Shadow Slave

There was no point in trying to get back to the Chain Breaker. The cohort had spent too much time traveling to the far side of the island, and there was not enough of it left.

Which was not to say that this revolution was useless.

Sunny had learned how to craft weapons from the Hollow Butterfly. Next time, he would be able to do it faster. He had also learned how to kill the Cavern Terror... next time, he would be able to kill better. The same went for the several abominations they had fought in the misty forest.

Especially due to the fact that Cassie had told him more about the nature and powers of those creatures. Some of the things he had already deduced, but others were a complete revelation.

Every revolution brought Sunny closer to the goal. At least...

At least he hoped so.

Currently, the members of the cohort were resting not far from the spot where they had found Effie. The huntress was greedily devouring the provisions from the Covetous Coffer, while Jet was trying to explain the nature of the time loop to her. Nephis still seemed a little dazed after learning of Effie’s condition, and Cassie had silently merged into the background, like she always did.

It was easy to forget that she was even here.

Sunny, meanwhile, sat a little distance away, staring into the mist.

’Actually, it’s a bit awkward.’

His thoughts were somber.

Despite how much he tried to not let the nature of time on Wind Flower affect his mindset, he was still growing more and more reliant on the time loop. For him, this revolution was as good as done - they were not going to make it back in time, so there was no point in trying. Mentally, Sunny was already considering what to do next time.

However, the situation was entirely different for his companions.

For them, there was no next time. Even if they knew that time would repeat itself, it was not the kind of thing one could really make peace with. So, they must be feeling both strange and desperate about this sudden inaction.

’There’s time to do something, I guess.’

Sunny closed his eyes tiredly.

The overgrown shrine was not too far from here. So was the blood lake. It was not impossible to reach the obelisk ring, either... he had not thoroughly explored any of these places yet, and they could make an attempt.

Of course, the reason for why Sunny had not been able to study these areas was because they were too deadly. He would make some progress if he took the cohort there, but only at the cost of their lives.

Sunny had started this revolution with a promise to stay alive, so he was in no mood for dying, or watching his companions die.

A heavy sigh escaped from his lips.

’Well, there’s a couple safer things I’ve yet to try.’

Since Sunny was currently in the information-gathering phase of his vague plan to escape Wind Flower, there were plenty of options he had yet to explore.

He summoned a Memory. Soon, an ominous mirror encased in dark silver appeared in his hand, its surface like a pool of mercury. The Mirror of Truth...

He had received this Ascended Memory of the Seventh Tier after accidentally slaying the Fallen Titan, Defiled Seeker of Truth. The abomination had practically fallen on his head during the joint battle in East Antarctica, and was killed by him out of pure luck.

Its single enchantment allowed Sunny to gain one power of a being caught in the reflection of the Mirror of Truth, for a period of time. The Memory would be destroyed after that.

It was not hard to realize that this one-use artifact was uniquely suited for Wind Flower. After all, it could be used repeatedly here, once during each revolution. It was strangely fitting, considering that the island had once belonged to one of the Seekers.

Sunny had yet to use it, though. Except for Undying Slaughter and the Devouring Beast, he did not know enough about the prisoners of Wind Flower to do so. And catching a reflection of those two without being killed by them was no easy task.

So, currently, the reflection caught by the Mirror of Truth was that of Nephis - she had picked up the Memory once, back on the Black Island, and her visage still remained caught on the mercurial surface.

’Blindly trying to reflect abominable powers has been a problem before... but if I indeed involve Cassie, it can become feasible.’

This was a whole layer of opportunities he had to think about and explore. The enchantment of the Mirror of Truth was not limited to Nightmare Creatures, either. Sunny could temporarily gain the Aspect Abilities of the cohort members, as well... Neph’s flames, Cassie’s premonition, Jet’s ability to destroy souls, Effie’s herculean strength...

His tired mind went into a stupor from the sheer amount of intertwined possibilities.

After a while, Sunny dismissed the Mirror of Truth and took a deep breath.

There was another tool at his disposal that he had not used yet. The fragment of Shadow God’s domain that he had received as a reward for mastering the fourth step of Shadow Dance.

He had not experimented with it before due to the fear of wasting this powerful Legacy Relic. But now that Sunny was inside of the loop... was there a better place to learn what the Domain Fragment could actually do?

He had been considering unleashing it for a while now. What stopped Sunny before was the desire to learn more about Wind Flower first. But he had already explored most of it, at least tentatively. Was there a reason to wait?

Only one...

He was exhausted.

Sunny stared bleakly into the mist.

’The Mirror of Truth and the fragment of Shadow’s Domain. I’ll try them next.’

But first... he really needed a break. Assessing these two tools would go much better with a fresh mind.

Glancing at the members of the cohort, Sunny hesitated for a few moments, and then asked:

”Do you guys... want me to do anything specific once the next revolution starts?”

When was the last time he had a real day off, free to do anything he wanted... or do nothing at all?

Even in the periods of relative calm, Sunny had always been burdened by the need to accomplish so many things. This time, he wasn’t going to bother.

He was just going to... rest.

A hint of excitement suddenly bloomed in his ragged heart.