Shadow Slave

Because of Sunny, they spent more time near the Chain Breaker than they had planned. However, he simply couldn't tell what it was that had made him feel so uncomfortable. After a while, there was no choice but to head for the cliffs.

Cassie rode Nightmare at the front of the group, Sunny and Nephis followed, while Saint and Fiend were defending the rear. As they walked, Sunny remained silent, a deep frown on his face.

"I just... I feel strange."

It was as if he had taken these steps before. The white sand, the swirling mist, the black edifices of the tall cliffs... it all felt eerily familiar.

"What is going on?"

Eventually, they discovered a line of footprints in the sand. Sunny should have felt surprised and curious, but he barely paid the mysterious discovery any attention. As if it was only natural for the footprints to be there.

"Those were left by a human."

He shivered slightly and looked at Nephis. How had he known that she would say these exact words?

Sunny hesitated for a few moments, then said quietly:

"Wait here."

Why did he feel almost... obligated to respond that way?

Deeply disturbed, Sunny left one of his shadows behind and followed the line of footprints to the edge of the island. There were so many questions he should have been asking himself... like who had left these traces? Had that person really jumped into the abyssal chasm? Or had they survived and escaped the suffocating mist?

But instead, Sunny was mostly thinking about why it felt as if he had already visited the edge of the island before.

The Sin of Solace was there, as well, glaring at him silently.

'Why is he not saying anything? I feel like he should have said something already. Like encourage me to jump, too.'

Scowling, Sunny returned to Nephis and Cassie.

"The footprints lead to the edge of the island. I didn't find anything else, so... let's trace them in the other direction."

When they nodded and prepared to set out, he suddenly added:

"Wait, don't you... don't you feel that something is strange?"

Nephis looked at him with her usual impassive expression.

"Everything here is strange."

Sunny had no choice but to agree. It was a stupid question, to begin with... of course, everything felt strange on a mystical island hidden behind a barrier of a colossal whirlpool.

They continued forward and eventually reached stone steps leading up the hills. Fiend took the lead, and the group cautiously started the ascent. As they walked, Sunny couldn't shake off the feeling that these steps looked eerily familiar.

'Just what the hell is going on with me... am I under some kind of mind hex again?'

By now, Sunny's resistance to mental attack was rather high. Even the Sin of Solace, a Transcendent Memory of the Fifth Tier, was having trouble driving him truly and utterly insane. He did not doubt that there were beings in the Tomb of Ariel that could shatter his defenses... but he did doubt that there was something here that could do so without him noticing.

'Then what is it?'

Looking up, he noticed that Nephis was staring intently at the stone steps.

'She must have noticed that they are not weathered at all, as if the Seeker who had lived on the island created them just yesterday.'

Wait... when had he come to these conclusions himself?

just seemed

of steel clashing against steel, followed by a pained scream. He didn't feel surprised at all, as if

on his

'Was that Jet's voice?'

thinking about Jet fill him with a

"Sunny?"

and Nephis had

lingered for a

is fighting in the forest, about four kilometers from the top of the stairs. It should

his mouth as

Nephis nodded.

"We'll be right..."

her response, Sunny dove into

wrong... something

blindly into the forest. Wind Flower was too dangerous of a place to behave rashly... Sunny had no idea what enemy he was going to face, was diving into battle without having

was going to die if he delayed even for a

shadow deep within the forest, Sunny gritted his teeth and

of those situations where I only have bad choices. It's going to be alright, though... I've survived all the previous gambles, so I'll

felt a

really

die miserable after

the moss and came to halt close to its middle. The smell of blood permeated the air here,

she,

on the ground, their motionless figure buried in the mist. Dashing there, Sunny fell to

in a grimace of terrible agony.

'Curse it all!'

his presence, Jet slowly opened

"Sunny... be..."

in

already jumping to his feet and spinning around. There was a vague shape moving in the mist. Because of how quickly Sunny had reacted, he had

Sin of Solace hissed,

'That won't do anything.'

he

wraith of some kind, meaning that physical attacks would be ineffective against it. It seemed that Sunny's subconscious had discerned the insidious

to discard the jade jian and summon the

later, the mist wraith seemed to dissipate into the swirling fog. Sunny could not sense its presence at all, which meant that the abomination could attack at any moment, from

Solace, he called upon the somber spear. Now... he just

'No... I'm missing something...'

froze in place, torn between the dire need to be absolutely focused and the gnawing feeling

'What... what is it?'

allow himself to get distracted. A

'Focus!'

gloomy and happy - were going to reach the clearing in a few seconds. Only when his body was augmented by all five shadows would he have the luxury of sparing some thought

hoarse voice resounded from below,

"Sunny... careful... she's..."

down, and

was suddenly inexplicably

His lips moved:

"...She's you."

finally manifested

shadow flew into

wraith... Undying Slaughter... was

tore Sunny's soul

knees, he heard the Spell