Shadow Slave

Because he wanted to.

For once, Sunny's heart wasn't full of fear and despair. Instead, it was filled with defiant indignation. He was tired of bending under the pressure of the world, furtively clutching to the tiniest glimmers of hope, always afraid, always willing to do anything, abandon anything, just to survive for another day. It wasn't enough anymore.

He wanted to make the world bend to his wishes instead.

He wanted to live like a human being instead of an animal.

In these past months, Sunny had changed without even noticing. Somehow, he had grown unsatisfied with his previous way of life, one where his sole goal of survival at all cost overshadowed everything else. Whether he lives or dies had always been the only thing that mattered. But now, how he lived mattered more.

What was the point of having no master if he lived like a slave?

Gritting his teeth, Sunny dove into the dark abyss.

The cold water embraced him like a burial shroud. He couldn't see in this cursed blackness, relying only on his shadow sense for guidance. Salt sipped into the bite marks on his hands and the cut on his neck, making them burn. Not paying the agony any attention, Sunny used his considerable strength to propel himself deeper and deeper into the darkness.

He could feel the giant tentacles moving in the water around him, pulling the pieces of the carapace boat into the gargantuan maw that was hiding somewhere far below. Once or twice, he had to desperately twist his body to avoid being touched by one of them.

But still, no sign of Cassie. His lungs were starting to burn.

Sunny dove deeper.

At this depth, the water pressure was starting to affect his movements, making each stroke feel heavier. Even with his body enhanced by the shadow, there was a limit to how much it could withstand. Sunny suspected that without the Blood Weave, he would have suffocated a long time ago.

What's worse, he felt as though he was getting closer and closer to the actual body of the unknown horror that had destroyed their vessel. He still couldn't sense its massive shape, but judging by the girth of the tentacles that surrounded him, the monster couldn't have been far.

And then, Sunny finally noticed something.

him, a small shadow was struggling against a much

Cassie!

the blind girl with as much speed as he could muster. As he drew near,

around her body. She was still struggling, trying to get free, but her movements were growing weaker

himself forward and grabbed onto the tentacle, feeling slippery

But fighting underwater was tricky… if he wanted to deliver any sort of a powerful blow, he had to find some form of

where it was coiled around Cassie's lower torso. He knew that he wouldn't be able to do any serious harm with that strike, which

the fleshy tentacle,

shake the attacker off. Flying through the darkness, Sunny held on for dear

one strike. No amount of strength would have allowed that to happen. Luckily, swords

blade, Sunny cut deep into the tentacle. When the tsuba was about to touch the wound, he changed his grip and pulled the tachi down. Monster's flesh spread apart under the razor-sharp

blood surged out, and with

was finally able to turn his attention to Cassie to see how

he sensed made him scowl. The blind girl was

to

dismissed his sword and grabbed Cassie across the torso, feeling how cold her skin was

him and not the monster. Pressing the blind girl to his chest, Sunny turned his

slowly losing its strength, full of terrible pain and thirsting for a breath of

were so, so far away from

of the depths was now alerted to his location. Countless tentacles were already moving, surrounding them in an impenetrable barrier of flesh. A second or two later, they would be crushed to death in the devastating embrace of the sea

didn't know how to

he wasn't going to give

onto Cassie and swam up. The tentacles were approaching, blocking all paths of escape. Sunny

moment, the water

obliterating any sign of darkness. The