Shadow Re: Slave

Eventually, they arrived at the Warrior Statue—the place where the second Lord of the Great Castle had once fought and slain the Mother of the Spiders, the same abominations they had faced on their journey here. Inside, they found remnants of her brood—eggs pulsing with life, silk-laced walls crawling with hatchlings. Nephis took care of them all without hesitation, her flames purging the nest in silence. She also found the body of a long-dead Sleeper, mummified in a cocoon, and gave them a quiet burial.

Afterward, they climbed to the top of the statue and spent the evening resting, chatting, and watching the horizon. In the days that followed, they worked to gather resources and build a stable shelter on the moving colossus.

They collected strong silk threads from the spider corpses and stripped the monsters Sunny had hunted of their thick carapaces, using them as reinforced walls. Slowly, their temporary fortress took shape. During that time, as they worked side by side, their bond deepened. Quiet glances turned into easy smiles. Jokes were shared, and trust—real trust—began to form. Execpt with caster.

Then, finally, the day came.

They stood at the edge of the wide rift in the earth and waited for the statue to return. When it approached, massive and ancient, they climbed aboard—each in their own way. No hesitation. No fear. Just purpose.

And as soon as they were atop the moving giant, they set to work securing the shelter they had built together, tying it down with spider silk and fastening the walls tight. The wind howled already in the distance, but they were ready.

Together.

When the storm finally arrived, they all huddled together inside the shelter. Wind howled like a beast outside, shaking the reinforced walls, but inside, it was warm—tight with shared silence, firelight, and flickering shadows. At some point, they began sharing stories—of fear, of loss, of the worst things they had ever endured.

It wasn't a random conversation. Everyone except Sunny knew that.

It was part of an plan. After countless nights waking to the oppressive weight of his killing intent radiating in his sleep, they had begun brainstorming how to make him open up. Nephis had changed the most during that time. Her once distant presence had grown noticeably warmer, more natural. And perhaps, because she wanted to help Sunny—or perhaps because she had started to feel something more—she had been the one to push the hardest.

So this wasn't the first attempt. And like the others before, Sunny gave them only crumbs. The group grew closer and tighter… while he remained at the center, yet somehow apart.

This time, it was Effie who tried.

She looked up after telling a particularly grim tale of her time in the waking world, then asked casually, "But Sunny… how did you even kill that Great Nightmare creature? The one whose shards you gave Nephis?"

The others just looked at them with wide opend eyes in horror.

Sunny glanced at her, then at the fire. He shrugged, as if it was barely worth mentioning. "It tried to steal my life by draining my soul essence. So I stabbed it."

Effie blinked. "That's it?"

He stretched slightly, his expression unreadable. "I got lucky. It was starving—had been for over a thousand years. Still a baby. If it hadn't been, that thing would've evolved into a Sacred Beast by now, easily."

He hesitated, then added with a grin, "Also… I hate birds."

Kai snorted. "Wait, what?"

Sunny smiled faintly. "Birds. I hate them. Always staring. Always screeching. But Nightingale, of course"—he gestured toward Kai with mock reverence—"you're the exception. I like you."

They all laughed softly, but Sunny continued, voice turning cold again. "That one wasn't a normal bird. It was the spawn of the Vile Thieving Bird. A cursed Titan at the very least. Neither gods nor demons could kill it—it stole from both and was hated by all. And that bastard had a child."

The fire crackled. No one said anything.

"I killed it before it could hatch," Sunny finished quietly. "It tried to feed on me—steal my essence, my soul. If I wasn't… well, me, I'd be dead. It would've been born and probably eaten the rest of you too. So, lucky for us all, I stabbed it first."

He leaned back, looking oddly relaxed now. "Just hope the parent doesn't show up and try to start a custody dispute. That'd be annoying."

"But that's nothing," Sunny said casually, not noticing the stunned silence that had fallen around the fire. The others were staring at him—some with disbelief, others with a flicker of horror. Even Kai looked shaken.

Sunny didn't seem to care. His voice was almost too calm, as if he were commenting on the weather.

"Do you want to know one of the most painful memories I still carry?"

"I realized you seemed all eager to learn more about me so ill tell you something."

The group exchanged glances. Nephis's eyes narrowed slightly. Effie looked away, suddenly unsure if she actually wanted to know. Cassie tensed. No one answered, but none of them said no either.

Sunny continued without waiting for a reply.

"You seemed eager to learn more about me, so I'll tell you something."

"But there's a price," he said, eyes still fixed on the fire. His voice was low now, deeper. "If I tell you… each of you has to tell me the moment in your life when you were the happiest."

His gaze lifted to meet theirs.

"Is that a deal?"

Then, one by one, everyone shared their happiest memories.

Effie was the first to speak. "My happiest moment? Easy. It was when I had my first Nightmare and could finally move my body the way I wanted. You can't imagine what that's like after almost eighteen years trapped. It felt… fucking amazing."

Kai followed, his voice softer. "The time I spent with my family. Before… before my flaw manifested. Before everything changed."

Kido smiled faintly. "Mine was when I was crowned ball queen at my school dance. Back in the waking world. That night felt like magic."

Gemma chuckled. "For me, it was when I won that regional sports competition. The adrenaline, the cheers—it felt like I could do anything."

Cassie looked down, her voice quiet. "I don't have one specific moment. I guess… every moment before I was cursed by the Spell. Back when things were normal. Those were the happiest times, even if I didn't realize it."

Then Nephis spoke, and her answer caught everyone off guard.

"Hm… I have to choose between two. The first is when my father was still alive. But… back then, I didn't appreciate it enough. I didn't know how short it would last. And he was only there for short moments. I missed my mother even then, so I never really felt complete."

She paused, then smiled—soft, genuine—at Sunny.

"And the second is… when I reunited with you, Sunny. I was really, really relieved. Genuinely happy. It felt better than anything else. Because… you came back. My father never did."

For a moment, there was silence.

Sunny blinked. That smile from her—so rare, so real—warmed something inside him he thought had long been frozen. And the words… they hit harder than he expected.

He looked at her, confusion flickering in his eyes. Then he smiled back, that strange tightness in his chest softening just a bit.

"Thanks, Neph," he said quietly. "That… that means a lot. So much that now I'm not sure I should tell mine and ruin this warm little moment."

He chuckled lightly, but everyone could tell the mood had shifted.

Then he added, more seriously, "Alright. One of the most painful things I remember? Being burned and drowned at the same time while not being able to die."

Stunned silence. Faces froze.

Effie squinted. "Wait, dumbass—how the hell do you even get burned and drowned at the same time?"

Sunny shrugged, a half-smile tugging at his lips. "Molten metal," he said simply. "If you're dropped into it… and can't die… it's a really unique kind of pain. You drown, you burn, and you just keep… existing through it."

No one spoke for a while.

Eventually, Effie muttered under her breath, "Okay. Damn."

And somewhere in that heavy silence, they all realized—Sunny wasn't just carrying strength. He was carrying scars far deeper than any of them had guessed.

⸻

Then Sunny added, his voice quieter than before:

"One of my happiest memories from the waking world—or at least, the only ones that felt anything close to happiness after my parents died—was when I got my little sister in the adoption center. I was around four years old. I carried her all the way through the outskirts by myself. So many terrible things could've happened to us. I try not to even think about what I would've done if someone had kidnapped her, or worse…"

He paused, the weight of that memory pressing on him, then continued.

"The relief I felt when we finally arrived at the center and she was adopted… that was something I'll never forget. It was immeasurable. She was safe. And that was enough for me."

He looked into the fire for a moment, then added, a bitter note entering his voice:

"The second moment… it was a little more complicated. Years later, I'd finally managed to save up enough money to hire someone to track her down. I was convinced she needed saving. I thought she lived like I did—beaten, starved, barely getting a synth portion a day, maybe even… worse. I believed I had to be her savior."

He scoffed at himself, but there was no humor in it.

"And then I found the address. Tracked her down. There was this big house with a huge window, and through it… I saw her. Sitting at the table, smiling with her adoptive parents and little brothers. They were laughing. Eating a real meal. They had meat."

He laughed once, bitter and hollow.

"I stood there like a fool, dressed in rags that barely covered my body, thinking I was going to save her. But she didn't need saving. She was happy."

His voice dropped to a murmur.

"I wanted to go in. To see her. To tell her who I was. But when I saw her smile, I turned around and walked away."

A beat of silence.

"That was the last thing I really did before I realized the Nightmare Spell had infected me. I turned myself in to the police that same night."

You can't imagine how happy I was that she had a good life.

Then Sunny looked up and saw the hollow, stunned expressions on the faces of his companions—faces drained of emotion, wide-eyed and silent. He let out a soft sigh and said with a weak smile:

"Sorry. I didn't mean to ruin the mood. It's just… after what Neph said, I guess I got a little too emotional. Thought maybe I could share some of the things I've been carrying. Hope you don't mind."

There was still no response. The silence was too heavy.

He shrugged and stood up.

"Anyway… I'm gonna get some sleep. You all should tie yourselves together when you turn in. Once we're deeper into the storm, there's a good chance we'll be pulled underwater for a bit. It's not gonna be fun."

And with that, he lay down and, within moments, was fast asleep.

Nephis watched him quietly, then shook her head with a soft smile.

"I can't believe how he falls asleep so fast. It's like… he's always standing on the edge of collapse. Like sleep just drags him under the moment he lets go."

"That's what you're worried about, Princess?" Effie asked while shaking her head. "This guy—hell, I can't even call him a boy anymore—just told us that, out of fourteen years of life, those two moments were his happiest. And honestly? If that had happened to me, I'd call those the worst moments of my life. And that's coming from someone who's bound to a wheelchair in the waking world."

"Think about it," Effie said quietly, her voice losing some of its usual sharpness. "He said he brought his sister to the adoption center… but he didn't say anything about what he did after. Nothing about staying. Nothing about being taken in. So what does that mean?"

Her words hung heavy in the air.

"It means," she continued, "he must've just walked back out. Back into the streets. Alone. Knowing he had no parents, no one waiting for him. No food. No roof. No safety. Nothing. He was four. Four. And he still survived."

The silence that followed was crushing. No one spoke. No one moved.

Cassie felt her stomach twist. The weight of what Sunny had endured—what he never talked about—hit her like a tidal wave. She had called him a monster. She had feared him. Distrusted him. But now… now she realized he had faced more monsters before the Dream Realm than most people would ever know in their lifetimes.

Kai leaned forward, his hands clasped together, his brows furrowed deep in thought. Effie rubbed her face with both hands and let out a long, unsteady breath.

Kido and Gemma were pale. And silent.

And Nephis… Nephis was just staring at the place where Sunny lay sleeping, unmoving, guarded by Saint. Her expression was unreadable. But in her chest, something ached. A tension she couldn't name. A quiet fury that such a person had been left alone in the world. Like herselfe, but just worse

That someone like him… could have still turned out like this.

The others nodded in agreement.

Cassie's eyes were wet, though no one could see it. A wave of guilt crashed over her. She remembered all the times she had treated Sunny with coldness, all the things she had thought about him—without ever knowing who he really was inside, or what he had been through. Now, she felt foolish. And she knew she couldn't take any of it back. But luckily he didn't knew most of those, he only knew that she wasn't as happy as Nephis to see him since they started this expedition. She thought

Gemma and Kido were stunned into silence. Out of everyone in the group, they were the ones who'd had the most normal childhoods—stable homes, happy memories. Maybe Kai could compare, at least until fame had twisted his life.

They both glanced at him.

Kai sat in quiet horror. He had always known that Sunny carried things he didn't want to talk about, burdens too heavy to put into words. But now he wondered: If this—this brutal honesty, this raw, disturbing truth—was what Sunny was willing to share, then what else was he keeping locked away?

What unspoken darkness still lingered inside their strange and quiet companion?