Shadow Slave

Far away, in Bastion, the morning meeting was wrapping up. Effie shot Sunny one last withering glare and departed, while Cassie swept Nephis off to fulfill her imperial duties.

This time, he did not follow.

Instead, Sunny closed his eyes and took a deep breath, focusing on his shadow sense.

So, I am finally heading to Ravenheart.

He would not need to cross the Hollow Mountains again to get there, but the journey would still take time and be unpleasant. After all, he had to return to the waking world and endure its painful rejection.

Still, Sunny was in a good mood.

He was looking forward to finally exploring the Jade Palace. On top of that, he was curious about the city itself.

Ravenheart did not quite feel like home, but Sunny had lived there for almost four years, hiding in Rain’s shadow. He felt a certain nostalgia for many of the places in that stark, severe city. He was also curious to see how Ravenheart had changed after the fall of the Raven Queen.

But most of all…

He missed Kai.

Sunny had reconnected with Nephis and Cassie after being erased from the world’s memory. He had also grown somewhat close to Effie again, first as Master Sunless, then as Neph’s enigmatic shadow consort.

But he had barely seen Jet or Kai in the past two years. They only knew him as the cold, aloof Lord of Shadows, a mysterious ally who had joined their cause just before the war began.

I wonder how he is doing…

Sunny knew Kai had managed to conquer Ravenheart without spilling a single drop of blood. The local populace adored him, and of course they did, but it still had to be difficult, dealing with the fallout of the Song Domain’s collapse and the lingering influence of the Song sisters.

Well, I will find out soon enough.

As he redirected his awareness, Sunny sensed Bastion teeming with life far below. His shadow sense enveloped most of the city, allowing him to monitor activity and detect potential dangers in advance, not that anything had actually posed a threat so far.

Apart from the nights when the moon was full. But that particular danger had been neutralized.

There were far too many people and too much movement in Bastion for Sunny to perceive it all at once. He could try, but his senses would be overwhelmed.

That said, his mind had grown exponentially stronger over the years. Partly because he had ascended so far along the Path, and partly because he had practiced managing countless simultaneous tasks. He was no longer the same person who had nearly collapsed while trying to scan the outskirts of NQSC.

He even felt tempted to summon Weaver’s Mask and activate the [Where is my eye?] enchantment again.

It had nearly killed him the last time, but who could say? Maybe he would survive it now.

What would he see in the infinite, tangled, terrifying weave of fate? Would he see himself cut away from the world’s thread, separate from all that had been, was, and ever would be? Would he recognize echoes of the future or shadows of the past within that cosmic tapestry?

Or would he simply die a horrific death, all seven of his heads exploding in unison?

Sunny did not know, and for now, he was not eager to find out.

Somewhere out there, one of the four remaining pieces of Weaver’s legacy awaited him, the Mind Weave.

He had resolved not to tempt fate before recovering it.

But for now…

Even if he could not actively track everything happening in Bastion, he could still sense irregularities and shift his attention to anything unusual. He could also zoom in on particular places or people as needed. Ŕâ𐌽ỔᛒĘ𝐬

Right now, he was looking for Rain.

Thanks to the Mark of Shadows, she was especially easy to locate. As long as she remained within range of his vast perception, he always had a general sense of where she was.

Sunny did not follow her every move, though. He respected her space.

After all, he was not that overprotective…

And even if he was, who could blame him?

His sister had a habit of volunteering for death missions and brawling with murderous monsters.

And if some slimy degenerate dared bother her, she could not even kill him.

She could not harm a fly.

Well… actually, she could absolutely pulverize a fly. But she could not eliminate it permanently.

Who would not feel protective of a sweet, gentle sister like that?

Where is she? Wait… why is she dressed like that?

Sunny’s eyes snapped open.

Far below, Rain was making her way through the busy streets of Bastion. She had probably worked through the night with Beth and her team, but instead of wearing her usual functional clothes or the Puppeteer’s Shroud, she was wearing an elegant black dress. Its hem barely reached her knees.

She also had earrings on, unenchanted ones no less, and a pair of adorable, impractical shoes. Her hair was neatly styled and pinned with a slender onyx hairpiece.

Sunny could not determine it from shadow sense alone, but he was certain she had even applied makeup.

His face turned pale.

A alarm.

Blissfully unaware of the panic in her brother’s heart, Rain strolled through the city with a bright smile, humming softly under her breath.

Eventually, she reached her destination, a luxurious cafe located on the loveliest stretch of the Lakefront Promenade. As she stepped through the doorway, she paused and scanned the interior.

Then her smile widened, and she waved.

“There you are.”

Sunny let out a relieved breath.

Oh… it is them. False alarm.

Two stunning young women were waiting for Rain at a table with the best view in the house.

One had bronzed skin and silver ash hair, her off shoulder peach dress revealing the graceful slope of her collarbone. The other had fair skin and golden blonde hair, her amber eyes glowing in the soft dawn light. Her flowing white dress was adorned with delicate lace, making her look like a fairy tale princess out for morning tea.

They were, of course, Tamar of Clan Sorrow and Telle of White Feather.

Today, the three noble girls had set aside their enchanted armor, dressed in their prettiest outfits, and done their hair and makeup, just to enjoy a carefree breakfast and remind themselves that they were still young women, not just hardened Awakened warriors.

Rain approached the table with a beaming grin.

“Sorry I am late.”

Telle stared at her for a moment, then shifted her gaze to Tamar’s bare shoulder.

Her eyes narrowed.

“Did… did you guys get matching tattoos?”

She pursed her lips, tilted her head slightly, and added in a small, offended voice:

“Without me?”