Shadow Slave

"Why have you come here, Solvane?"

Sunny turned around, looking at the delicate woman who stood behind him, her dress woven out of simple green fabric, a girdle of tree bark wrapped around her thin waist. Despite looking only slightly older than their guest, with soft skin and sparkling hazel eyes, she had a calm and confident presence about her that brought peace and a feeling of safety to all who surrounded her.

The woman looked beautiful, wise… and young. So, so young. She also resembled Sunny very much.

As always, seeing her brought both warm joy and deep sadness to his heart.

Sunny smiled, hiding his sorrow, then said in a tone most gentle and loving:

"...Hey, mom. We have a guest."

The Lady of the Grove — his mother — looked at him for a short moment, and then answered in a voice that rang with tension and urgency:

"Get away from her, child. Now!"

Sunny frowned, confused, then did as he was told, arduously pushing his old body forward with the help of the cane. His heart was sending pulses of pain radiating through his chest… ah, even walking was hard today…

Behind him, a dark smile appeared on the face of the young beauty whom his mother called Solvane. She slowly rose from the grass and faced the Lady of the Grove, her radiant eyes burning with grim light.

"You must know why I came here. There is no need to pretend, Aidre."

Sunny finally reached his mother and stood beside her, turning around to look at the strange pilgrim.

'Something… something isn't right. How does she know my mother's name?'

Was she, perhaps, a powerful Awakened? Well, whoever she was, the eternal guardian of the Sacred Grove was not going to let things get too out of hand. She was not only his mother, but also Transcendent Aidre, the blessed of Heart God, after all. So, there was no reason to worry.

Nothing terrible ever happened in the Sacred Grove.

His thoughts were interrupted by the fact that, suddenly, another brilliant sphere of light appeared in view… this one inside the body of his own mother. Sunny stared at her back for a few moments, then glanced at Solvane. He even looked at the horse.

'Huh…'

Meanwhile, the smile disappeared from Solvane's beautiful face. Her voice turned cold and sharp as she said:

"I have heard rumors that across all of the Kingdom of Hope, a cult of her followers was slowly spreading like a virulent plague. Imagine my surprise… my indignation, my rage... when I discovered that you were the source of this disease. You!"

Sunny's face darkened.

'Ah… so that's what this is all about…'

He had warned his mother that this might happen. Saying anything good about a daemon was tantamount to offending the gods, these days. Maybe he should have followed his own advice and kept his mouth shut earlier…

'Damnation.'

Solvane, meanwhile, clenched her fists.

"I came here wishing to be proven wrong, but instead, saw that the accusations were true. Your own son is infected by this heresy. How… how could you betray us so? You have created a cult of daemon worshippers. You have nurtured the very thing that we were created to prevent!"

The Lady of the Grove scowled.

no, you are the ones who are blind to

stared at the delicate woman in the green dress for a while, her expression grim. Then, she slowly shook

are… so broken. How did you allow your soul to get so twisted? You, out of all of us, should have been the

his mother chuckle, her voice

need for us to pretend? Just say what you have

then slowly raised her hand. Sunny frowned, noticing that there was now a strange knife forged out of a single strip of dull metal in

His mother suddenly trembled.

seen

"You… you wouldn't dare…"

Solvane gritted her teeth.

None of us wanted this. But in the end, they all

Lady of the Grove fell silent, then shook her

would

took a step

permission. Do you really think that they would allow something like that to happen? No matter which one of us falls, the one who remains will

off, and

that, just then, something had gone

stared at Solvane, her face

And then, she whispered:

any of us. Oh... oh, Solvane! How

heartache growing stronger. There was a cold sensation grasping

talking about? I don't

of the Sacred Grove looked down for a long time, then

quiet and full of

have known… that out of all of us, you are

Sunny, who was really confused by what was happening, and smiled

you… I'm sorry, child. Please

mother faced the beauty in the red tunic and raised her delicate hand, a knife carved out of a single

voice grew firm

Solvane… you should not have never challenged me on this hallowed ground. I won't give

her radiant eyes shining with a furious

"...Prove it!"

***

"Mom… mom…"

cheeks,

him was in pain. And all around him, the Sacred Grove burned, enveloped by incinerating, raging fire. He could hear the screams of its inhabitants echoing in the dim darkness, humans and beasts alike, burning alive as

this

himself forward with the week hands of a useless old man, he crawled toward the delicate figure

die before

now covered in terrible

'Mom...'

then, finally, he reached

the Grove lay dead amidst the fire, shards of a strange iron dagger sizzling in the bloodsoaked mud around her. Swallowing tears, Sunny

so familiar? As though he had felt this pain once, a long time ago, already…

just a bad dream, a nightmare. I need to wake up! Wake up, you old fool! Wake…

did, he couldn't. Even if it was just a nightmare,