Shadow Slave

Nocits had boasted about his fame... but by the looks of things, in this town at least, he was more infamous than famous.

Even if he and Shadow were allowed to enter the city gates — the Awakened guards would not have been able to stop a Transcendent, anyway, let alone his mysterious companion — the looks they gave the young man were less than friendly. The citizens did not seem particularly happy to see him, either.

Well... some of them. The others, on the contrary, seemed quite joyous.

“Noctis! Young master! Come inside our establishment!”

”No need to pay! We’ll pay you instead!”

“Aren’t you tired from the road, Lord Noctis? Come rest with us!”

Each offer was accompanied by an explosion of giggles.

Noctis grinned and wanted to say something, then glanced at Shadow. His expression dimmed.

Eventually, he forced out:

”How... very peculiar! Why are they pretending to know me? They must have mistaken me for someone, no doubt... even though I am pretty unmistakable...”

Shadow stared at him for a moment.

”Uh-huh.”

A squeaky voice resounded from his pocket at the same time:

”Uh-huh!”

Noctis coughed.

”Well, anyway. Let us find a good inn. Naturally, we can trouble the local lord to host us in his stronghold... but, how do I say this? It’s better that we don’t. Because he is not as fond of me as one would expect.”

Snuggle scoffed.

“No way! How fond of you is he, exactly?”

Noctis remained silent for a while, then turned away and cleared his throat.

“Let’s just say that he won’t necessarily kill me if we meet... but he might.”

He paused for a moment before adding hurriedly:

“Might try, I mean! That old man killing me, the Beast of Twilight? Ptui! Impossible.”

Shadow decided that he did not want to know the details. He just noted that it was better not to meet the local lord.

‘I mean, this city seems quite large. So what are the chances of stumbling onto its ruler?’

The chances were quite slim.

They ventured deeper into the city. The streets were lively and crowded — in fact, they were far more crowded than Shadow had expected from the look of the city. It was as if all the people from the surrounding villages had gathered behind these walls, for some reason, and were now waiting for something.

Not all of them looked lively and happy, either. Many wore anxious expressions, dark circles prominent under their eyes. Some were dressed well, some wore dirty and threadbare clothes. Some resided in pretty homes built of stone, some sheltered in makeshift tents and hovels built in narrow alleys.

Shadow was accustomed to the stark contrast of the human world... but, still, something about this city was peculiar. Noctis wore a confused expression, as well.

“That’s peculiar.”

Shadow looked at him.

”You noticed, too?”

Noctis nodded.

“Of course!”

Then, he uttered in a baffled tone:

“Many people are staring at us... but why does it feel like more of them are looking at you than at me? That’s very strange!”

Shadow stared at Noctis with a deadpan expression for a couple of seconds, then glanced away.

“That is because I am better-looking than you.”

Noctis chuckled.

”Yeah...”

Then, he turned to Shadow and blinked a couple of times.

”Wait, are you serious?”

When Shadow nodded calmly, Noctis let out a disbelieving laugh.

”Come on. No way. I mean... sure, you are quite charming, with porcelain skin and exquisite features. But better-looking than me? Impossible! Inconceivable... there has to be another reason, without a doubt.”

Shadow just looked at him and shrugged. Snuggle, meanwhile, squeaked from his pocket:

“That’s right! And I am better-looking than you, too! Cute and adorable, pretty as a peach!”

Noctis scoffed again.

“Both of them are delusional.”

He remained silent for a moment.

“They must have been blinded by my radiance. Ah, what a burden it is, to be irresistible...”

Shadow studied him for a bit, then sighed.

“What I meant is that the streets of this city are strangely overcrowded. There is an odd tension in the air, as well. Have you not noticed that?”

Noctis glanced around with a surprised expression, lingered for a short while, then shrugged.

“Now that you mention it, the city does indeed seem more crowded than a few months ago. I have not stayed here long enough to learn all the local customs, though... possibly they have a festival happening soon, or a fair. Possibly it’s simply time for local farmers to sell their surplus grain.”

Shadow extended his senses carefully, encompassing the entire city. Some time later, he sighed and shook his head.

It didn’t seem like Noctis was correct. Still, if there was something peculiar going on, they would probably hear about it at the inn, where wanderers like them had probably already discussed the same strangeness.

Soon enough, Noctis led them to a respectable inn in the wealthy part of the city — it was a tall building built of stone, its courtyard drowning in the shade cast by towering trees. There was a dining hall, rooms for clients who needed to stay the night, a stable, and even a small stage for musicians and dancers to perform in front of the inn’s patrons.

Currently, however, the stage was empty, and only a few people were eating in the dining hall, conversing in whispers.

Since neither Shadow nor Snuggle had any money, Noctis was the one to pay for their accommodations, grumbling under his nose in the process. Soon enough, they descended to the dining hall to satiate the young man’s hunger and listen to the gossip.

Sunny stared at the bow] in front of him with a troubled expression, while Noctis attacked his meal like a wolf. A few seconds later, he looked at Shadow and raised an eyebrow.

“What are you doing? Eat!”

Shadow hesitated.

”I haven’t eaten anything since the dawn of time.”

Noctis almost choked.

“What? What’s the point of living for eons if you can’t enjoy good food?”

He remained silent for a moment, then asked with an expression of horror on his face.

“Wait, don’t tell me... have you not drunk any wine, either? Or tea?!”

Shadow just nodded, causing the young man to give him a look of devastation. Eventually, Noctis shook his head and returned to his meal.

”Well, eat anyway. It would look quite strange if you just sat there and stared at perfectly good food. You don’t want everyone to guess that you are an immortal monster instead of a human, do you?”

Shadow frowned.

At the moment, he was suppressing his presence and containing his Will within himself. So, unless one had especially keen senses and glanced directly at him, he doubted that anyone would think him to be anything but a mundane person — possibly an Awakened, considering his looks.

Not wanting to be recognized as a Supreme Titan, Shadow sighed and picked up the utensils.

Then, he tasted food for the first time in this lifetime.

His eyes ignited as soon as he tasted the first spoonful of the fragrant stew.

Noctis grinned.

”Great, isn’t it?”

Shadow lingered for a moment.

”It’s... acceptable.”

Saying that, he was already bringing another spoonful to his mouth.

And then another, and another.

Sitting in his pocket, Snuggle sighed.

”I miss eating food.”

Noctis spared a glance in her direction, remained silent for a moment, then asked:

”Can’t you inhabit a living being, though? Then, you can eat again! Or do you only possess creepy dolls?”

Snuggle did not answer for a while.

When she eventually spoke, her squeaky voice was a little solemn:

“I can inhabit living beings. But there’s no place for two souls in one vessel, you know? So, I have to destroy the original soul first... which is why I don’t take living vessels and only inhabit inanimate objects.”

Noctis seemed relieved for a moment, then unnerved for a couple.

Then, he shrugged and turned his attention back to his meal.

”More food for me, then...”

Finally satiated, he leaned back and smiled.

“Ah... it’s good to be back in a human city! Now, we can finally rest properly. Take a bath. Sleep on a soft bed. Buy new clothes! Treat our hair with fragrant oils. By the Moon, I can’t wait! Let me tell you, nothing can stop me from diving into a lavish bath as soon as we’re done here — nothing!”

Shadow lowered his spoon and glanced at him with reproach.

“You just had to say that aloud, huh?”

Noctis raised an eyebrow.

“What’s wrong with what I said?”

As soon as he spoke, the doors of the dining hall were pushed open, and a group of soldiers marched inside.

Their leader, a tall man wearing lustrous armor, stopped right in front of their table and stared at Noctis darkly.

After a few seconds of silence, he uttered through gritted teeth:

“Beast of Twilight... our lord wants to have a word. You are cordially invited to visit the stronghold.”

A dark smile twisted the man’s lips.

“I’m afraid we must insist that you come with us immediately.”