Shadow Slave

Sunny looked at the terrified young girl, and then… laughed.

...His laughter sounded more than a little bit unhinged.

His lady shuddered:

"Sir, you… you…"

Sunny waved a hand in the air.

"No, no. No need… I understand. I sound crazy."

The night sky above them was covered in an impregnable veil of clouds, and the one below them was empty and dark. The ancient stones they stood upon were slick with rainwater, and it was too dim to see anything except for vague silhouettes.

The silhouette of the Awakened hunter was towering, menacing, and embodied the very concept of terror.

But Sunny didn't care that much.

Massaging his chest, he smiled crookedly and said, his voice hoarse and raspy:

"...But then again, this whole world is insane. Someone told me once… ah, I don't quite remember who… that we can only reflect what is in front of us. Is it my fault that there is nothing in front of me except for madness?"

He looked down, his smile turning into a wicked grin.

"And someone else once told me that they wanted to destroy the world. Back then, I thought them insane… I think… but now, I wonder…"

monstrous voice

weak… his

Sunny laughed again.

that I wasn't supposed to be able to last that long. Who would be able

at his sword,

Actually, while some of those nightmares… gods, how cruel they were… did hit a nerve, overall… I am surprised to admit that... they really weren't that

Awakened hunter with a concerned expression, then scratch the back of

mother die once, the second time won't be as… well… maybe it would? I don't know… I am a bit confused about what is real, and what is not. Maybe I am myself not real. There's

from him, her face painted with fear. The

"What?"

Sunny shrugged.

hard to break. As it turns out. At least not to the point where I'll be unable to think. And

his sword and pointed it at the approaching

it's in a nightmare or in the real life. So, that demands a question… if the heartache is the same, then maybe the nature

a

own, and sometimes fragments of feelings, ideas, and judgments that I have to cause to possess will just appear on their own. Easy to explain in a dream… not so much in the waking world. And I am awake, am I? Or am

again and assumed a defensive position, waiting for the terrifying Awakened

and the last thing I noticed were the radiant spheres of light I seem to be able to see inside the souls of living beings… or vile orbs of darkness in those of the Corrupted. It took me a few nightmares to realize that those were soul cores. Strangely, once again, this ability

smiled, ready to meet his death… once

see… in my nightmares, I met all kinds of creatures. Awakened warriors, Corrupted monsters… even Transcendent immortals. Some of them had one soul core,

the mighty black steed standing motionless behind him, barely visible in the

does this

he dashed in the opposite direction from where the hunter's sword flashed, abandoning the young

stones, Sunny dove under the flying blade and jumped to his feet,

the menacing killer… instead, it was