Shadow Slave

By the time Sunny woke up, the ship was already approaching the Sanctuary. Looking out of the window, he saw a familiar island below them… in his time, it was occupied by a fearsome Corrupted abomination. He wondered if it was still — or rather, already — nesting there.

In any case, from here, the Sanctuary was just a couple of chains away.

With a sign, Sunny dressed himself and left the cabin, heading for the upper deck. Once outside, he saw Sailor Dolls moving around with graceful precision, hoisting sails and performing other tasks. Noctis was standing at the helm, wearing a completely new extravagant robe and whistling a light-hearted melody. Noticing Sunny, the sorcerer smiled.

"Ah, Sunless! How fortunate it is that you are awake. We are almost home."

He glanced forward and waved a hand, accidentally sending the ship into a lateral spin. The wooden mannequins somehow remained attached to the deck, but Sunny had to grab a handrail to not be thrown overboard. He gave the immortal Transcendent a resentful look.

Noctis smiled sheepishly.

"Oh… uh… sorry about that."

Shaking his head, Sunny ascended the stairs and joined the sorcerer at the bridge, which was situated at the stern of the enchanted vessel. From there, he observed the landscape of the Kingdom of Hope in silence, until a familiar silhouette of a vast ring of menhirs standing atop a small island appeared in sight, surrounded by a white cloud of water vapor that came from several beautiful waterfalls.

The Sanctuary… it was nice to see it again. In this harrowing Nightmare, it almost felt like home.

Noctis grinned.

"That is it! The Sanctuary of Noctis, my beautiful lair. Isn't it pretty?"

Sunny hesitated, then took the emerald amulet out of the folds of his black garment and thought:

"...I guess. But isn't it a bit presumptuous, to call it after yourself?"

The sorcerer laughed.

it as a shrine to my great-grandmother. I was perfectly content living there alone, but as the Kingdom of Hope went from bad to worse, stragglers started coming to my lands in search of a safe shelter from all the madness. I didn't have the heart… or

stared at him for a few moments, then said in a somber

"...Who is your great-grandmother?"

turned to him and blinked a couple of times, an

The Goddess of the Moon,

Sunny paled.

this even make

to

gorgeous as I don't grow on trees,

very hard not

flying ship descended from the skies and hovered in the center of the ring of giant menhirs, the sacred tree that grew on its deck situated right above the one growing on a small island surrounded by the pool of clear water, an altar of pure white stone drowning in the shade of its wide branches. Sunny saw

of course. Even if others were somehow here, they were going to

Noctis grinned.

here, for sure. Everyone

that statement, Sunny

***

the garden, heading to the sorcerer's private quarters. Coincidentally, the residence was situated in the same place where the

most of them seemed like normal people. Some of them were mundane, and some were Awakened. They didn't seem to be in the throes of madness. However, after the cruel

to person, evaluating them

frightened? That man with a neatly trimmed beard seemed gentle and kind, but why was the hilt of his sword so polished and worn? That beggar who sat lonesomely by himself, his body and face disfigured and wrapped in bandages like that of a leper, seemed too weak to pose a threat… but why was

woman with a basket of fruit in her

his head,