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 a resplendent wooden ship became visible, flowing through the darkness of the Sky Below as though on water. Its sails

repairing the

and breaches that had marred its surface before. A patchwork of replacement boards still stood out on the polished wood, and here and there, the structure of the ship seemed rickety

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

stunned by the sight of it. It was hard to believe that this had been the

that the ancient vessel was repaired, it looked almost the same as on

down, and landed on the wooden deck

solid surface under his feet, Sunny swayed a

he sighed, and fell down,

day… no, a terrible month he had, some rest

***

Sunny came back to his senses. He was laying near the main mast of the ship, under the branches 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 —

out of it, the healer of the

am actually alive. What a

into the darkness for a bit. The ancient vessel was swiftly flying through the abyss, descending into its depths. Due to that, his body felt

outer layer of the Undying Chain and studied his chest, where the terrible wound had already closed, be it just barely. Now that he was conscious, he would be able to stitch it up, or

Sunny looked around, noticing Cassie sleeping nearby. Her

course, in the future, he was going to have to deal with its consequences… and

least they were free

'What a fiasco…'

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

and

huntress grinned and handed him

you go, doofus.

then attacked the food like a ravenous beast. Effie sat down

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

Sunny was done with his meal and pushed the plate

marriage proposal of yours… I

She scoffed.

"Pfft! You wish."

then glanced into the darkness