Shadow Slave

She wasn't wrong.

As the members of the cohort left the room to give Nephis time to rest, Sunny was deep in thought. Changing Star was an Ascended Tyrant now. Killing her was much harder than assassinating a mundane child that was protected only by the dwindling forces of a fallen clan, especially due to the nature of her powers.

In fact, short of sending a Saint to do the job, nothing the great clans could throw at her would work. Saints were a precious resource, however, and more than that, rare enough to make their movements almost impossible to hide. Unless the Sovereigns were ready to abandon all pretenses of civility, there was no easy way to get rid of Nephis anymore. She had ensured that by becoming a Master directly.

The situation had fundamentally changed.

And that was not even accounting for the tremendous public outcry that would result from something like that ever coming to light. Whether the great clans wanted to admit it or not, they were still tied to the rest of humanity. All Awakened came from mundane humans, after all. Losing the support of the masses would threaten the very base of the power that the Sovereigns enjoyed.

Come to think of it, getting rid of Sunny was almost equally as hard. He doubted that any Master, with the exception of maybe direct children of Anvil of Valor, would be able to pose a serious threat to him. There were two more great clans to consider, of course. But he doubted that any scion of Song or Night was more dangerous than the Princess of War, Morgan.

So… what did it all mean?

It meant that their position in the negotiations had vastly improved. They could exert much more pressure on Valor, and achieve much better results.

…That was if Nephis did not do anything extreme, of course. Which she was more than capable of doing, considering her searing hatred for the three Sovereigns.

After hesitating for a bit, Sunny walked over to Cassie, leaned on the wall near her, and asked quietly:

"What do you think she will do?"

The blind girl understood his meaning without having to specify what exactly the question was about. Perhaps she was considering the same issue.

Cassie lingered for a moment, then said quietly:

"Negotiate."

Sunny barely suppressed a chuckle.

"Negotiate? Are we talking about the same Nephis? Do you know how much she despises the great clans? What her insane ambitions are? Somehow, I feel that two years of barely clinging to life in the Dream Realm did nothing to blunt her resolve. If anything, I think that it has only been sharpened."

The blind girl remained silent for a while, then sighed.

"I think so too. However, there is little choice. She is still too weak to face the… the enemy directly. It is because her resolve remains the same that she will have to make herself flexible."

A dark expression appeared on Sunny's face.

"When have you ever known Neph to be flexible?"

Cassie turned her head slightly, facing him. Her expression was somber and serious.

"Neph can be whatever she needs to be to achieve her goals. Same as you. Don't forget that."

What was that supposed to mean?

Sunny grimaced, then looked away. After a while, he asked in a grim tone:

"So where does it leave us?"

Whether he wanted it or not, he was tied to Nephis. That bond was strong, but not unbreakable… if he really wanted to, he could attempt to destroy it. He could kill her. He could run away. He could try to find a more obscure method.

However, Sunny did not know if he was willing to pay the price of destroying their bond. At least not until he saw a sign that Changing Star was willing to wield her power as his master, not just possess it.

Unless she did, he was only a slave in the name. Although reluctantly, Sunny was barely able to tolerate such an arrangement. Having a master that was unwilling to exercise her power was even beneficial to him, since it protected him from others who would want to abuse that power… like Mordret, for example.

If his position as Neph's shadow ever gained substance due to her actions, however… then, one of them was going to have to die. That Sunny was certain of. He wouldn't hold anything back to make sure that he was the one left standing in the end, as well.

But that moment had not yet come. And hopefully, it was never going to.

So, for now, his future was doomed to be influenced by the decisions Nephis made.

The blind girl sighed.

"Where does it leave us? Even I don't know. Everything is changing, Sunny, and all we can do is try to change as fast as it does. That is the only way to keep ourselves and those we care about safe from the world."

Sunny looked at Cassie, trying to understand the implications hidden in her words.

Then, he said in a grim tone:

"...Who's going to keep the world safe from us?"

***

The next day, a small convoy of PTVs left the Academy grounds. Most of them carried the Fire Keepers, while the members of the cohort were seated together in one of the vehicles.

For obvious reasons, neither Sunny nor Effie knew how to drive. Cassie was unable to steer a PTV, as well. So, in a strange turn of events, Ascended Nightingale — a famous idol and global celebrity — ended up playing the role of the chauffeur.

Kai and Sunny sat in the front, while the three young women remained at the back of the vehicle. As the convoy moved through the streets of the city, they briefly explained the more sensitive details of the cohort's current situation to Nephis.

The column of PTVs was headed toward a remote district where Immortal Flame's sealed manor was situated. It was decided that the Fire Keepers would establish their waking world headquarters there.

…At some point, however, a single vehicle quietly separated from the convoy and dove into a high-speed tunnel, unnoticed.

Soon, it appeared in a peaceful neighborhood full of beautiful terraces and parked near a grey two-story house with a cozy synthwood porch. Sunny left the PTV first and then stood silently for a few moments, waiting for others to do the same.

Then, he looked at Nephis, cleared his throat, and said awkwardly:

"Welcome to my humble abode, I guess. It, uh… has designer lamps and a state-of-the-art refrigerator. Among other things…"