Shadow Slave

Sunny fell down in a rain of broken stone, the floor beneath his feet suddenly crumbling like shattered glass.

The Crimson Spire shuddered and moaned, like a giant creature convulsing in the throes of death. The light of the artificial sun grew dim and weak, causing another tremor to run through the ancient tower, wide cracks appearing on its granite walls.

Sunny had banished the darkness that devoured the Forgotten Shore every night, and Nephis had killed the vessel of the sun that rose above it every day. Together, they had brought destruction to this cursed land. Today was the end of days for the Forgotten Shore, one that the two of them had ushered in.

And one of them was going to have to endure the fallout of this cataclysmic change.

Surrounded by a rain of falling shards of stone, Changing Star twisted and somehow managed to aim her sword in Sunny's direction. Even more miraculously, he managed to intercept it with his own. Both were thrown away from each other, the transparent wings weaving themselves behind their backs.

For a couple of second, Sunny felt his body plunging down into the darkness. Then, finally, the Dark Wing fully manifested and turned into a blur, supporting his weight.

Dodging a massive slab of granite that threatened to crush him, Sunny used it as a step and propelled himself through the air. The Midnight Shard flashed, aiming at Changing Star's wings, but was blocked by the blade of the silver longsword.

As the debris fell down, two human figures collided against each other and spun in the air. With nothing to serve as a support, the only chance they had to exert any force was to use the body of the enemy as one. Their bodies entangled, almost as if they were lovers.

But in reality, of course, the purpose of this intimate closeness was not love; it was violence.

Grabbing Nephis with one hand and using his legs to trap hers, Sunny twisted his torso and delivered a devastating blow with his forehead, feeling the brittle bones of her nose shatter under his strike.

…But at the same time, her armored fist crashed into his side, aimed cruelly at the half-closed wound left behind by Caster.

Sunny screamed.

next second, her other fist slammed into his face. Augmented by the weight of

falling on them from above. Feeling blood stream down his face and from the newly opened wound on his side, Sunny bent his knee, and then used

them flew into opposite directions, narrowly avoiding being crushed by the enormous

the help of their enchanted cloaks, Sunny and Nephis circled around each other, moving down in a wide spiral. Both were too preoccupied with dodging the falling pieces of stone to launch another attack, even if they

quaking and convulsing, more and more cracks appearing on its walls, whole layers of stone separating from them and plunging down. It felt as though the ancient structure would not be able to hold on

sun was growing weaker

below, the runes surrounding the perfect circle of the

Sunny hesitated for a moment, then threw

he dismissed the Dark Wing and plunged down, abandoning the safety

he chose

air whistling in his ears, Sunny plummeted through the darkness, approaching the vast balcony with terrible

…Deadly speed.

to calculate everything

the Gateway was close enough to discern separate runes shining in a circle

shapes of the dead coral golems in the darkness. A second more,

Wing finally came into existence. Immediately, Sunny activated

smooth arc in the air and hit the stone surface of the balcony, turning the violent impact into a roll. Then, without losing even a moment, he jumped to his

by pain, Sunny limped over the shimmering runes and entered the ring. Almost

realizing that the reality surrounding you is

light of the runes grew stronger. Simultaneously, Sunny's own body began to glow, emanating the same

that glow had a chance to become bright, though, a shadow fell from above in a deadly rustle