[1/2 Prince x Legend of Sun Knight] fic: Invincible, that is the Legend - Chapter 9
Title: Invincible, that is the Legend - Chapter 9
Fandom: 1/2 Prince x The Legend of Sun Knight
Words: 3,823
Summary: On their way to finish the Dictator, the Execution Squad's "invincible battleship" crashes, separating everyone, landing them on foreign soil in the LSK world. "Who are you?" "...Sunshine?"
Notes: I've been sitting on this chapter. It's been written for quite some time, but other stuff needed to happen first. So yeah, I haven't actually written anything this week, oops. Going to poke at Bittersweet next before returning to this fic!
Previous chapter: Invincible Direction Sense, or Lack Thereof. In Another Story, We Would Have Met Sun by Now, But This Is Not That Story
Chapter 9: Invincible Curiosity, Insatiable
While many of his companions had found or were with at least one familiar being from their world, Sunshine had yet to come upon anyone he knew. Or anyone at all, in fact. He did appreciate the birds though. It was too bad they couldn't answer his questions, but that didn’t stop him from chatting with them.
He tilted his head, hands splayed next to his crossed legs, fingers rubbing across the soft fibers of his flying carpet as he studied the sky around him, endless blue as far as his eye could see. He could never get tired of admiring the sky, of feeling the sun shining down on his skin, warming him to his very fingertips. Of the varying skies Sunshine had laid eyes upon since leaving the cave that had been his entire world, he loved fair skies the best; when there was not a cloud in sight, that was when the sun would shine the brightest.
He breathed in deeply, a content sigh escaping from his lips.
Wherever this place was, it wasn't Second Life, but it was just as beautiful, if not more. The air was sweet and crisp at his current altitude, the breeze soft like a caress. Sunshine had always yearned to see the sky with his own eyes, to feel actual wind blowing through his hair. Although he had always tried to imagine what the outside world would be like, his imagination hadn't been anything close to experiencing the real thing.
Stepping outside of the cave that had been his entire world had dazzled him and left him in awe. He’d wanted to learn and experience everything in the wide, new world he’d stepped into. Now, he was experiencing it all over again. This wasn’t Second Life. This was another world altogether, and in this world, he was just as real as everyone else. He could feel it, that extra 1% of realism that had always been beyond his grasp. It wasn't much, the difference was so minute, but he could feel it.
More than that, however, was the pain. Fairsky had told him that the degree of pain in Second Life, set at 30%, was high for a game. Sunshine hadn't known how muted that actually was though, not until he had accidentally pricked his finger here in this different world and felt acute pain blossoming, pain like he had never ever felt before.
Everything here was so much more intense.
Is this what Fairsky always experiences?
When he’d thought the cave to be his entire world, he’d dreamed of the world outside. Then, he’d thought Second Life to be his entire world, and he had been satisfied even though he’d known he had only exchanged his cave for another form of confinement. There was a world outside of Second Life, but it wasn’t one he would experience. He hadn’t spent too much time regretting it; he’d loved Second Life and had not wanted for more. He only regretted that he couldn’t follow Fairsky out into her world.
Never did he ever imagine that there would be a world outside of both his and Fairsky’s. Just how vast and amazing was the universe? Would he ever get to experience it all?
Sunshine smiled, tilting his head upwards, feeling the warm beams of sunlight hitting his chin and neck.
After rolling his neck, he returned to searching for his companions. Somewhere out there, Fairsky must be searching for him too. He could not wait to tell her what he was currently feeling and experiencing.
Days passed while Sunshine searched.
He peered down over the edge of his flying carpet, hoping to come across Fairsky before she grew too lonely.
The truth was, Sunshine was starting to feel a little lonely himself. It was not a feeling he liked and was certainly not a feeling he wanted Fairsky to feel. He was still enjoying his new experience greatly, but he missed Fairsky and her liveliness, and he worried for her safety, as well as the safety of the rest of his companions.
Were they stranded alone, like him?
Despite flying over a mountain range and then a forest, Sunshine still hadn’t come across anyone. The landforms below him and the sky around him were beautiful, but the silence was beginning to make him fidget.
He had truly gotten spoiled by the liveliness that came with living at Infinite City so much that he could no longer stand prolonged periods of solitude.
Even when he had been isolated in his cave, he’d had Kenshin with him then. The degree of conversation he had held with Kenshin was not much different from his current, one person conversations, as Kenshin had always listened quietly while Sunshine chattered away, talking enough for both of them, but Sunshine had never known loneliness during those times.
Now that he thought about it, this was perhaps the first time he didn’t know Kenshin’s whereabouts. Even when players they knew logged off and left for a world neither he nor Kenshin could follow into, Kenshin had always remained easily accessible. Although they'd grown apart ever since leaving the cave, their world widening so that it was no longer just the two of them, Sunshine had always felt safe and at ease, knowing that Kenshin would always be there for him.
He missed Kenshin a lot.
Sunshine picked at the threads of his flying carpet, eyes roaming the lands below him.
Since he had been staring so intently, he immediately noticed when two people suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He blinked. Then he blinked again to make sure. They were still there in the distance. Sunshine was fairly sure they hadn’t been there before.
Were they players who had just logged on? Was that how things even worked here? How else would these two have appeared out of nowhere?
Perking up, Sunshine immediately lowered his carpet to fly closer to the duo, eager to finally have someone to talk with. Not once did he even hesitate to think that it might not be a good idea to approach strangers who had just appeared out of nowhere without studying them first. He was too happy that he'd finally come across other people, but even if that hadn't been the case, Sunshine was never one to be overly suspicious of others.
As he flew closer on his flying carpet, he was able to make out the appearances of the two people who had appeared. One was a young woman dressed in a mage’s outfit. The other was a handsome man clad in dark armor. Sunshine could also make out their voices now, their words gradually becoming comprehensible.
“That had been close. This should be far enough, Alice,” the man said.
So her name is Alice! thought Sunshine. What a pretty name.
“Are you sure? They're going to catch up again soon. Once more. We have a few scrolls left. We can put greater distance between them and us.”
“But I don’t want you to tire yourself out.”
“Eagle, I’m not tired at all. I will never be tired as long as you’re with me.”
"How about just a short rest?"
"Just a short one then."
Sunshine found a smile coming over his face. Alice and the man, whose name seemed to be Eagle, reminded him of Fairsky and himself; as long as Fairsky was around, Sunshine did not ever feel tired.
“Someone’s there!” Alice cried out in sudden alarm. She pulled out a scroll from her sleeves and grabbed Eagle.
Sunshine blinked, about to look behind him, but he paused. Oh, does she mean me? In that case...
“Hello-” he started to say while urging his carpet closer, but before he could even finish his greeting, Alice and Eagle both vanished, just as suddenly as they had appeared, a slight breeze the only indicator of their departure.
Startled, Sunshine quickly flew closer, dismounting in the spot where they had been not a moment before. He glanced around and even looked behind one of the logs, but there was no trace of the duo to be found.
“I wonder if they logged off?” Sunshine said to no one in particular even though he suspected that something else was probably going on, another mechanic that he didn't understand. “I was hoping they would answer my questions...”
Dejected, Sunshine hopped back onto his flying carpet to continue his search. He wasn’t going to let this set him back though. There was a positive side to this encounter: he’d come across people -- that meant that this world was populated after all, and wasn’t home to just birds!
After spotting the duo, Sunshine didn’t come across anyone else, not even the people who were possibly pursuing Alice and Eagle. Maybe I'm traveling in just the opposite direction?
From what he had heard of their conversation, he understood that they were being followed. It was no wonder they were so wary.
He thought he spotted them again at one point, but either he saw incorrectly, or they vanished again before he could reach them. Sunshine landed in the empty clearing and looked up at the clear sky through the trees. He had never felt so lonely before. They had been so close, yet so far. Their teasing proximity that danced just out of reach made it all the more unbearable.
I wish I could talk with them, but maybe they don't want to talk with me.
Crestfallen, Sunshine decided not to force the issue. He flew a ways ahead and stopped keeping an eye out for the duo.
Perhaps it was because he had stopped looking for them that Sunshine was able to meet them again. Just as he was about to settle down for the evening and had started looking for a place to land, the same duo suddenly appeared right in his vicinity with a burst of wind.
Immediately, Sunshine brought his flying carpet closer to eye level with them and blurted, “Hello, I’m Sunshine!” He didn’t want to miss the opportunity of speaking with them again. What if they vanished once more?
Both were visibly startled. Alice flinched, and Eagle drew his sword. The scroll Alice held fumbled out of her hand. Sunshine really hadn't meant to startle them.
“Who are you?” Eagle questioned, moving to stand protectively in front of Alice while she bent to pick up her scroll.
“...Sunshine?” Sunshine offered again. He had just introduced himself, but maybe Eagle hadn't heard him clearly.
Alice murmured, “Eagle, he’s not one of our pursuers, but..."
"I'm not," Sunshine nodded, agreeing with what Alice had said even though he didn't know what Alice planned to follow that "but" with. Eagle, however, seemed to know what she had wanted to say.
After exchanging a glance with Alice, Eagle asked, "Why are you here on the surface?" He kept his sword trained on Sunshine.
Sunshine nibbled on his lips, not quite sure what Eagle meant by "surface." Is there an underground world here too? "I'm kind of lost?"
Despite what he had admitted, Eagle and Alice were still looking at him in suspicion. Alice was even starting to recite her magic.
"Dark elf, lost or not, your presence on the surface is not welcome. What are you planning? Why have so many of you come to the surface?" Eagle demanded.
"Eh?" Sunshine blinked. He looked behind him. Dark elf? Where is there a dark elf? After looking around, Sunshine could only conclude that Eagle had meant him. Sunshine blinked again and pointed at himself. "You don't mean me, do you?"
"...Who else is there?"
Sunshine swept his hair aside to more clearly reveal his round ears even though they had been out in the open the entire time. "I'm not a dark elf though?"
Eagle's eyes widened ever so slightly. It was not much of a change in expression, but Sunshine had had plenty of experience with Kenshin. Eagle's eyes carefully roamed over Sunshine. It was apparent that he had not immediately taken notice of Sunshine's ears. "So you are not," Eagle said. "What are you?"
An NPC pet, thought Sunshine. But is that all there is to me? To Fairsky, I'm most definitely...
"Human," Sunshine answered with a smile.
"With white hair and dark skin like yours, how can you be human?" Eagle said. It was like he was stating a fact, an undeniable truth. He was not asking for an answer, but Sunshine didn't take his question that way. He thought long and hard.
Sunshine touched his hair, silvery strands slipping through his fingers. It was not completely white, not like Prince's or Wicked's -- there was a slight tint of purple to it -- but it did contrast a lot with his skin. "My hair and skin don't make me human? What does one's appearance have to do with whether someone is human or not?"
What makes a human? Am I not one? Is it because I am merely code in the end?
"You must be at least half dark elf with an appearance like yours," Eagle concluded.
"Half dark elf? How would that work? Why would I need to be half dark elf to have my appearance?" Sunshine asked, curious.
It was perhaps Sunshine's curiosity that had Eagle and Alice sharing another look. Eagle was the one who explained, "Children inherit their parents' looks. One of your parents must have had white hair and dark skin, or else you would not look this way. The only race that has white hair and dark skin is the dark elves."
"Is that so?" wondered Sunshine. Perhaps that is so in this world. But I am merely code. I have no parents. My looks were set by the game designers so that I would look like an Arabian prince...
Sunshine frowned. "I don't have parents..." But no, that was not quite right. Weren't the game designers his parents? Or was Long Dian, the one who had fabricated his current existence, his parent?
He played with the soft fibers of his flying carpet and decided to amend his words. "I don't know who my parents are, but regardless, I don't see why that should matter. Why are dark elves not welcome?"
A light crease appeared between Eagle's brows. "Are you trying to argue in favor of the dark elves? All humans know that dark elves are evil creatures. They are irredeemable."
How can there be a race born evil? Sunshine wondered. What makes one evil? Are Kenshin and I "evil," since we were designed to be bosses for players to triumph against?
"It is in their nature," Alice added to Eagle's explanation. "Is it in your nature?"
"That I do not know," Sunshine answered, never one to lie. He furrowed his brows, deep in thought. "What does evil entail? What makes one evil? Who gets to decide?"
Is the Dictator of Life evil? Is that why we must defeat him?
"Are you seriously asking us that? I never thought we would be asked such questions regarding the nature of evilness while trying to elope," Alice complained and crossed her arms. "I did not run away to answer such questions..."
Sunshine's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed, "You are eloping? Truly? I have heard about 'eloping' from Fairsky before, but to see it happen! You must be in so much love with each other! Oh, but you had to elope? Does that mean your union was met with disapproval? I am so very sorry..."
Alice and Eagle shared another look. Then, Alice turned and covered her mouth with her hand, a sound that Sunshine thought might be laughter escaping from her lips. Eagle coughed, as if he was trying to muffle his own mirth.
Sunshine thought that something he said must have set them off, but he didn't mind -- laughter was a good sign. He felt his mood lift, a wide smile coming over his face. "I'm so happy for you two!"
Eagle coughed again. He lowered his sword and said. "I believe you are not evil."
Alice nodded as well.
Sunshine smiled brightly. "Will you listen to my story, and will you tell me yours?"
Sunshine stayed with the couple for several days. During the evenings, Sunshine would tell his story. Not all of it, but enough so that Alice and Eagle would understand that he was not of this world, and that he had been separated from his companions, including Fairsky. They talked about other things too, like how magic worked, and Sunshine even got to practice Alice's brand of magic. Sunshine found everything to be new and fascinating.
Alice and Eagle depended on scrolls for a type of magic called "teleportation," instant movement across places. Teleportation could also be done without scrolls, something Alice was still trying to learn. Sunshine had never attempted such magic before, but Alice assured him that he had the aptitude for it. His flying carpet was an indication of his affinity with wind magic, as she could tell that it was his magic that kept the flying carpet afloat. He didn't think of his magic in her terms, but it was true that he knew wind magic spells.
As they talked, Eagle gazed at him across the fire, the tendrils of flames casting flickering shadows across the ground between them. "I advise you not to champion rights for dark elves. With your appearance, it would do you no favors."
Sunshine blinked.
"Your world is very strange," Sunshine murmured, "for there to be such a divide between humans and dark elves. Where I am from, things are not so. Although I am not a dark elf, I also do not find dark elves to be evil. The dark elf that I know is very kind."
Sunshine thought of Wicked. Perhaps the ways of Second Life did not apply here -- Wicked was not truly a dark elf after all. He was a player, a normal human outside of Second Life. But Second Life was Sunshine's entire world. It was all he knew.
Wicked, despite his name, was very kind. It was true that he was normally stoic, but Sunshine knew Wicked could be gentle. It happened most often in Prince's presence, but Sunshine had also received Wicked's kindness before, such as when Wicked would patiently answer curiosities Sunshine had. Sunshine was sure others had also been the recipient of Wicked's kindness before.
"You cannot base an entire race's nature on a single entity," Eagle said. "Perhaps the dark elf you know is kind. That does not mean the rest of his people are the same."
"Perhaps you are right," Sunshine said, "or perhaps you will change your mind if you were to meet my friend. He might not be indicative of his entire race, but you will find that dark elves can be kind too. At least from where I am from."
"How exactly did you end up here?"
"Well, you see, we were riding AnRui..."
Although Sunshine's explanation confused Alice and Eagle more than it enlightened them, Eagle managed to make some sense of the story.
"A whirlpool?" Eagle murmured. "It must be a warp of some kind." Realization dawned in his eyes as he spoke. "Your passage must have been the trigger..."
The trigger? Of what? wondered Sunshine.
"Eagle, what is it?" asked Alice. She placed a hand on his arm.
Eagle shook his head. "I'm sorry, Alice. I had no plans on going back so soon, but Sunshine has just shed new light on a matter I need to investigate."
Alice bit her lips. "Then what about me? Didn't you leave because the Cathedral would not recognize us? Are you going back to your duties?"
"I..."
Before Eagle could answer, Alice made a noise. She pulled out a small box and gripped it tightly. "They've caught up with us."
"How close?" Eagle asked.
"Very close. You remember that we purposely..." Alice trailed off.
"Yes, I remember. I will go and distract them," Eagle murmured.
"What is going on?" asked Sunshine.
"Our pursuers have caught up with us. Eagle will go and distract them," Alice said.
Immediately, Sunshine shook his head. "No, you should leave together. I will hold them off."
Alice and Eagle shared a troubled look.
"Why do so much for us?" asked Alice, confused.
"There is no reason for me not to, and truthfully, the two of you remind me of Fairsky and myself. It pains me to be separated from her. I would not see that happen to the two of you."
Before the couple could respond, Sunshine had already ascended into the air and shot off. He had his flying carpet, and he was not exactly a weak mage and was even beginning to understand the wind magic of this world. He refused to see two lovers like Alice and Eagle get chased down, forced to part. That would depress Sunshine even more than never getting to be their friend.
Eagle called out. "Sunshine, wait! You don't have to do this..."
Sunshine smiled. "Stay safe. If you happen across Fairsky before I do, please let her know that I am always thinking of her."
"Tell her yourself!" Alice yelled after him without any of Eagle's misgivings. "You better come back in one piece!"
What Sunshine did not know was that Eagle and Alice had purposefully teleported near their pursuers so that Eagle could show up in front of them and lead them on a merry chase. They had not predicted that they would run into Sunshine, or that he would offer to "distract" their pursuers for them, throwing off their plans. It was not ideal to let Sunshine go in Eagle's place, but it was perhaps not a bad turn of events either for the couple. If their pursuers had not believed that Alice had been "kidnapped," they would definitely believe it now.
The only problem was that Sunshine looked somewhat like a dark elf. It was highly possible that their pursuers would shoot first and ask questions later. Sunshine paid no heed to this possibility. His only thought was to buy Eagle and Alice enough time to make their escape.
After parting, Sunshine hurriedly flew in the direction of the pursuers. If Eagle had been the one to "distract" the pursuers, he would have teleported instantly to their side and would have met an "assassin" dressed in a black, skin-tight leotard, an assassin who blended right into the night with his long, dark tresses.
Sunshine, however, did not teleport. He met the squad halfway after their lone night-watcher had alerted the rest of the squad to his presence.
The odds were not good for a solitary mage facing a squad that could even slay a dragon, but Sunshine's goal was not to triumph. He merely wanted to delay them, and he had had plenty of time to recite his spell before he reached them.
"Guided Arcane Missiles!" Sunshine shouted once he broke into their view, magic striking the trees before him. The tree trunks cracked and fell before the pursuers' path. A strong man and an ax-wielding woman in the group were both holding up crooked trees so that they would not fall on one of their comrades, the priest of the group.
Suddenly, an arrow flew out at Sunshine. He dodged, attention drawn to the archer. Next to the archer was a blond man with eyes the color of the sky that Sunshine so very much admired. Sky blue eyes stared up at Sunshine calculatingly, but Sunshine could not let that deter him.
Sunshine recited his magic once more. I won't let you separate Alice and Eagle!
to be continued
I loved writing Sunshine. <3333 One more 1/2 Prince character revealed! Now, where are all the rest, hm? XD
Next chapter: Invincible Flying Leaves. Even Leaves can be Deadly in the Hands of an Assassin
Fandom: 1/2 Prince x The Legend of Sun Knight
Words: 3,823
Summary: On their way to finish the Dictator, the Execution Squad's "invincible battleship" crashes, separating everyone, landing them on foreign soil in the LSK world. "Who are you?" "...Sunshine?"
Notes: I've been sitting on this chapter. It's been written for quite some time, but other stuff needed to happen first. So yeah, I haven't actually written anything this week, oops. Going to poke at Bittersweet next before returning to this fic!
Previous chapter: Invincible Direction Sense, or Lack Thereof. In Another Story, We Would Have Met Sun by Now, But This Is Not That Story
Chapter 9: Invincible Curiosity, Insatiable
While many of his companions had found or were with at least one familiar being from their world, Sunshine had yet to come upon anyone he knew. Or anyone at all, in fact. He did appreciate the birds though. It was too bad they couldn't answer his questions, but that didn’t stop him from chatting with them.
He tilted his head, hands splayed next to his crossed legs, fingers rubbing across the soft fibers of his flying carpet as he studied the sky around him, endless blue as far as his eye could see. He could never get tired of admiring the sky, of feeling the sun shining down on his skin, warming him to his very fingertips. Of the varying skies Sunshine had laid eyes upon since leaving the cave that had been his entire world, he loved fair skies the best; when there was not a cloud in sight, that was when the sun would shine the brightest.
He breathed in deeply, a content sigh escaping from his lips.
Wherever this place was, it wasn't Second Life, but it was just as beautiful, if not more. The air was sweet and crisp at his current altitude, the breeze soft like a caress. Sunshine had always yearned to see the sky with his own eyes, to feel actual wind blowing through his hair. Although he had always tried to imagine what the outside world would be like, his imagination hadn't been anything close to experiencing the real thing.
Stepping outside of the cave that had been his entire world had dazzled him and left him in awe. He’d wanted to learn and experience everything in the wide, new world he’d stepped into. Now, he was experiencing it all over again. This wasn’t Second Life. This was another world altogether, and in this world, he was just as real as everyone else. He could feel it, that extra 1% of realism that had always been beyond his grasp. It wasn't much, the difference was so minute, but he could feel it.
More than that, however, was the pain. Fairsky had told him that the degree of pain in Second Life, set at 30%, was high for a game. Sunshine hadn't known how muted that actually was though, not until he had accidentally pricked his finger here in this different world and felt acute pain blossoming, pain like he had never ever felt before.
Everything here was so much more intense.
Is this what Fairsky always experiences?
When he’d thought the cave to be his entire world, he’d dreamed of the world outside. Then, he’d thought Second Life to be his entire world, and he had been satisfied even though he’d known he had only exchanged his cave for another form of confinement. There was a world outside of Second Life, but it wasn’t one he would experience. He hadn’t spent too much time regretting it; he’d loved Second Life and had not wanted for more. He only regretted that he couldn’t follow Fairsky out into her world.
Never did he ever imagine that there would be a world outside of both his and Fairsky’s. Just how vast and amazing was the universe? Would he ever get to experience it all?
Sunshine smiled, tilting his head upwards, feeling the warm beams of sunlight hitting his chin and neck.
After rolling his neck, he returned to searching for his companions. Somewhere out there, Fairsky must be searching for him too. He could not wait to tell her what he was currently feeling and experiencing.
Days passed while Sunshine searched.
He peered down over the edge of his flying carpet, hoping to come across Fairsky before she grew too lonely.
The truth was, Sunshine was starting to feel a little lonely himself. It was not a feeling he liked and was certainly not a feeling he wanted Fairsky to feel. He was still enjoying his new experience greatly, but he missed Fairsky and her liveliness, and he worried for her safety, as well as the safety of the rest of his companions.
Were they stranded alone, like him?
Despite flying over a mountain range and then a forest, Sunshine still hadn’t come across anyone. The landforms below him and the sky around him were beautiful, but the silence was beginning to make him fidget.
He had truly gotten spoiled by the liveliness that came with living at Infinite City so much that he could no longer stand prolonged periods of solitude.
Even when he had been isolated in his cave, he’d had Kenshin with him then. The degree of conversation he had held with Kenshin was not much different from his current, one person conversations, as Kenshin had always listened quietly while Sunshine chattered away, talking enough for both of them, but Sunshine had never known loneliness during those times.
Now that he thought about it, this was perhaps the first time he didn’t know Kenshin’s whereabouts. Even when players they knew logged off and left for a world neither he nor Kenshin could follow into, Kenshin had always remained easily accessible. Although they'd grown apart ever since leaving the cave, their world widening so that it was no longer just the two of them, Sunshine had always felt safe and at ease, knowing that Kenshin would always be there for him.
He missed Kenshin a lot.
Sunshine picked at the threads of his flying carpet, eyes roaming the lands below him.
Since he had been staring so intently, he immediately noticed when two people suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He blinked. Then he blinked again to make sure. They were still there in the distance. Sunshine was fairly sure they hadn’t been there before.
Were they players who had just logged on? Was that how things even worked here? How else would these two have appeared out of nowhere?
Perking up, Sunshine immediately lowered his carpet to fly closer to the duo, eager to finally have someone to talk with. Not once did he even hesitate to think that it might not be a good idea to approach strangers who had just appeared out of nowhere without studying them first. He was too happy that he'd finally come across other people, but even if that hadn't been the case, Sunshine was never one to be overly suspicious of others.
As he flew closer on his flying carpet, he was able to make out the appearances of the two people who had appeared. One was a young woman dressed in a mage’s outfit. The other was a handsome man clad in dark armor. Sunshine could also make out their voices now, their words gradually becoming comprehensible.
“That had been close. This should be far enough, Alice,” the man said.
So her name is Alice! thought Sunshine. What a pretty name.
“Are you sure? They're going to catch up again soon. Once more. We have a few scrolls left. We can put greater distance between them and us.”
“But I don’t want you to tire yourself out.”
“Eagle, I’m not tired at all. I will never be tired as long as you’re with me.”
"How about just a short rest?"
"Just a short one then."
Sunshine found a smile coming over his face. Alice and the man, whose name seemed to be Eagle, reminded him of Fairsky and himself; as long as Fairsky was around, Sunshine did not ever feel tired.
“Someone’s there!” Alice cried out in sudden alarm. She pulled out a scroll from her sleeves and grabbed Eagle.
Sunshine blinked, about to look behind him, but he paused. Oh, does she mean me? In that case...
“Hello-” he started to say while urging his carpet closer, but before he could even finish his greeting, Alice and Eagle both vanished, just as suddenly as they had appeared, a slight breeze the only indicator of their departure.
Startled, Sunshine quickly flew closer, dismounting in the spot where they had been not a moment before. He glanced around and even looked behind one of the logs, but there was no trace of the duo to be found.
“I wonder if they logged off?” Sunshine said to no one in particular even though he suspected that something else was probably going on, another mechanic that he didn't understand. “I was hoping they would answer my questions...”
Dejected, Sunshine hopped back onto his flying carpet to continue his search. He wasn’t going to let this set him back though. There was a positive side to this encounter: he’d come across people -- that meant that this world was populated after all, and wasn’t home to just birds!
After spotting the duo, Sunshine didn’t come across anyone else, not even the people who were possibly pursuing Alice and Eagle. Maybe I'm traveling in just the opposite direction?
From what he had heard of their conversation, he understood that they were being followed. It was no wonder they were so wary.
He thought he spotted them again at one point, but either he saw incorrectly, or they vanished again before he could reach them. Sunshine landed in the empty clearing and looked up at the clear sky through the trees. He had never felt so lonely before. They had been so close, yet so far. Their teasing proximity that danced just out of reach made it all the more unbearable.
I wish I could talk with them, but maybe they don't want to talk with me.
Crestfallen, Sunshine decided not to force the issue. He flew a ways ahead and stopped keeping an eye out for the duo.
Perhaps it was because he had stopped looking for them that Sunshine was able to meet them again. Just as he was about to settle down for the evening and had started looking for a place to land, the same duo suddenly appeared right in his vicinity with a burst of wind.
Immediately, Sunshine brought his flying carpet closer to eye level with them and blurted, “Hello, I’m Sunshine!” He didn’t want to miss the opportunity of speaking with them again. What if they vanished once more?
Both were visibly startled. Alice flinched, and Eagle drew his sword. The scroll Alice held fumbled out of her hand. Sunshine really hadn't meant to startle them.
“Who are you?” Eagle questioned, moving to stand protectively in front of Alice while she bent to pick up her scroll.
“...Sunshine?” Sunshine offered again. He had just introduced himself, but maybe Eagle hadn't heard him clearly.
Alice murmured, “Eagle, he’s not one of our pursuers, but..."
"I'm not," Sunshine nodded, agreeing with what Alice had said even though he didn't know what Alice planned to follow that "but" with. Eagle, however, seemed to know what she had wanted to say.
After exchanging a glance with Alice, Eagle asked, "Why are you here on the surface?" He kept his sword trained on Sunshine.
Sunshine nibbled on his lips, not quite sure what Eagle meant by "surface." Is there an underground world here too? "I'm kind of lost?"
Despite what he had admitted, Eagle and Alice were still looking at him in suspicion. Alice was even starting to recite her magic.
"Dark elf, lost or not, your presence on the surface is not welcome. What are you planning? Why have so many of you come to the surface?" Eagle demanded.
"Eh?" Sunshine blinked. He looked behind him. Dark elf? Where is there a dark elf? After looking around, Sunshine could only conclude that Eagle had meant him. Sunshine blinked again and pointed at himself. "You don't mean me, do you?"
"...Who else is there?"
Sunshine swept his hair aside to more clearly reveal his round ears even though they had been out in the open the entire time. "I'm not a dark elf though?"
Eagle's eyes widened ever so slightly. It was not much of a change in expression, but Sunshine had had plenty of experience with Kenshin. Eagle's eyes carefully roamed over Sunshine. It was apparent that he had not immediately taken notice of Sunshine's ears. "So you are not," Eagle said. "What are you?"
An NPC pet, thought Sunshine. But is that all there is to me? To Fairsky, I'm most definitely...
"Human," Sunshine answered with a smile.
"With white hair and dark skin like yours, how can you be human?" Eagle said. It was like he was stating a fact, an undeniable truth. He was not asking for an answer, but Sunshine didn't take his question that way. He thought long and hard.
Sunshine touched his hair, silvery strands slipping through his fingers. It was not completely white, not like Prince's or Wicked's -- there was a slight tint of purple to it -- but it did contrast a lot with his skin. "My hair and skin don't make me human? What does one's appearance have to do with whether someone is human or not?"
What makes a human? Am I not one? Is it because I am merely code in the end?
"You must be at least half dark elf with an appearance like yours," Eagle concluded.
"Half dark elf? How would that work? Why would I need to be half dark elf to have my appearance?" Sunshine asked, curious.
It was perhaps Sunshine's curiosity that had Eagle and Alice sharing another look. Eagle was the one who explained, "Children inherit their parents' looks. One of your parents must have had white hair and dark skin, or else you would not look this way. The only race that has white hair and dark skin is the dark elves."
"Is that so?" wondered Sunshine. Perhaps that is so in this world. But I am merely code. I have no parents. My looks were set by the game designers so that I would look like an Arabian prince...
Sunshine frowned. "I don't have parents..." But no, that was not quite right. Weren't the game designers his parents? Or was Long Dian, the one who had fabricated his current existence, his parent?
He played with the soft fibers of his flying carpet and decided to amend his words. "I don't know who my parents are, but regardless, I don't see why that should matter. Why are dark elves not welcome?"
A light crease appeared between Eagle's brows. "Are you trying to argue in favor of the dark elves? All humans know that dark elves are evil creatures. They are irredeemable."
How can there be a race born evil? Sunshine wondered. What makes one evil? Are Kenshin and I "evil," since we were designed to be bosses for players to triumph against?
"It is in their nature," Alice added to Eagle's explanation. "Is it in your nature?"
"That I do not know," Sunshine answered, never one to lie. He furrowed his brows, deep in thought. "What does evil entail? What makes one evil? Who gets to decide?"
Is the Dictator of Life evil? Is that why we must defeat him?
"Are you seriously asking us that? I never thought we would be asked such questions regarding the nature of evilness while trying to elope," Alice complained and crossed her arms. "I did not run away to answer such questions..."
Sunshine's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed, "You are eloping? Truly? I have heard about 'eloping' from Fairsky before, but to see it happen! You must be in so much love with each other! Oh, but you had to elope? Does that mean your union was met with disapproval? I am so very sorry..."
Alice and Eagle shared another look. Then, Alice turned and covered her mouth with her hand, a sound that Sunshine thought might be laughter escaping from her lips. Eagle coughed, as if he was trying to muffle his own mirth.
Sunshine thought that something he said must have set them off, but he didn't mind -- laughter was a good sign. He felt his mood lift, a wide smile coming over his face. "I'm so happy for you two!"
Eagle coughed again. He lowered his sword and said. "I believe you are not evil."
Alice nodded as well.
Sunshine smiled brightly. "Will you listen to my story, and will you tell me yours?"
Sunshine stayed with the couple for several days. During the evenings, Sunshine would tell his story. Not all of it, but enough so that Alice and Eagle would understand that he was not of this world, and that he had been separated from his companions, including Fairsky. They talked about other things too, like how magic worked, and Sunshine even got to practice Alice's brand of magic. Sunshine found everything to be new and fascinating.
Alice and Eagle depended on scrolls for a type of magic called "teleportation," instant movement across places. Teleportation could also be done without scrolls, something Alice was still trying to learn. Sunshine had never attempted such magic before, but Alice assured him that he had the aptitude for it. His flying carpet was an indication of his affinity with wind magic, as she could tell that it was his magic that kept the flying carpet afloat. He didn't think of his magic in her terms, but it was true that he knew wind magic spells.
As they talked, Eagle gazed at him across the fire, the tendrils of flames casting flickering shadows across the ground between them. "I advise you not to champion rights for dark elves. With your appearance, it would do you no favors."
Sunshine blinked.
"Your world is very strange," Sunshine murmured, "for there to be such a divide between humans and dark elves. Where I am from, things are not so. Although I am not a dark elf, I also do not find dark elves to be evil. The dark elf that I know is very kind."
Sunshine thought of Wicked. Perhaps the ways of Second Life did not apply here -- Wicked was not truly a dark elf after all. He was a player, a normal human outside of Second Life. But Second Life was Sunshine's entire world. It was all he knew.
Wicked, despite his name, was very kind. It was true that he was normally stoic, but Sunshine knew Wicked could be gentle. It happened most often in Prince's presence, but Sunshine had also received Wicked's kindness before, such as when Wicked would patiently answer curiosities Sunshine had. Sunshine was sure others had also been the recipient of Wicked's kindness before.
"You cannot base an entire race's nature on a single entity," Eagle said. "Perhaps the dark elf you know is kind. That does not mean the rest of his people are the same."
"Perhaps you are right," Sunshine said, "or perhaps you will change your mind if you were to meet my friend. He might not be indicative of his entire race, but you will find that dark elves can be kind too. At least from where I am from."
"How exactly did you end up here?"
"Well, you see, we were riding AnRui..."
Although Sunshine's explanation confused Alice and Eagle more than it enlightened them, Eagle managed to make some sense of the story.
"A whirlpool?" Eagle murmured. "It must be a warp of some kind." Realization dawned in his eyes as he spoke. "Your passage must have been the trigger..."
The trigger? Of what? wondered Sunshine.
"Eagle, what is it?" asked Alice. She placed a hand on his arm.
Eagle shook his head. "I'm sorry, Alice. I had no plans on going back so soon, but Sunshine has just shed new light on a matter I need to investigate."
Alice bit her lips. "Then what about me? Didn't you leave because the Cathedral would not recognize us? Are you going back to your duties?"
"I..."
Before Eagle could answer, Alice made a noise. She pulled out a small box and gripped it tightly. "They've caught up with us."
"How close?" Eagle asked.
"Very close. You remember that we purposely..." Alice trailed off.
"Yes, I remember. I will go and distract them," Eagle murmured.
"What is going on?" asked Sunshine.
"Our pursuers have caught up with us. Eagle will go and distract them," Alice said.
Immediately, Sunshine shook his head. "No, you should leave together. I will hold them off."
Alice and Eagle shared a troubled look.
"Why do so much for us?" asked Alice, confused.
"There is no reason for me not to, and truthfully, the two of you remind me of Fairsky and myself. It pains me to be separated from her. I would not see that happen to the two of you."
Before the couple could respond, Sunshine had already ascended into the air and shot off. He had his flying carpet, and he was not exactly a weak mage and was even beginning to understand the wind magic of this world. He refused to see two lovers like Alice and Eagle get chased down, forced to part. That would depress Sunshine even more than never getting to be their friend.
Eagle called out. "Sunshine, wait! You don't have to do this..."
Sunshine smiled. "Stay safe. If you happen across Fairsky before I do, please let her know that I am always thinking of her."
"Tell her yourself!" Alice yelled after him without any of Eagle's misgivings. "You better come back in one piece!"
What Sunshine did not know was that Eagle and Alice had purposefully teleported near their pursuers so that Eagle could show up in front of them and lead them on a merry chase. They had not predicted that they would run into Sunshine, or that he would offer to "distract" their pursuers for them, throwing off their plans. It was not ideal to let Sunshine go in Eagle's place, but it was perhaps not a bad turn of events either for the couple. If their pursuers had not believed that Alice had been "kidnapped," they would definitely believe it now.
The only problem was that Sunshine looked somewhat like a dark elf. It was highly possible that their pursuers would shoot first and ask questions later. Sunshine paid no heed to this possibility. His only thought was to buy Eagle and Alice enough time to make their escape.
After parting, Sunshine hurriedly flew in the direction of the pursuers. If Eagle had been the one to "distract" the pursuers, he would have teleported instantly to their side and would have met an "assassin" dressed in a black, skin-tight leotard, an assassin who blended right into the night with his long, dark tresses.
Sunshine, however, did not teleport. He met the squad halfway after their lone night-watcher had alerted the rest of the squad to his presence.
The odds were not good for a solitary mage facing a squad that could even slay a dragon, but Sunshine's goal was not to triumph. He merely wanted to delay them, and he had had plenty of time to recite his spell before he reached them.
"Guided Arcane Missiles!" Sunshine shouted once he broke into their view, magic striking the trees before him. The tree trunks cracked and fell before the pursuers' path. A strong man and an ax-wielding woman in the group were both holding up crooked trees so that they would not fall on one of their comrades, the priest of the group.
Suddenly, an arrow flew out at Sunshine. He dodged, attention drawn to the archer. Next to the archer was a blond man with eyes the color of the sky that Sunshine so very much admired. Sky blue eyes stared up at Sunshine calculatingly, but Sunshine could not let that deter him.
Sunshine recited his magic once more. I won't let you separate Alice and Eagle!
to be continued
I loved writing Sunshine. <3333 One more 1/2 Prince character revealed! Now, where are all the rest, hm? XD
Next chapter: Invincible Flying Leaves. Even Leaves can be Deadly in the Hands of an Assassin