Sunny observed Klaus with a storm of conflicting emotions flickering in his eyes.
'Hey, bastard! Aren't you supposed to be some kind of mastermind? Evil incarnate, perhaps? Then why, in all the hells, are you playing hide and seek with children?'
Yes, Klaus was indeed playing hide and seek. Worse still—he was cheating. The scoundrel wasn't even hiding properly. He was floating high above in the sky where the kids couldn't see him, only to teleport into a random bush at the last moment and pretend he'd been there all along when they gave up searching.
With a long-suffering sigh, Sunny shadow-stepped, materializing beside a tall tree. From there, he watched as Klaus lay sprawled on the grass, letting the children clamber over him and deliver playful punches. The sight was bizarre—almost comical. Sunny would never have imagined that Klaus of all people had a soft spot for kids. Perhaps… he wasn't entirely monstrous after all.
But the moment of levity ended quickly.
A terrifying Shadowspawn—four-armed and trailing a serpentine tail—slithered toward the group. Klaus noticed it immediately. His gaze sharpened. With a grin full of theatrical bravado, he rose to his feet, a shimmering sword manifesting in his hand.
"Begone, foul abomination! This realm does not welcome you!"
The children burst into laughter, though a few shrank back in fear. Sunny stared blankly at Klaus, unimpressed, his tail flicking lazily through the grass.
"We need to talk," Sunny muttered, his voice flat.
Klaus wagged a finger at him, as if scolding a misbehaving pet. "There shall be no parley with evil! I, the gallant hero of this tale, must first vanquish the Unholy One!"
Sunny's face twitched.
"This bastard… I swear, one more word and I'll gouge out his stupid, pretty eyes. Maybe then he'll learn how to listen like a normal person. Not that I'm a person right now—but still! Damn it!"
He froze.
In his palm, the enchanted amulet glimmered faintly.
Damnation.
He'd spoken those thoughts out loud again. That damned amulet was too effective at giving voice to thoughts that had no business leaving his head.
With an exasperated sigh, Sunny muttered through gritted teeth, "Shut up and follow me."
Klaus sheathed his sword with exaggerated flair. "Fine, fine. Can't even have a bit of fun with the local emo prince."
Sunny glared at him, resisting every violent impulse in his body as he turned away.
Klaus left the children behind and trailed Sunny through a lush garden, where the air was sweet with the scent of blooming flowers. Eventually, they arrived at a stone fountain, where Kai sat sipping a drink under the soft glow of enchanted lanterns.
Sunny and Klaus sat on the grass. Klaus leaned back casually, grinning like a devil with a secret.
"So, what's the occasion?" he asked, stretching. "I mean, I know I'm gorgeous and all, but if you guys are planning to spend the entire day admiring me, that's pretty gay. Please. Being molested sucks."
Kai choked on his drink, coughing violently as juice splattered down his chin. He stared at Klaus—not in shock at the vulgarity, for Klaus was infamous for saying strange, inappropriate things—but because… he wasn't lying. Kai could always tell when someone spoke the truth. It was his flaw.
So... Why the hell does he knows how it feels to be molested!?
Sunny didn't bat an eye. He was used to this by now. He got straight to the point.
"I got scammed. That bastard Noctis played me. But it doesn't matter. My real goal was to forge an alliance with one of the Chain Lords. That's our only shot at defeating this nightmare. The priority now is Effie. Kai and I talked it over. We want your thoughts."
Klaus lit a cigarette, watching the smoke twist upward into the starlit sky.
"Well… things went better than expected. I'm learning from Noctis. I will get Sacred tree saplings and have my own Heart Grove in future, perhaps. I might even build my own flying fleet one day. Captain Jack Sparrow would weep in shame."
Sunny frowned. "Who's Captain Jack?"
Kai chuckled, leaning back. "Old movie character. Bit of a pirate."
Klaus nodded sagely. "Exactly. Sunny, my wonderfully unpleasant friend, one of these days, I'm dragging you to my district. You need to see Earth through my eyes. You know more about the Dream Realm than your own world. I'll educate you, don't worry."
Sunny tilted his head, uncertain of what Klaus meant, but nodded nonetheless. He didn't fully understand—but if it was enjoyable, why not?
With a sigh, Sunny folded two of his arms while resting his chin on a third.
"Anyway, Effie is our first priority."
Kai nodded, though his expression darkened slightly. "What about Cassie?"
Sunny scoffed. "Cassie? She's the last person you need to worry about. She'll be just fine."
Klaus raised an eyebrow, a mischievous smile playing on his lips, though he said nothing.
Sunny narrowed his eyes. "What? You know something?"
Klaus shrugged with exaggerated nonchalance. "Cas will be fine, as you said. My gorgeous darling can handle herself."
Sunny winced at the tone. Kai, on the other hand, looked increasingly puzzled. Then he turned toward Klaus and asked cautiously, "Uh… Klaus, forgive me, but I'm a bit confused about your relationship with Cassie."
Klaus smirked, arms crossed, looking far too smug for anyone's peace of mind.
"Who knows?"
Kai blinked, processing the words, and then flushed red as realization struck. He glanced quickly at Sunny—who looked completely oblivious—then cleared his throat and mumbled awkwardly, "I… see. Congratulations, I guess."
Sunny stared blankly between the two of them. What's wrong with these idiots?
Shaking his head, he focused back on Klaus.
"I'm more worried about our sixth companion. Care to share what you know?"
Klaus's grin widened as he leaned back on the fountain, eyes gleaming with mischief.
"Mordret, huh? What do you want to know?"
Klaus's voice was casual, almost too casual, but Sunny's gaze darkened like a gathering storm. His onyx eyes sharpened, colder than steel, more cutting than any blade.
"Everything."
His voice was low, coiled with quiet menace.
"You left notes scattered across the Chain Isles. You and Mordret led us to the Night Temple, where that bastard was sealed. All just to hand him the mirror shard and help him break free. And you didn't do it for nothing. You two knew each other. Intimately. From what I've gathered, he was imprisoned six years ago. That means you were close long before that."
Kai stayed silent, the outsider to this particular story. But his sharp eyes watched, ears keen. He was curious too.
Klaus didn't respond at first. He leaned back against the edge of the fountain, eyes fixed on the sky as if searching for a memory hidden in the clouds.
"Yes," he finally said, his tone quieter.
"We've known each other since we were boys. Mordret was… like an older brother to me, in a way. My best friend. We spent most of our youth right here in the Chain Isles. We had dreams — to rise above this nightmare, to ascend together."
He exhaled slowly, smoke curling from his nostrils like a dragon resigned to remembering its old wounds.
"But fate had other plans. Clan Valor got in the way. They didn't just interfere… they broke him. They locked a child in a box and expected the man who emerged not to bite."
His eyes turned bitter.
"He's not evil. Not truly. But he is broken. And no one walks out of that kind of torment unchanged."
Sunny processed his words in silence. For a moment, he tried to imagine it — the isolation, the fear, the slow corrosion of sanity. He grimaced. In Mordret's shoes… he might have done worse.
"So," Sunny continued, his voice firmer now, "why did you help him escape?"
Klaus gave a pleasant smile, smoke trailing lazily from his lips.
"Because I made a promise. Not just any promise — a soulbound pact. Our fates are tied. He held up his end, and I… was obligated to fulfill mine."
Sunny's brow furrowed.
"What did he give you?"
Klaus's smile faltered. His tone cooled by a few degrees, polite but edged like a well-honed knife.
"That, dear Sunny, is not something you need to know."
Sunny smirked, leaning back with mockery in his gaze.
"Oh? Hiding something, are we?"
Klaus beamed, too cheerful to be sincere.
"Not really. It's just that if I told you…" He leaned closer, voice dropping into a silken whisper, "I'd have to kill you."
Sunny's smile froze in place.
"Tch. Fine." He folded his arms, tail flicking behind him. "Then tell me about his abilities. Everything you know — and his weaknesses too."
Klaus tossed his cigarette and stood, stretching with theatrical flair.
"Now, now. That would be a breach of contract. If I speak too much about him, he's allowed to do the same. And trust me — if he did that, I wouldn't survive. So no, I can't help you there. And before you start demanding answers like you're owed them—" He pointed a finger. "You're not. I'm sharing this out of the goodness of my heart."
Sunny scowled.
"Prideful bastard."
Klaus chuckled, brushing dust off his coat.
"Guilty as charged. But don't take it personally. You and I — we're different breeds of monster. You take pride in your cowardice, your paranoia, your spite. You wear those flaws like armor. I take pride in… well, my strength. My beauty. My intellect. Much classier sins, if you ask me."
He gave a mock-judgmental glance.
"Just look at yourself. You're practically a walking cautionary tale."
Sunny shot to his feet, twitching with restrained fury.
"So what!? Not everyone gets to be oh so great. I like who I am!"
Klaus gave him a look. A long, sweeping once-over. Then a mischievous grin crept onto his face.
"You're the kind of guy who never lost his virginity because…" He raised an eyebrow.
"…you never lose, huh?"
Sunny opened his mouth to curse, froze, then clamped it shut. He looked at Klaus, then at Kai — who was failing to suppress his laughter, face flushed red and turned away.
Klaus just stood there, grinning like a fox that found the henhouse unlocked.
Sunny sat back down heavily, mumbling to himself in mortified confusion.
"W-what…"