Shadow Slave

Shadow surfaced from the deep pool of memories, feeling a peculiar melancholy. He was not someone to be consumed by emotion, but at the moment, there was a dull ache in his chest. Everything he saw made him feel mournful.

The beauty of the Kingdom of Hope, the majesty of the great theater... and young Noctis.

It was hard to imagine that all these things were fated to become a desolate ruin. The kingdom of Hope would become a shattered land of bloodshed and madness, her pristine white theater would become a ghastly slaughterhouse, and Noctis... Noctis would become one of the chains that bound the Demon of Desire.

Until he was bound and driven mad by eternity, choosing to break her chains. Shadow lowered his gaze.

‘Knowledge... is indeed the heaviest thing in the world.’

A quiet sigh escaped from his lips.

Noctis and Snuggle, meanwhile, were still discussing the play. However, their conversations slowly shifted to the deity who had built it.

”Do you think we will meet her? The Demon of Desire?”

Snuggle scoffed.

”Do you think a goddess is so easy to meet? She is not your grandma, you know! Why would she deign to grace us with her presence?”

Noctis pointed to Shadow.

”Isn’t he a Supreme Titan? Do you think a goddess wouldn’t know that someone like him entered her kingdom, or that his presence was important enough to go take a look?”

He turned his head.

”Tell her, Shadow! I bet we will be invited to dine at her palace.”

Shadow shrugged lightly.

”Well, I don’t know. I doubt it.”

He lingered for a moment, then added:

”Also, Hope doesn’t have a palace. She has a tower.”

Noctis grinned.

”Same thing!”

The young man seemed excited at the prospect of meeting one of the mythical daemons — despite the fact that people generally feared them, usually far more than the gods. Shadow, however, was not too keen on meeting any deities.

The prospect of meeting Shadow God alone filled him with trepidation.

He wasn’t even sure what he was afraid of. Was it being destroyed and sent back into the ocean of endless lives?

Or having his hopes crushed?

He didn’t know.

Soon, they returned to the city and found an acceptable inn. The sun was already rolling toward the horizon by then, and night was approaching. Tomorrow, they were going to continue their journey — but tonight, they could simply rest and enjoy each other’s company.

The conversation was not flowing, though. Perhaps it was because they knew that there were not a lot of nights like this one left for them, now that they had reached the Kingdom of Hope.

Eventually, Noctis sighed.

“So, what is our plan?”

Shadow remained silent for a short while.

”There shouldn’t be many problems in a kingdom ruled by a daemon. There will be no Creatures of Corruption to stand in our way, no warring heroes, and no rampaging Spirits to hinder us — no problem that you’ll insist that we solve before leaving. So, we can simply head directly north and find a place to cross to the Hollow Mountains.”

Noctis looked at him with a concerned expression.

He did not have to say anything for Shadow to understand what he felt.

Years ago, Noctis had agreed to be their guide on the way to the Hollow Mountains. He had entertained an ambition to follow them into the Shadow Realm, as well... but, in truth, that was no place for the young Transcendent.

In fact, even the Hollow Mountains themselves were far more than what he could handle. Shadow was not even sure that Snuggle could endure the boundless expanse of nothingness, albeit he was inclined to believe that she could.

Noctis, however... was too young, too untested. As a hero of a divine bloodline, he had achieved Transcendence quite easily — and precisely because he had not struggled enough yet, his claim to existence was tenuous. He didn’t even know himself yet, so could he sustain his sense of self in the chilling white mist of the Hollow Mountains?

Unlikely.

That meant that once they reached the Hollow Mountains, they would part ways. Noctis would stay behind, free to live his life as he wanted and continue pursuing excitement and glory. Shadow and Snuggle would continue forward, searching for a way to enter the Underworld.

Needless to say, the young man was disheartened.

Shadow could not say that they had gotten particularly close, but they were not strangers by now, either. As for Noctis and Snuggle — despite their constant bickering, they had long become dear friends. More than that, they were comrades, having fought against countless Creatures of Corruption side by side.

Snuggle sighed.

“Hey, why the long face? It’s not like we’ll never see each other again.”

She giggled.

”After all, Shadow and I are merely going to the Shadow Realm. What’s so scary about visiting the Realm of Death? We’ll just stay for a bit and come back.”

Noctis looked at her in dismay.

”What kind of preposterous...”

Then, however, he fell silent and stared at her for a few moments.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

”Then again, knowing you, maybe that is exactly what is going to happen.”

With a chuckle, Noctis leaned back and studied the strange pair — the man with onyx eyes who wasn’t human at all, and a little doll wearing an exquisitely sewn black dress who actually harbored a human soul. He waved to the waiter.

“Good man! More wine. Tonight is a special night, so bring us your best.”

Noctis sighed.

“Back when I ran away from the temple... I mean, solemnly departed the temple to bring honor to my name... who knew that I would end up this way?”

He shook his head.

“I went to that mythical realm of yours to slay a powerful Creature of Corruption, but ended up becoming an errand boy for a taciturn Supreme Titan. Strangely enough, though, as an errand boy... I fought and killed more terrifying abominations than any other Transcendent did in these past few years, each of them more terrifying than the previous one. And since the two of you do not like attention, everyone seems to believe that it was the Crimson Beast of Twilight alone who caused all that chaos.”

Noctis chuckled.

”Look! It’s Noctis, the hero who defeated the Rat. By the gods! It’s the Beast of Twilight, who beheaded the Great Demon of the Thousand Steps! Oh my, isn’t that Noctis, who obliterated the Devouring Tyrant and its myriad of abominable minions? He’s the one who killed the Red Skull Centipede! Who dueled the Transcendent Prince to a stalemate! Who destroyed the Hidden Stronghold and cut down the Bandit King!”

His expression lacked amusement, but there was a smile on his lips.

Snuggle frowned.

“What are you complaining about? Isn’t that what you wanted? To earn a name for yourself and have minstrels sing songs about your astonishing deeds?”

Noctis hesitated, then shrugged.

”True, that is what I wanted. I was impatient to prove myself, to let the world know who I am... ah, but somewhere along the way, I seem to have lost that desire.”

His smile disappeared slowly.

“I am not that same youth anymore, after all. We’ve been to so many places and seen so many things. The ghastly piles of corpses left in the wake of that Sacred Rat’s plague; the gaunt faces of starving children who could not get any food because that damn Great Demon ruined the fields and killed all the merchants. The pitiful ruins of the city devoured by the minions of that Corrupted Tyrant, with no flesh left on the bones of its murdered inhabitants. The monstrous arrogance of Transcendent rulers and those who harbored ambition to rule in their place... and so much more.”

Noctis looked at Shadow and Snuggle silently for a while, then shook his head.

“Nobody sings about that side of legends. For every name that is known, there is a myriad that disappears forever from the pages of history. So... no, I don’t really care about being renowned and famous anymore. I just want to slay Creatures of Corruption and make the lives of all humans a little better. And that is why...”

He sighed.

“That is why even if you were willing to take me with you on a legendary journey to the Shadow Realm, I would have refused.”

Noctis smiled sadly.

”There are no humans in the Underworld, after all. There’s none in the Shadow Realm, either. So, there is nothing for me to do there. My duty — the duty of an Awakened champion — lies here, in the mortal realms.”

Finally, the waiter brought the wine to their table. Noctis poured it into three cups and picked up one of them.

”It just saddens me that we won’t be together anymore. Not because I was able to ride on Shadow’s shoulders to fame and glory, but because... we are friends.”

He laughed.

”You were good friends to me, Snuggle and Shadow. I don’t think I’ll ever meet friends as good as you. So, thank you.”

With that, he brought his hands together and gave them a bow. Then, he raised his cup and emptied it in one go.

Shadow hesitated for a moment, then picked up his cup as well.

He smiled faintly.

“There is no need to thank us. Just... make sure that you are a good friend to someone in the future, as well.”

With that, he drank his wine.

The wine was sweet, and yet it left a bitter aftertaste on his tongue.

Snuggle grasped her cup with both hands and strained a little to raise it a few centimeters above the table.

She remained silent for a moment, her expression solemn.

Then, she glared at Noctis and said with a deep scowl.

“What am I supposed to do with this, you fool? I don’t have a mouth! I can’t drink wine!”

Noctis laughed.

Shadow chuckled, as well.

They spent a few more hours chatting and laughing, remembering all the adventures they had experienced during their journey.

That night, when Noctis was already asleep and Snuggle was resting quietly, Shadow sensed something and looked out of the window.

Then, taking a step, he traveled dozens of miles and appeared in front of an old statue depicting the Goddess of War — her primal avatar, who held a spear in one hand and a bleeding human heart in the other.

There was a vague figure standing beneath the statue, wearing a pristine white dress. In the darkness of the night, it was difficult to make out her features... or perhaps her face was simply woven out of night, too sacred and miraculous to be witnessed by mortal eyes.

Shadow hesitated for a moment, then bowed slightly.

“This humble shadow greets Hope, the Demon of Desire... daughter of the Forgotten God.”