Shadow Slave

The journey back was, sadly, uneventful. Sunny had hoped that they would stumble upon a few Nightmare Creatures, but this close to the Sanctuary, there weren’t many — except for those too powerful for the cohort to attack without a serious reason and thorough preparations.

Come to think, these powerful abominations were probably the reason why the weaker ones kept away. Perhaps that was why Noctis had not eradicated them.

Well… that, or he was simply too lazy.

They returned to the sorcerer’s stronghold at dawn, and went to find him without wasting any time. However, Noctis was not at his residence, and the wooden door remained shut. Eventually, they located him at the far side of the island, where the immortal was… making a statue.

There were several giant slabs of marble laying on the ground, and a dozen or so chisels hacking at them without anyone’s help. The sorcerer stood some distance away, his luscious black hair powdered by marble dust, and watched it all with a satisfied expression on his face while sipping from a glass of wine.

The first of the statues seemed to be close to completion, and resembled… something. It might have been a human, or a horse. Sunny found it hard to tell.

Noticing them, Noctis grinned.

“Oh, you’re back!”

Then, he looked at the hideous stone abomination and raised his chin proudly.

“What do you think? Majestic, right?”

Sunny hesitated for a few moments, and then said cautiously:

“Uh… that is one word to describe it, without a doubt. But… what is it?”

The sorcerer frowned with confusion.

“What do you mean? It’s me! A monument to me, that is. I have decided to grace the generations to come with a vision of my matchless beauty. They deserve the privilege of witnessing it, as well! Who am I to devoid people of such blessing?”

He glanced at the terrifying marble monster, scratched the back of his head, and added:

“Of course, I, uh… might have failed to grasp a couple of nuances of the sculpting art, just yet. This one is really not too bad, but it is just the first attempt. Luckily, I have plenty of these slabs to practice. Hmm… seven should be enough to reach perfection. Well… maybe fourteen… or twenty…”

Sunny stared at the hideous statue for a bit, quite sure that it looked more like a monstrous gargoyle than Noctis. Then, he shook his head and said:

“Good for you. Meanwhile, we have retrieved the Ruby Knife. So… what comes next?”

The sorcerer remained silent for a while, then sighed despondently.

“I guess it’s time to take a break. Come, let’s have something to eat… and drink, of course… and discuss the future. Now that the knives are in our possession, the future will surely be upon us soon enough…”

***

Some time later, they were enjoying a light breakfast in the shade of the ancient tree that grew in the heart of the Sanctuary. Noctis poured himself some wine, then offered them a polite smile.

“You must be curious about what happens next.”

The four of them glanced at each other, then nodded. The sorcerer shrugged.

“Well, to be honest… nothing much. By now, the other Chain Lords already know that I am collecting the knives. The death of the One in the North would have distracted them for a bit, but at the same time, it would have made my actions look much more suspicious. So, they will hold a council and decide how to act.”

He took a sip of wine and smiled.

“However, getting Solvane and Sevras into one room is not an easy task. It will take them some time to come together. After that, predictably, they will send a herald to give me some sort of an ultimatum. And only then, after their polite request is denied, will they act, joining forces to invade my lands, capture me, and make me bitterly regret the fact I am immortal.”

Noctis shook his head, then laughed.

Sunny, on the other hand, shivered and asked, his voice full of tension:

“Is this really something to laugh about? How are we going to repel an attack of three Transcendents?”

The sorcerer grew silent, then shook his head.

“Ah, well. Simple, really. We won’t.”

He took another sip of wine and looked up, at the flying ship that hovered above them.

“…Instead, we will attack them first. We will lay siege to the Ivory City.”

Noticing their stunned gazes, Noctis laughed again.

“Ah, children… you are so fun to talk to! These expressions are priceless. However, even younglings like you should have learned by now that having more power doesn’t always mean achieving victory. The three Lords that oppose us are very powerful, indeed… but they are not without weaknesses.”

He paused, and then looked at them, his eyes glinting with a hint of moonlight:

“To tell you the truth, neither Solvane nor the Sun Prince concern me that much. The only one worth being scared of… the only one who can defeat me… is Sevras, the Ivory Lord. That dreadful dragon. Because between all seven of the Chain Lords, only he and I belong to divine bloodlines. Only the two of us trace our lineage to gods.”

Sunny frowned.

“Wait… aren’t Sevras and the Sun Prince brothers? How come he is the only one with a divine lineage?”

Noctis shrugged.

“All kinds of strange things happen when it comes to gods. Who knows? In any case… he is the only brother who inherited the Fire. And he is formidable for it, beyond words. So we won’t be able to defeat Sevras, unless we strike at his Flaw.”

Sunny froze.

“…You know his Flaw?”

The sorcerer smiled gingerly, then chuckled.

“Of course! We immortals spent more than a thousand years bound together. I know all of their Flaws, and they know mine. But Sevras… that guy is rather special. In a sense, he actually has three.”

Noctis grew silent for a few moments, taking a sip from his glass. Then, he sighed and said with a hint of sadness:

“One is his actual Flaw. The other… is his brother. And the last one, the direst of them all, is his city.”

He looked at the beautiful garden of the Sanctuary, his face turning cold and ruthless:

“By using all three, we will destroy him.”

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