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…"

Awakened hunter took a step forward, his monstrous voice permeating the darkness like

his

Sunny laughed again.

guess? Somehow, I have a feeling that I wasn't supposed to be able to last that

his sword, then at the

did. Actually, while some of those nightmares… gods, how cruel they were… did hit a

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

have already been gutted once, nothing else can impress you that much. Or if you have already watched your mother die once, the second time won't be as… well… maybe it would? I

with fear. The Awakened killer tilted his head a

"What?"

Sunny shrugged.

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

and pointed it at

noticed is that my heart always seems ache, doesn't matter whether it's in a nightmare or in the real life. So, that demands a question… if the heartache is the same, then maybe

a

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

a defensive position, waiting for the terrifying Awakened hunter 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

meet his death… once

met all kinds of creatures. Awakened warriors, Corrupted monsters… even Transcendent immortals. Some of them had one

enemy, at the mighty

is… why does this damned horse always have

hunter's sword flashed, abandoning the young girl he

to his feet, putting all of

not directed at the menacing killer… instead, it