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.

like

of the flying ship as if battling motion sickness, looked at

are talking about. I'm having tons

gave her

expiration date the next time you smuggle a bunch of snacks into the Dream Realm. Those synthetic chips must have been left over from the Dark Times, considering

gritted her teeth, then made a rude gesture in his direction.

moment, Cassie

too, and there's little time for anything else

Sunny scoffed.

exterminator does not really suit my taste... and I did not

look, then turned away

so... exterminating abominations comes with the territory. We receive plenty of privileges in exchange. There's no point in thinking about the

was not like she was wrong... no matter how dejected he felt about the current situation, it was infinitely better

have awaited Sunny if he had never become infected by Spell? A bitter life

a grave would

a few

that worries me.

somber. Sunny looked at

"What do you mean?"

Kai shrugged.

world worse for everyone. There'll be an unprecedented influx of Awakened, as well, which is bound to change the

for a

"I have no idea."

sighed, then glanced

But 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 if Antarctica has proven one thing, it is that the government is not strong enough to protect the waking world with only its own strength.

face

struggling with his naively sincere sense of

He asked: