Shadow Slave

He found his soldiers calmly preparing for the nearing — and most likely their last — battle. Sunny had chosen the members of his cohort based on their mental resilience but even still, he was surprised and slightly disturbed by how nonchalant all three seemed.

Samara had lost her rifle, but was now in possession of Kim's carbine. She was sitting on an alloy crate, silently charging one bullet after another with essence. Belle was sharpening his sword with a vague smile on his face — Memories did not need to be sharpened, but the swordsman had a habit of doing so anyway.

Dorn had been wounded by the Scavenger. The deep cut on his chest had already been dealt with by an Awakened healer, but he was yet to fully recover. The giant man was moving his shoulder through a set of stretching exercises, wincing front time to time. His sledgehammer was nearby, its handle leaning against the wall.

When Sunny entered, the three Awakened glanced his way and saluted.

"What's the news, sir?"

He shook his head.

"No news yet. If we're lucky, the bastard will show up tomorrow. If we're not, it will be here today."

Sunny remained silent for a few moments, then added:

"In any case, we will have to deal with the blizzard first. Keep those charms I gave you summoned.

Protection against cold is going to play a big role when the Winter Beast comes."

Sunny possessed the Memory of Ice, but he had also created lesser versions of the Ascended charm for each of his soldiers — those Memories were not as potent, but also required much less essence to sustain the enchantments.

They nodded, summoning the artificial charms.

Looking at his soldiers, Sunny couldn't help but feel a hint of fear. He had only known these people for a few months... but they had gone through a lifetime of struggles together. Even if he wasn't responsible for their lives, he would still have been fiercely reluctant to see them die.

Belle, Dorn, Samara... they were admirable warriors each. More importantly, they were his people.

Sunny sighed.

"...You just had to go and stay, huh?"

He had been fully prepared to have Naeve load the whole cohort on the ship, but the three Awakened silently refused. Staying in Falcon Scott was their choice.

Belle looked at him and grinned.

"Sure, sir. That's our job."

Samara simply nodded, choosing not to say anything in her usual manner. Dorn chuckled.

"We did. But aren't you here too, Major?"

Sunny winced. Of course, it wasn't the same... he was an Ascended, and one ridiculously hard to kill on top of that. His soldiers, however, were merely Awakened. They were not nearly as resilient.

"Yeah... I am."

his sword away, the smile slowly disappearing from his face. The swordsman remained

settled

Eventually, he said:

to ask you, though. Sir. You don't

Sunny frowned.

"What is it?"

hesitated for a

are. rumors going around... that you're dating Mongrel. But

at him,

the hell are you on about, feel?! I'm

suddenly threw his head back and exploded with

"I see, I see..."

him a disapproving look and

"That guy..."

suddenly feeling an urge

crazier than me.

done, Belle... let's

***

some fresh air. The air was much cleaner in Antarctica, after all... it would be a waste to remain inside all the time, even despite the

he suddenly noticed a black bird

heard the sound of approaching

"Sunny. There you are."

a corner and walked over to him, then stopped, her icy blue eyes full of

looked at

"Here I am."

She sighed.

all the information we have about the Winter Beast to your communicator. Did you

though Saint Tyris had spent months suppressing the creature, most of their drawn—out battle had not been a direct one. The Winter Beast had shown an eerie ability to control cold, snow, and wind. Since Sky Tide commanded the winds, as well, their battlefield had been

continuously countered by Saint Tyris that no one knew its true extent. It had to be tremendous,

and Jet could do was make educated

She hesitated.

"...Good, then."

that, both fell

he had been stunned...

now, they

only met a few years ago, but Sunny felt as though he had known let all his life. Maybe because those years felt like

sighed, then suddenly

always wanted to ask. Why did you really join the government? Considering your abilities and character, the Legacy clans probably showered you with offers

had briefly talked about it in the past, but Sunny always felt that he did not know the full