The hospital complex was in a state of barely contained chaos, and the Academy administration fared little better. It was always like this in the weeks following the winter solstice. Every year, the fringes of Awakened society braced for the sudden flood of returning Sleepers—those who had ventured into the Dream Realm months ago, and now staggered back through the veil, battered and changed. Most came home within a week or two. A few took longer. Rarely, someone lasted a month.
And fewer still returned after *years*.
Those who had *survived*, that is.
The abrupt reappearance of so many Sleepers—presumed dead, long mourned, their names carved into memorials—sent ripples through all of humanity. It was a miracle. A mystery. A calamity in reverse. And the Academy sat at the eye of this human storm.
But amid all the noise and upheaval, there was joy, too. A chaotic, frenetic, breathless kind of joy.
In a modest office tucked on the surface level of the hospital complex, a young woman sat behind a desk, hunched slightly over her screen as her fingers raced to finish compiling yet another report. She wore tailored black slacks and a crisp white blouse, though both had begun to wrinkle after hours of nonstop work. Her dark brown hair was pulled into a high ponytail, and her thick-rimmed glasses kept sliding down the bridge of her nose, demanding constant attention. She pushed them back up with practiced irritation.
Her name was Teddy, and she was one of the many administrative workers assigned to the initial debriefings of returned Sleepers. It wasn't glamorous work, but it was important—and lately, emotionally exhausting.
She had seen a great many things in this small room. Miraculous escapes. Quiet horrors. Tales of triumph. Stories soaked in grief. And too many interviews that ended with her silently crying after the door closed.
But today…
Today was different.
The Sleepers returning now weren't just survivors—they were anomalies. Every single one of them. The things they described—vivid, impossible, dreamlike—left her cold and breathless. Her rational mind recoiled, tried to reject what she was hearing, but the room was built to detect deception. No lies passed its walls without leaving a trace.
*"They're… incredible,"* she thought, dazed, stunned. *"Every single one of them…"*
To survive in a region completely severed from the rest of human territory… to endure Nightmare Creatures more powerful than any Dreamer had the right to face… and return?
It was astonishing. Humbling. And somehow, deeply moving.
Finishing her report with shaking hands, Teddy clicked "Send" and leaned back, drawing in a long, steadying breath. Then, pressing a small button on her desk, she signaled the next Sleeper to come in.
The door opened.
And *he* walked in.
The young man was pale, with sleek black hair that framed a delicately sculpted face. His posture was calm—elegant, almost feline. Something about him halted her thoughts for just a moment too long.
She was no stranger to beauty—most Awakened were unnervingly attractive, and she'd long grown numb to it—but this one…
There was *something else* about him.
Something that made her spine straighten and her breath catch. It wasn't just his fine features or graceful stride. It was the way his presence *pulled* at her attention, subtly but unrelentingly, as though gravity itself bent around him.
His eyes—dark, ancient-seeming—met hers without flinching. They held no arrogance, and yet radiated superiority. And the scar that crossed his left eye did not mar his beauty—it *completed* it, like a crack through porcelain that only made the statue more haunting.
He looked like a vampire from a forgotten romance, or perhaps the ghost of a porcelain doll that had wandered too far from its shelf.
And then there was that elusive *wrongness*. An uncanny grace. Every movement was almost *too* smooth. Every glance lingered a second longer than natural. He was not out of place… and yet, not quite *of* this place, either.
Disturbing. Captivating.
He smiled and sat across from her with effortless poise.
Teddy managed to smile back, if a bit shakily.
"Good day," she said, smoothing her tone. "My name is Teddy, and I'll be conducting your debrief today, Awakened…?"
She already knew his name—of course she did. His file was open right in front of her. But protocol was important. These first few moments could set the tone for the entire exchange. And after what they'd been through, most Dreamers needed gentleness more than efficiency.
The young man's voice was soft, velvety, with a strange undertone that seemed to curl around her spine.
"Sunless," he said. "But please… call me Sunny."
Teddy blinked, then typed a note onto her pad, hiding the small shiver in her hands.
"I'll be asking you a few questions regarding your time in the Dream Realm," she explained, her voice warming with routine. "This helps us expand our understanding of it, and lets us know how to better support you. You're free to decline any question, of course."
Sunny nodded solemnly.
"I understand. I promise to answer truthfully. I'm a very honest person, you see."
There was something strangely *honest* about the way he said that. Like he genuinely meant it… or like he was daring her to test him.
Teddy cleared her throat and smiled. "Thank you. First question, then—how long were you in the Dream Realm?"
Sunny let out a breath.
"Just shy of a year, ma'am."
That matched the file.
Teddy gave him a gentle, encouraging nod. "You did remarkably well, Sunny. Very few Dreamers make it that long. Especially in a place like… the Forgotten Shore, was it?"
He gave her that *look* again—sharp, unnerving, with a flicker of something unreadable.
"That's what the spell called it, ma'am."
She hesitated, then typed a few more lines. "Our records show that region was infested with Nightmare Creatures of the Awakened Rank and above. Can you confirm?"
Sunny's expression didn't change, but the color drained slightly from his face.
"Yes, ma'am. Awakened and Corrupted creatures were common."
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard a second longer this time. "And… did you engage in combat with them?"
Sunny tilted his head slightly, as if considering how to phrase his answer. Then:
"Yes and Depending on how you count, I'd say between one thousand… and two thousand or so."
Teddy froze.
"I—I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"
His eyes narrowed, faintly amused. Offended, maybe.
"You heard me."
Her hands were cold. The number didn't make sense. Couldn't make sense.
She swallowed. Her throat felt tight.
"…We'll have to pause the interview."
His expression twisted into something faintly mocking, almost amused. "Really? Why?"
She looked down, tried to steady her voice. "I'm… not qualified to continue this interview. My supervisor will be with you shortly. Please wait here."
Sunny leaned back slightly, giving a long, tired sigh.
"They should've done that from the beginning."
'*'
Gertrud had been briefed. She had read the file—what little of it existed. She had listened to the whispers, the rumors passed between debriefers in the sterile halls of the hospital. A name had kept rising like a quiet tide through every report: *the Duke of the Dark City*. A title cloaked in awe, spoken with that strange mixture of reverence and dread.
Now, that title had a face.
And the moment she looked up and saw the young man step into her office, Gertrud understood that all the murmurs, all the tension curling through the Academy's administration like smoke, had not been exaggeration.
He wasn't just special. He was *wrong*. And terrifying. And beautiful.
There was something too still about him—too composed. His figure was lean, his movements deceptively soft, his posture calm to the point of unsettling. Yet everything about him felt like a blade just beneath the skin. His complexion was pale, almost ghostly, his face sculpted with that androgynous, delicate precision that made it hard to look away. And his eyes—gods, his eyes—dark, gleaming, and sharp as obsidian. They pinned her in place the moment their gazes met.
He had the cruel grace of a predator too bored to hide it.
And she was not immune.
Her mouth felt dry as she gestured for him to sit, though her voice remained steady. Her hands did not tremble, her posture remained perfect. But inside? Something was *wrong*. Or perhaps *too right*. Her pulse had started to race the moment he stepped in, and hadn't slowed since. Her skin tingled with alertness. Her throat was tight. There was a warmth pooling in the pit of her stomach, unwelcome and involuntary.
He sat, every motion fluid—too smooth, as though he had studied humans, but wasn't quite one of them. Even the scar that crossed his eye, a brutal slash of white against flawless skin, only added to the uncanny symmetry of his face. It should have marred him. Instead, it completed him, giving just enough imperfection to make the rest of him unbearable to look at for long.
She didn't know whether she wanted to get closer or bolt out of the room.
With a soft breath, Gertrud straightened the hem of her pencil skirt and forced her thoughts into order. She was a senior interviewer, trained to handle volatile minds, trauma, delusions, madness. She had faced bloodied Awakened fresh from the Dream Realm screaming about things that should not exist.
And yet this one calm, pale young man unnerved her more than any of them.
"So… you set a fire?"
Her tone was cool, professional. He tilted his head slightly at the question, and that subtle movement—it was too graceful, too deliberate—sent a shiver across her shoulders. His voice, when it came, was smooth and low, with a faint trace of amusement curling behind the words.
"Yes. But that's… simplifying it. If you want the details, ask Teacher Julius. He's the one who taught me how."
That name again. Julius. He had mentioned the teacher multiple times already, each time with a vague softness that did not match his otherwise distant demeanor. Julius, she suspected, had managed to do what most couldn't: reach him.
Then, with no preamble, he continued.
"The next big thing that happened was when the four of us met Awakened Athena. She should've been interviewed already."
She jotted the words down, fingers moving automatically, her gaze occasionally flicking back to his face despite herself. His presence pulled at her—like gravity, or a slow undertow. The weight of who he was pressed into the room like a dense fog.
The more he spoke, the clearer it became. He wasn't just a skilled survivor. He wasn't just a name repeated in trauma-filled accounts.
He was a cornerstone. A turning point. A singularity.
"Forgive me," she said quietly, unable to keep the tension from her voice. "If this is too forward... but with everything you've described—what you've done—you must have earned a true name by now."
His eyes met hers again.
There it was—that gaze. It cut through her like a cold wind, not violent, but *intimate*. Like he could see the precise angle at which she would break. And yet there was no malice. Just quiet, boundless knowing.
She felt her knees weaken beneath the desk. The air between them felt strangely thinner.
"You are correct," he said.
A pause.
"My name is *Lost from Light*."
Something in her chest stuttered. Her fingers hovered motionless over the tablet. The name settled in her ears like a whisper from a place no one had ever returned from.
Of course it was.
Of *course* it was.
'*'
Cassie's room was pristine. Too pristine. Like the kind of sterile calm you only found in hospital wings—where grief was hidden under bleach and quiet machines. Everything here had a purpose. Everything except the girl sitting on the edge of the bed, staring blankly into space.
Sunless stepped out of the shadows behind her, the darkness folding away from him like reluctant fabric. He knocked softly on the steel bar beside her bed—three measured taps.
Cassie didn't flinch. She just turned her head slightly and gave a small, cracked smile.
"Hey, Sunny."
Her voice was paper-thin, raw around the edges. She had been crying—he could hear it, see it in the tremble of her hands, in the way her shoulders hunched like she was trying to disappear.
He sat beside her in silence and pulled her into a hug. Her body folded against his like she'd been waiting for it.
"Hey, Cassie."
They didn't speak. Not at first.
He wanted to. He wanted to scream, to demand answers, to beg her to tell him this wasn't what it looked like. But instead, they sat in that heavy, suffocating quiet—the kind that wrapped around the ribs and squeezed.
"She won't be back for a while," Cassie finally whispered into the crook of his neck. "But she will come back."
He felt her press closer, seeking warmth, comfort. The little nuzzle of her nose was familiar. Too familiar.
"But *you* wouldn't have," she said.
The words landed like a blade, clean and merciless.
He stiffened. The pain bloomed in his chest—swift, bitter, and impossible to hide.
"Is that why you told her to enslave me?" he asked.
He meant to sound calm. Instead, his voice trembled with restrained fury. Not shouting—just quiet, controlled, and soaked in betrayal.
Cassie recoiled, only slightly, but clung tighter. "No," she whispered, already crying again.
He hated seeing her like this. It twisted his stomach, made something cold rise in his throat. But worse than the pain of seeing her broken… was the warmth still in his arms.
He still loved her.
He loved her, and it *disgusted* him.
"No," she breathed, the tears starting fresh as she pulled herself closer to him like he was her anchor. "No—Sunny, I didn't want this. I hated it. But I had no choice. My visions… they always come true. Not always the way I expect, but they do." Her voice was ragged, desperate. "You don't think I wanted both of you here with me? Every night I—"
Her voice broke.
"I tried. I tried so hard. But the dream kept ending the same way. One of you gone. One of you gone. And I—" She clutched at his coat. "I had to choose."
And then she said it. No flinching. No apologies.
"I love her."
A breath.
"I love you, too."
It tore the breath from his lungs.
"I don't know when it happened," she went on, voice shaking, tears running freely now. "Maybe it was the first time she held me like I mattered. Maybe it was when you stayed up all week just to free us from the mind hex. Maybe it was always. But I love you both, Sunny. And I knew… no matter what I did, I was going to lose someone I loved."
She looked up at him, eyes red and wet and honest.
"I didn't want to be the one who chose who lived and who didn't. So I let her decide. I gave her the choice. Because I couldn't—I couldn't lose you and still live with myself."
Sunless didn't move.
Sunless blinked slowly, his jaw tight.
"You let *her* choose. But not me."
He didn't raise his voice. He didn't need to. The hurt made it sharp enough.
Cassie's breath caught.
"It wasn't fair," she admitted. "But when is life ever fair?"
His hands curled into fists where she couldn't see. He could feel the heat of his own anger, simmering under his skin—cold and white and sharp.
He wanted to lash out. He wanted to hurt her with words.
But he also wanted to pull her closer, to shield her from everything, to forgive her for things he didn't know if he could.
She went on, quieter now. "You always try to carry everything alone, Sunny. That's why I didn't tell you. There was no point. You'd just try to change it. So I let Neph decide if she wanted to come back… or give her place to you."
That made his heart lurch.
He leaned in and kissed her forehead, hating himself for how natural it still felt.
"You took away my choice," he said, voice hoarse. "And then my freedom."
He closed his eyes.
"I don't know if I would've done better in your place. Maybe I'd have made the same decision." He swallowed. "But you didn't trust me. And now… now I need time, Cassie. Time before I can even look at you without this—*this* pain in my chest."
His voice faltered.
"I love you. I love Neph, too. I don't know if it will chang. But right now, all I feel is the wound you left behind."
Cassie didn't answer. She just held him. Held him tighter and cried until her body gave in to exhaustion.
Eventually, her breathing steadied. She lay calmly wrapped in his arms, tear-streaked and fragile.
Sunless held her a while longer. Just long enough to remember the warmth. Just long enough to hate that he missed it already.
Then, wordlessly, he slipped back into the shadows.
He had other ghosts to face. A family that was still waiting.
'*'
Meeting Jet again was… grounding. Unexpectedly so.
There was something about her presence—her bluntness, the calm strength in her gaze—that pulled him back to the beginning. To simpler days, before titles, before strategy, before everything had been weighed in blood and consequence. She reminded him why he'd stepped onto this path at all. Why he'd endured everything that followed.
It didn't fix anything. But it helped.
Now, if only they could eat in peace.
Their table wasn't exactly inconspicuous—tucked into the corner of a modest teachers lounge . The food was good, the service fast. The problem was the stares. Dozens of them. Disguised poorly behind menus, flickering lenses, and lowered voices. He felt them all.
His name had spread like wildfire.
Apparently, pulling off the second most significant feat in the entire campaign—just behind Nephis's apocalyptic turn—had a way of making a guy hard to ignore. He'd become a known quantity now. Not just a shadow in someone else's legend.
And with that came the privileges.
The highest level of citizenship, fast-tracked. Immediate offers to join the major factions—the Big Four were circling like wolves, and even the more discreet Legacies had sent whispers. He could've chosen any of them and been guaranteed resources, protection, maybe even command.
Then there was the SSA designation: Special Strategic Asset. A label that came with its own privileges and responsibilities. He now shared it with the likes of Cassie, Effie, Night, Harus, Gunlaug, and the others. His generals. His people.
But none of it compared to the real change.
Fame.
That was the most dangerous of all. The kind that stripped you bare. The kind that made it impossible to hide. He hadn't meant to expose so much—not consciously—but in the aftermath, he just hadn't had the strength to keep up the walls. He'd let truths slip. Or maybe he'd simply stopped caring enough to lie.
Across from him, Jet was watching him with that razor-sharp grin she always wore when someone else was in over their head.
"I mean, look at this," she said, tapping at her communicator before holding it out to him. "Not even a full day back and the net's on fire with leaks. They're calling you the Shadow of the Shore and other ridiculous names."
He took the device without a word, eyes scanning the screen.
**Welcome to the Awakend Online message boards.**
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---
**♦ Topic: Forgotten Shore**
**In: Boards ► News: Awakened**
**Answer Key** *(Original Poster) (Moderator)*
**Posted On xxx:**
📢 **Breaking Event Summary:**
As of this morning, over 600 Awakened returned from the Forgotten Shore. Their emergence was unannounced and remains unexplained by official sources. believed to be a death zone, the site had no known survivability rating.
### Confirmed:
- Returnees fought through Nightmare to upper Corrupted threats.
- Several survivors are being reclassified as SA and SSA tier.
- One Awakened did **not** return. Identity unreleased.
- Any other claims are **unverified**. Treat as rumor until confirmed.
*(Showing page 754 of 1680)*
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**►BluntCherry**
*Replied On xxx:*
> What's scaring me more than the return is how quiet the government is being. No names, no footage. You'd think 600 survivors would make a bigger splash.
---
**►Greasehorn**
*Replied On xxx*
> I've got a cousin who works containment, had a handful for an hour under her watch . She says they were all "too calm." Like, *waiting* for something. Most haven't even asked for communicators . It's creepy.
---
**►NeonWake**
*Replied On xxx:*
> Are they… even still the same people? No one survives in a death zone that long. And one of them isn't back. There's a reason for that.
---
**►Pedpa** *(Banned)*
*Replied On xxx:*
> Bro it's cause of that manipulator freak, the so-called shadow of the shore. Mind-controlled a bunch of people. one of the girls he target was even blind and now she's the *only one* missing. Look it up. Groomed her at the academy.
> Can't believe they're letting him walk free.
---
**►Shyshark2lovw** *(Forgotten Shore survivor) (Verified Awakened)*
*Replied On xxx:*
> @Pedpa
> Shut up. You don't know anything.
> I *was there.* He's not what people think. Yeah, he's hard to understand, and yeah, people are scared of him—but not for the reasons you're throwing around.
> He saved lives. He just doesn't talk like the rest of you do.
---
**►Stonebutter**
*Replied On xxx:*
> The only footage we've seen is from after. No faces no family names.
---
**►Eversea**
*Replied On xxxx:*
> Anyone know who the missing girl is? There's *no* info. Feels like they're burying it. I checked her years roster and it's like a blank spot.
---
**►Inverline**
*Replied On xxxx:*
> I heard something called "the Mirror Game." Whatever that is. Apparently had a buddy of my uncle pissing his pants.
---
**►HorizonGlitch**
*Replied on xxx:*
> Most of the survivors won't even talk to news now. You try to get a word out of them and it's like you're speaking a different language. Like they're synced to something else.
---
**►Hollowslide**
* Replied On xx:*:*
> I get the feeling that whoever didn't come back… didn't *stay* behind.
> They were left there.
The leaks were inevitable, not with over six hundred people having seen what he was actually capable of, but to have reached this level of discussion in a day or so was beyond his estimation.
Especially with some people being rather vocal about what had happened in the forgotten shore.
---
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**♦ Topic: Forgotten Shore**
**In: Boards ► ► Verified Information ► Q&A**
**Misty maiden** *(Original Poster) (Forgotten Shore survivor) (Verified Awakened)*
**Posted On xxx:**
---
✨💋 *Heyyy lovers and chaos gremlins!* 💋✨
I'm *Alice*~ 🎀 You know, former member of *Lady Changing Star's* elite little squad (don't be jealous 💅), fashion icon of the Forgotten Shore, part-time goddess, full-time heartbreaker 💔—and recently? Mmmm let's just say I've been doing some *spy shenanigans* worthy of a drama series. 😘 Like, imagine being a double agent... no wait, *triple agent.* Plot twist city, baby!
Yes, it was dangerous. Yes, it was dramatic. And YES, I looked *amazing* the entire time. You're welcome. 💄✨
So!! I figured I'd take a moment before the next life-or-death fashion emergency to answer your burning questions 🔥 Ask me *anything*—whether it's about surviving in the Dream Realm, accessorizing in monster-infested ruins, my favorite lip gloss shade for combat situations (spoiler: it's blood red 💋), or the *insanely hot* bf who's literally too cool for this dimension. 😍
🔮💬 Drop your questions below and remember:
Flattery gets you *everywhere*, baby.
#AskAlice #SlayOrBeSlain #TripleAgentVibesOnly #TakenButStillHot #DreamRealmDiaries
*(Showing page 176 of 700)*
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**►Laser Augment**
* Replied On xx:*
> Wait, so you were like an agent for the Host but loyal to Changing Star, and they KNEW? That's wild. You guys were walking plot twists.
---
**►Misty maiden** *(Original Poster)*
* Replied On xx:*
> Yeeep 😘
> I *know*, it's kind of dumb but Sunny insisted on the cloak-and-dagger life. He gets all broody when things are too simple. Super aesthetic but also, like, exhausting?
> I wanted to just *slay and sparkle*, but noooo, let's play "deception games in a death realm." 😒
---
**►Chilldrizzle** *(Verified Awakened)*
* Replied On xx:*
> How did you even find makeup in the Dream Realm? Tell us your secrets, queen. I was out there with *crust lips* for months.
---
**►Misty maiden** *(Original Poster)*
* Replied On xx:*
> Babe, I *crafted* it. Like, literally mixed pigments from monster ichor and crushed petals.
> Wasn't always cute—first try burned off my eyebrows 💀 But then Kido Nona shared her stash with me (angel), and boom! Slayage restored 💋✨
> Pro-tip: blush doubles as morale.
---
**►Pedpa** *(Banned)*
* Replied On xx:*
> I heard you used to work as a slut. Had a bunch of posts about you. Said you stole from other orphans. U a monster.
---
**►Misty maiden** *(Original Poster)*
* Replied On xx:*
> 🥱 Oh nooo, not *anonymous slander from someone with zero skincare routine*
> I lived in a war zone, darling. You do what you have to. But I didn't steal—I *shared* and I *survived*.
> And now I have a hotter boyfriend than you, so go moisturize and think about your choices 💋
---
**►StarSalt**
* Replied On xx:*
> Was it really as scary asthey say? Like… the landscape changes, the corrupted,the sky melting? How did you stay sane?
---
**►Misty maiden** *(Original Poster)*
* Replied On xx:*
> Sane?? Babe I *didn't*. I went *insane* and then made it a lifestyle 🌈🧠✨
> You either go mad or go fabulous. I picked fabulous.
> …But real talk? There were nights I curled up with my cloak and imagined it was my old blanket from the orphanage. Even glam girls get scared. We just cry in glitter. 💖
---
**►HexPumpkin**
* Replied On xx:*
> You mention this boyfriend like every other sentence… are we gonna get a name drop or nah 👀
---
**►Misty maiden** *(Original Poster)*
* Replied On xx:*
> Ohoho, that's classified~ 🔥 But he's fit, dangerous, and has eyes like a collapsing star. Also, he stabbed a bunch of guys for me . 💅
Ugh so romantic! Like no one ever did that for me.
> I'll post a blurry silhouette pic later if I'm feeling chaotic 😘
---
**►Owltide**
* Replied On xx:*
> Did you have any, like, comfort item while you were undercover? Something that reminded you of yourself?
---
**►Misty maiden** *(Original Poster)*
*Replied On xx:*
> OMG yes 😭
> I kept a cracked compact mirror I stole from one of the Girls . It was totally useless—super foggy—but I'd use it like a little totem. Every time I saw myself in it, even warped, I'd say,
> "You're still Alice. And you still slay."
> Even if I looked like a dirt goblin that day. 💄💖
'*'
Just a day and Thousand of posts on hundreds of threads, this was just to much before even an official announcement.
But what really upsets him was the threats about him. He had become one of the most talked about topics.
---
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■
♦ Topic: The Forgotten Shore
In: Boards ► News: Awakened ► Speculations ► SSA ► The Host ► Shadow of the Shore
**Bagrat** (Original Poster) (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)
**Posted On xxx:**
This is the main speculation thread for the *Shadow of the Shore* (also known as *The Duke of the Dark City* and *Sunless*—real name still unreleased).
**Confirmed information:**
1. Male, pale skin, dark hair, small stature. Scar over left eye. Snake tattoo on inner forearm.
2. Entered the Shore as part of Changing Star's first cohort.
3. Known to wield two swords and an extremely potent Echo.
4. Rarely seen in person. Only three confirmed appearances:
- First: introduction by Gunlaug.
- Second: Tournament combat alongside Changing Star vs. Awarded Devil.
- Third: bizarrely enough, during tattooing sessions.
**Trusted but unconfirmed claims:**
1. Allegedly highly skilled in covert ops.
2. Possibly affiliated with a crime syndicate named Çelik.
3. Said to have gained Gunlaug's personal trust in record time.
Let's keep the speculation civil. No tinfoil hat garbage.
(Showing page 1645 of 3247)
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**►Beestan**
Replied On xxx:
You all are hyping this nobody up WAY TOO MUCH. No way he could even scratch my glorious Queen!
---
**►Lo A Quest**
Replied On xxxx:
Wait, so he *jumped ship* when it looked like the Host was losing? What a backstabbing ass. Can't trust anyone who swaps sides when it's convenient.
---
**►Mane Magenta**
Replied On xxxx:
Do we even know the full story? Everyone's throwing around judgment like we have access to their internal thoughts or something. There were like… literal monsters down there. Maybe give it a sec.
---
**►Coyote-C**
Replied On xxxx:
Typical criminal scum. Dudes like that always survive 'cause they're good at crawling behind someone else's power. I don't buy this "strategist" spin. Rats look smart when they're cornered.
---
**►Shyshark2lovw** (Forgotten Shore survivor ) (Verified Awakened)
Replied On xxxx:
I'm not allowed to say much, but I can tell you all he is *one of the good guys* here! Just because he had to make hard decisions doesn't mean he's a bad person.
I would have *never* seen my family again without him.
And if you see this, Your Dukeness—
From the bottom of my heart… thank you. 🖤
---
**►FumeKnight**
Replied On xxxx:
Wait... wasn't he also seen fighting alongside Host elites *and* Changing Star's people? Like, on both sides? That's not "tactical," that's just two-faced.
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**►ZeroFrame**
Replied On xxx:
The scar over the eye gives me "trying too hard to look edgy" vibes. Who even *is* this guy? No social presence, no verified name, and yet suddenly he's a hero?
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**►NiteVulture**
Replied On xxx:
Ok but REAL TALK—if you're getting promoted to SSA level *alongside the Golden the golden serpent and Raised by Wolves * you *did something*. I don't care how sketchy he looks, he's got results. The gov doesn't hand those designations out like candy.
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**►SynapseGlass**
Replied On xxx:
Y'all ever think maybe that's the point? That we don't know who he is? I mean, the guy's called *Sunless*. You don't pick an obviously fake name for no reason.
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**►Bagrat** (Original Poster)
Replied On xxx:
Keep the conspiracy crap out of this, but yeah—there's too much heat for nothing.
Three things I *do* know from people I trust:
1. The Echo he uses is an Awakened Titan.
2. He nearly died more than once down there.
3. And whenever he spoke to Changing Star... she listened.
Draw your own conclusions.
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(Showing page 1647 of 3247)
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**►Emberplot**
Replied On xxxx:
Alright but let's be real for a second—the whole "Çelik family" thing? There's nothing there. No data, no photos, no registry flags, not even a confirmed ops log. Just a name that keeps showing up in rumors like a ghost.
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**►ThreadbareSilk**
Replied On xxxx:
Exactly. If they *were* real, someone would've found *something*—a body, a bounty, *anything.* Instead, all anyone's got is "they were a crime family" and a name that's been whispered in three separate corners of the net.
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**►DirtRoyal**
Replied On xxxx:
I don't even think they *were* a family. "Çelik" could just be a burner alias for a bigger ring. Something you slapped on an operation to make it sound organized.
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**►BlackratEcho**
Replied On xxxx:
But the shadow of the shore *did* drop that name once (according to Misty Maiden)—back in the labyrinth.
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**►Magfeed**
Replied On xxxx:
Which only makes it worse. You don't claim a name like that if you don't want people to look into it—and you don't leave *nothing* unless you're scrubbing it clean on purpose. Either he's the last, or he wants us to think he is.
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**►Scrape\&Glass**
Replied On xxxx:
Or he made it up. Built a story to keep people chasing shadows. "Çelik" is just exotic enough to sound real, just obscure enough that no one can prove it's fake. Classic attention seeking nonsense!
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**►BlindWarden**
Replied On xxxx:
Honestly I'm starting to think the name's a test. Drop it in a conversation, see who reacts . Anyone who reacts probably knows *something*—or thinks they do.
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**►FrictionDust**
Replied On xxxx:
Yeah, and the more we talk about it, the more it grows. Like it's feeding on the speculation. That's how myths are made. Doesn't matter if the Çelik family ever existed. What matters is that we *think* it did.
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**►Lo A Quest**
Replied On xxxx:
But someone had to plant the name in the first place. Names don't just appear out of nowhere . That's either generational knowledge or something really important . Which makes me think… maybe Sunless is using the name to try to contact someone.
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**►Beestan**
Replied On xxxx:
I still think this is all just a distraction. Dude probably doesn't have a criminal past at all. All this "dark prince" crap? Just a mask for a nerd who got lucky and learned to swing a sword.
**End of Page.**
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People were going crazy! He could not believe how obsessed they are just in a day.
But he could use it. Maybe leverage his popularity against the gov. And the money he would get from the merchandising alone!
But that would have to wait as sunless quickly left after getting Jets number and delivering Teacher Julius the books in mother's maw alongside the exploration log he wrote.
Because today would be the day he would meet Rain and her parents.