Chapter Summary: Sunny is the main character of a poorly written tragic novel.
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Sunny woke up feeling well-rested.
The bed he was resting on was supremely comfortable, the sheets of the highest quality money could buy, and the soft morning light entering through the window hit just right, warm but not annoying. He could have spent hours like that, just basking in its comfort. He already had on an occasion or two.
Letting out a contented yawn, he slowly opened his eyes, still half-asleep. The first thing he saw was the ceiling of his room, painted a soothing green and completely spotless.
For a few minutes, he just remained like that, staring up. It was a completely normal, unremarkable thing, and yet he had found himself staring at it countless times already. There was something in that green that called to him, that made him feel like he could let his guard down at last. That in this place, he was safe.
Maybe that was it. The secret behind what he was feeling.
This place, this house... was his. He wasn't a squatter or a guest, but the rightful owner.
It should have made no difference, and yet it did. It made all the difference.
Somehow, the fact that he had somewhere to belong now never failed to bring a smile to his lips.
He got up a short while later, heeding the calls of his stomach for food. He had truly grown spoiled lately. Three meals a day? His past self would never have believed such a thing was achievable.
Well, joke's on him. He hadn't gone hungry in a while already.
Sunny put on his slippers and trudged his way toward the bathroom, his feet carrying him there with ease after he had walked through the house hundreds of times, still in disbelief that all of it was his.
He stepped out minutes later, feeling refreshed and ready to deal with whatever the world wanted to throw at him this time.
Sunny descended the stairs silently, both out of habit, to avoid alerting Nightmare Creatures, and to avoid waking up his roommate. Though calling Effie one felt like a misnomer, considering she had just invited herself into his home and then refused to leave.
At least Neph's face upon finding out that fact had been the most hilarious thing he had ever seen.
Sunny stopped on the way to pat Serpent's head, who hissed a greeting in salute before dozing off again. The Shadow had taken a liking to sleeping on the couch, and he found no reason to stop it from doing so.
While he was at it, he picked up the remote from the table and turned on the projector to listen to the news while he cooked. Of course, he set the volume to a minimum. Unlike certain other brutish roommates, he wasn't a savage.
"...fortunately, the Gate was successfully contained through the valiant efforts of the Government Awakened, led by Saint Winter..."
"...Master Seishan, the speaker of Clan Song, has just confirmed that their Awakened Ball will take place in February..."
"...Clan Valor has just announced the successful clearing of a Nightmare Seed. What do you think is their secret, Michael? That makes it fourteen so far in the last two months..."
"...in other news, after a recent arson accident that killed many members of the new religion known as the Church of the Moon, they are now opening their doors to the public in hopes of gaining new members. Having been invitation-only so far, they are expected to rise..."
Listening with only half an ear, Sunny went to the fridge and retrieved some eggs. They cost a fortune, but he couldn't deny that they were great for breakfast.
When he closed the door and placed the eggs on the counter, his gaze landed on the calendar attached to it.
December 21st.
He blinked, the date going back and forth through his mind for a little while.
Today... today was his birthday.
Sunny had honestly forgotten about it. Things had been so hectic, and he had so many things to do that he had no time to think about it.
A year had passed already...
His eyes roamed across the room in disbelief. He saw the fridge, stocked full with tasty food; the counter, where dozens of cooking utensils rested; the appliances, all of them top of the line and in perfect condition; the walls, clean and well-maintained. Through the kitchen door, he spotted the living room, where Serpent was still sleeping on the couch while the projector played the news.
Just a year ago, he had still been lost in the Tears.
The difference was so stark he got whiplash.
He had been cold, wet, miserable, thinking that he would die alone and forgotten. Sunny had been convinced that he would die there, that it would only be a matter of time before he made a mistake that would spell his end. Before he purposefully made one that would.
"Survive."
The word echoed in his mind. It had always been there back then, playing in the back of his mind. The only voice he could hear besides his own. He had heard it so many times, and so often, that at times he found himself awaiting it, like the arrival of a friend he hadn't seen in a long time.
Sunny's knuckles popped from how hard he clenched his fist. What if he was still stuck in one of Eirene's dreams? Or if he was fantasizing while bleeding out somewhere? What if...
A loud, repetitive beating noise brought him out of his erratic thoughts, and he immediately called on the [Midnight Shard], ready to defend himself from the Nightmare Creature that had managed to sneak up on him.
He spent a few seconds like that, tense, eyes darting everywhere in search of an attack that never seemed to come. Only when it still failed to manifest itself a whole minute later did he realize that what he was hearing was his own heartbeat.
Slowly, almost reluctantly, he dismissed the Memory, eyes still darting to and fro in search of something that wasn't there.
He rested his head on the cold fridge door and focused on controlling his erratic breathing and on trying to stop his heart from beating its way out of his ribs.
He had escaped the Dream Realm. He had come, seen, and conquered that Nightmare. Every day that passed, his life became a little better instead of worse.
Sunny repeated those words to himself as a mantra whenever these panic attacks happened, but so far he hadn't been too successful in getting rid of them. That only meant he had to keep trying, or just learn to live with them. No more, no less.
After taking a deep breath, he straightened himself, plastered a smile on his face, and turned around to get started on break—
His shadows were staring at him. All of them save Happy, who remained with Rain.
"I'm fine," he said, widening his smile a little to show it.
Gloomy looked at him and shook its head.
"I really am. I'm getting better, even," he said brightly. "They don't happen that often anymore."
Gloomy's stare became no less overbearing. The others matched their older sibling, staring at him with a mix of pity and concern that he despised with all of his heart.
"Look, I'm fine," he repeated, wishing that they would leave him alone already. "I have been worse, and I dealt with it. I can deal with this too."
They did not seem convinced, but Sunny wasn't paying attention to them anymore.
He had breakfast to prepare, and they worried too much anyway. He was fine.
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Sunny put down the final plate on the table and took a seat.
Instead of picking any of the sumptuous dishes he had prepared, he decided to start with the simple black coffee.
The bitter taste made him scrunch his face, but he took another sip without complaint. Three years ago, back before challenging his First Nightmare, he had drunk one like this, and so had he before the winter solstice.
It felt right to drink it like this once more.
Sunny spent a while lost in thought, looking at the projector without listening to the scandal being covered in the news.
His gaze roamed once more, but before he could get caught in the strangeness of it all again, he heard footsteps descending the stairs. Sure enough, Effie arrived just a few seconds later.
She sat down at the table, face still sleepy and hair a mess, looking more like a zombie than a normal human. She wasn't a morning person; that was for sure.
Then she sniffed, caught the smell of food, and life returned to her all at once. Sunny had erupted into laughter the first time he saw it happen.
Effie looked across the table, her eyes going from dish to dish like a predator trying to decide which prey would be the juiciest. Just a moment later, she shrugged and dragged half of them toward her.
Sunny rolled his eyes and took another sip, amused despite himself. There was a reason why he had prepared so many, and it wasn't because he had suddenly grown an appetite.
"Did you decide to show off for some reason?" Effie asked through a mouthful of toast.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
She waved her hand at the table, tried to speak, realized she couldn't with how much she had stuffed into her mouth, managed to swallow somehow, and finally answered. It was as fascinating as it was horrifying.
"You prepared fancier stuff than usual."
Sunny shrugged nonchalantly. "I just needed a distraction, and cooking is a good one."
"A distraction from what?"
He took another sip of coffee to hide the fact that he was thinking about how to answer, then shrugged again, trying to make it seem as though it wasn't important in the slightest.
"I started walking down memory lane, and it wasn't too pleasant," he said calmly.
The way Effie narrowed her eyes told him that his attempt hadn't succeeded as well as he had hoped.
Fortunately, he was saved from further questions by a timely arrival. He had felt her shadow coming closer, and sure enough, just a second later, a quiet click, followed by a much louder groan, echoed through the house as the door opened.
Rain walked inside, shooting him an irritated glare at the way the door opened.
It was such a pity. She was his sister, and yet she lacked appreciation for the good things in life. He still smirked when he remembered that poor delivery guy running away when the door opened on its own with a sinister wail.
"Good morning," she mumbled, taking a seat across from them.
"Good morning," he echoed brightly. "How's my favorite sister feeling this morning?"
Rain shot him an unimpressed stare. "I wasn't aware you had more."
"Which makes you the favorite by default," he replied easily.
"I'm volunteering to be another if that means you will also gift me Memories and have a Saint as a bodyguard at all times," Effie interjected, her gaze sharp despite the irreverent words.
He rubbed his chin, making a show of thinking about it.
"You are older, though. Doesn't that mean you are the one who has to gift me stuff?"
Effie gasped exaggeratedly, then placed a hand over her chest like a soap opera lead. "Are you calling me old!?"
"Yes," he answered immediately.
The older woman looked at Rain pleadingly. "Little brother is bullying me."
"There, there," she said, soothingly patting her back. "It's not your fault you are old."
Both of them stared in exasperation at Effie, who started 'crying' dramatically.
Sunny rolled his eyes, glad that she had forgotten about the previous topic, at least.
Then he smiled at Rain and pushed a dish and a glass of juice in her direction. She didn't quite understand the charm of black coffee just yet, but he was working on it.
Soon enough, she would be suffering along with him. Resisting the urge to cackle like an evil wizard, he finally dug into one of the plates himself.
Breakfast passed quickly after that, and before long, they all had to leave.
Sunny walked them out the door, then left himself after locking it.
A sigh escaped him as he did so, already dreading all the things he had to do today. Though, if he was honest, there was another reason for it.
None of them had said it.
He shook his head right after. It didn't matter anyway.
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Sunny deposited a heavy notebook on the desk.
"Sorry, this is all I could find in the short time I had," he said apologetically.
Teacher Julius stared at him for a long time, his eyes flat, then shook his head in exasperation.
"Young man, do you have any idea how much information we have about Godgrave?" he asked seriously.
"Not much," Sunny admitted.
He had studied everything he could in depth before departing on his journey across the Dream Realm to reach the Chained Isles, and he had been quite disappointed by how little was known. He could have certainly used a few more warnings than just 'don't move when the clouds part' and 'avoid the creepy red vegetation'.
It was the whole reason he had decided to write a new report on the region, though he had pointedly left the Citadel he conquered for Song out of it.
"Exactly!" the old man agreed, looking a little excited now. "If this report is half as detailed as it looks, then you have already deepened our knowledge of that accursed place by leaps and bounds!"
Sunny smiled a little, proud of himself. Maybe he really did have the makings of a great adventurer and scholar.
"It was the least I could do," he said, trying to avoid sounding smug.
Given the amused look that Julius shot him, he hadn't been as successful as he had hoped.
"The least he could do, he says," the old man echoed. "Ah, to be young and full of energy."
"You have plenty of energy left, as far as I can tell."
Julius chuckled good-naturedly. "Of course I do! There are plenty of things left to be found and learned, and I won't allow these old bones to stop me from doing so!"
"Guess you'll live forever, then," Sunny quipped.
"If only I could." The old man sighed forlornly. "But enough about me, young man. Tell me, how is life treating you lately?"
Briefly, he considered reminding him that today was his birthday, but decided against it. He didn't want to force the old teacher to congratulate him or something like that. It would be nice, but completely unnecessary.
"Very well, I would say," he answered, smirking a little. "I bought a house a few weeks ago, and I couldn't be happier with it."
"What of the plumbing?"
He chuckled. "I heeded your advice and bought a house with good plumbing."
Julius nodded proudly. "Splendid! Good hygiene is what separates us from animals, after all."
"And clothes, electricity, or living in buildings don't?" he asked flatly.
"Bah! Those are unnecessary luxuries. Being able to take a bath whenever you want to, though? Irreplaceable."
Sunny laughed at the old argument, the teacher's obsession with cleanliness already an old joke between them. His first years as an Awakened, back before the first cities in the Dream Realm had been properly built, must have been hellish for him.
The conversation ended shortly after that, both because he had more things to do today and because Julius looked increasingly eager to read the report he had delivered to him, and Sunny wasn't cruel enough to keep him hanging any longer.
He left his office with a smile on his face, yet still wishing he had heard those three simple words.
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"...so the Minister of Defense agreed to our proposal. That was the last thing I had to report," Cassie concluded.
"Thank the dead gods," he muttered.
"I heard that," Cassie said dryly.
Sunny lifted his head from where it was resting on the desk, having succumbed at one point or another to the sheer boredom of the whole thing. Just because it was necessary to know didn't mean that it was interesting.
"I wasn't trying to hide it," he retorted.
Though wearing a blindfold, he was sure that Cassie had just rolled her eyes at him.
Sunny stifled a yawn behind his hand and straightened up in his chair. To think he would rather fight for his life than do this. To be fair, struggling against a harrowing foe was entertaining, at least.
"Anything else I should know?" he asked, desperately wishing for a negative answer.
A fact to which Cassie wasn't blind. Pun not intended.
Frowning, she shook her head. "No. Just remember that meeting with the House of Night tomorrow."
Sunny yawned again, this time more openly, much to the seer's annoyance.
And here he had thought that playing the role of leader of Clan Song in the Waking World would be an exciting, adrenaline-filled experience. Lies, scheming, backstabbing, and plots behind every word were his expectation.
What he got instead was an endless list of superfluous appointments, hours spent talking in circles when the matter could have been settled in minutes, and, worst of all, having to be polite to idiots whose biggest merit was continuing to breathe with the single neuron they had left.
He felt scammed. No wonder the Song sisters had been so willing to cede the "honor" to them.
Sunny stood up to leave, still lamenting inwardly about that fact.
"Before you go, there is something else I have to tell you," Cassie said suddenly.
He stopped right before opening the door and turned toward her. What could she want?
Wait, was she going to wish him a happy birthday, perhaps? She had done so right before going into the Dream Realm for the first time, so she surely knew the date.
"What is it?"
Cassie summoned her storage Memory, a small red box that was bigger on the inside, and retrieved an old, withered book.
"Can you give this to Neph when you see her later? It took a while, but one of my contacts managed to find a first edition of that book about Greek myths she was interested in."
Sunny swallowed his disappointment and just shrugged. "Sure, I can do that."
"Thank you," she said simply.
He nodded and walked out of the room without saying anything else.
What was he expecting? It wasn't like anyone cared enough to remember such a thing.
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Countless shadows emerged from the ground, skewering dozens of creatures at the same time.
Many more poured out of the Gate, and Sunny kept up the pressure, unleashing wave after wave of shadow spikes to end their charge before they could gain any momentum.
At the same time, hundreds of wind blades assaulted them from all directions, slicing into the creatures and pushing them back.
And still, the feline Nightmare Creatures continued charging without pause, trying and failing to break through the blockade he had created around the fracture in reality. Against any other duo, they might have succeeded, but against them? Not a chance.
Sunny dove into the melee when Corrupted ones started appearing, tearing their way through their lesser brethren without mercy.
His odachi met the claws of his foe for but a second before he overcame their resistance and sliced off their paw.
There was another behind him, just about to pounce on his undefended back while he fought against another opponent. Sunny didn't even bother turning around when it finally did so.
His shadow sense painted a vivid picture: the blur that was the Corrupted Demon jumping at him, only to be met with silver steel that ended its life in one strike.
She could be such a show-off sometimes.
Smiling a little, he continued fighting against the Gate, striking with odachi and shadows in equal measure.
Meanwhile, Nephis did the same, cutting down any creature foolish enough to approach her while battering at those who thought they could get away from her with the Name of the Wind. Her Shaping kept getting better and better.
Before long, they were both fighting against the Guardian. A Corrupted Tyrant that was more menacing than it was strong.
His judgment was proven right moments later, when the creature's lifeless body fell to the ground.
Sunny stared down at it, feeling oddly disappointed. He had hoped it would last a little more so that he could relieve some stress with its help.
It seemed like nowadays he couldn't even rely on Nightmare Creatures for that. What a sad state of affairs.
"Well, that was easy," Sunny said, forcing himself to sound cheerful.
"It was," Nephis agreed immediately after.
They allowed themselves a brief pause to catch their breath before moving on to deal with the aftermath.
In the following minutes, they both had to deal with the stragglers, attend to the defenders who had been injured and needed immediate care, and finally watch over the crew that sealed off the Gate. All of which took enough time that the reporters arrived before they could leave.
All in all, that was the worst part of these things. Being all smiles, proclaiming how everything would be alright as long as they were there, praising the fast response of the Government, and spouting a thousand other empty platitudes that he swore everyone could tell he didn't really mean, but had too much fun watching him die inside while he did to stop him.
An eternity later, they finally managed to extricate themselves from the reporters and step into their PTV, which would take them to their next appointment. The damn list only ever grew, as far as he could tell.
Sunny looked out the window, lost in thought. It was already evening, and nobody had said anything…
"Are you alright?" Nephis asked suddenly.
She was looking at him with what was her equivalent of concern. An otherwise emotionless face, but with the brow furrowed just a tiny bit.
"Yes," he responded after a short pause. "Why?"
"You don't seem so," was her calm answer. "Do you mind telling me what's wrong?"
Briefly, very briefly, he considered confessing his frustration with the way the day was going. Confessing that he still felt lost, weak, like he was already dead and his body simply refused to accept that fact. Confessing that he was terrified that all of this was just a dream. That he would wake up at any moment and find out that it was a lie he had managed to convince himself of.
He considered it, but decided against it.
He was fine, after all.
"I mind," he answered.
"Sunny—"
"I'm fine."
"But—"
"I said I'm fine," he repeated, the words coming out more forcefully than intended.
Nephis looked at him a little longer, her brow more furrowed than before. She wanted to say more, almost did so, but in the end understood the fact that he didn't want to talk and didn't push, as he knew she would.
She was always considerate like that, and it never failed to make him feel like a bastard for that.
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Sunny emerged from the shadows, on top of the roof of a tall building.
The wind was strong up there, carrying the chilly air of December. It tugged at his clothes and ruffled his hair, the cold biting into his skin, though Sunny barely noticed.
Right in front of him stood a skyscraper, its enormous billboard illuminating the surrounding buildings with flashes of color. Some advertisement was playing, the actors smiling and gesturing enthusiastically about some product he couldn't bring himself to care about.
Instead, Sunny tilted his head back and looked at the sky, where the setting sun was leaving space for a tiny sliver of the moon to be visible. It was barely there, almost on the brink of disappearing completely.
Would anyone notice if it did? Would they even care?
"A cold, chilly day, and here am I, loitering atop some building like an edgy superhero with too much free time," he lampooned to himself.
It wasn't exactly his idea.
Rain had demanded -very adorably, he had to add- that he leave the house for a few hours.
Apparently, she wanted to have a girls-only night, and apparently, that meant her brother was not welcome.
His argument that he could just remain upstairs had fallen on deaf ears before he was unceremoniously kicked out. And people called him ruthless.
"Maybe I'm spoiling her too much?" Sunny wondered.
He shrugged a moment later. He had missed years of her life; he could accept spending a few hours away from his new, warm, comfortable house. He was going to take his revenge for this, though; that was for sure.
Besides, watching Rain become comfortable enough around him to order him out of his own house was strangely satisfying.
She had grown up so fast it made his mind spin. It felt like one moment she was still following him everywhere, back when their mother was still alive, and now she was almost a young woman. In no time, he would have to start threatening boys stupid enough to think they were good enough for her.
Sunny shook his head at the ridiculous thought and looked toward the moon again.
For some reason, the sight of it made the smile fade. It hung up there, a sliver of light surrounded by darkness. Did it feel lonely? Standing all alone with nothing but the void of space to keep it company?
So close to Earth, yet so far.
Didn't he, too, feel like that at times? Like he was alone even in a room full of people?
In the Dream Realm, loneliness had been simple enough.
Just him against the world, and no one else. It had been horrible, the most harrowing experience of his life, but it had also been easy to understand.
Now things were different. He had Rain, Nephis, Effie, Cassie, Kai, Julius, an entire Clan that he could rely on, even if he never would.
There were people who would notice if he disappeared, people who would worry, look for him, mourn him if he died.
And still, he felt alone.
Sunny had spent years dreaming about having people around him.
He had fought for it, suffered for it, killed for it.
So why did it still feel as though there was a part of him standing alone in the dark?
"Put yourself together, Sunny," he chastised himself. "You are not the main character of some poorly written tragic novel."
He had barely finished speaking when the billboard across the street changed.
The advertisement disappeared, and a familiar scene took over.
Sunny looked at himself, fighting the Gate that had opened earlier. There he was, surrounded by shadows, cutting through Nightmare Creatures while Nephis fought beside him. The recording had been taken from a considerable distance, but there was no mistaking either of them.
The images shifted. First, the Gate was shown collapsing, then he was standing in front of a group of reporters.
Sunny stared at the screen, already cringing at what he was about to hear.
"...and thanks to the swift response of Clan Song and the Government Awakened, the threat was neutralized before civilian casualties could occur..."
Somehow, seeing himself on a giant screen made the experience even worse.
"Can you believe it, Saint?"
His shadow widened, and a figure stepped out of it. A woman covered head to toe in armor, with burning rubies for eyes.
She took a look around, patiently looking for the danger that could justify her summoning. When she didn't find it, she looked at him, as though asking what he wanted.
Sunny pointed toward the billboard. "Turns out I'm a hero now."
Saint looked at the screen, then at him.
He had the sensation that the taciturn woman had just quirked an eyebrow, looking thoroughly unimpressed.
Sunny chuckled again, and the sound came out strangely hollow.
"Me. A hero." He shook his head. "Me."
The recording showed him smiling confidently as another reporter asked a question.
"It's absurd." Slowly, his smile started to fade. "I'm nothing but a liar."
Saint said nothing. Instead, the taciturn Shadow stepped closer and placed one armored hand on his shoulder.
He blinked, and for a long time just stared at the quiet show of support. He was brought back to a moment in the past, back when he had fought against Wrath and the Emotion Eater, only to find out that what he was fighting for had never been within reach to begin with.
Saint had done the same back then, comforting him when he was at his lowest.
His smile returned then, more honest, but still hollow along the edges.
"I'm glad you get it." He looked up at her eyes. "Then again, you always do, don't you?"
Saint remained silent, offering neither agreement nor disagreement, but her hand did not move, her support as unwavering out of combat as it was within.
Sunny's smile became a little more genuine, and his gaze drifted down toward the ground, where he found his Shadows. Gloomy, Creepy, Naughty, Crazy, and finally Lazy.
They were staring at him in turn, their forms still, but what could pass for looks of encouragement on their faces.
"At least I can always count on you guys."
Gloomy nodded solemnly.
Creepy tilted its head in a vaguely menacing manner.
Naughty winked at him.
Crazy started imitating Sunny's pose.
Lazy yawned.
And Sunny... Sunny couldn't help but laugh.
He looked at Saint again, then at his Shadows. All of them but Happy were here, every single one.
Always.
No matter where he went, they followed. No matter what he did, they helped him. They had seen him at his worst and his best. They had watched him kill, suffer, laugh, crawl his way forward, too stubborn to do anything else.
He loved them all for that reason.
And yet, somehow, his greedy heart couldn't help but want for more.
Sunny shook his head, his smile slipping just a little before he corrected it, lest he make the others worry even more.
"Happy birthday to me, I guess."
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Sunny remained there for a long time, quietly watching the moon along with his Shadows.
Eventually, he sighed and looked toward the city one last time.
"Well, I suppose I should go home."
Saint nodded at him, squeezing his shoulder in support one final time before dissolving into his shadow. The others remained, still looking at him with that quiet encouragement in their gazes.
Sunny smiled at them, then descended from the rooftop and began making his way home.
The walk was uneventful. The streets were quieter at this hour, the frantic bustle of the day having given way to the subdued rhythm of the night. Lights shone through the windows of houses he passed by, illuminating small glimpses of lives that continued behind them.
Who were those people? What was their story? Were they happy? Sad? Lonely?
He pondered all of those questions as his feet carried him home.
Eventually, his house came into view, and for a moment, he simply stared at it. There was something strangely comforting about seeing that door after a long day.
He reached for the handle, key in hand, but then paused. His shadow sense was telling him that there were more people inside than there should be.
For a brief moment, he considered trying to ascertain exactly who was inside, but then he shrugged. They were all familiar enough that it didn't matter.
Rain's girls-only night probably hadn't ended yet; that was all.
Well, tough luck. He wasn't going to leave again.
He closed the door behind himself, then started walking toward the stairs, already thinking of the shower he was about to take and collapsing onto bed after a long day.
"Sunny?" Rain called out.
He stopped, his foot set on the first step.
"Yeah?"
"Come here for a second," she called again.
Sunny frowned. There was something about her voice that made his paranoia surge.
Had he come at the wrong moment or something like that?
Curious, he walked to the living room, only to stop dead the moment he stepped through the doorway.
Rain stood in the middle of the room, holding a cake in her hands. Beside her were Nephis, Cassie, Effie, Teacher Julius, and Aiko. Even Kai was there, though the latter looked distinctly uncomfortable, as though he would rather be facing a Corrupted Titan than whatever was happening here.
Every single one of them was smiling, looking at him, and Sunny could do nothing but stare back.
His eyes moved upward, where he saw a banner hanging between two rafters, with letters painted in bright colors.
Sunny's mind went completely blank.
"Happy Birthday, Sunny!"
Then, slowly, tentatively, a smile drew itself across his lips.