Shadow Slave

In a dark underground chamber, a metal sarcophagus stood shrouded in silence. Nothing had disturbed the silence and no light had penetrated the darkness in a long, long time.

Until now.

Suddenly, the sarcophagus came to life, and a scattering of lights ignited on its surface. A crack appeared on the smooth alloy surface, revealing where the edges of a heavy lid were. The lid smoothly slid away, and a flood of radiant light chased away the darkness of the underground chamber.

Cold vapor shined as it rose from inside the sarcophagus. Then, a pale hand rose from within it and forcefully grabbed the metal lip, easily bending its armored alloy.

Sunny struggled to climb out of the sleeping pod for a few moments, then lowered his feet to the cool plates of the dojo's floor. A moment later, he swayed and fell down with a yelp.

"Damnation!"

Sunny remained sprawled on the floor for a few seconds, trying to understand what had happened and why he suddenly lost balance. Then, his eyes gleamed.

"Wait… I can speak again? I can speak again!"

A happy smile slowly appeared on his lips.

Of course… he was back to being a human! He had returned to his own body. Trying to move like a towering demon was not going to do his sense of balance any good…

With a mad grin, Sunny nimbly jumped to his feet and looked down, enjoying the sight of his slender, pale body. Then, he suddenly spun and performed several lightning-fast strikes and kicks.

"Ah, it is good to be home!"

his shoulders, quite literally — the shadowspawn must have weighed three times what

also presented a much smaller target for the enemies to stick their blades in. And although

Sunny was a Master, his slender body packed more punch than the shadowspawn could ever hope to muster. Not to mention how in

with his natural stature and height. Only after being forcefully turned into a lumbering monstrosity did he learn to appreciate all the benefits

sleeping pod. He had inadvertently damaged the armored alloy by simply grabbing it too hard. Getting used to his new strength was going

damage he had done to the expensive machine. Replacing the bent panel was

he tilted his head

why do

he worry about

didn't need

a true Ascended. If Sunny wished to enter the Dream Realm, he would travel there physically. His

could never go back to that hell. He could just remain in the comfort and safety of the

had won his right to

For now…

his accumulated arsenal and knowledge of sorcery, creating a thriving enterprise would not be a problem. Sunny would be able to grow filthy rich and enjoy a

even sleep in an actual

beautifully happy ending for a homeless

froze, staring into the distance. Slowly, a pale smile appeared on

that would

easy. Even if he learned how to manage the unpredictable nature of his [Fated]

forces that governed humanity. Neither the government nor the Great Clans would leave him be… especially the latter. Sunny suspected that he was going to receive a friendly visit from a

had been simply a promising Awakened. Now

to pass on a message that trying to become a Saint without pledging allegiance to one of them would