Sunny's lips curled into a grin, though the situation hardly warranted one. He continued walking forward, not sparing the broad-shouldered man ahead of him a single glance. The mad prince—the one who thought he was still in control of his fate—didn't seem to realize how insignificant he was, how his life was already mapped out in Sunny's mind. The caravan would be doomed, that much was clear. But what made this moment different, the reason Sunny couldn't bring himself to care, was that this time, the man wouldn't die by the mountain beasts' claws. No, this time, Sunny himself would be the one to kill him.
The first time he had tried this, Sunny had poisoned the water. It had worked, but it hadn't been personal. Poison was distant, cold, like the past version of himself. But now, this was something else. He would take the man's life with his own hands—no tricks, no deceit. He would feel the man's blood spill, and perhaps, it would make all the difference.
"Hey, the hell are you doing, you little shit?" The shout broke his concentration. The broad-shouldered man had noticed him smiling.
Sunny didn't answer right away. He didn't need to. There were voices from behind him, coming to his aid, voices he hadn't expected to hear. The first voice came from a man who resembled the man in front of Sunny—a man who looked like he'd been carved from stone.
"Let the boy smile."
Sunny heard laughter coming from behind. Looking back, he saw another figure, much like the first, walking with the ease of a man who had known nothing but the cruelty of life. He could feel his presence. The two men, the ones trying to control him, couldn't see the subtle shift in the air around them, but Sunny could.
"Who cares if the boy smiles?" the second man said, grinning like a wolf eyeing prey.
Then came a third voice, more composed, more knowledgeable. It was the one Sunny knew well, the voice that had always reminded him of the wisdom he couldn't quite grasp.
"Stop insulting the boy already. Haven't you seen the markings on his skin? He is not like us, who fell into slavery due to debts, crimes, or misfortune. He was born a slave. A temple slave, to be precise. Not long ago, the Imperials destroyed the last temple of the Shadow God. I suspect that is how the boy ended up here."
Sunny glanced at the man who had spoken—someone who, though familiar, was an enigma to him. He couldn't remember the name of the speaker, but his tone was so calm, so matter-of-fact, that it unsettled him in a way he couldn't explain. His eyes flicked briefly to the others, to the ones mocking him, but the voice of reason kept pushing forward.
The broad-shouldered man, now clearly annoyed, cast an impatient look over his shoulder, trying to see the one who dared speak against him. Then, to Sunny's surprise, he smiled, his lips stretching into something dark and malicious.
"So what?" the man sneered. "Why should we be afraid of a half-forgotten, weakling god? He couldn't even save his own temples."
The man's mockery rang out like a challenge, but as he opened his mouth to laugh, a different voice joined the conversation—this one a bit more forceful than the others. It was the voice of the old guard, the same one who had shouted at Sunny before, yet now there was a strange calmness in his words.
"Watch your words," the old guard said, his voice low but firm. "It's not like any of you are better than him. But unlike him, you don't have a god on your side. Even if the god couldn't defend his followers, he's still a god…"
The tension in the air thickened. The two men who had been mocking Sunny now exchanged glances, and the one who had been defending him looked at Sunny with new eyes, his curiosity piqued.
"God?" the broad-shouldered man scoffed. "What do you mean, 'a god'? The boy's a slave, just like the rest of us. What kind of power can a god grant him?"
The old guard's gaze sharpened. He shifted slightly, his armor creaking as he spoke again, this time with more intent. "And besides… he didn't just have one god. He has two."
At those words, a strange silence descended on the camp. The two men who had mocked Sunny stared at the old guard, their confusion palpable. The defender of Sunny now eyed him with a mixture of curiosity and respect. But Sunny? He was lost. This was the first time he had ever heard mention of having two gods on his side. The words struck him like a bolt of lightning, leaving him confused and uncertain. He couldn't recall having the blessings of any gods, not in this lifetime, not in any of his past ones. So why did they speak of it like it was a certainty? And how could they know?
Before Sunny could think further, the distant sound of a roar ripped through the air, shaking the ground beneath them. It was a terrible, guttural sound—one that seemed to come from deep within the mountains themselves. Sunny's mind snapped back to the task at hand.
The camp fell into a flurry of activity. Guards rushed to prepare weapons. Some started gathering firewood, others checked the perimeter. It was happening. The mountain king was coming. Sunny's thoughts sharpened. He couldn't afford to be distracted now. His plan needed to be perfect.
As the group moved to set up camp, Sunny slipped away from the chaos, finding a quiet spot behind the rocks. He could already see the mountain abomination in the distance, the monstrous creature with snow-white skin and jaws wide enough to swallow a carriage whole. The corrupted beast was an abomination of nature—something out of a nightmare. Sunny had seen these creatures before, but not one this large. Not one so terrifying.
Neux, the broad-shouldered man, was still glaring at him, but Sunny could tell he wasn't paying full attention. His eyes were locked on the creature approaching from the mountaintop. Neux's mouth twisted into a grimace, his earlier bravado replaced by the stark reality of their situation. It was clear he had never faced something like this.
Sunny stood still for a moment, feeling the weight of what was to come. The abomination would attack soon, and when it did, the chaos would be the perfect cover for what he needed to do. He couldn't waste this opportunity.
As Neux stumbled backward, stepping too close to Sunny, he cursed under his breath. But before he could react, a smaller version of the abomination leapt from the mountain ledge, landing with a deafening thud right in front of Neux. The beast's limbs were long and twisted, the claws sharp enough to slice through stone.
"Shit!" Neux screamed as the abomination swiped at him with a terrifying force. One of its massive limbs struck the other man, sending him flying through the air like a ragdoll. He crashed into the ground with a sickening sound, blood pooling around him as he twitched helplessly.
Sunny didn't flinch. He barely even blinked. As Neux struggled to regain his footing, Sunny caught his eye. There was a grin on his face—faint but unmistakable. The moment was here.
The beast turned its attention toward him, its hideous eyes narrowing as it realized Sunny was just a boy, no threat. But in that moment, Sunny felt something stir within him—a deep, primal need for vengeance. He wasn't afraid.
"YOU LITTLE SHIT!" Neux screamed, the words more a desperate cry than anything else. His eyes were wide with terror. He was trapped.
Sunny's grin widened. The abomination lunged again, but this time, it was not Neux who was its target. The boy had already moved, stepping aside just enough to let the monster crash into the place where Neux had once stood.
As the beast swung its claws wide, Neux was left helpless in its path, the sharpness of his fate settling over him like a dark cloud. Sunny didn't need to see the rest. He knew what would happen.
The last thing Neux saw was Sunny's back—his body moving away as if he were just another shadow in the night.
Hello uhh u maybe wondering why i didn't post anything at all for 2 months will it was because of school and me kind lose interest in shadow slave and it's not because it was boring but it was because i was saving up so yeah and school have been hard because i'm moving school and this is the second semester which is the most busy for some reason every week some special event is happing so i never had enough enregy for this but in the mean time i did gain a lot of ideas for this story because the start of this story was just a sudden thought so it wasn't the best but yeah and don't expect me to make more chapters for another month since then school will be finish and i can post more