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.

good for you! You won't be useless anymore,

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

staring into the emptiness, her eyes cold and distant. But he wasn't

You deserve

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

Sunny gritted his teeth and

did you

hesitated for a bit,

I saw it… in a vision.

His eyes widened.

time, trying to deal with the

when I

sent a shudder through his soul. He remembered it so vividly… the blood streaming down his hands as he held the pitiful young man down, murdering him, giving in to the

whispering in a hoarse,

am… Lost… Lost from

of the hospital

I only made one mistake, and

Well… he had never gotten a grave, really. Sunny just dumped his body in the ruins, for the Nightmare Creatures to feast

it

blind girl with a burning look, he

waiting for me back then, why you gave me the Eternal Spring? You were…

faced him, then said in a steady, even

"Yes. I did."

looked down, clenching

didn't you try

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

everything I could to make the future I saw change! But no matter how much I tried, it

her teeth and remained silent for a while,

the Crimson Spire meant. Shadows

her eyes for a moment, then spoke

to promise to always protect her. And what

the very start, there had been a conversation like

"...No. I said no."

fragile smile appeared on Cassie's

that day, I knew that I had to make a choice. And I made it. I chose

herself, as if dying

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, I knew that it was just

bitter laugh escaped from

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

stared at her for a