Shadow Slave alternate paths: The sun of song

Sunny just stared. He was a part of one of the three great clans—why on earth would he have to join the academy?

Apparently, the question was apparent on his face.

"Although we could assign another teacher or mentor to you, it's better if you head to the academy because of one simple thing," Bin explained. "We are all saints. None of us will accompany you on the Winter Solstice."

Sunny felt stupid for a moment. How hadn't he thought of that?

Revel nodded. "You can never survive the Dream Realm alone, so it's best if you try your best to make allies."

"But you must not reveal your status as the Son of Song to anyone. It's only when you awaken will you make your debut in the world of legacies and in the public's eye," Silence added.

Sunny grimaced.

He understood the logic—he really did. But the thought of being thrown into the academy, surrounded by arrogant legacies and potential enemies, made his stomach twist.

But there was one bright side.

'Perhaps I can get used to my flaw there.'

Revel leaned back in her chair. "It's a necessary step, Sunny. Even outside the Winter Solstice, you need peers—people your age to sharpen yourself against."

"But not friends," Silent Stalker added, her tone flat. "You're not there to play around. Observe. Adapt. Learn who's useful. Who's dangerous. Who needs to be avoided."

Sunny nodded, making sense of what they were saying.

"Although, it's best that you come back every once in a while for some harder training. We can arrange it with some of our other sisters," Bin said.

"Uh, I never really thought to ask, but how many sisters do I have?" Sunny asked.

"Hmm, guess we never did really tell you," Bin thoughtfully said. "You have two more Transcendent sisters, but they are away on a mission currently. They should be back very soon though."

Suddenly, her eyes looked very distant. "You have one that's a Sleeper as well."

Sunny was excited for a moment. "Really? That's great! When can I meet her?"

Bin looked down. Revel was the one who replied instead. "We don't know. She has been in the Dream Realm for nearly six years now."

"Oh." Sunny understood the meaning. She was alive, yes.

But the chances of getting teleported to a completely unexplored area of the Dream Realm weren't zero.

She was stuck in the Dream Realm.

"Enough of that," Bin suddenly clapped. "You also have some Awakened and Ascended sisters, which you will meet soon enough."

"You're telling me I have a small army for a family," he muttered, trying to keep the disbelief out of his voice.

'Six years in the Dream Realm, huh?' Sunny thought. He knew better than to push further with that topic.

"Well, more or less. We only raise the best of the best, after all," said Revel.

Silence stood, stretching. "Alright, enough talk. We've got preparations to make— documents to forge, people to contact... maybe a few bribes to hand out."

Revel rose as well, already planning aloud. "We'll set his profile as a legacy from a minor citadel. Give him a backstory and maybe have someone pick him up from the government—nobody will question it."

"Do I at least get a cool name?" Sunny asked, half-joking.

"You already have one," Silent said without turning around.

Sunny's smile faded for a second as he remembered.

Lightless Song.

His true name.

His curse.

He shifted slightly and then got up as well, suddenly losing his appetite.

A little training would soothe his mind.

He excused himself and walked to the outdoor yard.

***

"You think he got a bad one?" Revel asked her two sisters.

"Probably," Bin said, absentmindedly twirling her hair.

Sunny seemed nervous the entire time, sweat beading down his face, extremely cautious and slow when saying anything.

It wasn't hard to know the reason why.

He was probably worried about his flaw.

"There was... something off about his first Nightmare, I believe," Silence added.

Revel and Bin turned towards her, beckoning her to continue.

"He said something about being chained as a slave, climbing up a mountain for three days, and killing many things," she began explaining.

They all had the same thought; this wasn't a normal first Nightmare.

"Then—" Revel began.

"Yes, his Aspect rank is probably quite high," Silent Stalker cut her off. "Maybe even a Supreme or Transcendent Aspect."

"That must mean his flaw is quite severe," Beastmaster finished.

"Best not to push him or ask probing questions then," Revel said. "Maybe after he gets more comfortable."

She looked with envy as he practiced in the sun.

They all stayed quiet for a beat; they all watched him as he practiced on the dummy out in the courtyard.

But all three of them noticed something peculiar.

His shadow... wasn't following his movements. In fact, it seemed as if it was very subtly making different ones.

If they weren't Saints, and elite ones at that, they might've not seen it.

Sunny didn't seem to notice, though. He seemed entirely absorbed in thought.

"How... curious," noted Revel.

The other two just nodded.

"He did say a part of his Aspect was connected to shadows," Bin pointed out.

"I'll bring it to his attention later, but it seems to be... almost like a battle style," Silence noted.

They didn't say it aloud, but all three were thinking the same thing.

Whatever his Aspect was—it wasn't ordinary.

Not by a long shot.

***

Sunny remained in the courtyard long after the Saints had left. The sun dipped lower in the sky, casting long shadows across the stone tiles.

His shadow was still by his side, seemingly bored.

The next few days would mark a new chapter in his life—one he wasn't sure he was prepared for.

The Academy.

He had read many webtoons about the academy—tales of proud legacies, competitive rivalries, and true love.

'Ugh... pass.'

Technically speaking, his Saint sister could let him skip the Winter Solstice and just become an Awakened instantly.

But they would never do that. That would produce paper-weak Awakened with no experience.

As soon as the sun had set, he was preparing to head back when...

Step. Step. Step.

He turned around and saw Revel walking towards him. She seemed to be armed and going out for a mission.

"Working hard, eh?" she asked. "Well, good. Keep it up. People don't survive the Dream Realm by lazing around."

"Yeah, I guess, could say the same to you," he said. "Going out on another mission?"

She nodded. "Small Nightmare creature subjugation near the edge of the Song Territory. One too many corrupted ones."

Sunny shivered.

He couldn't imagine how strong a Corrupted was, considering the power of the Mountain King alone was enough to wipe out an entire caravan.

And it was only Awakened.

"Well... good luck with that," he cheered her on a bit.

"Oh right, almost forgot the reason I came." She walked up to him and rested her hand on his shoulder. "Bin wanted to give you this on behalf of all of us."

Sunny was perplexed until...

[You have received an Echo: Drownscale]

Sunny choked on thin air.

Revel just watched with amusement, waiting until his coughing fit was over.

"What is this?" he asked as he regained his breath.

"Oh, come on," Revel pouted with mock hurt. "You are still a legacy. You are entitled to some cool things here and there. Besides, this Echo is merely Awakened—it won't do us Saints any good. The last time we used it was when Bin wanted to relax on the lake."

Sunny was speechless, but he managed to choke out a thanks as Revel disappeared into the night.

He immediately dove into his Soul Sea, ignoring the bright spheres of light that floated around his core. He willed the brightest one to descend.

Echo: Drownscale

Echo Rank: Awakened

Echo Class: Monster.

Echo Attributes: [Quiet presence], [Corrosive scales].

Echo description: [Dwelling in shadows unknown, its corrosive touch whispered in fear—By the time you see it, it would be already too late]

Sunny studied the Echo. It was a very large lizard, stretching at least twice as big as Sunny, with stumpy legs and a powerful tail, its scales almost seemed to absorb light, and its head was almost completely covered in weird moss growths.

'It resembles that one creature I saw a long time ago in an online comic book,' Sunny thought. 'What was it called... a crocodile?'

Not that he knew what that was.

But this...

This was a game changer.

An Echo!

His very own Echo!

It seemed that it was more for mounting and defending rather than attacking, but it could definitely hold its own in a fight.

But Sunny knew better than to rely on Echoes or Memories. After all, no Memory or Echo of the Awakened or even Ascended rank could have helped him against the Mountain King.

He needed to hold his own in a fight without such items.

He reached out his hand to feel the scales of the beast when...

[Shadow transformation unavailable]

Sunny flinched and snatched his hand back.

'What the hell is that about?'

He had never heard anything about transforming Echoes into something else, let alone "Shadows." Then again, he had never heard about Shadow Cores and fragments, too.

'It seems my Aspect holds more secrets than I thought.'

This was bound to be interesting.