Shadow Slave

Back in Bastion, one of Sunny’s incarnations was listening to the conversation between Cassie and the forgotten Saint of Mictlan, Inti. There were two more avatars of Sunny in Bastion, though — one of them was with Nephis, while the other had just delivered Rain and her cohort to the Ivory Island. Their minds had to be cleansed of the remnant traces of the Plague, if there were any, but they could not meet Cassie at the moment. All they could do was make themselves comfortable and wait.

That did not mean that Sunny had to wait with them, though, so he quietly sneaked away and returned to the city below, eventually finding his way to the quiet street where the Brilliant Emporium once stood.

The cozy brick cottage was gone, yet the land where it had once stood was still vacant, facing the glistening lake. The owner was Officially dead, but Aiko had managed to purchase the deed to the land under a false identity, so it still belonged to Sunny.

Since the empty lot was private and secluded, he liked to come here from time to time to rest his weary mind and relax. Now, too, Sunny sprawled on the grass, hidden from view by the slope of the shore and the shadows of tall trees. All of his other incarnations were busy conversing with people or performing important tasks, but this one had an opportunity to do something truly incredible…

To do nothing.

Enjoying the wonderful feeling of being absolutely useless, Sunny spent some time in solitude. The warm breeze, the murmur of water, the rustle of leaves, and the hum of the city in the distance washed over him like a gentle tide, making him feel at peace. One-seventh of him was at peace, at least — and that was already enough.

Slowly, he cast his shadow sense outward,

allowing his consciousness to dissolve in the endless movements of the city. He could feel countless people around him, all rushing to live their lives — men and women, mundane and Awakened, old and young…

Absorbed by the titanic kaleidoscope of their existence, Sunny felt his own self disappearing for a short while. And that… that was a sense of peace that no mundane feeling could compare to. This was true peace — the peace of non-existence. These days, that was more or less the only thing that made Sunny feel truly relaxed, removed from all his worries and duties. Being a demigod, he required a special kind of downtime.

‘Ah… I wonder when I’ll get some time to myself again.’

Probably only after the end of the world. Sprawled on the grass, Sunny smiled.

He spent a long time enjoying the nothingness of it all. Eventually, however, a couple of the shadows he felt in the city reminded him that there were still things he had to do.

With a sigh, Sunny rose from the grass, dusted himself off, and stepped into the shadows.

He exited them in the private study of a manor that stood within the inner circle of the Castle’s walls. Sunlight poured through a tall window, and a woman was standing in front of it, her silhouette contoured by the light.

Sensing his presence, she turned around and pierced him with a stern gaze.

The woman was wearing jeans and a white t-shirt, her hair like a cascade of liquid gold. She studied him for a few moments and then acknowledged him with a court nod.

“Sunless”

It was, of course, Sky Tide — the ruler of the Chained Island and the matriarch of the White Feather clan.

Sunny stared at her with wide eyes for a moment, which prompted her to frown. He coughed.

“Sorry. It’s just… I think it’s my first time seeing you in casual clothes, Saint Tyris. I need time to adjust.”

Her frown deepened, and she scoffed.

“I’m pretty sure that you saw me half-dead and wearing nothing but a hospital gown in Antarctica. So, there’s no need for that reaction.”

Sunny cleared his throat.

“Well, yes, that’s true as well…”

Tyris was one of the few Saints of the Human Domain who knew that Sunny was still alive. However… it was not because Sunny had revealed himself to her on purpose.

A year ago, he had thought long and hard about whom to contact. Sky Tide and Roan were high up on the list, but in the end, he decided against approaching them.

He liked the Saints of White Feather quite a bit, but… there was simply no practical reason for them to know that the Lord of Shadows still walked the world. He could continue to like them from a distance — even if that would make him feel wistful from time to time.

So, Sunny had kept the fact of his continuous existence a secret from Tyris and Roan.

It was just that Tyris had other ideas.

After her daughter disappeared into a Nightmare Gate with a cohort of Awakened from outside the White Feather clan, Tyris naturally wanted to know more about who these people were. A routine background check would not have revealed anything, since their public identities were forged quite thoroughly… Sky Tide turned out to be more thorough, though.

She did something that no one else had been able to do yet — she uncovered the existence of the Shadow Clan.

So, one day, Sunny had to hurry to a dark alley in NQSC, where one of his agents was being strangled as Sky Tide calmly asked him questions, holding him in the air with one hand.

Needless to say, his reunion with Saint Tyris was not quite as sentimental as he had imagined. But very memorable nevertheless.

The Shadow Clan had to rework its entirely covert procedure as a result.

Tyris studied Sunny for a while, her already stern gaze turning colder and colder by the moment.

In the end, she asked:

“So, what is it this time? Did someone awaken a slumbering Titan near the Chained Islands? A swarm of Cursed Beasts barreling toward Bastion as we speak? A resurgence of the Plague threatening to destroy NQSC?”

Sunny blinked a couple of times.

“What? What would make you think… actually, never mind. But I must say, I’m a little hurt. It’s like you’re insinuating that I only come to see you when something has gone horribly wrong.”

Tyris gave him a dubious glance. Sunny shifted uncomfortably under her gaze and then smiled.

“Well, it hasn’t this time! I bring good news instead. Congratulations — there is a new Master in the White Feather clan. Telle is back from the Nightmare, safe and sound. Her return will be announced officially after she meets Cassie.”

Tyris stared at him for a few moments, then looked down and let out a quiet sigh.

After that, she straightened and headed for the door.

“I’ll go get Roan.”

Just before leaving the room, she paused for a moment, then pointed to a cabinet behind her desk.

“You get the glasses and the bottle.”

Sunny grinned.

That sounded quite enticing…