Shadow Slave

Sunny remained silent for a while, still blind. His expression was somber, and there was an irritated twist to his lips.

'When did I figure it out?'

He grimaced.

"Just now, really."

Which was rather embarrassing.

Sunny hesitated for a moment, then shrugged.

"Well, can you blame me? Sure, I should have known much sooner. But there were so many things happening all at once... so, it took me some time to put the dots together."

He raised the Guiding Light and put it on his shoulder, still unable to see the radiance of the sacred staff.

"I mean, it is rather obvious in hindsight. Cassie was sent into the body of Dusk of Fallen Grace. Jet and Effie were sent into the bodies of two River Nomads. Kai and Mordret were sent into the bodies of two Riverborn warriors in Twilight. But what about me and Nephis? Who were the people that we replaced? And what were they doing so far upstream, in the distant future, way further than even Weave?"

He shook his head.

"I really should have understood it when we found the Chain Breaker. But I was so overwhelmed by how bizarre everything in the Tomb of Ariel was that I let it rest with the rest of the unresolved mysteries. And even as those mysteries were solved one after another, that one remained buried under the pile of startling revelations. I just sort of assumed that someone in the past — Noctis, maybe — had visited the pyramid, leaving their imprint in the Great River."

Sunny tiredly rubbed his face and smiled.

"But it was the opposite, wasn't it? It was not someone from the past. It was someone from the future. It was Nephis and me. We are going to return to the Tomb of Ariel one day, right? Not the illusion of it conjured inside this Nightmare, but the real deal. And just like Daeron had left his imprint to exist in the Nightmare, so will we. So... the bodies the two of us took. They have always been our own bodies. The roles we took are of ourselves."

The voice remained silent for a while, then scoffed.

"Right. I remember now. Yes, we should have figured it out much sooner."

Sunny gritted his teeth.

"I must say, though... it's a bit unfair. The Spell gave us our own roles, but made us mere Ascended. The two of you must be much more powerful, no? To brave the Nightmare Desert and enter the real pyramid. So, what are you? A Saint?"

The voice remained silent for longer now, then sighed.

"Yeah... a Saint."

Sunny frowned, judging how long the pause before the answer had been.

"Bastard... did you just summon Weaver's Mask?!"

The voice laughed.

did not. Trust me, I'm telling the truth... I'm the most

summon it

version of Sunny really a Saint? No, like hell he was... a mere Saint would not have been able to turn the shadows against Sunny so easily, and neither would his voice possess such an harrowing

Sunny shivered.

you're a Sovereign? Damnation, what the hell?! After everything we experienced in this damned place, why would you go and challenge another Nightmare?! Are you that tired

for a while. Then, his answer came, calm

not a Sovereign,

tone

phantom of a lost shadow, conjured by the Spell. Ah, but this Estuary is a strange place. Time does not exist here, and so, everything exists here simultaneously. Even though you have already taken

Sunny shivered.

terrifying the power of that version of him was. It felt no less oppressive, and even much more so,

that guy hiding in the

wasn't he

was Sunny unable

did his future version mean by

was impossible to tell if the voice was lying or telling the truth. Whether he was wearing Weaver's

Left Sunny quite unsettled.

He cleared his throat.

the future, how to deal with all my

The voice remained silent.

Sunny lingered.

on.

answer for

the voice said

just make that future happen faster, and all that. Haven't you been burned by trying to

version of Sunny

I know what you want to say. Frustrating, isn't it? I remember cursing my future self with all kinds of nasty words at that point, in my mind.

and Sunny was

moments,

If you do go further and your wish comes true... there's no

if the two of

you. Turn back. Do not go further. You... are not ready for what lies

remained silent

Eventually...

He scoffed.

version of myself,

breaking the shackles of fate and the slave collar wrapped around

rather die