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."
Chapter 117: Cruel Injustice
Sunny felt a soft breeze lightly caress his cheeks, and then something moved in the darkness of the well.
Gripping the hilt of the Midnight Shard tightly, he prepared for the worst. On the other side of the dark fissure, Shadow Saint slowly raised her shield and rested the blade of her sword on its rim.
…However, they had nothing to fear.
A few moments later, a graceful figure appeared in the air, rose above the well, and then gently landed on the stones in front of it.
The corner of Sunny's mouth twitched. The owner of the charming voice was, indeed, human. It was a young man wearing a light lamellar armor, with luscious dark auburn hair and mesmerizing green eyes. His well-fitted armor was made out of burnished brown leather, with deep blue embroidered garments beneath.
However, for a moment, he wished that Kai actually turned out to be a demon.
Because the damn guy not only possessed the most charming voice he had ever heard, but was also drop-dead gorgeous.
Honestly, it was simply unfair!
Kai was tall, slender, and incredibly handsome. His face was small, perfectly shaped and beautiful, with high cheekbones and flawless ivory skin. His green eyes were nothing short of electric, and his lips were soft and full like… uh…
'W—what am I thinking?'
What's more, he seemed to possess that special type of warm charm that made some people almost irresistibly attractive. Sunny wouldn't be surprised to find out that droves of girls simply fell to Kai's feet every time he happened to casually walk by. Perhaps a few guys, too.
Even worse still, the bastard looked like a genuinely nice person, without the smallest trace of arrogance or entitlement on his pretty face. There were playful sparks of humor hiding deep within his eyes, and one could be absolutely sure that when Kai smiled, cute dimples would appear on his cheeks.
You couldn't even hate the damn guy!
Two weeks spent in the deep dark pit did nothing to lessen his glamour, too.
In short, Kai was the most beautiful person Sunny had ever seen, even compared to other Awakened. He looked like one of those screen idols that people loved to obsess over, only somehow even more attractive in person.
Sunny glanced at himself, feeling a strong desire to grind his teeth in outrage.
'Well, this is just… a cruel injustice, simple as that.'
Meanwhile, Kai noticed the Shadow Saint's burning ruby eyes, which were the only source of light in the absolute darkness of the night, and flinched back with a paled expression on his face.
"Oh no! It's a demon after all!"
Sunny got distracted from his self-pity and blinked. Then, feeling somewhat spiteful, he said:
"I'm behind you, idiot."
Kai froze, then slowly turned around to face him. Sunny didn't fail to notice that the young man held one of his hands out, obviously ready to summon whatever Memory he used as a weapon.
Blinded by darkness, Kai couldn't see him, of course.
'Well, good. Let's not let this fellow know that I'm not as, uh... good-looking as he is for a few more moments.'
Pretending to be perfectly composed, Sunny asked in a calm voice:
"Haven't I told you that I had an Echo? It's her over there. Well, sort of. That is to say, those aren't my eyes."
The handsome Sleeper hesitated for a few seconds, then said:
"Sunless? You really are a human?"
Up until that moment, both of them were just disembodied voices to each other. But now, while Sunny had already made sure that Kai was not some ancient horror… or at least didn't look like one… the former prisoner of the well was still in the dark, both literally and figuratively.
"Last time I checked, I was still human, yes. If you have a Memory to produce light, you can summon it and see for yourself."
Kai lingered.
"Won't the Nightmare Creatures be attracted by the light?"
'Smart and cautious. I like him.'
Sunny shook his head.
"Usually, they would, by this courtyard is really secluded. Plus, there are not a lot of monsters in this area. I guess that's why those thugs chose this particular place to keep you imprisoned."
With a sigh of relief, Kai summoned a paper lantern that glowed with soft yellow light. Sunny hissed.
"Argh! Damn!"
Relying on Shadow Sense to keep track of the young man's movements, he raised a hand and covered his eyes. Accustomed to the darkness, they weren't ready for such a sudden appearance of light.
Of course, Sunny knew that this would happen. He allowed himself to be momentarily blinded to give Kai some sense of safety and better convince him of his human nature.
"Oh! Sorry."
The beautiful young man lowered the lantern a little and looked up, trying to finally lay eyes on his mysterious liberator.
Then, with a bit of surprise, he slightly lowered his head and looked down.
'Great, that is not humiliating at all!'
Kai stared at Sunny for a few seconds and, after realizing that he was indeed a human, offered him a dazzling smile.
His smile was as charming as the rest of him. Even the cute dimples that Sunny had imagined would inevitably appear on his cheeks were, indeed, there in all their glory.
It was nothing short of obnoxious.
"Well... what a surprise! I was almost certain that you will turn out to be a terrible monster. But you aren't. You really are a human, and such a cutie too!"
Sunny coughed.
'Wha… did he just call me a "cutie"? How dare he! Uh, I mean… thanks? What is happening?'
Meanwhile, Kai frowned.
"But, Sunless…"
"What?!"
The beautiful Sleeper blinked a couple of times.
"Can I ask something? If you really don't live in the castle or in the outer settlement, then where do you live?"
Sunny shrugged.
"I mean, are there many options left? I live in the city."
Kai hesitated for a bit, but then, suddenly, a light of realization ignited in his mesmerizing green eyes.
"Oh! I think I've heard of you! Aren't you that crazy kid that lives alone in the ruins?"
Sunny stared at him with murder in his eyes.
'Why does everyone keeps calling me "kid"? Why does everyone keep calling me "crazy"?! I'm not crazy!'
With a deep sigh, he answered:
"Indeed, that's me. You can call me Sunny, by the way. Once you get to know me better, you'll realize that I am not, in fact, that crazy."
Kai looked at him with doubt. Noticing that, Sunny grinned. He decided to tease the obnoxiously gorgeous young man a little.
Of course, with the limitations of his Flaw, that was going to require a bit of finesse.
Putting too much enthusiasm in his voice, Sunny said:
"And I don't actually live alone! I have plenty of creatures to keep me company, you might even call them my friends. There's a talking rock that sometimes tells me to do stuff. There's also my shadow, it has a lot of interesting opinions!"
He stared at Kai with a sincere smile. When the young man's handsome face became a little pale, Sunny laughed.
"Gee, relax, man. I am just joking around with you."
Then he looked down at the shadow and added in a dark, angry tone:
"They're not really my friends. I actually can't stand that rock, and the shadow and I barely talk these days..."
Chapter 118: Mirror Image
Perhaps joking around with Kai was a bit cruel, but Sunny was really annoyed by how ridiculously good-looking the other Sleeper was. Plus, he had not talked to another human in such a long time that his already lacking communication skills had become truly rusty.
Since they were going to visit the castle soon, Sunny had to prepare himself for the inevitable moment when he would be forced to talk to strangers. Stretching his Flaw to its limits was a good practice. He wouldn't want for something like… that accident to happen again.
The unpleasant memory soured Sunny's mood.
Meanwhile, Kai was staring at him with a very strange expression on his face. Sunny cleared his throat.
"Uh… that was a part of the joke, by the way."
The handsome young man continued to stare, his face full of doubt.
'Did I go too hard on this poor guy? He must have been scared out of his wits already… he's probably in an utter panic now. Who wouldn't be a bit apprehensive about meeting a madman? Yeah… maybe it wasn't as funny as I thought.'
Kai cautiously shook his head.
"It's not that. I just feel like I have to inform you about something."
Sunny raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah? About what?"
Kai hesitated, then said in a very calming tone:
"It's about my Flaw. I can actually tell when someone is lying to me. So, uh… when you said that there's a rock that tells you what to do, I knew that it was true right away."
Sunny glared at the beautiful young man with an incredulous expression. Internally, he didn't know whether to laugh or to cry.
'Flaw? How is that a Flaw?! That's a damn superpower, you despicable bastard!'
Why was that Kai so lucky? He had the charming voice, the tall stature, the perfect face. Even his Flaw was a damn blessing!
Coincidentally, it was also a perfect counter to the better half of Sunny's tricks. If Kai had not informed him about this strange Flaw of his, Sunny would have gotten himself into really big trouble pretty soon.
Luckily, the beautiful young man happened to be a very honest guy.
'What an angel!'
While Sunny was seething in outrage, Kai said in a gentle tone:
"So Sunny… what exactly does that rock ask you to do? Do you maybe want to tell me?"
Sunny sighed.
'I'll have to be really, really careful and watch what I say around this guy. '
"Well, you're no fun at all. The talking rock is actually a Memory capable of repeating words. I use it as an alarm occasionally, so it mainly tells me to wake up. As for that stuff I told about my shadow being opinionated… that's also true. Uh, but you already know, I suppose. My shadow has a bit of personality due to its function within my Aspect."
Kai thought about it, then smiled.
"Oh, I see! So it was really a joke. Very crafty. Sorry to ruin it with my Flaw."
Sunny scowled.
"Don't you patronize me…"
Then he stopped, thought about something, and said angrily:
"Wait, if you can tell when someone is lying, then why did I have to spend half an hour convincing you to get out of that well?!"
Kai blinked a couple of times, looking innocent and hurt.
"Well, how do I know if my Flaw works on Nightmare Creatures? I've never had a conversation with one before! A person can never be too careful when making deals with ancient horrors, you know."
Sunny covered his face with a hand.
"Yeah, I know."
Kai looked at him with concern.
"Ah, Sunny? Are you alright?"
'This is those cursed strings of fate screwing with me again. What are the odds of meeting a person whose Flaw is almost the exact opposite of mine? And why is he so goddamn stunning… is that supposed to be the opposite of how I look, huh? Huh?!'
"I am. Anyway. Let's get down to business."
Kai sighed.
"Of course. A promise is a promise. I will help you do whatever it is you want to do in the castle. Shall we go together?"
Sunny shook his head.
"Not yet. I'll have to stop by a place first. Do you know the big ruined cathedral to the south of here?"
The other Sleeper thought for a bit, then nodded.
"I think I do. I fly over that part of the city often, and it's hard to miss. Are you taking me there?"
'Good question…'
On one hand, Sunny didn't want anyone to know where he lived. On the other hand, he didn't trust Kai enough to simply let him return to the castle and wait there.
But moving through the city with a source of light was not something he was prepared to do, either.
Was there a compromise?
"I can't take you anywhere with that lantern of yours. I survive by hiding in the darkness, remember? So you can go on and fly to the cathedral on your own. Wait for me on the roof."
Kai looked south, remembering the location of the ruined temple, and nodded.
"Alright."
Sunny raised a hand, stopping the young man from flying away.
"Wait. Whatever happens, don't go inside the cathedral, okay? I'm not joking. There's a Fallen Devil residing inside, so if you do, he'll butcher you just like he had butchered that bunch of idiots who had kidnapped you."
Kai stared at him in shock.
"What? They are dead?"
Sunny shrugged.
"How do you think I found you in that well? One of the dead thugs had a map on his body. I thought there'll be treasure hidden in the marked location. But…"
The beautiful Sleeper smiled.
"But it was something much better? Aw, thank you for the compliment! I'll be careful not to enter the cathedral, rest assured."
Sunny stared at the smiling Kai for some time, then shrugged in exasperation.
"Sure. Off you go, then. And remember — if you break our agreement, I will…"
"...find and kill me, yeah. Don't worry, Sunny. I never break a promise!"
With these words, Kai raised his head and looked up. A soft gust of wind touched Sunny's skin, and in the next moment, the charming Sleeper suddenly soared above the ground, quickly disappearing into the sky. Soon, only a tiny dot of his paper lantern could be seen, moving south through the black skies like a lonely star.
Suddenly, Sunny trembled.
A cold feeling of dread grasped his heart like an iron grip.
Following the dot of light with his eyes, he whispered:
"...There was a lonely star burning in the black skies, and under its light, the castle was suddenly consumed by fire, with rivers of blood flowing down its halls."
He stood for a while in the darkness, motionless.
If Sunny didn't know better, he would have thought that this part of Cassie's prophecy talked about Kai.
But he did know better.
He had known the truth of that prophecy for some time now.
Lowering his head, Sunny licked his lips and asked the voiceless shadow in a raspy voice:
"Is it… is it already starting?"
Like always, the shadow did not answer.
'What a stupid question.'
Of course not. It had started a long time ago.
Right at the moment when the three of them had entered the ruined city.
Chapter 119: A Fistful of Soul Shards
It took Sunny some time to find his way back to the cathedral. With the approach of the dawn, the Nightmare Creatures that hunted at night grew restless. He had to be especially careful as he lurked through the narrow streets, keeping to the darkest patches of shadow.
Even though there was no moon or stars in the lightless night of the Forgotten Shore, many of the monsters here had their own ways of perceiving shapes moving through the darkness. Their ability to see in the dark was somewhat offset by Sunny's [Child of Shadows] Attribute, which allowed him to become indistinguishable from any shadow that he dove in.
However, he still had to be cautious. In this cursed place, nothing was ever certain — except for danger, death, and terror.
Some time later, he climbed the familiar pillars of the cathedral and appeared on its vast roof. Walking on the wide ridge separating two slanting expanses of ancient tiles, he approached Kai, who was standing nervously some distance away.
The beautiful young man was grasping a longbow made of horn in his hands, staring into the darkness with a tense expression on his pale face. Sunny stopped a few steps away from him and looked at that bow for a long time.
'There's not much time left.'
To avoid getting an arrow between his eyes, Sunny decided to announce his arrival with a gentle greeting:
"Hey, Kai. I'm here."
The archer turned around with a startled expression and raised a hand, as though trying to summon his lantern. However, he thought better of it, afraid to attract unwanted attention. Instead, Kai gulped and whispered:
"Lower your voice! What if that Fallen Devil hears us?"
Sunny blinked.
'Oh, right. He's a very carefull person.'
Which was a great personality trait to have, as far as he was concerned. The more paranoid, the better. Smiling inwardly, he said:
"Relax, he won't."
Kai stared at him with doubt, then asked:
"Are you sure?"
Sunny gave him a nod.
"Yes."
He was prepared to explain the reason behind this confidence, but, surprisingly, Kai immediately believed him and calmed down.
'Right… he knows when people are lying to him. Which means that he also knows when they're telling the truth. And since I can only tell the truth, he can pretty much believe everything I say without the need to ask unnecessary questions.'
Huh… come to think of it, that Flaw of his was actually very convenient.
Meanwhile, Kai cautiously looked around and asked:
"So, what are we going to do here?"
Sunny gestured at the group of shattered tiles not too far away from them and answered in a calm tone:
"I'm going to climb into that hole and retrieve something from the temple. You just wait here until I return."
Kai's eyes widened.
"Are you crazy? What about the devil?"
What about that bastard? Sunny couldn't help but fantasize about slaughtering the damn creature for a few seconds.
'The day will come!'
Returning to the present situation, he said:
"What about him? I told you, I'm good at hiding. As long as I know who I'm dealing with, they won't be able to notice me unless I want them to."
He had learned that first part of the sentence the hard way. Actually, it was the bastard who taught him that even concealment of shadows had its limits. That's how Sunny ended up with his insides on his outside and in possession of this vital piece of information.
Some lessons you only needed to receive once to remember them forever.
Kai was looking at him with a strange expression again. Sunny frowned:
"What?"
The beautiful young man shook his head.
"No, no. It's just that… it's an awesome Ability. I wish I had an Ability like that, to be honest."
Sunny glared at him and uttered through gritted teeth:
"Says the guy who can fly! Why would you want to hide your perfectly symmetrical face anyway? Tired of being ogled by love-stricken supermodels?!"
Kai sighed.
"Something like that. How did you know?"
Sunny opened his mouth, then closed it again.
"...Anyway, wait for me here. I won't be long."
Throwing a glance at the charming Sleeper, he shook his head and walked over to the hole hidden behind several broken tiles.
Soon, he was back in his secret lair. Looking around with a bit of apprehension, Sunny sighed and removed the rucksack fashioned from the skin of a monster from his back. Then, he unloaded the strips of carapace centurion's meat on the silver plate and walked over to the iron chest.
To be honest, he really didn't want to go anywhere near the castle. The idea alone made him long to stay in this dark, quiet, familiar room forever. But he couldn't. If he wanted to make the Shadow Saint stronger, he had to return to the human settlement and risk facing his fears.
'Whatever. I'll just go in and out. Kai will be the one doing all the work, anyway.'
With a heavy sigh, he raised the lid of the chest and began loading his rucksack with soul shards. Dozens of beautiful crystals were soon glittering inside.
Sunny only took half of them, but the amount was already enough to drive many people to murder.
He couldn't really blame them. On the Forgotten Shore, shards represented money, and money represented life. Without it, you couldn't buy yourself a place within the safety of the castle or procure food without having to risk death in the cursed maze of the city.
Anyone would be willing to commit murder in order to survive.
'Keep telling yourself this.'
With an angry grimace, Sunny shut the rucksack tightly, made sure that no light seeped through its seams, and turned around.
Glancing at his peaceful hidden lair one last time, he shut his eyes for a moment, and then walked away without looking back.
It was time to return to the castle.
…And all the terrible memories he had left there before running away.
Chapter 120: Approaching the Castle
Washed in the ghostly light of the nascent dawn, Sunny and Kai were walking through the ruins of the cursed city. The night was slowly crawling away. Its retreat made one of them feel safer, while the other one grew uneasy without the familiar veil of darkness hiding him from the world.
'I have almost forgotten how mournful this place looks when the sun is up.'
Somewhere in the distance, the waves of the dark sea were halting their eternal assault on the stone walls of the ancient city. These walls had withstood thousands of years of wear and abuse without allowing even a single drop of black water to seep through. Sunny suspected that they would stand unbroken for a thousand years more.
Suddenly uncomfortable, he turned his head west and found the distant silhouette of the Crimson Spire. The menacing structure was looming over the Forgotten Shore like an evil omen, spelling doom to anyone who would dare approach it.
'...Maybe not.'
Sunny had chosen a complicated and meandering route to reach the castle. Kai, who was less familiar with the cursed city, simply followed behind. The charming young man was alert and collected, his bow ready to send arrows flying at any moment.
They had to circle around many areas where especially terrifying creatures were known to dwell and hunt, making slow progress. Still, it was better to be safe than sorry.
At some point, Sunny raised his hand, gesturing for his companion to stop. He peered into the distance with a deep frown on his face.
Kai glanced at him and whispered:
"What is it?"
Sunny brought a finger to his lips before answering:
"Shh. Listen."
Soon, they heard an eerie sound that resembled stifled, heart-wrenching weeping. It was as though there was a crying woman in the fog ahead of them, slowly drawing closer. Her trembling sobs made both Sleepers shiver.
Kai looked at him and asked without much confidence:
"What are the chances that it's actually a human girl?"
Sunny gave him a crooked smile.
"Low."
Without needing to discuss it, they hid behind a large pile of rubble and waited. Pressing himself against the cold stones, Sunny sent his shadow to climb the building and observe the surrounding streets. Kai saw the shadow off with a bewildered look, blinked a couple of times, but didn't say anything.
A minute or two later, Sunny glanced at him and asked:
"Where are your arrows?"
The charming young man hesitated, then said:
"I usually carry a quiver with a few dozen arrows that were specially crafted for me by one of the best blacksmiths in the castle. But the gentlemen who put me in that well… may they rest in peace… weren't kind enough to let me bring it."
Sunny gave him an amused look.
"So that bow of yours is actually useless?"
Kai lingered for a few moments before answering:
"...I also have arrow-type Memories."
"How many?"
The elegant archer lowered his gaze in embarrassment.
"Uh… two. Will that be enough?"
Sunny was silent for a bit, and then answered in a flat tone:
"No. I don't think that will be enough."
Out there in the fog, his shadow was looking at the creature that had been producing the heart-wrenching weeping.
It was not a human girl.
A massive, four-legged beast was walking through the morning mist. Its flesh was rotten and emaciated, hanging from the bones like a tattered coat. Sunny could clearly see the white arcs of its ribs through the holes in the rotting hide, the unnatural darkness hiding behind them, and the powerful jaws of the partially bared dog-like skull that were full of terrifying teeth.
One didn't have to be a genius to understand that the horrid creature was one of the Fallen masters of the ruined city.
As he was looking, the beast opened its maw and produced another long, human-like sob, then stopped and listened, as though waiting for an answer. When nothing happened, it lowered its head and slowly continued on its way.
Luckily, although their hiding spot was somewhat close, it wasn't actually on its path. If nothing changed, the Fallen would walk past without even noticing them. They just had to wait.
Sunny sighed.
"We'll have to stay here for ten minutes, at least. Get comfortable."
Once again, Kai didn't ask anything, simply taking Sunny's word for it. It seemed as though his strange ability to sense lies made the charming Sleeper less prone to having a lot of questions.
Which was a wonderful quality to have, as far as Sunny was concerned.
With nothing to do but wait, they had a bit of time to rest and catch their breaths. Sunny summoned the Endless Spring and took a few sips of cold, sweet water. Noticing that Kai was staring at him, he hesitated, then passed him the beautiful glass bottle.
The charming young man drank greedily, as though someone dying from thirst. Come to think of it…
Feeling a little guilty, Sunny asked:
"When was the last time they gave you water?"
Kai detached himself from the bottle, wiped his lips, and smiled in pure delight.
"Ah. Two or three days ago, I think. Thank you kindly!"
He returned the bottle and looked at Sunny with curiosity.
"Hey, Sunny. Can I ask you something?"
Sunny tensed up and gave the charming archer a dark look.
"You can."
His eyes, however, hinted that he shouldn't.
But Kai either didn't notice the menacing glare or wasn't bothered by it.
"You came to the Forgotten Shore this last solstice, right?"
"Yeah."
Sunny held his breath, guessing what the beautiful Sleeper was going to ask him. How they had survived in the Labyrinth? Why he had abandoned the castle? How he had survived in the ruins? Each of these questions could potentially lead to a disaster.
Kai leaned forward with excitement in his eyes, hesitated for a second, and then said:
"What… what's the top music video in the charts out there right now?"
Sunny blinked.
'Uh… what?'
That was absolutely not what he had expected to hear. Noticing that the charming young man was staring at him with anticipation, he shifted and answered with a bit of uncertainty:
"That… uh… I have no idea."
Kai sighed, clearly disappointed, but then suddenly smiled again.
The smile was wide and dazzling.
"...Can I you ask you another question?"