Shadow Slave

The flying vessel continued moving southeast. The members of the cohort remained at the stern, keeping Cassie company. They spent some time idly talking about this and that, then silently enjoyed the beautiful sight of the night sky.

Safely hidden within the Crushing, they were temporarily safe from all threats. That feeling was strange... the only thing stranger was the fact that Effie seemed to have lost her appetite, somehow. Now that was an anomaly unlike anything Sunny had witnessed before. He wanted to tease the huntress, but changed his mind at the last moment.

The quiet night put him in a contemplative mood. The thing Sunny thought about was... how hard it had become to keep a conversation going in the company of his friends, these days. Or anyone else, really.

He had never been a great conversationalist - in fact, growing up, Sunny had always found it torturously hard to fit in with people. But after becoming an Awakened, somewhere along the way, he seemed to have developed that ability. Now, however, it was getting harder once again.

Sunny had thought that such problems would miraculously disappear after he chose to trust the people he cared about. But he had been proven wrong.

'It's strange...'But then, was it really? In truth, it was not his ability to hold a conversation that was the problem, but his whole life instead.

Most of the things he thought and did were too sensitive to discuss, not because he did not trust his friends, but because he didn't want to involve them in his mess.

More than that, Sunny had only done two things after coming to Antarctica - fight the Nightmare Creatures and try to fulfill his duty as a member of the Evacuation Army. He did not really have any hobbies or exciting things to share...

His friends were more or less the same.

'Is it all there is to life?'Bloodshed and war?

As he studied the night sky with a wistful expression, Kai looked at him and said:

"Penny for your thoughts?"

A pale smile appeared on Sunny's face.

"Oh... it's nothing. I, uh... I was just thinking about how messed up our lives have become. These days, it seems that there's nothing to talk about except for what we killed, how we killed it, and how to kill it better. So I'm wondering, is that what adulthood is? Work, work, and then more work. I thought that becoming a Master would be freeing, but honestly, I was having so much more fun as an Awakened."

Kai sighed.

"It does seem like that, doesn't it?"

Effie, who was hugging the wooden railing of the flying ship as if battling motion sickness, looked at them with a miserable face.

"...I don't know what you are talking about. I'm having tons of fun every day!"

Sunny gave her a dubious look.

"Yeah... maybe check the expiration date the next time you smuggle a bunch of snacks into the Dream Realm. Those synthetic chips must have been left over from the Dark Times, considering your current state."

She gritted her teeth, then made a rude gesture in his direction. Sunny grinned.

At that moment, Cassie suddenly spoke:

"I get what Sunny is saying. But... is there something wrong with being focused on "work"? I am usually very busy, too, and there's little time for anything else except for my duties. However, it's not bad. I find it very rewarding, actually."

Sunny scoffed.

"I guess there's nothing wrong, as long as you've chosen the right profession. But being an abomination exterminator does not really suit my taste... and I did not even choose it, really. It just happened that way."

Nephis gave him a long look, then turned away and said evenly:

"It is true that none of us chose to become infected by the Spell. But we are Awakened now, so... exterminating abominations comes with the territory. We receive plenty of privileges in exchange. There's no point in thinking about the past with regret."

Sunny glanced at her with a bleak expression. Well, it was not like she was wrong... no matter how dejected he felt about the current situation, it was infinitely better than his mundane life in the outskirts.

What would have awaited Sunny if he had never become infected by Spell? A bitter life and an early grave, most likely.

...No, actually, a grave would have been an impossible luxury.

Kai lingered for a few moments before saying quietly:

"It's not the past that worries me. It's the future."

Effie remained silent, but her face turned somber. Sunny looked at his friend with curiosity.

"What do you mean?"

Kai shrugged.

"The Antarctica Campaign seems like a world of its own, but it will be over in a handful of months. What happens next? The influx of refugees and the loss of the Southern Quadrant will make living conditions across the waking world worse for everyone. There'll be an unprecedented influx of Awakened, as well, which is bound to change the situation in the Dream Realm. The Great Clans seem to be in turmoil, and on top of that... there's no guarantee that something like the Chain of Nightmares won't happen again. I am not talking about the future of the human race, though... I am talking about our personal future. What will be our roles in that world?"

Sunny lingered for a while.

"I have no idea."

Kai sighed, then glanced at Nephis.

"Lady Nephis and Cassie will most likely become Saints with the backing of Clan Valor. But that path is closed for the rest of us... unless we swear allegiance to a Legacy clan. Alternatively, we can remain with the government. But if Antarctica has proven one thing, it is that the government is not strong enough to protect the waking world with only its own strength. So what is the point..."

Sunny studied his face for a few moments.

Kai, it seemed, was struggling with his naively sincere sense of duty.

He asked:

"So, what? Are you thinking about becoming a Legacy?"

The handsome archer looked at him with a heavy expression.

"Aren't you?"

Sunny smiled with a corner of his mouth, then turned away.

"...No. I'd rather die, to be honest."

There was no need to add that last part, really, because he was always honest.

Even if Sunny was destined to forever remain a Master, he would not join the likes of Valor and Song. Sainthood was an alluring goal, but it was not worth selling himself into slavery to a Sovereign.

One chain, no matter how soft, was already enough.

As for the future... he really had no idea what was going to happen after the Antarctica Campaign was over. The Great Clans would clash in earnest, but by that point, their battles would most likely move to the Dream Realm.

Sunny would have liked to avoid becoming swept up in that conflict, but he had a strong suspicion that, for him, it was going to be nearly impossible.

"...There's no point in thinking about the future, either."

The four of them glanced at Cassie with surprise. She had remained silent throughout the conversation, but suddenly spoke at that precise moment. Coming from an oracle, that statement sounded a bit ominous.

Sunny raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, yeah? Why is that?"

Gently controlling the flying ship, Cassie kept quiet for a few moments. Then, a sad smile appeared on her face.

"There was no Spell a century ago. There were no Saints a few decades ago. There was no Chain of Nightmares a couple of years ago. What will happen in the future? Nobody knows. So, making plans is useless. All we can do is prepare to face the unknown..."