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?!"

for a while, then simply shook his

he becomes mortal or not. Either I subdue him and we can use the knife to finish the job, or he subdues me, and then there's no point. And... I really don't

and then

"Ah, except one."

Sunny exhaled with relief.

"Finally! What is it?"

sorcerer turned to him with

course. Did I not

at him, his expression slowly turning

did… but what the hell do you

away, at the beautiful silhouette of the

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 will be me. However, that doesn't

and then glanced at

us dies, there will be only one chain left. It won't hold Hope for long. So, Sunless, my

lingered for a moment,

to kill me. That

at him, the smile disappearing from his

fate I spoke about. You are my death,

his throat and

of course! Don't, uh… don't kill me by mistake if

him for a while, then

know… you'd better win,

***

and the sky slowly grew brighter, Noctis and the members of the

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

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

of them

disc of the sun was rising like the blade of a guillotine,

the grass with his eyes closed, gathering his strength for the approaching fight with the Ivory Dragon and trying to recover from his wounds as much

on the ground, too battered and tired to move.

the arrows he had managed to gather. His charred mask was gone, revealing his burned,

statuette that lay in the palm of his hand,

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