Shadow Slave

Noctis stood in the darkness of the cargo hold, looking at Sunny with a dangerous, cold smile. One of his eyes glinted with pale moonlight, the other, still suffused with blood, with a mad red glow.

The air around them became cold, the darkness grew deeper.

Sunny trembled a little, then glanced at the broken wooden knife in his hand. Now that the tool created by the Lord of Light had served its purpose, it was empty and mundane, the ocean of radiant energy and the string of fate long gone from within it.

He dropped the remains of the knife on the floor, glanced at the sorcerer with a dour expression, and said nonchalantly:

"I killed her. Why?"

Noctis stared at him for a few moments, then took a deep breath.

"...I've been planning and waiting for this moment for a very long time, you know. Hundreds of years, really. And you… you just went and ruined it all. Ah, Sunless, we are friends, but I'll be honest… I am a little bit cross right now…"

Something shifted in the darkness, and the walls of the cargo hold groaned. The sorcerer continued to stare at him, his red eye glowing brighter and brighter. Sunny himself winced, feeling the sorcerer's presence crash into him like a wave.

Then, he pretended to look unimpressed, took a step forward, and shrugged.

"Well, get over yourself."

Noctis blinked.

Then, he tilted his head a little.

Then, he stopped smiling.

"Get… over myself?"

It did not seem like he liked that answer at all.

Sunny nodded.

"Yeah. Snap out of it and get over yourself."

He pointed at the body of Solvane and frowned.

"First of all, do me a favor and remember why we started all this mess in the first place. It was to kill the Chain Lords and free Hope. Oh, look! A dead Chain Lord. Isn't it wonderful?"

He smiled, revealing his sharp fangs. However, Noctis remained unmoved, still staring at him with a frightening coldness.

Sunny took another step forward and pointed a finger at his chest.

all… aren't you too full of yourself?

was a moment when the Transcendent would simply kill him with one strike, it would have been now. So, despite the smile, Sunny was actually trembling

Nocts gritted his teeth.

"What's wrong with that?"

Sunny crossed his arms.

to her. She swore to carry that debt of gratitude

corner of the sorcerer's

lying. Why

Sunny shook his head.

she? She came to the conclusion that Hope should be liberated, and that was where you got that idea. From

He sighed.

still have been perfect. The Chain Lords wouldn't have been driven to desperation and madness. And we wouldn't be standing here, trying to break the

looked away, still in the throes of

in a sense, Solvane is the true architect of this rebellion. She made Lady Aidre's desire come true. And although I would have loved to

remained motionless for a while, staring

eyes

shifted slightly

His voice sounded grim:

you run,

Sunny froze.

'Crap! It didn't work!'

step back and shuddered, staring at

I meant to say

sorcerer shook his

I'm not going to kill you! But have you stopped to think what would

Sunny raised his eyebrows.

was a

the body of the War Maiden and backed away,

Wormvine… it doesn't have a host anymore, you foolish

***

appeared from the darkness. A young girl in battered armor struggled to grab something, then pulled herself up,

was covered in burns and lacerations, the bronze armor shredded so thoroughly that it was falling

But she was alive.

Feeling pain course through her

have seen the other

pale smile appeared on her bloodied

in a heavenly chain that the colossus had broken as he

Prince was dead,

only two