Shadow Slave

In a heavily guarded underground room, a young woman with silver hair was sleeping in a transparent machine that kept her body alive. Her face was pale and thin, painted by the ghostly glow of machine lights and deep, angular shadows.

The room was peaceful and silent, the hum of machinery creating low background noise. From time to time, a piece of medical equipment produced a sound and grew quiet again.

A blind girl with piercing blue eyes stood quietly near the sleeping pod, an empty expression written in the delicate lines of her beautiful face. If it wasn't for the fact that her hand rested on the hilt of an elegant rapier, a person would easily mistake her for one of the Hollows that were cared for on another level of the hospital complex.

The door of the room did not open, however, there was suddenly another presence inside. A young man with pale skin and dark, cruel eyes appeared out of the shadows and walked over to stand on the opposite side of the sleeping pod. His steps were soft and quiet.

He lingered for a while, then looked down, at the young woman sleeping beneath the glass lid of the mechanical coffin.

For a second, his face became contorted by a terrible grimace. Grief, anger, fear, and longing mixed in his eyes, then disappeared, hidden behind a mask of cold indifference.

Sunny stared at Nephis for a long time, trying to get his emotions under control. He knew that seeing her like this, weak and helpless, would affect him. But he didn't know just how much it was going hurt him.

…He also had not anticipated how dark the thoughts entering his mind would be.

'...I can kill her right now. One strike of the Moonlight Shard, and I'll be free again.'

But no, he couldn't.

Firstly, because there was no guarantee that Nephis would die if her body was destroyed. Just like there were Hollows, people whose souls had been destroyed while leaving an empty body behind, there were Lost — people whose bodies in the real world had died, leaving their souls wandering the Dream Realm.

He suspected that this was the reason why the people who wanted Changing Star dead had sent Caster to kill her in the Dream Realm instead of infiltrating the Academy.

And secondly, and maybe more importantly… he simply could not bring himself to harm Nephis. Not again, not anymore, and not… not like this.

'Cassie, on the other hand…'

With a dark grimace, Sunny slowly moved his gaze to the blind girl.

As if noticing it, she turned slightly and said:

"Hello, Sunny."

He stared at her, his eyes burning with fury.

"What, you can see now?"

Cassie lingered for a moment, then shook her head.

"No. But… something like that."

A wild grin appeared on his face.

you! You won't be useless

his words were going to hurt her, and was glad to say

the emptiness, her eyes cold and distant. But he wasn't fooled. He knew her

suffer! You deserve

to accuse her, but then forced himself to stop. He had

words, Sunny gritted his teeth

did you even

for a bit, then answered

you killed that spy from the Castle. You said it out loud then. I saw it… in a vision. After that, the rest was not impossible to figure

His eyes widened.

long time, trying to deal with

I killed

remembered it so vividly… the blood streaming down his hands as he held

a hoarse,

Light! I am…

the underground room of the hospital complex, Sunny

it… this was what did me in… one mistake, I

almost as if Harper had managed to avenge himself from beyond the grave. Well… he had never gotten a grave, really. Sunny just dumped his body

it did him, in

the blind girl with a burning look, he said through gritted

back then, why you gave me the Eternal Spring? You were… you were ready to say goodbye.

faced him, then said

"Yes. I did."

down, clenching

knew… then why didn't

and anger contorted her face, and with a voice so hurt that it

saw change! But no matter how much I tried, it never did. It

she gritted her teeth and remained silent

what my vision of the Crimson Spire meant. Shadows devouring a dying angel…

eyes for a moment, then

you remember? I even asked you to promise to always

at her, remembering. Yes, at the very start, there

"...No. I said no."

fragile smile appeared on

And on that day, I knew that I had to make a choice.

shivered and hugged herself, as if

had to betray one of my best friends to save the other. And I did. I chose to sacrifice you to save Neph. Of course, I fooled myself for a while, telling myself that nothing bad would happen. That if I help Neph, maybe both of you would survive. But deep down,

bitter laugh escaped from

still changed. I sacrificed you, but couldn't save anyone.

stared at her for a while,