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.

Sky Below as though on water. Its sails were

Keepers had succeeded in repairing

still stood out on the polished wood, and here and there, the structure of the ship seemed rickety and slapdash — especially near the

was a battery of 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

by the sight of it. It was hard to believe

the ancient vessel was repaired, it looked almost the same as on the golden coins he had sacrificed to

even more, then slowed down, and

Sunny swayed a little and looked at the

and fell down, instantly losing

day… no, a terrible month he

***

a soft pillow under his head and a warm blanket covering his body. He still felt

the healer of the Fire

alive.

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

be it just barely. Now that he was conscious, he would

state, Sunny looked around, noticing Cassie sleeping nearby.

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 have to deal with its consequences… and even

were free of

'What a fiasco…'

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

eyes glistened, and

huntress grinned and handed

go, doofus.

the food like a ravenous beast. Effie sat down on the deck

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

done with his

of yours… I

She scoffed.

"Pfft! You wish."

glanced into the darkness that