Shadow Slave

Sunny sat silently for a few moments, thinking.

'Sun God…'

So, the ruler of this land had angered the gods, and one of them struck down her kingdom. He could just imagine it — a vast pillar of incandescent white flame falling from the skies, piercing the ground and causing the whole region to fracture, its fragments falling into the searing inferno of the divine flame one after another.

Well… not all of them had fallen.

He glanced up, wondering if the Chained Isles were created to save the citizens of the destroyed kingdom from annihilation. If so… that prideful ruler must have been not so simple herself.

Who would be powerful enough to dare resist the wrath of the gods?

And what had that being done to provoke it?

But more importantly…

How the hell did the voice of the void knew so much about it?

A subtly suspicious expression appeared on his face.

"...Really? This is very interesting. And how exactly do you know all this?"

Sunny hesitated, and then cautiously added:

"Did you, perhaps, have something to do with that prideful ruler?"

The voice was silent for a moment, and then suddenly exploded with sincere laughter.

"Oh my! I wish! Wouldn't that be grand… but no, I am just an Awakened who had studied the Chained Isles, probably the same way that you have studied them in your travels. The ruins here are all but destroyed by the endless cycle of the Crushing, but if one knows where to look, there are still some answers left to find."

Sunny smiled.

"True. But I am actually a research assistant for the Wilderness Survival faculty of the Academy, and yet I have never seen any of the information you possess in the database. With the level of access that I have, that is very strange, isn't it?"

The voice chuckled.

"How am I supposed to report my findings to the Academy? I can't even leave the Dream Realm."

Sunny blinked.

That… actually made a lot of sense. Sort of. Lost or not, an Awakened still had to survive somehow in the Dream Realm, so they were bound to live in one of the Citadels. Probably. So, it wasn't like they had no contact at all with the real world, even if it was only through the other inhabitants of their Citadel.

of the voice was not a usual

just a figment of his

He frowned.

I haven't heard a voice like yours anywhere in the Sanctuary. And I have spoken to most

lingered for a while, then

am not in

Isles, the Night Temple. But only those serving Valor were allowed

do with the great clan Valor? Sunny raised

the Night Temple,

was no

young man Sunny had been speaking with — if he was even real — had once again reached his

Sunny sighed.

to gods, this is even more annoying

irritating than someone who had

"No manners! No decorum..."

***

He would have to

heavenly fire…

stars and felt

the searing heat of the

flame

that it would be at least damaging to

reach the layer of the abyss containing the false stars, which meant

a heavy toll on his body. Sunny had no idea what he was going to find on the other end of the golden String of Fate, but doubted

and becoming starved and weak was not

lingered for a while, then stared down, at

really going to have

his shadows seemed disgusted

food

'Right?'

Sunny summoned the Covetous Coffer, took out his last meal out, and looked at

"Tonight… we feast!"

mourn.

***

few days later, the stars were visibly brighter than they had been before. The sight of the black void littered with shimmering lights would have been

chest with an extremely miserable expression on his face. It was deathly pale, and his chin was covered with drying black

to his mouth, he tore

would miss the taste of synthpaste one day? Maybe I should