Shadow Slave Fanfic: Peaceful Dreams...well...kinda. [New]

The Sun gradually rose above the Horizon, casting a stunning glow over NQSC. As the light streamed through the Mansion's windows, Rain yelped when Rick shifted back into his human form. Still half-asleep, he didn't notice her tumble to the floor as she struggled to keep her balance during his transformation. The sound of her fall didn't stir him. Rubbing her head, Rain muttered to herself, "Ouch, that hurt. Why is the floor made of stone? This guy can really sleep through anything."

Rick remained in a deep slumber, completely naked and unfazed by the hard stone floor. It was a mystery how anyone could find comfort in such a situation. With a mischievous grin, Rain hatched a plan and headed to the kitchen. "Let's see if this wakes him up," she thought.

Returning with some ice, she hovered her hand over his groin, waiting for the icy water to drip down. As the ice melted, Rick suddenly screamed, "OWWWWWW, WHAT IS THAT?"

Realizing what had happened, he saw Rain on the ground, laughing uncontrollably with ice cubes scattered around her. He quickly dressed in his spare clothes—underwear, socks, a black shirt, and white shorts. Summoning one of his tails, he lifted her by her ankles and tossed her playfully, which only made her laughter more intense.

"You're a little monster, you know that? I swear my revenge will be terrible," he teased.

"Please, what kind of scary revenge could a sweet guy like you come up with?" she replied, still giggling.

He muttered under his breath, "We'll see who's laughing when we get to the Academy."

After a while, he gently set her down. Rain hugged him tightly, saying, "Thanks for the fun ride! I feel so refreshed. I hope you feel the same after my little wake-up call."

Rick gave her a mock annoyed smile. "Oh, I'm totally refreshed. Just wait until I get back at you when we're at the Academy."

Rain stood on her tiptoes and pulled him down for a kiss. "I'm actually looking forward to my punishment, but I think we have a few days until Sunny finishes those memories."

"Yeah, I can't wait to visit the Academy. I've always wanted to go. I read a lot about it as a kid—those hero novels where someone conquers nightmares and slays titans with a single swing. Did you read those too?"

Suddenly, Rain seemed a bit anxious, scratching the back of her head like Rick did when he was nervous. "Oh, absolutely! I was hooked on them as a teenager."

Thanks to Sunny's training, she knew Rick could easily detect lies, so she had to be careful. 'Using a technical truth is one of the most useful things he taught me. I can't let Rick know that the hero novels I read were all of the erotic kind.'

Noticing her nervous smile, Rick asked, "Everything okay? You seem a bit off, babe."

Rain froze for a moment before awkwardly coughing. "Oh yes, everything's fine. Why don't you wake up the others while I start making breakfast?"

"Hmmm, I know you're hiding something, but I'll let it go for now. See you soon; I'll gather everyone in the dining room."

Rain nodded and headed to the kitchen while Rick moved on to check on the others. He first stopped at a door from which he could smell Mordy and Cassie. After knocking, Cassie opened the door, looking sleepy in her light blue pajamas adorned with little ducks.

"Good morning, who is it?" she asked with a yawn.

"It's me, Rick. I'm here to wake you up. Rain is making breakfast."

She smiled, running a hand through her messy hair. "Okay, I'll wake up Mordy. I assume we'll meet in the dining room?"

"Perfect, see you soon. Good luck waking up Rapunzel; he's not a morning person."

Cassie chuckled, "Oh, trust me, I have a plan to make him love waking up from now on."

"Did you tell Rain about the ice cubes?" he asked.

"What? No, what are you talking about? Ah, it doesn't matter. See you soon!" With that, she closed the door, and Rick continued down the hallway, picking up another scent.

He knocked on the next door but received no answer, so he knocked harder.

"FOR FUCK SAKE, WHO IS BANGING ON THE DOOR SO EARLY IN THE MOTHERFUCKING MORNING—"

Jet flung the door open, clearly annoyed at being woken up. She paused when she saw Rick's panicked expression.

"Sorry for the cursing; I just don't get to sleep in often," she said, calming down.

Rick, however, was more concerned about the fact that she was still completely naked. He quickly covered his eyes. "Uh, sorry! Rain is making breakfast, so we're meeting in the dining room. Bye!"

He hurried away, moving on to the next door. Jet, still a bit confused, looked down and realized her state of undress. "I guess the deal Effie made with him did happen after all. At least he had the decency to cover his eyes. What a great guy."

Rick soon reached the next door, recognizing Sunny and Nephis' scent. He knocked, this time covering his eyes in advance. He heard footsteps, and Nephis opened the door, wearing Sunny's shirt and plain gray pajama pants.

"Why are you covering your eyes, Rick?" she asked, looking puzzled.

"Just in case you're not dressed. I made the mistake with Jet, and I'm not keen on repeating it."

Nephis laughed. "Yeah, that sounds like her. Don't worry; I'm dressed."

Rick lowered his hands and smiled. "Thanks! By the way, Rain is making breakfast, so we should all gather in the dining room."

"I know; Sunny is already in the kitchen helping her. I just wanted to be lazy for once."

"Okay, I'll move on to the next door then."

"Yep, see you soon!"

Rick nodded and continued to the next door, following the scent before stopping and knocking again, covering his eyes once more.

'That's… Morgan, but also… Jet? What's going on? Can she teleport? Better cover my eyes again.'

Morgan opened the door and chuckled at Rick's cautiousness. "Good morning! Why are you covering your eyes? I promise I won't turn you to stone if you look at me."

"I know, but I woke up Jet earlier, and she was completely naked, so I'm taking precautions to avoid any awkwardness. I could have sworn she was here too, since her scent is strong around you."

Morgan froze for a moment and sighed. "You can smell people's scents? That's… unfortunate, I guess."

"Why is that unfortunate? Wait a minute. Now that I think about it, your scent was all over Jet too. You two have been together, right?"

Morgan laughed nervously. "I don't know what you're talking about. We didn't do anything like that."

Rick crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe, smirking. "Sorry to break it to you, Morgan, but I can tell when people are lying, and you just did."

Morgan covered her face, feeling embarrassed. "Ugh, how can you do that? But you're right. Don't tell anyone; we didn't sneak in last night for nothing."

"I promise I won't spill, but I might have to tell Rain. As her boyfriend, I can't keep that kind of news to myself."

Morgan lowered her hands and smirked. "Oh, that's fine. But I think Effie would be very interested in a detailed description of you two while you're in that demonic form of yours. Very creative use of your aspect, I must say. I couldn't have tied those knots better."

Rick's expression turned pale, and he hesitated with his words for a moment.

"Y… you saw… us? Damn, I knew I sensed something, but I brushed it off and focused on Rain. Alright, let's make a deal: I won't tell anyone, not even Rain, if you promise not to mention this to Effie. Does that work for you?"

Morgan extended her hand, covered by her bodysuit, which thankfully wasn't as tight as Rick's armor. He took her hand firmly and shook it.

"Thanks, that really means a lot. If Effie found out about me using my Aspect like that, she'd tease us endlessly."

"No problem. Jet and I have our reasons for keeping our late-night activities private, just like you two do. I don't know much about Effie, but her love for teasing is common knowledge."

"Agreed. I can't sense anyone else around, so I assume the others are in the Dream Realm or just not here. I'm heading back to Rain; by the way, we're all meeting in the dining room for breakfast."

"Sounds good. I'll be there shortly; I just need to grab some clothes from my dimensional storage."

"Alright, I'll leave you to it."

She nodded, and Rick made his way back to the kitchen. As he walked, he could already smell the delicious synthetic bacon and eggs, along with some sausage and fake orange juice.

'What a wonderful day; it feels like nothing could go wrong.'

He entered the kitchen and kissed Rain.

"That smells amazing. Where's Sunny?"

Rain chuckled and glanced at the clock.

"He'll be here in 4…3…2…1."

Suddenly, Sunny appeared in the kitchen, carrying two large bags of groceries. He set them on the counter and sighed.

"Whether you're mundane or a saint, grocery shopping is never easy. These bags must be cursed or something."

Rick approached him and said, "Good morning, Sunny. Why did you go shopping? I thought we had enough food."

Sunny scoffed with a smile. "We would have had enough if Effie wasn't coming for breakfast. The glutton can eat enough for ten people and still be hungry. I swear, she has a black hole in her stomach or something."

Rick and Rain laughed. He moved to the dining table to set out plates and silverware. Soon, Effie and Kai walked in.

"I didn't expect the two of you, who didn't even sleep here, to be the first at the table. Seems like Sunny was right about your appetite, Effie."

Effie laughed heartily and patted Rick on the shoulder. "Can't argue with that. When Cassie said we were gathering for breakfast, I couldn't resist, especially with Sunny and Rain cooking."

Kai chuckled and headed toward the kitchen. "I'll see if they need help."

They both nodded, and Effie turned to Rick. "How was your evening with Rain? I didn't hear the storm, but the grass outside is still wet."

"What if I told you it was just a normal storm and had nothing to do with us?"

Effie smirked and asked, "Was it?"

Rick looked her in the eyes and replied seriously, "Yep."

"Bullshit."

"Well, you can think whatever you like. I can't stop you, but you won't get a different answer from me or Rain, that's for sure."

Effie scoffed and sat down. "No problem, I'll just ask someone else. Sunny will be more than happy to answer my question."

Rick rolled his eyes and sighed. Moments later, everyone else entered the dining room except for Jet. They all sat down and waited for Kai, Sunny, and Rain to bring in the food. The table was filled with various dishes, most synthetic or made from nightmare creatures, but still delicious. Effie noticed Cassie, the blind seer, wasn't eating much and teased, "Pregnancy is a bitch, huh? Even I lost my appetite at first, but trust me, that will change. Soon you'll be craving the weirdest food combinations."

Cassie shrugged and smiled. "Yeah, I know. I've listened to a lot of podcasts lately. It's surreal to think there's a human growing inside me, but life finds a way."

Rain chuckled. "It sure does. I'm just glad humans don't lay eggs; imagine that."

Effie shivered. "Yeah, that would be awful. Thank goodness for evolution; I didn't have to push out a giant egg and sit on it for weeks. Instead, it was a cute little dumpling, right, Sunny?"

Sunny dropped his fork and rolled his eyes. "Dammit, Effie, you asked me that right after your son was born. You know I can't lie. So no, there was nothing cute about him back then. I'm sorry, but all newborns look pretty horrific. Now he's adorable and a joy, but back then, he didn't look much like a human."

Everyone laughed. Effie winked at Sunny. "I appreciate your honesty. But I have another question: Was the storm last night caused by Rick and Rain, or was it natural?"

Sunny shrugged. "For goodness' sake, Effie… I guess it was caused by them."

Rain spat out some coffee, slightly embarrassed. "Why would you ask him that, Effie?"

"Because it's fun, and I had a feeling Rick wasn't being truthful."

Everyone facepalmed. Kai glanced at Effie. "You know, sometimes people just don't want to talk about stuff. What's wrong with a little privacy?"

Effie sighed. "I guess you're right. By the way, does anyone know where Jet is? I thought she stayed in Bastion, but I couldn't find her."

Morgan felt a bit panicked. She knew damn well where Jet had been last night but didn't want to reveal it. Effie turned to Cassie. "Has she told you, Cass?"

Cassie smiled. "She was called to the government office. Something about her being an instructor at the academy."

Effie thought about that for a moment and smiled. "Right, she mentioned that Wake of Ruin wanted a government saint at the academy to ensure no one pulls any stunts with the upcoming war. I guess she'll see Rain there, or at least the version of her she'll portray."

Rain nodded. "Exactly, but Rick is coming with me. By the way, Sunny, how far along are you with those memories?"

Sunny chuckled and summoned the Puppeteer Shroud and a black leather belt. "Done. I finished them just this morning. Here, you can try them."

He handed the Puppeteer Shroud to Rain and the belt to Rick. As they touched the memories, they transformed into white sparks, and the spell announced they had received one. Rick summoned his runes and searched for the memory he just got from Sunny. He froze as he read the name and turned to Sunny, disbelief in his eyes. "You could do that?"

Sunny smiled. "Oh yes, I could. But I thought it would be a bit too much. I'm just enjoying knowing you two will look very alike. Go on, try them."

Rick let out a nervous chuckle and nodded to Rain. They both summoned their memories, and suddenly their appearances changed dramatically. They now had white hair and green eyes, and even Rick's presence resembled that of a sleeper, though it didn't affect his physical abilities or aspect. Everyone stared at them in shock. A few moments later, Effie laughed. "You two look like siblings now. Great job, Sunny!"

Sunny chuckled. "Thanks, it took a lot of work, but I just had to copy some enchantments and tweak the one from my mantle a bit so Rick would have the presence of a sleeper."

Meanwhile, Rain and Rick exchanged glances. Mordy summoned a shard of mirror and handed it to them without turning it into a reflection. They gasped at how similar they looked now. Rain sighed in defeat. "Thank you, Sunny. You really made it seem like we're siblings. I shouldn't have called you 'no fun.' Is it too late for an apology and maybe a change of heart?"

Sunny laughed and shook his head. "No chance of that happening. This will be good training for you two; convincing people you're not siblings will strengthen your minds. It'll be nearly impossible, especially since even your skin tone is now a bit more tan, identical to Rick's. I thought it would be funny to make it as hard as possible for you."

"Ahhh, you truly are a sly one."

Mordy quickly snapped a photo of them and chuckled, showing it to everyone at the table. "I'm definitely framing this one."

Rick and Rain pouted before dismissing the memories again, both letting out a resigned sigh as they continued to eat their breakfast. Everyone else did too until Morgan spoke up.

"It's my last day here. Nephis mentioned something about duels in the Dreamscape; I think that sounds like a great idea. What do you all think?"

Everyone nodded, and Sunny added, "Sure, I need to even the score between us. Now that we're both saints, it's only fair."

"That sounds good. Your Mask really caused you a lot of trouble back then, but you held your own, especially considering I was a Master and you were just Awakened."

Sunny was about to respond when Effie's and Kai's Communicator blared with an urgent message.

[Attention all Government Forces. The Skinwalker has attacked Ravenheart. Rescue operations for all civilians and government personnel are now a top priority.]

The room fell silent in shock. Kai read the message aloud to confirm they hadn't misheard. Rain's heart raced as the implications sank in.

"Oh no, my parents! I... I need to get to them!"

Rain attempted to stand, but Sunny held her arm, noticing the panic in her eyes. He understood her desperation to reach her parents, but he also knew it was impossible for her to get to the Citadel in time. He stood up and embraced her, speaking soothingly.

"Calm down, Rain. You can't get to them right now. The Dream Gate to Ravenheart is still in Antarctica. Even if you did get there, you wouldn't be able to help them."

Tears streamed down her face, and sparks of electricity flickered between them, which Sunny didn't initially notice.

"Please, Sunny! I need to do something! What's the point of being Awakened if I can't help the people I love?"

"Shh, I understand how you feel. I'm already on my way to Ravenheart. It will take me a little while, but I can do it."

Sunny had already sent two of his Incantations from Godgrave to Ravenheart. It would take time and a lot of essence, but he was determined to make it happen quickly. Rain calmed slightly and hugged him tighter.

"Thank you so much. I hope they're okay. Please save them if you can."

"I'll do my best."

Morgan leaned over to Nephis and whispered, "How is he able to get from Godgrave to Ravenheart so quickly? Is Shadow Step really that fast?"

"Yes, it is. He can cover about 30 kilometers with each step, so he'll reach Ravenheart quickly. It will cost him a lot of essence, but he's not worried about that right now."

Soon, Sunny was using his Shadow sense to assess the situation. He froze, his eyes widening.

"Damnation."

He couldn't think of anything else as he observed from a distance. He wouldn't share the grim details with Rain; that would only heighten her panic. The area of Ravenheart where the Dream Gate and civilians were located was in ruins. Buildings were burning and collapsing, while civilians tried to escape across the bridge, held back by Masters and Awakened who couldn't risk letting anyone through without checking for Skinwalker vessels. Time was not on their side. Sunny saw some of the Saints from Song battling the Skinwalker's vessels but didn't recognize most of them. One figure caught his attention: a woman with black hair and pale skin standing at the end of the bridge, subtly moving her hands.

"That's... that's the Queen!"

Sunny couldn't believe his eyes, but her presence made it clear who she was and what she was doing—she was using her power to control the corpses and keep the Skinwalker vessels at bay. The Skinwalker was in her domain, and she had complete control over the dead. Sunny approached the battlefield cautiously, transforming his Incantations into shadows to avoid detection.

"Her parents are over there. Damn, that building doesn't look stable."

One of his shadows entered the building to search for Rain's parents while another headed to the government office across the city. As the shadow searched, it stumbled upon something.

"That's a hand, and it's holding something."

He manifested the shadow into an avatar and removed the debris covering the body. His heart sank as he recognized what the hand was holding—a picture of Rain with her parents. The hand belonged to Rain's father, whom he had spoken to before and liked. The realization hit him hard: the man was dead. And in his arms lay his wife, also deceased.

"Damn it, how am I supposed to tell her this? For now, I just need to retrieve their bodies."

As he tried to lift them, the building began to collapse. In seconds, it crumbled, burying Sunny and Rain's parents under tons of burning debris.

"I can't reach them! There's no way I can get their bodies!"

It was a tough decision, but he had to Shadow Step out of the ruins and leave the bodies behind.

"Not even their bodies could I retrieve. I feel so useless. At least they won't become vessels for the Skinwalker or zombies for the Queen."

He called his shadows back and positioned himself on a mountain to get a better view of the situation. Thanks to the Queen's efforts, the Skinwalker was losing vessels, and things seemed to be under control. Knowing this, he summoned a copy of the Mimic and placed the picture inside before making his way back to Godgrave.

Back at the mansion, everyone looked at him expectantly. Rain was holding her breath, hoping he would tell her her parents were safe. Instead, he turned to her, tears streaming down his face as he shook his head. Rain broke down in tears, and a storm brewed above NQSC, dark clouds unleashing devastating lightning strikes.

Hours passed since the attack on Ravenheart, and Rain lay alone in her room. Sunny had given her the picture, but it offered little comfort. Though they weren't her biological parents, she loved them just the same.

Rick and Sunny decided to stay outside Rain's room, sitting on the floor against the wall. Morgan had returned to Bastion, while Kai and Effie went to visit Jet at the government building. Cassie and Mordy headed to their room, and Nephis sat in the living area, watching the storm rage outside. Lightning struck across NQSC, and heavy rain flooded the city. She couldn't help but recall the feelings she experienced when her own father and grandmother died.

"This is a wound even I can't heal. It probably never will."

Though Sunny and Rick weren't in the mood for conversation, the silence was unbearable, so they finally spoke. Sunny took a deep breath and asked, "How do you think she'll cope?"

"I don't know. Everyone handles grief differently. It took me months to get over my parents' deaths, and I still have nightmares about that day."

"If you don't mind me asking, how did it happen?"

Rick hesitated for a moment, his breathing becoming uneven. Sunny thought he wouldn't answer, but to his surprise, he did.

"It was me."

"What do you mean? You mean it was your fault?"

"Both. I killed them, and it was my fault. It happened right after my first nightmare when I was 13. I was so thrilled to receive a Divine Aspect that I didn't think about the consequences. It was late when I got back. I ran through the community, excited to tell my family about my new power. I thought I could protect them, but I was naive. When night fell, my body transformed, and a monstrous hunger took over. I was trapped in my soul sea, watching as buildings fell and people were torn apart. We had some Saints in our community, but they didn't stand a chance. Some tried to escape, but the beast got them. When it was over, I found myself in a destroyed village, surrounded by blood. The beast must have turned their bodies into essence."

Sunny was at a loss for words. He looked at Rick and saw the same defeated expression he had worn for years after being forgotten by everyone.

"What's the point of all that strength if the people you promised to protect are no longer in your life?"

Sunny had experienced the loss of his parents at a young age, so he had come to terms with their deaths long ago. However, feeling forgotten by the world was a deeper wound that he had struggled with for years in an unhealthy way. Wandering through a Death Zone and isolating himself wasn't the best way to cope with trauma. But after all this time, he had finally reconnected with the people he cared about, and while the wound was healing, the scar would always remain, even when he regained his fate. He took a deep breath and said, "I'm really sorry that happened to you. Just remember, it wasn't you who caused their deaths; it was that Beast."

Rick chuckled in response. "I've told you before, every person the Beast killed is my responsibility."

Sunny smiled casually. "You know, I've killed Neph thousands of times."

Rick was momentarily speechless, caught off guard by Sunny's old trick. "You're really good at this. Knowing your flaw makes it even stranger. Can you explain?"

Sunny laughed heartily. "Of course! It happened in our third Nightmare, inside the Tomb of Ariel, as you already know. There's a massive River of Time that loops back on itself, which meant we lived through that Nightmare countless times. The key part is that every time we got corrupted, I was always the first, and then I would start turning the others. The thing is, Nephis can't be corrupted, so I always ended up killing her. Luckily, none of us remember all those different attempts; we only recall the final one where everything went right. No one got corrupted, Nephis survived, and I ignored the warning I sent to myself from the past and wasn't careful about what I wished for, which led to me losing my fate. Explaining it all would take hours, but that's enough to show how I killed Neph so many times."

"I think I get it. Do you blame yourself for her deaths?"

"Not really. It wasn't directly me who killed her. The others in the Nightmare called him the Mad Prince, which was my corrupted self. Technically, he was a Corrupted Titan by the end of each revelation. I'm just glad we can't remember all those failed attempts; if we could, we'd probably go insane and never escape that hell."

Rick was lost in thought. What would his third Nightmare be like? Would he even dare to face it? He smiled at the idea and said, "Of course I will, one day."

Sunny was a bit puzzled; Rick hadn't meant to voice that thought. "What?"

Realizing he had spoken aloud, Rick scratched the back of his head. "Uh, sorry, I didn't mean to say that out loud. I was just thinking about what my third Nightmare might look like and if I'd even try it. But I'm sure I will. Someday, I'll grab Mordy, and we'll jump into a Nightmare seed. I can't stay a Master forever."

Sunny laughed. "If I were you, I'd be more curious about what your Transcendent Ability will be. A transformation might not be that useful for you since you have your flaw. What would benefit you the most?"

Rick didn't need to think long; he had pondered this many times over the years. "It would be great if my Transcendent Ability allowed me to—"

But before he could finish, the door next to them swung open, and Rain stepped out, her eyes crackling with electricity and burning with intense fury.