Shadow Slave

Sunny settled in a corner and stuffed his mouth with stew. A few moments later, the flap of the tent opened, and Morgan walked in, followed closely by Cassie.

The Princess of Valor seemed to be in a good mood. Her strange vermilion eyes were lively and vivid, shining with barely contained excitement. It was as though the calamitous battle had invigorated the usually restrained young woman, revealing a glimpse of her true self.

Without the habitual mask of composed decorum, Morgan looked... younger.

Her words echoed Sunny’s thoughts. A pleasant - and disturbingly familiar - smile appeared on her beautiful face, and with a melodious laugh, Morgan said:

”That was spectacular! Dear sister, venerable Masters... you did not disappoint!”

With that, her lips twisted a little in an expression of wistful regret. She seemed disappointed by the fact that she had not received a chance to participate in the battle personally.

Morgan sighed.

”The whole camp is aflame with the tales of what happened in your corner of the battlefield. Even the feats performed by the Saints seem to have taken a back seat to what Changing Star has achieved. Ah... I’m so proud of my talented, capable little sister. Nicely done!”

She paused for a moment, and then added with a smile that seemed a little sharper than before:

”Your glory is clan Valor’s glory, of course. So, I am very happy right now.”

Sunny silently chewed his food. Hearing the word ”glory” from a descendant of War God really rubbed him the wrong way, but he didn’t let it ruin his appetite.

’Indeed, she has a good reason to be happy...’

If the war of the great clans was a popularity contest - which it was, in a sense - then Valor was currently winning. Not only had Sky Tide been the first of the Saints to slay her foe, but the potentially catastrophic breach in the defensive formation had also been repaired by Nephis.

’Was that why Morgan failed to send us reinforcements? To earn her damned clan some glory?’

Sunny frowned. That was a possibility, but a small one. Anvil’s daughter was not someone who would sacrifice strategic benefits to earn a little bit of fame... especially because clan Valor already had too much of it.

So, he simply glanced at Morgan and asked:

”By the way, what happened to those reinforcements we were supposed to receive?”

Not looking particularly guilty or taken aback by his bluntness, she shrugged.

”It didn’t look like you needed any, so I sent them someplace else.”

Sunny wanted to rebuke her, but then changed his mind and turned his attention back to the stew.

They had indeed managed to hold out by themselves, in the end. The perspective of the people directly participating in the bloodshed was, naturally, limited. Morgan, on the other hand, had enjoyed the broad view of the whole battlefield, especially because of Cassie. She must have known that Saint Tyris had been close to defeating the Defiled Seeker of Truth...

In fact, Morgan might have been the one to coordinate with Sky Tide and make sure that the titan fell in front of the breach, sealing it with the cloud of lethal miasma.

So, while it seemed as though the Fire Keepers had been left for dead from Sunny’s perspective, she really could have had no reason to send reinforcements their way.

’I’m not sure that I’m buying it... but on the other hand, I’m also not sure that I’m not buying it.’

His thoughts were interrupted by the fact that Morgan was staring at him intently.

Sunny shifted.

”Uh... what?”

Her smile grew wider.

”My dear sister fought admirably... but I expected nothing less from a daughter of Valor. You, however! Master Sunless, you gave me a very, very pleasant surprise. It seems that the reports I’ve read about you were not nearly detailed enough.”

She took a step closer and leaned forward, staring at him with something that almost resembled hunger.

”To be honest, I never understood what my little sister saw in you. But now! I take it all back. She has a good eye. You fought beautifully, Master Sunless... we really should spar sometime. I have not had a good sparring partner in a long, long time. My dear sister indulged me at first, but now, she is always busy.”

Neph’s mouth twitched a little. Sunny, meanwhile, shivered under Morgan’s burning gaze.

’Right... I forgot. She’s a complete battle maniac.’

He coughed awkwardly.

”Sure. Why not? A friendly spar sounds like a good idea. Oh, but I mostly fight Nightmare Creatures, so my habits are a bit... rough. So do tell me if I get carried away.”

Morgan’s eyes gleamed with a dangerous light.

”That won’t be a problem. I tend to get carried away myself, sometimes. That’s why it’s hard to find suitable sparring partners... most people are so brittle, you know?”

Sunny shrugged.

”Can’t say that I do.”

He was definitely not brittle, so there was no reason to be concerned. A spar was just a spar, after all.

...So why was he suddenly feeling cold? As if he had just gotten himself into a really, really sticky situation.

Morgan lingered for a few moments, staring at him with gleaming eyes, then shook her head.

”Sadly, our spar will have to wait until we return to the siege capital. And about that... sister, might I have a word? There are things we must discuss.”

Nephis nodded, then rose from her seat and followed Morgan out of the tent. Soon, there were only five people inside once again - Cassie stayed behind, sitting quietly in a corner.

Sunny finished his stew and asked her in a low tone:

”What is that about?”

The blind girl hesitated for a moment.

”They need to plan a route to the siege capital. The way back is shaping up to be... perilous. For a few reasons.”

He nodded, understanding the underlying message.

Then, Sunny gave Cassie a complicated look.

When things seemed especially dark during the battle, Neph had told him to trust in the blind girl. So, what had been Cassie’s intent in placing them there? Had she simply known that the Fire Keepers would not end up stranded in the sea of Nightmare Creatures?

Or had she known more? For example, that Sunny would deliver the fatal blow to the wounded titan if put in that particular spot of the battlefield...

And speaking of the dead titan. There was a Memory that Sunny had yet to take a look at.

’An Ascended Memory of the Seventh Tier...’

Putting his plate away, Sunny found a cot, stretched his tired body on it, and closed his eyes.

Then, he dove into the Soul Sea.