Shadow Slave

Sunny must have been silent for too long, because Nephis shifted and opened her mouth, clearly intending to ask him for an explanation.

That would have been problematic, since explaining the meaning of Cassie’s message aloud would risk revealing that information to Asterion.

If Sunny and Nephis were really going to challenge the Nightmare Desert, invade the Tomb of Ariel, and face a Cursed Terror in battle... then their task was already so perilous that describing it as absolutely fatal would be an understatement.

Trying to achieve these feats while also being thwarted by the Dreamspawn would reduce their chances of success to zero. Apart from that, it would be difficult to explain everything in a way that would allow her to remember — or perhaps even impossible.

So, Sunny spoke before Nephis could voice her question:

”I know what it means, but I can’t tell you yet.”

Nephis frowned.

Cassie seemed dissatisfied with his answer, as well. However, she knew the burden of knowledge better than anyone, so she did not insist on getting a clear explanation. Instead, she inhaled deeply, and then asked in a measured tone:

”If you know what it means... do you know what must be done, as well?”

Sunny nodded.

She hesitated for a moment.

“So what do we have to do?”

Sunny remained silent for a long while, then turned to Nephis.

”I guess, first and foremost... you have to trust me. Can you do that?”

It was an important question.

Nephis trusted Sunny, Lost from Light, implicitly. But did she trust Sunless, the Lord of Shadows, just as much?

The two of them had faced and defeated the Sovereigns together. They were partners, companions... and lovers.

Yet still, the nature of their connection was shallower than the bond between Changing Star and Lost from Light had been.

Nephis smiled faintly.

“Sunny... if I don’t trust you, who can I trust?”

He chuckled quietly.

”That was the correct answer. I am the most honest person in the world, after all”

She shook her head and took a sip of the tea he had brewed for her.

“Just out of curiosity, what were you going to do if I said no?”

Sunny coughed.

”Well... you’d probably be sleeping on the couch for a few days. Or weeks. We don’t really have a couch, I guess, so I would have had to craft one first, but yeah. That’s what I was going to do.”

He smiled and shook his head.

“But first, I would have reminded you that you owe me a favor... don’t you remember? Back when you came to recruit the Lord of Shadows, the price I demanded was that you would do me a favor at a later date. That date is today.”

Nephis blinked a few times.

“You remember that?”

Sunny laughed.

”Of course, I do. That was quite a memorable day for me. You can’t imagine how long I had waited for Changing Star to come pay me a visit... uh, I mean, in a not creepy way.”

Both women regarded him silently.

Why did they look so doubtful?

Sunny hid his face behind his cup. Eventually, Nephis shook her head, hiding a smile.

“Well. It was a memorable day for me, too.”

She paused for a moment, and then asked:

”So, what kind of favor do you have in mind?”

Sunny leaned back and shrugged.

”Oh, it’s nothing much. I just need you to help me subjugate a Death Zone or two, defeat a Cursed Terror, and reclaim something that I lost a long time ago.”

Nephis stared at him silently for a few seconds, then tilted her head slightly.

”...Nothing much, huh?”

Sunny nodded.

”Oh, and I also need you to trust me implicitly and not ask any questions.”

This time, it was Cassie who spoke, her tone incredulous:

“You want Nephis to follow you into a battle against a Cursed Terror without asking any questions?”

Sunny opened his mouth to answer, but before he could, Nephis saint evenly:

”I’ll do it.”

He glanced at her, not knowing what to say. Nephis shrugged.

”I do owe you a favor, after all. Even if fulfilling my promise... would technically make you the most expensive sellsword in the history of mankind.”

She smiled.

”But what to do? My taste in men is that extravagant.”

Nephis glanced at him and asked quietly:

“Will trusting you help us defeat the Dreamspawn?”

Sunny nodded slowly.

”I believe that it will.”

She smiled.

“Then there’s no reason to hesitate.”

Nephis paused for a moment, and then added:

”All this time, we’ve been watching the Human Domain crumble slowly while fruitlessly searching for a way to defeat the Dreamspawn without devastating half of humanity. Now, Cassie delivered us the solution we had so desperately sought. It doesn’t matter if we have to fight a Cursed Terror or not. It doesn’t matter how many Death Zones we must subjugate. As long as there is a chance of saving the Human Domain from the jaws of the Dreamspawn, I am willing to try.”

Sunny remained silent for a while.

In the end, he said evenly:

“Then it is decided. However... this will be a challenge unlike any other we’ve ever faced.”

He glanced at Nephis somberly.

”We won’t be able to overcome it with halfhearted measures. Do you understand what I mean?”

Nephis met his gaze and nodded.

“It means that both of us will have to commit to this expedition completely.”

Indeed.

At the moment, the Human Domain was slowly being consumed by the plague of Asterion. More and more people became his thralls, and soon enough, he would gain control of all of humanity.

Before that happened, though, those who had already been swallowed by the Hunger Domain would most likely endeavor to capture or eliminate those who did not. There was already tumult and unrest among the people, and the situation would only continue to worsen as time went by.

Neph’s presence was especially important right now. She had to keep herself visible to her people more than ever, serving as a symbol of strength and resolve... of hope. If she suddenly disappeared, not only would she be unable to solve any emerging calamities, but she would also undermine the Human Domain with her absence, hastening the spread of the plague.

The same logic applied to Sunny, even if he was hidden from the public eye.

The task in front of him was far too difficult, far too harrowing. It was more perilous by far than getting lost in Ariel’s Game, entering the Great Mirror, and laying siege to the Eternal City... so, he would not be able to complete it by only sending a few of his incarnations and holding much of his power back.

If he were to have a hope of defeating the Vile Thieving Bird, he would have to send all of his incarnations into battle, as well as all of the Shadow Legion. That meant leaving the people he cherished unprotected while a mad Sovereign was prowling nearby.

But it was also his best chance of ultimately saving them from the Dreamspawn.

Sunny sighed.

“We’ll have to prepare thoroughly... but also swiftly.”

Nephis finished her tea and rose to her feet.

“Then there is no time to waste.”