Shadow Slave

After they disembarked at the Castle, Effie bid them farewell and went away, giggling as she walked. Sunny and Nephis stared at her back until she disappeared from view, both not in a hurry to say anything.

‘What do I even say after that?’

Sunny sighed and decided not to say anything. Nephis seemed to be of the same mind.

...His thoughts, however, were on fire in the wake of Effie's antics. So, while Sunny kept quiet, his imagination was running wild against his better judgment. He did not know what Nephis was thinking about, but he was definitely thinking about all kinds of things that he probably should not have been thinking about.

He threw a furtive glance at Neph. Was she really calm?

Was he imagining things, or did her cheeks seem a little pink?

'No, that is definitely my mind playing tricks on me!'

There was no way Nephis would be phased by mere words. It was just his wishful thinking... it was all Effie's fault!

That Effie! She really had not changed at all!

He would have thought that being a married woman with a child would curb her wilder tendencies, but alas. Having a loving family only seemed to embolden the vivacious huntress even more, as if having a safe space to retreat to gave her wicked tongue more power.

It's a miracle that Little Ling is such a sweet boy, despite being raised by that miscreant...!

Sunny inhaled slowly.

Nephis lingered for a few moments, then looked at him with a deadpan expression. After a while, she said in her usual impassive tone:

"Don't mind Effie... Saint Athena. She's always like this."

out of his mind... or at least tried to... and

just like her. In fact, as much as I hate to admit it, I miss it a

She smiled faintly.

"I can't quite imagine."

started walking and left the pier. Instead of passing through the crowded gate of the castle, Nephis led him to a hidden postern, where two Knights bowed deeply before

it laying in ruins, like it lay in the hidden realm that was imprisoned in the

even shattered the moon, so why would Bastion fare any

It was gargantuan, with somewhere around a million people living between its walls - almost half of them Awakened. There

side of the lake, but here in the Castle, he

left the tunnel and entered a lively

quite amazing, isn't

voice sounded a little

Nephis nodded.

called a Great Citadel for no

stronghold, the place they found themselves on looked no different from a city street - granted, both the wide

daily errands. However, all of it - except for people and later additions to the original architecture - seemed a little too grand in scale, as if built for creatures that

marvel of military engineering, designed to withstand the most terrible slege. There were all kinds

each of them and the main thoroughfare piercing each of the walls as it scaled the mountains in a spiral. If one wanted to reach the main keep from

the outer wall, they would have to follow it clockwise, which meant that their sword hand would be to the next wall, while their shield hand would be away from it, letting the defenders rain arrows

all... Sunny did not envy the warriors of Clan Song, who might have

felt that the task was

Bastion seemed truly Impregnable.

ruins hidden in the moonlit

be seen by everyone who had time to look. The reactions people were giving

looked bright and inspired, as if just seeing her gave them strength. Well... it made sense. Nephis had become somewhat of a symbol