Shadow Slave

Sunny hesitated for a few moments, then looked at Kai and said with determination.

"Let's go."

Kai nodded and followed the four-armed demon, pushing forward his bandaged body with visible effort. Seeing his friend's suffering, Sunny gritted his teeth.

The archer, meanwhile, glanced at him with a grim expression, and then said in his new, unfamiliar and ugly voice:

"Sunny… I have one question. Can you answer it?"

Sunny slowed down and turned to him, a deep scowl contorting the bestial lines of his face.

"Of course. What is it?"

Kai remained silent for a bit, then asked cautiously:

"Uh… where, exactly, are we going?"

Sunny blinked a couple of times, then tilted his head a little.

"Oh, right. Where else? We are going to talk to Noctis!"

With that, he turned around and continued walking toward the immortal sorcerer's residence.

The archer hurried to catch up, then said in a stifled tone:

"Ah… that Noctis? The immortal Transcendent? Blessed of the Moon, Crimson Beast of Twilight, Chain Lord of the Kingdom of Hope, and all that?"

at him,

he is

Sanctuary and approached the beautifully engraved wooden door. A pair of Sailor Dolls were standing guard outside, their indifferent faces staring at them with hollow

of them entered and froze, unsure how

"What the hell…"

floor, his legs crossed and his eyes closed. He might have seemed like a wise sage in the middle of a deep meditation, if not for dozens of empty amphoras of wine that floated all around him. The terrifying

one eye and stared at Sunny, then at Kai. Finally, he landed on the floor and yawned, causing

did I say that out loud? No, surely not… I am too

without a trace. Then, Noctis walked over to a small table, picked up a fresh apple,

you owe

it

the immortal sorcerer with an inexorable

some good news. Do you remember the friends I told you about? Well, this

of times, then took a

friends that you were supposed to find after visiting an island that doesn't exist, despite not knowing how they look, where they are, and what they are called? He just happened to

Sunny smiled.

dear friend. A man with a voice of an angel, and a

bowed slightly

is… nice to meet you, Lord

looked right and left, then shook his

even in jest. Angels are not something

he briefly touched the symbol of the moon on his

have found one of your friends. Have the two of you discussed my

hesitated for a bit, then

to find two

that the luxury of having a choice was looking more and more distant by the day. But he needed the sorcerer's help and his knowledge to find and retrieve Effie from the mysterious Temple of the Chalice… in that