Chapter 274: Ch 274 : Three shadows in the darkness

In the Garden of Dreams, two figures rested beneath the boughs of a giant tree.From afar, they looked like a painting of paradise; a beautiful, dark-haired goddess and a handsome, white-haired god, resting in the intimacy of a world built for two.

For Sunny, this was, without a doubt, the best day of his existence.

He lay with his head on Nyx’s lap, his eyes closed, drifting in the space between consciousness and sleep.

Nyx’s fingers moved rhythmically through his hair, massaging his scalp with a tenderness that unraveled all of his stress.

It was a thing he hadn’t known he needed, a human comfort that felt more valuable than a mountain of Faith.

"Your Majesty..." Nyx whispered, her voice breaking the silence.

She looked down at his relaxed face. Despite spending eighty years together in the simulation of Endor, creating cities and living a mortal life, she suddenly felt a pang of distance.

She realized that while she had shown her soul to him, he remained a mystery. She knew what he did. She knew where he lived.

But the man behind the Emperor? He was still hidden in shadow.

Sunny opened one eye. The violet-gold iris seemed to pierce right through her insecurity.

He knew that their relationship had evolved. It was no longer the shallow connection between an emperor and a Subordinate. It was deep. It was forged in the fire of shared dreams.

"Stop," he said softly. "I do not want to hear Boss or Your Majesty from you right now."

Nyx paused her hand. "Then... what should I call you?"

Sunny closed his eyes again, a small smile playing on his lips. "You can call me Sunny."

Nyx froze. In all the time since his ascension, since he became the entity known as Cosmos, he had never spoken his real name to a soul.

It was his last secret. His anchor to humanity. And he had just given it to her.

"Sunny..." she tested the name on her tongue. It felt warm and bright. "So that is who you are."

A mischievous glint returned to her eyes, a glint that lightened the heavy atmosphere.

"Sunny is nice," she teased, trailing a finger down his nose. "But how about I call you Babe instead?"

Sunny snorted, a laugh escaping him. "You can call me whatever you want, Goddess. At least... when we are alone."

Nyx blushed, her heart fluttering at the implication of ’when we are alone.’ She leaned back against the tree. "Is my lap comfortable, Babe?"

Sunny didn’t speak. He just nodded, shifting slightly to get even more comfortable.

Slowly, the dream flowed on.

Days turned into months. Months bled into years. Years stacked into centuries.

In the reality of the Throne Room, mere minutes were passing. But here, they had built a legacy.

Together, Sunny and Nyx acted as the architects of a thousand realities. They created worlds where sound was visible.

They crafted oceans inhabited by whales the size of continents. They built tragedies and comedies, watching trillions of simulated lifeforms rise and fall.

They argued over the physics of floating islands. They celebrated when a civilization discovered fire. They grew comfortable in a way that only immortals who share eternity can.

But eventually, the clock ran down.

Sunny sat up, stretching his limbs. The world around them; a vast planet with techs at the moment seemed to dim slightly, sensing the departure of its master.

"Nyx," Sunny said, his tone shifting from lover to Emperor, though his eyes remained gentle. "You are the Master of the Dreamworld from now on"

Nyx looked at him, surprised.

"You will handle the maintenance of this realm," Sunny instructed. "You will oversee the Avatar Protocol. You will be the gatekeeper for every God seeking love or escape."

He paused, then added firmly. "And the profits? They are yours. Take the faith generated here. Use it. Grow stronger. And don’t just spend your existence here; use the resources to train in the God-Maker realm for at least eight hours a day."

"Okay... S-Sunny," Nyx stammered, her eyes tearing up.

Even though they had spent centuries together here, the prospect of him leaving felt like a blow to her. She wasn’t satisfied. She craved more.

But then she looked at his face, the face of a ruler who had a multiverse to save, and she swallowed her selfishness.

"I should get going then" Sunny said. He began to fade, his body turning into motes of light.

But then he stopped. He looked at Nyx one last time.

He realized the time acceleration. For him, he would wake up and be busy instantly. But for her? She would remain here, the administrator of an infinite dream.

Time would move differently for her. Even if he decrease the time acceleration somewhat, she might spend thousands of years waiting for his return.

He couldn’t leave her with just a handshake.

He solidified his form and walked back to her. He reached out, placing his cool hands on her cheeks, tilting her face up.

"Nyx," he whispered.

He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

"Take care," he said, pulling back.

Nyx stood there, blinking. Her face twitched. Her eyebrow rushed.

’Is that it?’ she thought, indignantly. ’A forehead kiss? Is that what you call a parting gift after centuries of marriage in a dream?’

She fought back the sudden urge to kick the Emperor of the Cosmos in the nuts.

"That," Nyx said, shaking her head, "is not how you say goodbye, Sunny."

She stepped forward. Her feet left the ground, levitating her until her face was level with his. Her eyes burned with a determination.

She placed her hands on his cheeks, mirroring his gesture. But she didn’t aim for his forehead.

She went straight for the bullseye. She kissed him. On the lips.

The planet trembled. The entire Dreamworld vibrated as if millions of fireworks had gone off simultaneously. The sky turned a passionate shade of violet.

It was a claim from Goddess of Night to everyone out there that this was her man.

After a full minute, Nyx finally retreated. She turned her face away, floating back down to the ground, her cheeks burning brighter than a sun.

"Now," she said, her back to him, her voice trembling slightly. "Now you can go, my Emperor. And come back to see me once in a while and spend some centuries with me."

Sunny stood there, dumbfounded. He touched his lips. The sensation of the kiss still lingered on his lips.

He didn’t fade away this time. He walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her against him. He buried his face in her neck.

"I will return," he whispered into her ear. "My Empress."

Then, he vanished into thin air, leaving only the echo of his promise.

Nyx stood alone in the pink mist. She touched her lips and smiled, a triumphant expression plastered on her face.

"I await your return... Sunny." She whispered but then tilted her head as if she was forgetting something she had done centuries ago.

Sunny’s eyes snapped open.

He expected the cold emptiness of the palace to greet him.

Instead, he felt warmth.

He looked down. Curled up on his lap was the beautiful figure of the Goddess of Night.

Her head was tucked under his chin, her hand gripping his cosmic robe. The Seed of Love around her neck pulsed in sync with her heartbeat.

"Hah~" Sunny sighed.

He didn’t wake her. He moved her with care, standing up while cradling her in his arms with the princess carry. He walked out of the throne room, down the long corridors, to his private quarters.

He placed her gently on the massive bed. She murmured something in her sleep, reaching out for him. Sunny waited for her to let go of him and then pulled the covers over her.

He kissed her forehead one last time; this time she didn’t complain. Thus Sunny quietly left the bedroom. As he had work to do.

He returned to the throne room, as he sat on the throne now overseeing the entire territory of his.

"The Talents from Earth," he muttered, checking the tasks list. "The Universe of Cards."

Their were a lot of tasks that required his attention around his territory.

But while he handled all these tasks, his will was already active elsewhere.

Deep in the Multiverse.

While Sunny built a home, his shadows were burning the world.

His three clones were hunting.

With Thea tracking the Demon Gods, the hunt had become a slaughter.

These clones were extensions of Sunny’s own existence. They possessed his Void-born lineage, his Damage Reduction, and his intellect.

The Demon Gods they faced were mostly heroes of the demon race; beings who had ascended through slaughter and hardwork.

They were strong, yes. But they were not Royal Void Beasts like Edgar. They were not apex predators. Against Sunny, they were prey.

To coordinate themselves efficiently, the three clones had adopted names and roles, shedding the identity of Cosmos to become a specialist in their own fields.

The First Clone: The Creator.

He wore robes of pure white. He did not hunt; he just traveled.

He visited the worlds ravaged by the demons, creating artifacts of healing, restoring ruined ecosystems and showing love towards all the lifeforms, he was also creating a demigod in every world as an anchor for everyone to know who helped them.

He was the benevolent face of the invasion, the one who made the lifeforms pray for salvation.

The Second Clone: War.

He wore armor instead of robes. He was the General. He gathered the Gods under Sunny’s banner; Zir, Joker, the Strategist etc and led them into the fray.

He wasn’t just killing the demons, he was teaching the Gods too. He drilled them in formations, showing them how to synergize their abilities, how to overcome the demons. He was forging the Pantheon into an army.

The Third Clone: The Destroyer.

He wore nothing but shadows and darkness. He roamed alone, deep in the enemy territory.

He did not speak. He did not save. He found Demon Gods, and he butchered them.

His methods were brutal, designed to instill fear. He left trails of broken bodies and shattered stars in his wake.

Because of him, the Demon Gods began to retreat. They abandoned their outposts, fleeing into the deep cracks of the multiverse, hiding where even Thea’s particles struggled to reach.

But the Destroyer continued to roam. He was looking for clues. He was looking for the trail that led back to the Demon Lords themselves.

The Demon Lords had announced the war. They thought they were the hunters.

But as the Creator built, War trained, and the Destroyer slaughtered, the balance was shifting.

The game had just begun. And everyone was ready to play with everything they got.