Shadow Slave

Sunny flinched as the sound of shattering mirrors filled his ears. No one else seemed to react to it, though — and a moment later, as the cracked piece of glass in Master Pierce's hand exploded into a rain of shards, the sound abruptly disappeared.

The fearsome man shuddered.

"No…"

'What is happening?!'

Sunny took a step back. Things were happening too fast, and he couldn't comprehend the situation yet. All he knew was that his heart was cold, and his mind was overwhelmed by a premonition of something ominous, dreadful, and disastrous happening.

He had been fooled… he had made a mistake!

Cassie shifted slightly, tilting her head with a tense and confused expression.

In the next moment, Pierce swiftly turned to the sentinel, his face still pale and terrified, but now also full of grim resolve. His voice, which had been so confident just a few moments ago, now sounded panicked:

"Seal the temple! Destroy the Gateway! Go, now! We can't… we can't let that thing escape…"

Sunny's eyes widened.

'D… destroy the Gateway?! What the hell does he mean?!'

And what thing he was talking about?

The sentinel didn't seem to have these questions. Pierce's terror had spread to him like an infection, but the man simply nodded and darted out of the room without letting fear slow him down.

Cassie took a step back to let him pass, then asked tensely:

"Sir Pierce? What is going on?"

As though reminded of their presence, the Master turned around and threw a dark, menacing look at Sunny.

"...You!"

His voice shook with barely suppressed fury.

'Crap…'

Sunny thought about summoning the Cruel Sight, but before he could even move, the tall man was already beside him, grabbing him by the shoulder. If it wasn't for the Bone Weave, Sunny's clavicle might have cracked from the terrible pressure.

With his other hand, Pierce grabbed Cassie, causing her to yelp in pain.

"I'll deal with two of you later… there's no time…"

Next thing Sunny knew, they were being dragged out of the room. He threw a regretful glance at the pile of his belongings that was left laying on the table, stared at the Covetous Coffer for a moment, and then turned away.

'What to do, what to do…'

The situation was clearly out of his control now. Mordret has done something… had manipulated him to do something… and now, the whole Citadel was on high alarm and furious with Sunny. Whatever it was that the mysterious prince had used Sunny to achieve, it was bad enough to terrify a Master and justify the irrevocable destruction of a precious Gateway.

So, there were two questions.

'Should I try to fight my way out? And… should I also be terrified of the thing that Mordret unleashed?'

Suddenly, another thought occurred to Sunny.

'Or is… is Mordret himself that thing?'

His heart grew even colder.

There was not enough information to answer the second question, but the first one was rather easy. Sunny was strong, but not nearly strong enough to fight two Masters and a hundred deadly elites, especially not on their home ground. Plus, both he and Cassie had status… even a great clan wouldn't dare to make them disappear without proper cause.

'I... I need more information first. Let's see how this plays out and make a move if the circumstances demand it…'

So, he didn't struggle as Master Pierce dragged them into the corridor.

Outside the small room, the Citadel that had been peaceful and somber before was not in a state of pandemonium. Several Lost darted past them, their shadows dancing on the black walls in the orange glow of the ornate oil lamps.

Sunny could see motion and sense hurried, but orderly movement in every direction. Unlike before, each inhabitant of the temple was now clad in armor and wielded deadly weapons. They were swift and disciplined, like professional soldiers that were preparing for war.

And there was an army of them.

But, despite all that…

Was it nervousness he felt behind the facade of calmness the Lost showed?

Master Pierce shouted at one of the sentinels, ordering him to stop, then pushed Sunny and Cassie toward the man.

"Lock these two up in the lesser cell!"

Sunny wanted to express his outrage, but before he could, the whole temple suddenly shuddered. A few moments later, a deafening soundwave rolled through the corridor.

'The gates… they have closed them…'

But it wasn't as simple as that. Since they were still in the outward ring of the Citadel, his shadow sense had been somewhat able to reach into the emptiness beyond its outer wall. But as soon as the gates closed, that changed, as though the temple was now completely cut off from the outside world.

It was now sealed… with them inside…

The sentinel silently grabbed the two of them and dragged them away. Staggering and trying not to fall, Sunny threw a glance behind his shoulder.

The last thing he saw was a woman with beautiful red hair appearing before the fearsome Master. She wore a simple black tunic and leather vambraces, her shins protected by a pair of greaves. The woman's face was grim and full of tension.

"...Pierce! What the Spell happened?!"

A moment later, the two disappeared behind a turn of the corridor.

'This must be Master Welthe…'

The Lost swiftly dragged them through the disorienting maze of corridors and stairs. They were descending lower and lower, most likely heading toward one of the cathedral's belfries. His expression was dark and severe, and for a good reason — everywhere they passed through, the inhabitants of the Night Temple were busy preparing for battle. It was as though they were expecting to face a terrifying siege…

The threat, however, didn't seem to be coming from the outside. Instead, most of the Lost were rushing deeper into the temple, toward its inner sanctum.

…It wasn't long before they heard screams.

The sound traveled through the confusing interior of the cathedral in a strange manner, so it was hard to say from which direction the screams came. They seemed distant, and yet, Sunny couldn't help but feel his blood run cold.

These chilling wails were full of indescribable agony and terror… he knew the type too well. These were the screams that humans let out when they were not only horribly hurt, but also maimed, knowing that their lives were either over or would never be the same.

The sentinel in charge of them stopped for a moment. His face grew ashen, and without saying a word, he continued to drag them toward a heavy metal door at the end of a long corridor.

The Lost used an elaborate key to open the door, and then pushed them inside.

Sunny and Cassie found themselves in a circular chamber that had a tall ceiling… or rather, a tall floor, since it was built in reverse. The domed ceiling of the chamber was actually beneath their feet, sloping down like a deep crater.

In the center of the cell, a large iron cage stood, each bar of it as thick as a man's arm. Strange runes were inscribed all around the cage, circling it entirely.

'What the…'

A moment later, the sentinel unceremoniously pushed them both in the backs, causing Sunny and Cassie to roll down the slope of the dome and through the door of the cage, which he then promptly closed.

It locked with a loud click, cutting their way to freedom.

'No way...'

Sunny rose to his feet, turned around, and watched as the Lost left the room and shut the door behind him.

For a few moments, they were left in absolute silence. The room was dark, with only a single oil lamp burning on the wall near the exit. Its orange flame trembled and danced, barely managing to keep the shadows at bay.

Sunny gritted his teeth, then kicked the iron bars with all his might and screamed in anger and frustration:

"Damn it! Damn it all"

Behind him, Cassie slowly stood up, then swayed a little.

"Sunny…"

He turned to her and snarled:

"What?!"

The blind girl grimaced.

"Something… something is wrong. I feel…"

Sunny stared at her for a few moments, then blinked and looked outside the cage.

...The runes surrounding it were slowly starting to emanate an eerie, dangerous blue glow.