Then, his expression changed.
"Oh."
And then changed some more.
"Sure. That's a great idea, as well…"
***
In the morning, Sunny gave a few instructions to Aiko and retreated into the basement of the Brilliant Emporium.
Once there, he made a few last preparations and steeled himself for battle.
The memory of having his chest pierced by an arrow soured his expression, but he still resolutely dismissed the Nebulous Mantle, manifesting the Onyx Mantle instead.
…It felt strange, to wear the fearsome black armor on his original body once again. Master Sunless had only existed briefly, but Sunny had grown used to his leisurely life. That persona of his was as much of a safe harbor for him as it, hopefully, was for Nephis.
But that time had come to an end. Even if he did not delve into the Shadow Realm now, Sunny was not sure how much longer Master Sunless could continue to exist. The resolution of the war, whatever it would be, was going to change a lot of things, so his fate — or lack thereof — was unpredictable.
After gathering his thoughts for a while, he manifested the gloomy shadow into an avatar and looked at him for a few moments.
"This… is going to hurt a lot, isn't it?"
His other self grinned darkly and answered in the same voice:
"Of course. Have you forgotten the last time?"
No, he had not forgotten. The Shadow Realm was a perilous place, and especially so for Sunny.
Out there, shadows were being disassembled into streams of essence by the Realm itself. Being a creature of flesh and bone slowed the process, somewhat, but it did not stop it.
Which meant that Sunny would be on a timer the moment he entered the Shadow Lantern. Worse than that, many of his powers would be too dangerous to use. He would not be able to use Shadow Step,build truly effective Shells, send his shadows to scout ahead, or even augment himself — or his Memories — with their power.
Ironically enough, the Shadow Realm — which was supposed to be his natural environment — put more restrictions on Sunny than the Dream Realm did.
And then there was the mysterious archer, as well.
Sunny smiled.
"Still. I can't help but feel strangely excited. We are finally going to explore a new place."
The second Sunny rolled his eyes.
"Curiosity killed the cat, you know."
Sunny nodded.
Then, he frowned.
"...What the hell is a cat?"
His other self laughed.
Perhaps it was a bit self-absorbed, to be laughing at his own jokes, but Sunny was nevertheless pleased with himself.
Raising a hand, he summoned the Shadow Lantern.
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