A couple of days later, Sunny was staring at his living room with a strange expression on his face.

Everything had already been settled. He was leaving on another long expedition… this time, in the waking world instead of the Dream Realm. Somehow, it promised to be even more of a nightmare.

'Well, whatever.'

High matters of fate and conviction aside, Antarctica was still a perfect place for him to grow stronger. Now that Sunny was a Master, it was not as easy for him to gather shadow fragments. Only Fallen Nightmare Creatures and those more powerful would do.

Finding swarms of them was a task in and of itself, and the Southern Quadrant that was about to be devoured by an endless horde of abominations offered a perfect opportunity. Not only would he be able to work toward becoming a Tyrant, test his mettle, and sharpen his skill, there would also be plenty of soul shards for him to collect, which he needed to continue practicing weaving.

So, Sunny was supposed to be gathering his things and preparing to leave.

The thing was… that he had already done that before the ball, just in case he would have to run away in haste. Sunny had prepared so thoroughly that he could just walk out of the door and disappear right now.

'Huh. Weird.'

He sighed and then checked the refrigerator again, just to make sure that he did not leave anything that could spoil there.

'Nope, all clean.'

His communicator vibrated, then displayed a notification. The title of a network article appeared in view:

"Breaking news! A young hero is adopted by the brother-in-arms of her late father. Changing Star joins hands with the great clan Valor!"

The corner of his mouth twitched.

At that moment, the door opened, letting in Effie and Kai. The two looked around, noticing the condition of the house. A few moments later, the huntress shook her head. Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

"Damn… you are really leaving?"

Sunny closed the refrigerator, then walked over and patted her on the shoulder.

"I am."

Effie stared at him for a couple of moments, then sighed.

"And you're still not going to tell us where?"

He smiled.

"Ah, I'm not at liberty to say. Don't worry, though. You'll probably learn in about a month."

She blinked.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Sunny waved a hand.

"It just means that you'll know soon."

Effie remained silent for a few moments, then shrugged with irritation.

"Well, alright. Be that way, then."

Sunny hesitated for a bit. Finally, he asked:

"What about you? And… the others?"

This time, it was Kai who answered:

"You must have already seen the news. It hasn't been officially announced yet, but a thing like that is hard to keep secret. Nephis is being adopted by Clan Valor. Cassie and the Fire Keepers will follow her as retainers. As for Effie and I… well, to be honest, we haven't decided yet."

Sunny glanced at his friends with a somber expression.

"What are you guys thinking?"

Effie leaned on the wall and grimaced.

"Ah, I don't know. I was always thinking about becoming a Master, but weirdly, I never really thought about what I would do after. Those pompous Valor folks rub me the wrong way, but they do have a lot to offer. Plus, pretty much everyone I know is with them now."

Kai smiled weakly.

"I am even more lost. I didn't even have thoughts of becoming a Master. Now that I am… I want to do some good, I guess. It's just hard to determine what is the best way to do it."

Sunny lingered for a few moments. A heavy sigh escaped from his lips.

"Well… don't be in a rush to make a decision. Wait for April, at least."

It was February right now. By April, the collapse of Antarctica would be slowly starting, and the government would have already announced voluntary mobilization. Sunny had wanted to tell his friends about the approaching disaster, but Master Jet insisted on keeping it confidential, for now.

He was not sure that Effie and Kai would want to go there, anyway.

The two of them, meanwhile, glanced at each other. Then, Kai cautiously asked:

"Does it have anything to do with your sudden departure?"

Sunny nodded.

"It does. Don't ask anything else, though, or you'll put me in an awkward position."

Neither of them did, respecting his request.

A strange silence settled between them. Finally, Sunny scoffed.

"What are you guys doing? It's not like we're saying goodbye. I'm still anchored at the Ivory Tower, you fools. I can always hop in the Dream Realm and meet you there."

Kai scratched the back of his head.

"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.