Shadow Slave

Sunny tried to evade the question a few more times, but it was too important to Cassie. She stubbornly returned to it no matter what he said, forgetting his answers a few moments later. Watching her lost expression was eerie and a little heartbreaking, like talking to someone suffering from dementia.

«So, tell me… are you?»

Sunny reminded himself to be patient. There were many suitable ways to prevent her from voicing the question. He just needed to find the correct one.

«Yes, I am. But…»

Cassie was stunned, then confused, then tense once more.

«Maybe I should distract her with a revelation or two about what is going on in Ravenheart?»

However, in the end, he did not have to.

Somehow, Cassie did not repeat herself again. Instead, she shifted slightly, reached for her tea cup, and traced its shape with her finger. Her face froze, and she fell quiet.

After a few moments of silence, Cassie said evenly:

«…My tea is cold.»

Sunny tilted his head a little. Then, his eyes gleamed in the darkness.

It seemed that there was no need to guide her away from the question, after all.

«So soon?»

Cassle was smart. She could not remember that which was forgotten, but she noticed the change in the temperature of her tea. Therefore, instead of remembering, she simply deduced that something had been erased from her memory.

The gears of her formidable mind were spinning now, connecting the negative space in her memory with the details of the conversation they were having. Observing the void and inferring its meaning.

Knowing Cassie, there were countless conjectures being formed in her head. Dozens of theories were being built, scrutinized, and discarded. Only those that could not be effectively disproven remained, leading to several parallel branches of assumptions. Those assumptions were then pitted against each other, turning into conclusions.

The conclusions were used to extrapolate what, exactly, she had forgotten.

«…Too smart, maybe.»

a little

knew that a person was missing from the world, but also deduced that he was that

not be sure, but suspect it

known to someone than he had ever been since leaving the Nightmare. Of course, there was a vast difference between a suspicion and a memory — but it was precisely because Cassle's Inference was based solely on deduction and not remembrance that she could

his tea was suddenly incredibly fragrant. Sunny drank

spoke for a

full of somber intensity, but she did not rush to ask him any questions. She couldn't. Because asking

was an odd

moments later, Cassie asked, her

you… like to look

startled

that

hesitated, not knowing how to

honestly not sure. Why are you

blindfold briefly, sighed, and said with a hint

you are now one of them.

Sunny blinked.

mention the fact that Cassie's power was not limited to that. She

her power, and now, she had exposed one of these limits to him- only those who looked Cassie in the eyes could be enthralled by her Ability. So why would he expose himself to

she saw just like she had forgotten his answers,

«Not everything.»

everything

what benefit would there be

void left by him with

But then what?

his cup down

to peek at my memories,

nodded, not hiding

«I do… Saint Sunless.»