Shadow Slave

After things were settled… Sunny did not really know what to do. Professor Obel wanted to go back to the dormitory, for now, so Sunny asked Belle, Dorn, and Samara to take the old man there. After that, they were supposed to return to the barracks.

Left alone, Sunny remained motionless for a few minutes, then used Shadow Step to sneak aboard Naeve’s ship. Placing a tether there did not take him much time. After the invisible mark was created, he used the same method to return to the port fortress.

It was already night… of course, night and day were absolutely the same during the long winter, here in Antarctica. Still, it meant that the Winter Beast would arrive in around twelve hours, at the earliest, and in no more than forty at the latest.

Sunny slowly made his way back to the elevators. No one was moving in the opposite direction of the port, so he did not have to force his way through the crowd. He just walked slowly, moving aside to let vehicles pass from time to time. The elevators were going up entirely empty, as well.

His lonesome figure startled the crowd of people waiting for the platform to arrive at the upper transfer station. Sunny spared them a heavy glance, then sighed and dissipated into the shadow. He had no desire to travel through the mob again.

To waste as little essence as possible, he simply glided through the darkness and appeared some distance away, in the shadow of the city wall. Then, he used a lift to reach the battlements and finally escaped the panicked sea of people.

From here, he could see the vast expanse of the city. Falcon Scott was bathed in darkness and suffused with stark artificial light. Snowflakes danced in the frigid air, and above it all, the ghostly aurora swirled like a celestial river of ghostly flames. Countless stars shone coldly high above.

Sunny looked at the dreamlike scene for a few moments, then sighed.

’How come it looks so… beautiful?’

On the other side of the wall was the ocean. He could see the port below, the overflowing mass of people within it, and the lone battleship towering above the dark waters. Sunny walked along the length of the wall, keeping his eye on the vessel.

There were soldiers standing watch on the wall. Strangely enough, none of them seemed in a hurry to leave their posts. In fact, he could feel a strange mood permeating the air — the crowd of refugees below was almost frenzied, but here on the battlements, the members of the First Army were almost tranquil.

It was not the resigned tranquility of desperation, either, just… unvarnished calmness of people who had been through hell and did not fear the end.

Soon, he heard one of the soldiers say:

”Look! It’s moving.”

Sunny could see it, as well. The battleship was finally departing. The titanic chain rattled as it rose, soon revealing a massive anchor. Then, slowly, the giant vessel started to move, distancing itself from the port.

Its departure caused the people packed into the fortress to cry out, the litany of their voices flying on the wind to reach his ears.

A raspy female voice responded to the soldier:

”Poor guys… ah, I feel bad for them. It’s too damn cold.”

The first, male voice sounded again after a moment of silence.

”Yeah. I hope someone in the port will have enough sense to hand out food, blankets, and something hot to drink. Speaking of something to drink… give that thing here…”

Sunny frowned.

’Wait… don’t those voices sound familiar?’

He looked at the pair of talkative soldiers. One of them was a man in the uniform of the First Army, the other was an Awakened woman wearing a beautiful enchanted robe. The two of them were passing a flask of something fragrant between each other while idly observing the departure of the battleship.

Sunny tilted his head, surprised. They were Sergeant Gere and Lieutenant Carin —  two officers who had been under his command during the hellish march to Falcon Scott. He had not seen them after reaching the siege capital.

Sunny hesitated for a moment, then said:

”Hey, you.”

Carin flinched and grabbed the parapet of the battlement with both hands. to be stupidly tough? Though… huh, I thought I heard him too. Weird.”

Sunny sighed.

Her face paled a little.

”Gere… Gere, I think I drank too much! I just heard the Devil calling out to me.”

The mundane soldier scoffed.

”Ain’t no way you are drunker than me. Aren’t you Awakened supposed to be stupidly tough? Though… huh, I thought I heard him too. Weird.”

Sunny sighed.

”That’s because I’m standing right behind you.”

Both of them slowly turned around and stared at him for a few moments. Then, sincere smiles suddenly appeared on their faces.

”Captain!”

”Sir! You’re here too?”

He rolled his eyes, then came closer and leaned on the parapet beside them.

”Yes, I’m here too.”

After the caravan reached the city, the soldiers and Awakened he had led were absorbed back into the First Army and sent to reinforce the garrison. He had met a few here and there during the siege, but largely, Sunny had no idea what had happened to them.

It was strange to see Gere and Carin again. He studied them for a bit, then asked:

”...The two of you did not board the ship?”

Sergeant Gere hesitated, then shrugged relaxedly.

”Uh… no. It just feels weird, to leave all these people behind and run away. Actually, pretty much no one I know went and took a spot for themselves. Most of us First Army grunts are staying.”

He took a sip from the flask and chuckled.

”It’s like we all made a weird suicide pact.”

Carin pulled the flask out of his hand and smiled.

”It’s alright, though. Actually, I feel like I was supposed to die in Erebus Field. That would have been sad.”

She took a big gulp and sighed with pleasure.

”Because everyone there died. But here? We already made sure that a hundred and seventy million people escaped. By tomorrow, it’s going to be a hundred and eighty. That’s… a lot of people! That’s a job well done, if you ask me. And if we manage to hold out for a day or two more… then that’s going to be even better.”

Gere nodded.

”That is the reason why we were sent here in the first place, isn’t it? To make sure that these people escape. So, saving ourselves at their expense… just feels weird, that’s all…”

Sunny studied them for a few moments, remaining silent. Then, he sighed.

”I guess I feel the same way. Plus… I really hate losing, as well.”

Carin and Gere looked at him with complicated expressions.

”Sir… you’re staying, too?”

Sunny smiled slightly.

”Yeah… ah, but don’t get me wrong. I am not planning on dying heroically. Unlike some people, I haven’t given up on giving that beast a good fight.”

The two soldiers were quiet for a bit. Then, Gere suddenly laughed.

”Good! That’s good… hell, now that I know that you’re going to be with us too, sir, I am starting to feel that maybe there’s still a chance. We already killed one titan, didn’t we? What’s one more?”

Carin lingered for a moment, then offered the flask to Sunny and patted the mundane soldier on the shoulder.

”Sure, Gere, sure. It’s just a Corrupted Titan. Let’s kill it. Why not?”

Sunny received the flask and took a sip of something bitter, flavorful, and absolutely searing. He grimaced and coughed, feeling his eyes turn wet with tears.

’Gods… what the hell are they drinking?!’

After a while, when he regained his ability to speak again, Sunny wiped his eyes and passed the flask to Carin.

Feeling a pleasant warmth spread through his body, he said:

”Yeah, you’re right. It’s just a Corrupted Titan…”

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