Shadow Slave

Despite Sunny’s friendly tone, the Saints of Night did not seem inclined to respond in kind. They stared at him with expressions of concerned apprehension, not saying anything. The silence was a little heavy.

Eventually, they turned to Jet.

Bloodwave was the one to speak first, his tone wary:

”Soul Reaper... what is the meaning of this?”

She met his gaze, held it for a few moments, then chuckled.

”Oh, relax. He’s on our side.”

It probably looked like she was conspiring against Nephis with an old enemy who had mysteriously risen from the grave.

The two of them shared that last part in common, strangely enough.

And if Jet was conspiring against the Immortal Flame clan, then it was safe to say that the government had secretly switched sides, as well — she was its de facto leader, after all. Obviously, Saints of Night would feel a great amount of apprehension, considering that they, their families, and all the survivors of the fallen Great Clan were part of the government now.

It seemed that they did not wish to become traitors to the Human Domain, which warmed Sunny’s heart a little.

He shrugged.

”For reasons that I am not too keen on explaining, the Lord of Shadows had to be considered dead. So, Nephis and I pulled a little prank and convinced everyone that I died. In truth, however, we’ve been working side by side... very closely, I might add... ever since. One Sovereign guides humanity in the sunlight, the other helps it from the shadows. Something like that — granted, I am somewhat limited in what I can do.”

Looking at the grim faces of the three Saints, he shook his head.

“Needless to say, you will need to keep my existence to yourself. I would not have revealed myself in front of you if I didn’t believe that you could keep a secret, but still, it is worth saying aloud. Do not mention the fact that I am not entirely dead to anyone, please — including those you implicitly trust. Everyone will be safer that way.”

He lingered for a moment, studying their faces, then chuckled.

“No, but... why do you look so glum? These are not at all the expressions of people who have just learned that humanity is actually twice as strong as they had believed.”

Naeve shook his head slowly.

”I am sorry, Lord Shadow. Sunny? It’s just... a lot to take in.”

Sunny smiled, hiding his bitterness at not being recognized by his old war buddy. He forced himself to think about something else.

‘Now that’s a reaction!’

The daughters of Ki Song had been so nonchalant about his stunning resurrection... except for Death Singer, who immediately proposed.

‘I should probably be happy that none of these three is confessing, I guess?’

He sighed.

“Regarding that bastard, Mordret: believe me, I’d love to see him gone as well. However, what we want and what reality dictates do not always coincide. I understand your desire to exact revenge, but at the moment, attempting to dispose of him would only invite disaster. You lost family members to his machinations... but you also have family members left to protect. Considering that the world is literally coming undone as we watch, I suggest you concentrate on that.”

An uneasy silence settled in the meeting chamber. Naeve, Bloodwave, and Aether wore somber expressions, but his words seemed to have reminded them what was at stake.

Eventually, Aether spoke up, his voice quiet and reserved:

”Welcome back to the world of the living, Lord Shadow. To what do we owe the honor of hosting you aboard the Night Garden?”

The youngest of the three Saints, at least, seemed to be ready to face reality. Sunny knew that Naeve would follow suit, as well — he had his daughter to protect, after all. And if the two of them made peace with the current situation, Bloodwave would follow suit. 𝖗𝐚ΝŎ𝖇Ës̈

He smiled faintly.

“lam glad that you asked. In fact, I am searching for something — something that I believe will help us weather the storms ahead better. I thought that it would be hidden on the Night Garden, but as it turned out, there was only a clue to where I must go... or rather, a map. You’ve seen what happened to the sky, right?”

Naeve nodded slowly.

“Of course. Everyone saw. Is that why we were called?”

He paused for a second and then smiled bitterly.

“I guess it makes sense. Who else but us?”

Jet looked at him with a hint of compassion and said in a neutral tone:

”Indeed. We think that the stars are showing a path to... somewhere. So, I need your help to read the constellations — to determine if it is indeed a map, as well as where it leads to.”

The three Saints looked at each other. Strangely enough, they kept silent for a long time. Sunny did not think that they had a reason to refuse to help, and on top of that, they seemed to be quite friendly with Jet... Naeve’s daughter even treated her like an aunt. So, he was surprised at their hesitance.

The reason why they had hesitated, however, surprised him even more.

After a long while, Naeve finally spoke, looking at Jet and Sunny with a complicated expression:

”It is a star map, without a doubt. As for where it leads to... there’s no need to guess. We already know.”

Sunny and Jet looked at each other, surprise apparent on their faces.

“You know?”

Naeve nodded slowly.

“The House of Night used to possess a map just like this one... a long time ago. It was one of the most important relics of our clan. Sadly, it disappeared along with our leader, Nightwalker-”

Bloodwave’s face fell at the mention of the founder of the House of Night.

Sunny scratched the tip of his nose.

“So where do the stars point?”

Naeve inhaled deeply.

“They point to the Eternal City... a mythical place lost among the waves. That was where the Night Garden was built, and that is where the lineage of Storm God is hidden, as well.”