Shadow Slave

Sunny watched the sun appear over the eastern horizon, his hearts growing cold. His vertical pupils narrowed, and his fists clenched.

The night… was over? Had it been that long, already?

He had lost the track of time during the vicious battle in the skies, but it seemed as though their desperate assault on the flying fleet had only taken a second.

But in reality, of course, it had not.

He slowly turned to Noctis, whose battered face had almost healed and was now calm and carefree again. The sorcerer was looking at the sky with a strangely neutral expression.

"Remind me… wasn't the plan to defeat Sevirax before dawn, when he was devoid of his vast and terrifying powers?"

The immortal sighed.

"Well, it's good to have a plan. However, plans rarely go as you want them to go."

Sunny gritted his teeth.

"So… what happens now? How are you going to deal with the dragon?"

Noctis shrugged.

"He must be really, really angry right now. After all, we just killed his brother — the only person Sevras still cares about in this world. Congratulations, by the way! I really did not expect you…"

Sunny interrupted him with a low growl.

"Get to the point! Now that the sun is rising, your powers will be diminished, while his will reach their peak. How are we going to survive?!"

The sorcerer remained silent for a few moments, then scratched the back of his head.

"I, uh… will come up with something?"

Sunny stared at him in disbelief.

"You are joking, right? Come on… you must have some devious trick up your sleeve! You have an incredible advantage, after all! You have the knife that can make him mortal, while he doesn't have yours. Should I give you the knives? You have never asked me for the damned knives! Wasn't that the reason you befriended me, in the first place?!"

looked at him for a while, then simply shook his

do much good. I will still have to defeat Sevras, whether he becomes mortal or not. Either

smiled, and then added

"Ah, except one."

Sunny exhaled with relief.

"Finally! What is it?"

sorcerer turned to him with a

I not say

him, his expression slowly turning

what the

away, at the beautiful silhouette of the flying city. After a

matter how my battle with Sevras goes, it will end near the Ivory Tower. One of us will fall… maybe it will be him, and maybe it

sighed, and then glanced

one of us dies, there will be only one chain left. It won't hold Hope

a moment, and

you to kill me.

at him, the smile disappearing from

You

suddenly cleared his throat

don't kill me by mistake if I win. That would

him for a while, then faced the

you'd

***

the moon disappeared and the sky slowly grew brighter, Noctis and the members of the cohort

— they had battled an army and two immortal Trancendents under the

the immortals were dead. And the five of them, somehow, were still

none of them felt relieved

of the sun was rising like the blade of a guillotine, ready to cut down

his strength for the approaching fight with the Ivory Dragon and trying to recover

too battered and tired to move. Cassie

had managed to gather. His charred mask

away, looking at a small statuette that lay in the palm of his

gripping a human heart in the other, her nakedness covered only by a