Shadow Slave

Sunny considered Kai's words. An ability that allowed the Awakened to fly was not unheard of, but it was rather rare. And here on the Forgotten Shore, where a cursed flood of darkness devoured the world every night, it was nothing short of priceless.

Sunny couldn't even imagine how easier it would have been to traverse the Labyrinth with someone like Kai by his side.

Suddenly, it made a lot more sense why someone like him would possess a small fortune of soul shards. It also explained why his captors were so gentle in their attempts to force the Memories out of the young man. He was much more valuable alive.

Sunny remained motionless for some time, thinking things over. After a while, Kai spoke again, his pleasant voice tinted with a bit of apprehension:

"Well? Will you help me?"

Sunny sighed and walked back to the dark fissure of the well:

"Alright. I'll remove this grate, and you can fly out. However, I don't really need your shards. If you want to come out of there alive, you'll have to do something for me instead."

The prisoner of the well hesitated, then cautiously asked:

"What?"

Sunny smiled.

"I'll tell you when you need to know. Don't worry, it's nothing serious. I just need help completing a few errands inside the castle. So, do we have a deal or not? If not, I'll be on my way. I've wasted enough time here already."

Kai didn't have to think about it too long. Soon, his voice resounded from the darkness once again:

"We have a deal."

It sounded strangely relaxed, as though the young man had become resigned to fate.

Sunny slightly frowned and said:

"Great. One more thing: if you break our agreement and simply fly away, I will find and kill you. This is not a threat, just facts. Do you understand?"

Kai lingered for a bit before answering.

"Yeah, no problem."

Sunny gazed into the black cavern of the well and hesitated. He was more or less sure that Kai was human, but had to be prepared to act immediately in case he was not.

Following his silent command, the Stone Saint came out of the shadows and kneeled near the well, grasping the grate with her hands. The steel of her gauntlets scraped against the ornate iron, and with some visible effort, she slowly moved the heavy grate to the side.

Sunny shivered as he listened to the wrenching sound of iron grinding against stone. The Midnight Shard appeared in his hands, and he lowered himself into a combat stance with grim resolve.

Whatever came out of the well, he was ready to face it.

A few seconds passed, each feeling like an eternity. Sunny was tensely staring into the circle of pure darkness in front of him, waiting to see if he was right to trust the prisoner of the well or not.

Then, several more seconds passed.

…And then a few more.

Nothing happened.

'Uh…'

Sunny tilted his head, then asked with some irritation:

"Aren't you going to come up?"

After a bit of a delay, the charming voice resounded from the darkness once more:

"...You see, I just thought of something."

Sunny sighed and lowered his sword a little.

"What is it?"

Kai was silent for some time, then answered with a bit of wariness:

"Ah, it's just that this grate is so heavy that it wouldn't even budge when I tried to move it. It took all six of my captors to put it in place, actually. And they were all big, strong men. So…"

He hesitated.

"I know that we have already established that we are both human, and it's not that I doubt your honesty, but would you mind explaining to me how is it that you were able to remove it all by yourself?"

The honorifics were back.

Sunny cursed under his breath. This guy was even more paranoid than him!

He was unwilling to reveal his hidden ace to Kai, but the cautious prisoner left him with no other choice. Glancing at the Shadow Saint with a dark expression, Sunny said:

"That thing is too heavy for me, too. But I was lucky enough to get a very strong Echo."

Kai seemed to suddenly become very curious.

"Oh? That is indeed lucky! Very few people in the castle have an Echo. I think I know every one of them by name."

After a short pause, he added:

"...By the way, what is your name?"

Sunny rolled his eyes and said through gritted teeth:

"My name is Sunless."

This conversation was entering dangerous waters. Depending on what Kai was going to say next, Sunny might be forced to climb into the well after all.

Not to save the young man with a beautiful voice, but to silence him forever.

Meanwhile, Kai suddenly laughed.

"Sunless? That name does not sound like something only a soul-devouring demon would be called at all! Zero chance of that, right?"

After saying that, he laughed again, this time with a hint of desperation in his voice.

However, even then Kai's laugh was very pleasant to the ear. More pleasant than his charming voice, even, but Sunny was in no mood to appreciate its melodious sound.

'Goddammit!'

Sunny rubbed his temples. Why didn't anyone ever trust him? He was such an honest young man! The most honest young man in the world, really.

Annoyed, he said in a flat tone:

"Very funny. Now, come out of that well before I change my mind."

Eventually, Kai stopped laughing and said:

"There's no one in the castle with that name. At least no one with an Echo under their command. Do you maybe live in the outer settlement?"

'Oh, come on!'

Feeling the pressure of the Flaw growing in his mind, Sunny closed his eyes and answered truthfully:

"No."

Kai cleared his throat.

"So… you are someone who walks the cursed ruins alone at night, possesses the strength of at least six men, dwells in the darkness beyond the castle walls, and calls himself Sunless. Did I miss anything?"

Sunny grimaced.

"Not really."

For a few moments, there was silence. Then, the prisoner of the well said with a voice full of dark humor:

"Would you climb out of this well to meet a creature like that?"

Hidden in the darkness of the cursed night, Sunny smiled with a bit of menace and said.

"If I was in your shoes, I would. And I think that you should do it, too. Do you know why?"

After a small pause, Kai asked with sincere interest:

"Why?"

Sunny stopped smiling and allowed a cold indifference to seep into his voice:

"Because I can put that grate back anytime."

Without waiting for Kai's response, he ordered the Stone Saint to move the grate a little. A moment later, the horrid sound of iron scraping against stones invaded his ears once again.

Almost immediately, the prisoner of the well changed his tune:

"Uh… alright! Wait! Stop!"

The Shadow Saint released the grate, allowing silence to reign over the lonesome courtyard once again.

Kai was quiet for some time, and then said with dejected reluctance:

"...You'd better not be a demon, alright? Stand clear, I'm coming out."