Guys the My femboy roommate dlc had dropped and I didn't even know.
***
Valen was outside farming more fragments. A few more and he would hit one hundred.
[ Crown fragments: 94/1000 ]
Each fragment solidified his strength. He could feel it—power coursing through his body. It was intoxicating. Like a drug, the surge of growing might was addictive. But it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, with each fragment his flaw grew stronger. The weight of the crown pressed against his skull.
[...Your burden grows heavier ]
Sunny had pulled his weight today, too. Tracking these kids would've been a nightmare without him. These slippery little bastards knew every crack and crevice of the outskirts. But with Sunless, it had been easy. Plus, the thrill of the hunt—the adrenaline—it lit something up inside Valen.
He pulled a synthpaste out of his filthy pants and ate it slowly.
A disappointing reward.
He tossed another to Sunny, who looked unusually blank. The kid's usual spark was gone. He seemed bored?
Weird. That wasn't supposed to happen.
Valen's innate ability, Crown bound, allowed him to bind a servant and change it every eight days or so. This ability made the chosen person loyal to him. It made Valen seem approachable, likable and even perfect in their eyes.
The fact that Sunny had so little enthusiasm around him set off alarms in Valens head. As far as Valen understood, the bond should've clouded Sunny's perception, made him feel good just being around him.
Was Sunny becoming aware of it?
"What's the matter?" Valen asked. "You seem off today."
"I don't know," Sunny said. "I just feel sleepy."
Fuck.
***
Welp Sunny was infected by the spell too. After a few days of waiting, it was pretty clear.
This...was a problem.
If Sunny became a Sleeper, he'd start seeing the truth: that he was bound, that his will wasn't his own. That would cause issues.
Would Sunny be okay with it? Would the ability be strong enough to influence Sunny to accept it?
Probably not. Awareness would break the illusion. After all, Valen had forced the bond on him. If Sunny had willingly sworn himself, that'd be different.
He could just kill him if he was resentful. Why to leave future troubles after all, better to nip them in the bud early.
But... he might be useful. Maybe he'd awaken with a strong Aspect. Maybe he'd develop good abilities.
He could become a good spy for him.
Well it all depended on how he would react.
Perhaps he should cancel the bond now and slowly 'convince' him in the future.
"That could work... couldn't it?"
***
A frail-looking young man with pale skin and dark circles under his eyes sat on a rusty bench across from the police station. He nursed a cup of coffee—real coffee, not the synthetic sludge slum rats like him usually drank. This cup of plant-based coffee, usually available only to higher rank citizens.
It had been bought by his close associate, Valen—a tall man, a giant when compared to Sunny. It was quite rare to see a kid from the outskirts to be of his stature.
Enjoying the warmth of the luxurious drink, Sunny raised the cup and savored the aroma. Then, tentatively, he took a small sip… and immediately grimaced.
"What?" Valen asked. "Don't like the taste?"
"It's too bitter" Sunny muttered. "Is this what rich people drink?"
"Bruh, just when I spent all my money on it,"
Valen lied casually.
He hadn't exactly gone broke—he had escaped from the Valor clan with enough money and multiple memories… some very useful ones.
Sunny glared at the cup, sighed, and forced down another sip. Bitter or not, he was determined to get his money's worth—taste buds be damned.
"Tsk. What a rip-off."
Cursing, he stood up and watched the well-dressed workers passing through the park, rushing to jobs in the city's central sector. Their stares lingered—unfamiliar faces in an unfamiliar place.
Sunny looked ragged. His clothes were cheap. He was pale and scrawny from sleep deprivation and starvation. Valen could pass for someone from here… until you noticed the dirt and smell.
Watching them with a bit of envy, he tossed the cup into a garbage bin.
"I guess that's what three full meals a day would do to you."
The cup missed the bin by a wide margin and fell on the ground. Sunny rolled his eyes in exasperation, walked over and picked it up before carefully putting it in the trash.
"How the hell did you get so tall?" he asked, looking up at Valen. "You sure you're not secretly rich? Testing me before handing me generational wealth?"
Valen laughed. "Unfortunately, no. I just shot up after surviving the Nightmare Spell."
"Maybe I'll grow too. Who knows…"
"Yeah… I hope so."
With a faint grin, Sunny crossed the street, Valen following behind, and entered the police station.
Inside, a tired-looking officer gave him a quick glance and frowned with obvious distaste.
"Are you lost, boy?"
Sunny looked around with curiosity, noting reinforced armor plates on the walls and poorly hidden turret nests in the ceiling. The officer, too, looked scruffy and mean. At least police stations remained the same wherever you go.
Then the officer looked at Valen instead.
"Is this your kid?"
Sunny's scowl was immediate.
"No," Valen said. "As demanded by the Third Special Directive, he's here to surrender himself as a confirmed carrier of the Nightmare Spell."
The officer's entire demeanor changed. His frown vanished. His eyes sharpened.
"You sure he's infected? When did the symptoms start?"
"Nearly a week ago?" Sunny offered with a shrug.
The officer became visibly paler.
"Shit."
Then, with a hurried motion, he pressed a button on his terminal and bellowed:
"Attention! Code Black in the lobby! I repeat! CODE BLACK!"
***
A few minutes later, Sunny was yawning while several policemen were busy putting him in restraints. Soon he was fastened into a bulky chair that looked like a weird mix between a hospital bed and a torture device.
The room they were in was situated in the basement of the police station, with thick armored walls and a formidable-looking vault door. Other officers were standing near the walls, with automatic rifles in their hands and grim expressions on their faces.
Sunny did not particularly care about them. The only thing he could think about was how much he wanted to sleep.
Finally, the vault door opened, and a gray-haired policeman walked in. He had a seasoned face and stern eyes, looking like someone who had seen a lot of terrible things in his life. After checking the restraints, the policeman glanced quickly on his wristwatch and then turned to Sunny:
"What's your name, kid?"
Sunny blinked a few times, trying to concentrate, then shifted uncomfortably.
"Sunless."
The old policeman raised an eyebrow.
"Sunless? That's a strange name."
Sunny tried to shrug, but found himself unable to move.
"What's so strange about it? At least I have a name. Back in the outskirts, not everyone even gets one."
After another yawn, he added:
"It's because I was born during a solar eclipse. My mom had a poetic soul, you see."
That's why he got this weird-ass name and his little sister was called Rain… back when she still lived with them, at least. Whether it was the result of poetic imagination or simple laziness, he did not know.
The old policeman grunted.
"Do you want me to contact your family?"
Sunny simply shook his head.
"There's no one. Don't bother."
"Weren't you my son though?" Valen joked earning a weird stare from the officer.
Sunny couldn't even care, Right now all he wanted do was sleep.
"Alright, Sunless. How long can you stay awake?"
"Uh… not long."
The policeman sighed.
"Then we don't have time for the full procedure. Try to resist for as long as you can and listen to me very carefully. Okay?"
Not waiting for a response, he added:
"How much do you know about the Nightmare Spell?"
Sunny gave him a questioning look.
"I mean… I guess? Who doesn't know about the Spell?"
"Not the fancy stuff you see in dramas and hear in the propaganda broadcasts. I mean how much do you really know?"
Sunny thought. "I know when you fall asleep, you enter your First Nightmare. It's a trial. There are monsters. And illusions. Or… echoes of the past? Anyway, no need to worry, officer. I'll try to hold on till the nearest Awakened shows up."
The officer stared at him, taken aback.
"…Thanks, kid."
Then he turned to Valen.
"If you've got anything to say to your son, you should. This could be your last chance."
Nodding solemnly Valen sat down next to Sunny.
"Sunless… remember what I told you. And good luck."
He patted Sunny's shoulder.
Just then a sharp, strange pain bloomed—not physical, but emotional. Something inside tore.
That pain jolted Sunny's awareness—and he felt it.
That maddening aura he had felt months ago. It was coming off from Valen.
And for a moment, it felt like this was the first time he'd truly seen him.
How cold his eyes looked.
How fake his smile was.
How murderously calm he seemed.
Even though they were… friends?
Wait.
Why would he even make friends?
With that last thought, Sunny finally slipped into a deep slumber.
Everything became black.
And then, in the darkness, a faintly familiar voice rang:
[Aspirant! Welcome to the Nightmare Spell. Prepare for your First Trial…]