Shadow Slave

By the time Sunny woke up, the ship was already approaching the Sanctuary. Looking out of the window, he saw a familiar island below them… in his time, it was occupied by a fearsome Corrupted abomination. He wondered if it was still — or rather, already — nesting there.

In any case, from here, the Sanctuary was just a couple of chains away.

With a sign, Sunny dressed himself and left the cabin, heading for the upper deck. Once outside, he saw Sailor Dolls moving around with graceful precision, hoisting sails and performing other tasks. Noctis was standing at the helm, wearing a completely new extravagant robe and whistling a light-hearted melody. Noticing Sunny, the sorcerer smiled.

"Ah, Sunless! How fortunate it is that you are awake. We are almost home."

He glanced forward and waved a hand, accidentally sending the ship into a lateral spin. The wooden mannequins somehow remained attached to the deck, but Sunny had to grab a handrail to not be thrown overboard. He gave the immortal Transcendent a resentful look.

Noctis smiled sheepishly.

"Oh… uh… sorry about that."

Shaking his head, Sunny ascended the stairs and joined the sorcerer at the bridge, which was situated at the stern of the enchanted vessel. From there, he observed the landscape of the Kingdom of Hope in silence, until a familiar silhouette of a vast ring of menhirs standing atop a small island appeared in sight, surrounded by a white cloud of water vapor that came from several beautiful waterfalls.

The Sanctuary… it was nice to see it again. In this harrowing Nightmare, it almost felt like home.

Noctis grinned.

"That is it! The Sanctuary of Noctis, my beautiful lair. Isn't it pretty?"

Sunny hesitated, then took the emerald amulet out of the folds of his black garment and thought:

"...I guess. But isn't it a bit presumptuous, to call it after yourself?"

The sorcerer laughed.

"Oh, no! You misunderstood. Initially, it was called the Temple of the Moon. I built it as a shrine to my great-grandmother. I was perfectly content living there alone, but as the Kingdom of Hope went from bad to worse, stragglers started coming to my lands in search of a safe shelter from all the madness. I didn't have the heart… or rather, didn't care that much… to turn them away. So, they started calling it the Sanctuary of Noctis. Why, it's a very nice name, if you ask me!"

Sunny stared at him for a few moments, then said in a somber tone:

"...Who is your great-grandmother?"

Noctis turned to him and blinked a couple of times, an expression of surprise clearly written on his beautiful face.

"Well, who else? The Goddess of the Moon, of course!"

Sunny paled.

'...How does this even make sense?'

He opened his mouth to say something, then shut it and decided not to think about it too much. Noticing this reaction, Noctis shrugged with a confused expression.

"Whom did you think I inherited my unparalleled looks from? People as gorgeous as I don't grow on trees, you know! Well… usually. Unless it is a very special tree, I guess."

Sunny gritted his teeth and tried very hard not to think anything aloud.

Soon, the flying ship descended from the skies and hovered in the center of the ring of giant menhirs, the sacred tree that grew on its deck situated right above the one growing on a small island surrounded by the pool of clear water, an altar of pure white stone drowning in the shade of its wide branches. Sunny saw dozens of people staring up with awed expressions, and involuntary searched for familiar faces.

It was futile, of course. Even if others were somehow here, they were going to look different from their real selves, after all.

Noctis grinned.

"Welcome to the Sanctuary! You'll like it here, for sure. Everyone here is very reasonable and nice. Just like me…"

Hearing that statement, Sunny shivered.

***

Together, they left the flying vessel and walked through the garden, heading to the sorcerer's private quarters. Coincidentally, the residence was situated in the same place where the White Feather clan had established their stronghold in the future. Noctis built his home inside the ring of menhirs itself, however, instead of on top of it.

As they walked, Sunny studied the inhabitants of the Sanctuary of the past… most of them seemed like normal people. Some of them were mundane, and some were Awakened. They didn't seem to be in the throes of madness. However, after the cruel lesson that had been taught him in the Red Colosseum, he couldn't help but keep his guard up.

Sunny's gaze shifted from person to person, evaluating them for potential danger.

That young woman holding a young child by the hand seemed harmless, but why was the child so frightened? That man with a neatly trimmed beard seemed gentle and kind, but why was the hilt of his sword so polished and worn? That beggar who sat lonesomely by himself, his body and face disfigured and wrapped in bandages like that of a leper, seemed too weak to pose a threat… but why was his gaze so sharp, his fingers so calloused?

And that old woman with a basket of fruit in her arms... why was she watching them so intently?

Sunny shook his head, then looked away.

'Being vigilant is good, but this is just the madness speaking. Wishing to be safe is also a desire… and so, it can also be twisted by Hope's influence. After the torments I experienced in the Red Colosseum and the nightmares, my mind is already unstable… I need to keep myself in check, or something terrible will happen...'

What dangers could there be here, in the stronghold of an immortal Saint? As long as Noctis himself did not decide to attack Sunny, he would be more or less safe.

And speaking of Noctis…

The sorcerer led him to a beautifully engraved wooden door, then opened it and led Sunny inside. His residence was just as one could expect… spacious, decorated with the most exquisite furnishings, and populated by all kinds of magical servants.

Staring at a mop that was dutifully washing the floors without anyone holding it, Sunny felt cold shivers running down his spine. He had a suspicion of how the Sailor Dolls were made…

'Don't tell me that the lunatic actually used someone's soul… to enchant this damned mop…'

Noctis grinned.

"I know what you are thinking."

Sunny flinched and stared at the immortal with tense apprehension.

The sorcerer nodded solemnly.

"...What is for breakfast, right? Oh, don't you worry, Sunless! I take breakfasts very seriously. Let us eat, then drink… then talk."

He sighed.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions… I have a couple myself, to be honest..."