Shadow Slave

Sunny stared into the void suspiciously.

"Yeah? And how come you are so concerned about my well-being?"

The voice remained silent for a bit, then answered wistfully:

"I haven't really spoken to anyone in a long, long time. It would be a shame to finally find someone to talk to, only for them to die soon. Don't you think?"

'That guy is definitely not just a simple Lost… what is his deal, really? Is he actually a human or only pretends to be one?'

Sunny thought for a bit, then said:

"I guess. And since we're on the topic… how is it exactly that we are able to talk?"

He expected the voice to change the subject or ignore the question, but to his surprise, it actually answered:

"I am not really sure. This has never happened to me before, either."

After a while, it added hesitantly:

"Have you… have you perhaps found a piece of a broken mirror somewhere?"

Something clicked in Sunny's mind.

"Broken mirror… Mirror Beast… Beastie…"

The Ascended Reflection! The shard of a mirror that the strange creature had left behind was still inside the Covetous Coffer… smeared with his blood…

'Crap!'

So the owner of the voice was the creator of the murderous Reflection Sunny had encountered on the Reckoning. That… that gave him as many questions as it had given him answers.

He couldn't really think about it right now, though, because the pressure of the Flaw was already building in his mind, forcing him to speak.

"Now that you mention it, I did, indeed, recently find a piece of a broken mirror. With the word "Beastie" written on it in a child's handwriting."

The voice remained silent for a while, then asked quietly:

"Oh? How exactly did you find it?"

not answer for as long

shard was left behind by a powerful creature I killed. I took it with me, thinking that it might

there was a hint of anguish in it. The

dead.

fell silent

a

going to be angry with me for killing your pet, are

deep sigh resounded

with you? Why would I be angry with you? You are not to blame for

separated from its creator — and eventually dying by his hand —

Then, he asked cautiously:

it, though? I have never

control of itself when it answered after

Ability. A kind of an Echo, you can say. I… I created him when I was just

his head,

mean, a kid?

The voice laughed bitterly.

First Nightmare when I was twelve. It's rare, but does happen sometimes. Few

Sunny blinked.

Nightmare at twelve… of course

first generation of the Awakened had been, for example. And there were cases of this anomaly to this day,

I thought that I

cleared his throat, then said

it makes you feel any better, the creature tried to say something before it died. Uh…

respond. It seemed that its owner had once again spent all of his soul essence… or whatever it was that allowed him

Sunny sighed.

I didn't even have time to ask him how

how he chose his words, damn

***

was having trouble remembering what it even felt like, to not be falling. The darkness seemed to be eternal and everpresent, as

'Maybe it was?'

no, it wasn't. He was

distant shimmering lights now closer and brighter, but it also felt

his usual spot, sitting cross-legged in the center of the treasure chest and training to better control the flow of shadow essence. On the surface of the

"...You practice archery?"

and glanced into the