Shadow Slave

Now that Sunny was a teacher at the Academy, he was very much looking forward to gaining access to the Instructor's Cafeteria. He remembered the last time he had eaten there in perfect detail. The food was simply to die for.

…It might have been one of the major reasons why he had accepted the job of a lecturer, to be honest.

'No, no it wasn't! I am not that shallow!'

Walking inside, Sunny glanced at the tasteful interior, gaining a new appreciation for the wooden furnishings. By now, he was not shocked every time he saw natural wood in the waking world. However, this was not just any wood… if he remembered correctly, all this lumber came from the corpse of a slain titan.

A titan killed by the great clan Valor, to be precise. Perhaps even by Anvil himself. What irony it was, to enjoy a dinner on one of the cafeteria's tables while being secretly hunted by the people who provided the titanic lumber for its creation.

With a sigh, Sunny looked around and noticed a familiar face. An exquisitely beautiful woman in a deep blue uniform sat in the corner of the cafeteria, cradling a cup of coffee in her hands. He confidently walked over and sat down across from her.

"Master Jet."

Soul Reaper Jet looked up from her cup and smiled at him.

"...Master Sunless."

'Well that… sounds weird.'

He shifted uncomfortably, not accustomed to being addressed that way… at least not by her. Although the two of them were technically of the same Rank now, Jet was still older than him. The gap between them had grown much smaller, but he still felt a lot of respect for her.

Looking at his fellow Ascended, Sunny suddenly frowned.

Master Jet… looked different today.

He was accustomed to her usual, slightly unkept and careless appearance. However, the person in front of him looked like nothing if not an exemplary officer. Her uniform was perfectly ironed and buttoned all the way, with not a single crease or blemish marring its surface. Her silver epaulets were glistening with a polished sheen. Her leather boots were freshly shined.

Her raven black hair was perfectly arranged, and her icy blue eyes were sharp and piercing.

He raised an eyebrow.

"You… uh… look nice?"

Jet's smile widened.

"Oh, this? I had to attend a… a special ceremony in the morning. Promotions are flying off the shelves in the government these days."

Sunny cleared his throat.

"Congratulations, I guess."

a small alloy box toward

no. Congratulations to

times, then opened the box and looked at the glimmering soul shard that lay inside. His eyes sparked when he recognized its Ascended

exactly what I needed! Thank

shard like that cost a

Master Jet shrugged.

being a public servant. I have more access

grew silent and looked at him expectantly. For

the Ascended beauty

I recently turned thirty, you

froze, then chuckled

Well, in that case, dinner

seemed more than happy with that

you know me too well, Sunny. In that case, don't mind if

their food and leaned back on their

Jet took a sip

due… you Academy people really know how to treat your

and a wistful expression appeared on her face. Then,

first. You can relax, Sunny. Valor seems to finally be ready to behave reasonably, so the worst

He inhaled deeply:

"At last! What changed?"

Master Jet shrugged.

have the energy to pursue small matters anymore. The tension between the Great Clans seems to be growing, so Valor elders have a lot on their plate. That plays in your favor, because

Sunny frowned.

noticed, but the survivors of the Forgotten Shore are a

She smiled.

well. Their release is one of the points you and Song of the Fallen will have to negotiate. However, I don't foresee any problems with that. As long as you told the truth and neither of you had conscious plans of assisting that mysterious prisoner of theirs in the

appeared

not the details. The problem they had with the great clan Valor was very simple. Although Sunny and Cassie had caused a great deal

crux of the matter was that no one in the Great Clan knew if their actions had been simply the result of a misfortunate happenstance, or premeditated. What Master Jet had just told him meant that Valor was ready to abandon their hostile paranoia and accept the version of events where neither Sunny nor Cassie had helped Mordret escape willingly, as well as grant them an

the responsibility for the death of Saint Cormac, that would

that Mordret had escaped as the result of their actions, no one except for the members of the cohort knew that he had followed them into the Nightmare. If the fact that the five of them had become Masters together ever came into the light… then, no matter what the truth was, no one would