Shadow Slave

Raising his hand, Sunny gave Aiko and Stev a signal to remain quiet. Then, with a frown, he commanded the shadow to abandon its hiding spot and find the Guards.

'They can't be near us… I would have heard them.'

Then where did the bastards go?

Soon, he had his answer.

The three Guards were in the corridor a hundred or so steps from Sunny's current position, just behind a corner. In a place where they shouldn't have been, since it was way off their previous route.

They were also dead.

Two had their skulls smashed in. Sunny did not know what weapon, tool, or limb was used to kill them, because their Memory armors had already disappeared. It had to have been something capable of piercing through steel, though, because the Guards had been wearing helmets the last time he saw them.

The third was even worse. His throat was torn, seemingly with terribly sharp fangs… to such degree that the young man's head was almost separated from his body. One would expect a sea of blood to come out of such a terrible wound, but in fact, there was surprisingly little of it on the floor.

However, the corpse of the Guard was unnaturally pale, as if devoid of blood completely.

'Curses…'

Sunny felt a cold shiver run through his body.

The shadow cautiously looked around, but didn't notice anyone else present on the scene of the gruesome slaughter.

Aiko and Stev were staring at Sunny with alarmed expressions. After waiting for several minutes, he finally relaxed a little and motioned for them to follow.

"What happened?"

He hesitated for a few seconds, then said in an even tone:

"The Blood Lord has just been here."

Their eyes widened.

"That fiend?! Then why aren't we running?!"

Sunny glanced at them with a calm expression.

it's already

was anything but

of. One that managed to get past his shadow and slaughter them just a hundred steps away without making enough noise to attract

of

where the Guards had been killed to reach their destionation. Soon, the

frowned slightly, while Aiko and Stev had to struggle to keep the

"Gods… poor bastards…"

not say anything, looking around with a dark expression. He was hoping to notice something that his shadow had missed to

except for the three Guards had been in this corridor in a long

be

hesitated for a little, then

shadow had not noticed it earlier because

piece of

the shape of a flower blossom. It wasn't a charm Memory, though… just

is that

few moments and then stood up, turning away from the mangled

out

***

Star's territory. The Sleepers standing watch were surprised to see Sunny come back

Aiko raised an eyebrow.

inspect us?

glanced at each other, and then one of them

we would. But it's

young

very high regard around

gave a strange look, then

a conversation with him is, uh… well, you

at him with an offended

supposed

watchman hurriedly shook his

Nothing. Uh, I need to inspect the

he made a hasty

scam him out of his boots or

head in bewilderment, Sunny turned away and led the two newcomers deeper into