Shadow Re: Slave

As soon as Effie realized what had happened—her leg broken, her body collapsing—Sunny moved.

Before she could hit the ground, his hands caught her gently by the shoulders, steadying her.

He looked straight into her eyes, his voice calm, but serious.

"I'm really sorry, Effie," he said. "I shouldn't have said that. I know your circumstances, and it wasn't right—not the way I phrased it, maybe not even saying it at all. I apologize."

His grip remained steady, his tone firm yet not unkind.

"But… you need to understand something."

His voice grew quieter, but heavier.

"You have fucked around and now found out."

He let that settle for a breath, then continued.

"If you knew my life—if you knew what I've been through—and still chose to throw words like that at me? Fine. I'd take it in stride. Hell, maybe we'd even laugh about it someday."

He paused, letting the silence weigh the moment.

"But you don't know. You don't know anything about me. And you judged me, just because of how I look."

He gave her the smallest of smiles—not cold, not smug. Just tired.

"I don't hate you for it. And I don't pity you, either. I know your situation, and I still respect you. That's why I'll help you get what you want from the second Nightmare. I'll fight for you, same as everyone else."

Then his tone turned a little softer again.

"So I hope you'll accept my apology. Let's not dwell on this. Let's move forward like before. But next time… just remember—if you bark at someone, they might bark back in a way you're not used to."

He gently released her shoulders, letting her sit down slowly as Nephis rushed over to tend to her leg.

The group was silent. Watching. Processing.

Even in his apology, Sunny hadn't tried to look noble. He just told the truth.

And that made it land even harder.

Effie stared at him for a moment longer, trying to piece together exactly what she felt. Normally, guys like him triggered nothing but annoyance in her. Arrogant, polished, with a way of talking that always felt like pity wrapped in polite lies.

But he… wasn't like that.

He didn't pity her.

He didn't flinch.

And he didn't lie.

For someone that looked like a noble brat, his words had weight—and his apology hadn't been pretty or polished. It had been raw. Honest. And somehow… fair.

She puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms, hiding her embarrassment behind a pout.

"Okay, okay, I get it, small boy," she grumbled, trying to play it off. "No need to get that serious."

Everyone stared at Effie like she'd lost her mind for saying something like that again, especially after what just happened. But even more shocking was Sunny's reaction.

Instead of getting annoyed, he just started laughing.

A real, unexpected laugh that made even Nephis blink in surprise.

Then he grinned at her and said, "Shut up, gluttonous woman. Let the small boy cook for you—after you've been roasted by him."

Effie gasped in mock offense. "Excuse me?!"

But she couldn't help the smirk tugging at her lips.

Kai chuckled, leaning against a rock with his arms crossed. "He's got you there."

Gemma snorted. Kido tried not to laugh but failed. Even Cassie cracked the tiniest smile—though Caster just rolled his eyes.

Effie dramatically flopped back onto her bedroll. "Fine. Roast me, feed me, mock me. But if that meal isn't divine, I will kick you into next week, broken leg or not."

Even though it was already healed by now through Nephis flames.

Sunny smirked, already pulling out ingredients from his bag. "Deal. But after today, you'll beg me to open a restaurant once we're back in the waking world."

"You wish," Effie muttered.

Nephis just watched from a distance, arms crossed, a small smile on her face. Somehow, despite everything, the group had started to feel… whole. Like something stronger than just an expedition was forming.

They had a long journey ahead, but in that moment—with teasing, banter, and the smell of fire starting to rise—it didn't seem quite as impossible anymore.

After the meal—which turned out to be truly sublime, even by Effie's standards—there was little room left for complaint. The group chatted long into the night, laughter and stories echoing softly under the stars, until eventually everyone drifted off to sleep.

Everyone except Nephis.

She sat quietly, her mind too busy to rest. She noticed, or rather heard, how Sunny had quietly stepped away from the group before lying down a little distance off.

It didn't surprise her. He always liked keeping a bit of space… watching from the shadows.

But then she sensed something else—another presence appeared where Sunny lay. Her eyes narrowed, tension rising. So, he still doesn't trust us enough to sleep without a sentinel? she thought grimly.

But to her surprise, the presence didn't stop. Instead, it hovered briefly near Sunny, as if acknowledging his state… then silently stepped back into the darkness and vanished.

That unsettled her more than she expected.

Still, she didn't move. She had already shifted her position to sit near Sunny—not too close, but close enough. Close enough to watch over the others, and maybe, she admitted silently, just to be near him.

She didn't fully understand why she did it… only that it felt right.

Just as her eyelids began to droop, she felt it.

That dreadful, unnatural pressure—the weight of overwhelming killing intent washing over the camp like a silent tide. It radiated from behind her, where Sunny lay.

But Nephis didn't flinch. She had known this would happen. It always happened when Sunny slept.

It wasn't just nightmares that haunted him… it was something deeper. Something broken.

This was why she had insisted on taking the first watch tonight.

She glanced over her shoulder, her eyes landing on the motionless form of Sunny—still sleeping, but drenched in invisible violence. His shadow shifted ever so slightly, standing sentinel like always, alert and poised to protect.

Then—

A sudden jolt of movement.

Cassie gasped and sprang to her feet. Effie shot up next, memory already in hand. Even Kai stirred, eyes wide and alert. Gemma and Kido tried to stand up, but they were still entangled in each other's embrace.

Nephis wanted to explain everything—but before she could even form a thought, Caster acted.

He saw his chance. A way to turn the growing threat named Sunny into an imposter and remove him from his path.

So he shouted, "He's an assassin! He's trying to kill Lady Changing Star!"

And with his sword already drawn, he stormed past Nephis, charging straight toward the sleeping Sunny.

She reacted too late.

The others, still shaking from the oppressive aura they'd just felt, couldn't see clearly in the darkness. They hadn't realized that Nephis was unharmed—or that Sunny was still asleep.

So they rushed after Caster, unsure of what was happening, only to freeze in shock when they arrived.

Sunny was lying on his back, eyes closed, still breathing calmly. Nephis at his side, rising slowly to her feet. Caster's blade was mid-swing, aimed at Sunny's exposed throat, which still radiated that bone-chilling killing intent.

But before steel could meet flesh, something moved.

A shadow peeled itself from the darkness and intercepted Caster's strike. Saint—silent, spectral, and deadly—blocked the blow in an instant.

At that moment, Sunny stirred and opened one eye. Still groggy, he mumbled, "What the fuck are you doing… it's the middle of the night. Shouldn't you all be sleeping instead of trying to…"

Then he paused, fully registering what had just happened. His eyes sharpened, locking onto Caster's sword and the shadowy figure beside him.

He realized it now—if he hadn't summoned Saint before going to sleep, he might actually have died tonight.

Before he could speak again, Caster shouted in outrage, desperate to twist the scene in his favor. "Traitor! You tried to kill Lady Changing Star!"

But he missed the glare Nephis shot him—cold as the void, sharp enough to wound.

Sunny just yawned and sat up slowly, speaking with an unsettling calm. "What are you even spouting, Legacy Caster? And more importantly… why do you care?"

His voice was low, deadly.

"You were sent here by your clan to kill her, weren't you? So why would you make such a fuss if I was supposedly doing your job for you?"

He stood now, slowly dusting off his armor, his tone still casual.

"Actually… I've been meaning to talk to you about that. This is as good a time as any."

Then he looked past Caster and gestured lazily toward Cassie. "Could you do us all a favor, Cassie and ask him something for me?"

His smile didn't reach his eyes.

"Does he still plan to kill Nephis?"

The silence that followed was suffocating.

"Because if he does," Sunny added, turning his gaze back to Caster, "I think I'll need to introduce Harus to a new cellmate. And then, maybe later… decide which one of you I'll kill personally."

With that, he lay back down again, as if nothing had happened.

The camp remained frozen in tension, but the message had been made painfully clear.

And no one—not even Caster—dared make another move.

Sunny added with a quiet edge in his voice, "Don't even try to lie, Caster. We've got my best friend with us—so we'll know the moment you do."

His gaze flicked between Caster and Cassie.

But neither spoke.

Cassie stood frozen. She wasn't just stunned—something inside her cracked, deep within her soul. She had trusted Caster. Maybe even more than that… she had started to like him.

And now Sunny—cold, blunt, terrifying Sunny—was telling her that it had all been a lie. That Caster had only ever been close to her to get to Nephis.

She couldn't accept it.

"You're lying!" she shouted, her voice cracking. "You damned monster—how dare you lie about my Caster! I bet you were always just waiting to—"

Before she could finish, Kai stepped in.

He quickly wrapped a hand around her mouth, silencing her mid-sentence. Not roughly—gently, but firmly. He could see the truth she refused to admit—even she didn't fully believe the words coming out of her own mouth.

He calmly patted her back, trying to soothe her while casting a hard look at Caster.

Kai had seen how close Cassie and Caster had gotten. He'd also picked up on her unease around Sunny, how she feared him—maybe even hated him. But right now, none of that mattered.

What truly unnerved him was that Caster still hadn't said a word.

The silence stretched painfully long, while Cassie struggled weakly against Kai, her muffled sobs growing louder.

Then, at last, Caster spoke.

His voice was soft. Almost regretful.

"I'm sorry, Cassie… I really am."

Everyone turned toward him, stunned.

"At first, I didn't care," he admitted. "I was proud of the mission my clan gave me. I came here to kill Lady Changing Star—and I saw it as an honor. Nothing more."

Cassie froze completely.

"But then… I met you," Caster continued, glancing at her with pained eyes. "And I started to like you. Really like you. And through you, I began to care about the others too. Some of them, at least."

He paused.

"I wish I could say that I've changed. That I'm loyal now. That I won't hurt her. But I don't know if that's true. I'm still wavering. If we return to the waking world and she survives… it means I failed. And I don't know if I can live with those consequences. I don't know if I'll still go through with it."

A heavy silence followed.

No one could speak.

Even Nephis, who had suspected the truth all along, felt the weight of it crash over her like cold water. It was one thing to suspect—another to hear it spoken by the one who had slept beside you. Watched your back.

Cassie stopped struggling.

And then she broke.

Tears streamed down her face. Her world had shattered in an instant—the person she trusted, the person she thought she loved, was a traitor. And the one she had feared most… was the one who had been protecting them all along.