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 the first time. But, of course, it had been

was the only person of

grinds my gears...' Sunny winced, but was then distracted from his resigned self-pity by Jet, who smiled and stretched her hand out for a handshake. "Ascended Nightingale.

was the first time the two of them met. Sunny glanced at Soul Reaper bleakly. 'At least

to shake

of them exchanged a few words and headed for a larger tent that stood nearby, serving as the improvised strategy room

different view of the charming archer, and of what his friend had shared with

knew that 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

that the pain of defeat and becoming 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

Now, he thought differently.

doing well. Thank you for asking, Sunny... but I really

what a good person was meant to do with the power all Awakened possessed. For someone like him, coming to Antarctica was,

Come to think of it, the merry huntress had lost people in the Nightmare, too. She watched

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

them had

Probably not. But then again, no one knew what she had lived through in the Second Nightmare. Changing Star was strangely reticent about that particular

placed on it. A topographical map of the area was projected into the air, with their location and the last known whereabouts of the Skull Centipede

After a while, he shook them off and honed

path. The creature will definitely try to cross the river near the ford, and