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!"

clear and strong, full of arrogant confidence… and deep animosity toward the

another word, the Lost left, once again locking

gaze and glanced at the food that rolled down the slope of the

his head back and

gods! Never thought I'll be eating

glow of the runes, two colorless tubes of synthpaste were lying on the

their shape

***

which consisted of a synthetic paste that had the consistency of mud and tasted about the same. Still, this vile invention was cheap to produce and supposed to contain all

not missed the

called a "universal ration pack"... or simply a rat pack. It contained a tube of synthpaste, a cheap water filter, and several dry, tasteless crackers. This was what he mostly ate

Such irony...

while, tired and weak without the essence sustaining their bodies, they

the cage was so small that Sunny and Cassie had to settle with their backs against each

cold and chilly, but at least his

lay in silence for a

however, Cassie

"Sunny…"

voice was quiet

is she doing? Do

and remained silent for a few moments, then said with

She is a devil already. Now

sighed, and didn't say anything

of the night — if it was night outside — he suddenly woke up, disturbed by a sudden change in her breathing. Through the thin fabric of their clothes, he could feel

around and looked

her delicate face seemed white and bloodless. It was contorted in a tortured grimace, with beads of sweat appearing on her forehead. Her eyes were moving hectically behind

not knowing

one was painful and terrifying. Was he supposed to wake

decide, she suddenly sat up with a stifled yelp. Her chest was rising and falling wildly, and there was a panicked

feel her surroundings, clearly not quite remembering where she

them, making Cassie flinch,

damn it. You're in

his iron grip. After a while, Cassie took

"...I'm alright."

the mostly empty waterskin,

the last of their water and closed