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

he briefly considered adding that Ki Song's daughter could not compare. But after contemplating the matter deeply, he wisely decided not to

«Shall we?»

and walked back to the passenger

seats were upholstered with genuine Nightmare Creature leather, while natural wood was used for the fittings and fixtures. There was even a

refrigerated bar, momentarily lost in studying its construction. Was it purely electrical or used spelltech? If so,

was lost in contemplation, the PTV softly

ask where we

mind, Nephis

details still need to be discussed. We are going to meet with a representative of Clan Valor

at her

most civilian vehicles. Therefore, although they were sitting on the same seat,

killed her

He asked evenly:

a representative of Clan Valor, Lady

She smiled faintly.

are people who represent it

both of them kept quiet for a while. The PTV made its way out of the outskirts and passed the great barriers of NQSC, bypassing the usual inspection procedures entirely.

all of it was a

clothes Nephhis wore — all of it was a masquerade that people like them willingly upheld. In truth, she did not need

distances with Shadow Step. More than that, both of them could run much faster than

a few moments,

are you

seemed to have understood his meaning and shrugged with a faint

«Helps me feel human.»

Sunny tilted his head.

purpose for the masquerade that went beyond simple

actions seemed to go against such conventions… so, what did Nephis

though he could not see who

and fitted with sound isolation materials, so he

a

was thinking about one of our previous