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

he

were standing guard outside, their indifferent faces staring at them with hollow stillness. Noticing Sunny, one of them

of them entered and froze,

"What the hell…"

the middle of a deep meditation, if not for dozens of empty amphoras of wine that floated all around him. The

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

What a nice surprise, to see you so soon. And… 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

causing the whole residence to shudder and the shards of the amphoras to disappear without a trace.

what do you

what do we owe… wait, wasn't it supposed to be the other

frowned, then glanced at Kai, who was staring at the immortal sorcerer with an inexorable expression on his

the friends I told you about? Well, this is one of

sorcerer stared at Kai, blinked a couple of times,

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?

Sunny smiled.

a voice of an

bowed slightly and forced out a grating, creaky

nice to meet you,

and looked right and left, then shook

mention those creatures again, even in jest. Angels are not something

of the moon on

you have found one of

for a bit, then

have not. We still need to find

sorcerer's help and his knowledge to find and retrieve Effie from the mysterious Temple of the Chalice… in