Shadow Slave

Sunny was paralyzed for a few moments.

He tried to summon the runes several more times, but there was no result. The Spell did not respond to him, as though he was not one of its carriers at all. A part of him that had long become integral was simply gone.

The shock Sunny experienced at that moment was hard to describe.

After a while, he tried to calm his wildly beating heart and think things through.

'Calm down. Calm down. This is not the first time something like that happened…'

He had been cut off from the Spell once before, in the Red Colosseum. Back then, it was the result of Solvane's zealots using Hope's own sorcery to prevent the sacrificial slaves from escaping.

But there was no enchanted collar around his neck right now. And he was in the waking world, not inside an ancient theater built by a daemon.

More than that… the absence of the Spell felt much more profound this time, somehow.

In fact, as he concentrated on himself, he realized that he felt rather strange. Something else felt absent from the world..

The world was subtly unfamiliar.

Trying not to panic, Sunny slowly assessed his abilities.

His shadow sense was still with him. So were the other facets inherent to his Aspect. His Abilities, his Attributes — those of them the existence of which he could prove without the runes, at least — and his Aspect Legacy did not disappear.

His Flaw was also present. He had learned that by trying to tell a lie aloud, despite the fact that it hurt like hell.

His six shadows were observing his actions with varying reactions, all present. Saint, Fiend, and Nightmare could also be summoned.

However, he could not summon the runes. Neither could he dive into his Soul Sea to take a look at his Memories.

And the Memories…

Most of them were gone.

After trying to summon every Memory in his soul arsenal, Sunny realized that only a few of them remained.

Covetous Coffer, Shadow Lantern, Shadow Chair, Overpriced Saddle, Weaver's Needle, and

of Ice, Strike of Thunder, Morgan's Warbow, Bone Singer, Dying Wish, Bitter Cusp, Stifled Scream,

chill running down

the elements with clothes, but it was still uncomfortable not to wear anything underneath his

in which some of his Memories remained while others seemed to have been

still summon were those that had been either personally created or modified by him, as well as his

gone, which

'M—my… my Memories!'

Sunny almost spat blood.

most of his soul arsenal... the precious Memories he had spent

he had

time to come to terms with the unforgiving reality, he leaned on the cracked alloy wall

Sunny

from the

to him, resulting in such

free from

more receiving Memories and Echoes from the slain enemies. No more runes that conveniently described and categorized the world. No more guidance and support in the perilous undertaking of walking the path of Ascension, tyrannical as it might

and no more

on. Sunny was sure that he would be discovering the consequences of not being a carrier of the Nightmare Spell for a long,

the hell did the future

not being infected

not even know what his Transformation

able to do. Awakened traveled to the Dream

miniature Gateways themselves. They were supposed to come and go between the two worlds as they pleased, and could even bring other living beings with them — although that last part was

Spell? Although its help was subtle, it did help Awakened learn their innate abilities by making them instinctual. Controlling essence, using Memories,

not have such a luxury

should still be able to sense how to use my

Transcendent Form was

simply not work if there was

curious to

at his

you think? Should