Shadow Slave

Kai landed on the stone platform, gently placing Cassie down. The blind girl was deathly pale and visibly hurt, but her life didn't seem to be in danger. The archer smiled reassuringly and gripped her shoulder.

Then, just like the rest of them, he turned his head and silently looked south.

A wall of impenetrable, furious darkness was approaching from there, devouring vast spans of the Labyrinth with each second. To Sunny, it felt like an endless ocean of deranged shadows was rushing to drown them. The pressure he felt was almost as bad as that of the ominous Crimson Spire.

The colossus was marching toward the darkness, completely indifferent to its menacing oppression.

The wind rustled Sunny's hair. In the stunned silence, Effie suddenly fell to her knees with a pained groan. Her hands were pressed against the breach in her archaic cuirass, bright blood streaming from beneath them.

That sound brought everyone back to reality. With a grim expression on her face, Nephis walked other to the wounded huntress and gently placed her hands on her body. A moment later, soft white radiance shone through the cracks of Effie's armor, healing her wounds and taking the pain away.

Changing Star closed her eyes and bit her lip, drops of crimson blood rolling down her ivory skin.

To take away her companion's suffering, she had to endure a much more harrowing torture.

Sunny coughed, bloody foam flying from his lips, and weakly lowered himself to the ground. He didn't feel too well.

The wall of darkness was growing closer with every moment. The wind was picking up, whistling in the cracks of the ancient statue. It brought the smell of the sea with it.

Sunny grimaced and commanded the Stone Saint to walk over and stand above him.

"What are we going to do now?"

Kai shivered, glanced at the raging wall of clouds, and said:

"Climb lower? The lightning is bound to be drawn to the neck of this giant."

Sunny shook his head.

The sea is going to rise, so most of the statue will be submerged underwater. We will be lucky if the waves aren't high enough to reach

archer sighed and

"So then… we're dead?"

Sunny smiled darkly.

Stone doesn't conduct electricity too well, so we will be safe from lightning. Most likely. What you should really be afraid of

in another fit

stings

Effie. Walking over, she kneeled and looked at

an expression of sincere

you inhale

ended up coughing up more blood

But don't fret, it's not… there are no flowers growing in my lungs.

and she outstretched her hands to place them on Sunny's chest. However, he caught them in the air with his own

soft and cool to the

be fine. Take a

him for a

"But doesn't it hurt?"

hands away and

as bad as it

Nephis frowned.

used

for a long time, his expression hard to read. Then, he

But I don't want you to be used to it. You shouldn't be.

weight of the things he left unsaid hung between them for a few moments. Nephis titled her head slightly, then turned away. Finally, she sighed, lingered for

and remained motionless

it's better this

but feel that every time Nephis silently endured the terrifying torture of her Flaw, a part of her humanity was

in the world that Changing