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.

he assumed that Mordret possessed a bizarre and powerful Aspect that allowed him to deal either mind or soul damage

was good, since both Sunny and Cassie could naturally counter it — Sunny by fighting

a ferocious and bloody melee. That meant that, on top of everything else, Mordret was a fighter of incredible skill… skilled and

supposed to win against someone like

past the corpses and approached

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

push open the gates, but to no avail. The heavy doors didn't budge even when

of primitive weave he had

"Curse it."

the gates a good kick, then turned around and walked back

out of here until the

would happen in a week, at

they even be able to survive

blind girl frowned, then

"Where to, then?"

thought for a few

they were already stuck in this damned place… why not try and accomplish the task

go check

ivory knife

of the cruel massacre behind, the two of them headed

***

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.

their already tense nerves. Both Sunny and Cassie had not recovered from their ordeal completely, so they had to stop and rest a couple of times, drinking water and eating small

struggle that had been going on inside the Night Temple while they were slowly dying inside the cage — rotting corpses of the Lost, signs of bloodshed and destruction, as well as things that were too strange and vile to be explained by any kind of

though they were traveling

each minute that passed, Sunny grew more

began to question the moral implications of what his actions had led to. Even if he had been an unwilling accomplice, Mordret only

Sunny accidentally released an unspeakable evil upon the

he didn't really care about the world… but on the other hand, Sunny didn't like to leave

made sure that everything was fine, and finally led