Shadow Slave

Mordret laughed.

”Me? Goodness gracious... I don’t even officially exist in this reality. How are you going to make me into bait?”

Sunny grinned.

”How else? By dressing you in a fancy suit and giving you some hair gel, naturally. You will take the place of your nicer self and draw Madoc out. Naturally, your life will be in grave danger when you do... but that is a risk I am quite willing to take.”

He let out a dreamy sigh.

”Actually, I am looking forward to it.” Mordret picked up his overturned glass and emptied the rest of the bottle into it. Taking a sip, he gave Sunny an amused look.

”But what’s in it for me?”

Sunny shrugged.

”That is negotiable, but... look at yourself. You can put on a brave face, but it is obvious that your time here in the Palace of Imaginations has not been pleasant. I don’t think I ever saw you in such a sorry state. Staying alive while the entire Mirage City is hunting you has not been easy, has it? So are you really in a position to make demands?”

Mordret laughed.

He savored his drink, then gave Sunny a curious glance.

”Have you really not entered the Great Mirror to kill me?”

Sunny grimaced, uncomfortable with having to answer that question. It threatened to reveal too much of his secrets to Mordret, which was never a good thing.

”I did not even know that you could be killed outside a soul duel before meeting your better half. So, no.”

Mordret considered something for a few moments.

”But now that you know, you probably would not mind killing me. Isn’t that the case?”

‘Damnation.’

Sunny let out a frustrated sigh.

”Sure. There are too many reasons to kill you, and too few to keep you alive. Please don’t take offense... actually, please do. I meant it as an insult.”

Mordret chuckled and finished his drink in one gulp.

”Well, you are wrong. The reasons to keep me alive might be few, but they outweigh the myriad reasons to be rid of me that you and Changing Star seem to have. In fact... forget about why you came here. Why do you think I came here, Sunless?” Ṛ𝐚ŊȫВÈＳ

Sunny frowned.

”Wasn’t it to stop Morgan from carving your other self’s heart out?”

Mordret slowly shook his head.

”That was a reason, but not the reason... in truth, I would have come here even if Morgan had not learned about his existence.”

He glanced Sunny right in the eye and smiled.

”Gods... you really have no idea, do you? How troubling.”

Sunny’s frown deepened.

”I do have an idea. In fact, I have several ideas — and the more you keep talking in circles, the more ideas I get.”

Mordret sighed and glanced away.

In a rare moment of sincerity, his mask of decorum slipped, revealing a hint of some somber emotion, as well as unease.

Then, he put his polite smile back on. ”Allow me to enlighten you, then. I’ve been quite heartbroken to learn that you managed to kill my father before I could, Sunless. So heartbroken, in fact, that I was considering doing something unwise to get back at you. Something childish and vindictive... like devastating the entire Sword Domain or turning NQSC into a graveyard before slowly pulling you limb from limb.”

While Sunny’s expression turned dark, his smile widened a little.

”Ah, but I swiftly regained my senses. Sure, it pained me a great deal to have my vengeance stolen from me... but I am nothing if not a pragmatist. The goal I chose to make the purpose of my existence was gone. So, like the wise and benevolent man that I am, I decided to look to the future instead of dwelling on the past.”

Sunny smiled darkly.

”Oh? You sure it wasn’t because pulling a Sovereign limb from limb posed a bit of a problem to your benevolent self?”

Mordret laughed.

”Ah, indeed. Despite my anger, the prospect of making two new Supremes my sworn enemies did not seem too enticing.”

Sunny studied him for a while.

”So, what was the future you envisioned for yourself? Did you find a new goal?” Mordret shrugged.

”It is too soon to speak about new goals. I have to ensure my safety first. My actions, you see, are a matter of necessity at the moment — not of choice.”

Sunny scowled.

”What the hell do you mean? What necessity?”

Mordret chuckled.

His laughter did not sound very joyous, though.

”Think about it. I hid my Flaw — my one weakness — in this secretive place. Not even my father knew about his existence or about the Palace of Imagination. You learned about my Flaw from Morgan, while Morgan learned it from the legacy left behind by Ki Song. But how did Ki Song know about it, not to mention where to find it?”

Sunny glanced at him somberly.

”I don’t know. I assumed it was through some form of divination... perhaps Death Singer had lent a hand.”

Mordret shook his head.

”No, it wasn’t divination. Someone simply told her about it. Someone who knows more about me than anyone else, and with whom she could bargain to keep my father in check.”

Sunny tensed.

The person Mordret was hinting at could be only one man.

”You mean... the third Sovereign.”

Mordret smiled sharply.

”Indeed. The Dreamspawn knows my weakness very well. He knows a great deal of things... in fact, I am not sure if there is anything he does not know.”

His voice sounded a bit peculiar. If Sunny did not know Mordret better, he would have believed that the bastard was... afraid.

But, naturally, that was impossible.

”So what does it have to do with you coming to the Palace of Imagination?”

Mordret shrugged.

”It’s easy. My Flaw has been safe here until now, but not anymore.”

He lingered for a few seconds, and then added with a chilling smile:

”Because the Dreamspawn is coming. And when he does, no one in the world — any world — will be safe anymore.”