Shadow Slave

Grasped in the Shadow's fist was a strange, beautiful, and ominous gem. It was utterly black, as though suffused with impenetrable darkness. The glossy black surface seemed to devour light, turning the vast hall of the ruined cathedral even darker than it had been before.

Deep within that black void, crimson flames burned with a menacing red glow. It was pulsating in a slow and bizarre rhythm, drowning everything around in dim red light. Painted by it, the Stone Saint seemed to be drenched in blood. The gem she held looked like a bloody, still-beating heart that she had torn out of someone's chest.

Gazing at it, Sunny felt a strange sense of foreboding.

'What the hell is this thing?'

The gem looked sort of like a soul shard, but… different. He had never seen a black shard, to begin with, or one radiating such an intense glow. It also didn't seem like a piece of a broken core. On the contrary, it appeared… whole?

'Is that what a soul core of a Nightmare Creature looks like?'

No, not a soul core.

A soul?

Stunned, Sunny counted the crimson flames burning in the depths of the black gem. One, two, three… four.

Four flames for the four cores of Fallen Devil.

The thing that his Shadow held in her hand was the Black Knight's soul… or some sort of his essence, at least. By how had it turned into a material form?

Did the Stone Saint do it? If so, how… no, why?

'What is she doing with it?!'

As Sunny and Nephis looked in stunned silence, the Shadow finally moved. Bringing the black gem close to her face, she lingered for a moment. A hint of a dark, macabre emotion appeared in her eyes.

And then, the Stone Saint… swallowed it.

Sunny blinked.

'...What?'

bit into the

devoured. The red glow it emanated disappeared, returning

after that, the Stone Saint fell into the shadows and

dismiss her. What the hell is

looked at him with

happened? What did she

Sunny didn't have to twist the truth and deceive anyone.

"I have no idea."

had been destroyed, Sunny moved it around with his foot for a bit

no shards left. It's

silent for a few moments,

Finally, she said:

is

***

everyone was recovering from the fight and tending to their wounds, Sunny walked to a secluded corner

of motionless shadows standing at the

empty as the rest of them. There was no trace of the menacing and deadly Fallen Devil left. Now, he was just one of the

Sunny grinned.

at home. You're not going anywhere

grasped his heart. Staring at the motionless form of his sworn enemy, Sunny had to stop himself from kicking the Black Knight with all his

like kicking the air. Plus, Sunny wasn't vindictive

got me good. But I'm still breathing while you're dead. At the end of the day, that's all that

more powerful than Sunny. Many of them had either threatened his existence or felt compelled to treat him like dirt

still here despite all of them, neither destroyed nor

would be the ones cowering in front of him

dark expression, Sunny turned away and walked to stand beneath the

…But nothing happened.

effect. Suddenly worried, he willed the runes to appear in the air in front

true. The Stone Saint was

is going on with