Shadow Slave: The Weave of Madness

The Awakened Academy offered a wide array of courses to the new Sleepers. Combat training in all its forms, the basics of sorcery, artifact studies—it was a buffet of opportunities. Unlike last time, Sunny wasn't limited to wilderness survival. With the knowledge he carried from his past life, even Old Man Julius wouldn't have much to teach him.

That's why he chose three classes this time.

The first was, of course, the wilderness survival course. He didn't need it—Sunny could navigate the Forgotten Shore with his eyes closed—but he wanted to forge a connection with Julius. The old man had been one of the few genuine, decent people he'd met. 

'Not to mention he is going to help me get a ton of credits after I write my detailed report about the Forgotten Shore... and other places.'

The second class he chose was related to nightmare creatures. He wanted to gain as much knowledge as possible, just in case he spell decided to throw in some other corner of the dream realm after all. 

...Or he had to get out of forgotten shore without the gateway. 

But the third class... the third was the most important.

"Hey, Sunless! What are you still doing here?" a voice called out, the speaker jogging past him. "Teacher Augustus will kill us if we're late on the first day!"

Sunny gave the boy a sidelong glance before following at a leisurely pace.

"Of course, I'm coming."

The training room was spacious, decorated with medieval-style furniture, paintings and instruments. Swords of all kinds lined the stands near the walls, and a crowd of sleepers milled about, excited.

 This combat course was one of the most popular, not just for its focus on unique weapons but because of its instructor—a well-known Sword Saint.

But that wasn't why Sunny had chosen it.

His gaze swept across the room, taking in the faces of his peers. Some were vaguely familiar, but one figure stood out—a man with a proud yet humble air, his hands gently polishing a glaive as though it were a sacred relic. 

'Caster...' 

He was surrounded by others, people frolicking around the legacy to gain his favor. Noticing his gaze, Caster looked at him and smiled. 

"Hey there, your name was Sunless, right?"

Sunny nodded. 

"Yes, that is my name. Good that you remember it." 

His tone was a little out of line, disrespectful even. Not that he needed to pretend to respect the legacy. The others looked at him, confused, some even hostile.

"Who the hell is this guy to talk to Caster like that?" 

"Show some respect to him, you lowlife!"

Sunny returned their unamused gazes with a grin. Over the next 4 weeks, he would learn every nuance of Caster's battle style, mimic his movements, and master them even, if he happened to achieve shadow step mastery soon. So that when the time came...

'I will rip your nerves one by one until you can't even lift a finger. This mongrel will make you pay in blood for ever dreaming of hurting Nephis.'

...

After a late supper, Sunny wandered the academy's dimly lit halls, his steps quiet and deliberate as he made his way toward the common training arena. One combat class was nowhere near enough. He had no time to waste.

'The only way I can progress Shadow Dance is via combat.'

And who was better to spar with than the one who pushed him toward mastery the first time?

'If Nephis isn't grinding herself in the training area, I have never known her for all those years.'

He walked the dark hallway with ease, without making a sound. If Sunny didn't announce himelf, no one would know if he even passed by them. Shadows were his natural element, after all, and being stealthy had become a second nature to him.

When he reached the training area however, the emptiness struck him like a blow.

'How is this possible? How the hell is Nephis breathing without drowning herself in rigorous sword training every spare second?'

He scanned the room again, as if she might materialize out of thin air.

'Or... is she training somewhere else in secret? No, there's nowhere else she could get a sword.'

As if summoned by his thoughts, the faint sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway. He turned his head and saw her—Nephis, walking toward the training area.

'There she is. Now I should just ask her politely-'

Just as Sunny walked towards her, a fist hurled toward his face.

What...

"What the hell are you doing?" Sunny asked, catching it at the last moment.

Nephis's eyes narrowed, her posture rigid and ready for another strike.

"I should be the one asking that. What are you doing sneaking up on me?"

'Ah, so she didn't notice me until I was too close.'

Stealth in shadows was now second nature to Sunny, while Nephis's perception, at this point in time, was leagues behind the Nephis he was used to. The shadows had hidden him too well, catching her off guard. 

'...And now she probably thinks I am an assassin, just like Caster.' 

Damnation.

'Hopefully I can get out of this situation without revealing too much.'

Sunny raised his hands in mock surrender.

"Relax. I wasn't trying to sneak up on you. It's my aspect." He gestured at the shadows pooling around the walls. "When I am surrounded by shadows, my stealth increases. I didn't realize it would be this effective."

Nephis looked unconvinced, but lowered her fist slowly.

"And why were you approaching me?"

Sunny hesitated for the briefest moment, then said casually, "I was looking to spar with someone, but the training area was empty. Then I saw you." Sunny smiled and extended his hand, as if asking for her hand for a dance. "Will you be my sparring partner?"

'Wait. That came out wrong. That's not how I meant it!'

Sunny saw a hint of curiosity, caution and unease in her expressionless face. No one had asked her for something this way before. She was probably more confused about the way Sunny asked than what he asked.

Eventually, she grabbed his hand, not sure if that was the right thing to do.

"Sure, it would benefit us both."

'That... went better than I expected. Although now she probably wants to test my skills as a potential threat rather than an ally.'

Cursing himself internally, he followed her to the training area.

...

Sunny and Nephis across from each other. Nephis held a longsword, her grip steady and confident, while Sunny's hands rested on the hilt of an odachi, its dark blade reminiscent of the Soul Serpent's weapon form.

Sunny was familiar with Nephis's swordsmanship, at this point it was not wrong to say he knew it better than her even.

'But should I really use her style, or choose another one? Saint's grounded and stalwart style maybe?'

He lingered for a moment too long. Before he could come to a decision, Nephis was already upon him.

He blocked a slash from his left, moved a step back, and returned the blow. The longsword flung out of Nephis's grasp.

Sunny saw a hint of surprise on her face.

'Right, my strength is currently boosted by 68 fragments so I am stronger than her. But still... The difference shouldn't be so stark.'

"That won't do Nephis." Sunny rested the blade on his shoulder. "This spar is worthless if you won't give it your all."

It made sense. If Nephis was wary of him, she would try to conceal her true strength. But If Sunny wanted to achieve mastery in shadow dance's first step, nothing less than her full strength would do. 

Sunny had to make Nephis go all out. If she wouldn't do so willingly, there was only one choice - strike with intent to murder.

Nephis would have no choice but to fight the best she could. Each hit an attempt at her life; if she faltered, she would die. Of course, Sunny had no intention of actually hurting her, but she didn't need to know that.

Nephis's lips curled into a smile.

"Then, I won't hold back anymore."

...Turned out Sunny had been worried over nothing.

Once again, their swords clashed in the midst, sending a small shockwave around them. Then the longsword lashed out again, and again, and again. Each hit was mirrored by the odachi at the perfect angle.

Sunny slashed, Nephis deflected, returned the strike, Sunny blocked, reeled back and attacked - everything flowed into one uninterrupted chain of swift moves with each side fighting as if their lives depended on it.

It was like a hurricane crossed paths with a raging tornado.

The intensity of their blows escalated with each exchange until, finally, they disengaged for the briefest of moments.

In that instant, Sunny saw a strong emotion on the girl's face. Not fear, not caution, nothing to suggest she was wary of him. It was excitement. Pure, genuine excitement. Her lips curled into the tiniest of smiles. A genuine smile.

Nephis was enjoying their spar in earnest, with a childlike gleam in her eyes, as if she had found a toy she had wished for too long, forever even. It had been so very long since Sunny had last seen her so happy. The long days he spent with her on that giant turtle's back in Ariel's pramid flashed in his mind. 

A wide grin spread across his face.

'I'll be damned. She looks so much cuter when she smiles.'

...

The fight stretched on for what felt like hours, their swords rang through the air, clashing again and again, steel clangor resounding in the air. Neither Sunny nor Nephis willing to give up.

...So the blades had to give up instead.

They both collapsed to the ground, chest heaving as they gasped for breath. The weight of their prolonged battle caught up with them in an instant, and for a long moment, neither of them spoke.

Sunny had done it. The first step in Shadow Dance was achieved exactly as he had predicted. No surprises, really.

'At this rate, it won't take long for me to attain mastery of step 2 as well.'

He let the thought linger, savoring the quiet satisfaction that came with progress.

His internal moment of triumph was quickly interrupted by a voice, breaking the stillness.

"Where did you learn..."

"What?"

"Where did you learn our clan's swordsmanship?"

'Ah.'

In the end, Sunny had ended up using her own style against her. It only seemed appropriate. More than that, he did so because he wanted to.

Sunny lingered for a moment, his gaze flicking away. The question was simple, yet the answer was anything but.

"My teacher learnt it from directly from broken sword himself, when he was alive. Don't ask me who she is though. I would rather not answer that."

Sunny turned his head and looked at Nephis. A hint of shock appeared on her face, then it turned expressionless, but Sunny could see a curious gleam in her eyes. He could tell how much she wanted to ask, it was amusing even, but in the end she respected his wish.

"At least tell me what kind of a person she is."

"Well, let me see." Sunny collected his thoughts. "She is a socially awkward goofball, and somewhat stupid in more ways than she would rather admit. Her excuses are often silly and she ends up embarrassing herself more often than not."

Seeing her frown Sunny chuckled, and continued. "She is determined, is more ambitious than anyone I know, would do unreasonable things just because she wants to, and has a habit of achieving the impossible. She is honestly the most amazing person I have ever known." 

There was silence. Nephis's gaze lingered on him, as if measuring his words. She let out a quiet breath. 

"I see," she said, deciding not to push further. Her voice was thoughtful. Neither of them said anything else. They didn't need to. Somehow, it felt they had exchanged something far more meaningful than mere words could convey. 

'Although she still thinks I am an assassin. That, I am sure of.' Sunny chuckled internally and closed his eyes.