In a dark underground chamber, a metal sarcophagus stood shrouded in silence. Nothing had disturbed the silence and no light had penetrated the darkness in a long, long time.
Until now.
Suddenly, the sarcophagus came to life, and a scattering of lights ignited on its surface. A crack appeared on the smooth alloy surface, revealing where the edges of a heavy lid were. The lid smoothly slid away, and a flood of radiant light chased away the darkness of the underground chamber.
Cold vapor shined as it rose from inside the sarcophagus. Then, a pale hand rose from within it and forcefully grabbed the metal lip, easily bending its armored alloy.
Sunny struggled to climb out of the sleeping pod for a few moments, then lowered his feet to the cool plates of the dojo's floor. A moment later, he swayed and fell down with a yelp.
"Damnation!"
Sunny remained sprawled on the floor for a few seconds, trying to understand what had happened and why he suddenly lost balance. Then, his eyes gleamed.
"Wait… I can speak again? I can speak again!"
A happy smile slowly appeared on his lips.
Of course… he was back to being a human! He had returned to his own body. Trying to move like a towering demon was not going to do his sense of balance any good…
With a mad grin, Sunny nimbly jumped to his feet and looked down, enjoying the sight of his slender, pale body. Then, he suddenly spun and performed several lightning-fast strikes and kicks.
"Ah, it is good to be home!"
He felt so light, so swift, so agile… but most of all, so himself. It was as though a giant weight fell from his shoulders, quite literally — the shadowspawn must have weighed three times what Sunny weighed. Being a tall, powerful devil had its own advantages, but he much preferred his true compact self.
Not only was Sunny much lighter, but he also presented a much smaller target for the enemies to stick their blades in. And although having only two hands seemed rather inconvenient and silly, shedding the cumbersome shell of the inhuman creature felt nothing short of exhilarating.
Besides, now that Sunny was a Master, his slender body packed more punch than the shadowspawn could ever hope to muster. Not to mention how in tune it was with shadow essence now, and how explosive the result could be.
At the moment, Sunny was incredibly happy with his natural stature and height. Only after being forcefully turned into a lumbering monstrosity did he learn to appreciate all the benefits of being light, nimble, and swift.
Inhaling the flawlessly filtered air of the underground dojo, he let out a satisfied sigh and glanced at the crumpled metal of the lip of the sleeping pod. He had inadvertently damaged the armored alloy by simply grabbing it too hard. Getting used to his new strength was going to take some time…
For a moment, Sunny felt very disheartened about the damage he had done to the expensive machine. Replacing the bent panel was not going to be cheap. It was well within his means, of course… but still…
However, then, he tilted his head slightly.
"Wait… why do I even care?"
Why would he worry about the luxurious sleeping pod?
He didn't need it anymore!
He was a Master now… a true Ascended. If Sunny wished to enter the Dream Realm, he would travel there physically. His body would not be left empty and defenseless in the waking world. More than that…
He could leave the Dream Realm behind, forever. If he wanted to, he could never go back to that hell. He could just remain in the comfort and safety of the real world, enjoying all that it offered thanks to his wealth, citizenship, and social status.
For the first time after becoming infected by the Nightmare Spell, Sunny was free to refuse it. He had won his right to have a choice. He… he was not a slave to the whims of the world anymore.
For now…
He could concentrate on his business and open a true Memory shop, just like he had wanted. With his accumulated arsenal and knowledge of sorcery, creating a thriving enterprise would not be a problem. Sunny would be able to grow filthy rich and enjoy a lavish or even decadent lifestyle without having to risk his life or think about how to sustain it ever again.
He could even sleep in an actual bed, and see actual dreams.
Would it not be a beautifully happy ending for a homeless street rat from the outskirts?
Sunny froze, staring into the distance. Slowly, a pale smile appeared on his face.
"Yeah… as if that would ever happen…"
Somehow, he doubted that extricating himself from the Spell would be that easy. Even if he learned how to manage the unpredictable nature of his [Fated] Attribute, there were other factors to consider.
As a Master with a Special Strategic Asset designation, he was bound to attract the utmost attention of the forces that governed humanity. Neither the government nor the Great Clans would leave him be… especially the latter. Sunny suspected that he was going to receive a friendly visit from a representative of one of the ruling clans in the near future.
Thanks to subtle assistance from Master Jet, they had largely let him be when Sunny had been simply a promising Awakened. Now that he proved his mettle and elevated himself to the venerated status of an Ascended, the clans would not remain idle.
At the very least, they had to pass on a message that trying to become a Saint without pledging allegiance to one of them would not be tolerated.
And then there was the whole mess with the Night Temple…
Saint Tyris had said that she would smooth things out with clan Valor, but Sunny did not know how successful her attempts to shield him from the consequences of Mordret's escape had ended up being. Even though there were no witnesses left to tell the tale of what had transpired in the destroyed Citadel, he was hesitant to assume that a Great Clan had no means of finding out the truth.
And finally…
There was Nephis.
Even though Sunny was inclined to believe that Changing Star would not abuse her power over him, he could not be absolutely sure.
Worse still, whatever certainty he had was based on Nephis he knew.
Who could tell what years of solitude in the harrowing hell of the Dream Realm had done to her mind?
Sunny looked down, and then sighed.
"No… I'll still be rich and lazy one day, no matter what… you will all see!"
His train of thought was interrupted, however, because in the next moment, the whole home suddenly shook, and a strangely exhilarated howl resounded from somewhere above.
Sunny flinched, then looked up with wide eyes.
"What... the hell was that?!"