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.

one that remained. The wondrous tree which kept

sighed, and then turned to the

thrive, and was Kido's apprentice. Kaor is an Awakened carpenter. We

remained silent for

planning to commandeer the ancient wreck for a long time. From before he had come to invite her to challenge the Second Nightmare with him… was it a coincidence? They were going

much did she really

hearing his thoughts, Cassie turned

might be able to cross the Hollow Mountains. At least… at

familiar girl —

there on foot is suicide. Maybe

were all really, really resolute in their desire to find Nephis,

about

Well… things were complicated.

He sighed.

to repair it. But how are we going to defeat 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 for a while outside the

Fire Keepers looked at each other

for a few moments,

Use someone as

Sunny rubbed his face.

guess… I am the

girl smiled, then shook her

are the bait. You are the blade that will

but she immediately ruined the moment by adding in an

has a heart. If it

icon

Sunny frowned.

bait for once… well, to be honest, Neph 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

didn't mean that he couldn't deliver once surgical, immolating strike to the main body of the monster. The bastard was weak to

to keep the monster preoccupied long enough for Sunny to

looked at them gravely,

so sure that

of the Fire Keepers