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

Sunny raised an eyebrow.

there's

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

Star did not respond immediately. After a

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

Sunny laughed.

the world, I would be the

looked at

"...Are you safe?"

lingered for a

me. Antarctica is no worse than the

for a moment, and

don't understand, 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 exceptional and ahead of their time,

Sunny shook his head.

officially. Our tech, spelltech, and strategies were much more primitive. We had no experience dealing with something like that. Yes, North America was

him

"Says who?"

He smiled.

if I die or not. It all depends

glanced at

me. The Chain of Nightmares doesn't scare me, either. If there's one thing that does, however… it's the great clans and their ambitions. Will they really come to Antarctica to start a war of their

troubled expression appeared on Changing Star's face. She hesitated

It is

own face

Why are they doing it now? This is

a