Shadow Slave

The slum dweller pressed his finger against his lips and hissed in exasperation:

"Take that back! Are you crazy?"

Sunny blinked.

"What? No. Well, I was crazy for a while. But now I am not."

The young man looked at him with doubt and shook his head:

"Still, don't jinx yourself. Do you at least have a Memory to keep you safe?"

The question of arming themselves was a big problem for Neph's followers. More than half of them didn't have a Memory armor or a weapon, having to make do with mundane armaments fashioned out of anything that was at hand. It was one of the reasons why fighting against the Guards and the Hunters was so hard for them.

The other guy, the one who used to pay tribute, sighed and call out to his friend:

"Have you lost your mind? You are talking to a member of Lady Nephis's personal cohort. Of course he has Memories."

With that, both of them looked down on their own makeshift swords.

These two were among those who wielded Black Claws, blades made out of the talons of the Spire Messenger Sunny and the rest had killed. Their bases were wrapped with leather, allowing a person to use the long curved talon as a weapon.

Considering that these talons came from a Fallen Monster, as far as weapons went, they were some of the best. Wielding them efficiently was not an easy task, though.

The slum dweller grimaced.

"Right. Damn! I am proud to wield one of the Black Claws, don't get me wrong. But if each of us had a proper set of Memories… those bastards wouldn't be picking us off one by one anymore, that's for sure."

Sunny looked at him with a complicated expression. Then, he smiled.

"A good Memory can change a lot, that's true."

As soon as he turned around, the smile disappeared from his face.

'...It's not going to save your lives, though. All of you are just walking corpses.'

With that, he left the two Sleepers behind, climbed over the barricade, and left.

Nevertheless, they were right. The lack of Memories was a big problem.

…Sunny walked through the shadows, moving deeper and deeper into the belly of the ancient citadel. The Bright Castle was enormous in size and had countless twisting corridors. Some were comparatively easy to navigate, while some followed no apparent logic. There were tall towers connected by aerial bridges and deep dungeons full of darkness and danger.

There were humans with murder in their hearts prowling these corridors, as well as much more terrifying things. Disturbing sounds sometimes echoed through the stone halls, making Sunny stop and frown.

A couple of times, he decided to hide to avoid being noticed by the patrols of the Guards or the Hunters. Following in their wake, he stumbled on a few fresh bodies and regretted not killing those bastards when he had the chance.

Half an hour later, Sunny was somewhere under the main keep of the Castle, moving through a dark corridor with careful steps. It was then then that he heard the sounds of a struggle coming from beyond the next turn.

'...Ugh, what a bother.'

Hesitating for a bit, he made the turn and witnessed a scene that was typical in the ancient citadel these days.

One human was trying to kill another.

In this case, it was a burly Guard that seemed vaguely familiar. The large man was pressing someone small and skinny to the wall, strangling them with gauntleted hands. A broken oil lantern was burning on the floor, making the shadows of the two struggling people seem large and menacing.

The Guard's face had four deep scratches on it, which were oozing blood. It was contorted in an expression of rage and dark delight. The face of his victim, meanwhile, was slowly turning blue.

It was a petite young woman with dark hair and brown eyes, which were currently full of pain and despair.

Just a few moments before she lost consciousness, though, a hand appeared from the darkness and slid a strange transparent dagger across the Guard's throat. Hot blood shot into the air, and he fell to the ground with a horrified, gurgling sound.

The young woman staggered and drew in a hoarse breath, rubbing her bruised neck. A few moments later, she looked up and cautiously studied her savior.

It was a very pale, slender young man with a youthful face and dark, strangely magnetic eyes. Currently, he was wiping his dagger on the sleeve of his armor and staring at the dying Guard with an indifferent expression.

In fact, he was disturbingly nonchalant, not at all like someone who had just killed another human being. There was neither disgust and fear nor delight and triumph on his face, just… nothing at all.

It was the face of a cold-blooded killer.

Turning to her, the young man smiled:

"Uh… you're Aiko, right?"

Sunny looked the young woman over, making sure that she wasn't seriously wounded. He knew her a bit from his days in the Castle. Back then, she had been one of the few people who were able to pay tribute without worrying about making enough shards to do so the next week.

She owned the only gambling den in the Dark City, which automatically made her establishment popular among the members of the Host. But it was also the reason why many of them harbored resentment toward the tiny girl.

Aiko cautiously nodded. Usually, there were mischievous sparks in her eyes, but right now, there was nothing but subdued fear. Sunny dismissed the Moonlight Shard and said in a friendly tone:

"Nice to meet you. I'm Sunny."

The young woman stared at him for a bit, and then said:

"You're one of Changing Star's men, right?"

He grimaced.

"I'm no one's man. I'm completely my own. But yes, currently, Nephis is my… employer, I guess."

Aiko hesitated and said in a polite and pleasant voice:

"I see… well, Sunny. Thank you for saving my skin. I'll be going then."

Sunny grinned.

"Oh, I'm sorry… did I say that you can go? I think not. In fact, I must insist that you stay."

Aiko glanced at the corpse of the Guard, then back at the pale young man. Did she imagine it or were there slight hints of madness in his eyes now?

"Ah, why didn't you say so! If you want me to stay, then I will definitely stay. It will be my pleasure, really. But, uh, Sunny… why exactly did you want me to stay?"

He scratched the back of his head and answered after a bit of a pause:

"Oh, I'm glad that you asked. You see, I am trying to hunt down a big one. And I thought that you would be able to help…"