Shadow Slave

Standing on the battlement and peering into the cold darkness beyond, Sunny had a contemplative expression on his face. The wind smelled of snow as it played with his black hair, which had grown a bit too long by now. Pale moonlight permeated the air, failing to reach the ravaged land.

Winter and Dale were sitting nearby, leaning on alloy parapet of the wall and sharing a flask. The two captains seemed calm — one in her usual relaxed manner, the other solemn and staid. As the contents of the flask ran out, Winter sighed and looked at Sunny.

"You seem terribly serious today."

He lingered for a moment, then shrugged.

"Just thinking about stuff."

She did not press, content to rest with her eyes hidden behind the cracked sunglasses.

Sunny felt strangely thoughtful after his conversation with Saint Tyris.

He was not sure that he agreed with her uncompromising views, but there was one thing Sky Tide had said that was unquestionably true.

Life was, indeed, unpredictable.

Take his own relationship with the steely Saint… Sunny did not know Saint Tyris very well, or share any of her principles, but he found himself respecting the stern Transcendent a great deal. He liked Master Roan, too. The three of them even shared some history.

Several years ago, Sunny had held nothing but contempt toward Legacies. He had regarded them as arrogant, dangerous, and hateful people, someone who did not deserve the unfair privileges bestowed upon them by nothing except for birthright. Who would have thought that he would come to value and admire some of them, one day?

Take Cassie, too…

When she surrendered his secret to Nephis on the Forgotten Shore, Sunny had thought that it was the darkest moment of his life. And yet, if she had not made that choice, he would have stayed behind a Sleeper. Sunny had no way of knowing if he would have survived the same journey Changing Star had.

though, was that Rain would have been dead if not for his return. If Sunny had not been there to hold back the tide of Nightmare Creature advancing on her school, his

many instances like that to

unpredictable, and no one could predict the twists and turns of fate… except for Weaver, perhaps. Even oracles like Cassie could only see glimpses of it, blind to the context and powerless

did it

same place where

ignorant fool struggling against something he

at least, was terribly

of hair away from his eyes and sat down near Winter and Dale.

do we have

peeked at him with a smile so faint that it

You'll be regretting that this calm did not last longer, very

grimaced and looked away, staring at a squad of soldiers that marched by. The soldiers were acting a bit strange, sticking painstakingly to the better illuminated parts of the battlement and

He frowned.

"What's up with them?"

turned her head slightly,

you heard

moment,

"What rumors?"

The Ascended archer chuckled.

the other. The latest story is that there is a shadow wraith stalking the city, hiding somewhere in the darkness. Apparently, it

took a deep breath and then added in

that one. Soldiers are not usually easily spooked, but as you can see, they are on edge.

to be some disappearances… especially with the Nightmare Spell infecting people left and right. However, he felt concerned. A shadow wraith… that

could also be a different explanation for the increased number of disappearances. The Terror of