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,

Noctis. Don't worry, though… he is indeed terrifying,

outside, their indifferent faces staring at them with hollow stillness.

entered and froze, unsure how

"What the hell…"

deep meditation, if not for dozens of

Sunny, then at Kai. Finally, he landed on the floor and yawned, causing all the amphoras to

did I say that out loud? No, surely not… I am too wise and courteous to make a rude remark like that, of course… nice to meet you, whoever you are! Welcome… ah, to

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,

what do you owe

it supposed to

frowned, then glanced at Kai, who was staring at the immortal sorcerer with an inexorable expression on his burned, disfigured face. Finally, he

deliver some good news. Do you remember the friends I told you about? Well, this is one of them. And… yes, you did say it out

stared at Kai, blinked a couple of times,

visiting an island that doesn't exist, despite not knowing how they look, where they are, and what

Sunny smiled.

with a voice of an angel, and a face to go along

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

is… nice to meet you,

right and left, then shook his

in jest. Angels are not something to be called

of the

of your friends. Have the two of you

for a

to find two

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