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

worry, though… he

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

and

"What the hell…"

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

at Sunny, then at Kai. Finally, he landed on the floor and

What a nice 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

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 his guests with

do you

it supposed to be

an inexorable expression

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

blinked a couple of times,

that doesn't exist, despite not knowing how they look, where they are,

Sunny smiled.

my dear friend. A man with a voice of an angel, and a face to

sidelong glance, then bowed slightly and forced

is… nice to meet you,

shuddered and looked right and left, then

creatures again, even in jest. Angels are not something to be called upon, whether by

the symbol of the moon on

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

for a bit, then

We still need to find two more

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