The griffin folded its white wings and dove down, then opened them up near the ground to slow its fall. Sunny raised his hand to cover his eyes from the dust that was sent into the air by the powerful gust of wind.
'...Strong.'
The mighty beast shone with ethereal light and disintegrated into a rain of sparks, letting the rider land nimbly on the ground. He regained his balance swiftly and straightened, then turned to Sunny.
The man in front of him was tall and had broad, powerful shoulders. He was wearing a light armor crafted from the adamantine scales of an unknown monster, with a blue scarf wrapped carelessly around his neck. His hair was the color of straw, as was his manly beard.
The stranger's eyes were bright blue, and dangerously attentive.
Sunny stared at the man for a moment, then bowed respectfully, hiding his face in the process.
"Master Roan."
Indeed, the man in front of him was none other than Ascended Roan of the White Feather clan — one of the only three Masters on the Chained Isles.
Well… there were probably only three.
Unlike the Forgotten Shore, this region of the Dream Realm had several Gateways. Two were found, conquered, and turned into Citadels by humans. Both Sunny and Master Roan — as well as pretty much everyone else on the Chained Isles — belonged to one of them, the Sanctuary of Noctis. That Citadel was ruled by the White Feather clan, which was one of the vassal clans to the great clan Valor.
The second Citadel was rather mysterious. It was situated at the very edge of the region, near the dreaded Hollow Mountains, and belonged to Valor itself. Only those in direct service to the great clan were anchored at its Gateway, so Sunny had no idea what went on there, and how powerful the Awakened stationed at the Citadel were.
He did, however, know a bit about Master Roan.
The man was married to the only Saint on the Chained Isles, after all!
...Roan looked Sunny up and down, then gave him a friendly smile.
"Do we know each other?"
Sunny shook his head.
"No, sir, we haven't met before. I have just Awakened a couple of months ago, so… uh... I am new to the Chained Isles."
The strapping Master nodded and then glanced at the carcass of a Fallen wolf that Sunny had failed to throw over the edge of the island in time. When Roan turned to him again, there was a measured look in his piercing blue eyes.
"Did you kill that beast?"
Sunny lingered for a few moments, then nodded.
"Yeah. I… well, I can be very lucky, on occasion."
The tall man shook his head.
"This is a Fallen Beast… ah. You must be Sunless, then. From the Forgotten Shore."
Sunny smiled.
'Curses. He knows my name...'
He had nothing against the older man, but preferred to remain unknown and underestimated. Especially when dealing with Legacies.
"Yeah. That's me."
Master Roan nodded, as though everything suddenly made sense, and then briefly looked at the sky.
"You should know that it is dangerous to remain on an ascending island, right? Why are you still here?"
Sunny hesitated for a few moments, then shrugged.
"I was just about the leave and escape to the next one over when you appeared… sir."
The tall man sighed.
"Yeah, that's what I figured. You've spent all your luck on that beast, though, it seems. All three of the island connected to this one are also ascending. You wouldn't have been able to escape even if you left on time."
Sunny stared at him for a while, a sour expression appearing on his face.
'...Damn it.'
"Uh… what about that beautiful griffin of yours, sir? Surely, it can bring us both away to safety?'
Roan grinned.
"He is rather beautiful, ain't he? Well, not that it matters. In theory, we can dive below the islands and escape through the Sky Below, but believe me, you wouldn't want to meet the things that dwell on the dark side of the Isles. Even I prefer to avoid those things."
Sunny blinked.
"Then what do we do?"
The tall man laughed.
"I guess you're about to experience your first Crushing, Sunless. Don't worry, though! The chains of this island are on the shorter side, so it won't ascend too high… well, most likely. And I'll be here to bring you back to the Citadel if you pass out. Provided that we survive, of course."
'Great…'
This wasn't Sunny's first Crushing, actually. And that was exactly why he didn't want to experience it again.
But there was no other choice, it seemed.
With a sigh, he dismissed Saint, who had been hiding in the shadows all along, and took off his pack. Then Sunny found a soft-looking patch of grass and placed it on the ground. Behind him, Master Roan dismissed his scale armor and unwrapped his scarf, then tied it around his waist.
The less weight was on the human body during the Crushing, the easier it was to endure, and the more chances of survival there were. However, the Puppeteer's Shroud was made mostly out of soft fabric, so Sunny left it on. He also wanted to neither reveal nor dismiss the Soul Serpent.
As the giant chains groaned and rang thunderously, and the island rose higher and higher, the two of them lay on the grass and prepared to be crushed.
Master Roan stared at Sunny's slender physique, then at his own mighty muscles, and sighed with envy.
The Chained Isles was one of the very few places in the Dream Realm where being small and light was an advantage.
"...If you feel like passing out, turn your head to the side. Wouldn't want to suffocate on your own spit or vomit, right? Uh… sorry for being crass, kid."
Sunny grimaced and thanked the older man in a suppressed voice.
He was already feeling an invisible force pushing him into the ground.
'This... is going to suck.'
As if answering his thoughts, the invisible force suddenly grew stronger, crashing into him like a giant hammer.
Chapter 382: The Crushing
Laying on the soft grass, Sunny felt his body grow heavier, and heavier still. The island continued to rise into the sunlit sky, and with each minute, the crushing pressure became slightly more unbearable.
The ancient forest covering its surface bent, a rain of leaves falling to the ground. The mighty trees lowered their branches, almost as if trying to touch the ground. With a loud crack, a few weaker ones broke and plunged down, showering everything around with sharp splinters.
Sunny grimaced, feeling his whole body struggle under the strain. He could still move and breathe without too much trouble, at least… for now. Soon, the island would rise high enough to make any kind of movement almost impossible.
…And if he was especially unlucky, it would continue to ascend, eventually making it hard to even inhale. Hopefully, the chains would draw taut long before that.
The skies above the Chained Isles were beautiful, but also forbidden. Nothing could survive their crushing embrace — neither humans, nor Nightmare Creatures. Nor anything else…
Well, except for one thing.
Shifting his gaze, Sunny looked straight up and found the shape of the Ivory Tower drifting high above the world, wrapped in a veil of clouds.
The Ivory Tower was the only thing that seemed to be capable of withstanding the deadly pressure of the forbidden sky. It was a tall, magnificent pagoda built out of flawlessly white material that was neither stone nor wood. The island on which it stood was very small, barely wider than the base of the tower itself, and surrounded by drifting slabs of shattered marble.
Seven broken chains hung from the soil of the island, swaying as it moved.
The Ivory Tower was visible in the sky both during the day, bathed in sunlight, and at night, glowing beautifully with the reflected radiance of the moon. No one knew what the mysterious structure was and why it remained untouched by the obliterating force that destroyed everything else that dared to rise above the Chained Isles, since no one had ever managed to withstand the ever growing Crushing to get anywhere near it.
Many even believed it to be a mirage.
'Crap…'
The island on which Sunny had the misfortune of getting stuck had finally reached the highest point of its ascent and shook violently as the chains connecting it to other isles drew taut. The pressure at this height was torturous… but not deadly.
His bones were not breaking under the assault of the Crushing, and he could still breathe, even if with great effort.
It would have been better if Sunny could wrap the second shadow around his body, but he didn't want to appear too strong in front of Master Roan.
Speaking of the devil…
The mighty rider chose that exact moment to speak. His voice sounded a little strained:
"Hey, Sunless. Can you breathe alright?"
Sunny gritted his teeth and struggled to speak. In the end, all he could manage was an affirmative grunt.
"Good, good. This is actually not that rough, as far as Crushing goes. If we rose by another hundred meters, though, even I would be having a bad time."
'...Good to know.'
At this point, Sunny was regretting that they had not climbed on the griffin and dove into the Sky Below.
The Chained Isles was a dangerous place, and the Nightmare Creatures living on them were fearsome and powerful beyond belief.
However, the creatures living under the islands were much, much worse. Sunny had seen them from afar a couple of times, and the mere memory of those horrors was enough to send a shudder running through his entire body.
Still, they could have fought their way through… probably…
It would have been better than this diabolical torture, for sure.
'Argh…'
But there was nothing he could do now except grit his teeth and endure. Minute after minute, hour after hour. Sunny couldn't even think properly because of how terrible the pressure of the boundless skies was. All he could do was suffer silently and stare at the Ivory Tower.
His shadow, on the other hand, was having a great time. It didn't move, reluctant to get noticed by Master Roan, but he could feel it stare at him gloatingly.
'Bastard… I'm going to wrap you around the Ordinary Rock and make it scream without rest for twenty-four hours straight… let's see who's going to be gloating then…'
The shadow hesitated for a bit, then awkwardly pretended to be interested in something else and looked away.
'Yeah, that's right...'
Somewhere in the forest, another tree exploded with a loud crack. Sunny tried to turn his head to look in that direction, but it demanded too much effort. He didn't have to worry about being attacked by Nightmare Creatures in this helpless state, anyway. They were currently hiding in their lairs, enduring the Crushing the same way he was.
Who could fight under this hellish pressure?
Sunny felt as if there was a mountain on his chest. Every breath demanded his utmost effort to make. His whole being ached, and his vision had become blurry. Exhausted, he closed his eyes and circulated the shadow essence through the coils of the Soul Serpent to keep his slowly breaking body going.
'Damn it… I'll be late to wake up, won't I? When were they going to call… in the morning? Such an important call, and I'm about to miss it…'
He was starting to feel really hurt when the blessed sound of rattling chains finally reached his ears once again.
'Oh, thank gods…'
After about four hours, the island had finally begun to move again, entering its descent phase. Little by little, the crushing pressure began to grow weaker.
Master Roan sighed with relief by his side.
"The worst part is over. Just wait a little bit more, kid. You're almost there."
Sunny glanced at the older man and sighed. He used to hate it when people called him kid, but not anymore, at least not as much. He just felt a little wistful.
He didn't feel like a kid. Not for a long time now... not since coming back from the Forgotten Shore.
A dozen long and torturous minutes later, the island descended enough for them to move, and then slowly stand up.
The Crushing was over.
Chapter 383: Cowardly Researcher
Sunny slowly rolled on his stomach, then rose to his knees. He was breathing heavily, and his whole body felt as if it had just gone through a meat grinder. Master Roan, on the other hand, looked almost unperturbed.
The rider was already on his feet, tying the blue scarf around his neck with a relaxed expression on his face.
The forest around them let out an almost human sigh of relief. The ancient trees creaked and cracked, rising their brancher back toward the sun. Those that had broken remained on the ground, adding to the nearly impenetrable layer of deadfall.
Sunny glanced at the older man with a bit of envy, then stood up and tried to shake off his exhaustion. After spending a few minutes resting and drinking greedily from the Endless Spring, he almost felt alive again. Glancing at the tall man, he asked:
"How are you able to fly up there on your griffin? I mean… no offense, but that seems like something only a crazy person would do."
Roan laughed.
"I don't rise too high unless I really have to. Usually, you can fly above the descending islands without experiencing too much pressure. After a while, you develop a sense of how much your body can handle, and for how long."
He massaged his broad shoulders and added, a note of pride in his voice:
"Plus, I am a Master, after all. I can withstand much more than an Awakened would. You did exceptionally well, however. To be honest, I was pretty sure that I would have to abandon my patrol to bring your bleeding body back to the Sanctuary at full speed, then throw it into the Gateway. I guess it's true what they say about you Forgotten Shore kids."
Sunny blinked a couple of times and asked cautiously:
"...What do they say?"
The older man smiled.
"Tough as nails, disturbingly indifferent to pain and fear, strong… almost scary. Scary children, that was the exact phrase I heard."
Sunny lingered for a few moments, then scoffed.
"Indifferent to pain and fear? What nonsense. I pride myself on being a coward — as one should. What's wrong with being a coward? Fear keeps people alive, while bravery gets them killed. As for pain, no thank you. I have been beaten, burned, crushed, drowned, cut, stabbed, pierced, bitten, chewed, and gutted enough times for several lifetimes already."
As Master Roan gave him a strange look, Sunny raised an eyebrow.
"Uh… what?"
The tall man shook his head, then scratched his chin and said in a wondering tone:
"No, nothing. It's just... if that is true, Sunless… then what are you doing here on the Chaines Isles? Shouldn't you be having a nice time in a safe place like Bastion?"
Sunny looked away in embarrassment, then coughed.
"That… uh… there are several reasons for that, actually. Not the least of which is that…"
He looked side to side, then lowered his voice and said in a gravely serious tone:
"...You won't believe it, but the government actually pays you money for writing down things about the Dream Realm. And since the Chained Isles are largely unexplored, they pay me premium for going around dusty ruins here and scribbling down a thing or two. I am technically a contracted researcher, believe it or not!"
He grinned and watched as Master Roan stared at him with an incredulous expression. After a while, the older man said:
"You are a strange fellow, you know that?"
Sunny shrugged.
"Huh? Everyone knows that, I think. Anyway… don't tell anyone about what I've just said. I don't want the competition."
The tall man blinked a couple of times, then smiled:
"No problem. Do you need me to take you back to the Sanctuary? Or will you be fine returning on your own?"
Sunny thought for a bit, then said:
"I'll be fine. It's not that far, anyway. If I make haste, I'll be back before morning and go straight back to the real world. I have business to attend to there, actually."
Master Roan nodded and patted Sunny on the shoulder.
"Alright. Then I'll be on my way. It's been nice meeting you, Sunless. If you need anything in the future, don't hesitate to find me in the Sanctuary."
With that, he summoned his Echo. A sea of white sparks appeared out of thin air and swirled, slowly turning into the figure of the mighty griffin. The winged beast towered above Sunny like a gargantuan mix between a lion, an eagle, and a pure nightmare. Slowly, it lowered its head, staring at him with two beautiful, inhuman eyes.
Its beak looked about as fearsome and terrifying as that of a Spire Messenger.
Sunny tensed a little and took a couple of steps back, prepared to dissipate into the shadows at any moment.
He didn't really think that Master Roan would suddenly attack him, but being paranoid was better than being dead.
The tall man summoned his armor, then easily jumped on the griffin's back and raised a fist to bid Sunny farewell. In the next moment, the Echo stretched its wings and pushed itself off the ground, sending a squall of hurricane wind in all directions.
Sunny struggled to remain on his feet, and then looked as the griffin flew into the distance. Slowly, a friendly expression disappeared from his face.
'Well, what do you know…'
The famed Master had turned out to be a rather pleasant person. Granted, he was a Legacy by marriage, and not by birth… still, Sunny had expected to be treated with a lot more disdain and contempt, at best hidden behind a mask of false courtesy.
Come to think of it, the Saint governing the Chained Isles herself was pretty down to earth, if a bit cold. Not that Sunny had a lot of opportunities to interact with her after that first day when she had brought him to the Sanctuary.
With a sigh, he walked over to the carcass of the monstrous wolf and sent it flying over the edge of the island with a frustrated push.
The corpse of the abominable beast plummeted down and soon disappeared into the darkness of the Sky Below.
Making sure that nothing appeared from beneath the island to snatch it, Sunny lingered on the edge for a couple of minutes, then sighed…
And jumped into the bottomless abyss himself.
Chapter 384: Traversing the lslands
Falling through the boundless blue skies with the wind whistling in his ears, Sunny threw his hands to the sides and summoned the Dark Wing. As the translucent Memory weaved itself from light behind his back, he shifted his weight and allowed the air resistance to push him off course, effectively turning left.
A few seconds after that, he activated the enchantment of his cloak and slowed down his fall, simultaneously turning the downward momentum into a forward push.
In these past two months, Sunny had become somewhat proficient in navigating the sky.
Cutting a smooth arc in the air, he swiftly approached one of the gargantuan chains connecting the Forest Island to another, flew above it for a few minutes, and landed nimbly on one of the massive links.
The giant chain swayed lightly beneath his feet. Somewhere behind him, it rose and merged with the soil of the island. In front of him, there was a vast expanse of empty heavens. Here on the border to the Sky Below, it was currently twilight. The chain stretched into the distance, disappearing into the darkness of the void a few hundred meters away.
As the Dark Wing turned from a blur back into a transparent cloak, Sunny sighed and walked forward. Each link of the heavenly chain was as wide as a road, so he didn't need to be afraid of falling off. Approaching the connection between two links, Sunny either jumped down or glided up to the next one.
Walking across the length of the chain that was drawn between the bottomless abyss below and the boundless sky above, he soon left the light of the sun behind and entered into the eternal darkness of the Below. Here, there was no wind and no sound, only silence. If not for the swaying of the chain, Sunny would have thought that he had entered a completely new world.
A myriad of ghostly lights were burning somewhere far below, pretending to be stars.
Making sure that no one was watching him, Sunny lingered for a few moments… and then dove into the iron surface of the chain. His body turned into an incorporeal shadow and merged with the darkness enshrouding it.
Here in the Sky Below, he was in his natural element, after all.
Sunny couldn't travel through the empty darkness itself, but the chains were covered by an impenetrable veil of shadows. He could swim through them for as long as he had essence to spare, safe from the terrible creatures that lived on the dark side of the Chained Isles.
Rushing forward with terrible speed, Sunny slid over the surface of the chain and flew through the darkness like a ghost. He went faster and then faster still, circling around the chain several times and leaving the Forest Island far behind.
Covering the distance to the next isle in mere minutes, he escaped from the shadows the moment the sunlight touched the iron chain once again and shot upward in a spin. The Dark Wing turned into a blur, pushing him even further up.
Sunny soared above the floating island and then glided smoothly to its surface, landing on solid ground with a light step.
This one was much different from the one where he had fought the monstrous wolves. Instead of a forest of twisted trees, the isle was covered by jagged rocks, with an ancient ruin standing lonesomely in its center. Sunny had explored the massive structure already, and wasn't interested in visiting it again.
Jumping from one shadow to another, he avoided the Nightmare Creatures populating the island and soon approached its other edge.
Technically, from here, he only needed to cross two more isles to reach the Sanctuary. However, one of those isles was home to a dreadful and utterly terrifying Corrupted Monster, so he was going to have to make a big detour.
Sunny looked at the sun, and then jumped off the edge once again.
Just like that, he traveled from one island to another for a few hours. When possible, Sunny turned into a shadow and rushed along the lengths of heavenly chains, then emerged from the darkness and traversed the islands themselves on foot.
Each island was different from another. Some were desolate and bleak, some covered by grass and vegetation. One was full of beautiful white flowers, while another hid a clear, tranquil lake. A few were covered by ash and flames, while several were covered by the ruins that some ancient civilization had left behind.
If there was one thing that united all of them, it was that each was dangerous in its own way.
The desolate islands were home to swarms of monstrous, gluttonous ants. The grass covered the maws of giant abominations that hid beneath, waiting for prey to step into their trap. The vegetation was predatory and deadly if one wasn't careful to not get too close. The beautiful white flowers could put a person to sleep from which they would never wake up. The tranquil lake was home to a creature so terrifying that Sunny did not even dare to approach its clear waters.
And these ones were on the safer side, as far as the Chained Isles went. Due to their proximity to the Sanctuary, they were well explored, and anything dangerous enough to pose threat to the Citadel had long been destroyed by Saint Tyris herself. Sunny had been to these islands already, too, so he knew his way around them.
Each was either descending or ascending. The former were easier to cross, while the latter forced him to walk while suffering from the early stages of the Crushing. If an island he wanted to use was to high, Sunny had to change his plan and seek out another way.
After a while, his reserve of shadow essence became dangerously low. Knowing that he will have to make a stop, Sunny chose a relatively safe island and headed toward it.
Gliding to the surface, Sunny tiredly dismissed the Dark Wing tiredly and looked around.
The island he was currently standing on was rather close to the Sanctuary, and usually empty of any Nightmare Creatures. However, it was wise to make sure.
Sending his shadows in different directions to scout for potential danger, Sunny sat on the ground and summoned the Endless Spring. When his thirst was satiated, he crossed his legs, put his hands on his knees, and closed his eyes, concentrating on the coils of the Soul Serpent.
With a part of his mind observing the world through the shadows and another concentrated on hastening the accumulation of shadow essence, he meditated for a while, and then suddenly opened his eyes.
One of the shadows had noticed something interesting.
Chapter 385: lron Hand lsland
The island Sunny was resting on was a strange one. It was rather large and covered in soft grass, with ancient stone columns protruding from the ground here and there. Most of them had long toppled and been shattered to pieces by some unknown disaster. The ground itself was full of depressions and generally uneven, as if it had served as a battlefield for giants once.
The reason why Sunny had come up with such a metaphor was not coincidental. The main feature of the island was situated at its center, and appeared to be a giant, rusty metal hand. Hence, the isle was unimaginatively called the Iron Hand Island.
It was well known to the Awakened anchored in the Sanctuary because very few Nightmare Creatures ever came here, and thus, many humans used it to rest during their journeys.
However, today, Sunny wasn't the only visitor to the peaceful island.
A rather ugly monstrosity lay dead in the shadow of the giant iron hand, its blood forming a large pool. It had a body like that of a snake, two powerful hands protruding from a human-like torso, a head with a long and toothy muzzle, and two leathery wings.
From the looks of it, the creature had landed on the island due to heavy injuries, and then succumbed to the most recent Crushing. Its body seemed broken and flattened, with sharp bone splinters protruding from the torn scales.
Sunny's interest was naturally piqued, because it wasn't every day that he stumbled on free soul shards. Additionally, and more intriguing, the shadow had noticed something glinting on the ground near one of the abomination's hands.
'Huh…'
Standing up, Sunny looked around, and then headed to the center of the island.
Soon, he reached the rusty metal arm and dove into the shadows, emerging on top of it. Standing a good ten meters above the ground, he stared at the carcass of the dead Nightmare Creature to make sure that the shadow didn't miss anything.
…Everything seemed to be fine.
With a shrug, Sunny jumped down and landed softly on the grass near the massive monster. Walking around it, he approached the spot where the abomination's hand lay on the ground, its five long fingers ending in terrifying claws.
"Gee. You were a scary one, weren't you?"
He didn't need to wonder about who had done the monster in. On the Chained Isles, Nightmare Creatures constantly fought each other. Winged ones like this one were often caught by the inhabitants of the dark side, torn to pieces, and devoured.
This one had been relatively lucky, all things considered.
Bending down, Sunny picked up the small object that seemed to have fallen out of the creature's hand and stared at it with a dubious expression.
"...A coin?"
Indeed, he was holding a heavy golden coin. Which didn't make any sense.
Nightmare Creatures were not exactly known for participating in commerce, and humans did not use coins. If they needed to trade, they either bartered with suitable items or used credits — of course, credits didn't exist in the Dream Realm, but the transaction would be honored when both parties returned to the real world.
So where could a gold coin come from?
Sunny stared at the coin for a while, then turned it around. There was a depiction of an archaic ship on one of its sides, with a tall mast that had an actual tree growing around it. A beautiful human face stared at him from the other side, a carefree smile on its lips.
The person had high cheekbones, long hair, and exquisite features. Sunny couldn't say if they were a man or a woman, just that they seem rather charming. There was a crescent moon drawn on their forehead, and… well, that was about it.
Sunny studied the coin some more, and then thought despondently:
'That thing is definitely cursed, right?'
It just had to be. What else was he supposed to think after finding a mysterious coin near the corpse of a monster that had died a violent death?
…But it didn't seem to be cursed.
Sunny had a rather good intuition about these things. He also had the sight of a person who had inherited a part of Weaver's forbidden lineage.
Looking under the surface of the coin, Sunny expected to see a malevolent spellweave, or at least something strange, but there was nothing.
From the looks of it, the coins… was just a coin.
The only strangeness about it was that it seemed a little bit warm to the touch.
"Huh…"
Teacher Julius would have been delighted if he brought him a sketch of a genuine Dream Realm coin. Cultural artifacts like this were few and far between. It wouldn't result in Sunny receiving any contribution points, but the old man was easy to please.
With a shrug, Sunny shoved the coin into his pack and turned to the dead monster.
"Let's see how many shards you're hiding, ugly lizard…"
He summoned the Moonlight Shard, enhanced it with two shadows, and cut into the tough hide of the Nightmare Creature. For a while, luck was on his side. He quickly retrieved two bright soul shards… so quickly, in fact, that Sunny grew sure that there had to be a third one inside the carcass.
"A demon, huh?"
That was where his luck ended. The body of the demon was too heavily damaged, so when he tried to fish out the third crystal, its stomach burst open and spilled its contents all over the ground.
"Argh! Curses!"
Sunny was so disgusted by the idea of being doused in the putrid slimy mass that he instinctively teleported a few meters away.
Then, he tilted his head and stared down.
Covered in repulsive, acidic liquid, three more coins — as well as something that resembled a piece of a wooden chest — lay in the quickly melting grass.
'Did this guy… try to eat a treasure chest?'
Sunny shook his head, walked around the disgusting mess, and quickly retrieved the last soul shard.
Since golden coins were rather useless to him and he already had one to sketch, he had no intention of retrieving the rest.
'No thank you…'
By that time, he had recovered enough shadow essence to return to the Sanctuary, so nothing was holding him on the island anymore.
Throwing one last look at the giant metal hand and wondering what terrible strike could have separated it from the rest of the theoretical giant, he turned away and walked toward the edge of the island.
The sun was already setting, so he didn't have a lot of time left to return to the Citadel and use the Gateway before the morning came.
Chapter 386: Sanctuary of Noctis
Soon, Sunny was walking on the last chain he had to traverse as he approached the Sanctuary of Noctis.
By then, it was already night. Up above, the pale disk of the crescent moon shone softly, its light reflecting off the white walls of the Ivory Tower. Countless stars shimmered on the dark velvet tapestry of the night sky. Without the light pollution that the giant city where Sunny had grown up produced, they were beautiful and bright.
There had not been any stars on the Forgotten Shore, as well, so this sight was still new and breathtaking to him.
Now that it was night, the border between the Sky Above and the Sky Below was almost invisible. The empty void beneath the Isles had stars of its own, so it seemed like the reflection of the real sky during these hours. The only difference between them was that it lacked both the moon and the ethereal silhouette of a graceful white tower floating through the clouds.
The chain swayed lightly as Sunny walked. He felt reluctant to use Shadow Step this close to the Sanctuary and enjoyed the sight of the night sky, the smell of clean air, and the cool embrace of the wind. So he tended to complete this last part of the return journey on foot.
…Even hell could be beautiful, sometimes.
A few minutes later, Sunny heard the murmur of flowing water and knew that the Sanctuary was already close.
The Citadel that served most Awakened of the Chained Isles as the home was situated on a tiny island of its own. That island, however, was rather anomalous: unlike all others, it never rose and never fell, always remaining at a stable height, away from the torturous pressure of the Crushing.
There was a grass field, and in its center, massive menhirs stood in a perfect circle, which encompassed another, smaller one. This larger circle formed the outer wall of the Citadel, while the smaller one formed the inner.
Inside the circle, there was a tranquil park with a pool of clear water in its middle. A path of stones led to a small island at the center of the pool, where, in the shade of an ancient tree, an altar cut from a solid piece of white marble stood.
The altar had three special things about it.
The first one was an obsidian knife that lay on its surface. The knife did not seem very special, with the exception of the fact that no one — not even Saints — was able to lift it even by a centimeter from the altar's surface.
The second special thing about the altar was that it appeared to be, itself, the Gateway. One simply had to touch it to be transported back to the real world. Once anchored to it, the Awakened would appear near the altar when they fell asleep in reality.
The third thing was that a seemingly endless stream of water flowed from the altar, feeding the pool that surrounded it. No one knew where the water came from or why the altar produced it, just that it was cold, sweet, and safe to drink.
Seven streams flowed out of the pool and eventually fell over the edges of the small island, turning into water dust in the wind. On a bright day, the whole Sanctuary was surrounded by rainbows.
It was the murmur of these waterfalls that Sunny had heard as he approached the Citadel.
Using the Dark Wing to glide upward and land on the soft grass of the island, he walked over to a stone post that stood nearby and rang the bronze bell that hung on it. This was to let the watchmen know that he was a human and not a Nightmare Creature that needed to be destroyed.
Soon, a whistle came out of the darkness, and Sunny walked forward on a path that led to the towering menhirs.
A few minutes later, he had walked between two massive stones and entered the Sanctuary of Noctis.
No one really knew who Noctis was, and why this place was called in their honor… if that name even belonged to a living creature. It was just what the Spell called this place, so humans followed suit.
In any case, the space between the two rings of menhirs had been made into a place for the Awakened to rest and recuperate between their ventures into the wild expanse of the Chained Isles. The White Feather clan had built walls to close the spaces between the standing stones, and recruited several people with useful utility Aspects to make living conditions better for those who chose to come here or were sent to this region by the Spell.
Currently, there were about two hundred Awakened populating the Sanctuary, which was enough to keep it functioning and safe.
This late at night, most people were either sleeping, resting, or had already returned to the real world, so Sunny did not meet anyone as he headed toward his assigned living quarters.
Like everybody else here, he was assigned a small room after becoming anchored to the Sanctuary. It was situated near one of two entrances, so he didn't have to walk for a long time.
Entering the room, Sunny quickly took off his pack and placed his trophies — a scattering of soul shards, a few weird-looking fruits, and the golden coin — into a chest standing near the bed. Then he threw the pack on the floor, lingered for a few moments, and left.
Usually, he would have stayed until the morning and went to either the kitchens or the improvised marketplace at the park to trade the shards for Memories or credits, chat with other Awakened to learn the latest news and important information about the Isles, or simply relax… but today, he had to hurry to the real world.
Entering the park, Sunny approached the deep pool of clear water and stepped onto the first stone of the path that led to the Altar Island.
Soon, he was standing in front of the white altar, surrounded by the tranquil sound of rustling leaves and running water. Glancing at the obsidian dagger, Sunny resisted the urge to try and lift it. He had already done so many times before, all with no result whatsoever.
'...Maybe one day.'
With a sigh, he took a step forward and placed his hand on the altar.
The marble felt cool to the touch.
In the next moment, the darkness of the night was momentarily illuminated by a flash of ethereal blue light. When it dissipated, there was no one standing under the branches of the ancient tree.
Sunny had left the Dream Realm and returned to the real world.
Chapter 387: Withered Flowers
Sunny opened his eyes in the cool cradle of the sleeping pod. The lid was already sliding away, and the lights in the room were gradually turning brighter. The panoramic wall in front of him opened to a view of one of the Academy parks.
The eastern horizon was already painted lilac by the rising sun, but the world was still shrouded in darkness.
'...Made it.'
With a sigh, he rose from the pod and lowered his feet to the cold floor.
These first moments after leaving the Dream Realm were still strange to him. It just… it just seemed weird to be able to escape it so easily, without having to fight through a sea of monsters and struggle against terror, desperation, and pain. How could something so meaningful be so simple?
And yet, it was. In the past two months, coming and going from the Dream Realm had almost become a routine for him. Not that he had done it as often as most Awakened did.
Standing up, Sunny grimaced, then massaged his shoulders and glanced at the sleeping pod darkly.
Now that he was an Awakened, the Academy had granted him a personal living space in one of the dormitories. These quarters were much the same as the room he had lived in during his preparations to enter the Dream Realm for the first time, but with one significant difference: there was a smaller room adjacent to the main one, housing a humble meditation space and an individual sleeping pod.
The problem was, that pod was not at all as advanced and state-of-the-art as the ones used for the Sleepers. It did its job fine as long as an Awakened remained in the Dream Realm for about eight to twelve hours, as most of them did. However, Sunny was in the habit of spending much, much more time there.
His recent adventure, for example, had lasted three whole days… he had to work hard to not fall behind, after all. As a result, his muscles felt sore and heavy.
Circulating essence through his body to chase away the remnants of sleep, Sunny walked to the bathroom and got into the shower. As streams of water caressed his skin and flowed down the scales of the black serpent coiling around his lithe body, he sighed and closed his eyes for a moment.
At least his mind felt refreshed. Visiting the Dream Realm was not exactly equal to good sleep, but it was somewhat similar. Mental fatigue still accumulated little by little, but it was easy to remove by meditating or actually sleeping on the other side of the Gateway. Few Awakened ever did, however, since no place there was really completely safe.
Exiting the shower sometime later, Sunny finally felt wide awake and full of energy. He dressed himself, sat at the table, and quickly compiled a report about his recent exploration. Then, he picked up the communicator and checked its log.
No missed calls, a few messages from Effie with photos of all the delicious food she was eating and several memetic jokes of questionable nature, and a few more from Kai, describing his experiences in Bastion.
Sunny waited for a bit, then sighed and put the communicator down.
"Time for breakfast."
Commanding one of the shadows to wrap itself around his body so that he appeared like a normal person, Sunny left his room and headed out.
On the way to the cafeteria, he met a few other Awakened. No one paid him too much attention, though. In recent months, the images and True Names of Cassie, Kai, and especially Effie had been plastered all over the media, but luckily, he had avoided becoming a poster boy for the government's insatiable propaganda machine. As the result, random strangers had no idea who he was, which suited Sunny just fine.
Entering the cafeteria, he got himself a full tray of food, sat at one of the tables, and placed the communicator on its surface.
The call was supposed to come any minute now.
He enjoyed a decadently delicious breakfast in peace and quiet, glancing at the communicator from time to time. No one bothered him, and there was no danger to be worried about.
A content smile found its way to his lips.
'Ah. Life is good…'
Finally, the communicator rang.
Sunny answered the call and listened to the respectful voice on the other side of it.
"Everything is ready? Wonderful. So, when can I… oh, really? Well… great! Then I will… be there at noon? Right. See you later, then."
Finishing the call, he put the communicator down and stared into the distance for a long time, a strange look on his face.
After receiving the contribution points for his Forgotten Shore report and making some money by selling soul shards to other Awakened on the Chained Isles, Sunny had done something that he had never thought that he would be able to do in this life.
…He had bought a home.
A nice, beautiful home in the district of the city with clean air and green lawns.
And now, after several long weeks of waiting, everything was finally ready for him to move in.
Looking down at his cantankerous shadow, Sunny lingered for a few moments, and then smiled.
"...I think we've made it, buddy. We really, really did."
***
The person in charge of renovating his home and bringing it to the desired specifications was going to meet him there at noon, so Sunny had a few hours of free time to kill.
He wandered around the parks for a bit. Now that the spring had come, the air was warm and pleasant. The melodic drip-drop of melting snow disturbed the peaceful silence of the early morning, making Sunny feel balanced and relaxed. Even the shadow seemed to enjoy this tranquil landscape.
Eventually, he visited one of the kiosks scattered around the Academy and spent a bit of credits to buy a bouquet of fresh flowers.
Then, Sunny found himself standing in front of the hospital complex.
With a sigh, he lowered his head and walked through the automatic doors.
Using an elevator to reach one of the lowest levels, he passed several increasingly strict security checks and approached an unremarkable white door.
Inside, it was cool and dark.
Changing the withered flowers with fresh ones, he lingered for a bit, then sat on a chair that stood near the softly glowing sleeping pod.
Entombed within, a young woman with silver hair was dreaming soundly, her face pale and unmoving.
"...Hey, Nephis. How have you been?"
Chapter 388: Vigil
The was no one in the room besides the two of them. Well… Nephis wasn't really there, either. In a sense, Sunny was alone.
In more senses than one, really.
There were two small tables standing on both sides of the sleeping pod, each bearing a vase with fresh flowers. Sunny only ever changed flowers in one of the vases, while Cassie tended to the other. They had yet to bump into each other while visiting Neph after that first fateful day, though, which suited Sunny fine.
He didn't really want to see the blind girl now… or ever again.
Glancing at Changing Star, Sunny sighed and kept his mouth shut. He didn't know what kinds of recording equipment were installed in the room, so his one-sided conversations with Nephis had to happen in the safety of his mind.
'I've just returned from the Dream Realm. Spent a whole three days there, exploring ruins and hunting down a few Nightmare Creatures. My shadow fragments… well, you already know. I've been working hard to not let you leave me completely in the dust. Oh… I met a Master from the White Feather clan yesterday. He seems like a nice enough guy. You would have liked him, I think.'
He paused for a few moments and wondered if this was considered crazy behavior… talking to a person that wasn't really there, pretending that they were. Maybe it was. But despite how much Sunny hated to admit it, he wasn't as fine and stable as he pretended to be.
He was angry, guilt-ridden… and lonely. He missed Nephis much more than he had ever expected. Out there on the Forgotten Shore, she had somehow become a fundamental part of his life. It was strange to exist without her occupying a place in the same world as him.
…Painful.
He missed Cassie, too. Or rather, the version of her that had lived in his mind before everything they had turned to ashes. He missed their friendship, their camaraderie, their trust in each other... things that had been broken and lost.
Sunny sighed.
'You know, these days I often think about the time we spent in the Labyrinth. The three of us. It was a… a simpler time, don't you think? A wonderful time. It seemed so terrible back then, but now… now, I miss it a lot. I wonder if you do, too.'
He grimaced, then looked away.
'Anyway… what else? Oh. That house I bought is ready. Kai and Effie are doing fine. They are both very busy, though. I… hear that Cas is doing well, too. She had become the leader of those Forgotten Shore Awakened who remained independent. People are calling them the Fire Keepers. Funny, right?'
Sunny lingered for a while, gathering his thoughts.
'...I have visited your mom, by the way. I remember that you didn't like the thought of her being alone, so I went to see her. She is fine, too. Well… I mean, you know. For a Hollow. Oh, and the funniest part…'
He looked around, then thought:
"Do you remember how you told us that you wanted to dye your hair? You won't believe it, but I actually bought a little Memory that allows me to change the color of my hair at will. Not because of you, it's just something that I needed for a thing I'm about to do. Still, I think that it's sort of hilarious."
Nephis remained still and absent, her ivory face looking lifeless in the white glow of the sleeping pod. He gritted his teeth.
'...Where are you? How are you doing? Are you hurt? Are you fucking happy?! I imagine that you would be, free of everything, with nothing to do but slaughter Nightmare Creatures and battle against the thing you hate the most.'
Sunny looked down and clenched his fists, then remained still for a long time.
'Are you... coming back?'
There was no answer.
He sat by Changing Star's side for a while, staring at her still face. Then, he nodded heavily and stood up.
"Alright. Figures. I'll see you later, then."
With that, Sunny turned around and left.
***
Exiting the Academy, Sunny lingered for a bit, then turned around and looked back.
The massive red gates looked very different from how they used to, back when he and Nephis walked through them sixteen months ago. The space in front of them had been empty then, but now, it was filled with tens of thousands of burning candles.
These candles were an altar to Changing Star.
After the survivors of the Forgotten Shore had returned to the real world, their story spread like wildfire and captured humanity's attention for a few weeks. Both the independent media and the government propaganda machine added fuel to the fire, spinning it as an inspirational epic of human resilience, heroism… and sacrifice.
And Nephis, of course, was the protagonist of that epic.
Most of the Forgotten Shore Awakened were her willing apostles, after all. In their hearts, she was their savior. They were also under the impression that Changing Star had become trapped in the Dream Realm in order to give them a chance to escape.
Their voices fell into fertile soil. Nephis already had the established mythos of the Immortal Flame clan to raise her into the spotlight of glory, and with her extraordinary accomplishments on the Forgotten Shore, it only grew brighter. The thing that really elevated and exalted her, however, was something else. It was martyrdom.
People loved nothing more than a martyr.
Just like Sunny had said, a person had to die to become a true hero. Changing Star, however, had done something strange. She was now, somehow, neither dead nor alive, which only made the whole thing more gripping and emotional.
Nephis had become a martyr without actually dying.
...Which was, coincidentally, very fitting, considering her clan's name.
All of humanity was now entranced by the story of the last daughter of the legendary Immortal Flame clan, the heiress to two most prominent warriors in human history, who had been thrust into hell, stormed the citadel of a Fallen Terror that ruled it, and fought the creature off long enough for a hundred Sleepers to escape back to the real world, staying behind to ensure their survival.
From the outside, she seemed like a paragon of humanity.
Sunny didn't know who came up with the idea of placing candles near the gates of the Academy, but it was rather ingenious. People seemed to believe that the Immortal Flame would not be extinguished as long as at least one candle continued to burn for Changing Star. So the Academy had unexpectedly become a place of pilgrimage for thousands of humans who wished for her to do the impossible once again and return alive.
The idea was so poignant that even Sunny himself had felt compelled to light a candle a couple of times.
'...Zealots.'
With a dismissive shake of his head, he turned around and walked away, leaving the sea of candles behind.
None of them really knew Nephis. Only he did.
She didn't need their candles to escape the Dream Realm.
Perhaps it was the Dream Realm that needed help escaping from her.
Chapter 389: A Place to Call His Own
Sunny spent some time in a crowded carriage of a public train. Since personal transport vehicles were rare, expensive, and demanded a special government license to purchase, most people in the city used public transportation to move around. Magnetic trains, usually simply called trams, were the cheapest and most popular form of it.
During his time in the outskirts, Sunny rarely had a reason to use one, but when he did, people didn't pay him any attention. Sometimes they even went out of their way to not notice him.
But now, things seemed to have changed. Sunny had his eyes closed, observing the carriage through the shadow in case there was danger. There wasn't… however, he was surprised to notice that people, especially young women, threw curious glances at him from time to time.
'Huh… is the Soul Serpent showing?'
But no, his sleeves hid the coils of the Shadow completely.
'Strange. Must be the clothes, then.'
Sunny had not ventured out of the Academy a lot during the past two months, but on one of those expeditions, he had bought himself some unassuming, but pricey civilian clothes. According to Kai, they were "understated" and "stylish", whatever that meant. Sunny basically just went for the only comfortable thing the store had in dark colors.
He sighed.
'That just shows how shallow people are. A simple change of wardrobe, and suddenly, I'm at the center of attention. Why are girls so materialistic?'
…To be fair, many guys stared at him, too.
By the time Sunny reached his stop, he was a bit flustered. Leaving the crowded train behind, he sighed with relief, hid his hands in his pockets, and walked out of the familiar tram terminal.
The part of town he came to was somewhat near its center, as far removed from the outskirts as one could imagine. It was peaceful, quiet, and green.
The air was almost as fresh as that of the Dream Realm.
The houses in this district were also the opposite of the human hives Sunny was accustomed to — weirdly, they were all very low, no more than two or three stories high. The ground itself rose and fell in artificial tiers, each street existing on its own wide terrace. Out here, the snow was already gone, revealing beautiful lawns and greenery. The whole district looked like a garden.
Obviously, not everyone could allow themselves to live here. Most of the locals were either reasonably wealthy or worked for the government… however, as far as citizens went, they were not of the highest ranks. There were other, much more affluent districts in the city, and the real elites — as well as most Awakened — lived there.
But that was one of the things Sunny liked about this place. He could do without being around other Awakened all day, every day. Or anyone, really.
It took him around fifteen minutes to walk from the terminal to the desired address. Of course, Sunny could have reached it much faster by jumping through the shadows, but he preferred to not use his Abilities outside of the Dream Realm and the Academy. It made him feel more human.
Finally, he stopped in front of the home that was going to be his, and stared at it for a few minutes.
The house in front of him was two stories high, with grey walls and a slanting tile roof. It had a synthwood porch, a lawn, and a big window opening to the view of a spacious living room. There was even a garage for a PTV, and a hedge fence to separate it from the neighboring homes.
…It was like something out of a fairy-tale.
'Extravagant…'
"Ahem… Awakened Sunless? Sir?"
Sunny was aware, of course, that a PTV had just parked nearby and that a man got out of it, approaching him from behind. He was just too consumed by the weight of the moment to show it.
Turning around, he glanced at the person who called out for him.
It was a short, overweighed man wearing a very expensive tailored suit and an antique luxury watch. Despite his outward appearance, the man was full of confidence and had a wide, polished, professional smile plastered to his face.
Sunny stared at him with a dubious expression, then said:
"...Lanard, right?"
The man — who was the representative of the agency responsible for outfitting Sunny's new home — nodded with enthusiasm.
"That's me. Ah, the fact that you have remembered my name is very flattering, sir. Really."
With that, he gestured to the home and smiled.
"How do you like it?"
Sunny hesitated, then feigned indifference and shrugged.
"It's fine, I guess."
Lanard lingered for a moment, then smiled even wider.
"Of course, a person of your caliber must be accustomed to much more luxurious accommodations. But I can assure you, you won't be disappointed by our work! This home might not be as high class as what you're used to, but we did everything per your specifications. Although… I must admit, your choice of location gave us a challenge, especially with the need to keep the exact nature of the modifications discrete."
Sunny kept a straight face and tried to understand what the hell Lanard was talking about, and who he thought Sunny was. To be honest, when he had decided to buy a home, he just contacted Master Jet, told her where he wanted the house to be located and a couple of things he hoped to fit inside, and instead of giving him advice on how to proceed, she simply arranged everything with a couple of phone call.
And now, here he was.
Meanwhile, Lanard glanced at him with a bit of curiosity, hesitated for a couple of moments, and then asked cautiously:
"By the way… if you don't mind me asking, sir… how does this beautiful house stack against your previous place of residence? I am interested from a purely professional standpoint, of course. Think of it as a client survey!"
Sunny looked at the cozy grey home, thought for a bit, and then answered honestly:
"Well… my previous place was about a hundred times bigger, built mostly out of natural stone and marble, with antique wooden furniture and a very special secret dungeon. Oh, and security was taken care of by a Fallen Devil."
Lanard stared at him for a while with the same wide smile.
His face, however, had slowly turned grey.
After a while, he coughed a couple of times and said hoarsely:
"Wonderful… that's wonderful…ahem. Shall we take a look inside?"
Chapter 390: My Castle
The interior of the home was tasteful and minimalist, governed by a design philosophy that seemed stylish, spacious... and a little bit empty.
The first floor contained a living room, a dining room, a kitchen, a pantry, a bathroom, and a guest bedroom. Everything was furnished and fully stocked, including a refrigerator that was stuffed with all kinds of expensive food.
Lanard looked around with a sense of pride and went on a long tirade about all the hidden security features the unassuming house actually possessed. There were thick plates of armored alloy hiding behind the siding panels, the wide windows were outfitted with titanium shutters that could come down at a moment's notice, and both air and water filters could withstand not only the usual environmental toxins, but also most known forms of biochemical threats.
Such extensive security measures might have seemed like overkill, but in fact, even mundane humans strived to turn their homes into compact fortresses. No one knew when the next Gate would open, and how close to them it would be. Even though most homeowners were never going to use these protective features, having them made for a big quality of life difference.
Lanard spent a weirdly long amount of time describing all the lighting fixtures his agency had installed, his voice bursting with enthusiasm. It seemed that the man had a thing about designer lamps. Sunny didn't have the heart to tell him that he would not be using any of them, most of the time. He could see perfectly well in the dark, after all.
"...the house is connected to the city electrical grid, but there's obviously an autonomous energy source for emergencies. Spelltech, of course. Power units are easily accessible for purchase and last for a very long time…"
By spelltech, he meant that the autonomous generator was built by combining modern technology with Awakened powers. The power units it required had to be either recharged or created by someone with a suitable Utility Aspect. Devices such as this were considered to be a luxury for the commoners, but in fact, a very large part of the city's infrastructure functioned on spelltech.
Not everything in the world was created by the Awakened, but almost all industries required their participation in one way or another. Even the air filtration systems Sunny's mother used to assemble in an underground factory on the outskirts contained fiber grown by one of the Nightmare Spell carriers.
That was why, while Utility Aspects were often useless in a fight, people who possessed them were so valued by society.
…Sunny asked a couple of questions about the entertainment system built into the living room, scratched the back of his head after receiving the answers, and expressed his desire to see the second floor.
The second floor contained the master bedroom and two smaller ones, each with its own bathroom, and a brightly lit home office. There was also the latch to the storage space in the attic. Lanard described a few things about the furniture they chose, and then mentioned the soundproofing of the master bedroom several times, for some unknown reason.
Sunny frowned and gave him a strange look.
'I mean… sleeping in peace and quiet is nice, but he does know that I can't sleep in the real world, right? What a strange man…'
Finally, they descended into the basement, which was situated deep underground, as well as being the most heavily fortified and well-protected part of the house. In a sense, this was the heart of the unassuming grey home.
The whole basement was one large space, with walls, floor, and ceiling covered by heavy plates of armored ceramic alloy. This was done so that an Awakened could train here without worrying about destroying their own home or alerting the neighbors.
Sunny paid extra to make sure that every piece of training equipment here could survive his spars with Saint. He still remembered and mourned all the beautiful things he had lost during their previous duels. Like his favorite table... or his comfortable chair... or his pride...
The basement could be isolated from the rest of the house and from the outside world, turning into a heavily fortified, impenetrable alloy box. The reason for this level of additional security stood in a small alcove at the far end of it.
It was a state-of-the-art, beautiful, incredibly expensive sleeping pod — the best money could buy. Sunny walked over to it and stared at the softly illuminated, luxurious cradle for a while, then smiled.
'No more sore muscles…'
In its closed state, the pod looked like a steel monolith. As far as high-tech coffins went, this armored one was a real beauty. Sunny couldn't even call it a coffin, really. That thing… that thing was a whole sarcophagus.
With its help, he would be able to spend entire months in the Dream Realm without subjecting his physical body to any damage. He wasn't planning on getting lost in the Spell for so long, of course, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
Lanard chuckled:
"I am not going to lie, every time I find myself in such an environment, I can't help but feel a little scared. Have you ever heard about Dracula, sir?"
Sunny glanced at him, then shrugged.
"Not really. What is that?"
The short man shivered.
"Just a legend, thankfully. Dracula was a fiend that fed on human blood and slept in a coffin underground. Hence the…"
Sunny smiled:
"Oh, a vampire? Yes, I've met one or two."
Lanard grew pale, remained silent for a while, then squeaked:
"M—m… met?"
Not paying him any attention, Sunny turned to the second pod that stood near the first one.
This device looked similar enough to a sleeping pod to be mistaken for one, but had nothing to do with sleeping. Well… not technically.
It also had a cradle and a heavy lid, but unlike Sunny's new sarcophagus, it wasn't designed to accommodate a human body for long periods of time. In fact, there was a plaque on the inside of the lid advising people against overusing the equipment and asking them to behave responsibly.
It was the best available Dreamscape pod, allowing one to enter the advanced virtual reality simulation that existed on the edge between technology and magic.
…Sunny had big plans for that thing.