Shadow Slave

After things were settled… Sunny did not really know what to do. Professor Obel wanted to go back to the dormitory, for now, so Sunny asked Belle, Dorn, and Samara to take the old man there. After that, they were supposed to return to the barracks.

Left alone, Sunny remained motionless for a few minutes, then used Shadow Step to sneak aboard Naeve's ship. Placing a tether there did not take him much time. After the invisible mark was created, he used the same method to return to the port fortress.

It was already night… of course, night and day were absolutely the same during the long winter, here in Antarctica. Still, it meant that the Winter Beast would arrive in around twelve hours, at the earliest, and in no more than forty at the latest.

Sunny slowly made his way back to the elevators. No one was moving in the opposite direction of the port, so he did not have to force his way through the crowd. He just walked slowly, moving aside to let vehicles pass from time to time. The elevators were going up entirely empty, as well.

His lonesome figure startled the crowd of people waiting for the platform to arrive at the upper transfer station. Sunny spared them a heavy glance, then sighed and dissipated into the shadow. He had no desire to travel through the mob again.

To waste as little essence as possible, he simply glided through the darkness and appeared some distance away, in the shadow of the city wall. Then, he used a lift to reach the battlements and finally escaped the panicked sea of people.

From here, he could see the vast expanse of the city. Falcon Scott was bathed in darkness and suffused with stark artificial light. Snowflakes danced in the frigid air, and above it all, the ghostly aurora swirled like a celestial river of ghostly flames. Countless stars shone coldly high above.

Sunny looked at the dreamlike scene for a few moments, then sighed.

'How come it looks so… beautiful?'

On the other side of the wall was the ocean. He could see the port below, the overflowing mass of people within it, and the lone battleship towering above the dark waters. Sunny walked along the length of the wall, keeping his eye on the vessel.

There were soldiers standing watch on the wall. Strangely enough, none of them seemed in a hurry to leave their posts. In fact, he could feel a strange mood permeating the air — the crowd of refugees below was almost frenzied, but here on the battlements, the members of the First Army were almost tranquil.

It was not the resigned tranquility of desperation, either, just… unvarnished calmness of people who had been through hell and did not fear the end.

Soon, he heard one of the soldiers say:

"Look! It's moving."

Sunny could see it, as well. The battleship was finally departing. The titanic chain rattled as it rose, soon revealing a massive anchor. Then, slowly, the giant vessel started to move, distancing itself from the port.

Its departure caused the people packed into the fortress to cry out, the litany of their voices flying on the wind to reach his ears.

A raspy female voice responded to the soldier:

ah, I feel bad for them. It's too damn

male voice sounded again after a

someone in the port will have enough sense to hand out food, blankets, and something hot to drink. Speaking

Sunny frowned.

.

those

talkative soldiers. One of them was a man in the uniform of the First Army, the other was an Awakened woman wearing

Sergeant Gere and Lieutenant Carin — two officers who had been under his command during the hellish march to Falcon Scott.

for a

"Hey, you."

battlement with both hands. to be stupidly tough? Though… huh, I thought I heard him too.

Sunny sighed.

face paled

drank too much! I just heard the Devil calling out

The mundane soldier scoffed.

supposed to be stupidly tough? Though… huh, I thought I heard him too.

Sunny sighed.

I'm standing right behind

turned around and stared at him for

"Captain!"

"Sir! You're here too?"

closer and leaned on the

"Yes, I'm here too."

reinforce the garrison. He had met

and Carin again. He studied them for a bit,

of you did not board

hesitated, then shrugged

much no one I know went and took a spot for themselves. Most of us

took a sip from the

like we all made a weird

the flask out

I was supposed