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?"

glanced at him,

he

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

and froze, unsure how

"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 him. The

enter, Noctis lazily opened one eye and stared at Sunny, then at Kai. Finally, he landed on the floor and yawned, causing all the amphoras to fall down and shatter, sending drops of wine flying everywhere

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 a rude remark like that, of course… nice to meet you, whoever

to disappear without a trace. Then, Noctis

you owe the

wasn't it supposed

an inexorable expression on his burned, disfigured

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

sorcerer stared at Kai, blinked a couple of times, then took a bite out of the

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?

Sunny smiled.

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

spared him a sidelong glance, then bowed

is… nice to meet you, Lord

looked right and left, then shook

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

touched the symbol of

you have found one of your

for a

We still need to find two

of having a choice was looking more and more distant by the day. But he needed the sorcerer's help and his knowledge