Shadow Slave: Back in time

The black void spun and disappeared.

Sunny opened his eyes.

The armored ceiling of the police station's bunker hang above him. Sunny felt… weak. He had been feeling weak since the start of his Trial. Well, of course he was. He had been one of the strongest Saints -the strongest, arguably,- so there was quite the difference between him and a sleeper.

On a cheap plastic chair stood a woman with short raven-black hair and icy blue eyes. He knew she'd told him she was average for an Ascended; but to him, even after meeting women likes Solvane, Morgan of Valor and Nephis and many, she still had a unique charm.

"What are you looking at?"

"You."

Sunny didn't really want a slap.

She smiled.

"Welcome back to the land of the living. Congratulations on surviving your First Nightmare, Sleeper Sunless."

"Thank you."

Being called a Sleeper again sure was strange.

The government agent undid the restraint on him.

"I am Ascended Jet. You can call me Master Jet. These past three days, I was on watch duty due to your Nightmare."

"Master Jet? I have a question."

Sunny already knew everything and more than what she could tell him, but still wanted to build a good relationship with her for the future.

"Go on."

"Isn't watching over a Sleeper a bit below your pay grade?"

Jet gave him a dark look.

"You're smarter than you seem. Recently, there was a lot of Gates opening in this sector. Most of the local awakened are either wounded or occupied with the clean up. Or dead. It's always like that close to the winter solstice."

Sunny had just stepped out of the PTV in front of the academy gates. The conversations with Jet had gone more or less like the first time.

There was only another figure with him, indifferent to the world in her old-styled headphones.

Sunny's heart ached at the sight. He was contemplating whether to approach her or not when she suddenly turned toward him. As she saw him, she froze, her face contorting in horror. Then, something that Sunny had thought impossible. A lonely tear began descending her cheeks. She ran toward the gates of the without looking back.

Sunny was shocked. What the hell had just happened?

Could it be possible… that she remembered him?

She was with him when he had activated the Component, after all, even if he was the only one who had poured essence in it.

Nephis was standing in front of the gates of the Awakened Academy. She didn't know what Master Sunless had done, but he had somehow sent her back in the past. She had conquered the First Nightmare without changing a detail. She was already building plans in her mind using the knowledge she had, when she felt the presence of someone behind her. She turned to check who it was, and froze. Memories began flooding her mind.

A pale man with black hair in the Labyrinth with her and Cas. Him fighting, always on her side. Their arrive at the Dark City. Their argument about her plans. Their journey with the cohort to the Hollow Mountains. Their battle at the top of the Crimson Spire. 'Go… Lost From Light'. The horror of living in the Dream Realm, alone, with only his runes as her anchor to the world, keeping her sane. Her staying at his place to get used to the waking world again. Their fight at the Ball of Valor, when she'd told him he would always follow her, and he going to Antarctica in response. Meeting again. The Battle of the Black Skull. Killing Dear Fang. Spending time together on the back of the giant turtle. She coming back from a mission and not finding him. Meeting him in Antarctica after becoming Saint, and not recognizing him. Seeing him again as the Lord of Shadows, and then as Master Sunless.

Emotion like she'd never felt before, couldn't remembered feeling, swirling in her heart.

Joy, sadness, anger, sorrow, relief, grief, and most of all, love. Love for him. For Sunny.

That emptiness that had filled her heart in the past four years, that sensation that something important, something vital to her had been missing, were all caused by his absence.

She felt something wet on her face. She couldn't remember the last time she'd cried. He was staring at her, shocked.

She heard the gates opening, and ran inside, swiping her face, struggling to keep a composed expression.

Could he be back with her, too? She decided she would quickly find out. If he was there, she wanted him. She needed him.

The reputation Sunny built for himself was far better than that of the creepy he'd earned originally, but still average. He could control his Flaw. If a girl asked if he wanted to see her enchanted robe he wouldn't answer that he would prefer to see her without it…

He also didn't go out of his way to speak of his heroic acts and his Divine Aspect to Caster and his group of Legacies. It would have been pretty fun if Kai was here and he did that.

However, all he could think about was Nephis. He wanted to go straight to her and ask if she was from the future, if she remembered him. But he couldn't. If he were wrong, he would alter the future in a way he couldn't predict and that would probably disadvantage him. He would leave hints and see how she reacted.