE!?! He just revealed and mentioned that he is on the path to becoming a Supreme, a supreme, S-U-P-R-E-M-E! And you’re absorbed by their bickering!" Kai yelled in disbelief.

Noctis finally adjusted himself, a wry smile on his face, "Oh, that’s quite fascinating as well, i’ve been meaning to become Supreme for a bit now"

The others looked at him in disbelief, as a chuckle sounded from the first row, even catching Nephis by surprise.

"It is quite theatrical….." Ananke joked, a wistful smile on her face.

Amidst the split reaction a noise sounded out, grabbing their attention. Strangely, the images were shifting again, but…..there was no noise. Instead, a strange static noise played as Sunny’s mouth continued to move.

The damn thing…..was censoring the information!

How audacious, even after having kidnapped its audience, it now had the gall to censor and hide information like a stingy copyright directive!

Eyes twitched.

"T-This! This damn thing is censoring the information! Lousey swindler!" Effie yelled, waving her fist.

Daeron sighed, "It’s only natural after all since he’s close"

Heads turned, in his direction hungry for answers.

Daeron looked around, unamused and unimpressed, "What else? He’s naturally giving advice on how to become Supreme…"

’Become Supreme…..’

...

Mouth hung agape in shock and disbelief, a cry sounding out:

"B-BUT THAT’S NOT FAIR! HOW CAN HE JUST HAND OVER THE INFORMATION!" Luster cried out.

Saint Cor snorted,

"You’d think it be so easy, then there’d be much more historical remains of countless Supreme’s"

"Still!" Rain croaked, a mixture of envy and jealousy in her voice, having not even Awakened yet.

Mordret joined in, shrugging his shoulders, "Who says it’s for free? I can imagine those bones are swindeling him right now"

Noctis turned, grinning in amusement, "Rightfully so! About time he got a taste of being on the receiving end!"

At the wording, Effie shot Nephis a cheeky grin, but she skillfully sensed it coming and ignored it.

"It makes sense after all" Revel murmured, "He’s been forgotten by even the Spell, it is only natural for him to seek out such information in desperation."

"Besides, it likely isn’t such a carefree process. The information provided is likely akin to a formula, how one applies and uses that formula in the problem, is up to the person. Results can and paths can be different even with similar starts" Julius echoed.

"Rightfully said," Daeron chimed in.

Heads turned around in disarray, unsure whether to be shocked or relieved by the mixture of reactions to the matter.

Jet huffed, "Again, what’s with you people? You’re still being surprise by new informa-"

As she spoke, the crackling subsided as Sunny’s voice once again sounded in their ears.

"I’ve killed countless beings that were way more powerful than me, you know? How come I am not Supreme yet?"

The skeleton stared at him for a while, then offered helpfully:

"I guess they weren’t powerful enough?"

A quiet groan escaped from Sunny’s mouth. "What are you talking about? I am a mere Transcendent, and yet I go around routinely killing Great Nightmare Creatures. I killed my first Sovereign back when I was an Ascended, in fact… granted, he was already consumed by Corruption and no different from a beast by then. Hell, I killed a Great Devil as a Dreamer!"

Eurys was seemingly taken aback.

He remained silent for a few moments, then mumbled in a puzzled tone:

"My, oh my…" Then, the skeleton stared at him with reproach.

The words seemed to have a will of their own, carrying physical force.

As soon as they left his mouth and traveled through the room, they seemed to physically punch every single person, causing some to stagger and others to sway while clutching their head.

The assault didn’t end there, instead following up with an even more devastating blow.

"You know what, I’m in no mood for your antics. In fact, I am tired, spent, and in pain. My soul is damaged, and my body is full of holes. How about you get over your indignation and give me actual advice?"

Eurys laughed.

"Well, I don’t know. Have you tried… not killing something?" Sunny frowned.

"I did. In fact, I was attacked by thirteen Saints recently, and I only killed six... wait, was it six? I think it was..."

Eurys lowered his skull in dejection.

’What is that bastard so dejected about?’

POW

Their bodies jolted, blood rushing to their head as they started to become lightheaded from the information overload.

’Great Devil…..’

’Thirteen Saints…’

’Six dead…?’

Eyes twitched as lips quivered, some groans of exhaustion and defeat sounding out.

Effie clutched her face, dragging it to down, her eyes tired, "Just….just take me back to the Sunphis Lounge…..take me home"

Even Jet seemed to be overwhelmed by the surge of emotion, despite already being dead, as she leaned back massaging her temples, "For once we can agree on something" she murmured.

’A Great Devil...a Great Devil as a sleeper’ Rain muttered in a trance, her eyes spinning.

Even Daeron displayed a rare look of utter disbelief, his eyes wide open. Windflower was even more shocked, both at the information and the alien-like display of emotion on her father’s face.

The curtains began to shift, color now returning to their delight as they began moving back to their original places.

Sunny muttered a curse.

A few moments later, the mysterious skeleton asked with curiosity:

"So… are you going to listen to my advice and let her be? Or do what you always seem to do and kill her? Let me repeat, just in case… doing so will be extremely dangerous. It is much better to just allow the Shadow Realm itself to finish her off."

Sunny stared at the shadow of the archer. Eurys was right. Inviting this murderous shadow into his soul would be extremely dangerous, and it would be much wiser to let her live…

For a bit more. Considering how severely damaged the archer was, she would without a doubt be destroyed by the Shadow Realm soon.

It was just that Sunny did not believe that one bit.

There were countless reasons that pointed to the fact that the archer would not survive even if left alone, but he had survived too many impossible situations to feel confident.

That maniac… was a kindred spirit, of sorts. Even though the world itself was against her, she would find a way to live on. He was sure of it.

And, more importantly… Sunny was not one to let go of a grudge.

He smiled darkly. "...I’ll risk it."

With that, he strained his hand, and cut the archer’s throat with the sharp fragment of the ivory fang.

As the shadowy-blood splattered in the air, the color finally surged, returning the room to normal.

The reward….

…..had finally ended.

Everyone blinked.

It was like they had just lived a second life, and now were just realising and coming back to their own. Their faces were blank, same as their minds, invisible sparks flying above their heads as gears in their heads tried to compute the information overload. Only Rain seemed sentient, as she strangely stared at her shadow with sharp intensity.

Like she was expecting it to change in some way….

But it was still too much.

’Killing a Sacred’

’Divine Realms’

’Divine Shadow’

’Secrets of the Gods’

’Eury’s brief awareness’

’The path to Supremacy’

’A Great Devil as as a sleeper’

And lastly….

….Thirteen Saints

At the last remark, the Blood Sisters’ faces had become quite dangerous, both in anger and disbelief. The future was supposedly not set as fate was disrupted. They had allowed the option to be saved in hopes of better understanding their loss and the factors that played a part.

But now it seemed, that without Fate, there was a possibility of an even more crushing defeat?

Even BeastMaster was in disbelief, confused on whether to be ecstatic or dismayed by the information. The cold-hearted Morgan even had a brief look of disbelief at the statement

It would be a crime to not put him up to the likes of Hercules and Odyssey as a legend. Except he wasn’t a legend, because he hadn’t fulfilled the requirement of having to die to be remembered.

He was more than alive, and in contrast, completely forgotten.

Which only made them further dreadfully speculate….

What else had he truly gone through, learned and survived.

It was even more mind-boggling and exhausting than when they had interacted with the Mad Prince.

"He…he’s got to be lying" Effie murmured, causing both Kai and Rain to shiver.

"Well.." Ananake calmly replied, "He does call himself the most honest person in two worlds"

Despite having gained a new view of everything he had learned, Julius also felt overwhelmed for once, though he found it hard to believe. But more importantly, he felt a strange pang of guilt as his hypothesis continued to grow.

’Just when it was about to end, I…..desired it to continue….and it did!’

’Moreover, with the information about the Divine Realms, it is plausible to assume that we are indeed inside some form of unknown entity that is above the Gods. Strangely, I cannot corroborate whether the entity interacting and controlling the cinema is the same as the host of the body, or some strange separate consciousness….’

His brows and mustache furrowed as he muttered some thoughts, before shaking his head and rising. A smile beaming on his face.

"Well now! That was quite the performance as our friend Noctis would say, truly such a divine opportunity!" he exclaimed.

On the screen, two options were now flashing.

[Please choose a viewing]

[Shadow of Godgrave]

[or]

[Smile of Regret]

The words blinked on the screen with a strangely menacing glow, as if taunting them:

’Oh? Is this not what you wanted? I thought you were thirsting for fights?’

Effie waved her hand above her phase, "No..no more! Take me back!"

The Bloodsisters also rose, a look of determination on their faces, as Seishan spoke out:

"We second a break or pause of sorts"

Morgan raised an eyebrow in curiosity, but Jest cut her off before she could speak.

"How do we even know that it will allow it to us? We could just be wasting questions for all we know!"

"Right, last time it gave us the break before we could even ask or think, meaning that it has an internal timer of sorts" Saint Roan chimed in.

Eyes wavered. Troubling….they already needed to allocate a question to the context behind the choices, and there was an infinitesimal amount of questions they had about what they had just learned.

It was stingy, but tactfully so, knowledge was a precious opportunity.

And yet they would only have four chances.

Everyone turned their heads, unsure of how to proceed. Among the crowd an unexpected hand rose.

"Get the mundane girl to ask" Mordret cooed.

Silence.

Then— Rain froze.

The room turned frigid.

The air thickened with unspoken tension, suffocating.

The Saints stared at Mordret with something between suspicion and outright murder.

"The cur has the audacity to make such a suggestion?" Morgan hissed, her tone venomous.

Mordret blinked innocently, spreading his hands. "What? I’m simply pointing out something logical. This place clearly has some sort of… interest in our dear Sunny. Wouldn’t it make sense for it to have a similar soft spot for his sister?"

Nephis’ eyes narrowed. "You… what are you getting at?"

Mordret’s expression twisted into something unreadable. "Oh, how hostile! I was merely pointing out how entertaining this whole little charade is. Who knows what amusing things could happen if we followed this particular thread?"

A slow, creeping smile stretched across his face.

And for some reason… no one could shake the feeling that he was right.

Cassie moved to open her mouth, but Rain spoke first:

"No…no I’ll do it. I always would like a break…" she murmured, a hint of tiredness in her voice.

Nephis seemed to still be against it, but she couldn’t direct her actions like a strict mother, so she let her act on her own volition.

Rain rose, taking a slow step forward. She briefly looked back as the crowd stared at her, as she craned her head up to the screen. Blinking, she nervously swallowed, clearing her throat.

"..."

"Umm….dear scre–No! Sir Screen, can you kindly let us have a break or pause of sort?"

Everyone held their breath in anticipation as after a few seconds, statements blinked on the screen.

[.....]

[Waiting room is unprepared]

"NO!" Effie yelped, causing glares, while others dropped in defeat.

"Shame, guess we just have to watch another legendary battle…" Mordret sighed, but the screen continued:

[Alternate lounge shall substitute]

’...’

’Alternate Lounge?’

Before they could raise questions, the curtains at the front once again parted, revealing a path.

Effie raised an eyebrow in confusion and disbelief, "Wait…does this mean that there were other relationshi-"

A quick backhand to her head caused her to shift forward, Jet now tiredly glaring.

"Effie please, you’re an adult, and a Saint at that"

"..." Effie tilted her head, honest confusion on her face, "It said alternate lounge, what else would it be implying other than something similar to the last"

Jet opened her mouth to retort, but paused

Strange….she was right.

A look of genuine confusion and concern began to grow on her face as she trailed behind them.

Like zombies, they all routinely made their way down in silence, as they passed through the breach. The curtains reverted after they had all moved over, the usual hallway stretching grande before them.

Silently they looked at each other before trudging forward, all in silence, replaying the information in their minds in secrecy.

They didn’t even bother to mention the [Cosmos View] slightly unnerved by another startling appearance that would affect their already fragile minds.

Even Effie seemed to be going strong, both with a mixture of curiosity and anticipation at what the new lounge would show…..or who, it would show.

Briefly, she glanced at Nephis, but her face remained indifferent. Although she could have sworn that there were brief signs of stress and worry. Effie did not dare push or prod on that matter, after all, they were friends–not enemies, and pushing on that type of matter seemed a bit too cruel.

Before they knew it, a door appeared in the distance.

Strangely, it looked identical to the one of the Sunphis Lounge

At the sight, Nephis slowed her pace as Cassie paced next to her.

"...seems like it’s the same lounge, just with new or different options" she whispered.

Nephis had no words, except hidden emotion. It was impossible to deny that she was slightly stressed at what the other option would show, or what kind of berration would follow suit from Effie.

But….

….she would also be lying if she didn’t admit she was slightly envious to see what it would show.

A small smile briefly flashed on her face, not going unnoticed to Cassie, who’s smile faded with a sour response.

Kai frowned, "I thought it would be a differen-"

A figure shot past him, bumping into his shoulder, knocking the wind out of his lungs. Effie weaved her way through the crowd to the front by Anankes side.

She slightly tapped her shoulder,

"Hey…you wouldn’t mind keeping an eye on this little cub, would you?" she asked, an impatient grin growing on her face.

Ananke softly smiled, "Of course not dear"

Ling looked between the two, confusion on his face. Ananke stretched her hand, which he gingerly grasped, swinging it back and forth as if to flex his strength.

"Oho!" Ananke chuckled, "Such a powerful arm, as expected of the strongest child!"

Ling smugly grinned, puffing his chest, causing Effie to smile in relief.

"Great!"

In one powerful motion, she moved, covering the great distance in a few bounds, arriving before the door. The others remained unphased, keeping their pace.

Ahead of them Effie reached the door and grabbed the handle, but strangely went stiff.

Before, she abruptly collapsed to the ground on her knees.

Alarm flared in the eyes of the cohort.

"Effie?" Jet shouted, "Hey Effie!"

Still no response, as she remained motionless. She looked unharmed, but the actions were nerve wracking and unceremonious of her nature.

’Danger!’

They all quickened their pace into a jog, the other two groups also quickening their pace, looks of confusion on their faces.

Shortly closing the distance, they approached her figure, coming closer as a strange sob met their ears.

"Y-You!! You monster! You were my God! Give it back to me!!" She sobbed, hunching over in front of the door.

As everyone finally arrived before the door, they noticed what had sparked such a reaction.

Though it was grieving to her, the sight strangely sparked anticipation and excitement in the eyes of others. This….was something they could enjoy and find comfort in!

Especially Rain, who was practically shaking at what she saw,

’T-This!! This is practically a gift to me!!’

By the time the others reached her, their breath hitched.

Because now, they all saw it.

The door.

Identical to the Sunphis Lounge.

Same brass knob. Same plating. Same wood.

But the words etched into the metal were different.

It did not say [Sunphis Lounge].

It read—

[Sunny’s Marvelous Memory Museum]

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Next chapter will quite possibly have the most conversations and interactions I have ever written

It may also possibly be the longest chapter yet (⚆ᗝ⚆)

Well, for good reason

Stop telling and asking me to write specific moments, I said I would sometimes take suggestions but only if they have good reason.

Take "Readarex" recommendation of adding Ling, it had good logical potential and was original, that’s why I did it.

But asking for specific scenes either doesn’t make any logical sense with the timeline of events or the nature of their understanding of what they’ve seen him do.

(Just think, it would hold no narrative value or significance)

And I already have like 5 pages of brainstorming about what I will do, final thing is like 50+ chapters lol

Trust, I spend way too much time and effort piecing everything in place (ᵕ—ᴗ—)

I’m never seeing the end of this story (╥﹏╥)

I just write for free and fun, and what interactions I think would be enjoyable

Oh yeah, and next is indeed the moment i’ve wanting to write!

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