Shadow Slave

Sunny blinked a couple of times, digesting her words.

A matter of life and death… if Nephis used these words, the situation was indeed dire. She was not someone to throw words to the wind.

However, she was also not to be trusted. No matter how much Sunny wanted for things between them to go to the way they had been before, he knew that it was impossible. There was no way back for either of them.

Sunny knew the true face of Changing Star now. He had seen the endless force of her conviction. In the flaming white inferno of her soul, all things were reduced to ash. Human concepts like loyalty, mercy, and affection had no hope of escaping that annihilation.

No matter what bonds connected them, Sunny could not trust Nephis to put them above her boundless obsession. If push came to shove, she would sacrifice anything… or anyone… to achieve her goal. Including him.

At least that was what he believed.

What's more, despite the fact that she tried to hide it, Sunny could feel that Neph's demeanor toward him had changed as well. He couldn't tell how exactly, but there was something almost imperceptibly different about how she looked at him.

Once broken, trust was not easy to put back. Perhaps it was simply impossible.

And yet… despite all that, was he really capable of refusing her plea for help?

Sunny sighed and closed his eyes for a moment.

…No. No, he didn't think he was.

Even if things between them became strained, she was still one of the only two people he cared about in this world. The way he felt toward Neph was... was almost like a second Flaw.

No matter how much he wanted to, he just couldn't get rid of it.

Somewhere along the way, it had taken root in his soul. He had hoped that it will wither and die if they were apart, but instead, it just grew stronger. And now there was no escape from it.

Sunny could feel himself being pulled back into the mess of humanity once again. Damn it! This was exactly why he had been reluctant to return here. After suffering so much to leave it all behind, why would he ever want to abandon his peaceful, pleasant, delightful life of solitude?

'Curses!'

he just couldn't refuse

that didn't mean that he was going to become her compliant

to work together, they were going

Memories to feed for

looking at him expectantly. Sunny tried to

but not right now. I'll... come find you when I'm done with

After all, Nephis had no idea that he was going to return from the ruins today. If there was no time to waste,

Star was silent for a few moments, her face indifferent. Then, finally, she

is fine. You know

Sunny smiled.

mind,

him with the

"You will?"

the charming young man, Sunny

to meet my other friends? They'll be able

Night hesitated.

"...I guess?"

"Wonderful!"

gave him a nod and glanced at Nephis, who was clearly wondering

decided then. Now, if

be told, he didn't trust the pretty archer that much either. But his ability to detect lies would come in

only graduate of Sunny's school of deception and

they were

find out about the

***

enough, they were entering the Bright Castle. Sunny felt strange returning to this splendid, suffocating place. This time, he came as a guest of a well-regarded resident, not as a slum dweller seeking

skulls, they entered the familiar hall of beautiful colored glass windows. The opulent desk that Harper used to sit behind was still there, only

of one little human. It just

Forgetting it.