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 won't

were going to hurt her,

girl didn't react, and just continued staring into the emptiness, her eyes cold and distant. But he wasn't fooled. He knew her well enough to recognize the

suffer! You deserve

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

words, Sunny gritted his teeth

How did you even

for a bit, then

you killed that spy from the Castle. You said it out loud then. I

His eyes widened.

for a long time, trying to deal with the shock

when I killed

streaming down his hands as he held the pitiful young man down, murdering him,

a hoarse, barely

from Light! I am… Lost…

hospital complex, Sunny wanted to both

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

to avenge himself from beyond the grave. Well… he had never gotten a grave, really. Sunny just dumped his body in the ruins,

lot of good it did him,

burning look,

you gave me the Eternal Spring?

slowly faced him, then said in a steady, even

"Yes. I did."

looked down, clenching

knew... if you knew… then why didn't you try to change

at him, her calm expression finally collapsing. Pain, sorrow, and anger contorted her face, and with a voice so hurt that it almost sounded as

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

remained

I was the first one to understand what my vision of the Crimson Spire meant. Shadows devouring a dying angel… I understood it on that

a moment, then spoke again, her voice

asked you to promise to always protect her. And what did you

very start, there had been a

"...No. I said no."

appeared

that day, I knew that I had to make

and hugged herself, as if

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, I knew that

bitter laugh escaped

was for nothing. I betrayed my best friend, and nothing still changed. I sacrificed you, but couldn't save anyone. Despite it all, I couldn't…

at her for a while,