Shadow Slave

As Sunny was standing still, petrified by what he saw, Noctis finished brewing the tea and poured the amber liquid into a beautiful porcelain cup. Then, the sorcerer raised it to his face, inhaled the fragrant steam, and let out a satisfied sigh.

Then, noticing an unexpected guest, he glanced at Sunny and smiled:

"Sunless! What a nice surprise. Wait… did something about you change?"

The sorcerer tilted his head with a confused expression, studied the towering figure of the shadow devil for a few moments, and then suddenly brightened up.

"Oh! It's your horn! When did you break it?"

'Really? That is what he noticed?!'

Sunny stared at the cup in the immortal's hands, then grasped the Extraordinary Rock. He didn't really have to hold the Memory to make use of it, but at the moment, Sunny was experiencing a desperate need to hold on to something… anything.

Taking a careful breath, he gripped the Roack and said hoarsely:

"...Back in the Temple of the Chalice. You… you are drinking tea?"

Noctis lingered for a bit, glanced at his cup, and then smiled.

"What a prudent observation. Come… let's not let this nice tea get cold."

With that, the sorcerer turned around and headed deeper into his residence, gesturing for Sunny to follow. The teapot flew into the air and hovered above the immortal's shoulder, as well.

As soon as Sunny made a step forward, however, Noctis suddenly turned, looked at him with a strange expression, and said:

"That, uh… try not to step on anything that seems to be… actually, just don't move at all! We don't want for anything to happen, right?"

At that moment, the chamber trembled again, and more cracks appeared on its stone floor. Sunny stared down with a somber expression, then sighed and used Shadow Step to appear near the sorcerer.

"Why? What's under there?"

Noctis smiled.

"Oh, nothing. Just a, uh… a memento from an old friend. Don't worry about it!"

Sunny, however, did worry. He was not a complete fool… the vast circle of runes, the torrential flood of soul essence that the sorcerer saturated it with, the pool of blood that the ancient stones had absorbed — all of it pointed to something dreadful being imprisoned, or maybe created, there in the darkness of the earth.

However, he thought better of asking any questions and simply followed Noctis to the stone stairs situated on the other side of the chamber.

Using them, they ascended to the top of the ring of giant menhirs and sat down at an elegant wooden table. The sorcerer leaned back in his chair, gazed upon the breathtaking vista of the Kingdom of Hope, and took a sip of tea with an expression of deep satisfaction on his face.

Sunny lingered for a few moments, giving Noctis time to enjoy himself, and then asked:

"It has begun, hasn't it? The other Chain Lords, they are ready to make their move?"

The sorcerer took another sip, sighed, and then said in a relaxed tone:

"Oh, indeed. I suspect that their herald will arrive in a few days. So… you might want to relax for a bit. Enjoy the tea. This will probably be the last moment of peace you will have for a while, Sunless. Or maybe even the very last."

Sunny remained silent for a long time, a myriad of important questions pressing on his mind. But then, he simply shook his head, chased them away, and poured some tea into a delicate cup that stood on the table, as if waiting for him.

Neither of them spoke for a while, enjoying the fragrant drink and the beautiful sight of the flying islands in peace.

…Despite the approaching doom, the world felt tranquil and warm here, on the parapet of the Sanctuary.

After a while, Noctis sighed and said in a wistful tone:

"I am going to miss this, I think."

Then, he glanced at Sunny and asked with a hint of curiosity in his voice:

"Tell me, Sunless… why are you here? It is no surprise that someone like me would want to free Hope. But what would compel a shadow like you to attempt it, as well? You must know the risk."

Sunny remained silent for a few moments, then sighed.

"To tell you the truth… I don't really know. I used to know, or at least think that I knew. I had lofty desires. To grow stronger than others, to break free from the chains of fate. And maybe… maybe I harbor those desires still. But after coming to this cursed land and being ground into dust by it… now, everything is so unclear. And my ardent desires suddenly seem so… lacking."

He paused, looked down, and then added evenly:

"Or maybe it's just me who is lacking. And lost."

Noctis glanced at him, took a sip of tea, and asked with a curious smile:

"What is it that you think you are lacking? And from what are you lost?"

Sunny did not speak immediately, letting the pressure of the Flaw build inside his soul for a few moments. Then, he said with a grin:

"...How should I know? If I had an answer for that, I wouldn't be feeling this way, would I?"

He chuckled, and then asked:

"Have you heard the legend of a hero named Odysseus?"

Noctis blinked a couple of times, then shook his head.

"Never heard of that guy. A legend, really? Huh. Strange that some third-rate hero I don't even know got to have a whole legend to himself…"

Sunny smiled, and then said:

"A good friend told me that legend. Odysseus spent ten years away from home, fighting a war in a distant land. And then, he spent ten more years trying to find his way back home. He lost all his friends and endured countless hardships, facing terrible monsters and dangerous beings of all sorts. But he never gave up, and eventually returned home. To Ithaca."

His smile disappeared, replaced by a distant expression. After a few moments of silence, Sunny sighed.

"...I feel like Odysseus, too, sometimes. Lost in a distant land. Only, unlike him, I don't have a home to want to return to. I have nothing to strive for, apart from saving my skin, keeping my friends alive, and maybe living a little bit better than a wild beast. Can someone really be lost, if they don't belong anywhere?"

Noctis took a sip of his tea, solemnly pondered on it for a bit, and then said thoughtfully:

"I see. I understand... so what you lack is a house? That is why you are trying to free Hope? To get a house? Wait… Sunless, are you trying to say that you want to repossess the Ivory Tower?!"

Sunny choked on his tea, then glared at the sorcerer with outrage:

"What even… no, that is not what I am saying! Home is just a metaphor, you immortal fool!"

Noctis blinked a couple of times, then asked with a deadpan expression:

"...What's a metaphor?"

Sunny stared at him for a few moments, then snorted and opened his mouth, intending to answer…

Before he did however, a loud rattling of chains resounded in the air, and the whole Sanctuary shuddered slightly beneath them.

No… it was the island itself. The whole island trembled.

Sunny froze, and then asked, his voice tense and grim:

"What… the hell… was that?"

Noctis calmly finished his tea, closed his eyes in delight for a moment, and then looked west.

"It's their herald, I guess. He seems to have arrived sooner than I expected… ah, what a bother. We didn't even get to drink the whole pot…"

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