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,

Noctis. Don't worry, though… he

engraved wooden door. A pair of Sailor Dolls were standing guard outside, their indifferent faces staring at them with hollow stillness. Noticing Sunny, one of them moved aside and knocked on the door, which

of them entered and froze, unsure how

"What the hell…"

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

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

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

shards of the amphoras to disappear without a trace. Then, Noctis walked

you owe

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

staring at the immortal sorcerer with an inexorable expression on his burned, disfigured face.

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

couple of times, then took a bite

so this is one of the friends that you were supposed to find after visiting an island that doesn't exist, despite not knowing how they look, where they are,

Sunny smiled.

Nightingale, my dear friend. A man with a voice

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

nice to meet you, Lord

and looked right and left, then shook his

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

briefly touched the symbol of

glad that you have found one of your friends.

hesitated for a bit, then answered

still need to

of having a 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 particular matter, he was willing to