Shadow Slave

After Sunny had broken through the mind hex and spent two days rescuing the mesmerized people, saving dozens of lives, the horror hiding in the cold black waves seemed to have left the vicinity of LO49.

The victims had regained their senses, and every person in the settlement was able to see and hear them clearly once again. In the next few hours, no one showed any sign of being under the influence of the hex. The vanishings stopped.

And the Ariadne was supposed to arrive soon.

The exhausted, frightened, and shaken inhabitants of the fortress were tentatively starting to unwind. Their fragile hope bloomed and blossomed.

However, the person most responsible for the positive change - Sunny - did not feel any of their cheer or relief. On the contrary, with each passing minute, his unease and sense of foreboding only grew stronger.

He did not like what was happening, not at all.

Walking through the snowy streets of the settlement, Sunny studied the lively faces of patrolling soldiers with a troubled expression on his own. It was dark and somber.

'...Doesn't make sense. None of it makes any sense.'

Approaching the security center, he placed his hand on the panel of a sophisticated biometric lock. The sensor was supposed to initiate a thorough scan, but as seconds passed, nothing seemed to happen. The damn thing was on the fritz.

Sunny stared at it for a moment, then sighed and banged on the heavy alloy door with his fist. Soon, it was manually unlocked from the inside by a sleepy soldier, who then allowed Sunny in.

Walking inside the security center, Sunny dusted snow off his shoulders, looked around, and headed toward Verne.

"What is the situation?"

a list

that abomination was - seems

Sunny gritted his teeth.

Nightmare Creature ever moved on?

The older Master frowned.

of the hex speaks for itself. Don't sell yourself short. Although creatures capable of mind manipulation are exceedingly dangerous, they often lack direct means of launching an effective attack. Maybe it decided to search for easier prey after you proved capable of dismantling its

him for a bit, then

fraction of

rubbed his face and

Class are only your conjecture. We don't really know how powerful it actually was. In any case, how else do you explain the fact that the hex is gone, and

hesitated for a

power for a singular, overwhelming attack.

looked away with a somber

for battle. We are still keeping the civilians locked up and concentrating our defenses on the

out a frustrated

I am saying is that it's not a good time to become complacent. On the contrary, we must be preparing for a

at him blankly

matter how small, the possibility that you are right still exists, so we must. That is my position as the officer responsible for the safety of every person inside this facility. But personally... I think that

remained silent for a bit, then said in a

paranoia has never led me astray,

he winced

am really wrong this time. Even if I'm not, Verne is right... what else are we supposed to do? Until the damned ship arrives, there's not much more we can

feel so disturbed? Why was his sense of