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,

worry, though… he is indeed terrifying, but

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

two of them entered and froze,

"What the hell…"

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 Chain Lord, Blessed

he landed on the floor and yawned, causing all the amphoras to fall down and shatter, sending drops of

wait, did I say that out loud? No, surely not… I am too wise and courteous to make a rude remark

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 the

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

immortal sorcerer with an inexorable expression on his burned, disfigured face. Finally, he cleared his throat and turned to

I told you about? Well, this is one of them. And… yes, you did say it

couple of times, then took

despite not knowing how they look, where they are, and what they are called?

Sunny smiled.

friend. A man with a voice of an

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

is… nice to meet

shuddered and looked right and left,

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

of the moon on

one of your friends. Have

a bit, then answered

not. We still need to find two more friends for

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…