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…"

a step forward, his monstrous voice permeating the darkness like an insidious

his mind

Sunny laughed again.

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

at his sword, then at the

they were… did

stared at the Awakened hunter with a concerned expression, then scratch the

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 one thing I'm sure

slowly backed away from him, her face painted with fear. The Awakened killer tilted his head a little, then asked

"What?"

Sunny shrugged.

At least not to the point where I'll

slowly raised his sword and pointed it

seems ache, doesn't matter whether it's in a nightmare or in the real life. So, that demands a question… if

forward, a

thing I noticed was that many of my thoughts, actions, and reactions don't really make sense. Sometimes my hands will try to do something on their 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

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

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 pursued me from the nightmares into reality, making the two seem so much

meet his

in my nightmares, I met all kinds of creatures. Awakened warriors, Corrupted monsters… even Transcendent immortals.

then looked past his enemy, at the mighty black steed standing motionless behind him,

does this damned horse

flashed, abandoning the young girl he was sworn to

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

strike was not directed at the menacing killer… instead, it was directed