Shadow Slave

Sunny was at a loss for words.

Had he even heard it right?

"You are going to… repair… the ancient, broken, monster-infected ship?"

Well… it made a lot of sense, actually.

Cassie nodded.

"Yes. We are going to cleanse, repair, and make it fly again."

Oh, so it was a flying ship, too!

'Perfect!'

Honestly, Sunny shouldn't have been surprised. All the clues had been there for a long time.

He had already known that the ship depicted on the miraculous coins was, most likely, the very same that lay broken on the Shipwreck Island. The connection was pretty easy to make, considering that they looked alike, and that the coins had come from its treasury in the first place.

Sunny had also asked himself the question of what a sailing ship was doing in the middle of Chained Isles, which had no sea and no rivers for it to sail on. The thought that it had actually been designed to fly through the skies had crossed his mind, among other things.

And finally, on the coins, the ancient ship was shown as having a beautiful tree wrapped around its mast. It had also belonged to the enigmatic person called Noctis. Wasn't it too much of a coincidence, then, that Cassie had come to the Sanctuary of Noctis and ventured on a long expedition to a Desecrated Grove?

The word "desecrated" implied that the burned grove had been sacred once. After all, only sacred things could be desecrated. And a sacred tree sounded exactly like something capable of making a massive ship fly.

…Right?

Sunny stared at the large wooden box with a ponderous expression. After a while, he asked:

"So what's in the box?"

Cassie walked over and gently put a hand on its lid.

spent two months searching for a living root in that ghastly place. And finally, deep underground, we found the only one that remained. The wondrous tree which kept the ancient ship afloat in the sky had come from that grove, once. The sapling will grow into a new

and then turned

Kido's apprentice. Kaor is an Awakened carpenter. We have

remained silent for

to invite her to challenge the Second Nightmare with him… was it a coincidence? They were going to

did she

if hearing his thoughts, Cassie turned to him. Her face suddenly

this ship, we might be able to cross the Hollow Mountains.

grew quiet. After a while, the familiar girl — Shakti — said

matter what. Going there on foot is suicide.

in their desire

about Sunny

Well… things were complicated.

He sighed.

its current tenant without using fire? No offense, guys, but I really don't think that you can handle that fight. Maybe you can hold on

other again. Finally, their mood

few moments, and

kill it the old-fashioned way. Use someone as

Sunny rubbed his face.

I am the

blind girl smiled,

the blade that will pierce

but she immediately ruined the moment by adding in an awkward

mean… uh… if it has a heart. If it doesn't, then… well, you know. Kill it some

icon

Sunny frowned.

was usually the bait. Actually, this plan sort of made sense. He already knew that he could survive in the poisonous miasma inside the ship, and that with enough augmentations, the Cruel Sight could

that he couldn't deliver once surgical, immolating strike to the

was… would the Fire Keepers be able to keep the monster preoccupied long enough for Sunny to

them gravely, and

sure

the