Shadow Slave

It was a bit funny — the badge was such a small thing, but Sunny felt almost naked without it.

Suspended and tossed out of the police force, he and Effie found themselves standing in front of the Mirage PD headquarters, staring at the falling rain with somber expressions. It had taken a lot of time for them to be treated, interrogated, and then berated by the Captain, so the sun was already setting. Both were in a subdued mood.

Eventually, Sunny sighed.

”Feels strange. I’ve never been fired before, you know?”

Effie scratched the back of his head.

”Me neither.”

Sunny contemplated something for a moment.

”Actually, I’ve never really been employed before either.”

Effie tilted her head a little.

”Me neither. Wait, does working for the government count?”

He considered her question seriously, then shook his head.

”No. You joined the government as a Saint — that’s like being a boss, not an employee.”

Effie nodded with a chuckle.

”I guess so. But, hey! Technically, you were employed by Nephis during the Domain War, as a mercenary. She paid you, so… that was a job.”

Sunny frowned.

”No, it wasn’t.”

Also, technically, Nephis had not paid him yet. He had asked her to owe him a favor as payment in return for his services, and never mentioned it again.

Before he could explain that, however, Effie gave him a mischievous look.

”Just because you slept with the boss doesn’t mean that you weren’t employed, right?”

Sunny punched her in the shoulder and grimaced when that made his battered body flare with pain.

”Right. But she did not employ me… I tricked her into thinking that she employed me, but really, it has always been my goal to participate in the war on her side. I joined voluntarily.”

Effie blinked a few times.

”Huh. Wait, really?”

Sunny looked at her in surprise.

”Yes. Wait, you didn’t know? Why did you think I planted the Nameless Temple in the middle of Godgrave? Because living in a Death Zone is fun?”

Effie stared back at him, baffled.

”I mean, I just assumed that you are a reclusive misanthrope. So yeah.”

Sunny laughed.

”I’m not. No, I mean… I am, but that was not why I rooted my Citadel in Godgrave. I just predicted where the war would take place, established a presence there, and let the rumors about me spread, knowing that the Great Clans would take the bait and come find me eventually.” ℞𝐚ℕȪᛒÊＳ

Effie shook her head in bewilderment.

”Wow. How devious. Were you planning to make a move on Nephis from the very start, too?”

Sunny smiled and looked into the distance.

”No. Quite the opposite. My plan was to never take my mask off in front of anyone, let alone her. Needless to say, that plan failed spectacularly. Thank the gods.”

Effie chuckled.

”Aww.”

She looked at him with earnestness and said in a touched tone:

”Anyway, I am starving to death. Diner?”

Sunny did not answer for a few moments, remembering the delicious food served in the unassuming diner.

”Sure. I’m starving too.”

He remained motionless for a while, facing the rain, and then asked:

”Do you know what sucks, though?”

Effie raised an eyebrow.

”What?”

Sunny closed his eyes and grimaced.

”My PTV is a pile of charred scrap metal now. How are we even supposed to get anywhere?”

She blinked a few times.

”Oh. Oh!”

Effie lingered for a little while, then sighed.

”You’re right. That does suck…”

***

Sunny and Effie could not rendezvous with the others immediately because they were being watched. Shaking off a tail was not simple without a vehicle,

either, which meant that they had to buy some time and keep a low profile for a while.

So, having learned the strange rituals of hailing a taxi in Mirage City, they soon arrived at the familiar diner.

The city outside was drowning.

The rain, which had been oppressively persistent when they first arrived at Mirage City, was simply unnatural now. It poured and poured from the dark heavens, inescapable, never letting up — in fact, it seemed to only grow heavier as time passed. The rivers and canals were on the verge of overflowing, and the lakes were slowly devouring more and more of their shores.

The flooding in the lowlands had already begun. Countless people were being evacuated, and even more were moving to temporary shelters on higher ground themselves. Because of that, the roads were terribly congested, with car horns blaring constantly as countless vehicles became hopelessly stuck.

A few of these congested roads had been flooded, as well, so people had to abandon their PTVs and escape on foot.

Somewhere far away, behind the dams, great reservoirs of water were swelling, too.

But everything was fine in the vicinity of the decrepit diner. The floods had not reached this part of the city, and the locals were not in a hurry to

move anywhere, either — after all, their neighborhood sat atop a tall hill, so short of a catastrophic failure of the northern dam, nothing could really threaten them.

The dining hall was just as empty as always,and the grumpy waitress disappeared into the staff area after delivering their food. Sunny and Effie dedicated themselves to the sin of gluttony for a while, briefly forgetting all their scrapes and aches.

When they were done, Sunny leaned back in satisfaction and sighed.

”Sort of feels… like our last meal, doesn’t it?”

It was in more senses than one.

Their adventure in Mirage City was swiftly moving toward a conclusion — not because they were ready to conquer the Palace of Imagination, but simply because the Castellan was steadily escalating its attacks. Whether Sunny and his companions were ready or not, there was not much time left for them.

In a few days, maybe even as soon as tomorrow, the final confrontation between them and the Castellan was going to take place.

No matter how it ended, Sunny and Effie were unlikely to return to this secluded diner and enjoy the food served here by an unfriendly waitress. They would either win and return to the real world… or die.

Either way, this was indeed their last meal here.

Effie looked at the empty plates with a somber expression, then sighed.

”Well, if that is the case… should we order another one of everything?”