Humming a gentle tune, Sunny and Jet continued to meander through the clearing that they had encountered with a comfortable silence settling between the two. Sunny, who had been spending his time listening to the latest Carti album wore a grimace before quickly taking off his headphones.
"This is mediocre, I can't believe I waited so long for this." Sunny sighed, causing Jet to look at him curiously as she watched him scroll through his phone. From her perspective, Sunny was quite a peculiar individual, on occasion he could be the most terrifying individual she had ever laid eyes on, but currently he seemed like a regular teenager.
"I waited six months for this album to drop, only for it to be mediocre, if I wasn't in such a good mood I'd…well I don't really know what I'd do." He finished, a slight blush arriving on his face as he scratched the back of his head. 'I'm getting worse at making threats, threatening to kill people is too generic.'
"You listen to music?" She asked with a raised eyebrow, Sunny stared at her like she had asked him if the sky was purple before taking his headphones and placing it on her head. "Yes. Listen to this amazing masterpiece." He commented smugly, eager to show off his music taste.
As he played his favourite song, which so happened to be "Go Stupid." By Polo G, he watched Jet's face slowly contort into a satisfied smile as she nodded her head along with the music. Sunny couldn't restrain the bright smile that settled on his face in response to it before waiting patiently for the music to play out.
Taking off the headphones, Jet offered him a slight smile as she focused back on the road ahead of her. "You have good music taste." Sunny nodded, taking his headphones back before wrapping them around his neck. Stopping in his tracks, Sunny raised his hand indicating they should stop, causing Jet to snap her head in his direction with a puzzled expression.
"They're here I think, either that or someone is attempting a poor job at stalking me." Sunny muttered, the two continued their steady pace forward, undeterred by the presence that Sunny sensed as they pushed through a clearing only to see a familiar face.
There Orion stood, leaning against a tree with an indifferent expression as Sunny stopped in his tracks. An awkward silence settled between the two, they hadn't seen each other since Revel died after all, and quite frankly neither of them knew exactly what to say.
'What would Eubin think, just speak!' Sunny thought to himself, hyping himself up to initiate conversation only to be beaten to the punch by Orion as he closed the distance between the two, wrapping Sunny in a deep hug which he quickly reciprocated.
"I'm sorry for your loss." Was all he said, Sunny nodded in his arms, pulling backwards as they locked eyes for a moment. "It's fine, she died with a smile on her face and that's all I ever wanted for her, to be happy." Sunny replied, his tone wistful as his memories with Revel flashed through his mind.
"Be that as it may, the loss of your mother is never something to be looked over. If there's anything I can do to help you, let me know." Pausing, Orion's eyes slipped to the side, laying eyes on Jet's form for a few moments before turning back to Sunny.
"She's--" Sunny didn't get a chance to elaborate as Orion shook his head. "She's too weak for me to care really. So, it doesn't matter. What I'm interested in though is why you came all the way here; you're almost bordering on Asterion's territory."
"He isn't a threat, or even a problem. Every breathe he takes is mercy from both of us. But to answer your question, I'm looking for Effie and Kai. I'm here to collect them and remove them from the dream realm." Sunny said, his tone indifferent.
To say Sunny was angry at Effie and Kai fleeing would be a complete mischaracterisation of him. After all, he had hoped they would run from the very second, they met each other in the underworld. However, having the bright idea of running didn't solve the problem of where to run to.
And he was here to rectify that.
"Asterion's existence is a necessary evil on my part, so long as he has things I need, he gets to live. Although, it doesn't quite help that Noctis and Solvane take his orders with such loyalty." Orion commented, sighing with frustration.
"Is there any possibility that they may be getting blackmailed? I doubt it, Noctis doesn't seem like the type, and Solvane's usually just looking for a good fight. Speaking of which, wouldn't going after the Effie girl put you in hot water with Mordret, or do you not care?"
Mordret's name sent an uncomfortable shiver down Jet's spine, who had only met the man twice since she had arrived in the dream realm. Both times he had lightly swung his sword in her direction and almost ended her life, claiming it was a game to test her reflexes.
'And blondie wants me to neutralise him. Who the fuck does he think I am? No choice, its either that or...the alternative.' She thought to herself, careful not to let any emotions show on her face as she waited for Sunny's response.
"Mordret isn't particularly an issue, if I don't try to kill her, he isn't going to get into a fight for his life for nothing. Although, you never know how that madman is going to act." Once more, like a middle-aged man, Sunny sighed as Orion gave him an imperceptible nod.
"They're down the clearing over there," Orion commented as he pointed in the direction they were walking in. "Although, they seem a little bit skittish, they just repelled some kid trying to assassinate them wearing a mask. What's even more odd is his hairstyle resembled yours only a year and a bit ago."
At this, Sunny's eyes narrowed, nodding in acknowledgement as he walked past Orion, taking Jet in stride. Leaning towards her, Orion whispered in her ear, so low that even Sunny wouldn't hear.
"I know what you're planning."
It was a simple statement, yet one that carried a lingering threat that if it were any other person Jet would have immediately removed their head from their body. But the odds of her killing Orion before Sunny noticed and making her way back to him were impossible.
And so, she simply moved forward, her posture not changing in the slightest, her breathe not even showing the slightest indication of discomfort. As he watched her leave, Orion wore a small smile on his face as he stared at the bright, beautiful sky.
"The world really is beautiful." He sighed to himself. Soon, he would be engaging in mortal combat against people with strength cultivated by thousands of hours of practice, with killing instinct which could be compared to his own. And he was resolved to win.
After all, the world was merely a stage to show his exploits.
--
Standing around a small campfire was Effie and Kai, both wearing dreary and tired expressions across their faces as slight injuries from a recent assassination attempt shone across their bodies. A few metres away from them, lay the corpses of thirteen people, likely sent from either Asterion or Morgan in an attempt to cover their tracks.
But soon it would stop.
Neither Asterion nor Anvil had any intention of limiting their actions and movements simply to the underworld. Rather, the entire world would be forced to bend the knee to them, weapons of mass destruction would become mere pests in comparison to the weapons they wished to build.
A global war, one that encompassed everything, one that reformed the shape of the world akin to a mass extinction, plans of such a level were being concocted and initiated by mere men. But they wouldn't remain that way forever.
As Sunny made his way down the hill, he thought of ways to make his presence known without being immediately attacked. Frankly, he wasn't in quite the fighting mood, there simply weren't enough people to make his blood boil. And as such, the duo merely represented flies in the grand scheme of things.
'Unless my estimation is outdated, Jet should be stronger than them.' Before his lips could part to speak, the clicking of a gun resounded through the field as Kai's hand stretched out behind him, his gaze never shifting from his phone as it aimed directly at Jet's head.
"Stop it, you know how that ends." Sunny commented calmly, upon hearing his voice, Effie didn't waste a single moment in throwing her spear at full speed directly at his head. Making no movement to dodge, Sunny simply called a single name.
"Jet."
In the next moment, the spear was sent skyward, Jet's scythe moving in a fluid arc, battering the spear off course without moving back for even a moment. Not taking a moment to acknowledge the sudden attack, Sunny continued in his movements, closing the distance between himself and the duo.
Raising his knife, he swatted aside a bullet that pierced through the air, aiming directly for his skull. "Ok, this is getting annoying. Stop now." Sunny commanded, his irritation bubbling beneath his skin as Effie's eyes merely narrowed, her body still poised for action yet her attacks ceasing.
"Or what? Are you here to kill us for abandoning you? Just know, I'm not apologising for shit!" At her enraged comment, Sunny cocked his head to the side, staring at Jet for clarification. Seeing as she remained silent, Sunny shrugged before sighing.
"If I was here to kill you, you wouldn't have noticed. And more importantly, do you not realise you're in a hopeless situation? I'm stronger than both of you by orders of magnitude, and you're antagonising me? Shouldn't you be running at the sight of a threat like you did last time?"
The jab at their prides was not lost to either of them as Kai spun on his heel, his expression shifting between indifference and rage as he narrowed his eyes hatefully at Sunny. "And you're acting like you weren't the one who got us in this situation. If it wasn't for you, I'd still have a career!"
Instead of replying, Sunny shrugged, further enraging the duo before he clapped his hands to put an end to the verbal taunting competition. "Well, I'll be plain with my speech, so you understand. I'm here to erase you, make it look like you never met me in the first place. It's either that or I kill you, choose now."
Staring at one another, Effie and Kai readied their weapons, Effie's spear returning to her outstretched hand and Kai's pistols aimed directly at Sunny's face. Despite this, Sunny didn't seem to react in the slightest as he jabbed Jet in the midsection.
"Make them kneel." A simple command, one lacking emotion. And yet, Jet who had to play her part perfectly stepped forward, brandishing her scythe with eerie grace as she aimed it towards them.
"Don't resent me you two or do. It doesn't matter much anymore. But you're going to obey regardless."
In the next moment, the field exploded into violence.