Shadow Slave

Leaving the great pagoda, Sunny glanced warily at the bones of Sevirax the Ivory Dragon, whom Kai had slain in the Nightmare, and slowly headed for the lake.

Its surface was calm and clear, as always. Sunlight reflected from the tranquil waters, making it seem like a pool of shimmering silver. Despite the beauty of the heavenly lake, Sunny couldn't help but feel a hint of unease as he approached it. The memory of the furious naval battle was still fresh in his mind, so no body of water felt safe.

On the shore, an intricate bench cut from white stone stood, inviting people to rest and enjoy the idyllic view. Currently, it was occupied by a familiar figure. Nephis sat with her legs crossed, staring at the sparkling water with a distant look. When Sunny's shadow fell on her, she lingered for a moment and then looked up.

"Sunny."

He remained silent for a while, then sat on the bench and studied the beautiful lake, as well.

"How's life treating you? Being adopted into a great clan has to be a weird experience."

Nephis frowned.

"It's… fine. Feels a bit strange to be addressed as sister by Morgan of Valor, I guess. She seems to enjoy my discomfort."

Considering who Morgan's other sibling was, she probably put a different meaning into the word "sister"... one that entirely lacked affection, most likely. For a moment, Sunny was darkly amused.

'Never thought I would pity the Princess of War one day, but having both Mordret and Nephis as siblings… damn, her luck must be even worse than mine. If that's even possible.'

Changing Star let out a heavy sigh and turned slightly to face him.

"You should have told me, Sunny."

He smiled.

"What, about Antarctica? Oh, that was classified information. I thought that Cassie would have informed you, anyway. She had to have known, right?"

She studied him for a few moments, then shook her head.

did, she kept the knowledge to herself. Cassie… has changed a

Sunny raised an eyebrow.

there's

under the impression that she's utterly loyal to you… like a lost puppy, you know. It's surprising to

Star did not respond immediately.

is powerful, too… no less than the rest of us. Brushing her agency aside would be a

Sunny laughed.

people in the world, I would be the last one to underestimate

looked at the

"...Are you safe?"

a bit, then

anyone safe? I am surrounded by thousands of soldiers, Awakened, Masters, and even a few Saints. Plus, I'm me. Antarctica is no worse than the Forgotten Shore or the Kingdom of Hope. In fact… if

face grew dark. Nephis gritted her teeth for a moment,

do you? This is not the first expedition of that kind. Humanity has tried to resist the Spell before. The last attempt… the last one took the lives of both my grandfather and my mother. They were powerful, too. They were

Sunny shook his head.

Masters around. No Saint had even emerged yet… at least officially. Our tech, spelltech, and strategies were much more primitive. We had no experience dealing with something like that. Yes, North America was a disaster, but we learned our lesson there. This campaign, it will be different. It will be better. I will survive it, and grow

him with

"Says who?"

He smiled.

die or not. It all depends on

and glanced at the radiant

If there's one thing that does, however… it's the great clans and their ambitions. Will they really

Star's face. She hesitated

don't know. Maybe. It is a perfect

face grew

This is insanity! Our civilization is

for a while,