Shadow Slave

The three of them entered the Sanctuary, crossed the beautiful garden, and entered the sorcerer's residence through a familiar wooden door, Effie still sitting on Sunny's shoulders with a curious expression on her childish face.

The rooms within, however, had changed since the last time Sunny had seen them.

The luxurious furniture was gone, as well as beautiful decorations covering the walls. Instead, all that met them was barren stone, with a few broken Sailor Dolls laying on it, their limbs disassembled and laid out around the bodies like macabre pieces of art.

The floor of the whole central chamber was covered by a circle made out of a myriad of runes, powerful currents of soul essence flowing through it and dissipating into the ancient stones. Noctis was sitting in the center of the circle, his eyes closed. Without the familiar carefree smile, his beautiful face seemed ominous and strangely terrifying.

Hearing their footsteps, the sorcerer slowly exhaled. The crushing flood of essence slowly thinned, and then dissipated, retreating back into his body. He turned his head slightly and opened his eyes, which shone in the darkness for a moment, as though full of pale moonlight.

Then, they slowly turned human again, and Noctis smiled, returning to his usual laidback persona so suddenly that it seemed almost disturbing.

"Ah, Sunless, my friend! You are back! Sit down, have a drink… welcome!"

He stood up and outstretched a hand, as if trying to gesture at a set of comfortable seats. Then, a surprised expression appeared on the Transcendent's face, and he looked around the empty hall with a bit of confusion.

"Oh, right… I've been remodelling…"

Noctis sighed, then clapped his hands together.

"Well, no matter. Dolls! Bring my guests something to drink! They must be parched after their journey!"

His voice echoed around the residence… however, nothing happened.

He hesitated, then glanced at the broken mannequins lying on the floor and awkwardly shifted his feet.

"Ah. How unfortunate."

The sorcerer shook his head, then shrugged and looked at the three of them with a smile:

"Anyway... welcome!"

He tilted his head and stared at Effie, then blinked a couple of times.

"Ah, you have brought a ch—child with you. How curious. It doesn't bite, does it?"

Suny frowned, but before he could speak, Effie blurted with feigned outrage:

"I am not a child! I am twelve! Uh, almost."

at

"...It speaks. How bizarre."

slowly inhaled, then said

is the friend I have told

to his face. He stared at Effie some more, then furtively glanced

one of your friends is a cripple you randomly stumbled upon in my Sanctuary, and the other one is a

Sunny nodded grimly.

rubbed his chin, and

more, perhaps? If so, let me assure you! I value it a great deal already! There's no need for you to feel insecure just because you are not as beautiful, wealthy, wise,

teeth and then

I mean I am sure... that I did not invent them! Are you sure that you really

eyebrows with a sincere look on

"Well, of course…"

for a few moments, and then

future whose souls were sent here by a nearly all-mighty entity known as the Nightmare Spell, after the gods had died and this whole world had been destroyed. Oh, and this place? It is not real! You are not real, too. All of it is just a complicated illusion created by the Spell to test us three… no,

at him with wide eyes. Then, he sighed, shook his head, and uttered in

mock me. If you don't

pursed his lips and turned

you are in the company of a new friend, you must have successfully infiltrated the Temple of the Chalice,

a couple of seconds. Finally, he said in

exactly. We did retrieve Effie

at him

"But what?"

Sunny coughed.

destroyed the chalice and killed all

at him

"...You did what?!"

strained

Maidens were willing to give us a chance to earn the right to take the Glass Knife away, but they would

face turning deathly pale. He swayed a little, and then

mean, you killed all the Maidens?! How did you manage to kill them?! What about their Transcendent sect leader…

at each other with confusion. Then, Effie cautiously spoke

the last Transcendent of the Red Sect, died like two hundred years ago. There were

sorcerer blinked a couple of

really? Huh. So she just went

people had a habit of dying from time to time, unlike his own immortal self? How insane could that charlatan really

fool, he just enjoyed playing one. There was no chance that the immortal would not have

a step