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!"

voice was clear and strong, full of arrogant confidence…

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

lowered his gaze and glanced at the food that rolled

he threw his

oh, gods! Never thought I'll be

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

their shape all

***

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

had not missed the damned

the easiest food to get was 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 before becoming an Awakened,

Such irony...

without the essence sustaining their bodies, they decided to

that Sunny and Cassie had to settle with their backs against each other. With nothing but two layers of thin fabric separating their skin, Sunny could feel the heartbeat reverberating through her lithe

was cold and chilly, but at least his

in silence for a

did, however,

"Sunny…"

voice was quiet

how is she doing?

remained silent for a few moments, then said

a devil already. Now stop bothering

sighed, and didn't say anything

up, disturbed by a sudden change in her breathing. Through the thin

turned around and

her delicate face seemed white and bloodless. It was contorted in a tortured grimace, with

knowing what to

having a vision, and that like most of her visions, this one was painful and terrifying. Was he supposed to wake her up? Or

up with a stifled yelp. Her chest was rising

feel her surroundings,

of them, making

in a cage in Night Temple. Stop

grip. After a while, Cassie took a deep breath and

"...I'm alright."

let her go, picked up the mostly empty waterskin, and put it

girl drank the last of their water and closed her eyes, her breathing