Jet looked at him strangely for a few moments, then mumbled slowly, rolling the words around her tongue.
“Natural… ascension?” she asked, her eyebrows rising higher with each second, realization dawning on her.
“You mean the way that inhabitants of the Dream Realm used to progress before its destruction? Wasn’t that some lost art? Or even something impossible…”
For the umpteenth time that day, Jet found herself astonished.
This little Devil is going to turn her crazy, not unlike himself!
Her throat felt dry, so she re-summoned her amphora Memory and took a greedy swig just as Sunny continued to speak.
“Yes, that one. And I assure you, it is quite possible. Better yet, I achieved Supremacy the Natural way. At that point in time I was Fateless, and consequently wasn’t infected by the Spell, so there was no other path for me anyway. Though, it wasn’t really my intention at that point…” He uttered, becoming a bit embarrassed.
“You see, me becoming a Supreme was… a bit of an accident. At that point in time, I had just found out that… half of our cohort had been declared dead. After that I broke down, made a few rash decisions, and then… committed suicide…”
After hearing that, Jet choked again, her eyes filled with shock.
He, however, paid it no mind and continued.
“But I… changed my mind, at the last moment after dying?” he said, an uncertain expression on his face.
“It’s actually hard to explain without understanding how my Aspect and Nascent Domain work. Long story short, shadows of beings I slay do not return to the Shadow Realm for ‘recycling’,” After she gave him a questioning look, clearly unfamiliar with anything he was describing, Sunny quickly mouthed ‘later’ and then continued.
“…instead, they go to my Soul Sea. Myself included, as it turned out.”
After that he paused shortly, letting his words sink in.
Almost everything he was saying, though, sounded like a complete nonsense to her ears.
But her exhausted body just decided to nod in the end anyway, at least so he could finish his crazy rumbling and they could move on to the real problems.
“So after dying, I cooled my head a bit and was given a choice: either to pass on, or to defy death and return back to life, in a way. In the end, as you can see, I had decided that I wanted revenge on the people who were to blame — or who I believed were to blame — and so I returned. Becoming a Sovereign was just a side effect…”
By the end of his speech, Jet’s face was covered by her palms and she was letting out a tired groan.
Why was she doing that again?
Oh yeah, she was too responsible for her own good…
“Sunny, you need help…” she said, a note of concern evident in her voice.
He frowned a bit and opened his mouth to retort, but she continued, not paying attention to him.
“I mean seriously, that is too much. You need to see a therapist. The first time I offered, I didn’t push. I thought you just had the aftereffects of a particularly nasty Nightmare. Now, though…”
Sunny gave her a distrustful and, to some extent, pensive look, but then shook his head anyway.
“Well, maybe you’re right. Maybe I need help,” Sunny agreed, after a few seconds of hesitation.
“But how can anyone help me? If I were to tell a therapist about all of my previous life experiences, or even half my problems, there would be a high chance of me ending up in a mental institution instead of getting real help. And I really — and I mean really — don’t trust a stranger enough to open up like that for it to matter. So it would be pointless anyway.”
Jet listened to his excuses, with irritation written on her face, even glaring at him for a while.
In the end though, there was nothing left for her, but to agree.
He was right, of course.
His story sounded so ridiculous that the therapist would likely deem him completely delusional and a potential threat to society.
Thus the solution would be simple, as Sunny himself just said.
She believed that there were at least a few dozen mentally ill people who claimed time travel each month… Being a Sleeper would only aggravate his situation.
Now that she thought about it, did that also make her mad for believing his crazy story?
“Anyway, my mental health is not the reason why we are here. The point is that Natural Ascension is not impossible. In fact, my sister, Rain, had managed to awaken naturally — a thing I believe is the hardest step — and reached Transcendence a year or two before… Well, before I died. The whole process from a Mundane to a Transcended took her about six to eight years — it’s hard to say for sure.”
Bile rose in his throat and his thoughts turned bitter.
Rain’s death was still fresh in his heart — it was one of the two things that had broken him completely in the end.
And after that… he shook his head, discarding the unpleasant thoughts.
“Sometimes it may even be an easier and overall safer way to ascend through the ranks than challenging a Nightmare. I think that the Great Clans possess some knowledge of it, but like with every other thing, they are more in favor of gatekeeping. As for us… I believe this is the perfect way to go in our situation. We won’t be wasting time challenging Nightmares and can move our plans forward. At least for you, that’s true — my situation is a bit complicated,” he muttered something incoherent, before proceeding.
“Actually, I already have a good idea of how you can attain Supremacy…”
After those words left his lips, Jet’s eyebrows shot even higher.
“But I would advise you to postpone trying for it at least until I come back. It comes with a huge downside — the Waking World rejects a Supreme being’s existence, so you have to spend most of your time in the Dream Realm. A thing we can’t afford just yet. Though I’ll explain the process, in case something goes wrong.” Jet pursed her lips, mentally noting the information.
“There will also be a huge boost to your reputation after you Transcend. If you play your cards right and claim that you’ve singlehandedly challenged a Third Nightmare’s seed — an accident that followed a Gate subjugation — instead, and returned as a Saint after what felt like a few days… Not even the Great Clans will be able to reach you. So we’ve got that covered as well.”
She furrowed her brows for a second.
While she could admit that she felt a bit of trepidation and even excitement for a possibility to Transcend, fairly easily, it was hard to wrap her head around it to be honest.
Everything just felt unreal…
“Okay. What do I need to do?” she said, her expression turning professionally serious, mentally preparing for some intricate ordeal.
Sunny however motioned his hand dismissively at her as he crossed his legs under the table.
“Relax a bit — from what I know, Transcendence is not as hard as some of the other steps. The hardest is Apotheosis — a process of becoming a Spirit, a minor God — as far as I know… Well, I tried it right before dying, and became a semi-Cursed, semi-Sacred, and still somewhat Supreme being, so I would advise you against it…” She slightly opened her mouth after hearing that, a choke dying on her lips; Sunny chuckled at her expression.
“Never mind that — I’ll explain a bit of it later. Let’s go back to the agenda at hand. There are a few prerequisites to becoming a Transcended. First, you have to be aware of your Flaw and Aspect — an easy step for those of us infected by the Spell, but something that the ancient inhabitants of the Dream Realms could spend their whole lives figuring out. Second — is for you to figure out your inner source element. I’m not sure about that part for you, actually. All I know is that your transformation ability was some kind of wraith or spirit — in the sense that you transformed into a misty, intangible shape. So probably something connected to souls or death. You’ll figure it out.”
She frowned, biting her lip thoughtfully for a second, and then nodded.
“Actually, I already have a few ideas. That part seems doable. What is next?”
“Next is the tricky part. You see, for an Awakened to Ascend, they need to rebuild their Awakened Soul Core into something… more. It’s a process connected to refining one’s essence and the Core’s potency, and then rebuilding the Core in the likeness of the Awakened one, but stronger.”
He paused for a second, as he scratched his chin, figuring out how to put his knowledge into his next words.
“Transcendence, on the other hand, is different. As you know, Saints are deeply connected to the World, so what you need to accomplish is to somehow establish that connection. To achieve that, after finding your element, you will need to attain unity with the world and try to infuse yourself into it, then find a way to guide your element’s essence into yourself and then into your Soul Core. If you do everything right, your Core should transform itself into a Transcended one. And there you have it — you’re a Saint. Ta-dah! Sounds easy, right?”
Jet slowly rubbed her forehead and then grunted in agreement.
“It doesn’t sound too hard, indeed. However, I think it won’t be as easy as you claim.” Sunny nodded at that.
“I’m sure it won’t be. But you’re talented and experienced, already possess a form of connection to the world, an unshakable personality, and a powerful Aspect. So I have complete faith in you.” Sunny reassured her before continuing.
“As for Supremacy… From what I’ve figured out, there are actually a few ways for you to attain it. Some simpler, some really dangerous. However, in this case I would advise you to take the latter one.”
She blinked, dumbfounded, and opened her mouth to say some obviously rude remark, but he gave her no opportunity and continued.
“The reason is simple… I believe your Path to Natural Supremacy has a very interesting connection to the very nature of your Flaw…”
***
What followed was a long discussion filled with all of Sunny’s knowledge on the ways of Natural Ascension, and specifically Jet’s Path to Natural Supremacy.
When they had finished, it was already evening — too late to admit Sunny to the Academy.
The police station chief politely refused to provide him accommodations for the night, being somewhat wary of Sunny after his earlier outburst.
So he was prepared to spend the night outside — wouldn’t be the first time, he mused — when Jet offered to let him crash at her place.
And so, after just an hour long ride — time that flew by unnoticed — of a comfortable silence, sometimes mixed with light joking and bantering, they had finally arrived.
Her place was a mid-sized, single-floor house in one of the most expensive districts of the city — set slightly apart from the other buildings in the neighborhood, he noticed.
It had a basement — a place where he believed she stored her sleeping pod from her Awakened days, or maybe some training equipment.
Apart from the master bedroom, it had two other spare rooms, two bathrooms, a living room, and a spacious kitchen.
There was not much to catch his eye, but what little furniture it had was unmistakably expensive, simple, and tasteful at the same time.
It was just ‘Jet’ written all over it.
Sunny smiled warmly.
“A cozy place you have here! All of it is just like you, really.”
She gave him a sideways glance and lifted a corner of her lip, satisfied.
“Glad you like it. To be honest, I have little time to spend here, as I usually work until late at night. Sometimes I don’t even see a point in coming back home… So I mostly leave everything to housekeeping services to take care of. Yet I like it. It’s the first place I could really call home, after all,” she said warmth slipping into her tone, as she slid her fingers affectionately over the wall’s surface.
“I spent a lot of time saving for it, actually — my initial contract with the Government wasn’t that… profitable,” she coughed awkwardly and shook her head.
“So… The rules are few and simple: do not break anything, and do not make a mess in the bathroom.” She scratched her chin and gave him a narrow-eyed look.
“Also, no funny business. I didn’t like your comments earlier this morning…”
He immediately looked offended.
“Who do you take me for? Actually, it should be me who is wary of you! Who knows what kind of hidden desires this small, young, innocent body would cultivate in you…” Her eye twitched at that, but he ignored her and continued.
“Now that I think about it, there was that one time when you…”
Sparks started to materialize over Jet’s open palm, shaping into a form that looked suspiciously like a whip, and that alone made him shut up.
“Go on, finish that,” she hissed, her lips turning into a menacing smile.
However, she stopped suddenly and then turned her face away quickly.
The lights were off everywhere in the house, however, he — with his perfect night vision — noticed a familiar blush touching the tips of her ears.
She coughed in embarrassment.
“Actually… Well, now that you’ve put that thought in my head… Did I… did we really?…”
What followed was probably the most embarrassing talk of her life.
And Sunny loved every second of it!
***
Two and a half weeks after he had joined the Academy flew by unnoticed to him.
Since Sunny had arrived a day later than the last time, he obviously didn’t meet Nephis at the Gate, nor did he hear the boring speech of the Instructor Rock or had an opportunity to communicate with fellow Sleepers.
And he was actually glad for all of the aforementioned things not happening.
Though he did catch glimpses of the famous Changing Star here and there from time to time.
His heart clenched painfully in his chest when his eyes fell on her for the first time in the cafeteria.
Then a burning joy ran through his veins.
Then a slight pang of irritation, as he remembered the last time they had spoken.
But most of all he felt relief, feeling himself grow lighter than he had remembered feeling in awhile.
She was alive and she was well.
As well as she could be.
He wanted to hug her, fall on his knees and beg for forgiveness — even though he knew she couldn’t forgive a wrong she never remembered — wanted to scream at her for being a selfish hypocrite.
He couldn’t approach her, though.
There were many reasons for that.
First were his conflicting feelings, but predominantly it was because it would most likely set back his plans significantly.
And he couldn’t take that risk.
He chose the easiest path for himself to get in, as he had said he would.
First, he explained the abilities of his Aspect to the interviewer as vaguely as he could: it was connected to shadows; it could be used to scout; it could also be used to physically amplify himself.
That put him somewhere in the middle of the table, exactly where he wanted to be.
It was much easier to hide among the mediocre, after all.
He took only Wilderness Survival, as he had promised Jet, and as he predicted, there was not much to learn there.
So he spent most of the time in class, listening to Teacher Julius’s accounts of his explorations as a young Awakened, the funny adventures of his other students, or sometimes even the history of the world before the Dark Ages.
It was nostalgic, relaxing, and helped him heal his wounded soul and mind.
Most of his time, though, was spent training and eating like Effie.
To consume this much food in this malnourished, frail body was torture in itself, he had to admit.
Especially after training from dawn till dusk.
The first half of the day, after an hour of Wilderness Survival, he spent training his body in a gym.
To be honest, he wasn’t a fan of lifting weights, as he preferred his body to be small, light, fast, and flexible — but right now he critically lacked muscle mass.
Though, to be fair, he spent a fair bit of time training his reflexes and flexibility too.
The latter part of the day was dedicated to his swordsmanship, or to be more precise, his Shadow Dance.
At this point in time, he had already claimed the first relic and was now pushing toward the second step as well.
He was actually surprised by how long it was taking him to grow reacquainted with it, but it made sense.
Though his mind was familiar with the style and knew all of its intricacies — and still remembered dozens of other combat styles, be they those of other Awakened or Nightmare Creatures — his body was weak, untrained and lacked any muscle memories, he had in his previous life.
So it was a long road to train and reforge himself into something more capable…
Oh, now he had his faithful Shadow back with him too!
‘Soon I’ll take all of you back, just wait.’ It seemed that Serpent had retained his memories from the previous life, judging by how he reacted to being summoned.
That was a great weight off his heart as well, but Sunny wasn’t sure how that was even possible.
His Gloomy shadow had also retained his memories before the regression, but it was unfair to judge by him alone, as technically he was a part of Sunny after all.
His Shadows were different, however.
They had their own personalities, souls, and retained pieces of their own memories after being… shadowified?
Well, they could technically inherit his memories, but he wanted to believe that wasn’t the case.
Right now, though, he was holding his tray and approaching his usual spot.
His regular companion had already sensed his approach, slightly turning her head to meet his gaze with her unseeing eyes.
A bright smile spread on her beautiful face as she greeted him excitedly.
“Good morning, Sunny! You’re late today — did you sleep well?” A corner of his lips rose slightly as he took a seat in front of her.
Conflicting emotions rose slightly, as always, but he swallowed them and put a kind smile on his face, greeting her back.
“Morning, Cassie. Just went to bed late, nothing to worry about.” He paused for a second, watching as she tilted her head slightly to one side.
“You?”
So here we have it.
I made it shorter, finally.
Sunny and Cassie, huh?
What does that bastard thinks not approaching Neph, but wooing Cassie instead?
What a Naughty Shadow we have here…