When Sunny opened his eyes on the Altar Island of the Sanctuary of Noctis, he had planned to go out and hunt, clear his mind and cool his thoughts that were running wild, uncontrollably. The reason was not something to speak about.
Instead, he immediately wanted to strangle whatever cruel deity was currently managing his fate.
Because standing not three feet away from him, bathed in the ethereal moonlight that cut through the darkness of the Sanctuary, was the reason for his thoughts, Cielle.
He had just fled from her in the waking world, And yet, here she was. Anchored to the exact same Citadel.
The silence between them was heavy, pressing down on Sunny's shoulders. Cielle simply looked around the Sanctuary, her face a mask of mild observation, completely unbothered by the sheer awkwardness radiating from him.
Sunny stepped off the small platform, his boots clicking softly against the stones of the tranquil pool. Cielle followed, her steps light and unhurried. They passed through the inner ring of massive, towering menhirs, entering the lush park where off-duty Awakened usually traded and rested.
Sunny kept his gaze locked straight ahead, his heart still hammering against his ribs. 'Act normal, pure thoughts, sweet and innocent, thoughts'
"So," Sunny finally said, his voice grating slightly as he shoved his hands into the pockets of the Puppeteer's Shroud. "You're anchored at the Sanctuary of Noctis."
"Yes," Cielle replied, looking up at the colossal stones. "It has good water. And it's quiet."
Sunny scowled, throwing a sideways glance at her. "It's in the Chained Isles. Out of everywhere in the Dream Realm, this is a bizarre choice for someone without a clan backing them. The Crushing turns people to paste, and the monsters use Fallen beasts as chew toys."
"I don't like clans," Cielle said, her tone perfectly flat. "They have too many rules, and too many people trying to tell you what to do. I prefer to be alone. The monsters here keep the annoying people away."
Sunny studied her e. It made sense, in a deeply unhinged way. To survive out here alone meant she was incredibly capable, hiding a terrifying degree of competence behind that blank, unbothered expression.
"What about you?" she asked. "Why are you here?"
"I am technically a contracted researcher," Sunny said, his tone gravely serious. "The government pays me to go around dusty ruins and write down what I see."
It was the absolute truth, Teacher Julius did pay him for his exploration reports in contribution points, and the best part about his Flaw was that people rarely believed the ridiculous truth anyway.
Cielle simply nodded. "That sounds like a good arrangement."
They reached the outer edge of the Sanctuary. The grassy ground abruptly ended, giving way to the breathtaking vista of the Chained Isles. Huge, gargantuan iron chains stretched out from the soil beneath their feet, disappearing into the darkness of the void, connecting the Sanctuary to distant, floating islands. Below them, the bottomless abyss of the Sky Below loomed.
Sunny stepped up to the edge, feeling the cool wind rush up from the abyss. He usually used his Dark Wing memory to glide across the chains, turning into a shadow to traverse the harrowing drops. He summoned the translucent cloak, feeling it weave itself into existence behind his back.
He was just about to ask her if she had a rope Memory when Cielle took a step past him.
She didn't summon a Memory. She didn't look for a chain.
Instead, she simply stepped off the edge of the island into the abyss.
Sunny's breath hitched in his throat. For a split second, pure panic spiked in his chest. He lunged forward, ready to throw himself after her-
But the air violently displaced. With a sharp, rustling sound, her two massive, magnificent wings, with a single, powerful downward beat, halted her fall, the gust of wind sending ripples through the misty spray of the nearby waterfalls.
Sunny stared, wide-eyed, as she banked gracefully and caught an updraft. He shook off his shock, threw himself off the cliff, and activated the Dark Wing. The enchantment caught the wind, slowing his fall as he guided himself down toward the massive iron link of the nearest chain. He landed nimbly on the metal surface, which was as wide as a road.
Cielle folded her wings slightly and dropped down, landing lightly on the chain beside him. She looked at him, her head tilting slightly to the side in confusion at his stunned expression.
"What?" she asked simply. "It is faster than walking."
Sunny swallowed hard, his mind completely blanking. They began walking down the massive iron chain together, the wind howling softly around them. The sheer majesty of her wings, the cool air, and the lingering, electric memory of her lips against his in the waking world... It was all too much. His mouth moved before his brain could stop it.
"Do you want to come over for dinner?"
The words tumbled out of him, sharp and abrupt.
Cielle paused her stride. Her wings rustled softly behind her. She processed the sudden invitation for a second,
Sunny felt the tips of his ears burn with the heat of a thousand suns. He wanted to summon the Midnight Shard and impale himself. Why did I say that? Why did I say that?!
"In the real world," Sunny blurted out, trying to recover his aloof persona and failing miserably. "When we wake up. I have real meat. And we still have to finish the Star Wars movies.."
Cielle stared at him for a moment, her face betraying no emotion. Then, she gave a single nod.
"Okay," she said. "I would like real meat. And I want to see what happens next in the film." She fell back into step beside him, walking along the iron chain. Then, she looked over at him, her green eyes perfectly clear. "Are we just watching the movie, or are we going to kiss again?"
Sunny stumbled over his own boots.
He barely caught his balance on the massive chain, turning to stare at her with bulging eyes. She wasn't blushing. She wasn't smirking. She had asked the question like it was something normal, Sunny was not the weirdo here, this was not normal damn it.
"I actually got a small piece of your aspect" Cielle continued, entirely unbothered by his reaction. "Well, i think atleast, i can sense my own shadow a little, like i know its there. A constant hum at the back of my mind"
Sunny paused, so she really can copy aspects, that was undoubtedly shadow sense, or it could be his dormant ability. He shuddered
'If she manages to fully copy my aspect…..'
Cielle spoke again " Or we could just have sex. I don't mind either."
Sunny choked. He actually, physically choked on the crisp air of the Chained Isles.
His face flushed a violent, burning red. She had just offered to sleep with him again and yet her tone remained so frustratingly neutral! Sunny could not understand if she simply didn't understand the social weight of what she was saying, or was she pulling his leg.
"I—what? No!" Sunny sputtered, his composure entirely shattered. He pointed a frantic finger at her, his voice cracking. "Just the movie! We are just eating food and watching the movie! That's it!"
Cielle looked at his panicked face, thought about it for a second, and nodded.
"Okay," she said, completely serene. "Just the movie. I will see you tonight, Sunless."
Without another word, she stepped off the edge of the chain, spreading her wings, and launched herself into the sky toward the next island.
Sunny stood frozen on the giant iron link, staring after her shrinking silhouette. His heart was performing a frantic, irregular rhythm against his ribs.
'I am going to die,' Sunny thought miserably. 'And it won't even be a Nightmare Creature that kills me.'