Shadow Slave - One Shots

Sunny stirred, slowly waking from his bed.

For a moment, he remained still, allowing the power of sleep to fade before pulling himself upright.

His fingers traveled through his dark hair before he lazily tied it back, ensuring it wouldn't fall into his face.

The morning routine began the same as always.

A splash of cold water to fully wake himself up.

Avoiding all possible mirrors.

Then, descending the stairs into the main space of Sunny's Brilliant Emporium, Cafe.

It was a humble yet well-loved establishment known both for its food and its "eye candy" of the owner. Though, Sunny didn't know about the infamous term "eye candy".

The shop was quiet at this hour. Sunlight filtered through the windows, as it always did in Bastion.

Not that anyone ever cared.

Sunny moved through the space, adjusting displays, checking the coffee machine, ensuring the day would run as smoothly as the dozens before it.

Routine.

Simple.

For the past year, that had been enough.

He didn't bother trying to make his friends remember, anyone who spoke of his name, or learnt more about the man shaped hole in the world was fated to forget that.

Then-

A whisper.

So faint, it was barely there.

[R..sto…tion P..ces… 10%]

He froze, fingers tightening around the cup he had been setting down.

The sound was so faint, his breathing was louder than it.

His gaze flickered across the room, searching.

The shop remained empty. No unusual movement, just Aiko.

No signs of visitors.

The shop was closed, after all.

'Must of been nothing. Gods, Sunny, have you been corrupted to be hearing that voice?'

Shaking off the strange unease, he exhaled and continued his work.

And then-

[Rest..ation Proc..ss 60%]

This time, he recognized it.

His body locked in place.

He let out a shaky laugh, as if he couldn't believe it.

'This.. can't be.. Hah..'

The Spell.

It had been four years since he had heard that voice.

Since he had cast himself away from it, from everything it represented.

From fate itself.

It couldn't be.

And yet…

It was real.

His heart pounded, a sensation he wasn't used to anymore.

Fear laced his thoughts, but it wasn't alone.

Hope crept in alongside it.

Sunny swallowed, his fingers curling into a fist as he forced himself to breathe evenly.

What was happening?

Had something changed?

Or worse-

Had something come looking for him?

…

'No, no that can't be true.'

Sunny's breath was unsteady as he pushed away from the tabletop.

He needed to be sure.

"Aiko," he called out.

A moment later, a young woman peeked out from the kitchen.

"Yeah?"

"I'll be back. Something came up."

Aiko raised an eyebrow but didn't question it.

"Alright, I'll be expecting more money for the amount of time you're gone!"

He offered a distracted nod before walking toward the back of the shop, down a narrow staircase that led to the basement.

The moment he stepped inside, a chill settled over his skin. A chill that he has not received in a long time.

Sunny closed the door behind him.

Then-

[Restoration Process 100%!]

The Spell shouted in his ear with a triaumphiant tone, as if it had been trying to fix something that was broken.

His knees nearly buckled as pain lanced through his mind, a searing, twisting force unraveling something deep within him.

His vision blurred. A suffocating weight pressed down on his body.

Then, as suddenly as it came, the pain stopped.

And in its place-

Light.

Symbols burned into the air before him, sharp and familiar.

His breath caught as he recognized them immediately.

Runes.

His runes.

They read:

Name: Sunless

True Name: Lost From Light

"Ahah.. Ahahah… M-My true name.."

But what does it mean to get your fate back?

Fate to be explained in simple terms are little golden strings that make who you are. Each string represents something, whether it's a memory or a relationship. It's a form of socialization that is formed when the mortal does something.

In Sunny's case, he didn't have any of those things. All the strings that were previously attached to him and people close to

him were severed, meaning no one around him knew who he was.

But now, he has just gotten his fate back. Meaning the strings that were once lost gone, have now been returned.

Which also means, the same people that have forgotten him, have now started to remember him.

Rank: Transcendent

Class: Terror

Shadow Cores: [6/7]

Shadow Fragments: [1591/6000]

He couldn't believe his very eyes. Not only his connection with the spell was formed, but he had gained everything he lost.

This was like a dream to him, he longed to be remembered and that had come true.

'But.. How..?'

This wasn't supposed to be possible. Of course it wasn't. Sunny had used the well of wishes to make his wish of being free come true. Coming at a price, of course. Fate just couldn't repair itself, and all of a sudden it just did now?

So why…?

His fingers twitched at his side.

He needed more proof.

Accessing the runes once more, he scrolled to where his attributes were.

Attributes: [Lord of Shadows], [Flame of Divinity], [Blood Weave], [Bone Weave], [Onyx Shell], [Soul Weave], [Fated], [Charm], [Master Chef].

He let out, yet another shaky laugh.

"Damn.. nation.."

He pressed a hand against the cold stone wall, steadying himself. The room around him felt distant, his mind drowning in the enormity of what had just happened.

It really had done it. His fate is back.

'I can't believe I'm saying this but… I miss you [Fated]..'

His attributes were visible and there. Except for 3 new ones.

'Master Chef, Fated and…Charm?!'

He raised an eyebrow, curious on what this means.

'The hell do I got a charm attribute for?"'

Without wasting any time, he checked the descriptions of each.

[Master Chef]

[Able to produce foods at the highest quality. May restore fatigue and improve circulation of blood. Created by -unknown- to fulfill the Shadow's dream]

That one was.. weird.

He managed to grasp it though. He had gotten an attribute for him to cook foods that are at the highest quality of taste, even going far as producing benefits.

Though, the part that had confused him was that it was created by an -unknown- to fufill a Shadows wish. He had a theory but was not sure it was true.

Essentially, if this -unknown- was Weaver, he had created an attribute to fufill one of Sunny's long term goals of opening a cafe or a memory shop.

He didn't know whether to be happy or confused by that, but nonetheless was happy about the reason he was able to produce such good foods.

Then, he looked at the other.. weirder one.

[Charm]

[Humans physical attributes have been increased three folded, meaning his looks far surprass a normal Saint.]

'Why.. nevermind..'

He facepalmed and didn't think much of it.

It was kind of self explanatory, he had gotten an attribute that increases his looks. Though, he wouldn't of known how he looked because he avoided mirrors.

Till he came across the most important one.

[Fated]

[A treacherous Shadow had managed to overcome his fate by temporarily disrupting it. Though, seen as a traitorous decision and thus the Spell was gonna punish the Shadow. Instead, it thought the opposite and praised the Shadow for overcoming fate itself. Only good events are drawn to you, while bad events are more likely to not happen.]

He read the runes.

Then he read it again.

Then again.

Then again.

Till he stopped.

'The spell.. is praising me?!'

He was always seen as a "treacherous shadow" or any vile nicknames the spell conjured up but now, the spell praised him.

And the boon, was that only benefits were applied to him.

But then, a thought dawned on him.

He quickly went down the runes to access his abilities till he found the right one.

[Unbonded]

'It… changed?'

He didn't believe it.. His previous ability that came with his Divine aspect, [Shadow Bond], was the very ability that caused him all this fuss about wanting to be free.

And now.. it was gone.

Reading further, he read the description:

[Previously, fate had viewed this Mortal as a lost cause. Not caring for its life, and expected to die, it gave it a special ability. However, due to the shadows action, it had managed to overcome fate itself, thus removing the bond entirely.

You are a lost shadow, though you are independent. You no longer yearn for a master you previously lost and now have the ability to perform on your own. You have successfully managed to break your own bond, Shadow.]

With that, he fell to the ground, on his knees.

To support himself, he placed his palms on the floor whilst starting at the ground.

Needing to catch his breath, his hand clung on his shirt, slightly gasping for air.

'No.. No way.. I'm free.'

However, what interrupted him was someone bursting into the door.