Shadow Re: Slave

Before Nephis could gather her thoughts—before she could even begin to frame her opening line—Seishan spoke.

Her voice was smooth. Polished. Almost too pleasant.

"So. We've brought you a very gracious offer."

A pause. Her lips curved into a faint, dry smile.

"You're going to love it. I must admit… I'm surprised by it myself."

The sarcasm laced through her tone didn't go unnoticed.

Cassie turned her head slightly, listening with blank eyes. Effie shifted in her seat. Caster's fingers twitched near his belt.

Seishan, unbothered, continued.

"We're prepared to support you in every way we can—resources, coordination, manpower. Whatever's necessary… so long as it doesn't compromise the safety of our people. That includes my handmaidens."

Then, with graceful precision, she reached behind her.

A heavy sack thudded onto the table.

Without a word, she pulled it open.

Inside—soul shards. More than thousend for shure. Enough to make the entire table gleam faintly with the glow of refined essence.

Nephis's eyes narrowed.

Kai recognized it immediately. It was just like the one Sunny had given him before all this began.

But this time, it was presented openly.

Seishan gestured to the sack.

"This is a gift," she said. "To you, personally, Lady Changing Star."

A beat passed. Then she added:

"Consider it a sign of good faith. And—"

She leaned back in her chair, raising her tea calmly. Her sleeve fell down, revealing an intricately designed tattoo of a snake.

"—we'll also handle the Lord of the Dead. Delivering its Memory to you afterward, as proof of our strength and capability."

Silence fell over the room.

The offer was bold.

Too bold.

Nephis said nothing.

Her gaze drifted from the sack of soul shards to Seishan's arm.

Specifically—to the tattoo.

A black serpent, coiled elegantly around her skin, its design intricate, precise. Almost… alive.

She was certain it hadn't been there during their last meeting.

Not a mark like that.

And Seishan didn't strike her as someone with an affection for snakes.

No—this wasn't personal taste.

It was a symbol.

A message.

Nephis's eyes narrowed slightly.

A bond, she thought. Or a claim.

Whatever it was, it hadn't been chosen. It had been placed. And judging by the quiet shift in Seishan's posture—her calm, the ease in which she delivered this extraordinary offer—it hadn't been in her interest either.

There was someone behind her now.

Someone in the shadows.

But Cassie turned her head slightly in her direction, as if waiting.

Effie blinked.

Caster raised an eyebrow.

Kai, meanwhile, simply stared at the shards, thinking: Of course. This is how he moves.

And somewhere far below the cathedral—whether in shadow or through the eyes of a shadow—Sunny was undoubtedly watching.

Waiting. Kai thought. Seishan spoke again, her voice smooth and offhand, as though she were merely adding a forgotten footnote:

"Oh, and I almost forgot…"

She glanced at Athena, her expression unreadable.

"We're also lending this place to you, Huntress. Gunlaug will come for you soon. You'll need somewhere safe."

She sipped her tea, then added with a faint smile:

"You're welcome to use everything here. Just… take care of the bed."

A pause.

"It's important. To someone."

The silence that followed wasn't comfortable.

Nephis looked at her sharply.

Kai nearly choked on his tea.

And Athena, who rarely showed any reaction at all, blinked.

Once.

The silence stretched—until Effie snapped.

"What the fuck do you mean, take care of the bed?" she hissed, eyes narrowed.

She gestured at the massive, well-made thing in the corner like it had personally offended her.

"It's a bed. How am I supposed to break it? And what does that even mean, important to someone?"

Her tone was half genuine frustration, half disbelief, but the tension underneath was real.

Everyone else stayed quiet—waiting to see how Seishan would answer. Seishan gave a soft exhale, her voice quiet but firm.

"I only brought it up because he was thinking about removing it."

She glanced at Effie, then let her gaze drift to the others.

"Not because it's fragile. Just… because it mattered to him."

A pause.

"He was planning to put in another one—nothing worse, just different. So it wouldn't get ruined. I don't think he's ever had something like that before."

She glanced at the bed.

"Big. Clean. Comfortable. His own."

Her tone hadn't changed—but there was something gentler beneath it now.

"And since he won't say it himself, I thought I should."

Effie leaned back slightly, blinking.

For once, she didn't have anything to say.

Seishan's gaze lingered on the bed for a moment, then she spoke again—softer this time, like the words weren't meant to be shared, but came anyway.

"I actually think…"

A pause.

"…this was something like his first home."

Her voice remained steady, but there was a faint trace of thoughtfulness beneath it.

"Or at least the first place he would ever call 'home' and mean it."

No one spoke.

Then, unexpectedly, Seishan laughed.

Not her usual cold chuckle or polite amusement—but something lighter. A little tired. A little real.

"It feels kind of good," she said, shaking her head, "to finally talk to someone about that crazy bastard."

Her smile lingered for a moment, crooked with reluctant fondness.

"Because when you're with him… he makes everything seem normal. Even when it's not."

She gestured loosely around the room, toward the grand bed, the silver cutlery, the cathedral turned bunker.

"Like having your first home during your Winter Solstice. In the middle of a dead zone. Surrounded by nightmares."

A beat passed.

She sipped her tea again, letting the silence speak for her.

And for once, no one argued.

A strange silence had settled over the room.

Not tense. Not hostile.

Just… heavy.

The kind of silence that came when people realized they were standing in the middle of something larger than they'd thought. Something with roots far deeper than they could see.

Most of them had already forgotten about the offer itself—swept up by the fragments of Sunny that lingered in every word Seishan spoke.

But Nephis hadn't.

She had listened.

Watched.

And now, slowly, she straightened even more—spine drawn taut with discipline, voice cool but steady.

Her pale eyes fixed on Seishan.

"…What do you want in exchange?"

The question landed like a blade gently laid on the table—elegant, but sharp.

"I won't pretend we can match what you're offering. Not easily. And I'm not sure I'm willing to pay a price I don't fully understand."

The rest of the cohort stirred slightly—drawn back to the reality of the negotiation by her voice.

Back to the weight of the gift… and the cost it must carry.

Seishan met her gaze without flinching.

Seishan offered a faint, composed smile.

"I understand your hesitation," she said softly. "But I hope you'll accept our terms regardless. As you can see…"

She gestured subtly to the bag of soul shards on the table, the comfort of the room, the absurd luxury carved into a cathedral of ruin.

"…we've nearly moved mountains to make this offer possible."

She leaned forward just slightly, her tone still calm—but now laced with quiet weight.

"We want your cohort to face the Second Nightmare with us. Together."

The words struck like a slow ripple on still water.

Before anyone could speak, she continued—measured, deliberate.

"There will be at least two others joining you. All of you—except Caster—will enter together with us. The seed is already prepared. The route has been mapped. The necessary steps have been put in place. There are only a few things left to handle once we return to the waking world."

She paused, letting that sink in.

"You only need to be ready. Mentally. Physically. Memories that allow for flight, for instance, might be… especially helpful."

The silence around the table thickened again.

It was almost too much.

Too specific.

Too well-prepared.

And that was the point.

Seishan knew it. She could see it in their eyes.

Just like he had baited her—overwhelmed with details, smothered with confidence. Make it sound inevitable, and people stop looking for cracks.

And with Kai sitting there—unbothered, offering no sign of deceit—her words were as good as certified.

A living truth detector.

They'd have to believe me, she thought, or at least believe the plan is already in motion. It's harder to say no when everything sounds bulletproof.

Then she added, as if it were a minor note in a much larger score:

"If everything goes the way he intends…"

A slight shift in her tone.

"…I'll be one of the people joining you."