Shadow Slave

Sunny walked up the last few steps leading to the gates of the Lighthouse while shielding his eyes from the blinding light. He found Naeve there — his old buddy was sitting on the cold stones with a distant expression on his face.

His indigo eyes reflected the luminous silver radiance, coming to resemble those of his father.

Sunny paused for a few moments, then glanced at the gates of the Lighthouse and asked in a neutral tone:

”So, how was it?”

Naeve flinched faintly, then turned his head and glanced up.

He stared at Sunny for a short while, then shook off his reverie.

“Oh... it was fine, I guess. I am like the Night Garden, at the moment — some parts of me that I did not even know were missing are being repaired. I do not think it will change how strong I am that much, though”

Naeve pointed to a stunning lantern that stood on the stones beside him, shining like a miniature star.

“This is the greatest treasure of our clan, by the way — the Star Lantern my father brought with him from the Eternal City once. It was emptied before, but now it is full of starlight once again. That... 1am both glad for it and disturbed by that.”

For someone who had just ensured the uninterrupted continuation of his clan’s bloodline, Naeve did not look too happy. Sunny could understand him, as well. After all, out of those who had been exposed to the Star Lantern, not everyone was as lucky as Bloodwave and Aether. Many had perished, paving the way for the rest with their lives.

That was how the House of Night had been created.

Naeve sighed.

“Does it make me a coward to say that I would not have allowed my own children or siblings to stand in front of this lantern and be judged by it? Even knowing how desperately the world needs those who wield great power...”

Sunny studied him for a while, then looked away.

“Nothing wrong with being a coward.”

He paused for a moment, then smiled faintly.

“You wouldn’t believe the lengths I went to to make sure that my sister never has to pass the same trials I had. Actually, that is the sane thing to do. As far as 1am concerned, it is what Legacies do to their children that is macabre”

Sunny fell silent, then looked at Naeve with interest.

”How does it feel, by the way? To descend into hell... and find your deadbeat father there?”

Naeve chuckled.

“Ah, that.”

He shook his head.

“That was quite a shock... but then again, I always felt like he could still be alive out there, somewhere. Somehow”

Naeve remained silent for a while, then shrugged.

”To be honest, we were never that close. He would appear once or twice a year, then disappear again... and by the time I was a teenager, he disappeared and never appeared again. I faced the expectations of being his son every day, though. But luckily, I never really cared about that.’

He shrugged.

”So, finding him here was like finding a stranger. Although, if we do manage to help him escape...”

His expression suddenly changed, and his eyes widened.

“Oh. D—damn-”

Sunny raised an eyebrow.

”What?”

Naeve seemed genuinely rattled.

“N—no, it’s nothing. I just realized that I will have to break the news to my mom. Oh... ah. Maybe... perhaps my uncle can do it.”

Sunny stared at him for a few moments, then laughed.

When his laughter died down, he looked into the silver radiance with a smile.

”You know, I don’t even really remember what my father looked like. So if I got the chance to meet him again... well, I’d imagine it would have been quite awkward. I think I’d be happy, though.”

He slapped Naeve on the shoulder.

“Your daughter will also gain a new grandpa. Hell... now that I think about that, we simply must get Nightwalker back to civilization.’ Naeve smiled.

Leaving him behind, Sunny walked across the stone plates and entered the Lighthouse. Passing through a long corridor, he entered a vast hall.

The great tower was drowned in silver radiance and hollow inside, so there was no ceiling in sight. Its ground floor resembled a temple.

In a sense, it was the opposite of the somber shrine hidden in the Ebony Tower. One was submerged in deep darkness, the other was bathed in blinding light... but the statues standing in them were almost identical. Sunny studied the one in front of him. It depicted a stunning young woman dressed in a flowing tunic, her face obscured by a veil — she was holding a star in one hand, and a bolt of lightning in the other.

He could not help but feel a hint of subtle affection for the statue of Storm God, because she reminded him of Saint. Turning away, Sunny walked to the edge of the vast hall and ascended the steps that spiraled along the wall of the Lighthouse, climbing the soaring heights. There were no shadows here, so he could only walk — in the end, it took him quite a while to reach the top.

There, passing through a mass of radiant stone, he entered a platform on which a fierce, blinding star burned endlessly, emanating waves of radiant light and immolating heat.

‘Ah...’

Strangely enough, he was not instantly incinerated. If anything, the silver light felt cold — it washed over him almost like a physical force, permeating his very being. That light illuminated the dark depths of his soul.

Sunny could feel something being etched into it by the light, attempting to change him...

But before the starlight could penetrate the silent abyss of shadows, something vast and ominous stirred in the darkness and cast its hungry gaze at it.

The lineage of Weaver surged, absorbing the radiant light and obliterating it.

Soon enough, there was nothing left of it — only its absence.

Sunny felt the invisible strings reinforcing his soul growing a little firmer, and his mind growing a little clearer.

And that was it.

The change was not too significant, and neither was it too groundbreaker.

The Weave had simply vanquished an invader.

With a small sight, he shielded his eyes and looked away from the trapped star. ”Figures. After all, | have already been claimed by another Star...”