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 indeed terrifying, but not

outside, their indifferent faces staring at them with hollow stillness. Noticing Sunny, one of them moved aside and knocked on

two of them entered and froze, unsure how to

"What the hell…"

was levitating above the 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

he landed on the floor and yawned, causing all the amphoras to fall

uh… you brought someone with you? What a hideous creature… wait, did I say that out loud? No, surely not… I am too wise and courteous to make a rude remark like that,

gave them a radiant smile, then waved a hand, causing the whole residence to shudder and the shards of the amphoras to disappear without a trace. Then, Noctis walked over to a small table, picked up a fresh apple, and glanced at

what do you

wasn't it

an inexorable expression on his burned, disfigured face. Finally, he cleared

you remember the friends I told you about? Well, this is one of them. And… yes, you

Kai, blinked a couple of times, then took a bite out

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 be here, in my Sanctuary? How…

Sunny smiled.

voice of an angel,

sidelong glance, then bowed slightly and forced out a grating, creaky

nice to meet

shuddered and looked right and left,

creatures again, even in jest. Angels are not something to be

he briefly touched the symbol of the moon on his forehead and

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

hesitated for a bit,

not. We still need to find two more friends

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 particular matter,