Shadow Slave

Caster remained silent for a while, then calmly looked up, at the furiously pulsating radiance of the Crimson Terror's light. Finally, he lowered his head and exhaled through gritted teeth.

"Out of my way, Sunny."

Sunny blinked a couple of times, then said in a humorless tone:

"Or what?"

The Legacy grimaced and stared at him darkly, his face full of resentment.

"I am so tired of you and your insolence. Why must you always ruin everything? Why can't you just know your place?"

Summoning his beautiful jian, Caster shook his head and said:

"Stay out of this if you value your life. This is the last chance I am going to give you."

Sunny did not move, watching the young man silently. There was nothing but darkness in the eyes of the disturbing black mask. A few moments later, his voice resounded from behind it, strangely hollow:

"...Know my place? What is my place, in your eyes? Huh, Caster?"

The Legacy smiled slightly and then said naturally, as though stating a fact:

"Out of the sight of those better than you, with the rest of the mongrels. What else?"

Sunny shifted slightly. When he spoke, his tone was unexpectedly carefree and friendly:

"Ah, not exactly what I expected to hear. Well, never mind. Before we do this, though, can I ask you one question?"

Caster snarled.

"Sure. Go ahead."

This was something that had been pressing on Sunny's mind for a long time.

"Why do you even want to kill Nephis? What is so important that you are even willing to risk your life?"

The Legacy looked at him with no humor in his eyes. After a few moments, he said in a strange tone:

"This is not something that you, scum, will ever understand. Survival is all you creatures care about. Duty. Loyalty. Honor. Those are the words the likes of you know nothing about. So I will put it in a way that will be easy even for you to comprehend."

He pierced him with an intense gaze and said, each word falling like an avalanche:

"The Immortal Flame must be destroyed."

And then, his voice ringing with profound inevitability, Caster added:

"...This is the will of the Sovereigns."

Sunny stared at him for a bit, engrossed in the solemn atmosphere of this proclamation.

A few seconds later, in a sincerely confused tone, he asked:

"Uh… who?"

Caster's eyes widened. He looked at Sunny with a dumbfounded expression, then shook his head in disbelief.

"Wait… you… you really don't know? She didn't tell you anything?"

Sunny scratched the back of his head.

"...Of course she did? Actually, I know exactly what you're talking about. I've been told everything. No one knows more than me on this topic, really."

The Legacy stared at him for a few moments, then suddenly threw his head back and laughed out loud.

"Pathetic mongrel… you don't even know who you serve! You don't even know who rules the world you live in. Why am I even wasting my breath talking to a worm like you?"

Sunny tilted his head, then said in a reproachful tone:

"Ouch. That stings."

Caster smiled darkly, then raised his sword.

"Enough of this! I'm done trying to reason with you, fool. I have allowed you to sculk in the shadows, playing your vulgar games, for long enough. I only permitted you to live because there was no reason to get rid of you. What, do you think that you… you! Can defeat me? That your little schemes and secrets will give you a chance against a true Legacy? Sorry to disappoint, but I figured them out a long time ago."

Sunny remained silent for a bit and then asked in an indifferent tone:

"Oh yeah? Do tell. What are my secrets, exactly?"

The Legacy grinned:

"You hide your strength and pretend to be weak. You go around telling ridiculous tales, making everyone think that you are a lunatic. At first, I thought that you have lost your mind, too. But once I started paying attention, it was so obvious. The constant misdirections, the obnoxious bragging that no sane person would ever believe, the crazy act… this is you Flaw, isn't it?"

As Sunny tensed, Caster smiled triumphantly and said:

"...You are compelled to lie against your will. Did you really think that no one would see the pattern? You even bribed that idol friend of yours to try and mislead everyone. A pathetic attempt. Were you expecting that anyone would buy it?"

Sunny stared at him for a few moments, and then exploded with laughter.

"Ah, crap. You got me! Yes, you are right. This is my Flaw. What sane person would go around telling such outrageous lies?!"

Then, he pierced Caster with a murderous gaze and said:

"...Sadly, it seems that I am at a disadvantage in that regard. It is such a shame that I have no idea what your Flaw is, huh? That I haven't figured it out a long time ago, too."

Caster looked at him, a corner of his mouth turning downward. In the light of the Memory lantern, he looked handsome and confident.

...Mature.

There was a short beard on his face, and a few grey hairs in his luscious mane.

Hidden behind the mask, Sunny smiled:

"It is so sad that I don't know that your powerful, incredible, amazing Aspect Ability shortens your lifespan every time you use it, and that you reverse its effect on your body with a charm Memory in the shape of a sandglass. Ah, if only I was more observant! Too bad I am not."

The Legacy stared at him with a dark expression, his face slowly turning pale. After a while, he uttered:

"...It doesn't matter. After I fulfill my duty and return to the real world, the Awakening will allow me to take back the years that had been stolen from me. While you, rat, will stay in this cursed place fo…"

Before he was done talking, a heavy triangular blade suddenly flew into his face. As a hint of outrage gleamed in Caster's eyes, he easily swatted the kunai away… and turned into a blur, lunging at Sunny with astonishing speed.

Invisible to a human eye, the string of the Prowling Thorn was wrapped around two coral outcroppings, drawn across the wide root right ahead of him. And the proud Legacy was about to…

A green light flashed through the air, and Sunny felt his wrist jerk back, the tension of the string suddenly gone.

'Cr…'

A fraction of a second later, Caster was upon him.