In the end, it was enough for Jet to somewhat believe in this whole time-travel situation.
It was hard to wrap her head around it — hell, even Sunny himself wasn’t fully convinced yet — but hearing the things he said — things he had no right to know — his apparent behavioral change after returning from his Nightmare, and him displaying a high-tier Sacred Memory — a thing she wasn’t sure even the Great Clans possessed — she had no choice but to give him the benefit of the doubt, at the very least.
What followed was a long, arduous story of how things went to hell.
He briefly explained what happened after she left him at the doors of the Academy the first time.
His time on the Forgotten Shore; his bond, as vaguely as he could; his time on the Chained Isles and Valor Clan’s Greatest Shame; his Second Nightmare and its aftermath; Nephis coming back as an Ascended and joining Valor; him joining Jet in the Southern Campaign, and all of its horrors: LO49; his long journey with thousands of refugees; the Fall of the Falcon Scott and their last stand against the Winter Beast; and finally the aftermath of their time there — the Battle of the Black Skull.
And after all of that, the Third Nightmare, which was a long, mind-breaking experience in itself…
Then very briefly he explained what happened after: his mad escapade through all of the Dream Realms; some near-death experiences; his guerrilla war on the Great Clans and the subsequent enslavement of humanity by the Dreamspawn.
He also explained, though very briefly, the third Sovereign’s ability, and made her promise not to look for specific information about him at all.
And after that…
he told her how he died.
It was a very short, very elusive story, with only the ending being somewhat clear.
It was probably his biggest — or maybe just his rawest — trauma, so he was reluctant to explain in detail what had transpired in the Tomb of Ariel.
He probably wouldn’t be able to talk about it for a while, if ever.
In his tale there were a few drawbacks, too.
Some of his memories of events post-Third Nightmare were very blurry.
Some things were missing entirely, he believed.
He wasn’t sure if his mad state at that moment in time was the reason, or his failed attempt at Apotheosis and subsequent Corruption, or the events that transpired afterward were to blame.
All of it would make sense to him, and at the same time, perhaps it wouldn’t.
After all, it would be more suspicious if he had traveled back in time and remembered every little detail of his life, given his state before the event in question.
There were positive sides, too.
Returning to his young, untortured, and uncorrupted body had worked wonders for his broken mind.
He couldn’t remember the last time his thoughts had been so clear and uninterrupted.
His mind was much sharper, faster, and overall less erratic, considering everything.
It was suspicious, too.
Sunny had always been a sharp person.
He had never had a formal education, but he was without a doubt very talented.
He easily absorbed all kinds of knowledge, spotted patterns that others missed, and came up with the most creative solutions on the fly.
However, the sharpness he possessed now was really something.
He hadn’t become some kind of genius, but he could swear it hadn’t been this way in his first round.
At least not until much later.
Getting back to his madness… Well, he hadn’t been that crazy to begin with — or maybe he had been, who knew — and it had receded somewhat.
That was not something he had expected at all.
After all, he still possessed most of his knowledge of future events and a heavy burden of trauma, rage, and regret — the things that had broken him the first time.
So to become a little bit more sane was a surprise, though a welcome one, he admitted.
He could sometimes get crazy ideas and get that mad gleam in his eyes — something that disturbed Jet greatly — but right now he could suppress it easily, most of the time.
Well, at least he had no sudden desire to jump into the open maw of the Great Abomination, so that was a plus, he guessed.
“Wait, wait, wait…” Jet suddenly interrupted him.
It took her a fair few minutes to digest all the knowledge he had dumped on her.
“Let me get this straight. So, you’re saying that you left all of us behind in the final and most dangerous battle we had yet to face. All for the chance to break that slave bond thing — a bond that hadn’t even been actively used against you. A genius idea that was implanted in you by a manipulative, blind seer with her own agenda — a person who had already betrayed you before and orchestrated events behind your back. A decision that led to you almost dying, losing your Fate and being forgotten by everyone, becoming a raving lunatic, and which indirectly led to the world being destroyed. Am I missing something?” she asked sarcastically, with a slightly raised eyebrow, her expression not betraying the emotions brewing inside her all this time.
‘So obviously the conclusion of our Third Nightmare was the thing that interested her the most…’ Sunny mused, guiltily avoiding her gaze.
“I was… not in a good place mentally in the later part of the Nightmare,” he started slowly.
“There was that cursed sword, wearing my face, slowly driving me crazy, as I told you before. And I never said the Bond wasn’t being used. Actually, that was the final push…” he muttered bitterly, slowly shaking his head.
“As for Cassie… Well, I know where you’re coming from. After her giving away my true name to Neph, I could never truly forgive her, or even trust her completely. Her subtle manipulation of events was also not that subtle if you knew where to look. But she never bore any malice toward any of us. At least, I don’t think so. I knew that the choice she gave me wasn’t really the guilt-driven apology she claimed it was.”
His face twisted with anger for a moment before he continued.
“She chose her timing perfectly, pushed me into a corner when I was at my most desperate and fragile, and gave me no time to really think about the consequences. Just said that in the end everybody would be fine either way — no one was going to die or be seriously injured. But in one case, I would accept being a slave, and in the other I would be free…” The last part he whispered, almost inaudibly.
“What would you have done in my place? I’m not making excuses — I’m genuinely curious. I will never excuse what that decision led to…” Sunny said, his voice growing quiet toward the end.
“You, more than any other person, should know what freedom means in our circumstances. In the outskirts, my freedom was the only thing I owned, and now I didn’t even have that. Not completely… And not a single person responsible for it ever said a simple ‘I’m sorry.’ Only… Well, let’s not open that can of worms…” he muttered, deeply irritated at his last thought.
“And don’t give me that ‘nobody is really free’ speech — it’s different and you know it.”
He turned his face back to her, carefully watching for shifts in her expression.
Finally, Jet let out a long, tired sigh and shook her head slowly.
“Well, fair enough,” she muttered, frowning.
She took a few seconds to think about what he had said before continuing.
“I can’t actually say what I would have chosen in your place, because I was never in your place to begin with. And I hope that I never will be. My situation may look a bit similar to yours on the outside, but it is fundamentally different. I can always turn and walk away, if I really wanted to. There will be consequences, sure, but I have a choice. You didn’t… So I don’t know… I can’t really put myself in your shoes,” she muttered, shaking her head.
“Maybe I would have chosen the same; maybe I wouldn’t. Or maybe, somewhere deep down, I already know what I would have chosen, but I’m too ashamed to admit it. We’ll never know. I hope we won’t.” Her expression softened a bit before she met his gaze.
“And so I cannot really blame you. I cannot even imagine how it feels, being deprived of all your desires and turning into more of a marionette than a person… The concept itself is terrifying. None of it was really your fault, Sunny. It’s not wrong to want freedom. At least I can’t blame you for it. But I believe it is very, very wrong to put the weight and fate of the whole world on a single person…” Her voice turned bitter on the last words, but she forced a smile — the meaning not lost between them.
Sunny’s eyes widened a bit somewhere in the middle of her monologue, and by the end, a small, tired smile had settled on his face.
He lowered his gaze, feeling a little bit of weight leaving him.
He could even breathe easier.
“Thank you… Really, you have no idea how much it means to hear someone other than my demons say it aloud. Especially someone whose thoughts really matter. Thank you, Jet…”
“You’re welcome.” Her face briefly lit up with a smile, but it was swiftly replaced with a small frown.
“It doesn’t, however, mean that I believe one hundred percent in everything you’re saying. The whole concept of time travel is bullshit, in my opinion, especially since you’re not even sure yourself how it happened. Also, the future you’re describing looks so bleak and hopeless… The little optimistic part of me denies it vehemently,” she stated firmly, then frowned a bit more.
“However, at least some of the things you’ve said can be confirmed even now. The potential Chain of Nightmares in Antarctica was already discovered — a few months ago, in fact. And the World Government, and from what I know some Legacy Clans too, are already preparing for it.”
“It won’t be enough,” Sunny said simply.
“It wasn’t the last time, and it won’t be now. It happened a year, or even more, earlier than expected after all, and the Government and the Great Clans were caught with their pants down. And it was far worse than what was expected…” He clenched his jaw at the mere reminder, then let out a slow, tired sigh and continued.
“Also, there’s no guarantee that me messing with Fate wouldn’t make it even worse. Knowing my luck, it certainly would…”
Jet listened carefully, her expression thoughtful.
Then she leaned forward in her chair, put her elbows on the table, interlacing her fingers, and lightly rested her chin on them, her eyes narrowed and unblinking.
“So what’s the plan? I can’t imagine you telling me everything just to leave it all to Fate,” she asked simply.
And there they were.
The core of their meeting.
The most important part.
What they should do next.
It was a hard question to answer, he admitted.
However, he was already prepared.
His newfound sharpness of mind had helped him a great deal in that regard.
Throughout the conversation, he had been running thousands of thoughts in the background, thinking of the most viable solution they could implement with their current resources.
And some semblance of a plan was already forming in his head.
“Nothing one hundred percent definitive yet. But I’ve already thought of a few things that both of us could do now.” He lifted his hand and started counting on his fingers.
“First, I’ll need a few Memories from you. A storage Memory; something with a mind-protecting enchantment; and one with a soul protective enchantment. The last one is optional, though. If I successfully return from whatever place the Spell drops me, I will repay you handsomely. For your information, you’re in the presence of the most renowned Memory maker in the world, after all!” he proclaimed arrogantly.
Jet chuckled at that.
“Okay, that’s doable. With your Sacred Memory, I don’t think you’ll need to worry about any other weapons at all…” she said, a jealous expression on her face.
“What about armor?”
“That one is also covered. I received an Awakened Armor of the Fifth Tier in my First Nightmare, originally.” Jet raised her brows slightly, seemingly impressed.
‘Well, it was expected, actually.
The Spell doesn’t just hand out Divine-rank Aspects left and right.’ “About a weapon… You’re somewhat right. [Shapeless Thief] is the most powerful weapon Memory I have ever held, but… it gives me the creeps…” he muttered slowly, summoning the runes for the Memory and concentrating on its description.
Memory Name: [Shapeless Thief]
Memory Description: “Slain by the fury of the Storm, the Vile Thieving Bird refused to remain dead and fled back from the embrace of Shadow, wounding its pride in its escape. He entombed it then — not in iron or stone, but in formlessness itself — so that it would never again possess a shape of its own, nor a mind sharp enough to flee.”
He swallowed.
It seemed that even the original Bird had gotten what it deserved in the end… However, there were a few things that gave him the creeps.
The first was the ‘refusing to die’ part of the description.
He had no idea what it meant for him, as right now there was a Shade of the wretched bird sleeping in his Soul Sea.
He shook his head.
It seemed he shouldn’t worry about that for a while, at least until he became a Supreme again.
The second thing, however…
Sunny concentrated on the enchantments section of the runes.
Without his Weaves, he shouldn’t have been able to see them, and he shouldn’t have been able to interact with the Spellweaves of Memories either — however, it seemed that his regression had changed that as well.
He actually already had suspicions why, but he wasn’t too sure about it.
Admittedly, though, his ability to interact with Memories and their spellweaves wasn’t nearly as potent as the one he had gained after consuming Weaver’s Lineage.
It seemed he could decipher only the enchantments he already had some understanding of.
The Spellweave itself, however, he could barely see at all.
Some parts of it were blurry and undecipherable; others gave him a headache after looking at them for too long.
So, overall, he could only interact with the most basic — or at least most intuitive — ones, which was also a boon, though a minor one.
‘Would it stack after I consume the Blood Weave?’ he mused.
That would be great, but he had no way to confirm it until he received the Lineage Memory again — if he even received it, of course.
He dismissed the thought with a shrug and then looked at the enchantments and shivered.
Overall, this Memory had six enchantments, as was expected of its Tier — though for now, he could identify only two.
Memory Enchantments: [Shapeless], [???], [???], [???], [—], [Thief’s Instinct].
[Shapeless] Enchantment Description: “This Memory bears no form of its own. Its wielder may shape it into anything they can imagine.”
That was an enchantment that delighted him greatly.
As the description suggested, it could take any shape the wielder wished — from a small dagger to a warbow.
It could also change its weight and sharpness, which he had figured out while experimenting with it a bit.
There was, however, one downside that gave him the creeps and traumatic flashbacks…
[Thief’s Instinct] Enchantment Description: “Greed is a patient teacher. The longer one wields this Memory, the more the Bird’s hunger becomes their own.”
He swallowed.
That was it.
He had gotten another [Sin of Solace].
Just his damn luck… Though it wasn’t directly driving its user mad, it might as well have been doing exactly that!
The Bird was Greed incarnate.
The loathsome thing had even stolen an eye from a literal Daemon!
Which had only made her even crazier than before…
Just from wielding the weapon for a few minutes he had already developed a desire to rob someone dry.
That was ridiculous!
He swore internally and rubbed his temples in irritation.
However, not everything was that bad.
First, [Thief’s Instinct] only activated when the Memory was given a shape.
‘Well, it’s actually useless as black smoke, so nothing good there either.’ Second, it seemed that the Bird’s hunger the wielder was being infected with wasn’t permanent — at least if the Memory wasn’t given a shape for too long.
It took him several minutes to completely dismiss its effects, leaving only slight lingering traces.
From what he calculated, it took roughly the same amount of time as wielding the Thief in a constant form.
However, he knew from experience that such powerful compulsions always left a mark on the person’s mind.
He also felt the pull of [Thief’s Instinct] growing stronger the longer he used it.
There was, a way to subdue the enchantment though… It was Will, strong enough to overpower the curse.
Right now he possessed only droplets of it — not nearly enough to make a difference — but as he ascended through the ranks and grew more powerful, he believed he could wield it.
Though, to subdue it completely, his Will would need to equal the Bird’s, even in its weakened and sealed state.
If his calculations were correct, he would need to reach at least Supremacy to use it somewhat safely…
‘Well, if things go to shit, I’ll have at least one overwhelming trump card in the future,’ he mused.
And sooner or later it would definitely happen.
Knowing his luck, the former was the safer bet.
He sighed wearily and turned his gaze back to Jet, returning to the conversation at hand.
“However, I will get a perfect weapon soon enough. You see, I know the way to unlock my Aspect’s Legacy, and if nothing has changed in that regard, I’m sure I will have claimed two of its relics before the Solstice. One of which can be used as a weapon and will also play a huge role in our future plans. The other…” he stopped for a second, weighing his options, then nodded silently and continued.
“The second relic is the Shadow God’s Lineage Memory, and… I want to give it to you.” He finished, looking slightly amused at the owlish expression she displayed.
“Wha… Why?” she stuttered.
“Wouldn’t you need it in the future too?” He shook his head.
“Last time it was destroyed after I consumed it, because I already possessed a piece of Weaver’s Lineage. And I plan to consume that lineage again. I’m taking a great risk here, actually. Weaves give a huge boosts to many of my abilities, and I believe that using a familiar lineage would be a better choice for me. However, it comes with a few… downsides. If we don’t want our world to be destroyed by a seventh corrupted God, then I should never become famous. Also, there is a chance that I won’t receive it again. But that is a risk I’m willing to take.”
Jet listened to him silently, a deep frown on her face.
Right now she was thoughtfully tapping the table with one hand while massaging her forehead with the other.
She opened her mouth as if to retort, but he interrupted her.
“Also, I believe this lineage may benefit you greatly. The Shadow God is also a god of death, peace, solace, and mysteries. All of those things, in one form or another, could be used to describe you. Especially considering how tightly your Aspect and Flaw are tied to Death.”
She became thoughtful after that, seemingly considering it for a few seconds, but in the end she let out a sigh and shook her head.
“I see that it may be beneficial, but… I have a very strong opinion about Gods and their lineages,” Jet started to explain slowly.
“They are dead, and they have failed. There were several chances for me to receive a lineage, but I refused every single time. I don’t want to be associated with what I consider a symbol of failure. No matter what kind of boost it could potentially give me, it just seems wrong to me. I will be the one to create my own lineage and my own legacy. And I will not fail.” she finished with certainty, leaving Sunny momentarily speechless.
In his scheming, he had forgotten to consider the feelings of the people around him — something that had burned him many times before.
‘You never learn, huh.’ But then he shook his head and smiled warmly.
“Okay.” She blinked.
“Just like that?” Jet inquired, surprised.
“I’m not going to push. It’s your choice, so I respect it. You know, I have already begun to forget how strong-willed and cool you are. Actually…” his eyes grew melancholic.
“I missed you… I missed all of you so, so much…”
Jet looked stupefied.
Once again she was being convinced — in his story, in his will, in how utterly broken and lonely he was.
And… she didn’t know what to do with that.
Now that she thought about it, every time she looked at him, a silent feeling of nostalgia rose in her chest.
At first she thought that it was compassion for a fellow outskirts rat.
But now… ‘Maybe he’s right after all.’
But he was still a stranger to her and while she could clearly imagine inner turmoil he was experiencing now, she didn’t know how to actually react to those words…
So in the end she decided not to react at all.
She simply gave him a small, supportive smile and kept silent.
And that silence spoke louder than any words could to him.
Sunny stood up and stretched a bit.
“Okay… There are actually a few things left on the agenda,” he said as he met her gaze and received a nod, encouraging him to continue.
“First, I’m still planning to go to the Academy. Probably take a course in wilderness survival, just to have a connection with Teacher Julius. Since I probably know more than the professor himself, I believe I’ll have a lot of free time — time I will spend training this pitiful body and unlocking my Legacy. And also… Well, we’ll talk about it later.” He muttered something to himself before proceeding.
“Now I would need two more things from you. These won’t be as easy.”
“Shoot,” she said simply, nodding.
“The first and hardest part is that I want you to spread the word about the importance of the Antarctica Campaign. We need as many preparations as possible. It would be even better if we could start evacuating citizens as soon as few years before the potential shitshow. I’ll explain the phenomenon and the reasons behind the whole Antarctic problem later. It’s… disturbing information, in itself.”
Jet frowned thoughtfully, seemingly already thinking about how to maneuver pieces to reach the desired outcome.
Then she nodded slowly.
“That won’t be easy, indeed. But I’ll see what I can do. There are some favors here and there that I need to collect, and any information you give will definitely be helpful. We’ll at least know where to look. All in all… it should be possible.”
Sunny sighed in relief.
That was the thing that had made him worry the most right now.
It was one of the biggest chess pieces that could overturn the whole board.
‘Whatever a chest piece is… sounds naughty.’
“The last part is simpler, especially with the information I’m about to give you.” He paused dramatically, then continued.
At the same moment, Jet summoned a water-storing Memory and took a sip from it.
“I want you to become a Saint.”
She choked and started coughing uncontrollably, splashing water in all directions — mostly in his face — and threw a small amphora right at him.
This time he successfully dodged it.
“Sunny, are you cra… Nevermind, stupid question. An easy thing, you say? You should already know that in my circumstances it is almost impossible to bec…” he interrupted her.
“I wasn’t talking about the Third Nightmare, though. Actually there is another way to go about it… however, it may not be that straightforward, but I believe you’ll be able to do it before I get back from the Dream Realm.”
That got her attention.
She looked unusually intrigued.
It may be a little embarrassing to say it, but… she did want to become a Saint, after all.
But her reputation, alignment with the Government, and the Great Clans’ policy and monopoly on Nightmare Seeds made it all but impossible for her.
She motioned for him to continue.
“Say, Jet. Have you ever heard about Natural Ascension?”
Didn’t I say that I wanted to make chapters shorter?
Hmm, no plan survives first contact, or so they say.
As always would love to hear your thoughts!