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.

remained. The wondrous tree which kept the ancient ship afloat

then turned to the

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

silent for

it a coincidence? They were going

did she

hearing his thoughts, Cassie turned to him. Her face

ship, we might be able to cross the Hollow Mountains. At least…

After a while, the familiar girl —

what. Going there on foot is suicide. Maybe flying will

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

what about

Well… things were complicated.

He sighed.

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

each other again. Finally, their

few moments,

going to kill it the old-fashioned way. Use someone

Sunny rubbed his face.

guess… I am the

girl smiled, then

You are the blade that will pierce the creature's heart from the

of grand, but she immediately

if it has a heart. If it doesn't, then… well,

icon

Sunny frowned.

being the bait for once… well, to be honest, Neph was usually the bait. Actually, this plan sort of made

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

problem was… would the Fire Keepers be able to keep the

at them gravely,

so sure that I can kill that

the Fire