Sunny stood on a hill, gazing toward the massive siege capital. Behind him stretched a long convoy of vehicles, a seemingly endless line of refugees. A silhouette descended from the sky, landing gracefully beside him.
"Master Sunless, it's good to see you," said Roan, Sky Tide's husband, as he dismounted from his griffin Echo.
"Master Roan, good to see you too," Sunny replied.
"You seem... different," Roan observed.
"Of course, I was only an Awakened when we last met."
"No, no, not that. You seem older."
"I am—by about two years now."
"That you are," Roan chuckled.
"Anyway, are you ready? I can give the signal at any minute."
"Should we know anything beforehand?"
"Not really. You just need to head straight for the gate." Roan hesitated for a moment before asking, "By the way… is Master Christopher insane, or are all survivors of the Forgotten Shore just mad?"
"We're all a bit crazy, but he's a special case. What did that lunatic do this time?"
"You see, your group isn't the first batch of refugees to arrive. After the first wave, we came up with a plan."
"And that is?"
"Well… it's not exactly a masterful strategy," Roan admitted. "We just send him out, he runs around attracting the hordes with his memory, and then he fights them until we wipe them out from the walls. I swear, he's more of a war god than any member of Valor I've ever seen."
"Just to be clear… we're talking about hordes, like the ones down there?" Sunny gestured toward the monstrous swarm below.
"Yes. There was a time when it was nearly twice this size."
Sunny sighed, resigned. "Why am I even surprised… That guy is a lunatic." He shook his head. "You can give the signal."
Roan summoned a memory, and in the distance, a young man began sprinting toward the horde. His armor gleamed in the cold light, and he wore a distinctive white blindfold with red markings.
"HAHAHA! SUNNY, I'VE COME TO YOUR RESCUE!" he bellowed, his voice loud enough to carry across the battlefield.
The nightmare creatures reacted instantly, rushing toward him like a tidal wave. After cutting down a few, he turned and sprinted closer to the siege capital, drawing them away from the convoy's position.
A few minutes later, he stopped and braced himself for battle. Suddenly, the creatures seemed to slow, and a massive golden-hued circle appeared around him. His body glowed red and gold, as if something inside him was about to erupt.
"He's definitely not normal," Sunny muttered. At his signal, the convoy roared to life, racing toward Falcon Scott at full speed.
Bloodied and covered in gore, I returned to the capital, dismissing my armor with a sigh.
"I swear, this was the last time I'm doing this. I've had enough of being drenched in blood and—who even knows what else," I grumbled. Then, spotting Sunny, I grinned. "Hey, come here and give your savior a hug!"
"Stay the hell away from me, you lunatic."
"Huh? How could you be so cold to me? I even left you a message to help you!"
"What? I should've known… You're the only one who calls me that." He looked irritated as he climbed out of his Rhino.
"Anyway, catch you later—I need a long bath." I waved him off and headed to clean myself up.
A few hours later, feeling refreshed, I tracked down Sunny. He was sitting inside the Rhino, weaving something with careful precision.
"How are you?" I asked, stepping inside.
"Pretty good, actually. I only died once."
"And how was saving the lives of so many people?"
"It was… strange." He paused, contemplating his words. "I was never really in danger, but I put myself in harm's way just to save more of them. It's not like me."
"You know, I think you're a lot more like me than you'd like to admit."
"Why are you insulting me? I'm not a lunatic. A little crazy? Sure. But you—you're a total madman."
"Hahaha! Did this experience help you find your conviction?"
"I'm not sure... I think I found something, but I don't know what it is yet."
"That's plenty for now. It'll take shape eventually." I smirked. "Now, introduce me to this Professor Obel. I'm really intrigued. You literally traveled across the entire Antarctic Center for him."