Shadow Slave

The members of the cohort remained silent for a few long moments, staring at the chunk of black rock with complicated expressions. Perhaps for most of them, what had just happened in the small spherical chamber did not hold a lot of meaning... but for Sunny and Cassie, it did. Especially for him.

Letting out a shaky breath, Sunny suddenly felt like his legs were about to give out. Taking a step back, he swayed slightly and lowered himself to the first step of the narrow stairs. His eyes were still glued to the fallen black stone, but his gaze had become distant.

Cassie leaned on the Guiding Light, her face motionless.

Nephis, Jet, and Effie watched them silently.

After a while, the huntress finally spoke:

"So... it's done? Just like that?"

Sunny looked up at her, struggling to answer.

'Just like that?'

She made it sound as if it had been easy. Well, of course... she had just learned about the existence of the loop this morning, and it was gone before dusk.

For him, however...

The memories of the countless harrowing deaths he had experienced and witnessed on Aletheia's Island flooded Sunny's mind. That first time being cruelly executed by Undying Slaughter... the hopeless despair of watching Devouring Beast's giant hand descend from the mist... and so much more.

All of it was behind him now, but not gone. Sunny wished he could have forgotten all this torment, like he had forgotten most of the nightmares about the Kingdom of Hope. But he couldn't. These memories were going to haunt him forever.

'They can stand in line and wait their turn.'

There was a vast museum of heartbreak and horror in his memory, already. What could a few more nightmares do?

He sighed, then nodded.

the loop is destroyed. I can

for a

then. What's the

these words, Sunny felt something move in his soul, and a flood of essence poured into his cores. Somewhere outside the island, the seven suns were plunging into the Great River... it was

He relaxed a little.

the future was once again unknown and unpredictable

quiet, so he answered Effie's

I told you before. We will hide in this tower and wait out the immediate aftermath of our actions. In the next few days, Aletheia's Island is going to be a battlefield... Undying Slaughter and Devouring Beast are going to go on a

for a moment,

or be eradicated

watched his companions die before being killed himself when fighting side-by-side with his allies. The Plagues were simply too

loop. Now that the loop was broken, the Flaws of the Defiled Saints could finally be exploited. Devouring Beast's hunger and Undying Slaughter's need to

In theory.

eat. Undying Slaughter was going to have plenty

was a

Sunny wanted

time he slept? He couldn't even remember... which

tired mind

many mistakes already. Luckily, none of them had been serious

all, the two of them had done remarkably well, considering the

breath, then stood up and looked around the spherical chamber one last

to the first floor of the tower. We'll be spending the next few days, maybe even weeks there. We

remains of the Great Tyrant's minions littered the floor. The Tyrant itself was still hanging from the broken ceiling, the terrible wounds

stared at the terrible

is that