Sunny and Rain returned to the temporary camp of the Song Army.
While Sunny and Cassie returned to the temporary camp of the Sword Army.
Of course, he had not forgotten to retrieve his shadows first.
He allowed the haughty shadow, which wore Weaver's Mask, to dissolve into darkness and manifested the naughty shadow instead.
This avatar wore a mask, as well — this one woven by Sunny himself.
'I guess I need to craft more of these…'
Now that his ability to control several incarnations was out in the open, he would have more chances to summon them. During the battle, he had simply covered their faces with the helt of the Onyx Mantle and a layer of shadows — it should have hidden their features, especially considering the surrounding mayhem.
But he could not be entirely sure, since there were all kinds of watchers out there.
Even if his identity remained a complete mystery, Master Sunless would still be suspected by so. After all, he had entered Changing Star's circle around the sa ti as the Lord of Shadows — now that people knew that the Lord of Shadow could exist in several places at the sa ti, they would naturally beco suspicious of the humble mory rchant.
Luckily, Sunny had been quite ticulous in crafting the persona of Master Sunless, and making it the exact opposite of what one would expect a fearso and mysterious Saint to be. As long as he remained cautious, the suspicions would remain just that.
All of it was going to lose aning soon, anyway.
The conclusion of the war was not that far away now.
He shivered.
Sunny and Cassie were alone in the tent for the mont. Both remained silent for a while, contemplating the situation Rain had found herself in.
Eventually, he sighed.
"That… is quite a severe Flaw, don't you think?"
Calling that Flaw severe was an understatent of the century.
Cassie hesitated for a mont, then nodded.
"It is quite extraordinary, indeed. There are very few Flaws that are that harsh while being that broad."
It could very well be a death sentence. Being unable to kill anything while everything was able to kill you was, needless to say, extrely dangerous. Especially for an Awakened, and especially in the middle of a bloody war… which was happening in the middle of a damn Death Zone!
Sunny massaged his temples, feeling an approaching headache.
How was he supposed to protect Rain now?
He sighed.
"Still, it is not so bad."
There were ways to deal with a Flaw. Every Awakened had no choice but to find ways of coping with its burden, and many learned how to do it masterfully.
The only question was…
How would Rain go about it?
Would she cope with her Flaw by accommodating it and adapting to its demands? She could distance herself from bloodshed and killing, living a peaceful life sowhere safe… relatively safe, at least, since true safety did not exist anywhere in either of the worlds.
Sunny would be quite happy if she did, really. His sister... was unlike him. Despite her admirable strength and tough exterior, she was made from softer stuff. She was not a killer.
...Thank the gods. There were already enough killers in this dying world — like Sunny and Nephis. People like them were born to destroy, and hopefully, they would destroy everything that needed to be destroyed. So that people like Rain could rebuild a new world on the ruins.
But that was only one way of dealing with her Flaw Rain could choose.
She could also stay close to the battlefield while assuming a strictly supportive role — like her friend Fleur, but much more defenseless. She would have to put absolute trust in her companions, then, and rely on them to keep her safe. Like a living embodint of the ti-tested principle taught to Sunny by Jet.
That no one survived in the Dream Realm alone.
Or…
Would Rain cope with her Flaw by fighting and rebelling against it like Sunny had fought and rebelled against his?
He had beco a master of deception despite being unable to lie, after all.
It was just that his treacherous ways had to turn much more refined and insidious because of the Flaw.
Would Rain beco a ghastly and sinister slayer because of hers? A person who could not kill her enemies… at least not directly… but made them wish that they were dead?
Sunny closed his eyes for a mont, then cursed.
"No, I take it back. It is that bad."
Cassie patted him on the shoulder.
"Don't worry too much. She will be fine… better than fine, actually. She will face the challenge of her Flaw, overco it, and beco much stronger for it."
Sunny did not know if Cassie was speaking out of personal experience or simply trying to placate him, but he felt thankful either way.
He wanted to believe her, too.
She remained silent for a mont, and then sighed:
"Nevertheless, you are right. Her Flaw is extrely severe… which ans that her Aspect will be extraordinary, as well. In fact, I am quite sure that it will be at least of the Supre Rank — most likely Sacred."
Sunny froze, looking at her with a complicated expression.
An Aspect of the Sacred Rank… was almost as rare as one of the Divine Rank.
In fact, ironically enough, Sunny knew of more Awakened wielding a Divine Aspect — Nephis, Mordret, and himself — than Awakened wielding a Sacred Aspect.
He only knew of one, actually… Cassie herself.
Of course, there could have been others… among the mbers of Broken Sword's cohort, for example, or among the daughters of Ki Song. But the fact still remained — a Sacred Aspect would be unique, mystical, and exceedingly powerful by its very nature.
And his sister could co to possess one of those?
Sunny lingered for a few monts, then sat down and said somberly:
"Tell more about what you saw."
Cassie remained silent for a while, as if trying to find the correct words.
In the end, she sighed.
"It was quite unusual. I had to decipher what I saw myself… I still do, really. It is not really difficult, just takes ti. Like… like following your intuition to the answer you already know to be true, or rembering sothing that you had already known once. We will be able to decipher the True Na shortly, I believe. The Attributes responsible for her affinity to shadows and sorcery are also quite clear…"
Her tone changed a little.
"...It's the third Attribute that gives pause."
Cassie grew quiet for a mont, then faced Sunny and asked cautiously:
"Sunny, tell … have you noticed anything strange about your sister?"
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