Shadow Slave

"Hold on for a bit more!"

The archer strained a little, bearing their weight as he darted through the abyss, his flight swift and effortless. Illuminated by the paper lantern, the three of them traveled through the darkness like a small comet, moving faster and faster.

The wind whistled in Sunny's ears.

He remained silent for a bit, dumbfounded, then asked:

"Wait… was it you who brought Saint Tyris here?"

Kai smiled, looking somewhere far away.

"Of course! When you and Cassie didn't return to the real world, we knew that the negotiation with the representatives of clan Valor must have failed. But when you didn't arrive at Shipwreck Island by November, as the plan had been, it was clear that something went wrong. So, Effie and I waited for a bit, then went to the White Feather clan for help."

He paused for a moment, and then added:

"Eventually, we decided to come to the Night Temple ourselves. That was a week ago. We have just arrived yesterday."

'But the Citadel was sealed…'

Sunny frowned, suddenly catching an inconsistency in Kai's words.

"Wait… a week ago? How did you cross the Chained Isles so fast?"

The archer smiled brightly.

"...Look ahead!"

'What does he…'

Sunny glanced forward, and froze.

They were swiftly approaching another source of light, this one much, much larger. Or rather, it was moving in their direction, even faster than Kai was flying.

of the Sky Below as though on water. Its sails were pristine white, and around the main mast, a

Keepers had succeeded in repairing the ancient vessel after

stood out on the polished wood, and here and there, the structure of the ship seemed rickety and

light Memories illuminating the ship, an especially bright one burning at the tip of a long and sharp bowsprit. Human figures could be seen on the deck, moving around in

at the swiftly approaching ship, stunned by the sight of it. It was hard to

looked almost the same as on the golden coins

down, and landed on the wooden deck

surface under his feet, Sunny swayed a little and looked

fell down, instantly

terrible month

***

of the young tree, a soft pillow under his head and a warm blanket covering his body. He still felt terrible, but mostly due to the soul damage Mordret had dealt him —

it, the

actually alive. What a

up, then stared into the darkness for a bit. The ancient vessel was swiftly flying through the abyss, descending into

he was conscious, he would be able to stitch

Cassie sleeping

for a few moments, coming to terms with the fact that their harrowing adventure seemed to be over. Of course, in the future, he was going to

at least they were free of the damned

'What a fiasco…'

didn't get to dwell on his frustration for long, however, because a delicious smell suddenly reached his nostrils, and a few moments later, Effie appeared nearby, carrying two plates of

glistened, and his

and handed him a

go, doofus.

a smile, and then attacked the food like a ravenous beast. Effie sat down on the deck and

sound of energetic chewing. At some point, Kai landed nearby and joined them, an easygoing

Sunny was done with his meal

of yours… I might have changed my

She scoffed.

"Pfft! You wish."

then glanced into the darkness that surrounded them