Shadow Slave

Changing Star frowned. There was a hint of surprise visible in her cold, grey eyes.

"My… goal? Isn't it obvious?"

She gestured to the slum that surrounded them and the magnificent castle towering above it.

"I'm trying to help these people. What else?"

Sunny sighed.

Then, turning his face away, he asked:

"Hey, have I ever told you about my sister?"

Nephis blinked.

"No. Why bring this up all of the sudden?"

He smiled wistfully.

"I just was reminded of her recently, so I thought I'd share. You see… our parents died when we were little. She got adopted, but I ended up on the streets. Life wasn't really sweet for me. In fact, it was nothing but unsavory and bitter. So, young as I was, I simply imagined that it was the same for her. That's why I got obsessed with the idea of finding her. I had this fantasy in my head, you know, of saving and protecting her. Becoming a family again."

Sunny grimaced.

"But how could a penniless undesirable like me find anyone? You know how the city databases are. Even if they're functional, unsealing anything requires you to be a citizen, and one of a considerable rank, too. However, I was ready to do anything to accomplish my goal. So, I saved up money. A street kid can't earn much, but even then, I saved up as much as I could."

A dark expression appeared on his face.

eat, I would keep putting away the pathetic amount of credits I had earned through doing all kinds of horrid crap. And after four or five years of this, by

He smiled.

in him, at least. So I gave all my money to that guy and told him to find my sister. And you know what? He did. One day, about a

moments, then

Did

glanced

couldn't even really remember what she looked like. There was this girl, around twelve years old, wearing a tidy school uniform. She was walking in the same direction as me. I only realized that it was her after she entered the house from the

silent for a while, then continued, his voice

whole house to themselves. Just one family living in it, can you imagine? Well,

his own embarrassing astonishment, and tried

had parents who loved her and treated her well. She had real food, and enough of it to never go hungry. She

at him and

did

didn't answer immediately. Instead, he remembered how he just stood there, watching those happy people. How he looked down at his own frail body, his dirty and ragged clothes, the bruises on his

her, he was faced with the simple fact that she… she never really needed him. She probably didn't even remember that he existed. More than that,

dark and rainy night, while Sunny was standing in the shadows, something in his heart was

after this, nothing would really compare

long time, he slowly backed away, turned around, and

days after that, he began showing the first symptoms of being infected by the

rest was

off the unpleasant memories, Sunny pretended

only selfless thing that I have ever done. I turned around and went away.

shook

grinned, the anger finally finding its way

like me was able to realize that the person he wanted to save didn't need his saving. So please tell me, Neph, why is it that you, with all your intelligence and clarity,

stared at him, a deep frown appearing on

my intention to help these people?