"Ahaha...ah...aha..."
Cassie let out heavy breaths, her head tilting upward as she gazed into the void, the darkness that had long replaced her once lovable light.
'Too many...'
She thought to herself, clutching her chest. Her heartbeat wouldn't slow down, and her body was going limp.
'I overdid it...'
Cassie thought again as she strained to focus.
"Sunny..." she muttered softly, her eyelids growing heavy, as if gravity itself were pulling them down. Though blind, she could still perceive the essence of souls, and her attention was drawn to a faint white glow—count vichman core. That was enough. She turned towards the opposite of it , dizziness swirling in her mind. Leaning on her staff, she heard quick footsteps approaching. She smiled weakly, even though her vision held only darkness. She didn't need to see to know where he was. In this abyss, she could still sense the dark core of another—tainted with red, cracked lines spreading across it, glowing faintly at the edges.
Tap... step.
That was all she managed before her legs gave way, and the weight of the world dragged her down. In that moment, two slim but strong arms caught her, pulling her close into a firm chest. She felt soft fabric against her face, but it brought no comfort—it wasn't her own.
"Cassie?!"
Sunny's voice echoed in her ears. Her mind was in a haze, the adrenaline from her rapid movements and the strain of using her ability—seeing three seconds into the future over and over—had pushed her beyond her limits. She raised a trembling hand, placing it on Sunny's chest, over his suit, matching hers.
"Mine..." she whispered, as a sharp pain shot through her pinky finger, like a string pulling tight around it. These were her final words before slipping into unconsciousness.
---
Sunny held Cassie's unconscious body in his arms, his glare fixed on the Count. With one hand, he gently patted her head, while with the other, he summoned back the midnight shard. The mansion trembled violently, just as the Count's lips twisted into a wicked smile. But Sunny's anger wasn't from fear of the mansion crumbling around them—no, the Count wasn't even afraid.
Clap, clap, clap.
"Bahaha... ah... I see... I see now... yes, I understand."
The Count nodded as debris began to fall, the roof threatening to collapse.
Sunny glanced up at the falling rubble, then back at the Count. A sinking realization crept into his mind. A theory—horrible but plausible—formed. He swallowed hard, the massacre Cassie had unleashed, the creatures, part-human, part-beast, all of it… it was too familiar. Their movements were unnatural—their wrists didn't bend right, their steps hindered as though bound by tight skin.
Clap-clap-
The Count suddenly stopped clapping.
"Ah... I see... yes—what a girl. I see now why Valor was so interested in her. It all makes sense."
"-!!"
Sunny's eyes widened at the old man's words.
"What...?"
More debris fell, the house shaking more violently.
'Earthquake? No—'
Sunny tightened his grip on Cassie, sliding one arm under her to lift her into his arms. He jumped back, and the ground split open beneath them. Wooden tendrils burst from the earth, twisting and writhing. But what shocked him most was the sight of the Count, arms outstretched, laughing like a maniac.
"HAHA... yes... YES... they warned me... they warned me she would come after me if I held the ball. They told me she might use me to get to the Chain Islands... bhaha... BRUGH—"
Blood gushed from the Count's mouth as he was impaled from multiple angles. His arm dropped to the floor, severed, blood pouring out like a river about to burst its banks. His chest was torn open by the wooden tendrils, his ribs split apart, his organs spilling out. The branches pierced through him, growing rapidly, the blood now replaced by a yellow-green liquid dripping from the leaves.
Sunny wanted to gag. The Count was being mutilated by his own creations. Worse still, his theory was correct. Inside the Count's chest, amid the carnage, was a corrupted terror crystal, wrapped in wooden veins.
'This Count... was never fully human.'
That was the conclusion Sunny came to.
"Well..." The Count's voice gurgled as his body deteriorated further. "It may not be finished yet... but it will work... yes... yes... it will work..."
The man muttered nonsense as his eyeball popped from its socket, roots spreading from the empty hole.
Prrsht.
Sunny glanced at his watch.
'Kai?!'
He was about to shut it off when a voice crackled through.
"Sunn...y! Wha...t's happ...ning ther...e!? The ma...nor's mou...th is star...ting to spe...ak!"
"Tsk." Sunny clicked his tongue at his friend's news.
"You..." Sunny glared at the Count with disgust. "You are the manor itself."
Sunny spat the words, as debris rained down around them.
"BAHAHA... NICE TO MEET YOU, SMALL SNAKE!! MY NAME IS COUNT VOUNCHEM, AND THIS, MY DEAR GUESTS, IS THE SURPRISE YOU'VE BEEN INVITED TO WITNESS!"
Sunny's eyes narrowed. As the Count laughed maniacally, Saint emerged from his shadow. Gently, Sunny handed Cassie to her.
Psssshht.
"Su...Sunny! The manor—"
"I know. I'll handle it," Sunny sighed, bringing his wrist to his mouth.
He then unlocked his watch, letting it fall to the floor.
"YES... COME AT ME, SNAKE..."
"Snake... huh..." Sunny muttered, touching the snake mask he wore for the ball. 'From the start, he wanted this.'
He glanced at Cassie, her body cloaked in a nightmare creature, the mask she wore implanted with cracking devices. The puzzle pieces were falling into place. The only question now was...
"Why..."
He murmured, though the truth was, he didn't care anymore. He removed his mask, and a new one formed on his face—a three-horned mask, with fangs jutting toward the sky and hell. Sunny dropped the snake mask, gripping the midnight shard with both hands.
'My ankle isn't fully healed, but... it should work.'
He willed his two shadows to envelop his body, regaining more strength. One last glance at Saint, and he gave his order.
"Get her to safety."
Saint disappeared in a flash of lightning, and so did Sunny.
The tentacles followed them both, but Sunny's plan was simple. Saint, once again, would act as bait. Just as they had before, Sunny would use her to reach the Count.
"OIII, SMART OLD MAN! I DARE YOU NOT TO COME AT ME, BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT A A FUCKING PUSSY !"
He shouted, taunting the tentacles. It worked—perhaps too well.
Sunny steadied himself as the first line of tendrils lashed toward him. But fighting was never just about brute strength for him. He leapt onto one tendril, using it as momentum to launch himself to another, and then another, until he reached the Count. Behind him, the tentacles tangled and twisted together.
In his final jump, Sunny enveloped the midnight shard in shadows and drove it straight into the crystal in the Count's chest. The floor collapsed beneath them both.