Shadow Slave

Sunny scowled, surprised by that reaction. He glanced at Kai, then motioned for him to sit down. From the looks of it, this conversation was going to be a long one.

The archer cautiously lowered himself onto a nearby chair and let out or quiet groan of pain, then looked around, a hint of curiosity appearing in his cloudy eyes. His gaze lingered on various pieces of furniture and exquisite decorations, then finally settled on the flustered sorcerer.

Noctis seemed to have regained his composure somewhat. He stared at his half-eaten apple with a somber expression, then threw it away and sat down himself.

A heavy sigh escaped from his lips.

"The three things you asked for… are not that easy to accomplish."

The immortal glanced at Kai, then raised one elegant finger:

"I can help your friend, Nightingale, recover from his wounds… somewhat. Those burns were not delivered by mundane flames, and so, even I would not be able to restore that which was destroyed completely. With my help, he will be able to regain most of his strength and vitality. I can also repair the damage done to his soul. But the flames… their mark will remain. Unless you want me to build him a completely new vessel, of course…"

Noctis smiled, and then glanced at one of the wooden mannequins, which was in the process of disposing of the carelessly discarded apple.

"Something like that, but much better!"

Kai shivered.

"Will I be able to draw a bow and control soul essence after your treat my body?"

The sorcerer nodded.

"Of course! You might even grow stronger than you were before. But your face… I am sorry to say this, Nightingale, but it will remain as hideous as it is now. The pain that consumes you will subside, but never go away completely. If you agree to transfer your soul into a doll, on the other hand, your strength will diminish slightly… but you won't have to endure that suffering anymore. I can also promise to make a truly beautiful vessel for you, one worthy of carrying even the most radiant of souls."

The archer remained silent for a while, then smiled.

"...No need. This face suits me fine. As long as I can draw a bow and help my friends, I will be content."

Noctis looked at him silently, an expression of confusion written clearly on his face.

"But don't… don't you want to become beautiful?"

Kai chuckled, his voice hoarse and grating. Then, he shook his head and said simply:

"...I already am."

Both Noctis and Sunny stared at the archer with dubious expressions, thinking that he had lost his mind. Well… more than anyone else in the Kingdom of Hope had already lost theirs. His disfigured face was ugly, grotesque, and unsightly… what was he even trying to say?

However, it did not seem that Kai felt compelled to expand on that strange statement. He just remained silent, calmly looking at the sorcerer. After a few moments, Noctis turned away and shrugged:

"Well… as you wish. The treatment will be long and painful, but it can be done."

Then, he raised a second finger and glanced at Sunny.

"The other thing you asked for… lots of my coins, was it? To be honest… how do I say this… uh… no?"

Sunny blinked, surprised.

"What? Why?!"

The sorcerer yawned, then made a helpless gesture with his hands.

"What can I say? Making those coins takes time. Do you know how long it took me to create a few thousand before? Each coin contains a piece of a Corrupted soul, after all. That is the reason why they are so valuable, precious, and coveted by everyone in the Kingdom of Hope."

He thought for a few moments and added absentmindedly:

"Oh… now that you reminded me, only most of the souls were Corrupted. I think there were a few humans I fed to the Mimic, as well. Regardless, all those coins were consumed when that poor fool claimed the Obsidian Knife from the altar. So… if you really want me to make new ones… I guess I can quickly kill everyone here in the Sanctuary and cook up a hundred or two?"

Sunny shivered, then hurriedly raised his hands:

"No, no! No need! Uh… let's not kill anyone, yet…"

Noctis smiled.

"Are you sure? Well, alright. So then…"

He raised the third finger.

"Lastly, the Temple of the Chalice… I am sorry to say this, but there is absolutely no chance of me ever going anywhere near that place again. Not that I could, even if I wanted to. And I don't. Ever!"

Sunny stared at the sorcerer with a deep scowl, then gritted his teeth.

"Why? What is so terrible about that place?"

Noctis shivered, then sighed and nervously seeped his wine.

"Oh, it's not… it's not that it's terrible. It's just that men aren't allowed to enter the Temple, unless they are serving a woman. They put that rule in place… uh… after the last time I visited…"

Sunny really tried to not let his face change, and simply glared at Noctis, his eye twitching. Uncomfortable under that murderous gaze, the sorcerer shrunk and looked away.

A low growl escaped from Sunny's mouth.

"Who cares? You are one of the Chain Lords. What can they do if you decide to break that rule?"

Noctis chuckled nervously.

"You don't get it! Chain Lord or not... you see, Sunless, as I said, my lands became somewhat of a refuge for those who seek it. And one of the groups of refugees I sheltered was the remains of an ancient… an ancient and rather terrifying sect. This sect takes in orphaned girls, especially those born with red hair, and trains them to become perfect vessels of War. His deadly tools, priestesses, and heralds… the War Maidens are not someone to be trifled with."

He grew silent for a moment, and then added:

"...In fact, they only needed my protection because there was a schism within the sect, and one of their disciples left to create her own cult. However… since no one can really leave that sect alive… her departure was not amicable. Those who survived it came here to build the Temple of the Chalice, and remained there since. Oh, and that runaway disciple of theirs… I think you have already met her..."

Sunny grew cold and leaned back, feeling both of his hearts skip a couple of beats. Then, he closed his eyes for a few moments, and finally said in a hoarse voice:

"Do you mean to tell me… that the sect that dwells in the Temple of the Chalice… is where Solvane comes from?"

Noctis nodded and gave him a ghostly smile:

"...Exactly! That is where that fiend was raised. And there is a bunch of little monsters just like her being trained there as we speak. I mean, no one can really compare to Solvane, but they are not too far off! So you can understand why I am reluctant to break my word and make enemies of the War Maidens… right?"

Sunny remained silent for a while, and then sighed heavily.

Holding the emerald amulet in one of his calloused hands, he thought:

"Well... tough luck. Because that is exactly where the Glass Knife is…"

Despite his grim mood, Sunny felt a bit of vindictive satisfaction when he saw the sorcerer's handsome face pale, and the glass of wine slip from his hand…

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