Shadow Slave Cinema (reaction fanfic)

Rain's teacher… was a strange existence. Usually, he resided in her shadow, only showing up when no one else was around. At first, she thought that she had gone insane and was hallucinating, but after spending some time with the mysterious apparition, Rain slowly realized that it was real.

And not only that, but also immensely powerful. Luckily, the apparition was mostly benevolent, and did not seem to harbor any ill will toward her. On the contrary, it… he… treated Rain with something that resembled familial affection. It was almost as if he was the spirit of her distant ancestor. She did not think that her family had such an ancestor, though.

But then again, Rain was adopted, and didn't know much about her biological parents. So… it might have been possible that there was an eccentric dark deity in her family tree? Her teacher did, indeed, look a little bit like her. A much more glamorous, handsome, and male version of her, to be precise.

"YOU DARE LIE TO US GIRL?" Gilead roared as Valor abruptly stood up,

"You have one second to explain yourself" Seishan growled as the rest of the Blood Sister rose with equal rage in their eyes.

"State your affiliation immediately" Daeron said in a low tone, suspicion in his eyes.

Everyone was now glaring at Rain, the anger and suspicion painted on their faces could never be more clear. This seemingly….useless, Mundane girl, had after all this time, in reality….been deeply connected to the mystery that was Sunny. Though they wouldn't admit it, their pride was damaged at the realization that a worm, not even Awakened, had fooled them, significantly heightening their emotions.

Rain continued to hold her twitching poker face,

"I have never met this man in my life" she said flatly, her eyes unmoving,

The air seemingly boiled as both Valor and Song took a threatening step forward from their seats, Rain's facade collapsing under panic that their emotions would get the better of them and that they would risk the violence warning just to satisfy themselves.

Her mask cracked,

"OKAY! OKAY….he's my master. But I didn't tell you, because his conditions to teach me… were to never reveal his identity" she cried

A hint of sadness taking over her face.

"He's…h-he's all I have left, and I didn't want him to leave me, even if it meant defying Saints" she silently whispered in defeat, lowering her head apologetically.

Still the room remained silent, her answer seemingly not enough, as panic continued to grow in her stomach.

"B-Besides! I don't even know what the screen is showing! T-This has never happened, I swear on my soul in two worlds!" she croaked,

"YOU….YOU DARE TO CONTINUE YOUR LIES EVEN AFTER ALL OF THIS!?!" Morgan roared, betraying her usual cold and collective demeanor,

Her chest heaved,

"This…if this was….Bastion…..I would have cut you down on the spot before another fib could snake out of your MOUTH! she hissed, seemingly an inch away from launching herself.

Rain could only cower on the spot, at a loss of words.

"I-I SWEAR IT'S THE T-TRUTH!" she screamed, without a shred of dignity, her eyes moving to the usual calm Daeron for aid.

But to her horror, he met her gaze and looked away, seemingly also in disappointment.

Rain was left alone, silently being pierced by all the gazes in the room. She could only look up at Mordret, who held a look that could be only described as pure joy. She didn't even have the will to get angry.

It was all over.

Cassie silently gazed at Rain, as she watched her fingers once again slightly twitch, pausing, before she walked next to her and faced the crowd.

"What has and will be" she echoed, shifting the weighted gazes onto her

"What?" Solvanne hissed

Cassie remained steadfast, "What has and will be, that was one of the first questions that was answered, and I think we are witnessing….a scene from the future" she echoed, as people held their breath at the revelation.

"Impossible" Gilead retorted,

Cassie turned to him, if she wasn't wearing a blindfold, then she would have met him with the most comical eyebrow raise.

"Are you doubting the capability of this place?" she questioned in a serious tone, causing Gilead to shudder.

"No…but such events seem impossible" he slowly replied, as the faces of some softened.

Cassie smiled,

"Then we cannot blame Rain here, as she herself isn't in control or aware of what will be shown to us" she smoothly cooed,

"Can you verify what it has said so far is true?" Windflower said in a muffled voice, her mouth stuffed with popcorn.

Rain slowly nodded,

"Yeah…it seems along the lines of what I would think and say…although it feels weird since it's a supposed different me saying it…." she awkwardly replied.

"Could he indeed be a forgotten person from your family?" Noctis pondered with a curious smile.

Rain shook,

"I-I always had a suspicion that he was somehow related to me….but I never gave it thought until learning about this recent information" she whispered, causing others to narrow their eyes in realization.

Rain was equally sad and confused,

"Who really are you master?" she whispered.

The screen, seemingly hearing her plea, changed.

Rain still had no idea what he was.

Any attempt to ask him questions about his identity resulted in nonsensical answers that simply couldn't be taken seriously.

Like: "Teacher… please tell me. Who are you, really?"

"Haven't I told you already? Gods, how many times do I have to repeat it? I am… your long-lost brother."

Everyone was shaken to their core. The pieces had finally been connected. Why an all powerful secretive being had taken time and effort to train and support a plain mundane girl. The answer seemed almost two obvious, as gazes moved between the two, comparing their features and hair.

He was her brother.

A brother who had been forgotten, and yet he still loved her

Staying by her side and guiding her with a smile, although he would never feel the same from her.

Effie's mouth opened in shock, before her eyes twinkled at the realization,

"Sister in law!" she shrieked in excitement,

Almost all fear and stress evaporated from Rain's body, as she dawned a….new….look of fear as she turned to Effie with wide eyes.

"WHAT?" she yelled with utter concern,

"Well there you have it, he's your brother" Noctis cooed with amusement, shifting her attention before Effie could give her an answer

"Indeed, the evidence seems irrefutable," Julius continued, an unreadable look on his face.

Rain's eyes moved around in panic, discombobulated at the sudden reveal.

"B-But…that's not…no….it can't be….how….why?" stammering, failing to form a sentence.

She looked back at the screen, at the man she called Master.

Her brother.

She didn't know how to feel. One part of her wanted to knock him down and punch his face in frustration, questioning him where he had been, why he had treated her such and why he hadn't told her. She wanted to yell at him, push all her fears and concerns onto him as he smiled, and received them, like a caring sibling.

Another part….wanted to hug him.

She wanted to hug him with all her strength, at the threat that he would be ripped away. She wanted to cry in his arms as he comforted her. She wanted to have meals with him, have him meet her foster parents, joke and curse at the problems in their life. Everything that she had experienced with her foster family.

She wanted to scream at him where he had been all her life, why he refused to tell her the truth, why he lied to her and himself. Living his life behind a mask he had placed on himself.

'Why would you lie to me….why didn't you tell me who you were after all this time' she whimpered,

'...'

"Why won't you come home?" she shakingly whispered, fighting tears from forming in her eyes.

Ananke looked at her with a look of sympathy, "He definitely has his reasons child, he has been seemingly forgotten….somehow"

Rain could only look at her in protest, before silently turning away, hiding her growing tears.

Morgan slowly turned to Rain, considering the next course of action.

'Kill her? No…that will invoke his rage and make it harder to win her over, but she's not in Bastion's domain…. so we would have to act quickly to pull her over…'

Seishan's eyes twinkled with equal cunning,

'It seems I'm about to have….another sister' she schemed, a smile growing on her lips.

"I'm pretty sure I would remember having an older brother."

"You would assume so, wouldn't you? Ah, but, you see… after I killed the evil version of myself and reached the estuary of the river of time, which flows inside the great pyramid that a dreadful demon had built from the blood and flesh of an Unholy Titan, I was attacked by a vile, odious, very nasty, no good bird and had my fate stolen. So, no one in the world remembers me."

The room was silent.

"This can't be real, surely he's just lying to show off" Luster remarked in disbelief,

"That's what one would assume at first….but it may be the truth…" Daeron commented in equal disbelief.

"It's real" a voice sounded loudly in the theatre.

It was Cassie.

"Our Third Nightmare was in a great pyramid, although we were not aware it was built by a Daemon. It was…one of a kind, we saw and did things that we still find hard to believe to this day." she lamented silently, gaining the attention of everyone.

"That doesn't explain everything, what does he imply by a nasty bird and having had his Fate stolen?" Saint Cor pressed

Cassie shuddered, unsure.

"I-I don't know…" she silently replied.

"I do" a loud voice sounded from behind.

It was Daeron, who rose, his face serious.

"The Vile Thieving Bird ....a being hated by both Gods and Daemons" he echoed, his tone grim.

Windflowers eyes widened in shock.

"You don't mean…" she whispered in disbelief.

Daeron nodded, "I do…it seems he encountered the loathsome bird, a being even the Gods and Daemons couldn't fully kill" he boomed, as everyone held their breath in shock

"And most insane of all….he survived and lives to tell the tale" his tone audible with admiration.

'One that even the Gods and Daemons couldn't….'

The statement hung in the air as everyone stood still without thought, in disbelief at what they had just heard. A being that could bear the wrath of both Divine and profane, one that refused to die. Something that strikes despair and fear at the mention of, and causes instant death at the sight of if weak.

And yet, Sunny had survived it.

He was walking proof.

A being that could hold his ground against such a foe.

One emotion was alive in the room, and it was shock, but as the screen changed….the shock…transformed into a…..different…..shock

"Oh, but before that, I was very famous."

"Not only was I famous, but even my secret alter ego was famous. World-renowned, even. I was a war hero, too. And extremely wealthy. In fact… do you know Princess Nephis? Changing Star of the Immortal Flame clan? I was practically her boyfriend."

Effie's mouth hung open in disbelief, as all the audience followed, all with one thought on their rarely unified minds. This ice cold flower….HAD A BOYFRIEND AT SOME POINT!?

Effie turned at a speed too fast for the eye to see, facing Nephis, a ludicrous smile on her face,

"Princess! I didn't know yo-"

"NO" Nephis barked without giving her a chance to continue. Effie didn't give up,

"The screen doesn't lie you kno-"

"NO" Nephis barked again, like a programmed robot,

"Come on! It says it right there!" she whined with annoyance, her lips pouting

"NO" Nephis finally yelled, a flustered look on her face.

Effie frowned before turning to Cassie, looking for backup from a Seer's intuition. Cassie sensed her gaze, as she turned to see Nephis and Effie looking at her in anticipation. She paused, looking at the screen for a few seconds, before slowly turning to meet their gazes.

A mischievous smile growing on her face.

"Maybe…." she jokingly cooed, earning a look of shock from Nephis and an elated fistpump of triumph from Effie.

"Princess! It seems you're not destined to be a secluded cat lady" she shrieked in excitement, without restraint, causing some to open their mouths in disbelief, Noctis almost falling off his chair in laughter as both Mordret and Morgan, dawned a…..rare, look of amusement.

It seemed there was indeed one thing they could agree and find comfort in.

Nephis stood still on her chair, her body visibly shaking….her face…..flushed completely red! The immoveable Changing Star was blushing like a teenage girl!

Ling looked at her with an inquisitive look,

"Do you like uncle Sunny, aunty Star?" he asked with pure innocence

Like cupids arrows, the words pierced Nephis as she shuddered, the final nail in the coffin.

Nephis stood frozen on the spot, her mouth opening and closing erratically, at a complete loss for words. Ling had broken a gear in her head.

Even their enemies, the Blood Sisters, dawned an unified look of interest, as if they were watching an entertaining romcom, while others had to put their hands over their mouths to hide their smiles.

This was a rare spectacle that they would only witness once.

And some silently thanked the theatre for granting it to them.

Effie swayed side-to-side with a look of pure enjoyment, "Come on! What's so bad about him? If there is anything bad! He's the prettiest in two worlds, runs a successful shop, is powerful and can definitely perform down ther-" she was quickly cut off by a finger which Nephis had pushed against her lips.

She slowly looked at her, a calm, emotionless look on her

"Effie….please shut your bewitched mouth, or so help me, I will do everything in my power to end your life before this thing reacts" she said in a calm, placant tone.

Effie looked shaken by the threat, as she quietly adjusted herself in her seat. The rest of the audience silently doing the same, convinced of her claim, not wanting to be a victim.

Thankfully, the screen changed to divert everyone's focus.

"Teacher, tell me the truth… you're not an evil god, are you?"

"Of course not!"

"Really?"

"Sure. I mean… the blood of an ancient demon does flow in my veins, and I did devour the alabaster phalanx of a nebulous deity after being cast down into the darkness of a bottomless abyss. And technically, I am indeed the master of a lightless fragment that was torn from a divine realm. But, an evil god? Preposterous!"

"I… I see."

"I mean. I am a demigod, at best…"

The information was now rolling in like consecutive destructive waves, as some started to rub their temples in fatigue, the information was once again starting to pile on at a rate too much for even Transcendent minds, although few understood the actual weight behind the statement.

They caught the gist of it.

Solvanne and Nocits looked at each other, both serious.

"Do you believe it?" she questioned with a serious look,

Noctis reluctantly nodded, his overflowing banter having left him entirely.

"It would seem so" he solemnly replied.

"Surely this cannot be real." she hissed

Noctis remained in silence, stumped

"The screen doesn't lie, and we both know the context behind these terms" he slowly commented, making sure that nobody heard them.

"Such a being cannot have not left a single trace behind" her voice barely audible, her agitation growing.

Noctis leaned further, his face inches from hers, causing her eyes to twitch

"Dear…", he said in a deep tone, "If things are going as they are….I think these are some of the more trivial things he has accomplished", causing Solvanne's eyes to widen, as they slowly leaned back in their seats, the mumbles of conspiracy around them barely audible, as they thought in silence.

The screen changed again, seemingly speeding up.

Her teacher lingered for a bit, then sighed and approached her.

Crouching, he pointed to his back, "Climb on, brat."

Rain didn't make him ask twice. There were ways to traverse a swamp, but none that were both safe and timely. Not to mention that she had just disinfected her wound and didn't want to get it wet and dirty again. Plus, her battered body was exhausted.

Why would she refuse a piggyback ride offered by a powerful deity?

Ananke turned to Rain with a smile, "You have a kind teacher" she whispered.

Rain could only stare at her.

'No he's really not' she silently protested, as Ananke continued to smile.

Rain didn't have the heart to kill her expectations, so she could only dawn a fake smile, reluctantly nodding in agreement.

"Yes…I'm very grateful" she said while grinding her teeth.

Rain rested her head on his shoulder and allowed her consciousness to drift into a relaxed state. The familiar sound of her teacher's voice was almost like a lullaby.

Walking to the edge of the island, he didn't even try to slow down and stepped directly into the muddy water.

However, his foot never plunged into the murky sludge — instead, the shadows moved and coalesced into a glossy black plate under it. Then, another plate appeared as he took a step.

"Quite an interesting Aspect ability, I can think of numerous ways to use it if I had something similar" Notcis hummed as he stroked his chin in interest.

Silent Stalker scoffed,

"Looks pretty weak to me, I can't see him effectively using it in combat" she retorted in defiance,

"Indeed, it would seem his Aspect is not focused on combat" Daeron mumbled,

"But….versatile Aspects are often more dangerous than one's catered for one purpose" he finished in a dangerous tone.

They stared at the screen in silence. Daeron was right, and nobody in their right mind would object to his claim, as a war hardened fighter who had likely seen a variety of different fighters. Eyes twinkled with interest, as fantasies started to form in spectators minds.

Creating weapons?

Forming creatures?

Building structures and buildings?

Augmenting one's own body?

Silence grew as people started to realize the potential of its versatility, it could be said to be too versatile.

"How does that correlate with his Avatar ability, is that not the main function of his Aspect?" Jest questioned as he leaned forward.

Heads nodded in unison, collectively unsure about how his Aspect functioned.

"It would seem it's connected to Shadows, however that completely rejects how he can make Avatars…" Morgan muttered in deep thought.

"Maybe the Avatars he speaks of are shadows which he shapes to look like a human" Kai questioned in an uncertain tone.

"No" Cassie replied, as Kai looked at her puzzled.

"Why do you say that?" Saint Cor replied as Jet nodded in agreement.

Cassie paused.

"Because….this isn't him. This is one of his Avatars we're looking at. His main was stated to be in Bastion, while this is clearly near Ravenheart" she said in a low tone

Eyes widened as realization sparked in everyone's eyes, they had completely forgotten the earlier information.

Gazes slowly moved around Sunny, trying to find a difference, a distinct feature, an out of place hair, a mole, anything. But there was nothing.

It was completely identical.

And they hadn't even realised it.

"What if he just personally met with her in this scenario?" Kim questioned seriously, in disbelief at what she saw.

Cassie shook her head, "I would also like to think that, but it doesn't seem like it"

"You're saying that all of his Avatars, which can wield his powers are also completely identical?"

"Yes" Cassie said flatly, clearly deep in thought.

Eyes widened as all Saints stood up.

Sunny was not just one extremely powerful person. He was multiple.

His own army.

"I want to see him fight" Effie said, hungry to see the full extent of his abilities

"Agreed, I wonder what his battle art looks like" Revel echoed from the third row, her eyes deep in thought at how she would face against such a foe.

"Huh, that reminds me of that time we fought the Drowned in the lost temple of Fallen Grace… back when I was still wearing the Serpent King's crown… who knew that I would end up becoming a swamp rickshaw one day?"

"Damn, life is sure full of irony…"

A ripping sound could be heard, as eyes moved to the second row, to see Daeron, who had risen so quickly, had unknowingly ripped the leather from his hand rests.

His usual calm face was now laced with rage, an unsettling contrast compared to its usual calm demeanor. Windflower lowered her quietly.

"Changing Star…explain why he has my crown" he boomed, causing the curtains to shake

Nephis stood silent, as once again, she felt something slip her mind.

"I don't know…. in our Third Nightmare, there was a corrupted version of you which disappeared, but I can't remember how" she said slowly as her eyes narrowed.

"I suspect, he was the reason behind your disappearance." said quietly

Windflower rose with rage in her eyes,

"Speak" she boomed

Nephis paused, considering the possibility, slightly smirking in amusement, before shaking her head and looking back up.

"It seems…that as a Master…he fought and killed...a Supreme" she announced loudly.

Nobody moved, this was the most absurd revelation yet. A Master killing a Supreme!? This is just strictly impossible, not even a Divine seemed capable of such a feat. And yet he had done it. And now an even larger question burned in everyone's mind.

'If he killed a Supreme as a Master, then how strong is he as a Transcendent?'

Effie coughed,

"Well now i'm dying to see him fight, I don't care who or what it is." she whistles.

Her teacher stopped.

Rain couldn't see his face, but she felt a subtle change in his mood. Suddenly, the shadows populating the frozen forest seemed much deeper, and the world felt much darker.

Her breath escaped as a cloud of cold vapor.

"Does he not want to bother with burying them?"

"Climb off", He bent his knees, allowing Rain to stand firmly on the ground.

She was a little confused.

The whole theatre stiffened, as they sensed the shift in mood even through the screen.

Something was wrong.

"Gods, what the hell is wrong with his eyes? They look like they could kill!" Kim stammered,

"They will kill.." Jet said in agreement, as she looked at Saint Cor who also gave her a look.

Effie rubbed her hands in anticipation, "Finally we get to see the good stuff!" she exclaimed.

Ananke looked at her before bringing her fist to her mouth and coughing to catch her attention. She slowly tilted her head, beckoning her to look at Ling.

Effie's eye's flashed.

"Oh"

Moving quickly, she reached over and scooped up Ling from Ananke's seat, propping him on her lap and pulling her shirt over him.

"Momm…why can't I watch" he whined in complaint from beneath the fabric.

Effie clicked her tongue, "This is adult stuff, once you're bigger than me, you'll be allowed to watch" she said in a stern tone.

Ling didn't reply as audible pouts of defiance could be heard, but no more than that.

Beastmaster smiled, "Maybe he is indeed the right one" she hummed, her face now full of intrigue.

Effie whipped around and shot her a threatening look.

"Scavengers" she rumbled in anger.

But then, she heard it.

A branch snapping somewhere behind her.

Placing her hand on the hilt of her sword, Rain turned around and looked back. There, she saw several human figures walking in their direction. They seemed like a cohort of Awakened… no. A Master and his retinue, perhaps? One, two, three people… one of them was waving his hand in a friendly gesture…

Before Rain could discern any details, though, something strange happened. Her teacher's hand appeared from behind and covered her eyes. She froze.

"W-what… what…"

Something was very wrong. His voice sounded very calm… too calm, even, which only made Rain feel more nervous.

"Hey, brat. Listen to me very carefully. From now on and until I tell you otherwise, no matter what happens, don't open your eyes. Alright?" She nodded slowly.

"Yes, teacher."

He remained silent for a moment, "Alright. Stand here and don't move."

With that, her teacher removed his hand. Rain's eyes were tightly shut, so she couldn't see anything, but she felt him walking past to stand between her and the approaching people. Their steps were drawing closer.

"Wrong, wrong! This is very wrong!" Rain was not stunned by the fact that he had covered her eyes. What truly disturbed her… was the fact that her teacher had not retreated into the shadows.

In all the years that she had known him, he had never, ever shown himself to other people, It was to the point that Rain had considered him a hallucination at first.

But now, her teacher remained in the open in front of absolute strangers.

"Why?"

Every Saint stood still as the others remained puzzled, confused at why Sunny was showing such a strange response. Sure he had reasons for not revealing his identity, but his other supposed body ran a cafe where he regularly interacted with people.

"W-What's wrong with him? Why is he scared of humans?" Rain stammered in anxiety.

Saint Cor, rose from his seat.

"That thing….is no human" he growled, as the rest of the Saints stood up.

Rain looked around in confusion at the cold faces, and then back at the screen in confusion.

'Human…thing…not human' her mind raced, before she suddenly shuddered.

The SkinWalker!

The abomination that had crawled out of the forsaken desert and wreaked havoc on the dream, slaughtering humans, Awakened and Saints alike. Not even the Sovereigns could put an end to its festering presence!

It was indiscriminate, massacring everything it came across without prejudice, like a true walking calamity.

And now this calamity,...no… this group of calamities was now approaching a future version of her and her Master.

Everyone silently rose in attention to the screen, watching as the SkinWalker approached the two, neither backing down. They had wanted a fight, they had wanted to see how strong Sunny was, how he fought, how he used his cunning intelligence and hidden strength.

Now, they were about to witness more than a fight.

This wasn't a fight between Masters, Transcendents, or even Sovereigns. No… this was something far more insane.

This was a fight between calamities.

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This Chapter was brought to you by the collective desires of all the lonely Soul's on this perilous day.

(I did nothing except publish the chapter, they did all the work)

Better strap in, since the next chapter is about to be VERY long :)

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