Shadow Slave

Leaving the Sleeper Compound, Sunny felt as though even the winter cold could not keep him from feeling sleepy anymore. Wondering what time it was, he looked up out of habit and glanced at the sun.

The sun was all wrong.

Suddenly, Sunny was wide awake, his hand instinctively outstretched to summon the Midnight Shard. It took him a few moments to recognize his error.

'Oh. The sun is normal. It's just not the same as on the Forgotten Shore.'

He also didn't have to measure time by observing the sky anymore. He had a communicator that could show him what time of day it was, up to the exact nanosecond.

Shaking his head, Sunny headed back toward the hospital complex. He was late for a… a memorial. Of sorts.

The survivors of the Dreamer Army were supposed to gather today to celebrate those who remained alive and remember those who had fallen.

Entering the medical center, he headed toward the conference hall, but then lingered for a moment in front of a monitor attached to the wall. There, a hundred names were shown, listing everyone who had made it back.

And on the very top of it, there were three very special ones:

"Raised by Wolves"

"Nightingale"

"Song of the Fallen"

Effie, Kai, and Cassie…

Sunny stared at the three True Names for some time, then slowly lowered his gaze. Right beneath was his own name.

With a grim expression on his face, Sunny opened the doors and entered the hall.

awoken at the Academy or could make it there for the memorial. He looked around

was strange to see all these people back

out of danger and had lost their leader, there wasn't a lot to keep them together, and so much to split them apart. Before, they were united

else that Sunny couldn't quite understand, but there was no division between them. On the contrary,

'...Weird.'

his arrival with warm greetings. Sunny smiled awkwardly and did his best to reciprocate their goodwill. After a few such encounters, he finally noticed Kai at

stumbled and stared at his friend for a

'I'll be damned…'

guy

eyes even more mesmerizing. His luscious dark auburn hair was now neatly cut and styled, his

'Such… such injustice!'

approached his friend. Kai noticed him from afar, and

are finally

charming young man. A sickly, terribly gaunt young woman was sitting in a wheelchair, staring at them with a tired

to her spine. Her legs seemed lifeless and weak, tucked awkwardly on the step of her wheelchair. Her neck was clearly struggling to support

when the young woman smiled mischievously did he

You've been struck

a giggle, Effie spun her wheelchair, as though

'Effie… that's... that's Effie?'

of moments, trying to connect the image of the mighty huntress he knew — tall, strong, beautiful, and full of vigor — to this weak, gaunt young woman. He only spoke when

What… what the hell happened to

Effie smiled and shrugged.

That's how I've always been, in the real

how the two of them sat

world was

was what Effie had said,

strange expression on his face, she