Shadow Slave

The Longing Domain did not have a lot of time left… and yet, oddly enough, Sunny and Nephis had nothing to do at the moment. They had reached the Nightmare Desert in the early morning, with the radiant sun slowly climbing the vibrant azure expanse of the sky. The Tomb of Ariel loomed on the horizon, but it was impossible to reach it — no matter how long one walked across the white sands, it never drew closer.

They had never attempted to traverse the Nightmare Desert at night, though, when the two cursed armies turned it into a deadly battlefield.

Sunny and Nephis both believed that the Tomb of Ariel could only be reached at night, so for now, all they could do was wait.

This was probably the last day of peace they would know for a while. The Nightmare Desert was vast, and even if their theory proved to be correct, it was going to take a lot of time to reach its heart — days, weeks more likely. Especially so because they would be fighting their way through a vast horde of undying beings who had been cursed by Shadow God to an eternity of endless war.

Shadow God had been quite a merciless one, it seemed. After all, he had not only cursed the army that fought under the banner of the rebellious daemons… his curse befell the warriors of the Divine Host, as well, making no distinction between friend or foe.

But what else would Sunny expect from the God of Death?

He and Nephis remained aboard the Chain Breaker, watching the desert silently. Growing tired of the heat, they retreated into the captain’s cabin of the flying ship. Sunny remembered how the two of them had slept here during their journey to Fallen Grace…

Nephis, of course, did not.

There was probably something useful they could do until the night fell, like meditating to clear their minds or going over the battle plan a few more times. But neither of them wanted to waste their last day of peace on rote tedium. After all, there was a real chance that they would not return from this expedition alive… or at least that both of them would.

They were painfully aware of each other’s presence, which filled the cabin with a heated pressure.

Neph’s presence ignited Sunny’s longing, and her Aspect allowed her to sense the flame of his desire.

A light touch turned into a kiss, and a kiss turned into something more.

In the end, they used the remaining time until nightfall to indulge themselves, engaged in passion and engrossed in each other with fervour and intensity that were as deliberate as they were frenetic, putting the sturdiness of the Chain Breaker to the test. Eventually, overcome by a sweet exhaustion, they cuddled on the sweaty sheets to rest and recover.

Sunny was reminded of what Effie had said to him once… that when one was facing death, they wanted to feel alive more than ever.

He was looking at the ceiling of the cabin, his thoughts moving slowly.

His mind drifted to the last time he and Nephis had spent time together in this cabin, and then to the future.

Soon, they would invade the Nightmare Desert. If they survived that, they would enter the Tomb of Ariel. If they were to survive that, as well, they would face the Vile Thieving Bird in battle.

And if they survived that, too, Sunny would most likely regain his fate.

That meant regaining his True Name, surrendering to the Shadow Bond once again, becoming a carrier of the Nightmare Spell for the second time, restoring his ability to challenge the Fifth Nightmare… And, most importantly, it meant that Sunny would be remembered.

That was something he had wanted for the longest time, and at times with desperate intensity. He had spent years unsure and not knowing what to do, only recently deciding that he did not want to be forgotten anymore.

That he wanted to be remembered by the people he held dear once again.

But now that the prospect of being remembered ceased to be a merely theoretical possibility and seemed to be within his grasp, Sunny suddenly found himself afraid.

Yes, people would regain their memories of him. Nephis would know what they had endured on the Forgotten Shore together and why she stayed behind in the collapsing Crimson Spire. She would remember how they slept in this very cabin as the Great River carried the Chain Breaker downstream, into the past.

She would know that this was not the first time the two of them had come to the Nightmare Desert together.

However…

She would also remember how Sunny had abandoned her in Verge to face the First Seeker alone. How he had run away to fulfill his own selfish, misguided desire.

She would remember his betrayal.

A heavy sigh escaped from his lips.

How would Nephis react if she remembered him?

Would she be happy? Would she be angry? Would she slap him across the face, perhaps, full of scathing accusations?

Or would she kiss and embrace him instead? Most of all…

Would their fragile relationship survive that revelation?

This closeness between them had not come easily. Sunny had worked tirelessly to build it, even if the foundation on which he was building it was missing. He often felt unsatisfied and saddened by the fact that the relationship between him and Nephis, while intimate and harmonious, did not run that deep.

But now that there was a possibility that their peculiar relationship would end, he found himself treasuring it immensely.

He didn’t want to lose what they had now. He was already happy with what they had now. He was content…

But he was also greedy, and wanted more. So much more.

“You’re thinking greedy thoughts again.”

Nephis was playing with a stand of his hair, letting the black silk of it run between her fingers.

She smiled faintly.

“Your eyes glisten a certain way when you do.”

Sunny turned his head and glanced at her silently.

She looked into his eyes, no space between them.

In the end, she turned away and sighed.

“I know every inch of you by heart. But I also don’t know anything about you. It’s so vexing.”

He remained silent for a bit, then hugged her from behind and drew her closer.

What was he supposed to say?

‘It won’t be for much longer. Soon… you’ll know everything about me soon, once again.’

That was what he wanted to tell her.

But instead of saying these words aloud, Sunny smiled.

“I’m not too tall. So, there aren’t that many inches of me, to begin with. Still, quite impressive…”

Nephis laughed quietly.

Soon, the brilliant sun melted into the dark horizon.

Their time of peace had run out.