Shadow Slave

Sunny, Nephis and Cassie sat on a branch of the great tree, waiting for the sun to set. The branch was wide enough to accommodate twice as many people, so they weren't worried about being spotted from the ground. Still, they remained silent and motionless, warry of the giant monster that sometimes appeared beneath their hiding place.

The sound of his footsteps sent shivers through the tense bodies of the three Sleepers.

Not once since coming to the Forgotten Shore had Sunny hoped for the night to come faster. But there was a first time for everything.

They could only proceed with the next step of the plan after darkness had fallen, so there was nothing to do now but wait. Sitting with his back against Neph and Cassie, Sunny stared into the distance and tried not to think about anything.

Obsessing over past mistakes and future risks was only going to dampen his resolve. And it was already in short supply.

Meeting a setback so early into the plan really through Sunny off his game. He still couldn't recover from the sudden loss of the precious Echo. Of course, he knew beforehand that many things could go wrong… in fact, he had even warned the girls that there were too many unpredictable elements, and thus it was impossible to reliably predict their chances of success.

Nevertheless, he had not expected to lose the strongest member of their group at the very beginning. The first stage of the plan was supposed to be the safest. Things to come were going to be much more dangerous.

Sunny looked at the darkening skies, barely visible through the thick canopy of the great tree's crown, and listened to the noise of the rising sea. In the dim twilight, Cassie shifted a little and then gently squeezed his hand.

Her warm touch made Sunny tense up, but then, realizing that the blind girl was just trying to console him, he allowed himself to relax.

'Stupid. What am I, a kid? Holding hands will not solve anything.'

But, despite these grumbling thoughts, Sunny reluctantly realized that he did feel a bit reassured, with no logical reason at all.

Maybe they were going to pull this off after all.

If this was their will… who dared to stop them?

Soon, the night descended, drowning the world in absolute darkness.

***

The Ashen Barrow had become an island in the black, undulating void of the dark sea. The braches of the great tree swayed gently in the darkness, their vibrant scarlet leaves now indistinguishable from the obsidian surface of the wood. The leaves whispered and rustled, creating a calming melody in the threatening murmur of the surging waves.

Sunny sighed, knowing that the moment of truth was approaching. He was sure of his plan… as far as it was possible to be sure of anything in this cursed place. But he also knew all the risks and all the things that could go wrong.

all, they were still tossing a coin, hoping that

and glanced in his direction, a calm expression on her face. Today, her inexplicable ability to remain composed

pitch-black darkness of the Starless Void, she knew that he would notice

then opened them again and

"Let's begin."

motions. Cassie carefully shifted to the side, giving Sunny and Nephis space to do

were slow

were made by Sunny himself, and as such were not particularly sturdy. After all, he wasn't a craftsman — all his knowledge about pottery was received in a single day of listening to Teacher Julius's rants

least

they had gathered from the centipede monsters splashed around, making Sunny's heartbeat unsteady. A centipede monster had two sacks in its body, each containing a different

was also highly

the centipede oil. If they were to break during their run to the great tree, allowing the components to mix… well, there was a reason why the rucksack was entrusted to Nephis while Sunny carried Cassie despite his inferior physical

the centerpiece

took out one last thing from the rucksack. It was a makeshift torch made out of bone and… yeah, more seaweed. Traditionally, torches were supposed to be made out of wood, but on

cool hand, took it into his own and then placed the torch on her

was when he was dying, his chest crushed by the carapace centurion's bone scythe. The other time was on the day he handed her

memorable, although

had a feeling that this day was also going to be forever etched in

Sunny deeply inhaled.

"I'm ready."

then rose to her feet. Standing tall, she grasped the torch and closed her eyes, as though praying. Clad in white armor, with her silver hair dancing in

beneath her hands, igniting the top of the torch. Changing Star opened her eyes, extinguishing the light shining in them, and raised

like

to the edge of the branch, inhaled deeply… and screamed at

COME GET ME IF

hell

***

of nowhere in a storm of fury. Its towering legs tore through the ashen sand, throwing clouds

scrap! Come and get it, fat lobster! This is my island now!" he shouted, pretending to not be scared out

tall as a house, but still not tall enough to reach the

be the case for long, but it was enough time to bring the