Shadow Slave

Before the gates of the temple, a large hall stood, submerged in darkness. The air was permeated with the smell of rot, and at least a dozen of eviscerated bodies lay on the cold stones, staring into nothingness with their empty eyes.

Sunny had long become accustomed to such sights, so he wasn't too bothered by it. The implication, however, left him feeling cold.

'Damnation…'

He entered the hall, both Saint and the Serpent emerging silently from his shadows. Cassie followed, gripping the hilt of the Quiet Dancer so hard that her fingers turned white.

Sunny walked over to the nearest corpse, held his breath, and knelt beside it, studying its wounds. Then, with a grim expression, he moved over to the next one and did the same.

It took him some time to check on each of the slain Lost, and by the end, his eyes were full of darkness.

The blind girl remained silent for a few moments, then asked, her voice tense and trembling:

"...How did they die?"

He lingered for a second, then shook his head.

"Sword wounds."

Each of the fallen sentinels was killed with one precise, fatal strike. However, most of them were terribly mutilated and covered in multiple wounds — none of them lethal, but all aimed at inflicting the maximum amount of pain.

The killer, whoever it was, wanted his victims to suffer before they died.

Well… Sunny was pretty sure that he knew who the killer was.

Mordret. The man — or thing — that he had set free.

It seemed that the Prince of Nothing had a sadistic streak about him.

…But that wasn't the problem.

Sunny had learned before, he assumed that Mordret possessed a bizarre and powerful Aspect that allowed

the prisoner of the Night Temple in the eyes… which was good, since both Sunny and Cassie could naturally counter it — Sunny by fighting with his eyes

melee. That meant that, on top of everything else, Mordret was a fighter of incredible skill… skilled and powerful enough to not

how was Sunny supposed to win against

past the corpses and

except for Saint Cormac would be able to open it. However… Sunny had to

tried to push open the gates, but to no avail. The heavy doors didn't budge even when Saint joined him. None of the keys their jailers

to see the same type of primitive weave he had seen in the door of the Ebony Tower.

"Curse it."

kick, then turned around and walked

we aren't getting out

a

they even be able to survive that

frowned,

"Where to, then?"

thought for

try and accomplish the task they had come

check on

ivory knife was still there,

massacre behind, the two of them headed deeper into

***

a long time to cross the outward ring and enter the central temple. The distance itself was not that considerable, but the bizarre interior of the cathedral was disorienting and sprawling, resembling a vast, convoluted maze of black stone. They also had to remain cautious and move slowly so as

the deserted Citadel were slowly stretching their already tense nerves. Both Sunny and Cassie had not recovered from their ordeal completely, so they had to stop

slowly dying inside the cage — rotting corpses of the Lost, signs of bloodshed and destruction, as well as

was as though they were traveling through the workshop of a

minute that passed, Sunny grew more and more

his actions had led to. Even if he had been an unwilling accomplice, Mordret only managed to

an unspeakable

one hand, he didn't really care about the world… but on the other hand, Sunny didn't like to leave behind a mess without cleaning it up. It was

shadow ahead, made sure that everything was fine, and finally led Cassie into the grand hall