Shadow Slave

Summoning the Undying Chain and the Cruel Sight, Sunny bypassed using either the elevator or the stairs, and stepped through the shadows to leave the underground dojo behind.

No matter what kind of an abomination had found its way into his home, the creature was going to regret it dearly!

For a moment, however, Sunny felt a hint of hesitation.

…He did not know what had transpired in the waking world during his absence, after all. He had left for the Night Temple seven months ago, and had not been back since.

For all Sunny knew, humanity might have fallen in that time! The whole city could have been destroyed, with endless hordes of Nightmare Creatures stalking the desolate ruins. Any kind of horror could have been hiding in his living room…

'Well, so what? It is still my living room…'

No matter what state the waking world was in, anyone and anything thinking that they could simply make themselves at home in a home that belonged to Sunny would have to reconsider their life choices.

Ready for battle, he appeared from the shadows… and froze.

The exhilarated howl grew much louder above ground, but it was not produced by a Nightmare Creature.

Instead, it was produced by Effie.

With beads of condensation still glistening on her olive skin, the huntress was standing in the center of the room and howling like a maniac. Behind her, the door of the guest bedroom was taken off the hinges… complete with a large piece of the wall and a chunk of the ceiling.

'That wall was reinforced with armored alloy, dammit!'

Sunny stared at his friend in shock, then slowly blinked.

'Wait… Effie… is standing?!'

Indeed, the young woman was standing tall, her long legs appearing healthy and strong. There was no wheelchair in sight.

In fact, her whole appearance had changed. The weak, unhealthy girl with pale skin stretching over brittle bones and a twisted spine was gone. Instead, Effie looked almost like she did in the Dream Realm — tall, attractive, with sparkling hazel eyes and perfectly defined, lean muscles rolling under the dewy olive skin. She was radiating an infectious feeling of vitality and vigor.

about her was screaming of strength, potency, and power. The only thing that changed was the length and cut of

realize it, a joyous smile crept up on

best parts and perfecting both. Even the Lost could return

the reason why she had always strived

her triumphant howl on a high note and turned around, finally noticing him. Her eyes shined. She took

"Doofus! I'm walking!"

say something, but then forced himself to look away. He cleared his

I am very happy for you… I am. But, please… can you

all the excitement, she had completely forgotten to dress after climbing

turned a little

you

stomp away, Sunny let

"I will… try…"

voice resounded from the

"Sunny!"

his head

"What?"

moment,

doors! And

Sunny grimaced.

a big… wait, walls? As in multiple

***

Sunny looked around his house.

passed since his departure, the cleaning systems had done a good job of keeping everything presentable. If not for the broken door of the guest bedroom and the debris of the collapsed wall laying

much had happened, so much had changed. He had changed most of all. He was a Master now, and that was perhaps not the greatest transformation Sunny had gone through after living through

here in the waking world,

know how to feel about

permanence and safety of his home were very… comforting. But they also filled him with a

retrieved his communicator from where he

have to go through, but right now, that did not matter. Only