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

though… he is indeed terrifying, but not

their indifferent

and

"What the hell…"

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 of the Moon,

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 and staining

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 you

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, and glanced at

you owe the

what do we owe… wait, wasn't it

glanced at Kai, who was staring at the immortal sorcerer with an inexorable

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

stared at Kai, blinked a couple of times, then took a

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

Sunny smiled.

with a voice of an

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

nice to meet

right and left, then shook his

those creatures again, even in jest. Angels are

he briefly touched the symbol of the

you have found one of your friends. Have the two

for a bit, then answered

We still need to find two more friends

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