Shadow Slave

Eventually, the four of them were invited into the room where Nephis slept… this time on a hospital bed instead of inside of a closed coffin of a sleeping pod. The administrators of the Academy wanted to avoid any more damage, so asking the members of Changing Star's cohort for help was a logical step.

Seeing familiar faces first after waking up would probably calm her down. And if not… having four Masters at hand would be enough to deal with any unforeseen complications.

Most likely...

Sunny stood in the corner, looking at Nephis with a somber expression. Her pale face, her silver hair. For the past two years, he had often seen her through the transparent lid of the sleeping pod, bathed in its ghostly light. Now that she was out and returned to the real world, Changing Star seemed much more… material. And strangely vulnerable.

She was truly back.

He sighed.

Cassie was sitting on a chair beside the bed, while Effie and Kai were resting on a sofa. None of them knew when Neph was going to wake up, and they had already spent a couple hours waiting. Without having to discuss it, all four decided to stay quiet. So… by now, they were pretty bored.

Sunny, on the other hand, was filled with more and more tension.

The corner of his mouth twitched.

'This anticipation is killing me. It's pure torture.'

that Nephis would abuse her power over him. But it was better to prepare for the worst. For that reason, Sunny was mentally going over all the clever ways he had thought of to undermine her absolute authority as his master. There were always ways... owning an unwilling slave was not an easy

why he had chosen to kill the Mirror

help but feel a

shook his head and moved slightly. Then,

hesitated for a few moments, and then called upon Nightmare. A vast shadow appeared near him, all around him…

by the larger shadow, and then gave it a silent command. What happened next… was

was as strange. It was

of waiting, Sunny had decided to travel to Neph's dreams. There was no sense in prolonging his anxious anticipation,

Sunny found himself on a

furious waves crashing against the cliffs far below. Some distance away, a tall and beautiful lighthouse stood, illuminating the absolute darkness

of the cliff. Sitting in the

to the logic of the real world and were always flowing, always changing. The

threats contained within them might not have been real, but by invading this subliminal space, the uninvited guests had to treat them as

had to battle the abomination as if it was real. However, not only dreadful fiends posed a threat. His opponents were empowered by the dream itself, so their strength depended on the strength of the dreamer. Their actual shape

was very strong. So her nightmares

nowhere. With a bit of apprehension, Sunny recognized the familiar shapes of the stone buildings of the Dark City. However, they were simultaneously the alloy towers of the Siege Capital. Their facades were

debris, and a luxurious PTV lay overturned some distance away, its armored frame bent and riddled with holes. Blood was spilling

and then jumped off Nightmare's back. After hesitating

people lacked faces, and instead

a frown, he looked away and studied the surroundings. It did not take him long to notice a