Shadow Slave

The human shadow stood lonesomely in the mist, strangely aloof and motionless. As Sunny pulled on the golden rope to command his companions to stop, it shifted slightly and turned away, then became still once again.

Sunny sensed a cold, dreadful feeling settle in his heart.

The possibility of encountering another human in this dark and terrifying place was already unsettling enough. He did not consider even for a second that one of the members of the lost expedition could have survived down here, in the darkness, for all these years. Not unless they were no longer human.

But even that was not the cause for the coldness and dread he felt.

The real reason had nothing to do with logic and everything to do with his unique Aspect. Because of it, Sunny sensed that there was something terribly, utterly wrong with the shadow.

The feeling he got from it was one of eerie and utter wrongness. However, it didn't seem to be dangerous or hostile. Instead, it felt lost, empty, and… mournful. The shadow was full of sorrow and anguish that he could not describe with words.

Sunny was not that empathetic when it came to humans, but strangely, he couldn't help but share in the suffering of this lonely shadow. Maybe because, in a sense, they were kin.

As he was observing the shadow, unsure what to do, it made a few steps in a random direction and then stopped hesitantly, lingering there without moving. Then, it walked back and froze once again.

It was as though the shadow was lost.

A few moments later, Sunny finally understood the nature of the deep feeling of wrongness he felt in the lonesome shadow. When he did, a cold shiver ran through his entire body.

The reason why this shadow was so strange and eerie was because it wasn't connected to anyone. There was no human casting it. Not anymore, at least.

The human that the shadow had once belonged to was gone, cut from existence by some unknown power. Sunny couldn't sense any bones anywhere, either. It was as if the human had not been killed, but simply… erased.

While the shadow remained to wander aimlessly in the mist for all eternity.

'What a terrible fate…'

now? The shadow was in his way. Sunny had to either

thing pose? It was just a shadow, after all. His own couldn't

walked forward. With each step he took,

it sensed him,

shadow hesitated for a few moments, then tentatively glided closer. He could feel an outburst of muted emotions radiating from

master, the shadow froze. Its shoulders

loneliness, anguish and sorrow in front of him, Sunny tilted

impulse, he outstretched

You don't have to

moments and approached him with uncertainty. Finally, it raised its hand and tentatively placed it in the

later,

Sunny sighed.

[Your shadow grows stronger.]

standing on the surface of the tranquil water. And there, just as he had expected, he saw

of a graceful young woman was standing among them, as motionless and still as the rest of them. Her anguish, sorrow, and loneliness were gone.

looked at her for a few moments, his heart heavy.

now. Your… your

that, he left the silent sea and

the darkness with his eyes sealed shut, Sunny remained motionless for some

golden rope and led the cohort further

More than once, he had ended up at a dead-end and had to search for another path. It was hard