Shadow Slave alternate paths: The sun of song

Sunny opened his eyes.

He'd overslept.

But it didn't matter, So what if he was scolded or punished by his sisters?

His heart pounded with excitement as he sat up, the memory of his dream still vivid—every step, every breath, every motion of the beautiful slave's dance etched into his mind.

The nameless slave's mother… that breathtaking dancer.

The dream had been more than just a performance—it was a memory, a message. The slave he had once embodied wasn't just a random figure. Like Sunny, he had been born during a rare solar eclipse. Like Sunny, he had grown up unwanted, scraping by at the bottom of a cruel world.

They shared more than appearance. They shared fate.

That understanding made something click. Sunny remembered the endless void of stars he had seen after his first trial, silver threads weaving through the darkness. Fate… that must have been fate.

Whatever the Spell truly was, its roots were tied to that same tapestry.

But that mystery could wait.

Right now, he had something far more tangible—Shadow Dance.

The reason that dream had captivated him wasn't just because the dancer was beautiful. It was because her movements matched the shape of the strange battle style hiding in his shadow. The same essence he had sensed before… formless, shifting, elusive.

And now, he understood.

Shadow Dance wasn't born from combat. It was a dance first—refined, fluid, and alive.

But at their highest forms, were dance and combat really so different?

Sunny smiled. He didn't have a battle art yet, but he finally had everything he needed to create one. The foundation. The pattern. The memory.

Now came the hard part—turning it into something real, something deadly. That would take blood, sweat, and time. Maybe even failure.

But he was going to try.

He had to.

And then, as if sealing his resolve, the Spell whispered into his ear:

[You have received an Aspect Legacy, Shadow Dance.]

Sunny stared straight ahead.

Did he hear that right?

An aspect legacy?

Him? Someone who hadn't even entered the winter solstice?

Let alone awakened.

He opened his runes hastily, what would he get?

A memory?

Maybe even an echo?

Instead, what he saw made him tremble.

Aspect: [Shadow Slave].

Aspect Rank: Divine.

Aspect Abilities: [Shadow Control].

Aspect Legacy: [Shadow Dance].

Shadow Dance Mastery Level: [0/7].

First Relic: Unearned.

Second Relic: Unearned.

Third Relic…

7 relics.

Entire legacy clans were built on a singular relic.

He had the opportunity to acquire 7.

'This... This is too much!'

Meanwhile...

Two saintly figures sat in an office.

Beastmaster and Death singer sat opposite to each other, both in a grim and solemn mood.

"One more time, Hel." Beastmaster whispered.

"Seishan and Sunny will meet during the winter solstice." Hel repeated, "That much I'm sure of,"

Beastmaster leaned back and stared out the window at the bustling streets of Ravenheart.

"So... Are we destined to lose him too?" She said, her voice slightly cracking.

She stood up abruptly, "No, I refuse, I would rather i help him awaken than-"

"Bin," Hel cut her sister off, "Don't try to change fate, nothing good comes of it."

Bin smashed the desk, reducing it to splinters.

"Then what am I supposed to do Hel?" She shouted, "Stand by while we lose another sibling?"

Deathsinger sighed, it was hard to be serious for more than a couple minutes due to her flaw.

"You promised not to get attached like last time." She said quietly, "I thought you would learn after..."

Beastmaster raised her hand, "Not another word, Not. One. More."

Her voice was on edge.

Deathsinger sat in silence, "Actually, we won't lose both of them."

***

Sunny just finished training, his mind still on yesterday's events.

He started returning to his room.

He would be heading back to the Academy, after the discovery he had to return to spars with people his level.

The more he practiced, the more likely he would make progress with shadow dance

Maybe it wasn't too late to try combat class again.

If only just for the spars.

Among the muddled thoughts, he shook his head and looked around the unfamiliar environment.

Great, he was lost.

Again.

Whose idea was it to make this manor so big anyway?

He started wandering around, hoping to find a servant or butler to guide him back.

Thats when he came across a very peculiar sight.

Down the hall, Ashryn was looking into a mirror, unaware of his presence.

But something was off...

He didn't have his blindfold on.

Sunny didn't know what to do.

Notify him?

Walk the other way?

Sneek a peek?

Eventually, curiosity got the better of him.

He sent his shadow forward while hiding on the other end of the hall.

Soundlessly, He stuck the shadows in the hall and slowly made his way towards the unaware boy.

He looked at the Mirror, looking towards the boy's face.

And what he saw made him gasp.

Beautiful eyes unlike no other.

Bright red and crystal-like.

Impossibly alluring.

They looked so... tempting.

Why weren't his eyes like that?

He wanted them.

It wasn't fair.

How could he, a scion of the great song clan have plain onyx eyes while a mere servant had jewels like those?

No.

He must have them.

The figure noticed the shadows moving and hurriedly put the cloth back on.

Sunny shook out of his trance.

What...was that?

Did he really just have those thoughts.

Just then he heard a voice.

"Hello Sunless," Said Ashryn in a Pained tone, "Lost again?"

Sunny stared at the boy, "Y-yes, haha silly me..."

Ashryn just stared straight ahead.

He knew.

They both knew.

"Take two left and a right, your room will be the third one on the right." Ashryn said in a low voice, "Now if you will excuse me, I have... Thing to attend to."

With that, he turned and walked the other way, narrowly avoiding some ornaments in his haste.

Sunny stood there frozen, slowly walking back to his room.

A thought came up to his mind.

'A flaw that prevented him from working together with people...'