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!"

It was as though a giant weight fell from his shoulders, quite literally — the shadowspawn must have weighed three times what Sunny weighed. Being a tall, powerful devil had its own advantages, but

for the enemies to stick their blades in. And although having only two hands seemed rather inconvenient and silly, shedding the cumbersome shell of

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

the moment, Sunny was incredibly happy with his natural stature and height. Only after being forcefully turned into a

dojo, he let out a satisfied sigh and glanced at the crumpled metal of the lip of the sleeping pod. He had inadvertently damaged the armored

had done to the expensive machine. Replacing the bent panel

tilted his head

why do I even

he worry about the

need

Ascended. If Sunny wished to enter the Dream Realm, he would travel there physically. His body would not be left empty and defenseless in the waking

leave the Dream Realm behind, forever. If he wanted to, he could never go back to that hell. He could just remain in the comfort and safety of the real world, enjoying all that it offered thanks to

was free to refuse it. He had won his right to have a choice. He… he was not a slave

For now…

creating a thriving enterprise would not be a problem. Sunny would be able to grow filthy rich and enjoy a lavish or even decadent lifestyle without

an actual bed, and

not be a beautifully happy ending for a homeless

the distance. Slowly, a pale smile appeared on his

if that would ever

Spell would be that easy. Even if he learned how to manage the unpredictable nature of his [Fated] Attribute, there were other factors

would leave him be… especially the latter. Sunny suspected that he was going to receive a friendly visit from a representative of

when Sunny had been simply a promising Awakened. Now that he proved his mettle and elevated himself to the venerated status of an Ascended, the clans would

message that trying to become a Saint without pledging allegiance to one