Shadow Slave

As Sunny was standing still, petrified by what he saw, Noctis finished brewing the tea and poured the amber liquid into a beautiful porcelain cup. Then, the sorcerer raised it to his face, inhaled the fragrant steam, and let out a satisfied sigh.

Then, noticing an unexpected guest, he glanced at Sunny and smiled:

"Sunless! What a nice surprise. Wait… did something about you change?"

The sorcerer tilted his head with a confused expression, studied the towering figure of the shadow devil for a few moments, and then suddenly brightened up.

"Oh! It's your horn! When did you break it?"

'Really? That is what he noticed?!'

Sunny stared at the cup in the immortal's hands, then grasped the Extraordinary Rock. He didn't really have to hold the Memory to make use of it, but at the moment, Sunny was experiencing a desperate need to hold on to something… anything.

Taking a careful breath, he gripped the Roack and said hoarsely:

"...Back in the Temple of the Chalice. You… you are drinking tea?"

Noctis lingered for a bit, glanced at his cup, and then smiled.

"What a prudent observation. Come… let's not let this nice tea get cold."

With that, the sorcerer turned around and headed deeper into his residence, gesturing for Sunny to follow. The teapot flew into the air and hovered above the immortal's shoulder, as well.

As soon as Sunny made a step forward, however, Noctis suddenly turned, looked at him with a strange expression, and said:

"That, uh… try not to step on anything that seems to be… actually, just don't move at all! We don't want for anything to happen, right?"

At that moment, the chamber trembled again, and more cracks appeared on its stone floor. Sunny stared down with a somber expression, then sighed and used Shadow Step to appear near the sorcerer.

"Why? What's under there?"

Noctis smiled.

uh… a memento from an

the vast circle of runes, the torrential flood of soul essence that the sorcerer saturated it with, the pool of blood that the ancient stones had absorbed — all of it pointed to something dreadful being imprisoned, or maybe created,

and simply followed Noctis to the stone stairs situated

elegant wooden table. The sorcerer leaned back in his chair, gazed

giving Noctis

it? The other Chain Lords, they

sorcerer took another sip, sighed, and then said in

the tea. This will probably be the last

a long time, a myriad of important questions pressing on his mind. But then, he simply shook his head, chased them away, and poured some tea into a delicate cup that stood on the table,

a while, enjoying the fragrant drink and the beautiful sight of the flying

tranquil and warm here, on the parapet of

sighed and said

to miss this,

he glanced at Sunny and asked with a

me would want to free Hope. But what would compel a shadow like you to attempt it, as well? You

silent for a

of fate. And maybe… maybe I harbor those desires still. But after coming to this cursed land and being ground into dust by it…

looked down, and

just me who is lacking.

of tea, and asked

think you are lacking?

Flaw build inside his soul for a few moments. Then, he said with a

If I had an answer for that,

and then

heard the legend of a hero

blinked a couple of times,

of that guy. A legend, really? Huh. Strange that some third-rate hero I don't