Shadow Slave

Sunny and Nephis shared the desserts and enjoyed the tea. Their conversation flowed easily. Time passed slowly, but eventually, she rose and went to check on Jet and Cassie. Soon, the sound of her light steps faded away, and Sunny was left alone.

He leaned on the trunk of the sacred tree, looking into the fog.

His heart felt warm and at peace.

But at the same time...

Sunny could not throw what Neph had said out of his head.

'Do something that I never dared to do before...'

There were a few things he could think of.

He sighed and stared into the distance.

Sunny... had complicated relationships with his closest companions, to say the least. Nephis, Cassie, and he - there was a mess of emotions trapped between the three of them. Most of the things they wanted to say to each other had been left unspoken for a long time.

Especially between Sunny and Nephis.

He hesitated.

At this point, he would have to be a complete fool to remain blind to how he felt. Sunny shifted uncomfortably and lowered his gaze. His heart suddenly felt stifled. He grimaced, then brushed his hand across the wooden deck.

'Just say it. Can't you even say it?'

If he couldn't even say it now, then when would he?

Wasn't he supposed to be the most honest person in two worlds? So why couldn't he even be honest with himself?

Sunny remained motionless for a while, then let out a heavy sigh.

'I... care about Nephis.'

No, that was not it. That was just being coy. He grimaced and looked up, at the swaying branches of the sacred tree.

Sunny remained motionless for a while. Then, he took a deep breath.

And thought:

'I love Nephis.'

His expression collapsed.

It was true. It had been, for a long time. Sunny was not the most emotionally intelligent person, or at least he had not been before. If anything, his emotional development had been stunted - first by the rough life in the outskirts, then by the ruthless reality of the Nightmare Spell.

Who had time to think about emotions when every day was a lethal battle for survival?

he felt for Nephis ever since the Forgotten Shore. In truth, he had already been in

their many bitter disagreements. In fact, they were the reason why Sunny was so often infuriated with Nephis - if he felt nothing for her, he would not have cared either

or disappeared despite the long period of separation, either. If anything, they only grew more intense, almost becoming an obsession. To be stronger than her...

be free of

had claimed, but it was

she returned to the waking world. The maddening fury he had felt when she unanimously decided to join Valor. The deathly terror he had felt when the Skinwalker snapped

was no denying

or coincidence, for better or worse, Nephis was... his person. The only one there was, and

More than that...

neither of them had ever dared to say it aloud, he knew that she felt

that hard

reason why both of them

his head and closed his eyes for a

feelings and were shy about such things. Emotions were terribly

those goals were directly opposed to each other. Her pursuit of revenge against the Spell left no space for something as frivolous as affection... or at least, in her heart, affection would always have to take the

As for him...

had his reasons to stay silent as

the

"How sweet."

flinched and opened his

in the mist, staring at

wrong. I've been forced to watch you two circling each other fearfully for so long that it makes me sick to simply remember. At least you idiot finally admitted it. My, oh

Sunny looked away.

"Shut up."

no energy in

Sin of Solace

to do now?

threw a sharp

if I

The apparition laugh.

going to forget everything, isn't she? How cowardly of you. Seems

Sunny gritted his teeth.

hated to admit it,

He hesitated, then spat:

I'll do it after we escape the loop. Why, you

him for a while, then sighed. Shaking his head, the sword wraith crouched and looked him

forgetting something else,

However, the apparition did it in his

owns you. What kind of relationship do you think is

Angered, he looked away

would never

of

people. Even you are no different! Have you ever expected that Jet would brutally murder you one day? Or that Effie would

The wraith leaned closer: