The morning was dark and biting, but for Myriad Shade, it was tepid and sweet. Her Master was warm and soft, his chest a far better sanctuary than any pillow could ever be. When he rose, he graced her with a soft kiss upon her forehead.
It had been pleasant—truly! But why were they taking so long to seal the deal? The thought made her pout as she shifted in the bed, stretching out to occupy the lingering warmth her Master had left behind. Thene exhaled slowly with her face buried deep in the white sheets of the mattress. It doesn't matter! She'll give him a little more time, and then, if her Master still hasn't made up his mind, she'll jump on him and resolve the matter personally.
Once all escape routes are closed, where would he possibly run?
Amidst fantasies of ink and sweet dreams, Thene drifted back in her peaceful slumber, until... TOCK. TOCK. TOCK.
A violent, sudden knocking sent her bolting from the bed and rolling onto the floor.
Thene scrambled up from the ground, a twisted smile that promised absolute vengeance curling her lips. Plunging her right hand into the shadows, she drew forth a greatsword as black as pitch. Turning toward the door with the weapon held high and the blade resting against her right shoulder, she stepped forward with calm, deliberate strides, savoring every second before her long-awaited retribution.
"I swear! If it's those Sun God's island guys again..."
It was at that precise moment that her Master reappeared from the bathroom, just to the left of the room's entrance. His gaze locked onto her—and then onto the greatsword steeped in promises of blood.
***
"Fight me!"
Sunny blinked, genuinely bewildered. He hadn't even fully opened the door to see who was knocking that he found himself face-to-face with Changing Star, standing there like a graceful silver Maiden, demanding him to duel.
Meanwhile, within his shadow, Myriad Shade glared relentlessly at the Nephilim. Not only had this wretch ruined her perfect morning, but she had also gotten her scolded by her Master for her completely justified reaction.
Sunny leaned out of the doorway, looking around the hallway and then back at his own door. He blinked again.
"Um... excuse me... but how did you find my room?" he said, scratching his head as he glanced at the doorframe. "No, seriously! I mean... my name isn't even written anywhere here,"
Nephis, completely ignoring his question, pressed forward with unwavering, fierce will. "This time, I will not take no for an answer," she said, her eyes burning with an unyielding resolve. "I expect you to show me your technique. If you won't do it at the dojo, any other place will do. Even here, in your room, take it out!" She demanded referring to his weapon.
Sunny stared at her, his eyes wide and his mouth slightly open, completely speechless at her utter oblivion to how that sounded aloud. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of his neighbors who had just witness to their interaction. Someone even gave him a knowing thumbs-up and a teasing smile before turning away, silently wishing him a pleasant morning.
Sunny let out a long, weary sigh, burying his face in his left hand. His words muffled against his palm, sounding like a weary groan: "What a headache!"
Meeting her radiant gaze once more, Sunny held up a hand. "Look... at least let me get ready first. The moment you see me step across the threshold of my room, I promise, we can go handle this. Alright?"
Nephis nodded sharply, fully convinced. "That's fine by me."
'Finally!' She added mentally. Everlasting Gloom seemed finally willing to accept her challenge.
Sunny clicked the door shut, leaving Changing Star standing alone in the hallway, staring at the wood in eager anticipation.
A second later, from the shadows just behind her, a young man with ink-black hair and pale skin stepped out. He was dressed entirely in black, save for a brilliant emerald-green prism hanging from a pendant around his neck. Walking with silent, feather-light steps, he slipped right past her.
As he silently crossed behind her back—while the Nephilim was still staring intensely at his door—unseen and unnoticed, Sunny didn't miss the opportunity to flip her a crisp, parting middle finger.
And that's how Changing Star Nephis spent the rest of the morning standing in the hallway, waiting for Sunless to step out of his room.
***
The next day...
In a sparse clearing of trees within the Academy's vast grounds, the snow had draped the earth in a pristine, white mantle. Out here, the harsh ring of dark iron and clashing blades echoed in a secluded spot where Sleepers usually never ventured, preferring the warm, welcoming area of the indoor facilities.
Finally, Sunny had found a place to practice his Shadow Dance that was isolated enough for Thene to operate out in the open. Keeping his shadow hidden like a precious piece of jewelry that could be stolen didn't sit well with him, but a Sleeper with an Ascendant Echo would arouse far too many suspicions and annoying stares.
The place wasn't as well-equipped or neatly laid out as the Academy dojo, but all things considered, a wild terrain was far better suited to a formless and insidious battle art like his own.
Sunny deflected another heavy strike from Myriad Shade's dark blade, forcing his foot back to redistribute his weight after the impact. Thanks to these secret training sessions, he had also been able to properly test his Shadow's unique traits.
---
Shadow: [Myriad Shade].
Shadow Rank: Ascendant.
Shadow Class: Beast.
Shadow Attributes: [Shadow Slave], [Flame of Divinity], [Battle Master].
Shadow Abilities: [Shadow Support], [Shadow Step], [Shadow Manifestation].
Ability: [Shadow Support].
"Myriad Shade can control shadows and shape them to her liking. Her authority over the shadows it's on par to her Master."
---
'That's not bad, it's even better than I thought, actually! Even if on the field it presents too many flaws,' Sunny thought, straining to dodge yet another relentless assault. Even though he had strictly told her to go easy on him, he was still struggling to keep up with her raw power and flawless technique. 'Even if I don't manage to unlock Serpent before the winter solstice, Thene can simply use the surrounding shadows to create weapons on the fly.'
The exchanges continued as he formulated his logical deductions.
'However, since her control over shadows cannot surpass mine, they are far too fragile and break easily... furthermore, they can only be used by those with an affinity for shadows... with anyone else they just pass through the flesh and dissolve upon touching the ground... Hm... it's okay anyway. For now, I don't think I'll ever find myself in a dangerous situation where I'll have to arm the oOAAH—'
Sunny's train of thought was violently derailed. He was forced into a frantic backward roll, utterly overpowered by the massive disparity in strength during their brief clash of blades.
Losing his thread of logic, he slowly scrambled back to his feet and raised his black sword, bracing himself to restart.
Thene stood opposite him, mirroring his stance with the exact same sword in hand.
But before they could clash again, something—or rather, someone—burst into the perimeter of his Shadow sense, storming forward with the violent, impetuous heat of a wildfire.
Sunny facepalmed. "What the—" he pinched the bridge of his nose. "By the dead gods... does this woman have a Shadow radar or something?" he muttered to himself, keeping his voice low enough so the biting wind wouldn't carry his words to the silver-haired girl that was currently coming toward him.
Nephis walked through the clearing of the sparse forest within the Academy's inner gardens, her stride brisk and purposeful. She was convinced she had spotted Sunless from a distance. Judging by the deep, heavy prints her boots left in the snow, she had not taken yesterday morning's prank well at all.
'Where are you?' Nephis mused, her sharp gaze scanning the area, making sure to check even the deep shadows cast by the trees. After a while, when it became clear that no one was there, she turned on her heel and stormed off, even more furious. 'Just you wait, Everlasting Gloom! when I finally get my hands on you, I'll make sure you unleash it.'
A moment later, Sunny re-emerged with Thene from the shadow of a tree a few dozen meters away, watching the silver-haired girl disappear over the horizon.
<
Sunny glanced down at it. 'Because at this point, things have escalated way too far. What started as a petty payback for how she returned my greeting back at the academy gates has quickly became a War of attrition, and both Nephis and I are far too stupid and stubborn to resolve this peacefully'
Hearing this, the manifestation of his Flaw knitted its brow. <
Sunny chuckled darkly, leaning his fists along his flanks. 'My dear Cricket, if you truly think that people mature and become wiser as time passes, then you're letting yourself be fooled by a beautiful illusion.'
With the danger averted for now, Sunny resumed his rigorous training session with Thene, squeezing every last drop of progress out of the brief window remaining before the start of Professor Julius's Wilderness Survival Class.
Time flowed. The hands of the clock continued their constant, rhythmic ticking, never pausing for a single moment.
Nephis remained utterly undeterred. Driven by an undying desire to cross blades with him and a level of stubbornness that defied all reason, she relentlessly sought out any opportunity to force Sunny to draw his sword. She never missed a chance outside of classes to hunt him down. Even during meals, she would routinely march over to the quiet table he shared with Cassie and Yuki, throwing down the gauntlet with mechanical persistence, though she never stayed to join them afterward.
Aside from this daily nuisance, everything else progressed without any major incidents.
After facing yet another series of flat rejections, Caster had finally thrown in the towel, completely giving up on his attempts to invite Sunny and Yuki to join the Legacy clans at their table. Yuki, meanwhile, had begun attracting a fair share of admirers due to her icy beauty and her taciturn, mysterious personality. Among them was a Sleeper with pale blonde hair and amber eyes, who was usually surrounded by a harem of girls; Sunny had recently found out his name was Jayden.
Jayden tried several approaches to hit on her, but Yuki never showed the slightest hint of interest. Each time, she rejected his advances with a number of words that could be counted on one hand before returning to her friends. Desperate, Jayden had even tried to approach her through Sunny, asking for an introduction or fishing for information.
This unwanted attention, however, quickly earned Yuki the resentment of the girls in his harem. Driven by jealousy, they tried to plot against her, but none of their petty ploys succeeded.
The luckiest among them spent only a single night in the infirmary.
As for Cassie, Sunny deliberately avoided any mention of the Dream Realm or the upcoming Winter Solstice, choosing instead to focus on simply getting to know her better. One of the original Sunless's biggest regrets was never having truly known the members of his cohort; he had known them as fellow survivors, but never their backgrounds or who they were before the Spell. Of course, he didn't miss a single opportunity to pet her head or tease her, earning a few sharp bites for his efforts from time to time.
There were moments when his sharp attitude made things slightly awkward, but ultimately, it was precisely his blunt, passive-aggressive nature that shattered the remaining social barriers between them. The rest of their time was filled with peace and serenity, accompanied by genuine laughter and the sweet warmth of friendship. His plan to bond with the blind seer—to help her break through the shell of fear and self-pity she had built around herself—was going swimmingly.
And just like that, his first week at the Academy flew by. The Winter Solstice was now just three weeks away.