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, then

that Noctis. Don't worry, though… he is indeed

wooden door. A pair of Sailor Dolls were standing guard outside, their indifferent faces staring at

entered and froze, unsure

"What the hell…"

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

Sunny, then at Kai. Finally, he landed on the floor and yawned, causing all the amphoras to fall down

creature… wait, did I say that out loud? No,

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 his guests with

you

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

with an inexorable expression on his burned, disfigured face. Finally, he

deliver some good news. Do you remember the friends I told you about?

at Kai, blinked a couple of times,

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, and what they are called? He just happened to be here, in my Sanctuary?

Sunny smiled.

with a voice of an angel, and a face to go along

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

is… nice to

and looked right

jest. Angels are not something to be called upon, whether by name or

briefly touched the symbol of

glad that you have found one of your friends. Have the two

for a bit, then

need to find

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