Saint had a cohort of subordinate Supreme Demons now, and even a capable Supreme Devil for lieutenant — not only that, but the shadows of Tainted Saints had spent thousands of years defending the crumbling settlements from the beings that dwelled in true darkness.
That was good news for Sunny, who had a feeling that their journey into the depths of the Underworld would be an eventful one. They had only just entered it, after all, and already sustained countless wounds... who knew what would happen in the coming weeks, as they delved deeper into this dark realm?
One thing was certain. There would be more battles, more danger... and more wounds.
It was not all bad, though. There were powerful shades to be gained, and Sunny tended to achieve impactful breakthroughs under pressure. He had deepened his mastery of Shadow Dance just now, for example, and there was still room for improvement.
Now that he had regained his True Name, it served as an anchor. He did not have to fear losing himself anymore, at least not as much, which allowed him to be bolder in his exploration of Shadow Dance. The progress was already significant.
Back on Aletheia's Island, when Sunny mirrored Neph's [Soul Flame] with the help of the Mirror of Truth, the summoned flames had been lightless and black, reflecting the true nature of his soul. This time, however, they were pure and radiant, proving that he shadowed Neph's soul and the essence of her fiery power, not just its outward function.
Considering that he had needed light, that was a vital distinction.
‘I am still lacking something, though.'
At some point in the past, Sunny had believed that the sixth step of Shadow Dance was about channeling the concept of a being and reshaping his Will to flawlessly mimic its Will... its spirit. However, his opinion had evolved since then.
Channeling concepts and bending the Will was still an important part of mastering Shadow Dance, but it was a means to an end, not a milestone — a tool to help him take the next step, not the step itself. Looking back, he should have realized it sooner. Otherwise, the Sixth Step of Shadow Dance would have only been useful against deities, which went against the innate versatility of shadows, which were meant to follow all beings.
Sunny had always had a clear picture of Shadow Dance before. Once a new step was mastered, its essence became apparent... but now, he felt like he was missing a crucial detail.
The Fifth Step was meant to allow him to shadow the Attributes of other beings, while the Sixth Step was meant to shadow their Aspects and powers. Sunny had been learning these steps without the helpful assistance of the Nightmare Spell, so they became mixed and entangled in his mind. The Fifth Step had been mastered, but felt incomplete — Sunny could shadow some Attributes, perhaps even most of them, but not all of them. The Sixth Step had partially revealed itself to him, but was not fully mastered.
Sunny could shadow Saint, but could not control true darkness. He could shadow Nephis, but not her Fire. Something was still lacking...
And he was starting to suspect that what he was lacking was mastery of the final, seventh step of Shadow Step.
That step had to be the thread that tied it all together and completed his Aspect Legacy. The Fifth, the Sixth, and the Seventh Steps seemed inexplicably linked, as if they were three parts of the same whole.
Sunny had no idea what the Seventh Step entailed, though.
He would have to consider it later.
‘I still made good progress today, though.'
Sunny sighed.
Around him, the crumbling settlement of the Stone Saints stood silent. Sunny and Nephis had already rested after the intense battle, while Saint had spent that time tending to the remains of her fallen kin. Now, it was time to continue the journey. Before that, however, there was one thing left to do.
Sunny and Nephis walked toward the towering stele that stood in the center of the square. The square had been decimated, but the black obelisk still stood, unscathed and undamaged by the ferocious battle. There, on its surface, a weave of runes that felt strangely familiar was cut into the ancient stone.
As they walked closer and Neph’s radiance illuminated the runes, Sunny finally understood where the peculiar feeling of familiarity had come from. They resembled the runes carved into the walls of the Ebony Tower — ones Nether had seemingly carved into the surface of unbreakable stone with his fingernail.
The obelisk that stood in the heart of the crumbling settlement bore the writing of the Demon of Choice.
Raising his head, Sunny studied the runes, wondering what message Nether had left behind.
What he saw... was surprising.
‘Huh.'
The runes read:
[While following the paths that shadows tread, I came upon a dismal, empty land. It was a realm devoid of life, forlorn and lightless.
There, darkness reigned.
I asked the darkness,
"What is death?"
The darkness answered,
"Peace."
“Death swallows all, embraces all. Brings peace to all. Death is bliss."
I laughed then, looking at its onyx throne, and told the darkness,
"Lies!"
For that was not the case.
“Death swallows all? Brings peace to all? But I'm refused its grace."
The darkness sighed.
Its voice was hollow like regret. It told me,
“Even gods know sin."
“All things have flaws, and so does death. Forgive me, child...”
The darkness pitied me, it seemed.
I looked at Death then, in its dismal land.
I pitied it as well.
Death swallowed all, brought peace to all. But who could swallow Death?
"Are we the same then, God of Peace?"
The darkness did not speak.
And so, I raised my voice.
“If no one pities death, I will. If death refuses me, I won't. I shall grow strong and vast, far greater than your lightless realm. And then, one day, I'll come to swallow you, oh Death."
“That is my choice."]
Sunny stared at the runes with a pensive expression on his face.
‘What?’
Was this a poem about death? An ode to darkness?
No...
It was a record of a conversation between the Demon of Destiny and Death...
Between the Prince of the Underworld and Shadow God.
