Shadow Slave

Sunny was slowly growing fond of having conversations in the dark. Without the burden of light, people were more relaxed and honest. It reminded him of the frequent blackouts that used to sweep through the city when he was a little kid. His family had no choice but to huddle together and spend a few hours doing nothing but talking to each other.

Now, these dark hours had become some of his most precious memories.

He was silent for a few moments and then said:

“Since we’re going to be depending on each other, should we share what abilities and Memories we have at our disposal?”

This was a logical suggestion. If they were going to fight side by side, knowing each other’s strengths was more or less vital. Still, he noticed Nephis glancing in his direction with a guarded look on her face.

Luckily, he was obscured by darkness.

“I’ll start,” Sunny said, both to show his sincerity and to reveal information about himself in a controlled manner.

If he took the initiative to talk, he still had to tell the truth, but how much and to what extent was still for him to decide. If they were to ask and he had to answer, however… things would become unpredictable.

“My attributes give me an affinity to shadows. I also have a slight affiliation to divinity. Lastly, I am prone to finding myself in unlikely situations.”

Cassie listened carefully, and then lowered her head, as though embarrassed.

“Uh… he is telling the truth. Not that we doubted your honesty!”

‘Why not? I spent so much time earning the reputation of a pathological liar!’

Sunny cleared his throat and smiled, hiding his nervousness:

“Really? That’s good to know. But… why are you so sure that I am being honest?”

The blind girl shifted a little.

“Oh! That’s my Ability. I can “see” people’s Attributes. Sometimes, I also receive, uh, “visions”. They can be about the future or the past. I mean, that’s what I think… it only happened a couple of times.”

Sunny swallowed, but then relaxed.

‘So, she is an oracle of sorts. Luckily, her insight is limited to Attributes… otherwise, I’d be in real trouble. Still, I’ll have to be careful around her.’

He finally realized how the blind girl had known about his birthday. The question was whether she had seen it in a vision of the future or in a vision of the past. If it was the former, was it safe to assume that he would certainly be able to celebrate at least one more birthday?

Or did knowing the future actually affected and changed it? For example, after learning that he was definitely going to survive, Sunny might have naturally relaxed and lowered his guard. Then, he would die as the result of it. It surely seemed possible, right? That’s assuming that the future could be changed. But maybe it wasn’t? Then…

Feeling his head hurting, Sunny decided to avoid this line of thought for now. Instead, he hid his inner turmoil and said in a friendly tone:

Speaking of Abilities: you have already seen mine. My shadow can move independently and explore. It can’t affect the material world, but we share sight and hearing. That way, I can spot danger before encountering it. The shadow

however, was a bit strange: Nephis slowly turned

“Uh… what?”

frowned and said in a

used your Ability in the

Sunny blinked.

‘What a strange question!’

Sure,

right… they think that I’m a

Crap!

could say anything, he hurriedly

it to do anything improper! You

truth. However, both Nephis and Cassie looked skeptical. Sunny gritted his

than… than whatever you’re thinking about! I spent almost every waking hour learning how

Nephis raised an eyebrow.

seen you

Sunny chuckled.

wiping the floor with other Sleepers,

was Changing Star’s turn to

is

Cassie seemed equally puzzled.

afterthought for most people, but for an outskirts kid like me, who never went to a fancy school or saw a private tutor, learning how to survive in the wilderness is the difference between life and death. Without it, I would have drowned the moment we were sent

bewildered. She rubbed her wrists and stared thoughtfully in his

see. I

to keep the venom from sipping into his voice. When he

natural for someone of

the Changing Star’s face.

Sunny continued:

As for Memories, I have three. One is an armor, one

share. After a short pause,

give me an affinity to light and fire, as well as a strong affiliation to divinity. I have two

at Cassie, trying to read her expression. From what he saw, Nephis was telling the truth — but also, not the whole truth. And judging by

‘Interesting.’

very sharp and can protect its wielder against souls attacks, to a

part. “Can be used to heal”… does this mean that its main purpose was something else? He was pretty sure that Nephis would not reveal all of her cards, just like him. However, healing abilities

then again, she was Changing Star — one of the few people in history to receive a True Name in the First Nightmare.

wonder what’s her Aspect