Shadow Slave

The flying vessel continued moving southeast. The members of the cohort remained at the stern, keeping Cassie company. They spent some time idly talking about this and that, then silently enjoyed the beautiful sight of the night sky.

Safely hidden within the Crushing, they were temporarily safe from all threats. That feeling was strange... the only thing stranger was the fact that Effie seemed to have lost her appetite, somehow. Now that was an anomaly unlike anything Sunny had witnessed before. He wanted to tease the huntress, but changed his mind at the last moment.

The quiet night put him in a contemplative mood. The thing Sunny thought about was... how hard it had become to keep a conversation going in the company of his friends, these days. Or anyone else, really.

He had never been a great conversationalist - in fact, growing up, Sunny had always found it torturously hard to fit in with people. But after becoming an Awakened, somewhere along the way, he seemed to have developed that ability. lіghtnоvеlcave․c~оm. Now, however, it was getting harder once again.

Sunny had thought that such problems would miraculously disappear after he chose to trust the people he cared about. But he had been proven wrong.

'It's strange...'But then, was it really? In truth, it was not his ability to hold a conversation that was the problem, but his whole life instead.

Most of the things he thought and did were too sensitive to discuss, not because he did not trust his friends, but because he didn't want to involve them in his mess.

More than that, Sunny had only done two things after coming to Antarctica - fight the Nightmare Creatures and try to fulfill his duty as a member of the Evacuation Army. He did not really have any hobbies or exciting things to share...

His friends were more or less the same.

'Is it all there is to life?'Bloodshed and war?

As he studied the night sky with a wistful expression, Kai looked at him and said:

"Penny for your thoughts?"

A pale smile appeared on Sunny's face.

"Oh... it's nothing. I, uh... I was just thinking about how messed up our lives have become. These days, it seems that there's nothing to talk about except for what we killed, how we killed it, and how to kill it better. So I'm wondering, is that what adulthood is? Work, work, and then more work. I thought that becoming a Master would be freeing, but honestly, I was having so much more fun as an Awakened."

Kai sighed.

seem like

ship as if battling motion sickness, looked at them with a miserable

are talking about. I'm having tons of fun

her a dubious

expiration date the next time you smuggle a bunch of snacks into the Dream Realm. Those synthetic chips must have been

a rude gesture in his direction. Sunny

that moment, Cassie suddenly

being focused on "work"? I am usually very busy, too, and there's little

Sunny scoffed.

nothing wrong, as long as you've chosen the right profession. But being an abomination exterminator does not really suit my taste... and I did not even choose it, really.

him a long look, then turned away

none of us chose to become infected by the Spell. But we are Awakened now, so... exterminating abominations comes with the territory. We receive plenty of

at her with a bleak expression. Well, it was not like she was wrong... no matter how dejected he felt about the current situation, it was infinitely

never become infected by Spell? A bitter

a grave would

for a few moments before saying

not the past that worries me.

turned somber. Sunny looked at

"What do you mean?"

Kai shrugged.

Southern Quadrant will make living conditions across the waking world worse for everyone. There'll be an unprecedented influx of Awakened, as well, which is bound to change the situation in the Dream Realm. lіghtnоvеlcave․c~оm. The Great Clans seem to be in turmoil, and on top of that... there's no guarantee

for a

"I have no idea."

then glanced at

that path is closed for the rest of us... unless we swear allegiance to a Legacy clan. Alternatively, we can remain with the government. But

studied his face

was struggling with his naively sincere

He asked: