They stood in oppressive silence, frozen like statues, bracing for an attack.
Sunny's chest burned with agony, the suffocating air dragging him down. He had grown used to enduring it while walking, but fighting was a different story. Every move felt heavier, slower.
Nephis wasn't faring any better. Exhaustion was etched across her face, her breaths ragged and shallow. She panted, desperate to catch her breath, but the oppressive air only worsened her pain.
It certainly didn't look good.
…But they had endured far worse. They had been chewed, stabbed, gutted, drowned, mutilated—and suffered things they preferred never to think about again.
This? This was just Tuesday.
Sunny's eyes lingered on the spot where the ripples had first appeared. His mind wandered to the shadowy hands he had glimpsed earlier. He looked up at the eclipsed sun, absorbing the vast shadow it cast over the land.
'That creature... that thing... its power is tied to shadows.'
But something was off. It had only materialized when it attacked, and then again when Changing Star's light had chased away the shadows surrounding her.
He couldn't see it, couldn't hear it, couldn't smell it—it moved through the shadows, striking when it was least expected. It was almost like an incorporeal wraith, moving through the vast shadow cast by the eclipse.
It reminded him eerily of an aspect of his newly acquired aspect ability, [Shadow Step].
Sunny had the means to murder the creature right then and there. He had found its flaw. But should he? There was so much more to learn by observing it closely.
He turned to Nephis, frowning.
In these circumstances, with the very environment working against them, it was risky to toy with the enemy. But he had to take the chance now, while they still had the advantage.
After a moment of hesitation, he asked, "Neph... do you trust me?"
'What a loaded question.'
Sunny had his reasons for asking, but he couldn't deny how many times he'd gone against her wishes. He had left her behind in the Dark City, refused to leave her in the Crimson Spire, and impulsively stabbed the gateway like a fool.
It was a bit funny. A bit sad. And honestly, if he were in her position, he wasn't sure he'd trust himself.
And yet, without a moment's hesitation, she replied simply, "…I do."
'...What?'
Sunny was startled. And, inexplicably, something warm bloomed in his chest.
'That makes things easier'
Taking a deep breath, he said, "I want you to take that thing on. Alone. Engage it in battle, but… don't kill it."
The request was insane. Engage it alone? The creature was at least a Fallen Beast. They were only Awakened. And to top it off, he didn't want her to kill it? She must think he'd lost his mind.
But Changing Star only nodded, calm and resolute. Without a word, she leapt away from him, her steps sending ripples across the sand.
This time, she was deliberately baiting the creature to attack with her footwork.
More ripples appeared and vanished in the sand as it circled Changing Star, almost like the vile wraith was gauging its opponent.
After what felt like an eternity, the invisible shadow finally clashed with Changing Star of the Immortal Flame.
The sound of metal against metal rang through the air. Changing Star's movements were sluggish, slow—her breath ragged. The torture of the air they were breathing had drained even her grace.
...But still.
Sunny watched, utterly captivated. Her movements were a beautiful, lethal whirlwind. He knew Nephis's fighting style well—it was supremely adaptable.
But even he was taken aback at how quickly she adjusted to battling something she couldn't see, hear, or smell.
Sunny had worried for her, but now he realized he'd made a mistake.
He shouldn't have worried about Nephis. He should have worried about the creature instead.
In combat, Nephis fought by manipulating the flow of battle—and her opponent. But now, she was controlling something far greater: how the creature perceived her.
Every step in the sand sent ripples that dictated its attacks.
The creature was dancing to her tune. It struck where she wanted, dodged when she wanted, moved how she wanted.
It was insidious. Devious.
And kind of cool, though he'd never admit it to her.
Sunny's eyes widened as realization dawned. Shaking his head quickly, he tried to refocus.
He always knew how incredible Nephis was in battle, but still...
'What are you getting distracted for fool? Besides, I could do it too if I wanted!'
…He didn't sound very convincing, even to himself.
Grimacing, Sunny forced his attention back to the shadow abomination's movements.
He contemplated sending Happy or Gloomy to to trail the wraith, but with its shadowy nature, he feared he would just be sending them to their doom.
Changing Star's blade clashed with the creature once again, but that wasn't the real problem.
His eyes widened in horror as a second pair of ripples appeared behind Nephis, approaching with terrifying speed from the shadows.
Of course. Why had he ever thought there was only one of those invisible Shadow Wraiths? It all made sense now.
This region had seemed so empty when he'd scouted it. The nightmare creatures here couldn't be seen, heard, or smelled—because they were all shadows.
Nephis's blade continued to clash against the first Shadow Wraith, her focus locked on the fight.
Sunny moved without thinking, stepping into the shadows and emerging behind her just as his blade met the second creature's claw.
The impact sent shockwaves up his arm – too strong to block completely. He redirected it toward his shoulder, knowing even as he moved that it wouldn't be enough. The Puppeteer's shroud was no match for the wraith's jagged claws.
The shadowy claws drove through his left side, and he grunted in pain.
Nephis heard his grunt and immediately turned, seeing the new shadow wraith. Her footing adjusted to respond to the new attacker but he cut her off before she could act.
"Forget it, Neph. Just kill that thing..." he hissed.
Gloomy surged forward, augmenting Sunny's body and flooding him with strength. Empowered with Gloomy and the superhuman strength from essence, Sunny kicked the wraith, sending it hurtling back into the shadows.
'Damn it, that hurts.'
He had intended to deliver a devastating blow to make some space, but instead overexerted himself. Without proper time to learn how to flow essence efficiently through his body, he was only straining it.
He gritted his teeth, a pained grimace twisting into a smile of satisfaction as the memory he had summoned finally took form in his hands.
"Alright," he said, his voice laced with dark amusement. "I think I've played with my food enough."
As if in response, both Happy and Gloomy surged into the memory, augmenting it with their power. Sunny casually tossed what appeared to be an ordinary rock into the black sand a few meters away.
The "ordinary" rock shouted in Sunny's voice, loud and muffled:
"Come For Me Bastards!"
The sound, amplified by the combined power of two shadows, sent massive ripples tearing through the sand.
'Crap. I think I overdid it.'
The colossal ripple drew a pair of smaller ones in its wake, racing toward the source. At the last moment, Gloomy detached from the rock, darting toward the unseen abomination.
A devious grin spread across Sunny's face.
"I've got you," he murmured, dissolving into the Shadows.
A few meters away, he stepped out of Gloomy with the Moonlight Shard in hand, just as the abomination surged forward. The shadows around it jerked violently.
It must have sensed the danger, but it was too late. Treachery and momentum had already sealed its fate. The shadowy creature impaled itself helplessly on the blade.
Sunny twisted the weapon with a mix of effort and raw indignation.
"Die, bastard," he growled, his voice low and venomous.
He twisted his blade deep enough to bring the vile wraith to the brink of agony, then leapt back, leaving the Moonlight Shard embedded in the creature.
There was nothing more dangerous than a dying opponent, and he wasn't about to get caught near the wraith when it collapsed.
He wasn't sure if he'd killed it, and after what felt like an eternity, a shadowy humanoid figure materialized a few meters away from him. Its skin was cracked like a shell, with spiderweb-like fissures spreading across the surface.
Then, with a violent explosion, the shell shattered into a cloud of swirling shadows.
Inside stood a creature at least two meters tall, draped in a black hooded cloak and a tattered shroud. Black liquid oozed from the wound where the Midnight Shard had pierced, hissing and steaming as it dripped to the floor.
The creature swayed, its movements sluggish, before it finally collapsed, tired, weakened and dead.
[You've slain a Fallen Beast: Shadow Wraith]
[Your shadow grows stronger]
Sunny swayed slightly, feeling a rush of power surge through him. But this time, it was more fragments than it should've been.
Weird.
Unfortunately he didn't have time to worry about that right now. His gaze lifted to Nephis, who was finishing off the Shadow Wraith with brutal efficiency. The nameless Sun pierced through the abomination's chest, white radiance from Changing Star's aspect utterly destroying the vile wraith's very soul.
"Neph… something's wrong," he muttered.
Nephis turned, concern momentarily fracturing her usual impassive expression. The distant horizon was darkening, shadows growing impossibly deeper. More ripples erupted through the sand—larger, more erratic with each passing moment. A low, guttural sound echoed through the air.
Sunny felt the dread creeping in, coiling tight in his chest. Still, he forced a grin.
"Round two, huh?" He shrugged, his tone deliberately casual, as if they were discussing nothing more consequential than the weather. "Figures."
****
todays my birthday it didnt feel right to leave u guys with the cliffhanger from last chap. theres 1 chap more for u guys.