Shadow Slave

The ground shook, and some parts of the crater's slope collapsed. Sunny, who was standing on the edge of its mound, lost his balance and rolled down, dirt and pieces of debris raining on him from above.

'Ouch.'

Coming to a halt much further down the slope than he had been before, he could not see the Dream Gate and the King of Swords anymore. What he could see, however...

Was a towering pillar of white flame rising from the torn depths of the wide crater.

It moved and twisted, as if alive. As though a giant made from pure flame was stretching its shoulders after being trapped underground for a long time. For a moment, Sunny was entranced, thinking that he could make out the shape of a winged being woven from dancing flame, hidden in the depths of the incandescent pillar.

Then, the whirlwind of flame collapsed on itself, and slowly formed into a humanoid figure.

The radiant being looked like a beautiful, pure spirit of immaculate light, her graceful body contrasted against the dark soil of the deep crater. With wide wings spread behind her like a blinding mantle, she slowly glided down. The moment her feet touched the ground, it started to melt.

Slowly, the brilliance of her skin grew dimmer, and was then extinguished. Without the blinding light, Sunny could finally see who had just escaped the ruins.

Of course, he had already guessed who it was.

It was Nephis.

She looked just like the last time he had seen her... but also different.

Not only because the white metal of the Starlight Legion armor was torn and scorched, breached in half a dozen places...

And not only because her presence seemed to illuminate the world, so much stronger and tantalizing than it had been before.

And not even because she had grown even more beautiful after undergoing the rebirth of Transcendence.

No... it was because Nephis had wings.

A pair of white wings extended from her back, looking too majestic and pure to be a part of this mortal world.

Sunny stared, enthralled.

'...Partial transformation?'

of it, Neph's had at least three — the winged form, the brilliant spirit of light whose radiant body seemed to contain an ocean of furious flame, and the vast mass of unleashed

Sunny surmised after catching

to this Transformation, of course. Sunny doubted that a Divine

a few more moments,

can ask

For now...

had to do something very

Namely, explain himself.

one supposed to say after leaving his partner to face the last challenge of a dreadful

step out to break

looking forward to that conversation

head, Sunny stood up and spent a moment evaluating his

certain that he was now reasonably attractive. Even though it was a bit childish, he wanted Nephis to see him in the

did not really

him, it was impossible to tell what he looked like right now. Because Sunny was completely covered in dirt, dust, and soot. His face was almost entirely hidden beneath a

'Ah... curses...'

hastily rubbed his face, but only managed to spread the dirt

'Goddammit.'

was too late, however, because that movement attracted Neph's

and looked at him, her eyes shining

hesitated and took a step in

more than one

relationship with Nephis

reason he had made that

Spell was gone, and his [Fated] Attribute was

What about Shadow Bond?

what he would say,

"Stop."

took a couple more steps and froze,

because she had broken her promise once

because he had not felt compelled to

'It's... it's...'