Shadow Slave

Sunny and Nephis remained motionless for a while, carried by the indifferent, inevitable current of the Great River. His heart was heavy... too heavy to bear. It was in so much pain that the suffering felt almost physical. Or maybe it was.

Eventually, the pain turned dull. But the unbearable weight remained.

Slowly raising his hand, Sunny tightly gripped one of Neph's arms. She was still hugging him from behind, so he couldn't see her face. She couldn't see his, either... which was perhaps for the best.

When Sunny spoke, his even voice was low and full of torment:

"Neph..."

He raised his eyes to the distant blue sky.

"Why can't we protect anyone?"

...There was no answer for a while. Eventually, Nephis let out a quiet sigh.

"Because that is not the world we were born into."

She lingered for a moment, her body still pressed against his. Then, she added:

"You and I, and everyone we know... we were born to destroy things, not save them."

Sunny lowered his head, thinking that maybe she was right. The world they lived in - both of the worlds, really - needed killers more than it needed builders. That was the sign of the dire times they belonged to.

But what was the point of slaying Nightmare Creatures and conquering the trials of the Spell if there was nothing to return to except regret and ruin?

A few moments later, he heard Neph's voice again. Holding him, she said in a hesitant tone:

"I don't know if it helps... but Ananke never intended to return to Weave. She knew that she wouldn't be coming back all along."

Sunny's eyes trembled. Shifting slightly, he turned his head and finally looked at Neph.

"What?"

She sighed.

"What kind of future would it have been, to return and spend the rest of her limitless life alone in the graveyard of everything she loved? She had only held out for that long because of a dream about the Children of Weaver... us... needing her help. Once we were gone, her last reason to remain would have been gone, too."

Nephis looked away.

"That was why the supplies we gathered in Weave were only meant for two people, not three. And why she wanted to tell us about its past so much."

Her voice grew forced and heavy.

"...That was why she took us to the House of Parting, as well. Where the Riverborn come to leave on their last journey. To have a feast with their loved ones before saying farewell."

remained silent

the way. The order of things might

his

'The supplies...'

Weave were meant for the two

his eyes to it, not wanting to bear its weight, and found solace in convincing himself that they would think of something later... even though there was

Ananke was gone.

console himself. He told himself that the woman they knew was not the real Ananke. Of course, it didn't help. He told himself that everything had

course, it didn't

only one way to lessen

to turn

Ananke back... but he could exact bloody vengeance on those who

'The Mad Prince...'

image of the odious abomination appeared in front of his eyes. Sunny's

still be out there,

eyes gleamed with murderous

then, Sunny reminded himself who the Six Plagues were.

a while, and then said in a distant

You know... I saw the Mad Prince in

of him and shifted back, allowing Sunny to turn around and look at her. His expression was

a few moments, then forced

is. They're us... they're us from the future. Cassie, Effie, Kai, Jet, Mordret, and I... all

the vestige of the Defiled madman had attacked him. The deranged voice calling him

'Murderer...'

a moment, he

we

was. The thought he was scared to admit to himself, said

suppressed and looked at Nephis, not knowing what her

beautiful grey eyes were calm... like always. Sunny could usually read the true emotions hiding behind her expressionless mask, but he failed to decipher

confused? Unbelieving? Angry?

for a

him in the

"That's great, then."

Sunny blinked.

not the

he frowned and asked, making sure that

"...Great?"

if confirming something

really us from the future... then we know all about them. We know all their strengths, and

of the corner of her

you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If the enemy is