But now, Sunny felt that he did not need the transitional medium of the Echo anymore, and neither did he need the assistance of the Spell. The nascent understanding of how to elevate shades to the status of Shadows was already in his mind, and now, all he needed to do was experiment and develop the complete process.
Shades did not possess agency or a sense of self, and therefore, they were not imbued with the Will. More importantly, they were dead things, and therefore static. They could not change, evolve, or grow.
His Shadows, however, were different. Although peculiar creatures, they were beings with their own minds and individuality. They wielded their Will as any other creature would, and were capable of growth. Needless to say, their existence was superior to that of shades who lacked personhood.
Of course, not all shades were fit to become Shadows... but some were. And many of those who weren't could be helped along the way by Sunny's power.
There was an even deeper layer of mastery over his Domain that Sunny sensed, but could not quite grasp yet. After all, now, he was already capable of transforming shades — but was this transformation limited to becoming Shadows? Or could he do something else?
Could he consume his shades, for example, to rebuild his cores? Could he destroy them and turn them into soul essence, like Shadow God had been able to? Could he nourish strong shades with the weaker ones, thus making them more powerful?
All these questions needed to be answered, but Sunny suspected that he was now on the threshold of an entirely new horizon of possibilities.
However, there was a contradiction.
Why would he try to consume the shades in order to build new Shadow Cores if he was already a Titan?
And why would he elevate the shades to the status of Shadows if he already ruled seven Shadows, and could not accept more?
And there... there hid the final part of the new power Sunny sensed.
A long time ago, Eurys had said that his Shadows, while powerful, were not complete.
Now, Sunny felt like he stumbled onto a hint of the understanding of how to finally make them whole.
But before he could think on that matter deeply, the Spell suddenly whispered into his ear.
It said:
[You have lost an Attribute.]
[You have lost an Attribute.]
[You have lost an Attribute.]
[You have lost an Attribute.]
[You have lost an Attribute.]
[You have lost an Attribute...]
And then, in a voice that hinted at triumphant satisfaction, the Spell said, its voice echoing in the darkness.
[You have received an Attribute.]
[You... are complete.]
Sunny flinched and stayed motionless for a few long moments.
Then, he inhaled deeply and summoned his runes.
As the shimmering field of them ignited in the darkness, his gaze rushed to the string describing his Attributes. And there, Sunny saw something that he had long expected to see.
The runes read:
Attributes: [Lord of Shadows], [Flame of Divinity], [Jade Shell], [The Curse], [Fated]...
And at the end of it, a new one.
[The Weave].