Fate's Slave - Shadow Slave X Honkai Star Rail

Sunny stared at the sorcerer for a few moments, unamused. He really wanted to retort... but couldn’t. The four-armed Devil was indeed a fearsome and unsightly creature, as far as humans were concerned. So, denying it would have been a lie.

And while the Extraordinary Rock could repeat his thoughts, the thoughts it spoke aloud still had to be truthful.

With an irritated snarl, Sunny looked away and said:

”Fine. We will retrieve the Ruby Knife from your friend that lives in the lake. However... it would only be polite for you to return the favor and give us something in return, don’t you think? To avoid putting a strain on our own friendship, you know...”

These were more or less the exact words Noctis had used to lure him into a confrontation with Nightmare, so Sunny was pretty sure that the sorcerer would not be able to refuse his request.

Indeed, the immortal looked at him with a pale smile, and then let out a slightly nervous laugh.

”Oh... yes, you are right, of course... huh... is there something particular you have in mind?”

Sunny shook his head.

”We will discuss it after the Ruby Knife is in our hands.”

Noctis waved a hand and turned back to the sacred tree, then continued to water it.

”Fine, fine... just don’t let your imagination run too wild. I am but a humble sorcerer, you know, not an actual deity... I only look like one... ah, yes, my heavenly beauty is indeed divine...”

Sunny sighed, then gestured to the other members of the cohort and turned around.

It was time to visit another of the humble sorcerer’s friends.

***

Four Awakened were walking across the giant chain that swayed lightly, suspended between two skies — one blue and full of light, the other black and devoid of it.

Well, only two of them were walking. Veliona and March thought it’d be fun to sit on his shoulders again.

In other circumstances, Sunny would have been outraged and thrown them off, but right now, he was too preoccupied with grim thoughts.

Did anyone among them even fulfill the conditions of being pure at heart?!

...Just a hundred or so meters ahead, the slope of a flying island rose upward from the heavenly chain.

They had reached the tranquil lake.