Shadow Slave

Three months later, Sunny was back at the castle.

Well, to be precise, he had returned here once before, to buy a few items that were hard to come by in the ruins. However, back then, Nephis and her cohort had been away on a hunt.

No such luck today. The moment he had been dreading for so long was finally here.

Hearing Changing Stat's voice, Sunny slowly turned around, glanced at her, and forced out a smile:

"Hey, Neph. Long time no see."

He tried to sound casual, but a slight tremble betrayed the storm of emotions raging in his heart.

Why did she have to be here?!

The turmoil of their sudden meeting was exasperated by the fact of how different they looked. The past months only made Nephis appear more radiant and splendid. Her white armor was pristine and graceful, her silver hair clean and combed. Sunny, on the other hand, looked like a pile of dirt that had somehow come to life. Both he and the Puppeteer's Shroud had seen better days.

He didn't want to see her, but even more than that, he didn't want her to see him in this sorry state. What if Neph gets the ridiculous idea that he was somehow miserable after falling out with her?

Nonsense! He was doing better than ever. He lived in a palace, ate delicious food every day, and had even become incredibly wealthy. If anyone should be miserable, it would be her…

"You do realize that you said that out loud, do you?"

Sunny blinked, remembered where he was, and stared at Changing Star in shock:

"Huh… what?"

She smiled with a corner of her mouth.

"You just zoned out and mumbled "why did she have to be here" under your breath. That was not very polite."

Sunny hid his embarrassment behind a grin and said.

"Yeah, well… I meant it."

Neph sighed.

"I'm glad to see you too, Sunny. It's good that you're alive."

his discomfort, he

me to

at him for a

contrary, I knew that you

paused for a moment and added in

all, a cockroach like you is not

Sunny scoffed.

"Now who's being impolite?"

stared at him in confusion for a

meant

***

too. As much as Sunny wanted to deny it, he had desperately missed her calm presence. Somewhere along the way, without even noticing, he had grown reliant

was

all, nothing had really changed after their bitter quarrel. Even though the intensity of it all diminished, the future that Cassie had foretold was still

running into Changing Star disappeared, Sunny took a closer look at

while he was gone, but it seemed like it was a lot. Neph was always confident and arresting, but now, her presence grew

was not the same weak fool either. The Dark City had made him into a fearsome creature as well. The months he had spent hunting monsters in the absolute darkness of

a little bit

Creatures as he had in the same amount of time. At

tangent and forget where you

he had been silent for a long time. An awkward silence hung between

I need to say something. Like… how have you been? No, that's a stupid

could

what brings you to the Bright Castle? Are you…

back of his

know. Just… doing some

She blinked.

"Shopping?"

that sound

Sunny's eyes widened.

say that out

shut and looked

that a habit of talking to myself would be so detrimental to keeping my

next to him, the shadow was having a swell time basking in his anguish. It was shaking

Sunny was finally

to spare, so I wanted to