Sunny was broke.
His hard earned soul shards were spent like they were not his.
And worst of all he couldn't stop the man.
Sunny has told him that he'll buy this man a garment memory.
But just seeing the flashy suit, sunny knew his fortune wasn't safe anymore.
He wanted to choose something else, he wanted to haggle...
"I'll take it."
Sunny froze. '...we don't ..even know the price...'
"I also want a illumination memory."
...
'...ok, they are a bit nessesery for someone who can't see in the dark... ..atleast he didn't ask for the best one this time...'
"I'll bring the best one for you, sir..."
Once again he was left soulless.
"Sunny, do you want to buy something?"
'This bastard, why is he is acting like he's the one paying here? ...And after buying all those flashy memories, I'll become poor again. No, i can't let that happen...'
"No, i don't think I can buy anything right now" considering how much only these will cost...
....
"That would be a hundred shards sir....."
'..... Hundred?.... hundred.... hundred?....and he said the ugly looking armour is on the house?....No, this can't be....'
"...Shadow."
Sunny looked at Raine. Who was looking at him like he needs to do something.
Sunny understood what.....but he didn't what to. ...not with his hard earned shards...
But he said... he'll be the one paying....
And not to mention...this man... didn't exactly knew how expensive they were when he chose them....he got the first one the shop owner brought....and he only choose nessesery once....
'I have about one twenty shards, if I pay the hundred that will only leave twenty or so, that's the worst scam of my life...but I have to pay....'
So he placed the whole pouch on the counter.
'..what's the difference if I get scammed for a hundred or one twenty.... it's all the same.... atleast i should look good doing this...' he only looked like a good servent in Stev eyes.
...
"A thousand soul shards? I'll go bring them."
Sunny froze again.
'I won't pay, no, no. I'll leave him, no more team, no nothing...'
'He can pretend to be big shot on his own.'
....
....
"Man, those were good memories...."
"Especially that Suit, it looked like something worn in a high class ball."
"And those cleaning enchantments, they are just soo.... needed in this place."
"Let me try it right now, here... You can take this one back..."
To Sunny's horrors, this man swapped the cloths right there, ...it was a good thing that no one was around memory market.... But Sunny still saw a glimpse everything....
....Because this pervert really wasn't wearing anything underneath.....
.....
"Well, do I look good,..man, I feel like I'm a high class noble, ...still these clothes are flashy and that's not my style... But these cleaning enchantments are worth wearing it, ...Man, I feel like I have taken a fresh bath..."
....
"Hay, Sunny why are you so quite...did you remember your family again?...."
"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOUR HEAD, BASTARD. JUST WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM? DID YOU FELL ON YOUR HEAD WHEN YOU WERE BORN? JUST...." Sunny couldn't even express the behaviour of this madman in words.
"And who told you to buy all thses flashy memories, hah? Did you consider that they was my shards, my hard earned shards which I spent months collecting.."
"Hey, don't be angry, my friend, what use the money have if you don't use it, they are no different then dirt if you just hord it like a dragon...sure it will boost you confidence and that is a powerful thing but...you know what I mean, money should be used when needed."
"And also, I did consider that it was your money... that's why brought you this..."
Raine summoned the broken dirty armour which looked heavy as if made out of stone...
Sunny saw it...
And summoned the midnight shard.
To kill this man.
....
....
....
"You are very hot blooded, you know that? That won't be good for people around you,..you should try to think before you act...maybe try meditation?.."
Sunny was a bit calmer now after seeing the vast weaves underneath the black armour.
It was an ascended memory.
And it was of sixth tier, means something that was from a terror class fallen creature, only one class below a Titan.
But it was unusable currently so that's why sunny was still grumpy.
"Ok, I'll pay you for those memories, ok? No, need to make that face,... Wait, I have an idea....but it needs to be confirmed first....wait for five minutes, I'll have to cheak something...." Raine closed his eyes, leaning against the wall.
He stood there for five minutes, unmoving.
"Ok, this might actually work....so here's the plan..." Raine said as he woke up.
"...."
....
....
....
Sunny moved towards a noisy place.
It was night so the place was full of people.
"No kids allowed, brat." The guard standing on the gates said.
Sunny had kept ten soul shards in his pockets for the case if anything unexpected happen to the pouch.
The castle was full of greedy guards so he prepared just in case.
And now he was glad that he did it.
He handed the guard a soul shard and moved as if he was very familiar with this kind of thing.
The guard didn't stop him anymore.
He got past the guard when .... "If you are cought cheating, the consequences will be severe. At best people lose just some of their fingers. Keep that in mind." The guard warned.
Sunny kept moving as if not bothered by it, which he definitely was.
'Crap, if I get caught, they won't chop my hands will they? ..No, think positive, think positive....I am extremely lucky.... everything will go smoothly.'
He moved and joined a Crowd standing at a big counter.
Everyone was busy placing bets.
Dices were rolling, cards were unfolding, wheels were spinning.
This was a gambling den. The only one that Bright castle had.
...
Sunny joined the crowd to convert his nine remaining soul shards in chips.
"Never seen you before boy, what's your aspect ability?" The men on counter asked as if suspicious.
"Oh, it double my strength when I use it." Sunny told as he flexed his muscles.
"Ok, here your chips, ..just remember cheating will have consequences. ..bad ones." The man warned too.
Sunny didn't show anything on his face.
But inside he was rethinking his life choices.
'If I lose a hand, I'll definitely kill that motherfucker.'
But he still moved toward a table.
The plan was good. Everything was clear. This wouldn't look suspicious at all.
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That's the trick. That's the trick for success.
On first table, Hazard was being played.
As someone who lived in outskirts, sunny was very familiar with all kinds of shady things.
And gambling games were one of them.
He bet all his chips.
With only nine of them nobody paid any mind.
The dice rolled, and stoped at eleven.
Everyone won.
Nothing suspicious.
He got double.
Next turn, the game went to second round.
The acher rolled eight.
Everyone has to match the the number for winning, but nobody was lucky.
Sunny turn came too.
He rolled. The dice stoped at nine.
He lost ten chips.
'That next game will be mine.'
And it was.
That was the plan. The was the key to not look suspicious.
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One for a win, and two for a loss.
This strategy doubled the money at the end.
After losing on the fifth one Sunny said."I think I'll try my luck somewhere else."
He left. Nobody paid any mind.
The next table was the same.
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Double the amount.
Then he moved towards the spinning wheel.
He placed his money on 2x section.
Nothing suspicious.
The wheel moved.
The ball stopped in sunny faver.
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He left to the next one.
The table with cards.
This was the place to earned big.
Only the amount you have were the limit.
Sunny sat down.
His opponent was a fierce man.
Cards were distributed.
Three cards.
Both parties picked up their cards.
Sunny felt a crawling senction on his left side.
Left.
That means lose.
He folded soon.
The next time crawling came from his right side.
'A win.'
He kept raising.
And he won.
He moved to the Hazard again.
And repeated.
He was enjoying. Winning brought the ultimate joy. It brought dopamine. Something to get addicted to.
He was enjoying too much.
Nobody paid attention.
But at the last card game, no crawling sensation came.
Sunny got afraid.
'Why isn't that Basterd telling me..... don't tell me he left?' Sunny thought as he picked up the cards.
'Ok, this is the last game. I have enough so i should fold soon.'
But he didn't.
'If that Basterd can do it so can I.'
He move his shadow. He saw the opponent's cards.
He won.
'Let's go. I have enough to buy memories for Saint, and I won't give that Basterd anything. He even left me in the end.' Sunny thought.
He was going towards the counter.
To exchange the chips.
'They will be about five hundred or something.'
"You cheated, didn't you?" A small petite women with short black hair stopped him.
"...Yes."
"Don't deny you bastard, I saw your shadow- ..wait, did you say yes?"
"...Yes." sunny was forced to tell the truth again.
The women became quite. Nobody spoke.
"....Why would you admit that so easily? Is there something wrong with your head or what?" The women asked, confusion on her face.
"... It's .... it's my ..flaw. ...I can't lie." Sunny said in crying voice.
Laughter....loud laughter came from the women.
Everyone turned to them.
"What luck,....you really are a ..... special case. ...come with me... I'm the owner of this place." The women, Aiko said as she moved toward a room.
...
Sunny followed. He was forced to follow.
There were many guards standing around the place.
He couldn't try to run away.
So he entered the room.
The room was dark. ....But sunny could still clearly see....the bloody cleaver placed in the dark corner.
He was scared shitless.
'No, No, no, I don't wanna lose my hands, how will I eat, how will I...,No, don't think about it. ... think of a way... Think ..think..'
"Hay,.... How about we settle it another way, you know, like civilized people should, no need for violence or anything...."
Aiko showed him her teeths. "You really are a special case, aren't you? Oh, what a honest cheater! I wouldn't have noticed if i wasn't watching you closely....but then I saw you shadow move and bam...here we are."
Sunny cursed himself in his mind. If only he haven't done that he would have walked away.
But no.
"My friend, don't do anything rackless. Patience is the key to success, and greed is the cause of doom." He remembered the advice he was given before he came.
Think, think,
"Don't, worry. I won't do anything to you." The women said.
Hah...?
"I just....pity you, you know. Poor soul, who can't even lie... that's just worst, how do you manage to live like that...do you live away from civilization or what?" The women didn't know that her guess was actually very close to the truth.
"Ok, you can leave,... just drop all that money.....also all your memories too."
Sunny froze.
He couldn't move.
He couldn't believe it.
He didn't want to believe it.
He was screwed, royally screwed.
...no, there must be a way out...
"Please, I beg you, I won't set foot in this place ever again, please, I won't be able to survive without my memories, I will die...I will die without them..."
The women thought for a moment.
'....There's still hope...'
"Ok, I'll leave you your sword, and that nice armour you are wearing too...that should be enough to survive, right?"
Sunny couldn't deny. He just nodded.
And so...
He placed all his memories on the table...
Everything.
"You are not hiding anything, are you? Wait...Say that out loud that I don't have any memories on me except that sword and armour." The women said.
"I only have a water bottle, everything else is in front of you." Sunny said with a pained voice.
"Ok, now get out. If I see you again, I'll chop your....Wait...." The women thought something.
"You can get your memories back..."
"Really, thank you...you are so sweet..."
Sunny moved forward.
".....If you work for me." The women continued.
"If you work for the gambling house, you can have them back ....we need a talented person like you to ....you know keep the profit in the house ... we'll even pay you, how does that sound?" The women asked.
Sunny froze. He looked at the precious memories in front of him. He looked at silver bell... His very first memory...he looked at the ordinary rock....he looked at prawling thorn... everything was there..even that stealthy dagger he recieved from that Basterd....
"Sorry, but I can't work for you...." Sunny said turning around from his memories with a heavy heart.
"Suit yourself, go, soooo... leaves. And never show your face to me ...or..."
Sunny moved towards exit.
"Wait ..."
Sunny turned around, a flicker of hope again igniting in his heart.
'I knew she wouldn't be this cruel...'
"You can take that ugly garbage with you..."
....
Sunny walked towards the room Raine was sleeping in ....
His eyes looked bloodshot.
He had Midnight shard in has hands.