Shadow Slave

Eventually, Sunny and Nephis ended up in his underground dojo. Changing Star looked around, her gaze lingering on the racks of training weapons and the deactivated sleeping pod that stood forlornly in its alcove, all but forgotten by its former occupant.

After a few moments of silence, she asked:

"Do you make use of all these weapons?"

Sunny glanced at the training equipment, lingered for a moment, then shook his head.

"Yes and no. In the past two years, I did expand my repertoire to include all kinds of sharp implements. But I practice with something better."

He was still most confident when wielding swords akin to Azure Blade, Midnight Shard, and his serpentine odachi. His proficiency with spears was also quite high, and he was steadily improving his archery skill. However, while Sunny had learned enough to feel comfortable with other types of weapons as well, he had a long way to go before truly mastering them.

Nephis nodded thoughtfully.

"Do you use the... Soul Serpent?"

Sunny stared at her for a moment, then looked away.

"Yes."

He was reminded of the Shadow Bond that connected them. Beyond its main function, it also allowed Sunny to peer into some of Changing Star's secrets. However, she was able to learn a lot of his, as well.

Sunny had suspected that this was the case from the very start, but now those suspicions were confirmed.

He remained silent for a few moments, then suddenly grinned.

"Were you surprised?"

Nephis looked at him, hesitated for a moment, and said:

"I was. Very... very much."

She sighed, sat down on the floor, and crossed her legs.

"I always knew that you were extraordinary. I just didn't… didn't think that you possessed a Divine Aspect, too. To be honest, I thought that I was the first."

her and shook

of us was the first. It was Mordret, instead. He is older than us by four or five years, and had his First Nightmare when he was twelve.

and said with a bitter

mother is fine, by the

on Neph's face, she

"...Thank you."

lingered for a moment

you mind telling me where the Divine Memory in your possession came from? The…

Sunny smiled darkly.

anyway… I found it below the cathedral in the Dark City, on an ancient corpse that turned to dust as soon as I

Star tilted her head

you mind telling

He laughed.

you... it can reverse

the dark chamber. Nephis looked at him, a hint of longing

you have to do is to say

stared at him for a long time, then silently turned away and did not

Sunny's grin turned somber.

think that it will save you from the pain? It won't. The Mask does not nullify the Flaw, it just reverses it. No matter what, the Flaw is still a curse. By now, we both should have a good sense about such things… chances are, the new curse would be more terrible than the old. Right now, you have to burn yourself alive every time you actively use your Aspect. With the help of the Mask, you would most likely be burning without reprieve, forever, unless you

silent, and then

Mask can also kill you in many other ways. It is… too powerful to

a few

from my Flaw. I don't need a powerful Memory to uplift me. I…

her, then shook his

all. I thought that two year of despair would have made you a little smarter. But you are still clinging to your deranged dreams,

looked at him, remained silent for a while, and then

however, her eyes remained

for much longer than that, Sunny.

long sigh, then looked to

Song, Vale. They are your next targets, aren't

silently, prompting him to

some digging of my own. Aster, Song and Vale

again, looking at him