Shadow Slave

In the morning, Sunny was woken up by the gentle rustling of leaves. Opening his eyes, he saw rays of sunshine falling through the scarlet crown of the Soul Tree, painting the world in soft shades of pink. The sight was beautiful and tranquil. It felt as though none of the dangers and terrors of the Dream Realm could reach him here.

A soft breeze touched his skin, bringing with it coolness and the smell of fallen leaves.

For the first time in a long while, Sunny felt at peace.

'Is this what a vacation feels like?'

If so, their decision to have one was the best decision ever.

He sat up with a yawn and lazily looked around. Cassie and Nephis were already awake. Seeing them put a smile on Sunny's face.

'Why the hell am I grinning?'

Shaking his head, Sunny put on a serious expression and said:

"Good morning."

The girls greeted him. Then, Nephis slightly tilted her head and asked:

"Hey. Do you remember why we didn't leave anyone to keep watch last night?"

Sunny blinked. Indeed, why hadn't anyone guarded the camp?

"Uh. No. I guess we were too tired? Plus, it's so safe here. Why deprive ourselves of sleep?"

She frowned. Sunny expected Changing Star to berate them, but, unexpectedly, she just shrugged.

"...I guess."

'Huh. That's not like her. Am I not the only one in a great mood?'

To make Neph feel better, he pointed down and said:

"Don't worry. My shadow would have warned us if anything had happened ."

She seemed to have forgotten about her question already, returning to whatever she had been doing before. All three of them were easily distracted these days. Sunny sighed.

"So… what are you guys going to do today?"

Cassie turned to him with a smile and answered in a teasing tone:

So we're just going to

plan. Speaking

moment, Cassie scowled and said with

allowed to plan, plot and scheme. Just

the back

"Alright."

as though he was

But what?

Nephis, Sunny hesitated

why did you climb the Soul Tree

at him

really remember. To

smiled at the mention of the miraculous

'Yeah. That makes sense…'

***

Nephis and Cassie spent

tired bodies and minds needed

ate the delightful fruits and sat around the fire, talking or simply soaking in the warmth. Sometimes, they would play games or engage in other

that he had

enough for the three of them to stay apart if they

it

He felt perfectly fine simply laying on the ground and staring at the gently swaying branches of the Soul Tree, caught in a blissful reverie. In moments like these, he would lose track of time, often realizing that entire hours had passed only

spent on the peaceful island. He was pretty sure that

had become a common occurrence. All three of them were turning increasingly absentminded and forgetful. Sometimes, Sunny would catch himself straining to remember details of his previous life or notice the strangeness

and refreshing the magical fruits were, how pleasant it was to live under

benevolent and generous. It protected them from the cursed blight of the crimson labyrinth, kept the monsters away and provided nourishment both for their bodies and for their soul cores. Sunny was becoming increasingly convinced that finding the majestic Soul

leaving its gifts behind and returning to the horror of the outside world seemed less

when they

least two

beginning, as time went by, she grew strangely despondent and gloomy. It seemed

sitting on the western edge of the island alone, staring into the distance with bleak eyes. Sunny had no idea what

about her. Not even the frequent, insistent

of the island, feeling as though his head was about to split from pain. For some reason, he kept forgetting the reason

wanted to check

ridge of the western edge, gazing into the distance. Sunny climbed onto the ridge and sat

"Hey, Neph."

was back,

that she

"Hey."