Shadow Slave

Chapter 698

Sunny landed on the very edge of the island and froze there, looking forward with a dark expression on his bestial face. The others remained silent, too, feeling his unease and tension.

The land in front of them seemed tranquil… beautiful, even. There was an expanse of vibrant green grass, and some distance away, it made way for the calm waters of a vast lake. Its surface was perfectly still and reflective, making it seem as though a piece of the blue sky above had somehow gotten embedded into the ground.

A gentle wind caressed their faces, and nothing broke the peaceful silence except for the rustle of grass and the distant rattling of chains.

…And yet, Sunny couldn't help but feel a sense of imminent danger.

He sighed, and then glanced at his friends with uncertainty.

"...Should we summon our armor and weapons?"

Kai hesitated for a moment, then said:

"Wouldn't that be seen as a sign of distrust and hostility? Pure heart, pure thoughts… whatever that means… does not seem to fit with being armed and ready for a fight."

Sunny grimaced.

"Yeah… however, what if we do have to fight?"

Effie smiled.

"The four of us should be able to at least retreat safely, should things go wrong. I mean, how terrible can that thing be?"

Sunny shivered, then shook his head.

"Terrible enough for Saints to fear it. I've… I've been to this island a few times, in the future, but stuck to the edges, never approaching the lake. So I don't actually know what kind of a creature lives in its depths. However… I did see bones laying on the shore. And just those bones alone looked like they had belonged to things I would not want to meet."

He hesitated for a while, then glanced at Cassie.

"What do you think?"

The young woman tilted her head a little, then said calmly:

"I don't feel any danger. Maybe Noctis was honest, this time."

Sunny sighed. Cassie's intuition had guided each of them through countless dangers unscathed… if she felt that it was safe, there was a good reason to listen.

mean that he had to

no weapons or armor, for now. Just... pure

crossed the stretch of land between the edge of the island and the shore of the lake, stopping just a few steps away from the calm water. Because of how still and reflective

He shivered.

his throat and, feeling extremely stupid, addressed the

here to retrieve the Ruby Knife.

a gust of

it because of Harper? Or all the things I've done to survive in

moments later, Effie

are not

his teeth, then growled at her

try yourself,

little girl shook her

ever accused

a bit, and then

am in

from Sunny's shoulders, approached the

please have the knife,

happened. Effie remained there for a few moments, then sighed

"...Figures."

turned

a few moments, then shook his

Cassie should

made way for

the shore. Stopping mere centimeters

here for

she had failed as well… but then, the young woman suddenly

lake… and although the vast shadow hidden within it did not

knife,

Cassie, who suddenly trembled with her whole body and took another step back, shaking her head with

a straight line, and, gritting her teeth, the young woman returned to the shore. There, she knelt and leaned forward, taking the Ruby Knife from the deathly

back into the water, and soon, nothing but a slowly dissipating ripple

observed all of this

didn't move… the shadow did not even

rose, and softly caressed her cheek. The young woman flinched when the black flesh touched her, but remained in place. A few seconds later, the black hand retreated back into the

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