Shadow Slave

...Sunny waited for a moment, then slowly straightened and looked around.

The Chain Breaker was laying on white sand, tilted awkwardly. It had shattered the side of a black cliff and was now leaning on it, preventing the ship from turning over. They had gotten lucky despite the blind landing.

The fog was still there, obscuring the world, but it had become less thick. Sunny could make out the figure of Saint standing still on the bow of the grounded vessel, as well as more cliffs rising high above them. It seemed that Nephis had guided the Chain Breaker to a small sand beach at the very edge of the island.

Neph herself was leaning heavily on the steering oars, drained of essence. Sunny grimaced.

'It was inevitable, but we should be careful not to receive any serious wounds. She won't be able to heal us any time soon.'

Nephis, meanwhile, had already regained her composure.

"I'm fine. I can still put up a fight."

'Well, of course you can. I have no doubt about that.'

After exchanging a few words with them, Cassie used the Guiding Light to make it point in the direction where Effie supposedly was.

'Or her lifeless body... or something else entirely.'

Sunny couldn't suppress his anxiety anymore. He scowled and took a step forward, ready to leap down to the beach.

'That gluttonous woman... she'd better be alive. Or else... or else I'll be very cross with her.'

Jumping over the railing, he plummeted down and landed on the sand. A moment later, Nephis was by his side. Saint and Fiend landed with a bit more noise than the two of them, and lastly, Nightmare leaped from the deck of the ship, carrying Cassie on his back.

The six of them remained motionless for a few moments, listening to the silence of Wind Flower.

There were no sounds around them, no movement. Only the soft white sand and the black cliffs faintly visible in the fog. A piece of rock fell from the shattered crag and rolled down, the noise both dampened and made louder by the mist. It echoed, making them tense.

Feeling very uncomfortable because of how suppressed both his vision and shadow sense were, Sunny took a step forward.

...As he did, a human figure suddenly revealed itself from the murky veil of the fog.

He flinched and tensed, ready to attack, but then froze.

Black eyes, porcelain skin... the Sin of Solace looked at him contemptuously and spat:

"Gods. This again! I'm so sick of it..."

Sunny gritted his teeth and walked past the damned sword wraith...

he lingered for

a strange sense of déjà vu

'Huh...'

feel as if the Sin

loathsome apparition

an hour later, he was writhing on the ground, overwhelmed by unbearable agony. His

rose to one knee, a cold gaze pierced

'No, no, no...'

ghostly blade

Sunny died.

***

for a moment, then

Nephis was leaning heavily on the

should be careful not to get wounded until she recovers some

straightened slowly and said in a tired

fine. I can still put

course you can. You're Changing Star of

direction where Effie

woman... she'd better be alive. Or else...

the swirling mist, he scowled and took

suddenly revealed itself from the murky

tensed, ready

was glaring at him without even trying to

odious, revolting coward.

for the cliffs. He was suddenly overcome by a strange sense

what did

sword wraith from his head, he continued

a ghostly blade

Sunny died in agony.

***

moment, then slowly straightened and

was laying on white sand, tilted awkwardly. Nephis was leaning

the beach and headed to the cliffs. As he did,

of

was fun at the start, but now

continued walking. He was suddenly overwhelmed by a

long after that, his soul was destroyed by the

***

then slowly