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…"

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

weak… his mind

Sunny laughed again.

have a feeling that I wasn't supposed to be able to last that long.

glanced at his sword, then at the approaching

Actually, while some of those nightmares… gods, how cruel they were… did hit a nerve, overall… I am surprised to admit

concerned expression, then scratch the

die once, the second time won't be as…

backed away from him, her face painted with fear. The Awakened killer tilted his

"What?"

Sunny shrugged.

that, real or not, I am really... really, really hard to break. As it turns out. At least not to the point where

raised his sword and pointed it at

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

forward, a

that I have to cause to possess will just appear on their own. Easy to explain in a

a defensive position, waiting

beings… or vile orbs of darkness in those of the Corrupted. It took me a few nightmares to realize

meet his death… once

of creatures. Awakened warriors, Corrupted monsters… even Transcendent immortals. Some of

a moment, and then looked past his enemy, at the

my question is… why does this damned

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

blade and jumped to his feet, putting all of his weight

the menacing killer…