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:

we're just

like a plan.

that moment, Cassie scowled and said with

are not allowed to plan, plot

scratched the back of

"Alright."

felt as though

But what?

Sunny hesitated and

me, why did you climb

glanced at

really remember. To

mention of

'Yeah. That makes sense…'

***

spent them idling away, not

minds

around the fire, talking or simply soaking in the warmth. Sometimes, they would play games or engage in other forms of

that he had spent side by side with

enough for the three of them to stay apart if they didn't wish to

that it happened

quickly grow boring, but surprisingly, it did not. 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

sure how many days they had spent on the peaceful island. He was pretty sure that it was less

to remember something 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 of their behavior. But a minute later, he would forget about

was becoming hazier and hazier. The only clear things in it were how delicious and refreshing the magical fruits were, how pleasant it was to live under the shade of the Soul Tree, and how magnificent

labyrinth, kept the monsters away and provided nourishment both for their bodies and for their

returning to the horror of the outside world

when they were perfectly happy

least two of them

by, she grew strangely despondent and gloomy. It seemed as though she had reverted back to her old, distant

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

was worried about her. Not even the frequent, insistent lapses of memory managed to overcome

split from pain. For some reason, he kept forgetting the reason

wanted to check

gazing into the distance. Sunny

"Hey, Neph."

back, making any attempt to understand her true

was clear that she was

"Hey."