Shadow Slave

Just like that - and, perhaps, just as expected - the last opportunity to avoid disaster slipped away from their grasp. Saint Cor desperately tried to salvage the situation, but it was hopeless.

The armies of both clans were fully prepared to annihilate the enemy, and perhaps be annihilated themselves, on that cold November day. Their bloodlust could not be quenched with words. The fates of countless civilians were about to be decided on a battlefield where humans would be killing other humans, not the Nightmare Creatures.

No... there would be Nightmare Creatures, too. A sea of abominations would be killing humans on the orders of a Saint. Somehow, that fact made the whole situation even sadder.

'The gods and the daemons had fought side by side against the Unknown, too... but, in the end, they slaughtered each other.'

The battle did not start immediately. Sunny half-expected the emissaries to lunge forward without wasting even a single second, but after exchanging murderous gazes, they simply turned around to return to their soldiers. The cold sky was full of heavy clouds, plunging the world into grey twilight.

The leaders of the two armies were leaving to prepare for battle. Mordret stared at the backs of Morgan and Madoc for a few moments, then threw a quick glance at Sunny and smiled. With that, he left with Seishan, and his Reflections followed.

Wake of Ruin was motionless, looking at the ground. Somehow, he looked older than usual. A heavy sigh escaped from the Saint's lips.

"Ah... the world is changing too quickly. Or is it me who can't keep up anymore?"

He lingered for a few moments, then looked at the Ascended of the Evacuation Army with a heavy gaze. Wake of Ruin hesitated, as if wanting to say something, but then simply shook his head.

"Withdraw."

The Ascended shifted, preparing to follow his command. ...But Sunny didn't. Instead, he grimaced and took a step away, in the direction where the emissaries of Valor were walking. Noticing his movement, Saint Cor frowned.

"What do you think you're doing, young man?"

Sunny stopped and looked at him calmly.

"What am I doing? I'm doing my best to make sure that as many people as possible are evacuated safely. That's the mission I signed up for when I joined the First Evacuation Army. What are you doing?"

The old Saint stared at him incredulously. Then, sparks of dark anger ignited in his eyes. Standing under the wrathful gaze of a Saint was nothing short of suffocating.

"Don't question my determination, Major Sunless. The government has never broken its neutrality! That is the only way to sustain this world. That is how we prevent it from being destroyed and how we save lives."

Sunny truly respected Wake of Ruin. No matter how unpleasant the government Transcendent was, he had nothing but admiration for the old man. However, he was fed up with empty words.

Glaring at Saint Cor without looking away, Sunny gritted his teeth.

"...Tell that to the millions of people who died in Falcon Scott. Tell that to the families of the soldiers who died under my command. Go tell the people who are going to die because we did nothing today that their lives were sacrificed for the sake of your damned neutrality. Better yet, go to the outskirts and explain to the people there how the government is sustaining them. Or don't... to be honest, I don't care. I'm still going to fight."

Wake of Ruin grimaced.

"You foolish brat... don't be blinded by short-term benefits! We can get involved today, but what will happen tomorrow? What will happen a year from today, ten years? Stand down!"

The Saint was seriously angry. For a moment, Sunny even felt as if his life was in danger...

But then, suddenly, Jet calmly walked away from the government Ascended and stood shoulder to shoulder with him.

Saint Cor scowled.

"Reaper, what the hell are you..."

Jet shook her head.

"Calm down, old man. Sunny is right... we can't compromise and bide our time anymore. You said it yourself - the world is changing. Old tactics won't work. Going forward, there won't be any easy decisions."

Before he could answer, she looked at Sunny and added:

"And you, watch your tone. The old man is right, too. If the government decides to start openly choosing sides, there won't be a government in a few months. Can you imagine what will happen next?"

Sunny blinked, while Saint Cor pierced her with a cold look.

"...You say these things, but you're standing by his side. Am I missing something?"

Jet shrugged and grinned.

"Well, it would be scandalous if the legendary Wake of Ruin fought under the banner of Clan Valor. But... a couple of renegade Masters? No one will bat an eye. The government must stay neutral, but that doesn't mean that I have to. I am my own person, after all. Or have you forgotten that fact?"

Her voice was calm and friendly, but the last words sounded cold. It was as if the temperature of the air around them dropped by a couple degrees.

Saint Cor shook his head.

"Don't do anything stupid, Jet."

But she simply stared at him silently for a few moments, unmoved. Eventually, Wake of Ruin grimaced and turned away. He didn't say anything more, either. But somehow, it felt as though their silence conveyed too much meaning.

As the old Saint walked away, Kai and Effie looked at Sunny with tense expressions. He could understand a lot from their eyes, as well. It was as though the three of them were having a silent conversation...

But in the end, Sunny just shook his head.

He knew what his friends wanted to do. They were willing to join him - not for any poignant reason, but simply because he was their friend. Nephis and Cassie were, too.

But, considering how things went, many people could die today. Someone had to stay alive to pick up the pieces.

So, he silently sent them away.

Maybe it was a bit hypocritical of him to refuse their help after proclaiming that he would do anything in his power to save as many people as possible. But Effie and Kai were people, too.

He wanted to save them, as well.

So, they left with Saint Cor.

Sunny and Jet, meanwhile, hurried to catch up with the retreating emissaries of Valor.

When they did, he suddenly felt cold and confused.

Sunny had decided to help one of the sides achieve as clean of a victory as possible...

But, with how things had turned out, was it even possible for Valor to win? From the looks of it, it was Song who held an overwhelming advantage. If anything, he should be helping them...

Full of uneasy thoughts, Sunny stole a glance at Morgan.

She must have understood how desperate her army's situation was, as well. He had expected to see a grim expression on her face... fear, even...

But, to his surprise, Morgan was walking while hiding a satisfied smile.

Sunny's eyes narrowed slightly.

'...What the hell is she smiling about?'