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?"

for as long as

killed. I took

time. When it finally spoke, there was a hint of anguish in it. The owner of

dead.

it fell

After a

be angry with me for killing your pet,

deep sigh resounded

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

it was that had been responsible for the Mirror Beast becoming separated from its creator — and eventually dying by his hand — was extremely lucky that the owner of the voice had become

Then, he asked cautiously:

what exactly was it, though? I have never seen

itself when it answered after a

when I was just a lonely kid. We were together for a

his head,

mean, a kid? A kid with

The voice laughed bitterly.

I had my First Nightmare when I was twelve. It's rare,

Sunny blinked.

sent into the Nightmare at twelve…

the usual age range. The entire first generation of the Awakened had been, for example. And there were

thought that

throat, then said

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

It seemed that its owner had once again spent all of his soul essence… or

Sunny sighed.

I didn't even have time to ask him how to

strategic with how he chose his words,

***

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.

distant shimmering lights now closer

control the flow of shadow essence. On the surface of the

"...You practice archery?"

eyes and glanced into the