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

Fire Keepers had succeeded in repairing the ancient vessel after all, it

replacement boards still stood out on the polished wood, and here and there, the structure of the ship seemed rickety and slapdash — especially near the bow, which had been previously almost

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

the swiftly approaching ship, stunned by the sight of it. It was hard to believe that this had

repaired, it looked almost the same as on the golden coins he had sacrificed

slowed down, and

his feet, Sunny swayed a little and looked at the

and fell

terrible day… no, a terrible month he

***

later, 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

of it, the healer of the Fire Keepers, Shim, had

am actually alive.

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

was conscious, he would be able to stitch it up, or at least cover the

Cassie

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 have to deal with its consequences… and even before that, the Second

they were free of the

'What a fiasco…'

delicious smell suddenly reached his nostrils, and a few moments

and his mouth instantly

huntress grinned and handed him

you go, doofus. Welcome

the food like a ravenous beast. Effie sat down on the deck and placed the second plate near Cassie, who

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

his meal and pushed

About that marriage proposal of yours…

She scoffed.

"Pfft! You wish."

then glanced into the darkness that surrounded them from all