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.

owner of the voice was not a usual Lost. Or was

just a

He frowned.

where are you, exactly? I haven't heard a voice like yours anywhere in the Sanctuary. And

voice lingered for

am not

was that supposed to mean? There was another Citadel on the Chained Isles, the Night Temple. But only those serving

the owner of the voice have something to do with

you from the Night

was no

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

Sunny sighed.

swear to gods, this is even more annoying

could be more irritating than someone who had

"No manners! No decorum..."

***

would have to be more strategic with his words in the

fire…

at the stars and felt that they had

withstand the searing

flame

have an answer, but felt that it would be at least damaging

problem. The voice said that it would take Sunny a few weeks to reach the layer

time without any food, but it would take a heavy toll on his body. Sunny had no idea what he was going to find on the other end of the golden

to be ready to confront danger, and becoming starved and

for a while, then stared down, at the lid of

to have to eat…

shadows seemed

food was

'Right?'

out his last meal out, and looked at it with

"Tonight… we feast!"

we mourn. And barf.

***

visibly brighter than they had been before. The sight of the black void littered

sitting in the center of the plummeting treasure chest with an extremely miserable expression on his

devil meat to his mouth, he tore a

so disgusting… who knew I would miss the taste of synthpaste one day? Maybe