Shadow Slave

Evolving… the Stone Saint was evolving.

Leaving the mindscape of the Soul Sea, Sunny furrowed his brow. His eyes, however, were full of excitement.

What exactly about her was going to change, though?

There weren't that many possibilities. It could be either her rank, her class, or her attributes.

It was logical to assume that by defeating an opponent of a higher rank, the Shadow would be able to ascend to a new rank herself. However, there was a flaw in that logic.

The Black Knight wasn't the first Fallen creature Sunny and the Saint had slain. In fact, he was the third, with the Corpse Eater and the Spire Messenger being the first two. That's not even counting the two Iron Spiders the living statue had butchered before falling to Sunny's blade herself.

But she had not done anything like pulling a black gem out of their corpses before.

So, most likely, what allowed her to absorb the soul of that particular Nightmare Creature was not the mere fact of its incredible power, it was the strange but obvious kinship that the two of them shared. At least Sunny felt that this guess of his was right.

That didn't help him understand what changes would occur to the taciturn monsters, though. Still, it was a very valuable piece of information to learn.

In the future, if Sunny wanted to evolve his Shadows, he would have to find not only a powerful, but also a suitable opponent for them to defeat. A kindred abomination of higher rank or class.

Tilting his head, he tried to remember if there was another creature on the Forgotten Shore he knew of whose soul could be fed to the Saint. For a moment, the image of the walking colossus appeared in his mind.

'Yeah, no. Not gonna even think about that.'

Shaking his head, Sunny smiled slightly and walked over to his companions.

Now that their deal had been concluded…

The future he was so afraid of was finally upon them.

***

The light of lanterns invaded the spacious room that had once belonged to the priestess of this ancient temple. With six people entering its peaceful haven, however, it didn't seem so vast anymore.

Sunny looked around and sighed. The hidden quarters were just like he had left him. There were pieces of simple, but luxurious furniture carved out of pale wood, with a few mismatched things that he had scavenged from the ruins. The stone walls were decorated with intricate engravings. An empty chest that used to be full of shimmering soul shards stood dark and empty.

Feeding the Stone Saint had really bankrupted him. Sadly, being the master of a hungry Shadow was not the cheapest of ambitions...

On one of the walls, sets of lines were scratched into the stone, marking all the days he had spent living in the ruined cathedral. For a long time, this had been his home. The best home he ever had, really, which was a sad thing to say about a windowless stone room hidden in the middle of a cursed city.

But Sunny liked it a lot. He was going to miss this dark, quiet place very much.

The other members of the cohort, with the exception of Effie and Cassie, were looking around with interest. Even Neph showed a bit of curiosity.

With a strange look on his face, Kai turned to Sunny and asked:

"This… this is where you lived?"

Sunny raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

"Yeah. Why?"

The beautiful archer smiled with visible delight.

"No, nothing. It's just that… this place is so tasteful! I did not expect your residence to be this chic."

'What is that supposed to mean?'

Sunny frowned.

"...What did you expect it to be?"

Kai looked down, suddenly flustered.

"Oh, you know. For some reason, I always imagined you sleeping on a floor in a cave. Yeah, stupid, I know. Why would there be a cave in a temple?"

Hearing that, Effie couldn't help but laugh.

"Uh… wait till you see what's in his closet, Night."

Sunny gave her a menacing look, but thought better of saying anything.

He understood that the huntress was just trying to lighten the mood.

Knowing what was going to come next, every member of the cohort was consumed by fear and doubt right now. Effie more than the rest, because her role in the spectacle that Gunalug had planned for them was especially cruel.

Sunny sighed.

A bit later, they were sitting around the hearth, the smell of food still lingering in the air. Everyone was silent, looking at the fire, their minds consumed with dark thoughts. Sunny knew that he had to make a decision now, but felt reluctant to do so.

Instead, he just watched the shadows dance on the walls of the hidden chamber.

After a while, Nephis finally broke the silence. Turning to him, she lingered for a bit, and then asked:

"We will be leaving in the morning. Will you come with us?"

Her voice sounded even, as always. But Sunny knew her well enough to discern notes of a suppressed emotion in it.

Hope…

'Hope is the poison that will get you killed.'

But no. This was the old Sunny talking. One who was comfortable hiding behind his insanity, one who had given up. Who was too afraid to face the ruthless truth and pay the price to take what belonged to him, was his by right.

Triumph. Salvation.

...And hope.

Sunny was done being afraid.

With a calm expression, he looked at Nephis and said:

"The day after tomorrow. I still have things to finish in the Dark City. I will join you the day after tomorrow… for better or worse."

She was silent for a few moments, and then a soft smile appeared on her face.

"...Thank you. I have some preparations to make, too. We will return to the Bright Castle together, then."

He gave her a nod and turned away.

Nephis had never shown any sign of being able to feel fear, at least not that he remembered. But he knew that it was just a front. In fact, she knew fear all too well. Better than anyone here, except maybe for him.

She was introduced to it at a very young age, after all.

So he suspected that behind her indifferent face and even voice, she must have been scared, too. She was just a young girl, after all.

And it was she who was going to fight the immortal Bright Lord to the death soon, not them.

Sunny looked at the shadows.

'One day. After one day, the prophecy will begin to come true.'