Shadow Slave

Sitting on a plush cushion with a glass of fine wine in his hand, Noctis recounted the fates of the seven divine knives.

"The Iron Knife was destroyed when Lady Aidre was murdered, and the Ember Knife was stolen and destroyed when the Shadow took his own life. Of the remaining five knives, the Glass knife is the most simple to trace. It belonged to the Shadow, and now, it is where the Shadow had hidden it."

He paused, and then continued:

"The Ruby Knife... that one was entrusted to me. Some time ago, well, I was a bit concerned about my state of mind. Hope's madness is very insidious, Sunless, and not even someone like me is immune to it. So, frightened of what I might do, I gave it to… a dear friend, of sorts… for safekeeping. Which means that you and I know the location of two knives already."

The sorcerer sipped his wine and frowned.

"Then there is the Obsidian knife, which I won from the One in the North in a game of wit. The others weren't happy at all that I possessed two knives, so I, uh… placed it on the altar in my Sanctuary and proclaimed that everyone who manages to gather enough of my coins can take it."

A heavy sigh escaped from Sunny's lips.

"You did… what?"

What was wrong with that guy? It was a relic created by Sun God they were talking about, the key to an immortal's death! Why would he just put it where everyone could see it and even put a price tag on it? What madness was this?!

Noctis shrugged with a guilty look.

"Listen… those coins are very precious, I'll let you know! Who could have thought that someone would actually be crazy enough to collect them all? But, uh… someone did. A very determined and reckless young man, in fact. That daredevil took the knife and disappeared. He was probably killed for it, but where and how, no one knows. The Obsidian Knife was lost… but as I said, these knives never remain lost for long. And here you are, Sunless, wielding it. So…"

The sorcerer raised a hand and showed Sunny three elegant fingers.

"That is three. The next one is the most curious… the Ivory Knife. It was entrusted to Sevras, the Sun Lord, who gave it to his twin brother, the Sun Prince. And that is where things get strange. The Sun Prince came to me one day with an unusual request. You see, he had hidden the Ivory Knife, and wanted for me to erase the memories of where from his mind. He also wanted me to make him forget that request."

Sunny shuddered.

'He… he destroyed those memories on purpose? Even before the terrible torture?'

Noctis sighed.

from her. That was why the Sun Prince came to me, although I still don't know what his

The sorcerer smiled.

you think? Instead, I kept the memory for myself and eventually retrieved the

Sunny shook his head.

where is it? How did you manage to lose that one,

The immortal Transcendent shrugged.

the One in the North was still angry with me and wanted a rematch. The stakes were high, and that time, sadly, I didn't win. She got the Ivory Knife, and then threw it into the Sky Below. That was very silly of her. It is

at him for a while, a

had the Ivory Knife… Mordret, the Prince of Nothing. And if that fiend wielded it, even gods would not be able to predict what was going to

didn't seem concerned. He

is in Solvane's possession. This one is the simplest to get, although not the easiest. The murderous witch, you know, is more than ready to give it to anyone whom she deems worthy enough to try and kill her. So, we don't even need to search for it. Sooner or later, it will

for a bit, then said in a

my possession, and the Glass Knife is hidden in a place that is only known to me. The Ruby Knife is hidden in a place only known to you. The Wooden Knife will be given

sorcerer nodded

the five would not be too difficult, and the fourth one will naturally appear on my path. Four out of five… it doesn't look that crazy anymore,

Sunny hesitated.

But all he needed was to know that there was a chance of victory, and now, it seemed that there was. Noctis, eccentric and unreliable as he seemed, had not

sorcerer glanced at him

going to share the location of the Glass Knife with me, and help me free Hope? Shall we break her chains

Sunny sighed.

at that. However, he could not answer it yet. Looking at the immortal sorcerer, he

make that decision alone. I need to discuss

Noctis blinked.

good to have

Sunny shifted slightly.

uh… I don't

scratched the back of his head with a

first,

looked away, then cleared

don't