Shadow Slave

Several days later, the Night Garden had largely repaired itself. There were still marks left on the weathered surface of its hull, but they did not affect its overall durability. Sunny was feeling better, as well, and the soldiers had received a much-needed reprieve from the draining intensity of the perilous voyage.

Guided by the stars, the living ship resumed its journey. Sunny and Jet had both turned somber and taciturn, knowing that the Eternal City — and the unknown dangers waiting for them there — were drawing close now.

Jet had entrusted the helm of the Night Garden to Aether and walked to the bow of the titanic ship, looking at the distant horizon with a contemplative expression. Starlight infused the darkness with a pale silver radiance, and the cold breeze was blowing from the west, ruffling her raven-black hair. Her icy blue eyes seemed to glow with a chilling shine in the dark expanse of the quiet night.

After a while, a black crow landed on her shoulder, waited for a few moments, and then pecked her on the cheek, as if to see if she was alive. Jet pushed the Echo off with an irritated scowl.

”This again? In your dreams, idiot.”

Pushed off her shoulder, Crow Crow scrambled to take flight and flew up to land on a piece of the ship’s rigging a few meters away. There, it opened its wings and stared at her with righteous indignation.

”Corpse! Corpse!”

It jumped up and down a couple of times, as if wanting to express a complaint.

“Food! Food!”

Jet gave it an unamused glance.

”Not this corpse.”

Then, looking at it darkly, she added in a husky voice:

“Bird. Soup.”

Crow Crow stared at her silently for a few moments, then folded its wings and took a few hurried hops away... just to be safe.

A pale smile appeared on Jet’s lips.

Not long after that, Sunny emerged from her shadow and leaned on the railing, giving Crow Crow a curious glance.

“I’ve always meant to ask... that Echo of yours, it’s unusually animated, isn’t it?”

Jet remained silent for a bit, then turned to him and shrugged.

”I guess.”

She called Crow Crow over and ruffled its feathers.

”It was a gift from the old man. So, Crow Crow is a bit special.”

Sunny raised an eyebrow.

“The old man? Wake of Ruin?”

Jet nodded absentmindedly, then glanced at him with a wry smile.

“Why? Is that so surprising?”

Sunny scratched the back of his head, not sure how to answer. Wake of Ruin was a cantankerous old man, and his personality left a lot to be desired. It was hard to imagine him giving gifts to his subordinates, even if there seemed to be a complicated relationship between him and Jet. ȓÄŊоβÊS

”No, it’s just... he doesn’t strike me as a generous man.”

Jet grinned.

“You’re an astute judge of character, Sunny.”

Sunny remained silent for a while, remembering the bits and pieces of what he knew about Jet’s past. The kind of advice she gave him in his youth spoke volumes about what her own experiences had been, but Jet never mentioned the details directly. Eventually, he asked with a hint of caution in her voice:

“Your work for the government... it has not always been entirely voluntary, has it?”

Jet lingered for a few moments, then offered him a noncommittal shrug.

”Well, as far as relationships go, that one used to be a bit toxic at times.”

She sighed and glanced at the dark expanse of undulating water in front of them.

“But you are wrong if you think that it was not voluntary. It is true that after discovering my Flaw, they put a leash around my neck and exploited me... but I chose to be exploited myself. I needed to kill in order to survive, and I knew that the government would provide me with plenty of prey. So I was using them, as well. It was a mutual relationship, no matter how toxic.”

Jet fell silent for a bit and then shuddered faintly.

”Gods know it was way better than what would have happened to me in a Legacy clan. That, I don’t even want to think about.”

Sunny raised an eyebrow.

”What about going independent?”

Jet glanced at him with a faint smile.

”You must have always been strong, Lord of Shadows. Most Awakened can’t survive in the Dream Realm alone — I certainly couldn’t, especially considering the demands of my Flaw. I haven’t always been the Soul Reaper, after all. I was quite weak and unremarkable, out there in the beginning.”

She looked away and let out a sigh.

“But even if I could have... I am glad that I didn’t. Left to my own devices, I would have rapidly gone feral.

And then, I would have truly become a walking corpse, slowly rotting away while not caring about anything except satisfying my base desires — until there was nothing left of me except for an unfeeling, murderous husk.”

Jet shook her head.

“People like us tend to value independence, Sunny, but there has to be something in our lives larger than us. It is fine to live an unremarkable life... but it all falls apart when power is added to the equation. We did not choose to wield power, but it was thrust upon us nonetheless — not that we would have refused it if we could. No one who had tasted true weakness would ever refuse power, after all.”

She turned and looked at him, her usual laidback smile long gone.

”But power corrupts, Sunny. Its corruption is no less insidious than the Corruption of the Void, so one needs something greater than themselves to stave it off — just like Neph and her Domain stave off Corruption from the millions of mundane humans living in the Dream Realm. It can be principles, conviction, duty, devotion, or faith... anything that keeps you going even when all you want to do is fall down, and reminds you where you were heading in the first place.”

Jet studied him somberly, then suddenly gave him an easy smile and looked away.

”Personally, I sort of stumbled on what keeps me going by accident. I joined the government out of necessity, developed a misguided sense of professional pride, and only then found meaning in what I do. So, despite all the ugly things that happened along the way, I consider myself lucky. Oh, and it wasn’t all bad. There were nice moments, too... really, if you think about it, I am nothing short of blessed.”

Sunny remained silent for a long while, looking at her with a subdued expression. Then, inhaling deeply, he asked:

”So, no regrets?”

Jet chuckled.

“Life is too short for regret. Plus, look at me...”

She smiled faintly.

”Wielding fearsome power, ruling a gorgeous city, enjoying the respect and adoration of many people, and living in a fancy palace with a private garden.

Who would have thought that a dull, timid girl from the outskirts whom no one cared about would end up that way? For a dead woman, I did pretty well for myself. Don’t you think?”

Sunny smiled.

”Yes... pretty well, I’d say.”

He lingered for a bit, the smile slowly draining from his face.

“So, let me ask you a question.”

Jet gave him a curious look.

“Sure, go ahead.”

Sunny considered his words for a while.

He wanted to ask Jet the same thing he had asked Effie and Kai — whether she would discard personal freedom in pursuit of something that demanded complete submission, whether she would surrender herself completely to something that left her no choice but utter devotion...

But now, he realized that there was no point in answering.

Because Jet had already answered.

Her answer remained the same as it had been all those years ago, remaining as firm as her quiet, unassuming determination.

Sunny sighed.

”Well... that place where you are heading to. What does it look like?”

Jet laughed.

“Oh, that old thing?”

She paused for a few moments.

“Why, it’s a world where people can live in peace and prosperity. A world where everyone is afforded the dignity they deserve and doesn’t have to suffer bloodshed and strife. A gentle world... a place where kindness trumps cruelty.”

Saying that, Jet looked away and smiled wistfully.

”Funnily enough, it is also a place where someone like me can never exist. Isn’t that ironic? There is no space for me in the world I am building. So, in a way, that makes me the architect of my own destruction.”

Sunny remained silent, not knowing how to answer.

Perhaps there was no need to answer, to begin with.

They stayed quiet side by side as the Night Garden sailed across the waves, drawing closer and closer to the mysterious places the path to which was written in the stars. Where untold horrors and terrifying creatures were waiting for them, ready to tear them apart.

The stars shone softly, illuminating their thorny path.