Shadow Slave

Sunny had never seen a few words crush a man's spirit so thoroughly.

...Except for maybe himself, when Nephis had spoken his True Name and commanded him to leave her for dead on the Forgotten Shore.

The soldier managed to remain standing, but he looked like a marionette with its strings cut. All light was extinguished from his eyes. He remained motionless for a while, and then turned slightly, throwing a forlorn glance at the small, battered fleet behind him.

Sunny could imagine how he felt. After surviving the cataclysmic destruction of the siege capital, these people weathered untold horrors to make it this far alive. What had kept them going was probably the hope that salvation was drawing closer and closer. And now, when they almost reached the destination, that hope was cruelly crushed.

He sighed.

"It just happened a few days ago. The news would not have reached you. My people and I are the only ones who survived."

The soldier looked down, silent.

Eventually, he asked:

"If I may ask. What are your plans now, sir?"

Sunny looked at him with a deadpan expression.

"My orders are to proceed to the Erebus Field siege capital to rendezvous with another cohort of the First Irregular Company."

Suddenly, a tentative spark appeared in the soldier's eyes.

"Master Sunless, sir. Will you consider..."

Sunny knew what he was going to say. It was not that hard to guess.

...He wanted to laugh.

It took a lot of self-control to remain outwardly calm.

if the Irregulars would escort the civilian convoy to safety. Why wouldn't he? They had persevered for the last week without any Awakened to protect the handful of transports from the rampaging Nightmare Creatures. And even though their hope of sailing to safety aboard the Ariadne was gone, there was an actual

in the First Army, accompanied by a cohort of absolute elites. The Irregulars were the cream of the crop of human

leave defenseless

Surely...

The flimsy and damaged civilian transports, however... their ability to traverse the mountains was doubtful.

put its crew

make his task several

why he wanted

conversation with Verne, the stalwart Master had told him that it was impossible to get hundreds of civilians through the mountains alive. Back then, Sunny had responded by saying

he had to either leave these people to

and put his money where his mouth

this is a good one. This one is great! I

words died on his lips as he watched Sunny's unmoving

what was he supposed to

hundreds of refugees, at the expense of his soldiers and Professor Obel? Or follow cold logic and do what had to be done, abandoning them to fate? No, but there was no need to hide behind words.

the

smile appeared on his

man of conviction would have probably stayed at LO49

his aspiration to find the elusive thing called conviction and grow stronger through it, Sunny had not had any success in that regard yet. He still stood for nothing and was as unmoored as he had been at the start of it. Some people might have had an unwavering moral compass, but he was not one of them. Sunny

did not have a straightforward answer to what was the right thing to do in

However...

believed in - if there even was such a thing - but he knew what he despised very well. Just a few days ago, he had sat on the roof of the Rhino, full of contempt for the bastards who could have saved countless lives

that logic... wouldn't he be doing the same by leaving the refugees to die in order

and perverted