Shadow Slave

Kai landed on the stone platform, gently placing Cassie down. The blind girl was deathly pale and visibly hurt, but her life didn't seem to be in danger. The archer smiled reassuringly and gripped her shoulder.

Then, just like the rest of them, he turned his head and silently looked south.

A wall of impenetrable, furious darkness was approaching from there, devouring vast spans of the Labyrinth with each second. To Sunny, it felt like an endless ocean of deranged shadows was rushing to drown them. The pressure he felt was almost as bad as that of the ominous Crimson Spire.

The colossus was marching toward the darkness, completely indifferent to its menacing oppression.

The wind rustled Sunny's hair. In the stunned silence, Effie suddenly fell to her knees with a pained groan. Her hands were pressed against the breach in her archaic cuirass, bright blood streaming from beneath them.

That sound brought everyone back to reality. With a grim expression on her face, Nephis walked other to the wounded huntress and gently placed her hands on her body. A moment later, soft white radiance shone through the cracks of Effie's armor, healing her wounds and taking the pain away.

Changing Star closed her eyes and bit her lip, drops of crimson blood rolling down her ivory skin.

To take away her companion's suffering, she had to endure a much more harrowing torture.

Sunny coughed, bloody foam flying from his lips, and weakly lowered himself to the ground. He didn't feel too well.

The wall of darkness was growing closer with every moment. The wind was picking up, whistling in the cracks of the ancient statue. It brought the smell of the sea with it.

Sunny grimaced and commanded the Stone Saint to walk over and stand above him.

"What are we going to do now?"

Kai shivered, glanced at the raging wall of clouds, and said:

"Climb lower? The lightning is bound to be drawn to the neck of this giant."

Sunny shook his head.

"We can't. The sea is going to rise, so most of the statue will be submerged underwater. We will be lucky if the waves aren't high enough to reach this platform."

The archer sighed and looked down.

"So then… we're dead?"

Sunny smiled darkly.

"Don't worry. Stone doesn't conduct electricity too well, so we will be safe from lightning. Most likely. What you should really be afraid of are the things that all that commotion might attract."

After that, he bent over in another fit of painful coughing.

'Ugh… that stings a little…'

By that time, Nephis was done healing Effie. Walking over, she kneeled and looked at Sunny.

...Unexpectedly, there was an expression of sincere worry on her face.

"You… did you inhale that pollen?"

Sunny tried to grin, but ended up coughing up more blood instead.

"Yeah. A little. But don't fret, it's not… there are no flowers growing in my lungs. Anymore."

Neph's face twitched, and she outstretched her hands to place them on Sunny's chest. However, he caught them in the air with his own and stopped her.

Her skin was soft and cool to the touch.

"Don't bother. I'll be fine. Take a look at Cassie instead."

Changing Star stared at him for a few moments. Then, she suddenly asked:

"But doesn't it hurt?"

He pushed her hands away and shook his head.

"Not as bad as it going to hurt you."

Nephis frowned.

"...I am used to it."

Sunny looked at her for a long time, his expression hard to read. Then, he said evenly:

"I know. But I don't want you to be used to it. You shouldn't be. Especially not on my account."

The weight of the things he left unsaid hung between them for a few moments. Nephis titled her head slightly, then turned away. Finally, she sighed, lingered for a few seconds, and walked away without saying another word.

Sunny lowered his head and remained motionless for a while.

'Better… it's better this way.'

Being afraid of pain was the most human emotion there was. He couldn't help but feel that every time Nephis silently endured the terrifying torture of her Flaw, a part of her humanity was burned away by the merciless purity of the radiant white flames. He didn't want to see it happen.

Not to mention that he was the last person in the world that Changing Star should have been helping. Because…

Suddenly, a deafening thunderclap rolled over them, forcing the members of the cohort to flinch. The light of day dimmed, and the cold wind furiously crashed into them, bearing drops of salty black water with it.

Done checking up on Cassie, Nephis glanced forward and scowled.

They were almost out of time.

"Get ready! Hold!"

With that, she summoned her sword and held it with both hands. As the incandescent light ignited the silver blade, Changing Star thrust the sword deep into the stone, melting it. Kneeling down, she gripped the sword and prepared for the onslaught of the storm.

But he side, Effie sighed and grabbed onto a crack in the stone with one hand. With the other, she drew Cassie close and hugged her.

Caster followed their leader's example and used his enchanted jian to anchor himself to the platform.

Sunny glanced at them and grimaced.

Standing above him, the Stone Saint discarded her shield and lowered one shoulder, preparing to withstand the hurricane winds. Without anything better to hold onto, Sunny hugged the thigh of his Shadow on closed his eyes, embarrassed by the indignity.

Before he could really revel in it, though, something plopped on the ground near him. Opening one eye, Sunny was surprised to see Kai.

"...What? What are you doing here?"

The archer smiled with embarrassment and coughed.

"Uh... well, you see. I don't have a sword that can cut stone or herculean strength. So, ah… mind if I hold onto the other thigh of your beautiful stone companion?"

Sunny glared at him for a couple of seconds and then scoffed.

"Fine! Whatever. Just don't grab onto me by mistake…"

As the endless wall of darkness approached, the headless colossus steadily walked forward and then dove straight into the furious embrace of the harrowing storm.