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.

no windows, however, there were light wells cunningly hidden here and there. Sadly, the ingenious system

one of the features of his secret lair that he enjoyed

was his

the last remnants of sleep. His long, dirty hair was getting in the way, so he moved it

'Let's make some breakfast.'

But first things first…

palm. This was a

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 of

since Sunny came to this loathsome,

had happened during that

***

be true. Far in the west, they indeed found a vast, ruined city surrounded by tall walls, with monsters wandering its narrow streets. And in the center of the city, there was a hill with a magnificent castle

three of them

no Gateway in the

their strength or luck — were stuck there with no hope of ever returning to the real world. It was

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

bent over and slapped

one, Sunny. What do you think about

reproach. Its silence

around his third week of living alone in the city.

Sunny no choice but to crawl away while using his 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

'Good times…'

Anyway, he survived.

kunai, Sunny walked over to a table that he had scavenged from the ruins of a library and glanced at the grey rock that was lying in its