Shadow Slave

Sunny did not have much of a reaction to that statement. Hearing a terrifying existence like Beastmaster contemplating the murder of one of his close ones... was certainly a chilling experience. However, the person in question was Neph. So, the feeling was not novel. Someone was always trying to kill her.

’I’d like to see you try.’

He lingered for a moment, then shook his head.

’...Actually, no. I take it back. I would not like it one bit.’

Silence hung in the distant tent for a few moments. Seishan did not hurry with an answer. When she eventually spoke, her voice was even: ”That would require us to commit too many resources.”

Beastmaster seemed slightly surprised. The arch of her eyebrow was so exquisite that even Sunny’s shadow was momentarily mesmerized. Luckily, he had sent the gloomy shadow to spy on her - that guy was not easily phased. The shadow quickly regained its composure and continued to listen.

”Too many resources? But she is just a Master.”

Seishan shook her head. ”She is a Master, yes. But not just any Master.”

The Saint pondered that statement for a bit as she enjoyed succulent grapes.

”I guess you would know best. That thing she pulled off on the Forgotten Shore was indeed a thing of beauty... plus, she is a self-healer. Killing those people is such a chore.” She sighed, then said in a wistful tone: ”Why did she have to go and join that dreadful clan? Granted, we did not try to recruit her too hard... but the King of Swords, that man. What is he thinking? First, he sends the Han Li boy to kill her. Then, he welcomes her into his family. Truly is shameless...”

Sunny’s eyes widened slightly.

’So it was Anvil?’

Finally, he knew who had stood behind Caster. Granted, there was nothing to do with that information... Seishan seemed surprised, too. Her exotic, beautiful face darkened a little.

”...I thought it was us who sent him. Has the Han Li clan forgotten their loyalty?”

Beastmaster laughed.

”No... you’ve been lost in the Dream Realm for too long, Shan. You forget that for most lesser clans, our three great families are a monolith. Most of the time, they can only guess which Domain gives the order.” She swallowed another grape and smiled. ”Oh, we sent someone to kill her in the Dream Realm too. It’s just that our messenger ended up being rather useless. He did not even make it to the Dark City.”

Sunny shifted slightly. So there had been other assassins except for Caster... the Forgotten Shore had taken care of them so that he didn’t have to.

The Saint, meanwhile, scoffed:

”But that girl is really too lucky. When she was a child, the Dreamspawn held us back from going after her in full force. Now that the abomination is indisposed, she is an Ascended. And such a troublesome one, at that.”

This time, Sunny could not contain his agitation. What he just heard was a real bomb.

’The Dreamspawn... Asterion?’

The most mysterious of the Sovereigns, Asterion... had protected Nephis when she was a child? What? Why would he do that? Admittedly, Sunny had always felt that there was something strange about Neph’s childhood story. The Great Clans had always been trying to kill her, sending one assassin after another... and yet, why had they failed? Why had they not sent a Saint to solve the problem once and for all?

He had assumed that there were two possibilities. Either the task of slaying the last daughter of the Immortal Flame had not been an important one, or the Domains were constrained by having to act in secret. A Saint moving to kill a mundane human, especially one from a prominent family, was not an easy thing to cover, considering that they were always in the spotlight...

Or at least that was what he had thought before. Now, after learning more about the great clans and how they operated, Sunny came to understand that there was nothing stopping them from slaughtering anyone they wanted with impunity... except for each other.

If Asterion had been the one to constrain Valor and Song in their attempts to get rid of Nephis, that would explain a lot.

But pose even more questions.

For example, what was his motivation?

Was it because she was a Dreamspawn, like he was? Some sort of sentiment the enigmatic Sovereign felt for the daughter of his former comrade? Something else entirely?

Sunny simply did not know. And, sadly, Beastmaster did not go into detail.

Seishan, meanwhile, looked at the relaxed Saint with a frown. The corner of her mouth twitched downward.

”...You grew too arrogant, Bin. Do not speak of that creature aloud.”

Strangely enough, Beastmaster acted as if she was at fault. Instead of rebuking Seishan for admonishing her, the older and more powerful of the two, she nodded with a guilty look.

”Sorry... you are right.”

She remained silent for a bit, then shook her head.

”But something has to be done about Changing Star. The Awakened under her command were already a problem. I have hoped that Nightingale and Raised by Wolves would keep their distance, but they seem too friendly with her... neither can be underestimated. And now there is that Master Sunless, as well. What a brutal character... and in such a cute package. What a shame. Wasn’t he supposed to be a simple scout?”

Seishan smiled slightly.

”You keep underestimating the survivors of the Forgotten Shore. No one who survived there is simple. Sunless... there’s more to him than meets the eye. He is a madman, though. Back in the Dark City, he had a falling out with Changing Star and spent months living in the ruins alone. Even I would not have survived that, but he did.”

Beastmaster thought for a few moments.

”Our guest had a few brushes with Ascended Sunless, yes? He did not speak about him much, so I assumed that there is little to be said. I should have known better, though. That... person... has strange standards. To him, another madman is not even worth mentioning.”

Sunny noted two things from that exchange. First, his ploy to appear as a savage brute was at least partially successful. Second, Mordret had not shared his secrets with the great clan Song... just as Sunny had expected.

’No surprise here...’

Beastmaster swallowed another grape, then suddenly asked:

”How is Bast doing, by the way? Are you taking good care of him?”

Seishan stared at her sister for a while, not amused.

”He is doing fine. As for Nephis and her Fire Keepers - at this point, our efforts would be better spent elsewhere.”

The Saint laughed.

”Good, good... alright, let’s not kill Changing Star and her allies yet.”

She lingered for a moment, and then smiled.

”We do have to kill someone, though. Time is of the essence...”