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?!"

a

was not the reason, Sunless. In any case, giving me the knife won't do much good. I will still have to defeat Sevras, whether he becomes mortal or not. Either I subdue him and we

and then added

"Ah, except one."

Sunny exhaled with relief.

"Finally! What is it?"

to him with

Of course. Did I not say that

stared at him, his

but what the hell do

the flying city. After

goes, it will end near the Ivory Tower. One of us will fall…

and then glanced at

chain left. It won't hold Hope for long. So, Sunless, my dear

lingered for a moment, and then

lose... I want you to

smile disappearing from his face.

spoke about. You

cleared his

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

for a while, then faced the Ivory

you'd better win,

***

and the members of the cohort gathered together

just accomplished something truly impossible — they had battled an army and two immortal Trancendents under the dim light of

army had retreated, the immortals were dead. And

yet, none of them felt relieved

the blade

the approaching fight with the Ivory Dragon and trying to

and tired to move. Cassie was tending to

arrows he had managed to gather. His charred mask

statuette that lay in the palm of his hand, connected to

gripping a human heart in the other,