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.

moments later, a graceful shape of a resplendent wooden ship became visible, flowing through the darkness of the Sky Below as though on water. Its sails were pristine white, and around the main mast, a young tree was growing, its branches brimming with vibrant green

Fire Keepers had succeeded in repairing the ancient vessel

wood, and here and there, the structure of the ship seemed rickety and slapdash — especially near the bow, which had been previously almost destroyed. However, overall, the vessel was

of a long and sharp bowsprit. Human figures could be seen on

stared at the swiftly approaching ship, stunned by the sight of it. It was hard to believe that this had been the same abomination-invested wreck

almost the same as on the golden coins he had

accelerated even more, then slowed down, and

Sunny swayed a little and looked at the Fire

sighed, and fell down,

terrible month he had,

***

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

it, the healer of

am actually alive. What

darkness for a bit. The ancient vessel was swiftly flying

it just barely. Now that he was conscious, he would be able to stitch it up, or at least cover

looked around, noticing Cassie sleeping nearby. Her face

their harrowing adventure seemed to be over. Of course, in the future, he was going to have to deal with its consequences… and even before

they were free of

'What a fiasco…'

his frustration for long, however, because a delicious smell suddenly reached his nostrils, and a few moments later, Effie appeared nearby, carrying two

eyes glistened, and his mouth instantly

grinned and handed him

you go,

beast. Effie sat down on the deck and placed the second plate near Cassie, who stirred

few minutes were spent in silence, disturbed only by the sound of energetic chewing. At some point, Kai landed nearby and joined them, an easygoing smile on his

done with his meal and pushed the

of yours… I might have changed

She scoffed.

"Pfft! You wish."

glanced into the darkness that surrounded them from