Shadow Slave

There had been a time when Sunny studied Changing Star's runes like a man obsessed. His whole life had been built around the desire to overtake her on the path to power.

He might have even done a few careless things in that pursuit.

At some point, however, Sunny had lost the desire to compare himself to Nephis, at least in this way. The first change had happened because of her return from the Dream Realm. The second... sometime in the Antarctic Center, he had lost the habit of summoning her runes every day.

Shadow fragments, soul fragments - those were not a true measure of strength, anyway. Sunny had seen countless mundane soldiers stand and fight against the Nightmare Creatures, never surrendering despite the dire disparity of power between them. If those people were weak, then he did not know whom to call strong.

And so, at some point, he had stopped paying constant attention to Neph's runes without even noticing it.

Now, however, Sunny had the Mirror of Truth. So, he decided that it was worth taking another look.

The familiar symbols shimmered, forming into strings:

Name: Nephis.True Name: Changing Star.Rank: Ascended.Class: Tyrant.Soul Cores: [5/7].

He stared at that number for a few moments.

After years of lagging behind, Sunny had finally caught up to her... wasn't it so very funny that he had only been able to do so after stopping caring about the race?

A light smile appeared on his face.

'Whatever... she still has more fragments than I do. She'll be a Terror sooner than me.'

But did it really matter? In the end, they would both be Titans. That day was not as far away as it had once seemed, now.

Sunny continued to read:

Soul Fragments: [2719/5000].

not reveal the fact that she possessed a Divine Aspect and multiple soul cores -

every day in the

had received in the recent battle, then turned his attention back

Armor], [Dawn Shard], [Dark

the Second Nightmare... in fact, Sunny could learn a few things about what kind

about her harrowing experience, he held himself back. Perhaps it was stupid, but... he

what a precious and fragile thing trust was... it had taken a lot for him to extend his own trust toward Effie and Kai. Before that, his friends had respected his desire to remain silent and did not push him to reveal his secrets. He was very

no qualms about studying the Memories that clan Valor had provided to Neph. They were incredible Memories, indeed, no less outstanding than Morgan's Warbow - each crafted for the specific purpose of slaughtering

he really wanted to borrow a few to study their weaves. He just did not know

please take off your armor? I need it for a couple of weeks...

it

the dreadful image, Sunny continued to study the

born of two worlds, belonging to both, but welcomed in neither. Your soul exists on the edge between nightmare

an unholy union between the divine and the profane. Nephilim were the most beautiful, and the most harrowing of them

Attribute Description: "Your soul is

Fire] Attribute Description: "You have inherited the lineage

the past years, but Nephis had not. Neither had she unlocked her Aspect Legacy... which was not very surprising. Each Aspect

their Legacies were rare, and most only accomplished that feat after becoming Saints, with an even smaller number doing so as Masters. Otherwise, there

Sunny who was an

and turned

creature of light that was banished and doomed to exist in

can directly absorb a portion of the soul essence of any Nightmare Creature destroyed by your flames, as well as of any

Ability Description: "Your soul burns with the purest of flames. That flame

Aspect Abilities - it had grown slightly more versatile since the Forgotten Shore, now augmenting the soul, as well, but otherwise

ones, respectively - were new. The Awakened

Manipulation] Ability Description: "You can bend all fire to

fire, turning it into her weapon. That fire did not have to be her own - although she could produce flames if there were

Ability, on the other hand... was a bit