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.

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

Dark Wing, Moonlight Shard, Autumn Leaf, Cruel Sight, Heavenly Burden, Memory of Fire, Memory of Ice, Strike of Thunder, Morgan's Warbow, Bone Singer, Dying Wish,

felt a chill running down his

he did not really need to protect himself from the elements with clothes, but it was still

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

modified by him, as well

them were gone, which

'M—my… my Memories!'

Sunny almost spat blood.

arsenal... the precious Memories he had spent years gathering... hurt almost as

felt as if he had received

to come to terms with the unforgiving reality, he leaned on the cracked alloy wall and stared into the darkness with

a while, Sunny

banished from

to him, resulting in such an

free from the Spell's

anymore. No more receiving Memories and Echoes from the slain enemies. No more runes that

and no

would be entirely different from now on. Sunny was sure that he

the hell did the future me reach further than

about not being infected by

helpful runes, Sunny did not even know

was supposed to be able to do. Awakened

to miniature Gateways themselves. They were supposed to come and go between the two worlds as they pleased, and could even bring other

by making them instinctual. Controlling essence, using Memories, placing

not have such a

should still be able to sense how to

around, evaluating the small pocket of dusty space. What would happen if his Transcendent Form was truly giant? Would

it would simply not work if there was not

was still curious

his six shadows

you think? Should