Shadow Slave

Pancakes and waffles.

The two were almost identical, but also infinitely different, like two sides of the same coin. Just like both the gods and the Chaos Creatures were born from the everlasting Void, both pancakes and waffles were made from the same ingredients. However, the end result was not the same.

Perhaps there was a deep philosophical lesson to be learned from how two things made from the same ingredients could end up so vastly different, but Sunny did not particularly care.

He did, however, care about waffles and pancakes.

It wasn't hard to make either, but there was endless depth in the deceiving simplicity of these staple breakfast foods. Making pancakes was both an art and a kind of science. Waffles were even more elusive.

Even with Sunny's potent Transcendent mind and perfect physical coordination, it took him a long time to master the challenging art of making them. Still, his ultimate goal — a perfect pancake and a perfect waffle — were still out of reach.

And doomed to stay forever out of reach, because imperfection was one of the governing laws of existence.

It was... tragic.

'Perfection might not exist, but I've gotten damn close to it...'

Every cook had their own approach, but as far as Sunny was concerned, the secret of a near-perfect waffle was letting the batter rest in the icebox for exactly one night. Which was why he had prepared it in advance yesterday.

For pancakes, though, he preferred to use fresh batter. Not wishing to make the guests wait, he manifested his shadow as an avatar and went about preparing both at the same time.

While his avatar was busy with the waffles, Sunny used his original body to make the pancakes.

was both simple

butter into the yolks while whisking the whole thing. At the Same time, Sunny manifested

in short supply in Bastion. So, soda and vinegar

his six

as the whites were beaten to have stiff peaks, Sunny carefully combined the flour mix, the yolk mix, and the whipped whites together,

Some swore on lumpy batter, some considered anything except a perfectly smooth blend heretical. There were various factions in between the two

a precise and immaculate balance between smoothness and lumpiness, which he had painstakingly discovered after countless attempts. Most things worked

was ready, he put a pan on the fire and waited for it to grow hot, while simultaneously letting the batter rest a bit. Then, he used a large spoon

matter of skill. Sunny waited until bubbles broke on the surface of the pancake, then flipped it with one smooth, precise motion. Years of sword practice helped him perform the flip in the most efficient and

transcendent pancakes

final step, Sunny places a scoop of vanilla ice cream on each serving of

As for the pancakes...

a

maple syrup. However, such a thing did not exist in the world anymore, and the ancient tradition could not be maintained. There were a few substitutes, sure — especially here in

popular one... he

put butter on the pancakes, then retrieved a glass jar from the cupboard with a shaking hand.

I just don't

polite expression, he picked up all three plates, dismissed the avatar, and went to serve

"Aiko, make two coffees..."

up. Sunny took a step back and secretly watched them take their first bites. He made an effort to

eyes widened

these waffles have

He smirked subtly.