Shadow Re: Slave

After that, things began to move faster.

One evening, without much preamble, Sunny approached Kai and simply said:

"I'm going to give you the Mark of Shadows. It won't hurt. You'll gain some boons from it… but the choice is yours."

He didn't explain the details—no grand speech, no promises. Just a quiet offer, given as if it were no more significant than passing bread across a table.

Kai hesitated for a moment.

But then his gaze shifted to Nephis… to the intricate black tattoo that now curled over her pale skin like a living whisper of shadow.

She had accepted it.

And somehow, that was enough.

"…Alright," Kai said. "Do it."

He didn't know what it meant, not really. He didn't understand the full extent of what he was agreeing to.

But in that moment, he trusted Sunny.

Maybe more than he should.

⸻

In the days that followed, Sunny and Seishan made their move.

Sunny remembered what Gemma had said in his previous life. He couldn't know how deep the bond between her and Kido truly went—whether it was simple fondness or something more—but he knew there was something. And that something could be used.

So, one night, Kido received a message.

Gemma wants to meet you.

Trophy Vault. Great Castle. Midnight.

Gemma, too, found a message waiting for him.

Kido asked to see you.

Trophy Vault. Great Castle. Midnight.

The handwriting was unfamiliar to both. But the meaning was clear.

When they both arrived at the same time and rounded opposite corners of the corridor, their steps slowed. Their eyes locked.

Both startled.

Both smiling.

Gemma had been fond of Kido since the first time they'd spoken. Her calm voice, her quiet determination. And after watching her command the smithy with tireless grace as Chief Artificer, that fondness had only grown. Somewhere along the way, he'd caught himself thinking—if there was a light in this wretched place, maybe it was her. Small and steady. Like a forge's flame that never went out.

Kido felt the same. Life among Gunlaug's lieutenants was a constant grind against teeth. And she had few people she could trust. She'd wanted someone strong to lean on. Someone who wouldn't use her. When she'd spoken with Gemma—truly spoken—something sparked inside her. But they were both buried in duty. And power. And caution.

So when she found the note, her heart had jumped.

But now, seeing his face, the smile, the anticipation in his eyes—Kido felt warmth rise in her chest.

They weren't mistaken. They had both hoped for this. And now, it was real.

But just as that silent moment stretched… cold dread gripped them both.

If neither had sent the message—

Who had?

They froze. Breath caught. Muscles tense. Only one thought came to both of them.

Harus.

But before either could speak, the door to the Trophy Vault creaked open. Slowly. A soft scraping of ancient wood against stone.

And then a figure stepped out.

Tall. Cloaked in darkness.

Seishan.

She raised her hands in peace. A strange, black tattoo shimmered on her gray skin—coiled and serpentine, still fresh, nearly alive.

"Don't run, lovebirds," she said with a crooked smile. "Come inside. We won't bite. The henchman's not here… there's no need to fret."