Shadow Slave

Sunny staggered as the gaze of the being hiding beneath the still water of the lake fell on him. A scream almost escaped from his lips, but he gritted his teeth and pushed it down.

'Ah...'

The feeling of being looked upon by the invisible watcher... whatever it was... was unlike anything he had ever experienced. Sunny had been in the presence of powerful people before, and even more powerful Nightmare Creatures. He had been crushed by the suffocating force of their presence, and struggled to move while being pressed down by it.

But the gaze of the being hiding under the silent dark waves was entirely different.

It was not only heavier and more insurmountable, hinting at the terrifying power of the hidden watcher, but also did not feel the same. The force of oppression emanated by mighty beings was usually aimless and directionless, while the chilling gaze... was piercing and penetrating.

It felt as though the mysterious being was not simply looking at Sunny from beneath the mass of dark water, but rather looking through him.

Sunny's body, mind, and his very soul were like an open book in front of the hidden watcher, and they were being read, one page after another.

'G—gods, gods...'

His soul was being witnessed.

And, somehow, Sunny felt that it was more than that.

His soul was being judged.

Paled, he slowly looked around, seeing the floating corpses of the Great Nightmare Creatures in a new light.

Had all these harrowing abominations... failed to pass the judgment?

Just what was this place? Was there something else hidden at the very heart of the nebulous lake, even after all the forbidden knowledge left behind on its shore and in the depths of its outer reaches? Why had Ariel placed it behind the labyrinth of rushing currents and mist, leaving a fearsome guardian behind?

Sunny grimaced, swayed a little... and took a step forward.

Then, another.

'Go on, judge me. I... have nothing to hide...'

was being judged for, but the sincerity of his wish to be free was indisputable. Hopefully, the

the very heart of the Estuary — the speck of darkness that the Guiding Light was pointing at. He maneuvered around

at

him for a while,

vast and ancient watching him

filled with incredible relief, and

seemed that he had

that thing looking

to approach the heart of the

the guardian let Sunny

his balance and looked forward

on... you are

guardian of the

and walked, eventually leaving all the

except for the still expanse of dark water and the vague shape rising from

one other

was standing on

had disappeared somewhere just before the chilling

standing in Sunny's way

it's

darkly and took another

shattering within his soul, and the

Memory has

to

the Memory that had appeared in his soul without an explanation, and was

of

had it been

that much was

had wanted to unlock with it was

kind of amusement, Sunny slowly walked to the Sin of Solace and stopped just a step

all delighted despite being free of the

looked much more sinister