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 on vacation, remember? So we're just going to rest

like a plan. Speaking

and said with a comically

You are not allowed to plan, plot and scheme.

back of

"Alright."

as though

But what?

at Nephis, Sunny hesitated and

me, why did you climb the

glanced at him in

I don't really remember.

mention of the miraculous

'Yeah. That makes sense…'

***

passed by. Sunny, Nephis and Cassie spent them idling away,

minds

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

of privacy. Sunny had been a loner for most of his life, so these past few weeks that he had spent side by side with other people, without even a minute to himself, were a taxing experience. He relished the opportunity to be alone with his

the island was large enough for the three of them to stay apart if they

that it happened

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

hard to grasp. Sunny wasn't entirely sure how many days they had spent on the peaceful island. He was pretty sure

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

only clear things in it were how delicious and refreshing the magical fruits were, how

nourishment both for

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

leave when they were perfectly

least two

Nephis was as carefree and tranquil as Sunny and Cassie in the beginning, as time went by, she grew strangely despondent and gloomy. It seemed as

chatting or relaxing with them, Changing Star ended up spending most of her time sitting on the western edge of the

the frequent, insistent lapses of memory managed

pain. For some reason, he kept forgetting the reason for this visit on the way here. It took all of his willpower to

wanted to check

always, she was sitting at the ridge of the western edge, gazing into the distance. Sunny climbed onto the

"Hey, Neph."

him. Her indifferent expression was back,

was clear that she

"Hey."