Shadow Slave

With a bit of disappointment, Sunny realized that all types of physical activities were out of the question. Not only because Effie was going to win every damn game, but also because Cassie couldn’t participate in most.

If that was the case, they would have to settle for a battle of wit, instead.

After thinking for a while, he made a few preparations and addressed his companions in a mischievous tone:

“Alright, let’s have another competition. This time, it will be a challenge for your minds.”

Sunny paused for a few moments and then smiled.

“And to spice things up, this time, there will be a prize. The winner will get this!”

With that, he produced the ascended soul shard that he had gotten from the Corpse Eater from behind his back and showed it to everyone. The beautiful crystal shined with an alluring, ethereal light.

Except for Nephis, who was resting with her eyes closed, everyone stared at the shard with a lot of interest. Sunny grinned.

Of course, they were interested! It was very rare to see one of these, after all.

He didn’t really have a use for this thing right now, though. And making the cohort stronger would, in turn, increase his own chances of getting through the expedition alive. So parting with the shard was not that detrimental.

Especially if he could have some fun in return.

Effie was the first one to speak:

“What are the terms of the competition?”

Sunny put the crystal away before answering:

“It’s really simple. I’ll give you a riddle, and the first person to answer correctly wins. How does that sound?”

The huntress looked at him with doubt and shrugged.

“Sounds boring. But alright, let’s play.”

Smiling, Sunny commanded the shadow to separate from him and put the Ordinary Rock on it. Then, he turned to Effie and said:

“Listen carefully. Imagine if you will that the two of us, my shadow and I, are in possession of a rare treasure. One of us is an honorable, extremely attractive Awakened that can tell no lie, while the other one is a vile, ugly, stupid devil that would never tell a word of truth. But you don’t know which one is which.”

Effie grinned.

“I mean… isn’t it obvious?”

Sunny blinked.

“Shut up! Also, it’s an imaginary situation. Okay? Anyway, you have to find out which one of us is hiding the treasure. If you do, you’ll get the treasure. If you don’t, the devil will kill you. You can only ask one question, either to me or the shadow. Understand?”

The huntress giggled and flexed her muscles.

“Can I just beat the answer out of you?”

Sunny observed her vigorous figure for a moment too long, and then smiled.

“You can. Also, you’re dead.”

Effie stared at him in bewilderment.

“What? Why?!”

He shrugged and glanced in her direction with disdain.

“Did I not tell you that you can only ask one question? Well who told you to ask whether you can beat me up or not? What a stupid way to waste a question!”

ᴘ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀ ɴ ᴏᴠᴇʟ While the unruly was huntress was throwing daggers at him with her eyes, Sunny turned away and said:

“Next!”

Kai smiled apologetically at Effie and approached him.

“Alright, Night. What’s your question? Do consider that our roles might have changed since the last round.”

The charming young man gestured at the marble beneath his feet and addressed the shadow:

“What color is the stone I am pointing to?”

Since Sunny had expected such a turn of events, the Ordinary Rock immediately answered in the deepest voice he could muster.

“…White.”

Kai looked at Sunny with a triumphant smile and said:

“So… I win? The shadow is obviously the honorable Awakened.”

Sunny gave him a nod.

“You indeed learned which one of us is a dirty liar. Surprise… it was me. However, that was not the task. The task was to find out which one of us is hiding the treasure, and you have already used up your only question. So… sorry, buddy, but you’re also dead. I’ll miss you very much! In this hypothetical situation…”

The charming archer sighed and looked at him with reproach. Sunny raised his eyebrows.

“What? Why are you looking at me like this? Be grateful that I allowed you to play at all! With your Flaw, you are like a walking cheat as far as this game is concerned.”

He scowled, then added:

“In fact, the mere fact that you claim to have a Flaw is an affront to us, truly Flawed people!”

Kai lingered for a bit and walked to the side to sit near Effie. Sunny had to suppress his laugh when he noticed that the boisterous huntress reacted to being this close to the charming young man’s deific body pretty much exactly the same as he himself sometimes reacted to her.

‘Get your head out of the gutter! Pure thoughts, Effie!’

A wide grin still found its way onto his face. Shaking his head, Sunny turned away to call the next contestant, but Kai suddenly spoke, interrupting him:

“You’re not entirely right, you know,” he said gently.

Sunny raised an eyebrow.

“About what?”

The archer looked down before answering.

“About my Flaw. Yes, it is not as heavy of a burden as many others have to carry. But it’s still a curse.”

‘What is he talking about? It’s almost entirely like a second Aspect Ability!’

Looking at Kai with a doubtful expression, Sunny asked:

“Yeah? How, exactly? Please explain, because I really can’t think of a situation where this Flaw of yours could be a burden.”

The beautiful young man was silent for a while, and then looked up at Sunny with a sad smile.

“Imagine hearing the person who is the most important to you in the whole wide world telling you that they love you, only to realize that they don’t. Imagine listening to your friend’s words of encouragement, only to understand that he secretly wishes for you to crash and burn…”

He sighed.

“Ignorance is bliss, Sunny. After returning from my First Nightmare, I had to come to terms with the fact that most of the people in my life were not who I thought they were. And that what hid behind their smiles was ugly and vicious.”

Kai gestured to himself and said:

“Because of who I am… and how I am… there was always a whirlpool of people around me. But after learning their true faces, I couldn’t… well. Let’s just say that, if I had the choice, I would have preferred to stay blissfully blind to the truth forever.”

He grew quiet.

‘Damn.’

Suddenly, Kai smiled.

“But that’s why I enjoy spending time with you so much, Sunny! No matter how bizarre the things you say are, they’re always true. I never met anyone as stupidly honest as you. It’s very refreshing!”

Sunny shifted uncomfortably.

‘Uh… did he just call me stupid?’

Now he was kind of sorry for mocking the charming young man about his Flaw. Perhaps it would be useful to someone like Sunny. But to a person like Kai, who always attracted the worst kind of attention from people, it could really be incredibly painful.

The Spell knew what it was doing.

It always hit you in your most vulnerable spot.

‘Damned Spell. The being that weaved it must have been the worst kind of a sick bastard…’