Shadow Slave

As they walked toward the gates, Sunny asked quietly:

“So… what happens now, exactly?”

Cassie thought for a few moments before answering.

“I am not sure. That depends on whether Saint Cormac is inside the Citadel or out exploring the Hollow Mountains. In any case, my standing should be good enough to at least get an audience with one of the Masters overseeing the Temple in his absence.”

She hesitated, then added:

“If we are allowed inside, there are several rules you must follow. Outsiders aren’t allowed to summon any Memories or Echoes inside the Citadel. We can only go into the allowed areas, unless a Master is escorting us. We may not speak with the inhabitants of the temple unless they address us first… additionally, all items we bring inside have to be inspected.”

Sunny frowned. The rules were not only strange, but also strict and would put him at a disadvantage should anything happen. However, he remembered Sky Tide’s warning… she told him not to break any rules inside Night Temple.

‘Alright… I won’t do anything risky unless absolutely necessary. Let’s see how this plays out first.’

As they approached the ornate gates, two figures became visible standing on both sides of it. One was a man, and the other was a woman. Both sentinels were in their thirties and had calm, cold, dangerous eyes.

‘So… these are the Lost.’

It was Sunny’s first time meeting their kind. In truth, there was not much difference between them and those Awakened who had not lost their physical bodies.

…That was not to say that the sentinels were ordinary.

Both radiated an imposing, overbearing aura. Just from how the Lost held themselves, Sunny could tell that they were extremely experienced and fearsome warriors. Their armors were perfectly crafted, and their weapons had a dangerous luster, all clearly of a high Rank.

The pressure these sentinels exerted reminded him of the oldest and most deadly hunters of the Dark City, those who had survived long years of bloody battles in the hell of the Forgotten Shore. If he was honest, he had to admit that most Awakened anchored at the Sanctuary of Noctis seemed like children when compared to the two Lost.

These people were no joke. And there were a hundred more inside the cathedral, if what Cassie had told him was true. If all of them were the same as the sentinels…

Sunny suppressed a shiver.

He might have vastly underestimated the scale of the force that clan Valor had stationed at the precipice of the Hollow Mountains. The somber cathedral hid an entire army.

But… why only keep the Lost here? What purpose could it serve? The mystery had been tormenting him ever since he learned of it.

…At some point, one of the sentinels raised a hand, commanding them to stop. He studied both Sunny and Cassie for a while, and then said in a cold voice:

“Lady Song of the Fallen… what a nice surprise to see you again. I hope that the other members of your cohort are well.”

His tone did not match the friendly words at all.

The blind girl simply nodded.

“They are well and in good health, anchored at the Sanctuary of Noctis.”

The second sentinel raised an eyebrow and spoke:

“Oh? What prompted you to make the long journey and return to our modest Citadel, then? In a company of a stranger and without your loyal comrades, no less…”

Cassie glanced at Sunny and smiled.

“This is Awakened Sunless, and he is not a stranger. In fact, he is a dear friend of mine and one of the few people in this world I would trust with my life. Both of us used to be Lady Changing Star’s companions.”

Sunny almost choked.

‘Such smooth lies… admirable!’

The blind girl, meanwhile, lingered for a moment, and then said:

“…We hoped to have an audience with Lord Cormac.”

The sentinels remained silent for a while, making Sunny feel a bit nervous. Finally, one of them answered:

“Lord Cormac is carrying out one of his missions. He won’t be back for several weeks, at least.”

Cassie’s smile didn’t waver. Without skipping a bit, she said, her voice as polite and pleasant as before:

“Sir Pierce or Lady Welthe, then.”

The sentinels looked at each other. After a while, one of them sighed.

“Wait here.”

With that, he disappeared, leaving Sunny and Cassie under the heavy gaze of the remaining Lost.

Sunny stared back, shamelessly studying the sentinel. No matter how he tried, he couldn’t tell the difference. She looked just like a normal Awakened would in the Dream Realm… well, it made sense. Her spirit body was the same, after all.

…It was also shaped very nicely.

“What are you staring at, boy?”

Sunny looked up and smiled. For a moment, he was very tempted to answer honestly… but then his common sense won other.

“…Your armor, ma’am. It seems like a fine Memory.”

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The sentinel snarled and didn’t say anything.

After some time, the second one returned and beckoned them to follow.

They were led into a small, chilly room at the side of the gate and handed two sets of simple garments made out of crude cloth, then locked inside. Sunny stared at the bundle in his hands with a perplexed expression.

“Uh… what is that for?”

Cassie sighed and unbuckled her belt, then dismissed the Quiet Dancer and placed its empty scabbard on a bench.

“No Memories or Echoes allowed, remember?”

Sunny frowned, then glanced at his armor. If he dismissed it, he would be more or less naked…

“They are expecting us to change here?”

The blind girl silently turned her back to him. Sunny hesitated for a moment, then did the same. His shadow looked away, too.

Cursing inwardly, he dismissed the Undying Chain, and felt the shadows in the tiny room shift as Cassie’s cuirass and coat crumbled into a rain of sparks. They were close enough for him to hear the steady beating of her heart, and sense the heat emanating from her body. Trying not to let his imagination wander, Sunny put on a pair of simple trousers, and heard the fabric rustle as it slid across her smooth skin.

‘Bastards… they couldn’t give us two rooms to change?’

Suppressing his anger, Sunny put on a tunic and frowned. Its sleeves were too short to hide the coils of the Soul Serpent. More than that, they revealed the two shadows that were wrapped around his body, shrouding it in a thin layer of darkness.

…Not to mention that both the tunic and the trousers were several sizes too big for him.

With a sigh, Sunny commanded the shadows to crawl up his arms, hiding them from sight.

Then, he dismissed the Serpent and bent down to roll up the pant legs and put on a pair of leather sandals, and cleared his throat.

“Are you done?”

Cassie answered after a short pause:

“Yes.”

The clothes provided to her consisted of similar sandals and a long tunic that left her shoulders bare and her legs exposed below the knee. The silver half-mask was gone, too, revealing Cassie’s beautiful blue eyes. Sunny stared at her for a few moments, realizing that he had almost forgotten how they looked.

Then, he scowled and banged on the door.

Soon, the same sentinel let the out and led them through into the depths of the Night Temple.

As soon as they left the gateway behind, Sunny tensed, as if expecting something terrible to happen.

…But nothing did.

The sentinel glanced at him and frowned.

“What are you waiting for? Come. Sir Pierce will see be with us shortly.”