1949-1950 eng

1949 Sonorous Silver Sunless

Sunny had quite high expectations for the next stage of his experiments. He had been making a living by selling Memories, after all, and was obligated to forge a stellar sword for Nephis.

There were many Saints in the world, and even a couple other people who possessed Divine Aspects. However, he was the only weaver left in existence. There were some who could enchant weapons and craft Memories, but their ability was no more than a pale imitation of his own.

Therefore, what Sunny was going to do now thrilled him even more than the possible advancement of Shadow Dance. It was just that he was a bit tired, so his excitement was calm and focused.

He was going to fuse with his Memories, which would hopefully allow him to learn more about their weaves.

'Lets see...'

He summoned the runes to study his soul arsenal.

Memories: [Silver Bell], [Extraordinary Rock], [Endless Spring], [Weaver's Mask], [Shadow Lantern], [Shadow Chair], [Overpriced Saddle], [Weaver's Needle], [Nebulous Mantle], [Handy Bracelet], [Quintessence Pearl], [Definitely Not Me].

He possessed far fewer Memories now, after being banished from the Nightmare Spell. Still, it was enough for a good start.

The Memories he did possess could be divided into three categories: the ones he had created himself, the ones he had altered... and the two Divine Memories he had received by chance.

Sunny suspected that he would be able to learn the least from the first category, and the most from the last... if he even had the capacity to fathom the infinite sophistication of Weaver's Mask and Shadow Lantern, which was unlikely.

In any case, it made sense. He knew everything there was to know about the weave of those Memories he had personally created, after all. [Shadow Chair], Overpriced Saddle], and [Weaver's Needle] could be barely called Memories — they were simply objects he had outfitted with the rudimentary enchantments every Memory possessed.

[Handy Bracelet], [Quintessence Pearl], and [Definitely Not Me] were far more complex, each created after he already became a Transcendent. Studying them would be of more use... but probably not as much as studying the Memories initially forged by the Spell.

They were [Silver Bell], [Extraordinary Rock], and [Endless Spring]. Each had accompanied him for a long time.

Then, there was the [Nebulous Mantle], which had a somewhat special origin. Neither Sunny nor the Nightmare Spell had created it — instead, it had been woven by the sorcerers who worshiped Weaver, passed down to Ananke, and eventually ended up being turned into a Memory by Sunny.

And finally, there were Shadow Lantern and Weaver's Mask. Sunny actually did not know how Shadow Lantern had come to be — was it a true relic of Shadow God, or simply a replica of one? He had received it as a Legacy Relic, and since Aspect Legacies seemed to come from the Spell, it would be reasonable to assume that the Spell had created it.

However, another Legacy Relic Sunny had received was the Fragment of Shadow Realm, and even the Spell did not seem to know how to deal with it — to the point that it did not know how to describe the Fragment with runes, and where to place them.

Sunny knew the origin of Weaver's Mask, though. It was indeed a mere replica of the mask the Demon of Fate had personally worn — one of the two granted to the High Priests of the Nightmare Spell in the distant past.

However...

It had been created by Weaver's own hand. So, it was indeed a true relic left behind by the nebulous daemon, just like the Nightmare Spell itself.

Sunny stared at the runes describing Weaver's Mask for a few moments... then shifted his gaze and glanced at the [Overpriced Saddle].

A sad sigh escaped from his lips.

Chasing away the sudden feeling of crippling inferiority, Sunny raised a hand and summoned the Silver Bell.

A beautiful bell wove itself from sparks of light, its familiar weight making him feel a hint of bittersweet nostalgia.

Sunny closed his eyes for a moment.

[A small memento of a long-lost home, which once brought its owner comfort and joy...]

He rang the bell quietly and listened to its sonorous ringing, then smiled, a hint of sadness finding its way into his eyes.

When the melodious sound of the bell dissolved into silence, Sunny took a deep breath and controlled his incarnation to glide onto the small Memory.

Immediately, his consciousness was split into two states of being.

Sunny was the person who sat on the floor, holding the Silver Bell in his hand.

But he was also the bell being held by the person.

Overwhelmed by the strangeness of this alien feeling, Sunny shuddered.

Because the hand holding him trembled, Sunny swayed and produced a beautiful ringing sound.

'Ah... it's too strange...'

Becoming one with the Silver Bell was even more odd than fusing with the Soul Weapon form of Serpent or with the Marvelous Mimic masquerading as a quaint cottage... much more odd by far. His Shadow were living beings assuming the shapes of inanimate objects, at least. The Silver Bell... was simply the Silver Bell.

It was a thing cast of silver, with no awareness of the world, of itself, or of anything at all — it had no senses, no feelings, no fears, no thoughts, no desires. It just... was.

Sunny's eyes widened, and his expression froze. He remained motionless for a while, his mind torn between two incongruous and irreconcilable states. Somewhere far away, the Lord of Shadows stumbled midmotion, and a hidden shadow shuddered in the darkness of Rain's tent.

'...Is this what it feels like to be truly insane?'

Who else would be in the state of mind to consider themselves a little bell, if not for a complete lunatic?

Slowly, laboriously, he called upon his many experiences acting as a shadow of alien beings and managed to get a grip on his incapacitated mind. Sunny built a wall around the part of his mind that had become one with the Silver Bell, separating it from himself, and finally exhaled with relief.

"D—damn it... wow."

Sunny had known that he would experience something exceedingly bizarre by personally augmenting a Memory, but nothing could have prepared him for the strangeness of this foreign state of being.

Still, it was illuminating.

Even though the Silver Bell had no senses, no concept of self, and no way to perceive anything, it still had... something.

A subtle awareness of movement, vibration, and sound.

And underneath it all, something far more conclusive.

The Silver Bell might have been inanimate and simple on the material plane, but beyond that, it was a marvel of radiant light and flowing energy that existed in the vast emptiness of a lightless abyss. After all, it was woven out of soul essence and contained intricate enchantments designed by the Nightmare Spell itself.

Even the [Sonorous] enchantment added to it had not been invented by Sunny, but simply copied from another Memory into the weave of the Silver Bell.

Within it, soul essence flowed according to an elegant, complex, and infinitely ingenious pattern, its movement and pathways dictated by the intricate tapestry of ethereal strings embedded into the nature of the Silver Bell beyond the material plane.

That was its spellweave and the resulting mechanism of its enchantments, shining brightly in the darkness.

And, therefore...

That was Sunny's spellweave and the mechanism of his enchantments.

He inhaled slowly, staring into the distance.

Sunny had seen plenty of weaves before.

But...

He had never experienced being a weave before. He had never felt every detail and nuance of his sorcery so deeply, vividly, and in such a profound way.

His eyes, which were opened wide, suddenly glistened with sharp light.

And deep within them, golden threads shone for a moment, then disappeared into lightless depths.

1950 High Sorcerer

Some time later, Sunny let out a shaky breath and sprawled on the floor. His mind felt like it was on fire, and there were a myriad of thoughts swarming in his head.

He had been right!

Using an incarnation to augment a Memory was, indeed, a game changer. The act of fusing with a Memory gave him an entirely new level of understanding of how its enchantments functioned, and how its spellweave caused those enchantments to exist.

It was one thing to see the tapestry of ethereal strings, but experiencing it as a part of himself was completely different.

Before, Sunny could study a weave and make logical conclusions about how its elements functioned, as well as what role each string played in the tapestry. By observing the structure and guiding principles of countless weaves and comparing them to each other, he could deduce the purpose of some of the patterns and weave Memories by recreating them. That was how his career as a sorcerer had started... and he had made great strides since then.

Sunny had steadily increased the repertoire of patterns he could weave. Eventually, he was even able to understand the principles behind these structure of these patterns, which gave him the ability to change and modify them. Finally, he reached a point where he could weave new patterns, and thus create somewhat original enchantments, all by himself.

However, Sunny had always remained blind to the true essence of weaving. He had discerned how many weaves worked, but he never understood why. In other words, he had only observed the guiding principles of weaving without ever knowing the underlying reasons for why they were that way.

His experience as a sorcerer had been purely empirical, lacking the theoretical understanding of the inner workings and causality of the sorcery he practiced. He was an alchemist at best, not a chemist.

Now... all of it could change.

Of course, Sunny had not fathomed the elaborate underlying laws of weaving yet. But he had obtained a tool to observe them now — to personify them now — which meant that, given time, he would be able to comprehend and learn them.

When he did...

A soft chuckle escaped Sunny's lips.

If he did manage to grasp the "why" of weaving instead of only just "how", then he would not need to rely on imitation to create enchantments. He would not need a repertoire of weaves and patterns anymore — because he would be able to solve any problem by simply knowing the rules of solving it.

Of course, that would not make Sunny an omnipotent sorcerer in an instant. After all, having the tools necessary to solve a problem was not the same as mastering them. Otherwise, people would have been able to resolve... well... something terribly complicated in mathematics immediately after formulating the rules of arithmetic.

To his shame, Sunny did not know enough about mathematics to come up with an example.

'Why am I even thinking about that?'

Right... he was thinking about it because he had decided to rest a little after his brain almost melted as a result of experiencing the fusion with Silver Bell.

Still.

He had rested enough, already. Hadn't he?

Sitting up, Sunny shook his head energetically... and summoned the Extraordinary Rock.

"Let's see what mysteries you're hiding!"

Sunny did not say that. The Extraordinary Rock said that.

But in the next moment, Sunny had become the Extraordinary Rock.

Immediately, he shuddered.

Somewhere far away, the Lord of Shadows slammed into a pillar while walking out of the Nameless Temple. Elsewhere, a hidden shadow let out a frustrated sigh, making Rain stir a little in her sleep.

'Let's continue!'

***

Sometime later, Aiko returned to the basement, carrying a tray of food. Her boss was sprawled on the floor in a disheveled state, staring at the ceiling with glassy eyes.

She cautiously nudged him with the edge of her shoe.

"Hey, boss. Uh... you're alive?"

Sunny turned his head and looked at her with a frown.

"Which me are you asking? Also, define the meaning of alive. Also... define the meaning of you."

He blinked a couple of times, then shook his head.

"Never mind. Yes, I'm alive. But what are you doing here?"

Aiko let out a sigh and put the tray on the floor near him.

"Here, have some food. I thought you'd be hungry."

Sunny tilted his head a little.

"Huh? Why would I be hungry?"

The petite girl shrugged.

"I mean... you've been locked in the basement for three days without ever stepping out..."

He stared at her for a few moments, then looked down at the food.

It did smell very appetizing...

"It's been three days already? Wow. That's crazy."

Pulling the tray closer, Sunny grabbed the nearest plate and shoved a spoonful of fragrant soup into his mouth.

"Has Nephis returned to the camp, by any chance?"

Aiko watched him eat with a dubious expression, then shook her head.

"Not yet. She's still en route... inspecting the extermination outposts or some such, from what I hear. She'll probably be here in a couple more days."

Sunny nodded.

"Alright. Let me know when that happens... I'll just stay here in the basement until then."

Then, thinking about it, he suddenly pierced her with an intense gaze.

"Wait. How's our war profiteering business coming along?"

The petite girl flinched.

"What?! What war profiteering? There's no war profiteering whatsoever happening here! Just a... a completely benign, officially sanctioned Memory redistribution program, for the glory and benefit of the great Sword Army..."

Sunny waved a hand.

"Yes, yes. Whatever. You should already have at least a small stockpile of Memories in inventory, right? Waiting to be... redistributed. Lend them to me for a few days. Oh, also! Tell the Fire Keepers that since I have free time, I can modify some Memories for them, free of charge. There should be at least a few of them still in the camp, right?"

Aiko blinked.

"I refuse."

Sunny froze for a moment.

"What? Why?"

She crossed her arms and scowled sternly.

"Free of charge? What's that? Our services are both exclusive and top-notch, so why should we provide them for free? Dream on!"

Sunny stared at the petite girl for a few moments, then waved a hand.

"Fine, whatever. Just get me some Memories — the more, the better!"

Grinning in satisfaction, Aiko told Sunny to enjoy his meal and flew out of the basement... literally.

He smiled.

"Good..."

Being banished from the Spell, he couldn't directly transfer or receive Memories. Each had to be modified slightly before he could give them away or claim ownership — if the other party was willing, of course.

So, it would actually take some effort on Sunny's part to get the Memories from Aiko.

It was worth it, however, because if he did...

He would be able to augment and study them freely, instantly gaining more fuel for his current research. Aiko's uncompromising avarice aside, Sunny should have been paying the Fire Keepers for free access to their soul arsenals, instead...

But, no matter.

He hungrily attacked the tray of food, grinning from ear to ear.

'I've made good progress, already.'

In a day or two more, he would probably be ready to put his new knowledge into practice and test the first results of his recent breakthrough.

Therefore, it would be time to weave some Memories...