Shadow Slave

Sunny had no idea if Master Roan was currently in the Sanctuary, but judging by the fact that the guard did not immediately send him away, he probably was.

The young Awakened gave Sunny an evaluating look, then whistled softly and returned to his alcove. Nothing seemed to happen for a few minutes, but then, Sunny hear the sound of approaching footsteps.

A young woman wearing a simple white garment appeared from behind the curve of the corridor and glanced at him, then gestured for him to follow.

Sunny shifted slightly, then moved forward, walking behind the girl.

‘What would you know? I am walking into the lair of a Legacy clan of my own free will. Never say never, I guess…’

He had really never expected himself to do something like this any time soon.

Instead of walking further into the compound, they entered a narrow staircase and ascended to the very top of the Sanctuary. There, massive stone monoliths lay flat on top of the menhirs, creating an almost uninterrupted surface.

There was a whole separate world above the Citadel, as it turned out. Grass and moss covered the expansive stone circle, which stretched far into the distance. Sunny could see guards standing at the outer edge of it, keeping watch on the neighboring islands. Here and there, siege weapons were placed at irregular intervals, aimed at the sky.

Right above the White Feather residence, a graceful structure was built on top of the ring of menhirs. With tall windows and beautiful ivy climbing its walls, it resembled a large stone chateau. The walls of the mansion were still wet from rain and shone softly in the light of the rising sun.

A path led from its door to an airy pavilion at the edge of the stone monolith, with a round table standing in its center.

The mighty griffin was laying near the pavilion, its head hidden under one of the eagle wings, while Master Roan himself seemed to be enjoying a hearty breakfast inside.

The young woman gestured for Sunny to go forward and walked toward the mansion, soon disappearing behind its door.

‘…I guess this is how Saints live.’

For a moment, Sunny was full of envy. The chateau on top of the Sanctuary seemed so beautiful, simple, and peaceful… the complete opposite of the noisy, overcrowded, and poisoned world where humans came from.

Of course, that peace was a lie. The Dream Realm might have seemed like a paradise sometimes, but that paradise was dire and twisted, hiding all kinds of horrors that were ready to descend upon you at any moment.

‘Whatever. My house is much better, anyway. It has all a man can need, and then some… I bet they don’t even have designer lamps here…’

…Pitiful, really.

Entering the pavilion, Sunny greeted Master Roan with all respect he could muster. The older man smiled and invited Sunny to seat with a relaxed gesture.

“Good morning, Sunless. I must admit, I didn’t expect you to seek me out so soon. Did something happen?”

Sunny sat down, smiled politely, then shook his head.

“Nothing that I would want to concern you with. You see… I am not here to talk about something that happened, but more about something that might happen.”

Master Roan raised an eyebrow and laughed:

“Don’t tell me… wait… are you here with a business proposal? Am I about to become a customer of Sunny’s Brilliant Emporium?”

Sunny choked.

“Uh… no. What? Where did you hear about that?”

The handsome Master grinned.

“I hear things.”

‘What are those bastards saying behind my back?!’

Sunny forced out a smile, then shook his head.

“No, no. I am not here as a highly respected, rich, and famous entrepreneur. Nor am I here as a well-regarded member of the Wilderness Survival faculty of the Awakened Academy. I am actually here as an advanced scout of the Sanctuary of Noctis.”

Master Roan grew serious.

“Oh. Continue.”

Sunny nodded, then hesitated for a bit, and finally said:

“After we parted two days ago, I returned to the Sanctuary. On my way back, however, I rested for a while on the Iron Hand Island. And there… well, I found the remains of a Nightmare Creature there.”

The older man frowned slightly.

“That’s not unheard of. Iron Hand is usually safe, but you know how Chained Isles are. Nightmare Creatures migrate, sometimes naturally, sometimes to avoid the Crushing.”

Sunny scratched the back of his head.

“That’s true. However, the abomination was a Fallen Demon. It is strange to see one that close to the Sanctuary, and especially so because I have never seen or even heard about that type of creature. It was rather scary.”

Roan’s frown deepened.

“A Fallen Demon on the Iron Hand Island? That is indeed strange. You’ve done well to bring me this information, Sunless. Did you get a good look at it, by any chance?”

Sunny sighed.

“Well, you see, it was in the depths of night.”

Then, he smiled.

“…But, luckily, I can see perfectly in the dark! So, yes. I got a very good look. Let me describe it…”

He described the demon to the best of his ability, not sparing any detail. He even remembered every wound and injury on the abomination’s body, hoping that their nature can shine a light on what exactly had killed the bastard.

The longer Sunny talked, the darker Master Roan’s face became. Finishing his report, Sunny glanced at the older man and asked:

“So… what type of a demon was that, exactly? And why have I never encountered one before?”

Master Roan shook his head.

“You are lucky to have never met one of these fiends, kid. They are a very rare and vicious breed of Nightmare Creatures, known as Chain Worms. Luckily, it was already dead. Otherwise, I doubt that we would be having this conversation right now. Even I am reluctant to face a demon such as this alone. No offense, Sunless, but if that thing was alive, you would have ended up as its dinner.”

Sunny hesitated for a bit, then asked cautiously:

“Chain Worms? Why are they called that?”

The older man sighed, then looked at the breathtaking vista of the Chained Isles in front of them.

After a while, he said:

“It is because these creatures feed on metal. Once one of the heavenly chains is weakened, they appear from the Dark Side to feast on it. Steel weapons are useless against these abominable things, so fighting one, let alone many, is almost an impossible task.”

Master Roan stared into the distance with a bleak expression, and then added darkly:

“I’ve seen whole islands crumble into the Below because of their hunger…”