Shadow Slave

As the last spark of light disappeared, Nephis tilted her head to the side and remained silent for a few moments. Then, she lowered her gaze and said, addressing the First Lord:

"Thank you."

She hesitated, as though wishing to say more, but eventually just took a step back.

Kai, however, wasn't that reserved. Bowing deeply, he remained with his head down for a while, then straightened his back, looked at the skeleton, and voiced something that a few of them must have been thinking:

"Thank you. We will… we will finish what you started."

His words echoed above the cold water, eventually disappearing into the darkness. A heavy silence settled above the shore of the underground river.

A few seconds later, the charming archer turned to the rest of them and asked with uncertainty:

"I think… should we bury him?"

The members of the cohort looked at each other. Before anyone could voice their opinion, though, Sunny suddenly spoke:

"No. Just leave him as he is. He wanted to be closer to his friends when he died, so… just don't touch him."

With that, he turned his head and looked away.

Since the First Lord died outside of the terrible maze, his shadow was gone, too. Now it was just dumb and empty, like most shadows cast by inanimate objects. He had not shared in the harrowing fate of his companions, which meant that Sunny couldn't help him reunite with them… even slightly.

Neither could they bring the remains of the First Lord back outside, to bury him near the girl who had died in the quarry.

It was better to just leave him be.

'Forget about it. Think of something else.'

Sunny had other matters to consider, anyway.

That strange Memory that Nephis had absorbed… he had never even heard of a Memory that could exist outside of someone's soul. Had the First Lord somehow relinquished the ownership of it, or was this a quality that all Shard Memories possessed?

why Changing Star had ventured on this expedition,

at Nephis, then

actually,

didn't answer.

Sunny grinned.

of secrets, are

of some deep, sharp emotion appeared in her

to be a true member of this cohort?

for

enough. I did, and you have no good

Suddenly, Nephis smiled.

know. If you do,

for a while, then shook

one question, though. How exactly is

Star lingered for a bit, then

"See for yourself."

the First Lord weaved itself from

then, something about the world

'W—what…'

his gaze and looked at the

on the spellweave beneath

saw

as nexuses for the complicated pattern of ethereal strings permeating the Memory suddenly

Much, much brighter.

now almost as intense as of those inside the black onyx armor he had purchased at the

An Ascended Memory.

'What the hell?'

fished out the Blood Blossom from under his armor and stared at it, perplexed. The two

peer into the inner weave of Memories,

Memories around it. The area of effect of the enchantment is very large… but the

'...You don't say!'

effect of the Dawn Shard. He had never