The reason he had come to the ruins of the Crimson Spire was still there, though.
It was at the very heart of the mountains of crushed stone, at the bottom of a vast well. Sunny climbed down, being extremely careful not to fall — he did not trust the stability of the rubble and tested each foothold before lowering himself deeper into the darkness, and for a good reason.
At the bottom of the deep well… was a vast pool of black water. Its surface was perfectly still and flat, like that of a harrowing mirror made from pure darkness. Although the water was opaque and Sunny could see how far down it went, he felt as though it was unimaginably deep, reaching such depths that mere thought of light would be impossible there.
The Dark Sea.
As Sunny watched it in solemn silence, a subtle ripple spread across the surface of the imprisoned ocean of darkness. It was as though it was straining to spill over the edges of the pool and break free. However, the invisible powers that held it down were too mighty to overcome, even for this vast, boundless, inconceivable creature. fr𝔢𝔢𝚠𝔢b𝚗ov𝔢l.c𝔬𝚖
The seal he had activated still held, showing no sign of growing weaker.
Shifting his gaze, Sunny peered into the depths of the Dark Sea and let out a stifled chuckle.
It did not change.
All he could see was boundless, appalling darkness.
However, somewhere deep, deep below…
He seemed to have sensed the presence of seven abyssal nodes where the Corruption was even denser.
His suspicion had been right.
The Dark Sea of the Forgotten Shore was indeed a living being… a Great Titan.
Before, the mere thought of a Great Titan would have caused him to fall to his knees in terror, but after witnessing one dying miserably in the white mist, Sunny remained unmoved.
He even…
Felt a strange, daring compulsion to dive into the black waters.
Why not? He had bathed in them before. Back then, the Dark Sea paid him no attention… would it be different now that he was a Saint, possessing a Transcendent Soul that would be much more nourishing for a being such as this?
What would he find in the depths of the ancient sea of Corruption? What mysteries were hidden in the unfathomable black waters?
«Should I find out?»
The temptation was strong.
He reached toward the dark pool, tantalized by its lightless expanse.
But then, he stopped.
Sunny remained motionless for a while, struggling against the sense of dark wonder. Then, he slowly, laboriously, pulled his hand back.
«What the… hell am I doing?»
He wanted to dive into the Dark Sea. Back then, he was merely a Sleeper… a powerless, pathetic Dormant Beast. But now, he was a Transcendent Terror, and carried a cohort of fearsome Shadows in his soul. Although his mind was telling him to be cautious, his heart recklessly believed that he could survive the depths of the Great Titan… maybe he would even be able to destroy it.
Why not? What would he lose if he actually died in that vast darkness? There was nothing to lose…
Only there was, now.
If he had reached the ruin of the Crimson Spire before promising to be Rain's teacher, Sunny might have risked it. But now, things were different. She might not have remembered him… but he remembered her.
He also remembered himself.
Shaking his head, Sunny took a step back.
«I am… such an idiot.»
It didn't even matter if he could survive in the embrace of the Dark Sea. What mattered more was that the Great Titan had been sealed by his own hand — and none of the Nightmare Creatures that dwelled in the black water were able to escape that seal.
So, if Sunny did dive into the black pool, he wouldn't be able to escape it, either.
Wouldn't it be funny, to be imprisoned by the seal he himself had put in place?
Smiling darkly, Sunny looked at the still water and sighed.
«If I ever become powerful enough to break the seal… maybe then, we'll meet again.»
The black pool rippled, as if acknowledging his promise.
…Suddenly unnerved, Sunny took another step back and silently dissolved into the shadows.