Shadow Slave

When Sunny realized that he was dreaming, the first thing that came to his mind was that there was another soul tree growing somewhere near the white arch. However, after a few moments of panic, he quickly dismissed this idea.

After all, he had never actually dreamt while under the mind hex of the ancient fiend. He had just mistaken the broken memories of his conversation with Cassie for a dream.

But this… this one was real.

The dreamscape that surrounded Sunny was ephemeral, shifting, and shrouded in shadows. Above him, the sun was like a circle of darkness, with crimson light drowning in a burning sea of clouds. However, none of that light reached him.

In the tenebrous hall of black marble, there was nothing but empty silence.

…Which was now destroyed by the sound of a baby crying, of course.

The woman's screams had long grown silent. Peering into the stygian depths of the dark marble hall, Sunny saw nothing but endless shadows. The baby's cries were coming from somewhere beyond them.

…Or from within them.

A subtle thought entered Sunny's mind. The monumental walls, the colossal columns, the grandiose hall… all of it looked strangely familiar. As though he had already been here once, a long time ago.

All that was missing were the signs of desolation and a large altar cut from a single block of black marble. In fact, it should have been standing right where the crying sounds were coming from.

Familiar words appeared in his mind, now full of new meaning.

'...Child of Shadows?'

In the next moment, everything disappeared.

***

The world was swaying. A seemingly endless surface of black stone was flowing past his vision, moving up and down.

it wasn't the stone, but Sunny

'Wh—what?!'

He was currently held gently by a young woman who was

Sunny himself — his actual body, that is. She was slender and exquisitely beautiful, with soft porcelain skin and long raven hair. The

scales so intricately tattooed that sometimes, it seemed as though the creature was moving. Whoever marked the girl's

seen similar markings in

slave who belonged to the

Nightmare. The serpent coiled around her neck and arms served both as her

Sunny could tell from the love with which she held the child and the quiet smile that appeared on her face

his own mother at a young

slave, then the child

to understand what was happening to

in did not belong to him. Instead, it belonged to the nameless temple slave

child of

was

***

shrouded in darkness. Judging by the black marble walls, they were in another part of the ancient

burning with strange, pale

not ghosts, but humans. There were several other slaves, while the

of the Shadow God did not pursue opulence and status. In fact, many of the priests bore the same markings as the slaves,

are they doing here? What

beauty entrusted the child to her. Separated from the warmth of his mother's chest, the toddler… Sunny… felt cold and

to stand with the rest of the people gathered in the underground

woman, meanwhile, slowly walked into the circle of light.

motionlessly between

stared at the beautiful slave, feeling that something important

But… what?