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

his mind is

Sunny laughed again.

be able to last that long. Who

his sword,

nightmares… gods, how cruel they were… did hit

with a concerned expression, then

after you 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

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

"What?"

Sunny shrugged.

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

slowly raised his sword and pointed it at the

my heart always seems ache, doesn't matter whether it's in a nightmare or in the real life. So, that demands

took a step forward, a confused expression on

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 much in the

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

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

to meet his death…

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

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

does this

where the hunter's sword flashed, abandoning the young girl he was sworn

blade and jumped to his feet, putting all of his weight into an attack of

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