Shadow Slave

Sunny sighed, then dismissed the runes, feeling the familiar heat igniting deep within his soul, growing stronger and stronger with each breath.

Effie and Kai looked at him, curiosity and concern mixing in their eyes. Cassie silently retrieved the Quiet Dancer and turned away, listening to the dark forest that surrounded them.

A few moments later, the little girl asked:

"So, uh… what exactly happens now?"

Sunny gave her a grim look.

"...Now I will scream and thrash for a while. Forming a new core is probably the third worst pain I have ever experienced… and that was just the Demon core. Damnation."

Effie blinked a couple of times:

"What are the second and the absolute worst, then?"

He hesitated for a bit, and then said hoarsely:

"Attaining a daemon's lineage was pretty bad. But the most terrible thing, by far… was catching a glimpse of fate. That one I only survived by accident."

The gloomy shadow shivered, remembering their past. Sunny, meanwhile, scoffed.

'Being gutted by the Black Knight did not even make the list, huh… maybe I need to rethink my life choices.'

At that moment, the heat burning within his soul reached a critical point, and the Spell whispered into his ear:

[Your shadow is taking shape…]

A blinding pain exploded in his chest, sending Sunny to his knees. He gritted his teeth and remained silent, refusing to let out a shriek, a wail, or even a growl. This was not his first time experiencing that pain… even though, this time, it was far more intense.

A human soul was not meant to contain many cores…

That was the conclusion Sunny had come to a while back, thinking about how the process of Awakening was pleasant and euphoric, but gaining new cores and a daemon's lineage was harrowing and torturous. Humans were meant to walk the path of Ascension, but becoming a different type of creature was against their nature.

And Weaver's lineage was simply against all nature… it was aberrant and forbidden, something that was never meant to exist at all.

'Argh!'

The pain grew stronger, and stronger, and then stronger still. Just like before, he felt as though his soul was being torn apart, something rising from its depths and cutting his very being with its sharp edges. However, Sunny was used to this torment. He accepted it, allowed himself to dissipate into it, and endured.

However, then, something entirely unexpected happened.

Sunny failed to suppress a scream, and fell to the ground in convulsions. Effie and Kai stared at him

What… the

and his skin was on fire. Sunny clawed at the ground, then

across the forest, the roar changed, growing lower

his soul grew cold, and his tortured body was released from the cage

voice of the Spell resounded from

[...Your shadow is complete.]

few moments later, he heard another voice, this one soft

He is

***

slowly stood up, intending to take a look at his runes.

was considerably further down than it had been

'Huh?'

Luckily, Cassie was still vigilant… Sunny frowned, then glanced

it, too. The shadow demon… devil… grew even taller, now standing at almost three meters of height. His skin had turned into a darker shade of grey, and his claws seemed as if

his horns had grown longer and sharper, as well. More than that, there were now four

black previously, now seemed

Sunny himself would not have

his head, then looked

neck hurts from staring at you. Is this how

the

presuming that they are looking

The little girl snorted.

out with Sunny way too much, it seems! Or...

curiously looked

after all…

staring at each other. Nevertheless, to Sunny, they seemed

mood and disdain.

to seem noble and gallant despite being the exact copy of the other shadow, looking at it with arrogant contempt. They were of the exact same height, and yet, the haughty shadow somehow made it seem as if it was looking down at the

contest to the gloomy shadow. The haughty shadow, however, did not seem impressed even

the two of them just continued to drill

then covered his face with a

two

***

He was beginning to miss the happy shadow, that

Sunny looked away from the shadows

the air in front