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,

he is indeed terrifying, but not

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

two of them entered and

"What the hell…"

like a wise sage in the middle of a deep meditation, if

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

that out loud? No, surely not… I am too wise and courteous to

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

what do you owe

we owe… wait, wasn't it supposed

an inexorable expression on his burned, disfigured face. Finally, he cleared his throat and turned

to deliver some good news. Do you remember the friends I told you about? Well, this

sorcerer stared at Kai, blinked a couple of times,

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

Sunny smiled.

a voice

him a sidelong glance, then bowed slightly and forced

nice to meet you, Lord

shuddered and looked right and left, then shook

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

of the moon

found one of your friends. Have the two

hesitated for a bit, then answered

not. We still need to find two more friends for

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