Shadow Slave

Stepping through the shadows, Sunny found himself at the summit of the tallest pagoda of the Great Citadel. The towering palace was actually built inside and around the main mast of the Night Garden, surrounding its lower part with a cascade of tiled roofs and graceful terraces.

The terraces themselves were gardens, with emerald grass covering their expanse and ancient trees swaying in the cool breeze. The summit was like a grove, the leaves whispering as they moved above the surface of a quiet pond. This high, there was nothing but the masts of the titanic vessels and the stars above it, so the water reflected the starlit sky, seeming like a fragment of it.

Jet was sitting on the soft grass, leaning against the trunk of a tall tree as she gazed at the distant constellations. She seemed to have adjusted to her life aboard the Night Garden well;she appeared more at ease than usual, at least, enjoying the rare moment of silence in comfortable solitude. Her usual government uniform was gone, replaced by an armor Memory that resembled a wetsuit crafted from the inky-black skin of an unknown sea monster. The thing was similar to the Memories that members of the House of Night usually wore into battle, and was far more practical than conventional armor when fighting in the depths...

Of course, it also outlined her beautifully figure radiantly, but having gone through the Southern Campaign side by side with Jet, Sunny had become somewhat immune to that sight.

He did not make any noise, and yet, she turned her head in his direction, her icy blue eyes almost glowing in the darkness of the warm night.

“Ah, Lord Sunless. Welcome to the Night Garden... I was told to expect you.”

There were lanterns hanging from the branches here and there. Walking into their light, Sunny glanced around curiously, noting the golden fruits growing between the leaves of the surrounding trees, and sat down as well.

”Greetings, Saint Jet... just call me Sunny, please. Otherwise, I’ll feel awkward.”

He leaned against a tree, looking at the stars reflecting on the surface of the calm pond. Jet chuckled.

“Well, alright then.”

She remained silent for a few moments and then sighed.

”I wanted to ask if you are younger than me, but then realized that the question is meaningless. After all, we are poised to live for hundreds of years... thousands, possibly, or even indefinitely. So, what difference do a few years make?”

A lazy smile appeared on her lips.

“It’s a bit unfair, though. Even if we do survive until we are hundreds of years old... I will still be the oldest one, forever. How disheartening.”

Sunny scoffed.

”I don’t know. I have felt like I am too old for all this crap since I was sixteen. So, I enjoy being older than other people;after all, I worked really hard to reach that age. My age is something that I earned, not something that just happened to me.”

And Jet had worked harder than most to earn hers;much, much harder, because of her Flaw.

He smiled and added in a neutral tone:

”Oh, but I am still younger... by about ten years.”

She gave him a resentful glare.

”Ouch.”

With that, Jet looked at him curiously. She lingered for a long while, and then asked: ”So, is it my turn to go on a dangerous journey and learn a profound lesson about myself, the world, and life from you?”

Sunny coughed.

”W—what?”

She grinned.

“That is what happened with Kai and Effie, is it not? They told me about their misadventures. You received rave reviews, though, so don’t worry.”

Sunny slowly shook his head.

”That... in a way, I guess? I am hoping to avoid the dangerous part this time, however. Not everything has to be deadly and utterly terrifying, right?” 𝘳áɴ𝐨𝔟ÈŞ

It did not, but if Sunny was honest with himself, he had to admit that his chances of avoiding deadly and harrowing perils were quite low this time around, as well.

He hesitated for a couple of moments, and then shrugged.

”As for some kind of profound lesson, I am not sure that there is anything I can teach you. You... strike me as a person who knows exactly who you are, what you want, and how to go about achieving it. So, if anything, I should be the one learning from you.”

It had always been that way. Sunny had begun his journey as Jet’s junior, became her equal after a while, and even managed to overtake her eventually;but throughout all these years, he had never once stopped thinking about her as a respected senior. Her experience and pragmatic wisdom had always guided him on his thorny path;was one of the main reason he was still alive, really.

So what would Sunny even teach Jet?

The true essence of Supremacy?

He studied her for a while, then said in a distant tone:

“The essence of Supremacy is a defiant resolve to see the world bend to your will. However, there is no need to teach you about that. After all, your very existence is an act of defiance against the world. Every day you continue to live is a testament to your will.”

Jet smiled.

”Continue to live, huh?”

Then, she leaned back and let out a quiet laugh.

“You and I are quite a pair, aren’t we?”

Sunny raised an eyebrow.

”I guess we are?”

She looked at him with a grin.

”I mean, I am somewhat of a zombie, and you are technically a ghost. Isn’t that amusing?”

Sunny stared at her for a few moments with an unreadable expression.

Eventually, he let out a cough.

“I was thinking more in the line of me being the Sovereign of Death while you are the Soul Reaper, but yes, your description is certainly amusing.”

Jet nodded in satisfaction.

“So, Sunny, what exactly are we going to do?”

He lingered for a while, and then responded in a subdued tone:

“That is something I am going to find out soon.”

Before that, however, the Night Garden had to return to the Dream Realm.