Shadow Slave

…There was warmth, sunlight, and the smell of fresh sheets, wood, and green leaves. Sunny slowly opened his eyes and felt the bed beneath him sway gently. No... the world itself had swayed.

It was time to face a new day.

Suddenly overwhelmed by terror, he sat up with a growl, his eyes wildly searching for the signs of danger, disaster, and death. His four hands rose, sharp claws ready to tear flesh apart.

'No, no, no… it was all a dream, I'm in the nightmare again! I never escaped!'

Panic washed over his mind, but the slowly receded.

Sunny remained motionless for a few moments, then lowered his gaze and stared at his four hands. Four… this was the shadow demon's body. He was awake. He was himself… well, the Nightmare version of himself… ah, it was all so convoluted…

He remembered the desolate fortress, the endless torments he had dreamt of, the fearsome battle with the black steed, and his eventual victory. The terrible pain of his last heart giving out.

…Tu-tum-tu-tump. Tu-tum-tu-tump. Tu-tum-tu-tump.

Hearing the strange sound, Sunny looked at his chest.

His three shadows were sprawled on the ground, so the rough skin of the shadow demon had lost its obsidian color and was back to its original complexion, as pale and grey as it had been back when he first entered the Nightmare. There was a thin, barely noticeable scar running vertically from his collarbone to his abdomen.

And beneath it… tu-tum-tu-tump… two mighty hearts were beating steadily, circulating rivers of blood through the gaunt, towering body of the four-armed demon.

He blinked a couple of times.

'I am… alive?'

he also seemed to possess two

shifted his gaze back to his hands and noticed that his two missing fingers were now back, be it of a slightly different color and seemingly carved out of ashen, polished wood. He tentatively made his hands into fists, and saw the wooden fingers bend as

the texture of the skin on his palms pressing against

raised his eyes and looked around, trying to understand

under an opulent plush rug. The bed he lay upon was sturdy and large,

fruit on an

the

Sunny frowned.

'Wait a minute…'

but far more dilapidated and empty, on the ancient flying ship the Fire Keepers

clicked in his mind,

'Noctis! That lying crook!'

around its mast… only that vessel had not been shattered and wrecked, then recovered and restored

was still owned by its original captain — the great

must have picked Sunny up after the battle with the black steed and kept his promise, fashioning a new heart for

was very

Sunny would not still

Sunless… what's the worst that

apart with the claws. He was full of resentment,

sorcerer squirm felt very nice. But no matter how weak and affable Noctis seemed, he was an immortal Transcended, a Chain Lord of the Kingdom of Hope. Someone whose

things in life than harboring thoughts of

think about instead. The nightmares, the battle with the Shadow stallion,

he did not receive an opportunity to consider all these important and

name, the damned sorcerer suddenly opened