Shadow Slave: Foreign shadow

Nephis had done it.

​She had laid it all bare. The pain, the sorrow, the hatred. She had expelled the venom she had harbored for years with a willpower that, looking back, seemed almost alien.

​And now, with an indomitable spirit and eyes ablaze with silver flames—a true testament to her boundless, stubborn resolve—Changing Star clenched her fists at her sides until her knuckles turned white. She looked at the three Sleepers before her, saying the fateful question: ”I want to destroy the Nightmare Spell. Now tell me, would you like to help me in my endeavor?”

​A brief, unfathomable, yet incredibly heavy silence followed.

​Even though Nephis had addressed the question to all three of them, the brilliant white fire of her eyes were locked squarely on the boy with ink-black hair and dark eyes.

​Sunless. Everlasting Gloom.

​’If I can just get him on my side,’ she reflected, her heart pounding relentlessly in her chest as she awaited his answer, ’then I feel I could truly make my goal a reality. If Sunny—someone who, like me, achieved the impossible and earned a True Name in his First Nightmare—stands by my side, I will succeed.’

​It wasn’t wishful thinking. It was instinct.

​Something deep inside her whispered that he was the key, the tipping point capable of reshuffling the deck of untouchable Fate.

​And now, Nephis and that very key were staring at each other. As Sunny’s dark eyes began to gleam, her silver-white ones flared in recognition. When his lips curved into a faint, spiteful smile, she bared her teeth in preemptive triumph. When he opened his mouth to speak, her heart stopped, straining to catch the frequency of the answer she knew he was going to give.

​’Yes!’

​”No...”

​’F***!!!’

​”...problem.”

​”...”

​Nephis blinked, shaking her head slightly to process what had just happened.

​”Sorry, what did you just say?” she asked.

​”I said no problem, Neph,” Sunny replied, his grin stretching wider than ever. Keeping his arms casually crossed over the backrest of his chair, he declared, ”I would love to help you in this noble endeavor of yours.” He announced it with the air of a benevolent sultan offering his patronage to a foolish peasant.

​Nephis tilted her head. ’Wait, no... why does it feel like he’s mocking me?’

​For some reason she couldn’t quite fathom, Changing Star felt her pride deeply wounded. A cocktail of annoyance and another, warmer feeling she couldn’t identify filled her chest. She felt a sudden urge to do something physical to this very nasty, no good shadow, though she wasn’t sure what.

​It was at that precise moment that Nephis experienced a mystical vision.

​Behind her, draped in a pitch-black cloak that could only belong to a Dark Lord, surrounded by a thick, sci-fi-esque fog of grey and red, appeared the phantom of her late grandmother. With a raspy, authoritative voice, the phantom bestowed a pearl of wisdom upon her. ”Throw him on the bed, little Neph,” she commanded. ”Throw him on the bed and show him who’s boss. The woman on top is the woman who rules.”

​Nephis felt the sweet, intoxicating pull of the Dark Side run down her spine. ’I can’t, there are other people here with us!’ she mentally protested, shaking her head, her cheeks violently flushed by the unbidden imagery.

​”Then let them bear witness to the might of the Immortal Flame!” replied Nephis’s grandmother, the spectral emissary of the dark forces.

It was then that a third voice, brimming with blunt honesty and scholarly wisdom, intruded upon the Nephilim’s daydream.

​> It was a tiny creature—a greenish cricket that looked straight out of a vintage cartoon, complete with a tuxedo, a walking cane, and a top hat comically too large for his head. >

​”Bring it on, you bite-sized, cheap prig!” the fearless grandmother retorted boldly, igniting a blade of intense, crackling red energy.

​Simultaneously, the Jiminy Cricket drew a vivid blue blade in response. A no-holds-barred clash commenced—a bloody battle that would reshape the destiny of galaxies for ages to come.

​”NEPH!”

​Nephis snapped back to reality, pulled from her bizarre hallucination by Sunny’s voice. She blinked rapidly. ”Sorry, Sunny, what did you just say?” she asked, fixing her gaze back on him.

​Sunny opened his mouth, scrutinizing her face for a moment before speaking, just to make sure she was fully anchored to reality. ”I said no problem, I’ll help you.”

​”Really?” Nephis said, still slightly dazed by the vision. Then the true weight of his words hit her, and a radiant smile blossomed across her face. ”Really?” she asked again, this time with immense, uncontained joy. ”You don’t think I’m crazy or out of my mind?”

​”Crazy?” Sunny pondered the value of the word, comparing its ontological meaning within the logic of this world to that of his past life. ”Meh! Maybe. But... I ask you, aren’t we all a little crazy in this world, or in the other?”

​Without understanding why, Nephis found herself blushing deeply at his words, though her smile remained.

​Following the shadow’s declaration, Yuki and Cassie—who had remained silent up until now—stepped forward.

​”If Sunny agrees... then I’m in too,” the Ice maiden declared, pausing mid-sentence due to her Flaw. The sweet, crystalline tone of her voice failed to mask the sheer brutishness of her true personality.

​Cassie looked down at her hands resting in her lap, finding them clenched into tight fists as if trying to strangle a part of herself—a weakness she desperately wanted to discard. Mustering her courage, she said, ”Me too. I know I’m just a burden, but you all have really helped me so much these past few days. So, if I can repay you in any way for everything you’ve done for me, I’m in!” The blind seer blurted it all out in a single breath.

​Nephis felt the crusted rust around her heart finally melt away after so long. Changing Star looked at Sunny’s mischievous, arrogant smile, Yuki’s cold but supportive gaze, and Cassie’s sightless eyes brimming with affection.

​And for the first time in a very long time, she no longer felt alone.

***

​If cursing dead gods were a sport, Sunny was about to turn it into an Olympic discipline.

​”What the hell do you mean you can’t go back to your rooms at this hour?!” Sunny protested.

​After a solid ten minutes of heartwarming words and determined gazes sealing the pact of this miserable cohort of misfits, he had been ready to wish the girls a good night, play the good host, and unlock his door to bid them farewell.

​That is, until the twisted mind of divine providence, the foul hands of Fate, and the heavy iron pipe of cosmic irony decided, once again, to strike him down.

​”Well... you see...” Cassie turned her head left and right, searching for the right words to explain. ”It’s the dead of night now. Plus, after what happened earlier with Caster, there’s a risk they might try to ambush you again, so it would be safer if we stayed together. And then... well, if someone were to see us sneaking out of your room in the middle of the night, certain... rumors might start spreading.” The blind seer blushed furiously at the last part, turning her head away in a vain attempt to hide her embarrassment.

​”She has a point,” Nephis nodded in agreement, completely oblivious to the real-world implications of spending the night in the bedroom of a teenage boy. ”If they decide to launch a retaliatory night attack, sleeping together would allow us to nip the threat in the bud.”

​Yuki said nothing. She simply nodded, perfectly embodying the phrase ”silence implies consent.” Her red lips, standing in stark contrast to her snow-white skin, curled into a clear sign of amusement as she watched him try to hide his rising panic behind a mask of controlled fury.

​And so, the legend of the ”Demon King of the Bedroom” lives on.

​At Cassie’s words, Sunny had to inhale slowly. ’One... Two... Three...’ While part of him wanted to protest and scream at the glaring holes in that logic, he couldn’t entirely rule out the possibility of an attack. However, there was another, far more pressing question tormenting him. ’Ten.’

​”I get that, but where exactly am I supposed to sleep? In the bathtub?” Sunny pointed out, throwing his arms wide to encompass the entire floor plan of his Academy dorm room, and specifically gesturing toward the single double bed—a piece of furniture definitively not designed for a four-player marathon.

​Nephis turned to face him, tilting her head slightly in genuine wonder. ”Why don’t you want to sleep with us, Sunny?” she asked, viewing his protest much like a child refusing to share a textbook with their deskmate.

​Exasperated by yet another display of Changing Star’s absolute lack of basic social knowledge regarding the opposite sex, Sunny furrowed his brow and let his arms drop to his sides in utter defeat. ”Neph, I literally gifted you a book on this exact subject no less than three days ago. Read it, Dumbling Star. Please, just read it!”

​Hearing yet another butchering of her True Name invented by the spiteful shadow, Nephis pouted. She tracked him with her eyes as he opened his closet, pulled out a spare blanket and a pillow, and inexorably retreated into the bathroom, where he would be spending the rest of the night.

​’Granny was right,’ the Nephilim concluded mentally. ’I should have thrown him on the bed and gotten on top of him.’

​But then, a thought suddenly struck her: what exactly was she supposed to do once she positioned herself on top of his body against the soft blankets?

​The answer, for her, remained a profound mystery.

***

​’Curse this world!’ Sunny already missed his beloved, spacious bed as he arranged the blankets and pillow inside the cold, narrow bathtub, preparing to spend the night.

​Gritting his teeth and swallowing curses vile enough to rouse the Forgotten God from his eternal slumber, he accepted his predicament with complete maturity and profound spiritual resignation.

​’CURSE THIS WORLD!’

​> the Jiminy Cricket chided, standing on his shoulder and patting the back of his head with fatherly pride. >

​’Shut up, or I swear I will use Serpent as a scalpel, excise the specific part of my brain that created you, and flush it down the toilet right behind me. I swear to the dead Gods I will!’

​While Sunny prepped his makeshift bed, weaving well-placed curses between his breaths, Thene sat in the corner of the bathroom. She had her knees pulled to her chest, her face turned toward the wall with the pitiful expression of a kicked puppy, aimlessly tracing circles on the floor tiles with her finger.

​Ever since her master had firmly—and rightfully—forbidden her from sleeping with him that night, she had been entirely inconsolable, devastated at the prospect of spending the night without her beloved Teddy bear to hug. Sunny hadn’t enjoyed scolding her, but how exactly were the two of them supposed to share a bathtub that barely had enough room for him alone? Not to mention, since Myriad Shade’s authority over shadows couldn’t surpass his own, he couldn’t even have her manifest a mattress of shadows on the spot. So, for tonight only, his faithful shadow would simply have to return to his Soul Sea.

​> the Jiminy Cricket suggested as Sunny punched his pillow a few times before wedging it against the sloped back of the tub.

​’Talk about what?’ Sunny asked, raising a bewildered eyebrow.

​> the Cricket balked, aghast. >

​At those words spoken by his Flaw, Sunny paused, drumming his fingers against the porcelain rim of the tub. Then, he sighed.

​’I know. I’m not an idiot. But that’s exactly why I agreed to humor her and aid her endeavor—for the time being, at least.’

​

As he smoothed out the blankets over what would be his miserable bed for the night, he continued analyzing the situation, ticking off points on a mental notepad.

​Nephis hadn’t simply lied; she had carefully blended truth and fiction, spinning it all into a credible narrative. Yuki and Cassie had almost certainly picked up on it too—they weren’t stupid, after all. The difference was that Sunny was a reincarnated reader who knew the original story from his past life, while they were not. Where he could spot the glaring inconsistencies in her story, the girls likely just assumed Nephis was withholding certain sensitive details and accepted the omissions as something she wasn’t still willing to share.

​Sunny’s mind went to work, sifting the truths from the half-lies. The death of Immortal Flame, the demise of his daughter Smile of Heaven, and the confinement of the Dreamspawn on the moon were all events that had occurred in the original timeline. The decline of the Immortal Flame Clan matched up too, though in this timeline, the clan had managed to stay afloat under the command of a Sovereign.

​Other things, however, simply didn’t add up.

For instance, how could a clan remain in decline when governed by the absolute authority of a Sovereign? Then again, maybe it wasn’t so implausible; if rival Domains offered tighter control over their subordinates and better standards of living, why would anyone choose the sinking ship?

​

But then, was it truly possible that every single elder of the clan was foolish enough to loot the clan’s treasures following the founder’s death without considering the catastrophic backlash?

​Furthermore, her explanations regarding the political and mercantile relationships between the Great Clans were full of holes. Even when she recounted how Broken Sword had supposedly decimated the elders after discovering their betrayal, Nephis hadn’t been telling the truth. Her shadow—normally radiant due to the [Flame of Divinity] and immaculate thanks to her lineage [the Fire]—had flared with dark spots of falsehood that her voice had carefully omitted.

​’There are too many missing puzzle pieces,’ Sunny concluded, fully sitting down on his porcelain ”bed.” ’I could sit here theorizing until tomorrow morning, but until I find out what’s actually pulling the strings, I have to play it smart.’

​’Besides,’ he reasoned, ’Nephis still knows absolutely nothing about the true nature of the Nightmare Spell. She has no idea how to actually destroy it, nor does she understand its true purpose. So, as long as she remains in the dark, she won’t risk causing too much damage—at least not until I become strong enough to kill Dream myself.’

​The Jiminy Cricket, who had been listening intently to his reasoning, nodded in approval. He was now sitting cross-legged on the edge of the tub, entirely decked out in a tiny set of striped pajamas.

> CLAP. He smacked his hands together once, then proceeded to rub them energetically like a child eager to tear into a birthday present. >

​Sunny didn’t need to be told twice.

​With his heart racing from excitement and a childlike smile creeping onto his usually serious face, he immediately opened his runes without a moment’s hesitation.

---

​Name: Sunless.

True Name: Everlasting Gloom.

Rank: Dreamer.

Class: Beast.

Shadow Core: [1/7].

Shadow Fragments: [192/1000].

​Memories: [Silver Bell], [Deplorable Dagger], [Puppeteer’s Shroud], [Crimson Cloak], [Hero’s Solace], [Travel Bag], [Flask of Greed], [Crystal Monocle], [Tear of Thunder], [Gruesome Grudge].

​Echoes: —

​Shadows: [Myriad Shade], [Soul Serpent].

---

​Sunny stared at his impressive collection of Memories—a vast arsenal by the standards of a normal Sleeper—and smiled with immense satisfaction. Jet hadn’t managed to procure the specific weapon he’d asked for to deal with a certain brain-scrambling tree, but considering the quality of what she had brought, he couldn’t really complain.

​

He immediately summoned the new Memories to take a closer look.

---

​Memory: [Traveler Bag].

Memory Rank: Awakened.

Memory Tier: I.

Memory Type: Tool.

Memory Enchantments: [Keeping Inventory].

Memory Description: [Men are born to travel, but never empty-handed.]

---

​The first Memory was an old, ochre-leather satchel sewn into the shape of a backpack. Its enchantment made the interior extremely spacious and preserved the items inside for long periods of time.

​Without him even asking, Jet had pre-filled it with sleeping bags, cookware, and first-aid kits for his upcoming expedition. The thoughtfulness shown by the fierce Soul Reaper made Sunny’s heart warm, and a tender smile tugged at his lips.

---

​Memory: [Flask of Greed].

Memory Rank: Awakened.

Memory Tier: III.

Memory Type: Tool.

Memory Enchantments: [Glutton].

Memory Description: [Once, a brave knight was saved by a fair maiden, but he did not return the favor when the opportunity arose.]

---

​This was a ceramic flask covered in a layer of fuzzy, tufted leather, complete with a strapped cap for transport. Its enchantment allowed it to store massive quantities of liquid, far exceeding its actual physical capacity, and purify it as well.

​It was somewhat redundant, given that Cassie already possessed the [Endless Spring], which provided an effectively infinite supply of drinking water. But, given how Fate had been playing dirty tricks on Sunny over the last few days, it was wise to have a backup plan.

---

​Memory: [Crystal Monocle].

Memory Rank: Dormant.

Memory Tier: I.

Memory Type: Tool.

Memory Enchantments: [I see you!].

Memory Description: [Just a simple, delicious, and harmless Crystal Monocle. Heh! Heh!]

---

​Of all the Memories Sunny had asked Jet to track down, this was likely the most important. Though the description was cryptic, the enchantment guaranteed that whoever wore this monocle over their right eye would perceive their surroundings in three dimensions.

​It wasn’t necessary for him, but it would be vital for a certain blind seer. This Memory was for Cassie.

​The strange thing, however, was what Jet had told him: when she went looking for it at the market, a tall, slender young man—dressed elegantly in green and wearing a monocle over his right eye—had simply gifted it to her, presenting himself as a pious and altruistic soul. Jet later discovered that he was a suspicious character who went around gifting monocles left and right for some unknown, absurd reason.

​’Some people really belong in an asylum,’ Sunny thought, shaking his head to banish the image of the stranger while setting the Crystal Monocle aside to focus on the last two new Memories.

---

​Memory: [Tear of Thunder].

Memory Rank: Awakened.

Memory Tier: I.

Memory Type: Weapon.

Memory Enchantments: [Electric Net].

Memory Description: [The proud son of the skies once dared to defy the gods of the underworld. His pride cost him dearly; bitter tears flowed from his immaculate face, shedding for the heartbreaking regret of his actions that tormented him. Drops of water containing the will of lightning and the storm.]

​-

​Memory: [Gruesome Grudge].

Memory Rank: Awakened.

Memory Tier: I.

Memory Type: Weapon.

Memory Enchantments: [Poison of Grudge].

Memory Description: [One must always pay their debts, especially those of blood.]

---

​The first was a white wooden arrow, its tip encased in a glass ampoule where a faint spark of yellow energy could be seen dancing. The second was a thin, metallic arrow-like rod that seemed to hold a lethal poison at its tip.

​Both were ammunition that Sunny could have Thene use with a bow made of shadows for covering fire. The former dealt area-of-effect damage by trapping a group of enemies in a dense electric net; the latter would poison a single target until they were completely weakened.

​It was the perfect strategy. Now, Sunny had covering fire, an extra stockpile of drinking water, medical kits, survival gear, weapons, armor, and knowledge. He was ready. All that remained was to accumulate as much knowledge as possible in the remaining Wilderness Survival lessons with Professor Julius before the Winter Solstice and continuing to practice the Shadow Dance.

​Of course, these weren’t all the Memories he had requested. But considering the prices, the rarity, and the constant demand for such specific items, the beautiful Ascended had done an excellent job.

​Satisfied and exhausted from the day, Sunny dismissed the summoned Memories, recalling them into his Soul Sea. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, bidding goodnight to the imaginary creature generated by his Flaw, and to Myriad Shade who, unable to physically sleep with her master this time, had decided to doze off within his shadow to feel his warmth.

***

Meanwhile, in the bedroom, Nephis, Yuki, and Cassie were sound asleep, sharing the large double bed.

​Hours passed in quiet tranquility until, in the dead of night, Cassie slowly stirred. She woke up with a terribly dry, scratchy throat. Still half-asleep and heavily wrapped in the fog of slumber, her mind defaulted to its usual routine. Her Flaw already rendered her blind, so navigating in the dark was no different than navigating during the day, but her sleepy brain completely forgot one crucial detail: she wasn’t in her own room.

​Slowly sitting up, she slipped out of the bed and pressed a delicate hand against the wall to orient herself. She began to walk with the sluggish, unsteady shuffle of someone who was barely conscious, trying to find her bathroom to get a glass of water.

​Because the layout of the room was completely different, she struggled more than usual. Her hands brushed against unfamiliar furniture and strange corners, but in her drowsy state, she simply brushed it off. Finally, her fingers found the cold metal of a doorknob. She turned it, pushed the door open, and stepped inside.

​Assuming the sink was just a few steps ahead, she shuffled forward—only for her foot to catch on the elevated edge of the porcelain tub.

​Cassie tripped.

​She braced herself for a painful impact against the hard tiles, but miraculously, she landed on something incredibly soft that completely muffled both her fall and the sound.

​Panting softly, she used her left arm to support her weight, keeping her knees bent, while her right hand instinctively reached out to figure out what she had just landed on.

Her slender fingers brushed against something strange. It was soft at first, but as she absentmindedly stroked it a couple of times, for some inexplicable reason, it slowly began to grow firmer and significantly longer beneath her touch.

​A sudden, low grunt and a sleepy mumble rumbled from directly beneath her.

​In that exact fraction of a second, Cassie’s drowsy brain executed a violent reboot.

​The unfamiliar layout. The bathtub. The mumble. The realization hit her like a runaway train: she was in Sunny’s room, she had just fallen into the bathtub on top of his sleeping body, and the thing she had been stroking was...

​”Mmmh!” Cassie turned a shade of red that defied the laws of human biology.

​She jerked her hand away from the newly hardened ”object” as if she had just touched a hot stove. Panic seized her throat. Trying to be as silent as a ghost, she attempted to push herself up and sneak away. She blindly reached her right hand forward to balance herself, but her knuckles hovered just inches from Sunny’s face. She could feel the steady, warm rhythm of his breath ghosting over her skin.

​She held her breath, praying to the dead Gods she hadn’t woken him.

​But before she could retreat, Sunny’s right arm shot out. Acting entirely on sleep-deprived muscle memory—perhaps mistaking her for Thene seeking warmth in the freezing tub—he wrapped his arm around her waist and firmly pulled her against his chest.

​Cassie gasped silently, suddenly trapped in an inescapable embrace.

​Her mind was racing, completely overwhelmed by agitation. She was terrified that Sunny might wake up, realize what she had just done, and get angry—or worse, think she had crawled into his makeshift bed on purpose!

​But as she lay frozen against him, she felt the slow, harmonious rhythm of his breathing rustling against her golden hair. She realized, to her immense luck—or perhaps profound misfortune—that he was still completely, deeply asleep.

​Desperate to escape before he woke up, Cassie began to squirm. Moving up and down, left and right, she wriggled with the frantic, pathetic energy of a tiny hamster hopelessly stuck between the bars of its cage. However, her desperate struggle proved to be a terrible mistake. Because of her writhing, that specific, stiff problem she had accidentally awakened was now pressing rather insistently against her from behind.

​Every tiny movement sent a jolt of pure mortification straight to her brain. Her heart was beating so wildly it threatened to burst from her chest. The boy’s heat enveloped her, and his faint, clean scent—something almost vacuous but oddly comforting—filled her senses

.

​After a few more minutes of fruitless struggling, Cassie finally gave up.

​Demoralized and entirely resigned to her fate, she slumped her shoulders. Her expression was a tragic mix of utter mortification and helpless defeat.

​But as the panic slowly began to recede, other sensations took over. She noticed the gentle, even sound of Sunny’s breathing. She felt the steady, reassuring drumbeat of his heart against her back. And, despite the freezing temperature of the bathroom floor, the embrace holding her was incredibly, wonderfully warm.

​Slowly, carefully, Cassie shifted her weight, turning around in his grasp to face him, even though she couldn’t see him.

​Tentatively, she reached out, wrapping her own delicate arms around his torso, and gently rested her head against his chest.

​’It’s warm,’ she thought, a small, involuntary smile gracing her lips.

​Lulled by the rhythm of his heartbeat and enveloped in the safety of his arms, her racing consciousness slowly powered down. Within moments, the blind seer fell peacefully asleep, resting comfortably in the arms of the Shadow.