Shadow Slave

He sat back down, waited for a while, and then turned to Cassie:

"Did you take a look at her Attributes?"

She sat down, too, and sighed.

"Yes. Her, the four Lost with her. Sir Pierce, too. I also saw the name and Rank of their Aspects."

Sunny frowned.

"What? Since when can you read Aspects, too?"

The blind girl shrugged.

"Since my Awakening."

He stared at her for a bit.

'What a useful Ability…'

In worse news, if she had not known some of his secrets before, she surely knew them now.

'...How infuriating.'

Sunny grimaced, lingered for a bit, and then said:

"Good. Chances are, we'll need that information before all of this is over."

He didn't press her for answers yet, since there was a lot he had to think about.

Some more time passed with both of them remaining silent. After a while, the door of the chamber opened once more, and the familiar four Lost entered. The one with a bandaged head was carrying a tray of food and a waterskin.

He studied them for a few moments, a cold expression on his handsome face, and then threw the food and the waterskin through the iron bars without approaching the cage.

Sunny suppressed his anger and opened his mouth, assuming the persona of a cowardly researcher:

"Hey! Sir… uh… sir Awakened! Can you tell us what is going on? Please, we don't even know what is wrong!"

The sentinel glanced at him darkly and spat in a commanding tone:

"Silence!"

full of arrogant confidence… and deep animosity toward the two of

word, the Lost left, once again locking the door behind

then slowly lowered his gaze and glanced at the food that rolled down the slope of the dome to

suddenly, he threw his head

I'll be eating this crap

him, reflecting the blue glow of the runes, two

their shape

***

supper, which consisted of a synthetic paste that had the consistency of mud and tasted about the same. Still, this vile invention was

had not missed the

pack. It contained a tube of synthpaste, a cheap water filter, and several dry, tasteless crackers. This was what he mostly ate before

Such irony...

and weak without the essence sustaining their bodies, they decided to

so small that Sunny and Cassie had to settle with their backs against each other. With nothing but two layers

was cold and chilly, but at least his back was

a while, trying to

however, Cassie

"Sunny…"

was quiet

how is she doing? Do you

for a few moments, then said with no particular

great. She is a devil

didn't

sudden change in her breathing. Through the thin fabric of their clothes, he could feel the blind

around and

of the runes, her delicate face seemed white and bloodless. It was contorted in a tortured

knowing

most of her visions, this one was painful and terrifying. Was he supposed to wake her up? Or would it do more harm than

a stifled yelp. Her chest was rising and falling wildly, and there was a

tried to feel her surroundings, clearly not

one of them, making Cassie

You're in a cage

a while, Cassie took a deep

"...I'm alright."

let her go, picked up the mostly empty

water and closed her