Shadow Slave

A small wooden vessel was resting on the sparkling water. The seven suns were rising from the distant depths, and the world was painted in the lilac hues of early dawn. Illuminated by that beautiful light, the vessel seemed like an illusion.

"What... is this?"

His hoarse voice was full of disbelief. It was just too improbable, to find an empty boat swaying gently on the waves just when his essence had run out, and despair had taken hold of his heart. The Great River was inconceivably vast, and yet, they had just happened to find themselves a mere hundred meters away from a boat at that exact moment? Even when [Fated] was involved, the coincidence seemed too convenient. It was to such a degree that Sunny even considered that he was hallucinating... wouldn't be the first time, anyway. Maybe the Sin of Solace had learned a new trick.

However, Nephis saw the boat, too.

She hesitated for a moment, then said numbly:

"...It's a ketch."

Sunny was about to ask what the word ketch meant, but he was too tired for unnecessary questions. It was probably a type of boat, regardless... Nephis knew about these things, considering that she had even built one for them, back on the Forgotten Shore. It was probably also a part of her Legacy training.

The two of them remained still for a few seconds, then swam toward the... ketch. Well, Nephis was the only one swimming while supporting Sunny - he just weakly moved his legs to help her a little.

Soon, they reached it. Sunny placed his palm on the hull of the sailboat, still unsure if it was real. However, the dark wood felt smooth and solid to his touch. He traced his hand across it, both stunned and relieved.

'It might be a trap...'

the Great River without a scratch on its hull, after all. A mundane boat would have been destroyed in a matter of hours here. Even the piece of flotsam that Sunny had once used as a raft, which was tough enough to withstand the nails of a Master, was turned into tiny splinters. It had to have been a part of a large

really drifting. It was staying in place, unaffected by the current of time. So, it was certainly special

hope

their weakened state. However, a rope ladder was conveniently lowered

other. His paranoia was acting up - not without a reason - and from the looks of it, she felt the

salvation miraculously presented itself, they would be fools not

toward the ladder,

Sunny sprawled on the wooden floor. The feeling of something solid under him was both unfamiliar and heavenly.

'Ah...'

climbed over the rim and tumbled down, landing squarely on top of him. Sunny let out a weak

"Ow..."

their breaths, then slowly extricated themselves from each other and took

layout was very simple. There was only a single deck, with no roofed interior or cabins. The deck was completely open,

now smoothed out by the wind, water, and passage of time. The ketch seemed like the loving creation of a supremely skilled artisan,

very old. However, it had been maintained with the utmost care,

of the ketch when his gaze finally reached the stern, where the steering oar was supposed to be. Unlike the Chain Breaker, there was no runic circle for the helmsman. Instead, there was