Apparently, he had not mastered the sixth step just yet. However, he had mastered the fifth... and the Legacy Relic he was supposed to receive was missing!
The runes describing it said that it had been claimed, and there was no trace of it anywhere. The loathsome bird took it with the rest of the treasures it had stolen. Suddenly, Sunny was glad not to have mastered the Sixth Step yet.
He looked at Vile, then cursed under his breath.
‘If I ever catch that damn thief...'
He distracted himself by turning his focus back to the runes.
The runes read:
Domain: [Shadow].
Shadow Domain Subjects: [Dark Dancer], [Promise of a Distant Sky], [Aiko], [Kim], [Luster], [Quentin], [Tamar of Sorrow]...
All the members of the Shadow Clan were listed there, and if Sunny concentrated on a name, he could read their runes, no different from his own. That was a greater amount of information than what Sunny could receive by visiting the Soul Sea of his agents or sharing in their perception, which was quite convenient.
Below the members of the Shadow Clan, a different — and far greater, as well — list was shimmering in the darkness.
Shades: [Mountain King's Larva], [Imperial Slaver], [Mountain King], [Carapace Scavenger]...
If he concentrated on the list, all the soldiers of the Shadow Legion — myriads of them — were listed there, and if he concentrated on any particular one, a short description appeared as well.
Naturally, the list of his shades would be too long to just be shown like the rest of them. So, the Spell somehow made it appear both compact and nearly infinite, existing in both states at the same time. It took Sunny a bit of time to get used to that peculiar sight, but he quickly learned how to navigate the vast field of runes with no more than a thought.
He could probably spend a year... or a few... simply studying the description of each shade. It was like suddenly gaining access to the descriptions of a hundred thousand Echoes, each containing an intriguing piece of information.
His hands were already itching to start working on a new exploration report...
But for now, Sunny simply glanced away and continued to read the runes.
Attributes: [Lord of Shadows], [Flame of Divinity], [Blood Weave], [Bone Weave], [Flesh Weave], [Soul Weave], [Mind Weave], [Spirit Weave], [Jade Shell], [The Curse], [Fated].
The [Fated] Attribute was back... for better or for worse.
...Or both. Most likely both.
Sunny read further:
Aspect: [Shadow Slave].
Aspect Rank: Divine.
Innate Ability: [Shadow Bond].
He lingered for a long while, and then finally read the next string of runes.
They read:
...Master: Changing Star.