Shadow Slave

Nephis was wearing inconspicuous civilian clothes… well, there was a medieval flair to them, since the fashion trends had changed in that direction after the advent of the Dream Gates. in the past, only Legacies dressed that way, and even then only for special occasions. But now, it wasn't strange to see people in the affluent districts of NQSC wearing capes, waistcoats, and gambesons.

Neph's neat ensemble was tailored to fit her figure perfectly. She wore pristine white, her half-shoulder cape embroidered with golden thread — of course, it covered her shield arm, leaving the sword arm free. All in all, she looked exactly how one would imagine a princess of a great clan should look like — beautiful and breathtaking, her clothes blending modest restraint with opulence.

She looked out of place in the dirty desolation of the outskirts. Or, rather… the outskirts looked out of place when near her.

As Nephis was looking around, Sunny moved and emerged from the deep shadows, stopping at the border between darkness and light.

«Lady Nephis.»

She turned to him, then took a few steps and bowed slightly.

«Lord Shadow, I am sorry for making you wait.»

Then, she tilted her head a little and studied him. Her gaze briefly explored his onyx armor, then drifted to the emotionless mask

After a short pause, Nephis asked:

«Don't you think that your attire is a bit unsuitable for the waking world?»

Sunny smiled behind the mask, then raised his chin a bit.

«Why? I think I look quite good. Don't you?»

She seemed to be startled by the question. Of course, her expression remained calm, with none of that bafflement finding its way onto her face but after spending some time with Nephis in Bastion, Sunny was slowly relearning how to read her emotions.

Eventually, she said:

«You look… unique. I guess.»

Her tone was flat.

Sunny grinned behind the mask, the darkness nestling in its eye remaining cold and inscrutable.

Honestly, he was glad to have the mask hiding his features. Recently, he had been spending a lot of time with Nephis in Bastion, and most of it was… emotionally charged and intense enough that maintaining a calm facade was somewhere between a burden and a torment. He was tired from trying to keep his feelings in check or hiding them when all else had failed.

Playing the role of an aloof Lord of Shadows was a bit of a relief.

He nodded.

stunning as

gave him a strange

held himself back. Remembering his previous blunder, he briefly considered adding that Ki Song's daughter could not compare. But after contemplating the matter deeply, he wisely

«Shall we?»

PTV and walked back to

vehicle was just as opulent as its exterior. The seats were upholstered with genuine Nightmare Creature leather, while natural wood was used for the fittings and fixtures. There was

bar, momentarily lost in studying its construction.

in contemplation, the PTV softly

ask where we are going,

his mind, Nephis spoke in a

elders were surprisingly open to most of your terms. Still, a few details still need to be discussed. We are going

stared at

but still more spacious than most civilian vehicles. Therefore, although they were

killed her to

He asked evenly:

a representative of Clan Valor,

She smiled faintly.

are people

The PTV made its way out of the outskirts and passed the great barriers of NQSC, bypassing the usual inspection

all of it was a little

truth, she did not need to wear a cape in the winter cold, because no mundane cold could bring discomfort

that, both of them could run much faster than the PTV could drive. So, using one

for a

you dressed so

have understood his meaning and shrugged with a faint

«Helps me feel human.»

Sunny tilted his head.

was a purpose for the masquerade that went

sitting here clad in battle armor. His demeanor and actions seemed to go against such conventions… so, what did Nephis think

though he could not see who was driving the car, he could sense their

armored and fitted with sound isolation materials, so

hesitating for a

was thinking about one of our