Shadow Slave

...Sunny waited for a moment, then slowly straightened and looked around.

The Chain Breaker was laying on white sand, tilted awkwardly. It had shattered the side of a black cliff and was now leaning on it, preventing the ship from turning over. They had gotten lucky despite the blind landing.

The fog was still there, obscuring the world, but it had become less thick. Sunny could make out the figure of Saint standing still on the bow of the grounded vessel, as well as more cliffs rising high above them. It seemed that Nephis had guided the Chain Breaker to a small sand beach at the very edge of the island.

Neph herself was leaning heavily on the steering oars, drained of essence. Sunny grimaced.

'It was inevitable, but we should be careful not to receive any serious wounds. She won't be able to heal us any time soon.'

Nephis, meanwhile, had already regained her composure.

"I'm fine. I can still put up a fight."

'Well, of course you can. I have no doubt about that.'

After exchanging a few words with them, Cassie used the Guiding Light to make it point in the direction where Effie supposedly was.

'Or her lifeless body... or something else entirely.'

Sunny couldn't suppress his anxiety anymore. He scowled and took a step forward, ready to leap down to the beach.

'That gluttonous woman... she'd better be alive. Or else... or else I'll be very cross with her.'

Jumping over the railing, he plummeted down and landed on the sand. A moment later, Nephis was by his side. Saint and Fiend landed with a bit more noise than the two of them, and lastly, Nightmare leaped from the deck of the ship, carrying Cassie on his back.

The six of them remained motionless for a few moments, listening to the silence of Wind Flower.

There were no sounds around them, no movement. Only the soft white sand and the black cliffs faintly visible in the fog. A piece of rock fell from the shattered crag and rolled down, the noise both dampened and made louder by the mist. It echoed, making them tense.

Feeling very uncomfortable because of how suppressed both his vision and shadow sense were, Sunny took a step forward.

...As he did, a human figure suddenly revealed itself from the murky veil of the fog.

He flinched and tensed, ready to attack, but then froze.

Black eyes, porcelain skin... the Sin of Solace looked at him contemptuously and spat:

"Gods. This again! I'm so sick of it..."

Sunny gritted his teeth and walked past the damned sword wraith...

But then he lingered for a moment.

Suddenly, a strange sense of déjà vu overcame him.

'Huh...'

Why did he feel as if the Sin of Solace was supposed to say something else?

Shaking his head, Sunny ignored the loathsome apparition and headed straight for the cliffs.

...Less than an hour later, he was writhing on the ground, overwhelmed by unbearable agony. His lightless soul was mutilated and slowly falling apart.

As Sunny arduously rose to one knee, a cold gaze pierced him from above.

'No, no, no...'

Then, a ghostly blade pierced his chest.

Sunny died.

***

...Sunny waited for a moment, then slowly straightened and looked around.

The Chain Breaker was laying on white sand, tilted awkwardly. Nephis was leaning heavily on the steering oars, utterly drained of essence.

'We should be careful not to get wounded until she recovers some essence.'

She straightened slowly and said in a tired voice:

"I'm fine. I can still put up a fight."

'Well, of course you can. You're Changing Star of the Immortal Flame clan."

They exchanged a few words with Cassie, who then used the Guiding Light to point them in the direction where Effie was supposed to be. Soon, Sunny jumped down to the beach, followed by the rest of his companions.

'That gluttonous woman... she'd better be alive. Or else... or else I'll be very cross with her.'

Feeling vulnerable in the swirling mist, he scowled and took a step forward.

...As he did, a human figure suddenly revealed itself from the murky veil of the fog.

Sunny flinched and tensed, ready to attack, but then froze.

Black eyes, porcelain skin... the Sin of Solace was glaring at him without even trying to conceal his hatred.

"You are such a pathetic, odious, revolting coward. Just die already, die... gods, this is unbearable!"

Sunny gritted his teeth and walked past the damned sword wraith, heading for the cliffs. He was suddenly overcome by a strange sense of déjà vu.

'Weird... what did that bastard say?'

Banishing the thought of the damnable sword wraith from his head, he continued forward.

Soon after, a ghostly blade pierced his chest.

Sunny died in agony.

***

...Sunny waited for a moment, then slowly straightened and looked around.

The Chain Breaker was laying on white sand, tilted awkwardly. Nephis was leaning on the steering oars, utterly drained of essence...

A minute or two later, he jumped down to the beach and headed to the cliffs. As he did, a pale apparition suddenly appeared from the mist, scaring him.

The Sin of Solace laughed.

"Damn, damn... it was fun at the start, but now I've already lost count..."

Ignoring the odious wraith, Sunny continued walking. He was suddenly overwhelmed by a strange sense of déjà vu but dismissed it.

Not long after that, his soul was destroyed by the ruthless blade of Undying Slaughter.

***

...Sunny waited for a moment, then slowly straightened and looked around.

...Sunny waited for a moment, then slowly straightened and looked around.

...Sunny waited for a moment, then slowly straightened and looked around.

He died in agony.

He died in agony.

He died in agony.

He died.

***

The Chain Breaker was laying on white sand, tilted awkwardly. Nephis was leaning on the steering oars, utterly drained of essence.

After Cassie used the Guiding Light to point them in the direction where Effie was supposed to be, Sunny jumped down to the beach and headed toward the cliffs.

As he did, a pale apparition appeared from the mist and scared him.

The Sin of Solace glared at him silently, not saying anything.

'What is up with that bastard?'

Ignoring the loathsome wraith, Sunny walked past and advanced cautiously through the fog. A strange sense of déjà vu suddenly overwhelmed him but he dismissed it.

'Slow and steady... slow and steady...'

However, something was still gnawing on his mind.

Scowling, Sunny stopped, lingered for a few moments, and turned around.

"Hey, you. Weren't you going to say something?"

Nephis looked at him with a hint of surprise.

"Are you talking to your sword?"

Sunny nodded and continued staring at the Sin of Solace, who silently glared at him back.

'Why do I feel so strange?'

He remained motionless for a while, his expression growing darker. Eventually, Sunny uttered a curse and shook his head.

"Hold on. I... I think something is not right..."