Shadow Slave: Purgatory

Sunny felt an uncomfortable sensation as he clicked his tongue in annoyance.

His eyes widened only to be blinded by an immense brilliance. Instinctually, he brought his right hand up to hover over his face, trying to block out the light.

As his eyesight adjusted to the brightness, the scene became clear. Dozens of light rays spread across the endless expanse of the black desert, igniting patches of obsidian sands in golden radiance.

Squinting skyward, Sunny watched in disbelief as the eternal shadow that had shrouded the sun began to... boil. Massive holes spread across its surface as if something was burning it out of existence. Soon, there would be nothing left but pure, golden brilliance.

'Is this phenomenon recurring? And why does it have to happen right when I was getting used to being surrounded by nothing but shadows?'

A warm sensation slowly spread across his body, as he reached to touch the forehead in alarm. The sunlight was starting to burn him! Sweat began dripping down his face, causing his hair to dampen and cling to his neck.

With exasperation, Sunny looked away from the sun, trying to focus on his immediate surroundings and the nearby dunes. Something, anything that could act as cover from the merciless rays. And yet there was nothing. 

He was rapidly losing water in an already arid land.

Of course, he had enough essence to summon the Endless Spring and replenish himself, but it would somewhat cripple him. At risk of dehydration his body and mind would move slower and not be as sharp in a fight or sudden attacks, and in the midst of constantly re-hydrating himself with water, he would lose full attention of his surroundings.

Something in the desert seemed to sense his despair, as he immediately felt movement in the shadows, closing in on him from a distance.

To his horror, he saw a horde of wraiths draped in cloaks of various colors rushing in his general direction from the right.

'You're kidding, right?'

This situation was as bad as it could get. The sun was burning away his only refuge—the shadow of the eclipse. Without his shadow step and right leg, Sunny was essentially a cripple, a delicious cripple currently roasting in the sun as if presenting himself as a delicious meal. Just how unfair was his [Fated] attribute? After everything he went through, wasn't he deserving of at least one good thing?

With a growl of frustration, Sunny stabbed the midnight shard into the black sand for support as he stood up with a wince. A wraith was rushing towards exactly where he had been seated.

With a deep breath, Sunny steeled his gaze as he brought up the midnight shard to a defensive position.

"Come for me, fool."

The wraith exploded forward with a screech, its long legs digging into the sands with a blur. And to Sunny's utter surprise, the wraith ran right past him.

Sunny was flabbergasted.

'What the hell? Is it because this wraith couldn't see?'

He saw another wraith climbing the dune he was on. He summoned the ordinary rock and tossed it a few meters forward from his position to misalign the timing of its attack and give it a fatal blow. The ordinary rock, responding to his command, released a string of curses, sending ripples tearing across the surface of the now-golden sand.

In response, the wraith simply jerked violently as it froze in its position. It looked in Sunny's general direction and tilted its head eerily, as if considering its options.

To Sunny's surprise, the wraith turned around and sprinted down the dune he was on. It was trying to circle around the dune Sunny was on.

'What? Are they not after me?'

Sunny turned and looked back, focusing on their direction. He saw the high rocks of the obsidian plateaus towering to the skies. Multiple black spots were sprinting across the golden sands, rushing towards the plateaus with erratic movement and terrifying speed.

And that very sight made it all click. They were seeking shelter!

Without the eclipse, the wraiths were essentially more crippled than Sunny was. The only ability they had to fight was moving through the shadows of the eclipse, incorporeal. They were forcefully ripped away from their abilities by the sun.

He watched as dark blots in the eclipse continued to disperse as more rays pierced its shadowy surface. 

'Is this divine retribution?'

Despite the heat and dehydration Sunny's eyes shone with greed and avarice as a crooked grin spread across his face. For the first time in his life, Sunny was thankful to the [Fated] attribute. This opportunity was all he needed.

Sunny tilted his head, watching the wraith circling his dune. Golden sand displaced by its obsidian legs marked its approach—it had already crossed the dune and was mere meters away.

'My Shadow Fragments! You bastards are not escaping that easily.'

With a sharp breath, Sunny launched himself off the dune's cliff. Wind whistled past his ears as he slid down the sandy slope. Approaching the ground at breakneck speed, he felt the prowling thorn weave itself into his hands. Its invisible string wrapped around his left hand.

Gripping the hilt of the prowling thorn, Sunny grunted and hurled the kunai back to his previous position. The blade cut through the air, embedding itself into the golden sand. The invisible string suddenly jerked, violently arresting his momentum and yanking his left arm.

The interplay of inertia and string control swung Sunny across the dune's surface, propelling him into the air toward the wraith. At the last moment, he dismissed the prowling thorn. His stomach knotted as he flew weightless, whistling past the creature.

He slammed into the ground with terrifying speed. A shock of force jolted through his broken leg, and Sunny released a raw, guttural scream. Rolling several meters, he finally came to a stop.

Despite the pain, Sunny heard the wraith's trampling footsteps approaching. He rolled left, narrowly avoiding having his head crushed. Before the wraith could escape his range, Sunny gripped the midnight shard tightly and brought it up.

The blade caught the wraith's feet, sending it tumbling into the golden sand with a loud impact. The creature released a terrifying screech as it rolled helplessly on the ground, immobile and with its fate sealed.

Before it could rise, a stone shadow brought its blade down ruthlessly, piercing the wraith's chest. Sunny lay on the ground with a satisfied sigh as another pained screech filled the air.

With heavy reluctance, he stabbed the midnight shard into the ground, using it to push himself up. As he tilted his head forward, he found the wraith writhing and squirming in the sand, the blade still impaled through its chest. Black blood oozed from the wound, sizzling with smoke as it dripped onto the golden sands.

The sight filled Sunny with dark glee.

Ah, revenge felt so nice! Even if this wraith hadn't done anything to him, its kind had caused great pain and even death to Sunny. He simply wanted all of them to suffer as much as possible!

Slowly, Sunny limped towards the wraith as he walked step by step enjoying every moment. This sight was his ultimate gift.

Eventually, he found himself standing over its squirming body as he looked down at its hollow eyes.

With zero hesitation and mercy, he brought the midnight shard down to its neck, killing it as a sweet voice whispered into his ears:

[You have slain an Awakened Beast: Shadow Wraith]

'...Awakened?'

Sunny swayed as he felt a familiar surge of power rush through him. The euphoria from the familiar sensation and power spread a smile across his face. Sunny tilted his head to look behind him.

'I need more.'

And as if responding to his silent wish, various wraiths unknowingly rushed to their deaths.

***

After some time, Sunny stood haggardly in the midst of the dune, surrounded by a litter of different corpses. Black blood strewn all around in the surrounding sands, the Midnight Shard an even darker shade.

It had put more strain on his already frail body, but Sunny didn't care, in fact – he was quite happy. He stood in silence as the sonorous voice of the spell resounded in his ears, like the most beautiful melody he had ever heard in his life.

[You have slain a Fallen Beast: Shadow Wraith]

[You have slain an Awakened Beast: Shadow Wraith]

[You have slain an Awakened Beast: Shadow Wraith]

[You have slain a Fallen Beast: Shadow Wraith]

[.....]

He paused, waiting for any additional confirmations before turning around, however he stopped in his tracks as his eyes widened and the surrounding shadows stirred.

[You have received a memory]

***

im quite proud of this memory. any guesses on what it can do? its very useful tbh probably more useful than what canon sunny's memories atleast until he gained the crown of twilight