"Oh… yeah, true! I didn't think about that."
Sunny shook his head.
"Same goes for Nephis and Cassie, since they're not planning to move to Bastion yet. We might not be an active cohort anymore, but we're still a big, dysfunctional family of sorts. I can guarantee that you won't miss me. In fact, you'll probably wish that I appeared in front of you faces less often."
He grinned and then gestured to the door.
"In any case, thanks for dropping by, but now I really have to go. I'm on a bit of a schedule."
He walked them outside, then watched as they boarded a PTV and left. There were no emotional goodbyes, since what he had said was true. They would all be seeing each other in the Dream Realm often, no matter where they were in the waking world.
So… that meant that he had one last thing to do.
Sunny sealed the house by inputting a security code into the lock panel, looked at it one last time, and walked to one of the neighboring buildings. He took out his communicator, sent a short message, and then waited for a bit.
A minute later, a slightly surprised teenage girl walked out onto the porch, wearing cozy home clothes.
"Sunny? Uh… why are you here? We're not supposed to have a lesson today?"
He smiled, and then pointed to the backpack that hung from his shoulder.
"Hey, Rain. I just came by to say that I'll be going away again. This time, it might take a bit longer for me to return."
Her expression subtly changed.
"Oh."
She remained silent for a while, then asked in a guarded, tentative voice:
"Is… is it going to be dangerous again?"
Sunny shrugged with a carefree expression.
"Dangerous? Well, I guess. I'm pretty certain that I can handle it, though. I'm a pretty tough guy. So, don't worry."
He sighed, and then added:
"Plus, I am staying in the real world this time. You can message me whenever. The network connection is going to be patchy where I'm going, so I might not be able to answer immediately. I will eventually, though. That's a promise."
Finally, she relaxed a little.
"Really? That's great!"
He nodded. After hesitating for a few moments, Sunny took a step closer and said:
"...You are going to turn sixteen in a couple of months, Rain. That means that you have to be ready. You might be chosen by the Spell, or you might not. In any case, I think that you are sufficiently prepared."
He fell silent for a bit, and then added:
"I taught you as much as I could. The rest depends on you. Keep practicing with your sword. Keep sharpening your mind, as well. Most importantly, keep working on your mentality."
Rain looked at him and nodded seriously.
"I will."
…She did not notice that something strange had happened in the spot where their shadows intersected. A massive, dark silhouette that resembled a stygian serpent flowed from Sunny's shadow, then hid itself in hers.
Sunny had invoked one of Soul Serpents Abilities.
[Grace of Shadows] Ability Description: "The master of the Soul Serpent can grace another with the trust and companionship of their Shadow Guide. One should be careful whom they bestow with their grace; entrusting others with the loyalty of Shadows is the same as sharing one's soul, and thus should not be offered lightly."
He could not give Rain any Memories. Neither could he give her any Echoes. Rain did not possess an Aspect or a soul core to encompass them. She certainly did not possess a shadow core to receive one of his Shadows.
But Serpent was different. [Grace of Shadows] allowed it to accompany anyone who had a shadow, including a mundane human. So, Sunny transferred Serpent to Rain and commanded it to hide itself unless the girl was in mortal danger.
With the help of an Ascended Devil, she would be able to survive anything.
Sunny knew that by providing Rain with his handicap, he might have been stunting her own growth. But he did not care. His sister did not have to grow strong, or die. He was more than capable of being strong for the both of them.
Looking at her, he smiled.
"Well, anyway. Don't be a stranger. If you need advice, just message me. You're my only student, after all, so if you suddenly die, my reputation will be ruined. No one will ever hire me as a tutor again!"
Rain glared at him for a moment, then scoffed.
"Why would I die? I'm too smart for that. You, however… make sure not to die yourself. I won't be able to brag that my tutor is a Master if you're dead."
Sunny grinned, then waved at her and turned away.
It was time to leave the city where he had grown up, both for the first time and once again.