Shadow Slave

As soon as the dawn came, bringing with it the mournful sound of retreating waves, Nephis and her cohort left the ruined cathedral.

Sunny remained alone, standing on the edge between the darkness of the old temple and the light of the new day.

Lingering in the ornate doorway, he remained motionless for a while and watched as the artificial sun rose into the bleak grey skies above the cursed city. After months spent in the company of other humans, being by himself once again felt strange… just like it had felt strange to be with other people after all the time he had spent on his own here before that.

Turning around, Sunny returned into the darkness.

The grand hall of the ruined cathedral was peaceful and quiet. Without the menacing steel guardian, there was no one here to disturb the silence anymore. Even the darkness that populated the corners was empty and docile now, not at all the living entity it had been once.

…It felt sort of lonesome.

Freely walking through the echoing expanse of the magnificent hall, Sunny looked around, taking in the sight of the cathedral that had sheltered in the past from a new perspective. Despite spending so much time here, he had never seen it like this — in the same way the inhabitants of the Dark City must have seen it all those years ago. Sunny had only looked down on the hall from the height of one of the ancient temple's support beams.

It looked majestic.

But it was also not safe anymore.

With the Black Knight dead, no one was left to defend the cathedral from the Nightmare Creatures that would want to claim it as their nest. So Sunny couldn't stay here for long.

Not that he had the luxury of that choice anymore.

Throwing one last look at the beautiful dark hall, Sunny sighed and began climbing the statue of the nameless goddess.

***

in the hidden chamber, it was once again utterly dark. Sunny hesitated for a bit and began

take

no way to take them with him to the real world, after all — if he was even going to survive that

of stuff to call his own. He had dreamed of enjoying

now he had

up, wishing to leave

Sunny glanced at the tranquil room and hesitated for

the wall where he had once scratched countless lines into the stone to count the days

had lived in this hidden chamber, in the ancient ruined cathedral, in the Dark City, on the

mark to witness that he had been here, had struggled here, and then left to fight for a chance to

to come up with some profound words, but nothing came to mind.

his True Name. But even now, the paranoia stopped him.

something beneath the lines that marked the days

Sunny turned around and walked

were two runes left on the wall behind

One meaning sun.

The other meaning loss.

***

before tomorrow morning. One was in the ruins of a library that he had never finished exploring, and the other one was right here in the

rucksack on his shoulder, Sunny walked past the statue of the

kept away