Real Tomb of Ariel (Event)

Reveal

After discovering that the Dreamspawn had been contained by suppressing knowledge of him and culling those under his influence, Cassie searched government archives for a solution but found nothing. By diving into the memories of Awakened Yutra, she uncovered a forgotten moment from when she was still a Master, in which she had asked, "How does one defeat an idea that spreads like a plague?" and answered: "…The answer is oblivion".^[1] She later revealed that this question and answer was the message she had left for herself regarding how to defeat the Dreamspawn. Its obvious meaning was the erasure of memories of him—something she had already been attempting—while she also noted that Oblivion was the title of a daemon, suggesting a deeper link. However, Sunny recognized that no further research was necessary, identifying the answer as the description of the Estuary Key, a Memory he—or rather the Mad Prince—had created.^[2]

The true connection between the Mad Prince, the Estuary Key, the Tomb of Ariel, and Asterion lay in Cassie's deliberately cryptic message. Unlike her previous direct prophecies, this single enigmatic sentence was crafted so that only Sunny, who alone retained clear memories of the Tomb of Ariel and the Estuary Key, could understand it. This ensured that Asterion would not grasp its significance, especially since his memories of the Third Nightmare were obscured by fatelessness. The message ultimately functioned as a call to action^[3], directing Sunny not back to the phantom Tomb conjured by the Spell, but to enter the real Tomb of Ariel for the first time—an undertaking no human of the War Realm had accomplished, and which even Asterion had failed to achieve due to the Nightmare Desert. By stepping into the true Great Pyramid and leaving their mark upon the Great River, Sunny and Nephis would confront dangers such as the First Seeker, the Defilement, and the Vile Thieving Bird, reclaim his fate, and pursue a path that could lead to Asterion's defeat.^[4]

Realizing that explaining Cassie's message aloud could expose its meaning to the Dreamspawn, Sunny told Nephis only that he understood what must be done but could not yet explain it, then asked her to trust him implicitly; despite the risks of challenging the Nightmare Desert, invading the Tomb of Ariel, subjugating Death Zones, and facing a Cursed Terror, she agreed—both because she owed him a favor from recruiting the Lord of Shadows and because Cassie had finally delivered a potential solution to stop Asterion's plague, which was steadily consuming the Human Domain through the Hunger Domain. Sunny warned that this expedition would require total commitment, as he would have to deploy all his incarnations and the entire Shadow Legion—an undertaking more perilous than Ariel's Game, the Great Mirror, or the siege of the Eternal City—while leaving those they protected vulnerable, yet it remained their best chance to save humanity, and so they resolved to prepare swiftly without further hesitation.^[5]

Reveal

Preparations for the journey to the Tomb of Ariel involved both safeguarding humanity during Sunny and Nephis' absence and readying themselves for the dangerous expedition. Since abandoning the Human Domain would cause harm due to humanity's dependence on the two Supremes who ruled the world, they worked to mitigate the damage by preparing countermeasures to unexpected calamities, delegating responsibilities to competent people, withdrawing and concentrating forces, and establishing firm defensive lines on the frontiers of the Dream Realm.^[6]

At the same time, they prepared specifically for the journey: a team of masterful engineers, smiths, carpenters, and enchanters was gathered to refit and reinforce the Chain Breaker for the nearing battle, Sunny established a series of failsafes and contingencies for the Shadow Clan while withdrawing his forces, and Nephis sharpened her Will for the battle against a Cursed Terror. Nephis was needed for the journey not only because Sunny required help to face the harrowing obstacles of the Nightmare Desert, whatever hid inside the Great Pyramid, and the Vile Thieving Bird, but also because the loathsome bird had stolen Sunny's fate and still possessed it; since the Shadow Bond was connected to that fate and Nephis had been his master, she was the only one who could make use of the Shadow Bond, which might constrain, weaken, or slow the avian horror.^[6]

While their preparations progressed according to a carefully planned schedule despite humanity being swallowed by the Hunger Domain, Mordret—the King of Nothing—suddenly disrupted everything by massacring Red Hill and attempting to destroy the source of Asterion's power, which was humanity itself, believing that annihilating humanity would prevent it from fueling the Dreamspawn. With a demented Supreme in the south and a mad Sovereign in the north, Sunny and Nephis were forced to abandon many preparations and depart immediately, because now they had to accomplish their goal before Mordret destroyed humanity entirely. Only a few days later they left, even though Sunny felt torn about abandoning the immense responsibility he had taken upon himself for humanity, so he left two of his Shadows behind—Fiend to guard Kai and Ravenheart, and Nightmare to guard Effie and Bastion—while Rain remained under Cassie's protection and the Ivory Island still hovered above Bastion; however, Sunny could still summon the Shadows back when needed. As he hoped nothing would happen in his absence, the Chain Breaker passed through a radiant Dream Gate and entered the waking world.^[6]

Sunny and Nephis traveled alone aboard the refitted Chain Breaker, which had been reinforced with metal bands, a new ram, and a miniature defensive array created by Sunny and Cassie. As they sailed, they noted that the ship now looked exactly like the battered version they had once seen drifting in the Tomb of Ariel, creating a strange paradox about the future and the past. Nephis realized that although she had entered the Nightmare upstream of Weave, she only found the Chain Breaker downstream after the time storm, meaning she must have fallen overboard while trying to reach the Great River, and Sunny wondered if the same would happen to him. To keep their journey secret, they first entered the waking world in a remote northern wasteland filled with Nightmare Creatures and nearby Nightmare Gates before opening another Dream Gate to the Forgotten Shore. As the Chain Breaker dove into the darkness, Nephis returned to the unforgettable Forgotten Shore.^[7]

The Chain Breaker flew across the dark skies of the Forgotten Shore, where Nephis invoked the True Name of Light and illuminated a vast area like a rising sun. They descended at the ruins of the Crimson Spire and visited the graves of the fallen Sleepers, where Sunny revealed he had buried them. Reflecting on the past, Nephis admitted that she had used the Sleepers to pursue her own goals and considered the events at the Spire not a true victory, but a long experience of defeat.^[8] Nephis reflected that her life had been defined less by triumphs than by repeated defeats, losses, and difficult lessons, beginning with the tragedy on the Forgotten Shore where most of the Sleepers died. She admitted that her confidence had been broken during later trials and that many of her achievements had come through hardship, compromise, and chance rather than pure heroism. Despite this, she affirmed that perseverance was her greatest virtue and declared her determination to rise again and defeat the Dreamspawn.^[9]

Sunny avoided taking Nephis to the Dark City because Asterion's thralls were still there and the Shadow Clan could not be fully trusted. After Red Hill fell, Nephis discovered the Dream Merchant's treachery and repeatedly burned him with white flames, restoring and burning him again until the agony erased Asterion's hex from his mind. Sunny and Nephis then traveled east on the Chain Breaker, passing places from their past on the Forgotten Shore before reaching the Nightmare Desert. As they arrived at the white dunes near the Tomb of Ariel, Nephis sensed that one of her Citadels had vanished from her Soul Sea, realizing that Asterion had taken another Saint.^[10]

Reveal

Countless Deathless rose from beneath the dunes of the Nightmare Desert, their black bones spilling white sand as they resumed their eternal battle, covering the desert in inconceivable numbers. Sunny realized that the war in Godgrave was a Domain War and also a Realm War because it involved the entire population of a single realm, while the far greater Doom War had involved all realms in battles between the Demon Legion and the Divine Host, deciding the fate of existence itself. As the undead of many forms—human, monstrous, and even stone, crystal, cloth, or metal—turned on each other with murderous hostility, Sunny and Nephis prepared to push toward the Tomb of Ariel. When the Shadow Legion advanced, Nephis channeled the Name of the Light, becoming a radiant sun in the sky and unleashing a blazing ray that caused a massive explosion in the dunes, shattering and burning countless Deathless as the Nightmare Desert subjugation campaign began.^[11]

A towering wall of white flame rose after Changing Star's opening blow, and although the shockwave of the titanic explosion, heat, and boiling sand struck the Shadow Legion, the shades endured and advanced as glass rained from the sky like shrapnel. The Deathless, thrown into disarray, were overwhelmed as Saint, Slayer, and Serpent led the attack—Saint crushing enemies with sword and shield, Slayer transforming into a black tiger to shatter them, and Serpent controlling countless swords to create a whirlwind of steel that ground the cursed warriors to dust. Sunny's powerful shades followed, cutting a path through the horde, and Sunny himself joined the battle in the shape of the Shadowspawn, shattering the Deathless with the strength of the Supreme Titan and his Will. The Shadow Legion eventually advanced through the dying wall of immolating flames.^[12]

After the surprise attack, the Deathless regained their composure and focused on the Shadow Legion, revealing that although their minds had been shattered by the curse of Shadow God, they remained highly intelligent in battle. They swiftly formed flexible battle formations, identified weak points in the enemy, and launched a meticulous counteroffensive that destroyed many weaker shades and halted the legion's advance. Recognizing that Nephis, the radiant star in the sky, was suppressing them, the Deathless launched clouds of arrows, javelins, and makeshift projectiles, forcing her to descend while she retaliated with an annihilating beam of white flames. Without the protection of her flames, the Deathless attacked aggressively, sending their strongest warriors against Sunny, his Shadows, the strongest Supreme shades, and the Wolf, while other groups targeted weaker sections of the formation, eventually breaching the Shadow Legion's line in several places. Sunny intervened to delay the collapse, but he ultimately had to pull his shades back and shift to a defensive strategy to preserve the formation, stopping the advance of the legion.^[13]

As the battle reached a deceptive equilibrium, the Shadow Legion held its ground against the Deathless, but weaker shades were being destroyed rapidly, making the stalemate unsustainable and preventing any advance. Sunny briefly considered moving forward by jumping between shadows, but the vast and strange nature of the Nightmare Desert and the limits of his spirit essence made the risk too great. Returning to where the Chain Breaker was anchored, he and Nephis agreed that the battle was doable but required a change in tactics, after which Nephis stored the vessel in her Soul Sea and returned to the sky. Sunny then reorganized the Shadow Legion into a three-pronged formation, concentrating his strongest warriors in the center while allowing weaker shades to be sacrificed. He dismissed the Wolf and instead summoned Abundance, a gigantic worm that erupted from the sand and began swallowing the Deathless, allowing the central force of the Shadow Legion to follow behind it and advance as the wings protected it from attacks on the flanks.^[14]

Abundance crawled across the Nightmare Desert like a dark river of flesh, swallowing the Deathless with its terrifying maw while the Shadow Legion protected it by forming wings that prevented the ancient undead from getting close. The lesser shades were destroyed by the skeletal remains of ancient warriors cursed by Shadow God, but their resistance allowed the legion to continue advancing across the white dunes. Sunny stepped from the shadows in front of the gargantuan worm and saw countless Deathless turning their malice toward Abundance, with stronger undead expected to appear as they moved closer to the Tomb of Ariel. To prevent powerful Deathless from damaging the Sacred worm, Sunny summoned his strongest champions—Saint, Slayer, and Serpent—and joined them personally in battle with a shadow-forged quarterstaff. As Abundance devoured the battlefield behind him, Sunny fought the champions of the undead horde in relentless melee, absorbing their martial skill through Shadow Dance while the legion advanced despite heavy casualties. The power of the Curse increased because all seven links were close together, allowing Sunny to precisely cast the Weakening Curse on the strongest enemies at critical moments. Meanwhile, Nephis fought in the sky, drawing the attention of countless Deathless, igniting projectiles, and raining white flames upon the desert while occasionally unleashing destructive rays upon the dunes. Their strategy allowed them to move deeper into the sea of dunes, but because Abundance swallowed the Deathless instead of destroying them, the undead damaged the Sacred worm from within and gradually slowed it down. As it neared defeat, Nephis descended onto Abundance, placed her hand on its hide, and ignited the creature with soft white radiance, healing the internal damage with soothing flames. As the night deepened and the battle continued, Sunny looked ahead and wondered if the distant silhouette of the Tomb of Ariel had drawn closer.^[15]

Nephis focused on healing Abundance, a vast Sacred being, by pouring her soothing flames into the titanic worm while kneeling on its back, leaving herself exposed but protected by Sunny and the Shadow Legion. As she mended the godworm, the Deathless pressed harder against the Shadow Legion, overwhelming their wings and forcing Sunny to fight relentlessly, using his Will and Spirit Weave to repel attacks from skeletal warriors, including a crawling, legless skeleton. Sunny reflected on Eurys and Azarax, who had remained sane due to being crucified on a sacred Heart God tree, and worried about fulfilling his promise to kill Eurys before the madness consumed him. The battle was cyclical: Nephis healed Abundance whenever it was wounded, while Sunny and the strongest shades fought off waves of Deathless, pushing deeper into the Nightmare Desert. Despite fatigue and the collapsing formation, Abundance's devouring speed allowed progress, but the Deathless launched increasingly ferocious assaults as dawn approached. Finally, as a pale lilac line appeared on the horizon, signaling the end of the endless night, the Deathless retreated and sank into the sand. Exhausted, Sunny fell to his knees, while Nephis landed near him, her attention drawn not to the Tomb of Ariel but to a distant, swaying tree highlighted by the rising sun.^[16]

Reveal

Sunny and Nephis arrived at a sacred tree standing in the desert, notable for its snow-white bark, scarlet leaves, and tens of thousands of skulls hanging from its branches by black silk threads. The tree differed from other sacred or corrupted trees, being older, uncorrupted, and not tied to previous catastrophic events like the Soul Devouring Tree. A weathered skeleton, identified as Azarax, was cruelly nailed to the tree and initially struggled against his restraints. Azarax, unlike the mindless Deathless, displayed awareness and fury, particularly toward Nephis, whom he perceived as a servant of Weaver due to her connection to the Nightmare Spell, and toward Sunny, whom he identified with Shadow God and cursed as a “slave of shadow.” Sunny observed the strategic position of the Shadow Legion and the distant Abundance, which had been sent away to prevent the Deathless from swarming the group. He hoped to free and possibly enlist Azarax as an ally, noting that he was no longer outwardly a carrier of the Nightmare Spell, though the skeleton's hatred toward Sunny remained intense. The tension escalated as Azarax strained against the tree, causing the skulls and branches to sway violently, while threatening to tear Sunny apart, highlighting both the ancient skeleton's fury and the dangerous stakes of their encounter.^[17]

After a prolonged period of anger, Azarax, the ancient king, was finally persuaded to speak with Sunny and Nephis, despite his apparent disdain for them. Having been impaled on a sacred tree since before the Doom War, Azarax was largely unaware of the current state of the world, yet his cunning mind remained sharp. He showed respect for Saint, a Stone Saint, which prompted him to at least listen to the two intruders. While Eurys sought a proper death to avoid the curse of Shadow God, Azarax desired release from the tree so he could join the Deathless in the eternal battles of the Nightmare Desert, which he considered paradise. Though Sunny and Nephis were cautious about trusting the half-crazed skeleton, they rested and sought answers while preparing a meal. Azarax explained that the Nightmare Desert, often called the Hell of Ariel, had been turned into a desolate and isolated realm, connected only to the Underworld, where lost shadows could end up trapped forever. He clarified that the battlefield there was chosen purely for convenience, not because of myth or divine favor, and that all lost souls present had been eradicated. Despite its proximity to the Underworld, most warriors never reached the Realm of Death, a fact that left Azarax both envious and resentful.^[18]

Eventually, Nephis and Sunny freed the ancient tyrant Azarax from the sacred tree in exchange for his guidance to the Tomb of Ariel, despite his ominous warning that he would one day kill them. Azarax revealed his plans to eventually conquer the Hell of Ariel and lead his Deathless army to dominate the world, yet assured them he would honor their immediate agreement. Though terrifying, his honesty convinced Nephis and Sunny to trust him for the moment.^[19]

As night fell over the desert, Sunny prepared to send all seven of his avatars into battle and attempt to create seven Shadow Colossi while Nephis meditated to prepare for a harder fight. Meanwhile, the Deathless Azarax joined their side, but tensions remained high as Nephis revealed she had lost another Citadel, weakening her power while their enemies in the desert continued to grow stronger.^[20]

Reveal

Sunny initially believed Azarax would resist the curse of Shadow God for a long time, using Eurys as a point of reference, since Eurys had remained lucid for a decade after being freed by Nephis. However, he realized his mistake—Eurys of the Nine possessed unmatched resolve, unlike Azarax. Within mere weeks, Azarax began succumbing to the curse: his bones turned black, his behavior grew strange, and his memories started fading. At the same time, Azarax was followed by a growing army of Deathless, while Sunny's Shadow Legion diminished as he and Nephis endured relentless nightly battles without rest.^[21]

Meanwhile, Nephis was growing weaker as the Longing Domain unraveled, with Citadels falling to Asterion and Mordret, depriving her of followers, spirit essence, and the strength of her Will. She revealed that Ivory Tower, Bastion, and Ravenheart—the last Citadels in her Soul Sea—were gone, along with the sparks of longing of her people, leaving only a few like Cassie, Effie, Kai, and Jet still alive. Concluding that the Domain had effectively fallen and humanity was now ruled by the Dreamspawn and the King of Nothing, she believed they had failed. However, Sunny argued that humanity was merely under a mind hex and could be restored, reminding her that their true mission was to stop the Dreamspawn's Apotheosis, not the loss of Citadels. Reassured, Nephis accepted his words as they looked toward the distant Tomb of Ariel.^[21]

Azarax, hiding from the sun, scorned Sunny and Nephis for holding hands, calling them pathetic and an offence to the very idea of a Supreme, and claimed that two Supremes could not coexist without one killing or conquering the other. Sunny retorted, pointing out that while Azarax had spent centuries becoming Supreme, he and Nephis had risen from mundane humans in ten years, mocking the ancient tyrant's pathetic achievement.^[22]

As the sun rises higher, Sunny shifts the conversation, doubting they will find the Black Skull and recalling how many died during the Battle of the Black Skull, leaving the Citadel ownerless after the Skinwalker chased Mordret away and even after its destruction it remained empty in the Nightmare Desert. He asks Azarax about the skull, described as huge, black, and with three eyes. Azarax identifies it as likely belonging to the nephilim, explaining that three eyes are a sign of the Void, associated with angels and what they touched. He describes the nephilim as abominable beings who fought alongside their army against the gods, valued for their strength but disliked. When Sunny asks why they were hated, Azarax explains that they were abominations that contradicted the laws of existence, being both Divine and Unholy, of the Flame and the Void. He points out that one such being stands before Sunny, holding his hand. Sunny continues questioning, asking about Godgrave and whether the colossal skeleton could have been a nephilim. Azarax dismisses this, saying no such giant ever existed, noting only the World Tree could compare and it had no skeleton. Sunny realizes Azarax is unaware of the being whose remains became Godgrave, leaving him uncertain whether Azarax is ignorant or if the skeleton appeared after his time, and concludes that the massive skeleton likely has something to do with the Void.^[22]

They spent the day resting as Nephis meditated, enduring the pain of losing most of her Domain with her usual determination, which led them to change tactics so she would fight on the ground healing the shades while Sunny took a more aggressive lead supported by Azarax's Deathless army. Discussing the Tomb of Ariel, Sunny explained that the real Great River would differ from the Nightmare version, possibly lacking past events like the Plagues, but he still believed it had fallen to Corruption and might be affected by the unpredictable Vile Thieving Bird. As night fell, their combined forces assembled, and Azarax warned they were nearing the inner expanse where elite forces once fought and where they might encounter unkillable Sacred beings. Despite this, Sunny concluded that if such enemies appeared, survival would depend not on strength but on the ability to run, before leading the Shadow Legion forward into another night in hell.^[23]

As the Deathless rose from the dunes and the battle began, Sunny briefly heard an eerie whisper—the Call of Nightmare emanating from the countless Seeds forming the Tomb of Ariel—which he realized drew all Awakened toward Corruption, growing stronger the more powerful they were, and made him question whether he and Nephis could endure it when they reached the pyramid. Pushing the thought aside, he led the charge alongside Azarax while Nephis stayed behind to support the shades, and the battle quickly proved more oppressive than before, with stronger enemies and mounting fatigue. The Deathless were especially terrifying because they could not be killed, only dismantled and crushed into dust, yet would still reassemble, all while displaying skill, coordination, and a vast collective Will that made them far more dangerous than previous foes like the Black Millipede Tribe. Despite having three Sovereigns and powerful support, fighting them remained a daunting task, and their progress through the desert relied not just on strength, but on their ability to adapt and learn.^[24]

As they descend deeper into Ariel's Hell, Sunny and Nephis grow more skilled at fighting the Deathless by exploiting their weakened grasp on their former powers and the internal discord between the opposing undead armies. By slipping through the chaotic clash of multiple Wills rather than confronting it head-on, they manage to advance despite overwhelming odds. However, the Deathless they face now have become significantly stronger, more focused, and more dangerous, even as the invading army continues to push forward.^[25] Sunny accelerates their advance by ordering his shades to fight with reckless aggression, relying on a rotating formation where damaged units fall back to be healed by Nephis before returning to battle. While this strategy increases their offensive power, it also removes Nephis from direct combat, risking greater pressure over time despite her continued strength as a healer. As their army pushes forward, they encounter a powerful new threat, with the shifting currents of Will signaling the emergence of a Sacred foe.^[26]

Reveal

A giant skeletal being, revealed as the Wandering Archon, rose from the dunes and overwhelmed the battlefield with its immense Will, strengthening the Deathless while weakening Sunny's forces. Unable to destroy the immortal Spirit and faced with a losing battle, Sunny decided that someone had to stall it until dawn. Recognizing his versatility as the best chance, he chose to confront the Archon himself while Nephis and Azarax continued the fight.^[27] The best way to fight a Sacred enemy was to be Sacred oneself, since only a being of equal level could truly match its power and Will. Since Sunny was not a Spirit, he compensated by channeling his Supreme Titan Will through the Sacred shade Wolf.^[28]

Sunny survived his clash with the Archon by turning it into a Memory stored in his Soul Sea, though it remained a dangerous, malice-filled presence. Severely injured and with his incarnations reverted to shadows, he fled the advancing Deathless and later reunited with Nephis and Azarax at dawn, where Nephis healed him. Sunny claimed he had destroyed the Archon entirely, leaving Azarax doubtful but Nephis supportive, as a new day began in Ariel's Hell.^[29]

Reveal

As the army of the Hunger Domain advanced toward Ebony Island, a violent and chaotic battle raged within a colossal underground tunnel, filled with blinding flashes of light, unbearable heat, and the deafening clash of combat. Amid this, Sunny struggled under the overwhelming pull of the Call of Nightmare, which drowned out his thoughts and compelled him toward the Nightmare. Despite this, he continued fighting off Deathless attackers, destroying a skeletal warrior while maintaining the tunnel's stability with shadow pillars. The Shadow Legion and Azarax's undead army pushed forward through the tunnel created by Abundance, collapsing sections behind them to limit the pursuing Deathless, though attacks still came from all directions. With Abundance nearing destruction and their forces dwindling, Sunny realized they needed to return to the surface. Their army was in a desperate state after weeks of battling powerful Deathless Spirits, leaving the Shadow Legion nearly eradicated, Nephis exhausted with only three soul cores remaining, and their forces relying heavily on Azarax's growing undead army. Accepting that the tunnel would soon become a death trap, Sunny ordered the ascent. Abundance breached the surface but collapsed soon after, dissolving into darkness, while a torrent of white flame cleared the tunnel's exit. Azarax's forces created a narrow escape path, allowing the remnants of the Shadow Legion to emerge. Upon reaching the surface, Sunny beheld the immense Tomb of Ariel looming above the desert, only to be overwhelmed again by the Call of Nightmare. The pyramid, composed of countless Seed of Nightmare blocks in varying states, radiated increasing terror the higher it rose. As Sunny tried to comprehend it, Nephis, filled with fear, covered his eyes and warned him not to look, ultimately revealing that what lay beyond was "Doom".^[30]

Sunny had been overwhelmed by the Call and a deep, unfamiliar terror, struggling to maintain control as Nephis covered his eyes to prevent him from seeing the top of the Tomb of Ariel. When pressed, Nephis had revealed that the capstone of the pyramid was not just another Seed, but something singular—the Seed of the Nightmare Spell, the "Seed of the Seventh Nightmare", described as both the last and the first Seed. This revelation had shocked Sunny, who had realized that it was the source of all Nightmares and the prison of the Forgotten God's consciousness. As he processed this, he had recalled clues he had previously overlooked, such as his inability to perceive the capstone in an earlier vision, the pyramid being composed entirely of Seeds, and the presence of Nightmare Butterflies feeding on their emanations. Understanding the danger of even looking at the Seed due to Corruption, Nephis had blindfolded him with cloth. Meanwhile, the battle had continued as Azarax, Saint, and Slayer had held back the Deathless, but Sunny had sensed approaching Deathless Spirits, creating urgency in entering the pyramid. Nephis had identified an entry point near claw marks high on the structure, explaining they would have to fly using the Chain Breaker to avoid contact with the Seeds. However, just as they had prepared, the battlefield had suddenly fallen silent—the Deathless had retreated inexplicably, leaving only their group and remnants of the Shadow Legion. This absence had proven more terrifying, and Sunny had soon sensed the reason why: countless shadows had detached from the pyramid and had rapidly moved toward them.^[31]

The Deathless had retreated from the Tomb of Ariel, leaving the desert around it empty, with only the remnants of the invading army remaining on the white sands. Azarax and his undead warriors had grown still, facing the expanse of Ariel's Hell, while the battered shades slowly withdrew under Saint's lead. Slayer stood apart in the form of a wounded lioness, and Sunny sensed a terrifying swarm of shadows escaping from the pyramid. Nephis confirmed that what appeared to be clouds were actually vast numbers of Nightmare Butterflies—thousands or tens of thousands—descending toward them, drawn by the scent of their souls. Realizing they could not defeat the swarm, Sunny proposed escaping into the Tomb of Ariel via the Chain Breaker, with Nephis leading the assault to clear a path while the others defended the vessel.^[32]

As the plan was set in motion, Nephis summoned the Chain Breaker and took to the sky to confront the swarm, while Saint leapt aboard to steer. Sunny prepared additional support by summoning the Puppeteer and calling on Slayer to aid Nephis. Meanwhile, he approached Azarax to enlist his help, but found something had changed—the Deathless stood unnaturally still, and when Azarax turned, Sunny realized that the tyrant had fully succumbed to the curse of Shadow God, leaving behind only malevolent Will. At that moment, the Deathless warriors reanimated and slaughtered the remaining shades, and Azarax advanced toward Sunny with hostile intent. As the Chain Breaker rose and the swarm of Nightmare Butterflies descended, Sunny recognized he had no choice but to hold Azarax back, despite the danger, and prepared himself reluctantly to confront the Plague of Steel.^[32]

After vanquishing the battered shades, the Deathless had stayed back while Azarax marched across the desert toward Sunny, intent not on killing him but on subjugating him into his army. Sunny had attempted to taunt Azarax, noting the approaching swarm of Great abominations, but the Plague of Steel had remained unresponsive, advancing with heavy, confident steps. As the tyrant closed in, Sunny had manifested the Serpent in the form of a black odachi to block a devastating blow and called for Slayer to join the fight.^[33]

Meanwhile, Nephis had soared into the approaching swarm of Nightmare Butterflies, her radiant wings and the blade of the Blessing blazing like a white rift in the night sky. She had cut down numerous Great Monsters with bursts of soul flame, incinerating scores of abominations and creating explosions of white fire that illuminated the swarm. Her attacks had caused tidal waves of burning devastation, while she sustained herself by burning and reforming her soul cores, enduring the agony of her Flaw to continue fighting.^[33]

Nephis had not been alone: the Puppeteer, in the form of a titanic moth, had engaged the swarm from the other side, unleashing threads of black silk that shredded the wings of the Nightmare Butterflies. The cataclysmic clash had raised a hurricane that reshaped the dunes below, but still too many abominations were pressing forward toward the Chain Breaker, where Saint stood at the oars.^[33]

At that critical moment, Slayer had entered the fray, transforming from a tenebrous lioness into a gargantuan obsidian dragon surrounded by ghostly smoke. She had risen like a dark tide, flapping her wings to raise a hurricane, and unleashed a torrent of black flame from her maw that consumed the approaching Nightmare Butterflies entirely, leaving no trace of their existence before they could reach the Chain Breaker.^[33]

Reveal

While Nephis, Slayer, and the Puppeteer battled the Nightmare Swarm in the sky, Sunny confronted the Deathless Sovereign, Azarax, in Ariel's Hell. Azarax's devastating strike with his glass axe clashed against the Soul Serpent, unleashing a cataclysmic shockwave that shattered the dunes and hurled Sunny through the air, cracking his jade armor though his bones endured. As a violent sandstorm rose, mirroring the swarm of Nightmare Butterflies above, Sunny struggled to recover while observing Slayer in the form of an obsidian dragon slaughtering the swarm. Before he could dwell on it, Azarax resumed his relentless assault, forcing Sunny into constant retreat as the Jade Mantle began to crumble under the tyrant's overwhelming strength, battle experience, and tyrannical Will, making it clear that defeating him in combat was impossible—only delaying him mattered.^[34]

As Azarax advanced with his undead army, using his Will to distort space and prevent escape, Sunny countered with his own Will while stepping back and secretly summoning a remaining shade. After creating distance through a series of calculated steps, he baited Azarax into pausing and revealed the shade of the Soul Devourer—a colossal, black tree that embodied the tyrant's deepest fear, recalling the torment of being nailed to such a tree for thousands of years. The sight briefly cracked Azarax's Will, giving Sunny the opening he needed. Using his incarnations, he empowered the Soul Devourer into a Death Tree, from which shadow-forged chains infused with Supreme essence erupted, binding Azarax and his Deathless warriors. The chains dragged them toward the tree, leaving thousands of blackened skeletons hanging from its branches like macabre fruit, struggling in vain beneath the rustling canopy of dark leaves.^[34]

The Deathless Sovereign, Azarax, was bound to the Death Tree's colossal trunk by myriad chains, struggling furiously as they snapped and were continuously replaced by new ones emerging from the darkness at the roots of the Soul Devourer. The shade attempted to poison the minds of the Deathless, but even augmented by six incarnations, it could not withstand Azarax's boundless Will. His unseen Will clashed against the tree, only to meet Sunny's own Will protecting it like an invisible aegis, while Sunny endured mental anguish, driven mad by the Call of Nightmare and strained by resisting the tyrant. Azarax broke free piece by piece—first moving his skull, biting and shattering chains with his black teeth, then slamming his head into the trunk and cracking it, until he freed an arm and finally shattered the remaining restraints after calling his axe. Though the Soul Devourer stalled him and bound his undead warriors, Azarax soon stood free again, facing Sunny across the sand.^[35]

Sunny revealed that the delay had been enough, as the Nameless Temple appeared behind him, summoned from his Citadel through his Soul Sea by one of his incarnations. As Azarax lunged, he was stopped mid-attack by the invisible Guardian of the Nameless Temple, an ancient being that once served the gods and now obeyed Sunny, lifting the tyrant into the air and cracking his glass armor before Azarax broke free once more. Another incarnation of Sunny then emerged carrying a dangerous item from the temple's underground hall—an intricately built dollhouse, which Sunny had sealed away due to its malevolent nature. Having considered other options such as using the Wandering Archon, Sunny deemed this the next worst option to deal with the immortal tyrant. As Azarax attacked again, Sunny cut the dollhouse in half with his Serpent, releasing a Cursed Tyrant to oppose him. Immediately afterward, Sunny pulled the Nameless Temple into his soul and fled through the shadows, refusing to look back as an eerie, chilling sound echoed behind him, before reappearing on the deck of the Chain Breaker.^[35]

Far below, Azarax battled the Ash Tyrant and two Ash Beasts released from the Dollhouse, while Sunny, despite the danger of unleashing a Cursed Nightmare Creature, felt a hint of vindictive joy, hoping the Deathless Sovereign would feel pain as well. Still injured from their clash, Sunny knelt on the deck of the Chain Breaker, resisting the maddening Call before tying Nephis' strip of white fabric over his eyes and assessing the situation. The flying vessel was besieged within a vast swarm of Nightmare Butterflies, ascending along the dark slope of the Tomb of Ariel like a tiny island in an ocean of horrors. Nephis, the Puppeteer, and Slayer each defended a portion of the sky—Nephis as a sea of white flames, burning and detonating her soul cores; the Puppeteer as a hurricane of black silk, shredding enemies despite its battered body; and Slayer in draconic form, unleashing cold, life-draining black flames with increasing ferocity despite her wounds. Though all three were fearsome, it was not enough, as more abominations began breaking through toward the Chain Breaker, which Saint struggled to maneuver through the tightening swarm.^[36]

With Sunny's arrival, he split into seven incarnations, one taking control of the ship while the others prepared for battle. He summoned the shades of slain Nightmare Butterflies, unleashing hundreds to form a protective, tenebrous shield around the vessel—demonstrating the growing strength of his Shadow Legion as more enemies fell. Coordinating the defense, Sunny sent incarnations to fight in the air, support Slayer, and attack with bows and spears, while Serpent took the form of the King of Swords to guard the ship. Despite these efforts, the situation remained dire: the Chain Breaker was climbing deeper into an apocalyptic swarm of Great abominations, a force vast enough to obliterate entire realms. Their survival so far was only due to remaining at the edges of the swarm, and as they advanced further inside, the threat grew overwhelming. Though Sunny forced himself to keep fighting, he could not suppress the Call or the mounting, animalistic horror eroding his reason.^[36]

Sunny and his allies were overwhelmed as the Chain Breaker ascended through the massive swarm of Nightmare Butterflies toward the Seventh Seed. Sunny struggled with the intense Call and instinctive fear, but forced himself to fight by channeling spite, coordinating his incarnations across multiple roles—steering the ship, fighting in the air, and supporting the defenders. At first, his Shadow Legion helped hold back the swarm, but as the density of enemies increased, the defense collapsed and the Nightmare Butterflies began striking the ship directly.^[37]

The battle turned desperate as Sunny engaged in close combat and one of his incarnations sustained severe damage, forcing him to retreat it into shadow form to prevent its loss. The other defenders—Nephis, Slayer, and the Puppeteer—were also pushed to their limits, suffering heavy injuries while continuing to fight. Nephis burned through her soul cores and essence to keep killing enemies but began approaching exhaustion, while Slayer and the Puppeteer were similarly crippled but still held the line. As the swarm intensified and their resources dwindled, the Chain Breaker continued forward but steadily approached a breaking point.^[37]

Sunny struggled to control the Chain Breaker while fighting off a swarm of Nightmare Butterflies. One of his winged incarnations was severely injured and dismissed, reducing his forces. At the same time, the Puppeteer and Slayer were overwhelmed in the distance, and Nephis continued battling while surrounded by the swarm.^[38]

As the ship took heavy damage and Sunny neared exhaustion, the Puppeteer was destroyed, causing their defenses to collapse. The swarm intensified, Slayer was dismissed to recover, and Sunny's remaining incarnations were further reduced. Nephis eventually fell onto the deck, gravely wounded, but regained some strength after consuming a golden fruit. While the remaining defenders held off the enemies, she looked ahead and identified their objective, stating that she saw the breach.^[38]

Sunny resisted a false sense of relief as Nephis confirmed she had found the breach where the Nightmare Butterflies were emerging, warning that the swarm would be even denser inside. As his incarnations were destroyed and his strength faltered, he summoned Serpent in the form of the Winter Beast, whose blizzard slowed the abominations and allowed the Chain Breaker to advance.^[39]

Guided by Nephis, they made their final push. Sunny's remaining avatars were overwhelmed, and both Saint and Serpent were heavily damaged and dismissed. At the breach, Nephis unleashed a blinding wave of flame that cleared the path, allowing the ship to plunge into the Tomb of Ariel. Inside, Sunny forced the ship through another swarm and into a vast darkness filled with countless enemies.^[39]

The Call suddenly fell silent, bringing brief relief, but the ship was soon struck and thrown out of control. Sunny was flung into the air, lost consciousness, and later awoke falling through darkness before crashing into the Great River.^[39]

Reveal

Sunny found himself deep underwater in the Great River, surrounded by vast darkness and severely injured, but able to survive by using his essence as a Supreme. Despite the disorientation of having no clear surface, he calmly observed air bubbles to determine direction and began swimming toward them.^[40]

Sunny had surfaced and drifted in the cold, dark water, allowing himself to rest as a calm, numb stillness overtook him after the immense strain of the Nightmare Desert. He reflected on how that ordeal had surpassed all his past experiences and wondered how Daeron the Serpent King had survived it, later concluding that their differences lay not in strength but in the nature and foundation of their power. After resting, he assessed his condition and found it terrible, with most of his abilities and companions severely damaged, though not beyond recovery. Finally, he turned his attention to his surroundings and realized that something was seriously wrong with the world.^[41]

Sunny had not known what to expect from the real Tomb of Ariel, but he had recognized key differences from the Nightmare version, particularly that there had been no Twilight, no vast army of Outsiders, and no Nephis to resist the Defilement, leaving only the vulnerable River People. He had believed the River Civilization had most likely already been consumed, with no Mad Prince or warnings to guide him. He had also been wary of the Vile Thieving Bird, which had escaped the Nightmare and might have altered the Great River in unknown ways. Upon entering, he had found the world wrong: the seven suns had been gone, the river had been shrouded in absolute darkness, and its waters had stood still despite being meant to flow. Realizing reality differed entirely from his expectations, Sunny had accepted that he was facing an unknown and potentially terrifying situation.^[42]

Sunny had realized that, unlike in the Third Nightmare, he now stood where his Supreme self had fallen into the Great River and believed Nephis should be nearby, though the river's unnatural stillness made navigation uncertain. As he searched, he noted the absence of Nightmare Creatures and was led by a pillar of light to Nephis, finding the Black Turtle already slain and split in half instead of being killed by Daeron as before. He reflected on how once-insurmountable Great Nightmare Creatures no longer posed the same threat to him as a Supreme Titan. Upon reuniting, he felt relief and peace despite their dire surroundings, while Nephis revealed she had not killed the creature and that it had already been dead when she arrived.^[43]

Sunny realized the Black Turtle had not been torn apart but cleanly sliced in two, suggesting a terrifyingly powerful entity in the Tomb of Ariel. He and Nephis discussed the unpredictable Vile Thieving Bird, a dangerous being capable of stealing even concepts and possibly vulnerable to Nephis. After resting and partially healing, they set out along the Great River to retrace her past journey. Along the way, Sunny reflected on the past, only to find familiar places like Weave and the House of Parting gone. They continued forward with unease until they finally noticed something drifting in the water.^[44]

Sunny and Nephis encountered increasing debris and the preserved corpses of Nightmare Creatures in the still waters of the Great River, which Nephis deduced had been flung there by a monstrous shockwave and tsunami. They discovered the shattered remains of Weave, where signs of a siege and battle showed that the city had been destroyed after its people fought without hope of retreat. At the city's heart, they found an empty circle marking the epicenter of the devastating impact that had scattered destruction across great distances. Nephis also noted the absence of any human corpses among the dead, which they could not explain. Finding no answers, they left the ruins of Weave to search for Fallen Grace.^[45]

Sunny, in the form of a huge onyx serpent, swam with Nephis across the still and silent Great River, but found no signs of life or the expected time storms, which seemed to have been quelled along with the river's current. They eventually located the battered Chain Breaker, floating like a ghost ship and bearing heavy damage from a past, terrifying battle that Sunny realized he himself had once fought. Boarding the ruined vessel, they assessed that although its structure and enchantments were damaged, it could still sail if repaired. Sunny reminded Nephis that they were now powerful enough to manage without the ship, though it still held familiarity and comfort for them. Despite its condition, the Chain Breaker remained a place that felt like home as they continued their journey through the dead world.^[46]

Reveal

The time outside the Tomb of Ariel was frozen, and only flows here, making everything beyond their current position appear stopped from their perspective. Nephis explained this through her connection to her Domain, stating that the flames of their longing were static, unmoving. Like beautiful statues made from radiant ice, reflecting a halted existence in the outside world.^[47]

Sunny confirmed this phenomenon by entering Rain's Soul Sea and observing that it was all frozen. As if existing outside time, with Rain herself frozen in time on the upper level of the Ebony Tower. He also noted that Rain was accompanied by Nephis' mother, both existing in this immobilized state.^[47]

Further observations extended to the Marvelous Mimic, which was likewise frozen in time while being besieged by abominations, with combatants still visibly engaged in defense despite the temporal stasis. It was mentioned that Little Ling alongside the Shadow Legion and Nightmare, all of them participating in the defense of the Mimic while still existing within the same time-frozen condition.^[47]

Reveal

Sunny and Nephis continued downstream on the Chain Breaker after resting and recovering, with Nephis replenishing enough essence to heal most of Sunny's wounds and restore several of his incarnations, while Sunny once again assumed the form of the Onyx Serpent. They traveled through the Great River toward the location where Fallen Grace, the city of Dusk and the last human settlement in the Nightmare, was supposed to be, but found the river completely still, empty, and devoid of Nightmare Creatures or any signs of life.^[48]

After an extended search, they failed to find Fallen Grace, concluding that it may have been destroyed in the same way as Weave, possibly falling into the depths of the Tomb of Ariel, and were forced to abandon the search. Sunny expressed disappointment that even the River People, descendants of mortals brought to the Nightmare Realm to escape the Doom War, had not survived, leaving only destruction behind.^[48]

As they turned away toward their next destination, Sunny sensed that something is wrong with the River, and they discovered that the Great River had become shallow and uneven, with sections where water was entirely gone, forming circular chasms of empty darkness. The river eventually ended in a vast abyss, where they found a massive, lifeless, irregular island floating in emptiness. Upon investigation, Sunny identified the ground as a fragment of a soul shard, specifically the remains of one of the seven suns of the Great River, concluding that they were standing on a fragment of a dead sun.^[48]

Sunny and Nephis traveled across the shattered Great River, standing on the fragment of a broken artificial sun that was completely empty of essence and light, while discovering vast, silent stretches of collapsed and shallow river filled with emptiness. They observed that the Tomb of Ariel was marked by unnatural destruction and stillness, with no Nightmare Creatures remaining on Aletheia's Island and only ruins, bones, and devastation left behind. Nephis suggested that a powerful Cursed Terror might have caused the devastation, though she admitted the explanation might not be correct, while Sunny noted the overwhelming silence and exhaustion caused by the absence of conflict. They eventually left the ruined island and continued toward Verge and the Estuary, with Sunny privately reflecting on a grave connected to his past and the memory of Wind Flower before resuming their journey.^[49]

Reveal

Verge had become a silent city of ruins and bones, with no life remaining and no trace of the Defilement, as both the First Seeker and the Defiled had disappeared. Sunny realized that time itself had brought about the Great River's destruction, leaving only desolation in its wake. He and Nephis crossed the empty city and continued onward, finding the Great River gradually thinning until it ultimately ceased into a vast abyss of darkness. In that emptiness, they encountered a strange ship approaching, and upon boarding it, they were shocked to find Ananke alive, who greeted them as the Children of Weaver.^[50]

Sunny and Nephis had been overwhelmed with joy upon meeting Ananke again, struggling to reconcile her presence while learning she had become a Supreme and still believed in their role as saviors. She revealed that Cronos had foreseen their arrival, built the Time Slayer, and risen to power as the first Supreme of the River People. Ultimately, she explained that instead of trying to defeat the First Seeker directly, Cronos had chosen a radical path—he broke the Great River to change their fate.^[51]

Sunny and Nephis had been stunned to learn from Ananke that Cronos had stopped the Great River, uniting the River People but ultimately leading to their desperate war and near extinction. She recounted how Daeron and Cronos had finally destroyed the First Seeker by creating a timeless refuge and abandoning the River, causing the Defiled to starve, turn on their creator, and annihilate themselves. Though their plan succeeded in ending the Defilement, it came at the cost of immense sacrifice and the fall of their entire civilization.^[52]

Sunny learned that everything tied to the Great River had perished—the First Seeker, its abominations, Daeron, Cronos, and even the River itself—leaving only silence and darkness in the Tomb of Ariel. Ananke explained that although the Ark had once preserved her people outside time, it eventually collapsed as the dying Estuary could no longer sustain it, forcing them into a hostile, unlivable world filled with unchecked horrors. Despite their inevitable extinction, she had endured alone, driven by Cronos's prophecy that salvation would one day arrive with the Children of Weaver, and now believed that moment had finally come.^[53]

As the Time Slayer approached the Serpent King's remains, Sunny had been awed by the immense skeleton and felt sorrow for Daeron, whose valiant struggle had ended in defeat. Inside the skull, Ananke revealed how the River People had tried to survive by entrusting their population to seven Ark Amulets carried by chosen guardians, though all but her had perished. She ultimately disclosed that she alone had recovered all the amulets and now safeguarded the last remnants of her people, believing their long-awaited salvation had finally come.^[54]

Sunny and Nephis had stood in stunned silence as Ananke revealed that people were still alive, leaving Sunny overwhelmed and momentarily unable to think. As the truth sank in, he had felt a powerful surge of bittersweet joy—hope that not everything was lost, mixed with grief for all that had been destroyed. He realized that the River People had survived thanks to Ananke's unwavering perseverance, carrying them through endless danger and solitude. This discovery shattered his belief that no one had survived the Doom War beyond the Divine Realms and gave him a renewed sense that salvation might be possible. Encouraged by this, he found himself smiling and praising Ananke for her achievement.^[55]

Ananke humbly accepted the praise and began recounting her long struggle for survival, describing the deadly and ever-changing dangers of the River. She explained how she had endured isolation, fought or fled when necessary, and eventually became a Supreme despite her despair and lack of followers. Though she considered herself an unfit and pitiful ruler, both Sunny and Nephis had disagreed, recognizing her strength and devotion in protecting her people. Their conversation lightened briefly with humor, and Ananke offered them tea, a small but meaningful gesture that Sunny deeply appreciated.^[55]

As they shared the quiet moment, Ananke revealed that the River had recently begun to change, with one of the suns mysteriously disappearing and the nights growing longer. At first, she believed it was simply the world continuing to decay, but she soon realized a new force was responsible. Her tone darkened as she blamed a loathsome bird and its spawn for these unsettling changes, hinting at a new and ominous threat.^[55]

Reveal

Sunny and Nephis realized that the Thieving Bird had remained in the Tomb of Ariel after escaping the Nightmare to build a nest and possibly nurture its fledgling Vile Spawn. Sunny reflected that the Vile Spawn, once a Great Devil egg from the Forgotten Shore, had been destroyed and its shade kept in his soul before being stolen back by the Thieving Bird along with his fate, leading him to wonder if he had unknowingly "brooded" it like a parasitic bird's victim. Ananke explained that a Cursed Terror had taken several of her precious belongings, including a vanity, mirror, cutlery, and a fishing net Memory, in a land where metal was extremely rare. Nephis noted that Sunny had vast amounts of mystical metal in his soul, prompting him to recall how he had plundered an entire city in the Twilight Sea using his army of dead souls and a miniature black hole, storing its compressed metal palace in his Soul Sea.^[56]

Ananke explained that the Thieving Bird was a complete but terrifying Cursed Terror, while its Vile Spawn was far worse because it could grow, steal life itself, and had exterminated powerful beings in the Great River. Sunny realized the Spawn had become a Supreme Devil due to his past actions and revealed he had previously reached the heart of the Estuary in a Nightmare, where the bird nested, and now sought to confront it again.^[57]

Ananke was able to remember what Sunny had told them about the Estuary, while Nephis forgot most of what he had described soon after, since she had known he abandoned her and the cohort to search for it. Later, Sunny and Nephis were left alone in the empty port inside the skull of the Serpent King after Ananke went to prepare the Time Slayer, and they discussed her decision to accompany them against the Thieving Bird and its Vile Spawn, agreeing she was a valuable Supreme ally but also fearing for her survival while accepting she could not be dissuaded from joining due to her role and the impossibility of escaping the Tomb of Ariel safely.^[58]

Sunny then explained that Nephis, as the only one immune to Corruption, would need to enter the first trial of the Estuary alone using Ananke's Ark Amulets to carry him and Ananke inside and later retrieve them, after which the three of them set off aboard the Time Slayer through the empty darkness alongside earlier aid from Azarax. During the journey, Sunny noticed a giant sphere of rough black stone emerging in the void, which felt like calling to him, marking their arrival at the heart of the Estuary.^[58]

Reveal

Sunny, Nephis, and Ananke reached the heart of the Estuary, discovering it to be a colossal, heart-shaped structure made from the remains of an Unholy Titan, where Ariel had once forged the River of Time. Sunny explained that this was where Aletheia sought the truth of how to kill the gods, unknowingly triggering the Doom War and the world's long decline. As they landed on the shifting terrain, Sunny reflected on his past decision to abandon his companions in pursuit of freedom, questioning whether it had been a mistake. Although he felt deep regret, he ultimately reaffirmed that he would still have chosen freedom, even knowing the cost. Now, standing where his fate had once been broken, he prepared to confront the consequences of what had begun in the Estuary.^[59]

They traveled across the heart of the Estuary, passing through remnants of stolen ruins and discarded relics left behind by the Thieving Bird, including the ruined Knowledge Temple of Fallen Grace. They reached the entrance to a colossal tunnel leading into the dead heart of the Unholy Titan, where Sunny and Ananke stopped due to the risk of Corruption while Nephis prepared an Ark Amulet to proceed. After Nephis activated the Verse, Sunny experienced a brief, dreamlike transition and reappeared at a hidden lakeshore within the Estuary. However, he quickly realized that more time had passed than intended, and the air now carried the unsettling scent of ash.^[60]

Sunny, and Ananke emerged from the Ark Amulet into a vast underground cavern where six stolen suns were embedded in the ceiling, revealing that the Vile Thieving Bird had simply taken them to decorate its nest. The surrounding landscape was a scorched wasteland, and Nephis sat silently in a disturbed state, altered by what she had experienced while alone in the tunnel. She revealed that reading the Void's runes had touched her Aspect Legacy, awakening the Knowledge of Corruption and the Knowledge of the Void, leaving her mentally scarred despite not being fully Corrupted. Though Sunny tried to interpret this as a gain in understanding their enemy, Nephis refused to ever share what she had learned, wishing only that she could forget it. The three of them realized they had crossed a forbidden boundary of knowledge similar to what had doomed Aletheia, marking a dangerous point of no return.^[61]

Sunny, Nephis, and Ananke walked across the still lake beneath the scorched cavern of the Estuary, where Nephis explained that her experience inside the tunnel had awakened the "Knowledge of Corruption" within her Aspect Legacy. Ananke reflected on her connection to Weaver and the River People, while Sunny warned her not to trust the Daemon of Fate, revealing that the truth of the world involved the Forgotten God and the six Daemons born from him. As they crossed the lake inscribed with forbidden runes naming these ancient beings, Sunny explained that this knowledge had been erased from reality for a reason and that he himself was tied to it as Weaver's heir. They then entered a jagged stone labyrinth that once formed a time-shifting passage within the Estuary, now rendered static and treacherous. To proceed safely, Sunny used his shadows while Ananke bound them together with silver threads formed from her Aspect, preparing them to navigate the altered maze.^[62]

Sunny headed toward the cliffs and looked at the spot where the Mad Prince had once carved his name into the stone, only to find nothing there because the Mad Prince had been an apparition of the Nightmare and had never escaped into reality. He and his seven incarnations entered the chaotic labyrinth of jagged rocks, where the stone maze proved different from how it had been in the Nightmare, so he spent a long time finding the correct path. Using silver strings to mark their passage, Sunny retraced dead ends and previous routes until he found the way to the inner lake, then returned for Nephis and Ananke and guided them through the maze. As they walked, Sunny told them they would be judged by the Guardian of the Sanctuary once they entered the inner lake, though none of them were Nightmare Creatures and should be fine. He also thought about how the Thieving Bird might have gotten past the Guardian. When they reached the inner lake, they saw countless floating corpses of powerful abominations, including Nightmare Butterflies and leviathans. Sunny then noticed a colossal corpse unlike the others and realized it was the Guardian of the Estuary, dead and destroyed, so he concluded that the real problem was whatever had destroyed the Guardian.^[63]

Sunny and his companions had walked through a grim expanse of floating corpses before reaching a dark mountain tied to Sunny's past in the Nightmare, where he had once confronted a phantom version of himself. He had reflected on that encounter, recalling how he both warned and urged his younger self forward, knowing the hardships required to become who he was. Upon arriving at the mountain—revealed as a sacred grave—Sunny had decided not to enter, choosing instead to lure the Vile Thieving Bird out to avoid disturbing it. The group had prepared for battle on more favorable ground, with Sunny summoning his full strength and army of shadows despite fearing the powerful enemy. Finally, he had provoked the creature by loudly insulting it, successfully drawing a response.^[64]

Reveal

After Sunny provoked the enemy, there was initially no response, but his companions suddenly began suffering—Ananke bled, Nephis ignited with power, and Sunny felt his essence being drained. The Vile Thieving Bird's spawn then appeared, taking on Sunny's likeness and revealing the ability to steal lifeforce, shadow essence, and even mimic others' forms and powers. In the ensuing battle, it unleashed devastating attacks, copied Nephis's flames, and turned Sunny's own Shadow Legion against him by stealing and reanimating his fallen shades. As chaos erupted, Sunny realized he was locked in a brutal struggle where the creature could both take and reuse his power, forcing him to fight his own army while it steadily gained the upper hand.^[65]

Overwhelmed by the stolen Shadow Legion, Sunny and his allies fought back—splitting into multiple incarnations while Nephis, Saint, Slayer, and especially Ananke devastated the shades, with Ananke petrifying and draining them efficiently. Realizing the Vile Spawn was exploiting his own strength against him, Sunny anticipated its move and ambushed it within the shadows, briefly gaining the upper hand. However, the spawn's distress call summoned the true Vile Thieving Bird, which appeared instantly and catastrophically overpowered Sunny, piercing his body and shattering his soul cores. In a desperate gamble, Sunny activated the full power of his Curse to restore himself despite the fatal damage, then seized the moment to counterattack and stab the creature.^[66]

Reveal

Sunny, pierced by the talons of the Vile Thieving Bird yet preserved by the Curse, drove his sword into the Cursed Terror's neck, relying on Serpent's [Slaying Blade] Ability, which allowed him to ignore the will of greater beings and bridge the gap between his own Will and that of the creature. Though the wound itself was not fatal, Sunny used it as a conduit to pour all of his Death Will—fueled by intense hatred and a singular grudge—into the Thieving Bird, attempting to kill it through sheer murderous resolve. Despite sacrificing his mind, body, and soul to create the opportunity, his effort proved insufficient, as the creature's vast and elemental spirit resisted his attack. The Thieving Bird retaliated by crushing his skull, but Sunny restored himself using [Chain], though at an immense cost of essence, especially as it struggled against the overwhelming Will of the Cursed Terror. Realizing the enchantment could not sustain him indefinitely, Sunny continued fighting until shadow tendrils pulled him away. Nephis then unleashed white flames that engulfed the Thieving Bird, but it emerged unscathed, extinguishing the fire and retreating to protect its Vile Spawn, which merged into its shadow. Facing the three Supremes—Sunny, Nephis, and Ananke—the group hesitated, and Sunny ultimately ordered a retreat. As they withdrew, a giant skeletal hand began to rise from the shadows before the Thieving Bird.^[67]

Sunny summoned the Wandering Archon from his soul, draining a vast sea of essence to form the gigantic skeletal deity encased in golden bands. As the Vile Thieving Bird pecked the Archon's black bone, a thunderclap shook Estuary Lake and the clash began. The Archon and the Cursed Terror fought in a catastrophic battle of black feathers and bone shards. Though the Thieving Bird was stronger in rank, it was driven on the defensive—not by fear, but by its obsession with stealing the Archon's golden bands. Sunny realized it was not retreating strategically, but fixated on stripping its enemy.^[68]

Meanwhile, Sunny, Nephis, and Ananke regrouped under the chaos. Nephis healed them, though Sunny remained badly wounded. They concluded they could not face either deity directly, especially with the Shadow Legion losing to the Vile Spawn's stolen shades. Sunny assigned roles: Ananke would destroy the stolen shades and weaken the Thieving Bird, while he and Nephis would strike once the Archon fell. He explained that the Archon would soon be destroyed once its gold was fully stolen. When Nephis asked how they could harm the Thieving Bird after failed attacks, Sunny answered that they would overwhelm its Will through quantity. Nephis would weaken it by speaking the command: "...Lost from Light, I command you to die.."^[68]

Ananke, transformed with a waterfall of poisonous snakes for hair and wielding essence silk threads, joined the battle alongside Saint, Slayer, and the Puppeteer, turning the tide against the Shadow Legion and the Vile Spawn. Meanwhile, Sunny and Nephis waited as his wounds healed and her pain was soothed, preparing to confront the Vile Thieving Bird while watching the Wandering Archon struggle against the Cursed Terror. The Thieving Bird retreated at first but grew increasingly malicious as the Archon's golden power diminished. Before Sunny fully recovered, the Thieving Bird seized the Archon's crown, unleashed a maelstrom of black feathers, and attacked, piercing his chest and stealing something from within his being. The Wandering Archon then grew still and crumbled into black bones, his Memory destroyed, as Sunny and Nephis resolved to attack the Vile Thieving Bird immediately.^[69]

Sunny had refused to be discouraged after losing his sword and hands, realizing the Thieving Bird could now be harmed and killed as its defenses weakened. He had fought recklessly, abandoning his Shell and using his true shadow form to keep the creature's attention while Nephis steadily wounded it. Together, they had worn the Cursed Terror down through relentless attacks, embracing a brutal battle of attrition.^[70]

Sunny had endured the Thieving Bird's relentless assault by forcing himself into battle madness, realizing that its lack of interest in his unshiny nature kept it from using its more dangerous abilities against him. As he and Nephis searched for an opening, their allies joined in a desperate, coordinated attack that briefly weakened the creature. Nephis then unleashed a devastating, all-out flame attack, severely burning the Thieving Bird, but it attempted to escape by diving into the lake. Sunny intercepted it mid-descent, and as he, Nephis, and the creature plunged into the Estuary Lake, the flow of time shattered and carried them away.^[71]

Reveal

Sunny had plunged with the Thieving Bird into the Estuary Lake, where the clash of Nephis's flames and the waters of time shattered both time and space, hurling them into fractured eternity. There, Sunny and Nephis unleashed their true forms and continued battling the Thieving Bird across broken fragments of history, briefly witnessing an uncorrupted Verge before being pulled onward through countless eras in their desperate fight.^[72]

Sunny, Nephis, and the Vile Thieving Bird had continued their brutal battle across fractured time, tearing through countless eras of the Great River as Sunny and Nephis slowly wore down the cursed deity with their combined power and unyielding will. Along the way, they crashed through moments of history—including Aletheia's Tower, the abandoned ruins of Fallen Grace, and the death of a Great Monster—before shattering through reality once more and plunging onward into the light.^[73]

Sunny, Nephis, and the Thieving Bird had emerged into the blinding heat of one of Ariel's seven suns, where the cursed deity crashed through and shattered the celestial orb, nearly destroying Sunny and allowing the bird to steal Nephis's healing flames to rapidly recover. As Sunny struggled to hold on, Nephis unleashed a final strike that nearly severed one of the Thieving Bird's wings, sending it tumbling through another fissure in time with Sunny still attached while she was left behind.^[74]

Sunny had been separated from Nephis and was forced to face the wounded but still terrifying Thieving Bird alone, refusing to flee despite knowing his essence was running out and death was closing in. As they battled through time, they crashed into the ancient fall of Weave—revealing that their fight had caused the legendary destruction witnessed across history—and, realizing he was losing, Sunny desperately attempted to copy the Thieving Bird's power for the first time.^[75]

Sunny realized he was too weak to overpower the Vile Thieving Bird through skill or strategy alone, so he resolved to strengthen his Will by pushing Shadow Dance beyond its limits. He first tried to replicate Slayer's Aspect to sharpen and amplify his Death Will, but failed because he lacked the foundation of her unique nature, forcing him to attempt embodying Serpent's Slaying Blade instead.^[76]

Sunny had channeled the form of Soul Serpent and battled the Vile Thieving Bird through a chaotic time storm, using refined shadow power to steadily weaken it despite both of them being gravely wounded. However, the Thieving Bird had stolen his desire and reason to kill it, leaving him instinctively fighting while both of them continued to die, with Sunny ultimately dying faster despite his efforts.^[77] Despite enduring curses, Supreme-level assaults, Death Will, and Nephis's flame, the Vile Thieving Bird refused to die due to its inexhaustible vitality and deep determination to exist, even after stealing Sunny's desire to kill it and his reasoning, which only destabilized its own will but did not break it. Eventually, Sunny overlaid his intent on survival with a new reason—his desire to return home—and, in the eye of the storm over the still surface of the Great River, he pushed the bird into the reflection of Nether's overwhelming killing intent, which finally drove its endless vitality to its limit.^[78]

The Vile Thieving Bird had finally been broken after enduring multiple curses and attacks, leaving it vulnerable to death for the first time. Sunny, barely alive himself, dragged it into a final struggle and, using Weaver's Mask to seize the nexus of his stolen fate, stabbed through its eye and killed it, reclaiming what the creature had stolen from him.^[79] Sunny finally killed the Vile Thieving Bird and reclaimed his stolen fate, restoring his True Name and reconnecting himself to the Nightmare Spell, which welcomed him back and rewarded him with a Sacred Memory and the bird's shadow. But his triumph turned into horror when the newly gained shadow immediately betrayed him, stealing his Memories, shades, and even a Citadel before vanishing—leaving Sunny devastated as the Spell mockingly announced his losses and revealed he had been tricked one last time.^[80]

Reveal

Sunny forced himself to rise despite his wounds, determined to find Nephis and Ananke and return to the others beyond the Tomb of Ariel. As Nephis's healing flames suddenly mended his body through their Shadow Bond, he searched for a way through the distant fissure but feared becoming lost in eternity. Just as he despaired, he noticed a silver thread tied to his wrist—Ananke's mystical essence silk from the Estuary Lake—guiding him like Ariadne's string through the maze of eternity. Renewed, he ordered Vile to prepare to leave the heart of the Stone Titan and journey into the past, while far away on the Chained Isles, the shift in fate cleared the empty gaps in Cassie's ruined mind as the Spell whispered to her.^[81]

Sunny journeyed through the labyrinth of broken time, guided by Ananke's essence silk and accompanied only by Vile, the spawn of the Thieving Bird, whose growing vocabulary consisted mostly of profanities. Driven by anxiety to find Nephis, he continued retracing his path through dangerous fragments of time until their routes finally crossed in the ruined city of Verge. There, Nephis confronted him about repeatedly leaving her, while Sunny reminded her that she had left him first, and both admitted they had made those choices to protect the other. Acknowledging their shared selfishness and devotion, they reconciled, with Nephis embracing him and thanking him for coming back. Sunny promised never to leave her again, and together they prepared to face the darkness ahead side by side.^[82]

Reveal

Sunny and Nephis briefly rested in Verge before returning to the Estuary, where they reunited with Ananke and discussed their next steps after defeating the Vile Thieving Bird and reclaiming Sunny's fate. They realized that the Great River of Time had died, causing time inside the Tomb of Ariel to slowly synchronize with the outside world, meaning they no longer had unlimited time. Believing that Cassie had sent them there so Sunny could regain his fate, they considered how this might help them defeat Asterion. Their discussion was interrupted when the colossal Night Garden emerged from the Estuary Lake, and a reflection of Mordret appeared to deliver a message from Song of the Fallen: it was time for them to return.^[83]