Shadow Slave

Sunny stared at the shimmering runes, excitement rising in his heart.

This was what he had been waiting for…

Memory: [Cruel Sight].

Memory Rank: Ascended.

Memory Tier: IV.

Memory Type: Weapon.

'A weapon…'

Sunny had been searching for a new weapon for a long time. He was very fond of the Midnight Shard, since that was the sword he had carried through the darkest time of his life, and which which he had fought his way out of the hell of the Forgotten Shore. It was a very powerful Memory, too, one whose enchantment had saved his life on several occasions.

However, Sunny felt that he had outgrown the austere tachi. Or rather, the obstacles he was facing these days had.

Many of the Nightmare Creatures on the Chaines Isles were of the Fallen rank, and their tough hides presented a lot of resistance to the sharp blade of the Awakened sword. Not to mention those Corrupted horrors that Sunny avoided to the best of his ability, for now, but was inevitably bound to encounter one day.

The other reason he wanted to procure a new weapon was the fact that the [Unbroken] enchantment, while extremely potent and useful, could only be accessed in very rare circumstances… namely, when Sunny was nearing death. This meant that the most powerful trait of the Midnight Shard could only help Sunny if he made a terrible mistake.

If Sunny fought with skill and foresight, however — thus keeping himself from being mortally wounded — the powerful enchantment remained inactive, as it had for the past months. Paradoxically, the better Sunny performed, the less useful the Midnight Shard was to him.

It was nice to have a last resort, but Sunny did not like the idea of relying on a tool that could only be effective if he failed. He wanted to possess a weapon whose enchantments were reliant on his success, and as such, both strengthened him and rewarded him for doing well.

Hopefully, this was one such weapon. It was an Ascended Memory of the fourth tier — equivalent to a Memory he would have received from a Fallen Devil. That was already a tremendous start…

His most powerful weapon right now, the Moonlight Shard, had come from a mere Fallen Beast.

Trying to control his expectations, Sunny trembled in anticipation and read further:

Memory Description: [...Full of pride, the noble knight made a deal with the Dreamspawn. Years later, the knight had defeated all his enemies and became a mighty king. On the day that his son uttered the first word, the Dreamspawn came to the king and demanded his pay. He left the kingdom with the child and disappeared, never to be seen again. Much later, the young prince returned and stood beneath his father's throne. He expected to be met with joy and warmth, but was met with fear and suspicion instead.]

Sunny frowned.

'Huh… what the hell does that mean?'

The description mentioned a Dreamspawn… or rather, the Dreamspawn. That was the name of an Attribute Nephis had, which she possessed because of being born from a Hollow mother. Were there other people with the same Attribute among the human race? There had to be… and, judging by this strange tale, they had been feared even here, in the Dream Realm?

No, that didn't make any sense. Nephis was described as being born of two worlds, so how could a native of the Dream Realm possess the same Attribute?

'Very strange… many the name is just a conscience…'

Sunny shrugged, then concentrated on the runes.

'Tell me what you can do…'

Memory Enchantments: [Shapeshifter], [Light Eater], [Ghost Blade], [Dark Mirror].

'Four of them!'

His eyes gleamed.

[Shapeshifter] Enchantment Description: "This weapon can shift form between a sword and a spear."

Sunny hesitated for a moment, then turned away from the runes and summoned the Cruel Sight. He just had to see this…

A tenebrous mist shrouded his hand, and then, an elegant sword appeared in it. It was much shorter than the Midnight Shard, with a leaf-shaped blade that was about as long as the distance between Sunny's elbow and the tip of his middle finger. The blade seemed to be forged out of polished silver, and served as a perfectly clear mirror. Looking into it, Sunny could see the reflection of his pale face and the wall of the cave behind him.

The hilt of the short sword was made out of polished black wood, which was encased in intricately engraved silver near the guard and at the pommel.

The Cruel Sight was light and swift. Sunny slashed the air several times and smiled. It was going to take some time to get used to using a single-handed sword, but he liked it. It already felt like an extension of his hand. It was much more suited for stealth attacks, too.

The sword was also double-edged, which gave him more freedom in how to use it.

But that wasn't all…

Following a mental command, the hilt of the sword suddenly began to extend. A second later, Sunny was holding a long, graceful spear. The black shaft contrasted against the silver blade, creating a beautiful and somber image. The blade itself kept its length, so Sunny could perform not only thrusting attacks, but also cuts and slashes.

He stared at the somber, elegant spear for a bit, then commanded it to turn back into the sword.

This was going to be a challenge. Sunny wasn't really proficient with polearms, but he had seen how versatile, unpredictable, and deadly they could be in the hands of a master. Not to mention that he had wished to have more distance between himself and the Nightmare Creatures he fought on numerous occasions… this weapon was a perfect combination of mobility and reach, allowing him to effortlessly switch between a nimble shortsword and a devastating long spear.

It gave him access to the best of both worlds.

His smile widened.

"Perfect… this is perfect!"

What else could it do?

There were three Enchantments left:

[Light Eater] Enchantment Description: "The blade of this weapon can reflect, absorb, and expel light."

That would be useful to control shadows, as well as potentially blinding the opponents...

[Ghost Blade] Enchantment Description: "This weapon can strike at incorporeal targets."

An incredible ability that would give Sunny the ability to fight against some of the most dangerous creatures in the Dream Realm, those wraiths that were immune to physical damage.

[Dark Mirror] Enchantment Description: "Each attack of this weapon can be augmented with elemental damage. It can be charged with any element the wielder has been damaged by."

"Current Charge: None."

Sunny gasped.

'A permanent elemental augmentation. This… is… incredible!'