Sunny reeled from all the information he was receiving.
He had already been exhausted after the battle against the flying armada, the race across the burning city, the confrontation with Mordret… and the rest.
Witnessing Hope in her true form and hearing her inhuman, beautiful voice had almost overloaded his mind. Looking at the Spell through the prism of his new knowledge of sorcery had been another shock.
And this latest revelation…
Sunny groaned.
'What does it all mean?'
Of course, he could not be certain of the validity of his guess. But his intuition told him that he was at least partially right… the appraisal of the challenger's performance did not depend on the greatness of the feats they had achieved, but instead on how far they had strayed from the predestined outcome. How well they had resisted the current of fate.
The Spell wanted humans to strain against the chains of fate… maybe even break them.
But why? Why would the Demon of Fate want fate to be subjugated? By mere mortals, no less.
And what was the point of manipulating fate inside illusory Nightmares? No matter how much was changed, it was never going to affect the Dream Realm and the Waking World. It was never going to reach reality. Whatever changes had been made, they were going to disappear forever as soon as the Nightmare ended.
As far as Sunny knew, no echo of the events that transpired in the First, Second, and Third Nightmares had ever affected change in the real world. The only thing that returned from the Nightmares…
Were the Awakened.
He frowned, feeling a vague hint of suspicion appearing in his mind. However, before he could grasp it, the Spell spoke again. Its voice resounded in the darkness, enveloping him from all directions:
[The Third Seal is broken.]
[Awakening dormant powers…]
Sunny was about to Ascend.
Just as before, he felt as though something was waking up inside him. His four Shadow Cores ignited with intense heat, the power within them surging. The heat spread through his soul and his body, rejuvenating and changing them.
The feeling was familiar and euphoric. He felt his body being reforged into a stronger, better, more perfect version of itself. His soul was going through the same sublime transformation.
This process was already familiar to Sunny, since more or less the same thing had happened to him twice before. However, this time… something was different…
Instead of stopping after reaching the threshold of qualitative change and immense fortification, the transformation continued. His body and soul, both turned incandescent and malleable by the furious heat flowing through them, started to melt into each other.
They were slowly merging.
But they were not simply joining into a single whole… instead, the two parts of his being resonated with each other, reinforcing one another. The power of that resonance grew stronger and stronger, and then exploded once it reached his four cores.
Under the influence of the resonance, the threshold was demolished, pushing him even further on the path of evolution. And as his body and soul became one…
A profound change took place.
Suddenly, Sunny felt the shadow essence coursing through every fiber of his being with stark clarity. The difference was so staggering that he almost yelped. The measure of control he could exert on his essence became incredibly precise and fine.
Additionally, since his body and soul were now deeply interconnected, the effect of one on another also went through a fundamental change. He could do much more, and with much less.
This was the true boon of the Ascension.
And there was something else… a deep and vast shift in his very being that he could feel, but not understand or express with words yet. All Sunny knew was that it had to do with his relation to the waking world, the Dream Realm, and his connection to both.
Slowly, the heat suffusing his newly reforged self subsided and turned into a pleasant coldness. The coldness then disappeared, absorbed into his spirit, his flesh, and his bones.
Sunny looked at the black void with new eyes.
He felt…
Powerful.
He felt as though there was furious might boiling under his skin. He also felt calm and confident. Balanced.
As he listened to his body, the Spell spoke from the darkness:
[Awakening Aspect Ability.]
[Aspect Ability acquired.]
Sunny held his breath.
[...Aspect Ability Name: Shadow Manifestation.]
He clenched his fists.
'Is this… is this what I think it is?!'
However… to his surprise, the Spell was not done speaking.
Stunning Sunny, its voice resounded once again:
[Your Attribute has evolved.]
[Your Aspect Ability has evolved.]
The Spell paused for a moment, and then added solemnly:
[Your Ascension is complete.]
Sunny opened his eyes wide.
'What?! What has evolved?!'
He hurriedly summoned the runes and read them:
Name: Sunless.
True Name: Lost from Light.
Rank: Ascended.
Class: Devil.
Shadow Cores: [4/7].
Shadow Fragments: [744/4000].
Sunny stared at the number of his fragments for a moment, then shook his head and skipped ahead to his Attributes.
Attributes: [Fated], [Flame of Divinity]...
He had expected the [Flame of Divinity] to transform once again, but it was the same. Neither did [Blood Weave] and [Bone Weave] change.
Instead… [Child of Shadows] was gone.
A new Attribute had replaced it.
Sunny stared at the runes.
They read:
[Master of Shadows].
'...What?'
He sucked in a deep breath, waited for a moment, and then concentrated on the shimmering symbols.
[Master of Shadows] Attribute Description: "Shadows recognize you as one of their champions."
The first part was the same, but the second was new.
'Wait… does this mean that I command wild shadows now?'
He quickly concentrated on his Abilities, looking for the one that had evolved.
It was [Shadow Control].
Now, its description read:
[Shadow Control] Ability Description: "[Your shadows are more independent than most, and are invaluable helpers. All shadows respect your authority.]
'It does!'
The possibilities! If he could command natural shadows to move and change shapes according to his will, so many things would become easier. So many things would become possible!
And that new and unexpected gift was going to, without a doubt, synergize not only with his familiar Aspect Abilities, but with his new one, as well.
Finally, Sunny moved his gaze and concentrated on his Ascended Ability.
The runes shimmered in the darkness.
Aspect Ability: [Shadow Manifestation].
Ability Description: [You can manifest shadows as tangible objects].
Sunny read the description several times over, then froze for a few moments.
The visage of the Mountain King being torn apart by tentacles made of pure shadows appeared in his mind.
…After some time, Sunny threw his head back and let out a loud, triumphant laugh.
As his laughter echoed in the darkness, the Spell whispered into his ear.
[...Wake up, Sunless.]
[Your nightmare is over!]