Shadow Slave

Thinking that it was unwise to refuse the immortal sorcerer, Sunny rose from the bed and hesitated for a moment, noticing that he was completely naked. Numerous wounds that he had received in the Red Colosseum and later, in the battle with the black steed, had turned his grey skin into a map of scars, with lean muscles rolling under it like mountain chains.

Noctis gave him a funny look, then cleared his throat and pointed to a chair that had a black kimono hanging on its backrest. The garment was made out of silk, intricately stitched, and fit his towering figure perfectly. It even had four sleeves instead of two, revealing that someone must have sewn the thing specifically for him.

Feeling the cool caress of the soft fabric on his rough skin, Sunny covered his nakedness, fastened the belt around his waist, and then put on a pair of leather sandals.

Feeling somewhat like a proper human again… or rather, a proper demon… he then tied his wild black hair with a black ribbon and followed Noctis out of the room.

As they walked to the upper deck, the sorcerer couldn't help but throw glances at him, mumbling some nonsense in a barely audible voice:

"...wonderful… marvelous! My complexion is, without a doubt, the fairest there is in the Kingdom of Hope, but alas, black doesn't suit me at all. I won't be caught dead wearing black. Or alive, really. But this is just perfect! Finally, someone to do justice to this Night Silk I bought! It must be fate, indeed, no doubt about it…"

Sunny stared at the immortal Transcendent with a concerned scowl on his face.

The man was clearly a raving lunatic. Another one…

'Why the hell is everyone in this damned Nightmare insane?'

They walked onto the upper deck of the flying ship, where Sunny saw a somewhat familiar picture. There was a beautiful tree growing around the main mast, with the middle of the vessel drowning in the cool shade of its wide branches. The bark of the tree was ivory white, and its leaves were vibrant emerald in color.

The difference with how the flying ship had been in the future was that the original tree he was staring at right now was much taller, stronger, more robust… ancient.

he had witnessed the consecrated grove

also shuddered, remembering the nightmare in which he was reborn as an old man. That one… that one was perhaps the most terrible of them all. Mostly because it reminded him of his

a subtle shift in the expression of the sullen demon and misunderstanding it, Noctis smiled

last of her kind. An original! All those flying buckets the rest of them use

of the sacred tree in passing and continued

time ago, the Sky Below was full of divine flame. Back then, there were fearless daredevils who dove down into the ocean of immolating fire to harvest some of it. This is the last remaining

The sorcerer smiled.

the rest were turned to ash, along with their crews. Even the memory of them is long gone. Shame… those guys were really something, the Fire Hunters. A fun crowd. Not very bright, though, which was how I got my hands on this beauty. Won her

He laughed.

even won that obsidian knife you carry once, from the One in the North. Oh, you should have

and stared

the seven knives playing cards? The seven knives created

glanced at him

right now. They were very angry with us two. It was a giant mess. Uh… I sort of lost

a bit, and then added, his voice

really stay lost for long, you know. It's really, really

Disturbed, Sunny turned away and looked over the

away from the deserted island where the battle between Sunny and the black stallion had ended. It

flowers growing from the

'A giant mess…'