Shadow Slave

Standing on the battlement and peering into the cold darkness beyond, Sunny had a contemplative expression on his face. The wind smelled of snow as it played with his black hair, which had grown a bit too long by now. Pale moonlight permeated the air, failing to reach the ravaged land.

Winter and Dale were sitting nearby, leaning on alloy parapet of the wall and sharing a flask. The two captains seemed calm — one in her usual relaxed manner, the other solemn and staid. As the contents of the flask ran out, Winter sighed and looked at Sunny.

"You seem terribly serious today."

He lingered for a moment, then shrugged.

"Just thinking about stuff."

She did not press, content to rest with her eyes hidden behind the cracked sunglasses.

Sunny felt strangely thoughtful after his conversation with Saint Tyris.

He was not sure that he agreed with her uncompromising views, but there was one thing Sky Tide had said that was unquestionably true.

Life was, indeed, unpredictable.

Take his own relationship with the steely Saint… Sunny did not know Saint Tyris very well, or share any of her principles, but he found himself respecting the stern Transcendent a great deal. He liked Master Roan, too. The three of them even shared some history.

Several years ago, Sunny had held nothing but contempt toward Legacies. He had regarded them as arrogant, dangerous, and hateful people, someone who did not deserve the unfair privileges bestowed upon them by nothing except for birthright. Who would have thought that he would come to value and admire some of them, one day?

Take Cassie, too…

When she surrendered his secret to Nephis on the Forgotten Shore, Sunny had thought that it was the darkest moment of his life. And yet, if she had not made that choice, he would have stayed behind a Sleeper. Sunny had no way of knowing if he would have survived the same journey Changing Star had.

What he did know, though, was that Rain would have been dead if not for his return. If Sunny had not been there to hold back the tide of Nightmare Creature advancing on her school, his sister would have been ripped apart by the rampaging abominations.

There were too many instances like that to count.

...Life was unpredictable, and no one could predict the twists and turns of fate… except for Weaver, perhaps. Even oracles like Cassie could only see glimpses of it, blind to the context and powerless to change the outcome.

So where did it leave him?

'The same place where I started, I guess.'

An ignorant fool struggling against something he could not even comprehend.

Antarctica, at least, was terribly straightforward…

With a sigh, Sunny moved strands of hair away from his eyes and sat down near Winter and Dale. His hands were aching for a simple fight.

"How much more do we have to wait, dammit?"

Dale peeked at him with a smile so faint that it was almost nonexistent.

"Rest while you can. You'll be regretting that this calm did not last longer, very soon."

Sunny grimaced and looked away, staring at a squad of soldiers that marched by. The soldiers were acting a bit strange, sticking painstakingly to the better illuminated parts of the battlement and hastening their steps in the darker areas. Their faces were glum and nervous.

He frowned.

"What's up with them?"

Winter turned her head slightly, studying the soldiers.

"Huh? Haven't you heard the rumors?"

Sunny thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"What rumors?"

The Ascended archer chuckled.

"You should really come out of your APC more often, you know? Well, anyway… there are a lot of scary stories spreading among the refugees these days, one more nonsensical than the other. The latest story is that there is a shadow wraith stalking the city, hiding somewhere in the darkness. Apparently, it lures people away from light, never to be seen again."

She took a deep breath and then added in a more somber tone:

"...Although, maybe there's some truth to that one. Soldiers are not usually easily spooked, but as you can see, they are on edge. Too many disappearances lately."

Sunny frowned. In a city of two hundred million, there were bound to be some disappearances… especially with the Nightmare Spell infecting people left and right. However, he felt concerned. A shadow wraith… that was right up his alley, no?

There could also be a different explanation for the increased number of disappearances. The Terror of LO49 was known to start its meals in just that manner.

In any case, he sensed some unease.

"A shadow creature… I don't know. They're extremely rare. I only ever met one in the wild, and even that was inside a Nigthmare. I'm not sure if any survive to this day."

Well, there was that one little bastard who got a chunk of his flesh. Did Scavengers need to devour a corpse to inherit new abilities, or would any piece of flesh suffice? What were the chances of the vile gremlin developing an affinity to shadows?

Dale simply shrugged.

"If there is something strange going on, Army Command should already be investigating. Since we weren't officially informed, either the rumors are baseless, or the incidents are not serious enough to inform the Irregulars. Regardless, we should concentrate on the task at hand."

As if on cue, there was the sound of light steps, and Master Jet approached from further along the wall. The members of her cohort — now fewer than before — followed.

She looked around briefly, then said:

"I've just received the word. Roan and his people are approaching. The Devouring Cloud is in a frenzy… do not know what they did, but it worked. Prepare yourself."

The rest of the defending force seemed to have got the same news. All along the southern stretch of the wall, a flurry of activity commenced. Soldiers were checking their weapons for the last time, Awakened were summoning their Memories, rail gun crews were hurriedly finishing maintenance procedures and hauling crates of tungsten rounds closer to the feeding mechanisms.

Thousands of turrets came alive, turning their twin barrels toward the sky.

Sunny rose and stretched, breathing in the cold winter air.

Looking at the members of his cohort, he grinned.

"Same arrangement as the last time. Hopefully, no Ga… actually, never mind. I'm not saying it aloud. Just do well, and do not die."