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.

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

didn't mind. In fact, this was one of the features of his secret lair that he enjoyed the

was his best

up and rubbed his face to chase away the last remnants of sleep. His long, dirty hair was getting in

'Let's make some breakfast.'

But first things first…

that connected his wrist to the ring-shaped pommel of the kunai. The throwing dagger jumped into the air and landed on his 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

wall empty of engravings, he used the kunai to scratch a small line into the stone. All

been four months since Sunny came to

had happened during that

***

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 standing on

the castle was full of people. However, they weren't Awakened, as the three of them had hoped. Instead, they were, each and every

were no

hellscape of the Forgotten Shore due to their strength or luck — were stuck there with

couldn't help but laugh out loud. Oh, what a fool he had been. So full of hope and

over and slapped

one, Sunny. What

reproach. Its silence only made Sunny laugh louder. He just couldn't

ago. Probably around his third week of living alone in the city. He

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,

'Good times…'

Anyway, he survived.

over to a table that he had scavenged from the ruins of a library and glanced at