Shadow Slave

Sunny was seated on his throne, gazing down at Kim and Corsair. The former had just finished giving the report, while the latter was observing him with a somewhat distant look.

Corsair, Master Randall’s grandson, occasionally lowered his eyes, studying the tattoo of a dark onyx serpent now coiled around his arm, peeking from under the rolled-up sleeve.

The newest addition to the Shadow Clan was a tall man with jet-black hair and intense blue eyes. He had sharp features and a detached expression, radiating a calm certainty and deadly danger. Overall, if there was one word Sunny would use to describe Corsair, it would be... striking.

No, truly, Sunny would have given anything to look like that back when he was Awakened. It was like watching the lead actor of an Awakened action movie.

Corsair was definitely going to blend in with the other members of the Shadow Clan. They were an eclectic mix of personalities.

Of course, the new recruit had lost a bit of his composed edge after meeting Sunny. Most people were taken aback when first encountering the Dark Lord, although not everyone could hide their surprise quite as well. That was because they all anticipated meeting the terrifying Lord of Shadows but were instead greeted by a laid-back and quirky young man.

There was a reason why Sunny insisted on being called ”boss,” referred to himself as the Dark Lord, and occasionally behaved like an overgrown child.

First of all... because he simply wanted to. Now that he was a Supreme, there was no need to wear a mask, so Sunny could act as his genuine self instead of pretending to be some ominous figure. And his genuine self was nothing like the solemn nobility that people typically associated with a Sovereign.

So, the real question wasn’t why he would call himself the Dark Lord.

The question was why wouldn’t he? It sounded incredible.

There was another reason, too — the strange reverence people showed Nephis. The meditation halls that looked like shrines, the silent devotion that felt like worship, the admiration that had the flavor of cult-like awe... Sunny had no desire to be idolized like a god. It made him uncomfortable, and beyond that, the blood of Weaver flowed through his veins.

So, he acted the way he did to crush any temptation his subordinates might have to treat him like some kind of half-formed deity.

His behavior seemed to have worked perfectly on Corsair, who had entered the throne room with a quiet sense of awe in his icy blue eyes but was now leaving in complete confusion.

Sunny yawned, then gestured toward Kim.

”I understand... that’s good to hear, Kimmy. And yeah, I’m aware that we need more healers than just Quentin and Fleur. But come on! Convincing a healer to join a suspicious clan full of deadly spies isn’t simple!”

He smiled at her playfully.

”Oh, I have a suggestion! What if you just tell our people to improve and stop getting hurt to begin with?”

Kim looked back at him blandly.

”This suspicious clan full of deadly spies has spent three million credits on medical goods this quarter, boss.”

Sunny froze for a second.

”Let’s steal some healers, Kimmy! Let’s do it quickly! Those Song sisters have too many anyway... maybe we can snatch a Blood Sister or two from Seishan?”

She inhaled deeply and watched him quietly for a moment, then lowered her eyes.

”I’ll try.”

A few minutes later, the report was finished, and Sunny dismissed them with a lazy grin.

”Welcome to the Shadow Clan, Corsair! Rest well today — your training begins tomorrow. Of course, there’s no sunlight here on the Forgotten Shore... a friend of mine kind of ruined it... so day and night are exactly the same, which makes the idea of tomorrow feel strange. But you’ll get used to it. Oh, and don’t let your teacher down. I practically raised her back when she was a tiny Awakened Monster... ah, how time flies...” 𝙧а₦ŏ𝐛ÈŜ

Corsair went pale.

”D-Destroyed a sun? Wait... boss, you raised a Monster?”

Sunny blinked in surprise.

”Well, yeah. Why, haven’t you ever destroyed a sun?”

Corsair slowly shook his head.

Sunny paused for a moment, then scratched his nose awkwardly.

”Oh. No, no! That’s nothing to be ashamed of. You... you’re still young...”

The new recruit turned to follow Kim, his face showing a hint of distress. Before he left, Sunny suddenly called out:

”Hey, Corsair. You were a professional assassin, right?”

Corsair glanced at him and frowned slightly.

”To be specific, boss, people paid me to solve problems. If the problem happened to be some lowlife... or a bunch of lowlives... well, then I had to solve them instead.”

Sunny stared at him in thought for a moment, then grinned.

”Wow. That sounded amazing! ‘I had to solve them instead’... I’m totally stealing that line. But anyway, give me some expert advice. How would someone go about killing a sea?”

Corsair blinked.

”Killing... a sea, boss?”

Sunny nodded a few times.

”Yes! You see, there’s this sea... a very vile one. We have unfinished business, but I haven’t quite figured out how to destroy a sea yet. So I thought maybe you’d know, since you’re a pro!”

The new recruit stayed quiet for a while, then replied calmly:

”I must apologize, boss. That’s a little... beyond my specialty. I mainly focused on dealing with humans, Nightmare Creatures, and an occasional rogue killer machine.”

Sunny sighed.

”I understand... well, no worries. I’ll think of something...”

With that, Kim and Corsair exited.

Sunny remained on his throne, gazing at the ceiling with a weary expression.

Of course, his mind was very busy.

Hundreds of shadows were moving across the Dark City, clearing rubble, preparing less damaged buildings for restoration, and marking ruins that had to be demolished.

On the surface, everything was proceeding smoothly, but the underground catacombs still posed a challenge. Sunny had to manage the process personally — not only because of the fragile work involved in tunnels, but also because the sun’s devastating light had never touched the vast network below. There were still Nightmare Creatures down there...

Taking control of the catacombs was crucial. A proper city began with a strong sewage system, after all.

What separated humans from animals?

It was the fact that humans had plumbing, of course!

He also needed to decide how and where to bury the countless remains resting in the catacombs. Additionally, he had to consider what to do with the collapsed lighthouse of the Dark City. Rebuilding it was an option, but every member of the Shadow Clan could see in total darkness. They did not need a light tower.

However, possible settlers would.

Then, there was the matter of the seven giant statues. The Priestess stood right before the Dark City, badly damaged. Sunny could place its broken arm back in place, but that raised another question — should he also return the severed heads of the statues to their rightful spots?

There was a lot to do...

Besides that, he was also watching the members of the Shadow Clan.

One cohort was tracking a disturbing cult hidden within the depths of NQSC. Another group was getting ready to defeat a Terror that had built a nest in the sewers beneath a small town in the Western Quadrant and appeared to be targeting children. A third group was preparing to rob a bank — or rather, recover a seemingly cursed book from a personal vault there...

Why did I never consider robbing a bank?

With his Aspect, it would have been simple.

Sunny sighed.

Then, he paused.

Wait. Why did I never consider opening a bank?

His eyes sparkled in the darkness.

”Aiko!”