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.

both simple and

time, Sunny manifested a pair of shadow hands to whisk the whites, using a bit of his Transcendent strength and speed to hasten the process. Finally, he combined baking soda with vinegar and mixed that with flour, sugar,

but it was currently in short supply in Bastion. So,

him — both of him, with all his six arms —

important part. As soon as the whites were beaten to have stiff peaks, Sunny

most wars were fought among the pancake enthusiasts. Some swore on lumpy batter, some considered anything except a perfectly smooth blend heretical. There were various factions in

was a moderate, standing by a precise and immaculate balance between smoothness and lumpiness, which he had painstakingly discovered after countless

to grow hot, while simultaneously letting the batter rest a bit. Then, he used a large spoon to pour a portion of the batter into the pan, watching with satisfaction as it formed into a

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

transcendent

the waffles were ready. For the final step, Sunny places a scoop of vanilla ice cream on each serving of the waffles, adding freshly cut strawberries

As for the pancakes...

a

that pancakes were ritually served with something called 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 —

most popular

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

just

all three plates, dismissed the avatar, and went

"Aiko, make two coffees..."

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

widened a

these waffles

He smirked subtly.