With one year until the next solstice, Sunny had more than enough time, and it was about time to start preparing.
The first priority came the very day he woke from the nightmare. He turned his focus inward, toward his own shadow. Not wanting to risk disturbing the natural order of things, he chose to train alone, in silence, within Jet's house.
And when night fell, so did the veil of dreams. Along with it came the familiar vision, the Shadow Dancer's dream.
Watching her move again was like witnessing a favorite performance, the kind you've memorized, yet still discover something new in every time. Now that he had progressed further in his own dance, Sunny could appreciate more than just the mystery. He could see the rhythm, the ease, the breathtaking fluidity of every pattern.
It was hypnotic. It was art. It was beautiful.
The next morning, he performed it for the first time.
[You have received an Aspect Legacy, Shadow Dance.]
And then again.
[Your Aspect Legacy mastery level has increased.]
Then, he shifted his movements, mimicking the styles of others.
First, he assumed Welt's form, then came the basic footwork and blade control Nephis had once shown him on the Forgotten Shore, versatile and precise. Lastly, he recreated a the style of Effie, created by herself to be able to wield the overwhelming strength of her Aspect, and since she had no connection to any clan, there would be no risk of resembling Welt's style, which came from the base of Valor's.
[Your Aspect Legacy mastery level has increased.]
'This should be enough for now... I don't even know if I can reach the third mastery without facing nightmare creatures.' Calling for his runes, the soul serpent soon marked his body.
"Welcome to Sunny's great arsenal once again!" Crawling from his skin, Serpent soon was looking around the training room, she was small once again.
'Wait, I hadn't thought about it, but will my shadows also keep their memories?' He then looked at the soul serpent in the ground.
"Hey buddy, do you remember the things we did together?"
"sss-ssSSsS-Sss" ...
"Oh... Yeah that makes sense."
Looking at the runes again, he went after the second biggest event of the day.
[Ascended Knowledge: Unlock]
Confirming the decision, a river of memories crashed into him with overwhelming force.
First came his time as the Shadow Spawn in the Kingdom of Hope. The experience of hundreds of battles in the coliseum proved invaluable for the development of his Legacy, but it was the memories with Elyas that weighed heaviest on his soul.
'I won't let a mere Saint take your life this time.'
Then came Noctis, eccentric, unpredictable, yet strangely a friend. The endless battles against Nightmare. The shock of finding his companion in the body of a disfigured soldier. Effie's rescue in the temple of chalice. And finally... the war in the Ivory City.
And to think things could still grow worse.
The Antarctic evacuation followed soon after. Though he spent little time as a Master, that continent aged him by decades. The burden of command, the responsibility for thousands of lives, it all changed him.
The First Irregular Company. His cohort, Belle, Dorn, Samara.
And in the end... Falcon Scott. Ten million lives, taken away by the Winter Beast.
Gripping the wooden sword tightly, Sunny's eyes burned with resolve.
"I won't allow it again."