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.

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 the time I was nearly seventeen, I finally

He smiled.

guy and told him to find my sister. And you know

moments, then asked in a quiet

what happened? Did you

face, glanced at the sky, and

looked like. There was this girl, around twelve years old, wearing a

a while, then continued, his

themselves. Just one family living in it, can you imagine? Well, I guess you can. Anyway… there was even

it, his own embarrassing astonishment, and tried to smile.

the edge of that light, I observed her family for a while. She had parents who loved her and treated her well. She had real food, and enough of it to never go hungry. She had pretty clothes and expensive textbooks. She even had cute younger siblings. They were all smiling, laughing, and having

at

what did

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 bloodied knuckles.

of dreaming of finding his sister and saving her, he was faced with the simple fact that she… she never really needed him. She probably didn't even remember that

read more chapters ? ] Out there on that dark and rainy night, while Sunny

matter what kind of situation he would find himself in after this, nothing would really compare

long time, he slowly backed away,

that, he began showing the first symptoms of

the rest was

off the unpleasant memories, Sunny pretended to be

ever done. I turned around and went away.

shook

finding its way

his saving. So please tell me, Neph, why is it that you,

deep frown

my intention to help these people? If so, you are