Shadow Slave

An echoing silence fell on the great hall of the ancient castle. The fateful words had been spoken, and now there was no turning back.

For better or for worse.

Gunlaug tilted his head and stayed quiet for a few moments. Then, the sound of his laughter rolled over the crowd.

"The right of challenge? Oh, that old thing. You are awfully fond of that tradition, it seems. Not even a full year since you have arrived under my roof, and I had the pleasure of hearing you say those words twice. Insolent girl…"

He paused for a few moments and then leaned forward. His voice suddenly turned cold, full of dark undertones.

"To be honest, I am very tired of your insolence, Changing Star."

Before Nephis could answer, the Bright Lord suddenly rose from his throne, towering above the crowd like a statue cast from pure gold. Then, he took a leisurely step forward and began descending the stairs of the dais. With each step, the sound of his serpentine voice resounded, growing lower and lower, until it turned into a fiendish, wrathful growl.

"Your little games were fun at first, but the more I observed your clumsy attempts at playing the hero, the more disgusted I became. I couldn't believe how naive, self-righteous, and stupid you turned out to be. It made me sick. It made me want to do things that I promised myself to never do again. Ah, I expected better from the daughter of the Immortal Flame! To disappoint me so thoroughly…"

His growl reverberated through the great hall and then abruptly disappeared. A moment later, Gunlaug suddenly threw his head back and laughed brightly.

"Oh, but then it hit me! I was such a fool. You fooled me so beautifully! Brilliantly done, Changing Star. Please, do accept my compliment! After I saw the real you, ah, it was such a joy to watch your performances."

He left the stairs and stepped on the marble floor of the throne room. The crowd of the Castle inhabitants parted in front of him, people hurrying to get as far away from the oppressive aura of the golden armor as they could.

The Bright Lord sighed.

has to stop now. You see… while I can't help but applaud your effort, in the end, you still turned out

glanced at Effie and asked, his

your place to demand such a thing. You are not the one accused of the crime, after all. If someone has to invoke the right

of the psychic pressure. Refusing to turn away from the polished mirror of the Bright

am responsible for the actions of my people. Any

watched her, his expression hidden. Neph's pale face was reflected in his mask, staring back at

are you going

few moments,

it was that passed the guilty

The Bright Lord chuckled.

But by the same logic...

him, white flames dancing in her

you are the

words resounded in the great hall, sending hundreds of people

***

'So, this is it.'

mentally separating them into two groups. Those who were going to be a

Changing Star was killed, her followers would make her into a martyr

tyrant enforcing some semblance of order, no matter how ghoulish, things would get really ugly really fast. Who was going to stop

was

matters. In