Shadow Slave

"Wake up, Sunless! Your nightmare is…"

"Shut the hell up!"

Trying to remain in the blissful embrace of sleep, Sunny hissed through his teeth and stubbornly closed his eyes tighter. He was warm and comfortable under the blanket, on his own bed, where all the problems of the world seemed less serious and dire.

For a moment, there was silence.

'That's better…'

"Wake up, Sunless! Your…"

'Goddammit!'

Thrusting one arm from under the blanket, Sunny summoned one of his Memories. Immediately, a triangular leaf-shaped throwing dagger appeared in his hand, only to be thrown blindly at the source of the irritating voice. Missing its mark, the kunai clinked against the stone wall and fell to the floor.

However, the voice did fall silent.

Sunny sighed. It was already too late. He was awake.

Far in the distance, the waves were starting to crash against the city wall. The night was coming, so it was time to get up.

Opening his eyes, Sunny sat up and looked around.

His room was beautiful and spacious. The stone walls were engraved with intricate patterns, creating an atmosphere of sanctity and elegance. The furniture was made out of pale polished wood, with several mismatched pieces that Sunny had scavenged from different places himself.

wells cunningly hidden here and there. Sadly, the ingenious system of mirrors that was supposed to bathe the

mind. In fact, this was one of the features of

was his best

of sleep. His long, dirty hair was getting in the

'Let's make some breakfast.'

But first things first…

palm. This was a trick that had taken Sunny quite some time to master: in the beginning, he almost lost a couple of fingers while trying to learn how to control the

over to a wall empty of engravings, he used the kunai to scratch a small line into the stone. All around it, there were dozens and dozens

since Sunny came to this loathsome, godforsaken

had happened

***

found a vast, ruined city surrounded by tall walls, with monsters wandering its narrow streets. And in the center

they weren't Awakened, as the three of them had hoped. Instead, they were, each and

were no

to their strength or luck — were stuck there with no hope of ever returning

help but laugh out loud. Oh, what a fool he had been. So full of hope and newfound faith in humanity…

bent over and slapped his

Sunny. What do you

respond, staring at him with reproach. Its silence

ago. Probably around his third week of living alone in the city. He was more or less

own two hands to stop his intestines from falling out. After finding his way to a secluded ditch and lying there for a few days, too weak to move and simply waiting to die, with not a soul around to help him, Sunny

'Good times…'

Anyway, he survived.

he had scavenged from the ruins of