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.

knowledge to herself. Cassie… has changed a lot since the Forgotten Shore. She carries a lot

Sunny raised an eyebrow.

there's trouble in

to you… like a lost puppy,

respond immediately. After a

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

Sunny laughed.

be the

simply looked

"...Are you safe?"

for a

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

grew dark. Nephis gritted her teeth for a moment, and then said with unusual

The last attempt… the last one took the lives of both my grandfather and my mother. They were powerful, too. They were exceptional and ahead of their time, too. What makes you think

Sunny shook his head.

past two decades. Back then, humanity had much less Awakened. There were barely any 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

him with

"Says who?"

He smiled.

I say if I die or not. It

glanced at the

me. The Chain of Nightmares doesn't scare me, either. If there's one thing that does, however… it's the great clans

on Changing Star's face. She hesitated before giving him

don't know. Maybe. It is a perfect

own face

Why are they doing it now? This is insanity! Our civilization is already on

lingered for a