Shadow Slave

There was some rustling inside the tent, and then Kai emerged from it, looking as handsome and dazzling as ever. No... even more so.

Sunny's face became a little dull. His friend had reached borderline criminal levels of attractiveness after becoming a Master, mesmerizing most mundane humans by simply appearing in front of them, but Sunny had thought that a couple of months in the mud and muck of Antarctica would rub some of that glamour off.

However, he had been sorely mistaken.

If anything, Kai only became more captivating. His natural charm had acquired a hint of reserved military valiance, becoming more subdued, but also much more arresting. His green eyes were still as electric as ever, but now, there was a quiet, almost melancholic depth to them that made one deeply desire to comfort and console the young man. Those eyes were nothing short of compelling.

Kai smiled, making all three of them - Sunny, Effie, and Jet - hold their breaths for a moment. "Sunny! Ascended Jet. It is so good to see you."

Even his voice was like a soothing melody.

'That bastard...' Sunny wasn't even angry about how stunning his friend was. What really disheartened him was what Kai was wearing.

The archer was clad in a beautiful suit of ivory armor that seemed to be made out of impregnable scales, with a few insets of burnished bronze blazing between them with reflected sunlight. It was tied at the waist by a sash of burnt umber color, which emphasized the rich auburn splendor of his hair.

The armor was made of dragon scales, and was a Transcendent Memory Kai had received after slaying the Ivory Dragon Sevirax.

Both Effie and Kai had come into possession of a Transcendent Armor in the Second Nightmare.

an armor like that, too, which he had gotten for killing Solvane for

now he was the only person

winced, but was then distracted from his resigned self-pity by Jet, who smiled and stretched her hand

time the two of them met. Sunny glanced at Soul Reaper bleakly.

tried to shake Effie's

larger tent that stood nearby, serving as the improvised strategy room for the small army. As they walked, Sunny briefly clasped forearm with Kai. "How are

Scott, Sunny held a somewhat different view of

Kai was deeply hurt by what had transpired in the Ivory City, both physically and mentally. He had been a centurion who led soldiers into a war against Solvane's zealots, only to watch his soldiers die and disappear in the flames of the dragon... and then be crippled by those flames

a cripple was what haunted his friend the most. But after experiencing the burden... and privilege... of being in command, and learning how it felt to watch his people

Now, he thought differently.

"I am doing well. Thank you for asking, Sunny... but I really am. I... feel like I'm in the right

that he understood. Kai had always had these naive notions of what was right and wrong, and what a good person was meant to do with the power all Awakened possessed. For someone like

lost people in the Nightmare, too. She watched all the other girls perish under the ruthless training methods of the War Maidens, powerless to save any

Cassie had experienced powerlessness and loss, with all the other priestesses and people of the Night Temple

of them had felt

feel the same? Probably not. But then again, no one knew what she had lived through in the Second Nightmare. Changing Star was strangely

small holographic projector placed on it. A topographical map of the area was projected into the air,

lost in his thoughts. After a

try to cross the river near the ford, and