Shadow Slave : Light Devouring Shadow

A couple of months had passed since Sunny's confrontation with the cohort. Ever since then, he had never seen them again—well, not in person, at least.

In those months, much had transpired. Nephis had been officially adopted by Valor, the campaign in Antarctica had begun, and, most importantly, Sunny had grown stronger.

Over the past few months, Sunny had been training intensely in the Dream Realm. After his confrontation, he had met with Jet, who provided him with options for citadels where he could anchor himself. For obvious reasons, Sunny chose the Chained Isles. Primarily because, from the information he had gathered, Nephis' citadel was located there, on one of the islands known as the Ivory Island.

After anchoring himself in Noctis Estuary, Sunny rarely left the Dream Realm, immersing himself in long training sessions against nightmare creatures.

One thing Sunny always used was Weaver's Mask. Not only was he training, but he was also gathering as much information as possible about the cohort. For Nephis, her runes were already well-known to Sunny. As for Kai and Effie, it didn't take long for Sunny to decipher their aspect abilities. However, there was one person whose abilities remained a mystery to him.

Cassie.

She was also the reason Sunny always kept Weaver's Mask on. He didn't know the full extent of her new abilities, but he was certain they were related to visions and the future. That's why he always wore the mask, rendering himself invisible to her foresight.

Sunny knew better than to underestimate Cassie. In fact, he was particularly cautious of her. Because nothing about her was known, except for her dormant ability. She was the most dangerous among them—and also his first target.

.....

Currently, Sunny was just a few doors away from an average-looking house—or perhaps it could be called a mansion. It had been almost a week now.

Cassie was a workaholic, often staying in her office in the ivory tower for days without sleep. She rarely returned to the waking world, which was why Sunny had been waiting for nearly a week.

Sunny had no problem taking naps while waiting for Cassie to return. After all, his shadows were always surveilling her house and would alert him the moment she reappeared in the waking world.

Of course, he always kept his mask on to avoid appearing in her visions, which would ruin his carefully laid plans.

Over the past few days, Sunny had observed her household. Cassie lived with her parents, and there were no servants. Her parents were ordinary people—her father worked a mundane government job, and her mother was a teacher. From what Sunny could gather, they seemed accustomed to Cassie's long absences, which worked in his favor.

.....

After some time, Sunny finally saw it. In one of the bedrooms, Cassie appeared out of thin air on her bed, wearing simple pajamas. The house was empty, and now was the perfect time to proceed with his plan.

A sinister smirk spread across Sunny's face as he slowly dissolved into the shadows.

***

Cassie opened her eyes slowly. She still couldn't see anything, of course—she was blind. But she had grown accustomed to it. With her Awakened and Ascended abilities, navigating the world wasn't too difficult. However, it was still challenging when she was alone, relying solely on her Awakened ability, which had become an integral part of her life. But what mattered now was that she was finally home.

She slowly sat up in bed and stretched her body. She had been buried under piles of paperwork in her office at the Ivory Tower for days. Surely, she deserved a little break, right?

As she walked toward the door, the air around her suddenly shifted. It felt cold and sharp, sending a shiver down her spine.

'Something is off... something is very wrong!' Cassie thought to herself as she instinctively assumed a battle stance and activated her aspect abilities. But before she could react, something hard struck the back of her neck, and she crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

***

"Well, that was easier than I expected," Sunny muttered as he watched Cassie's body collapse. He had anticipated a fight, but luckily, the mask had made his task far simpler.

Sparks began to form in his hand, coalescing into a pair of shackles. These were no ordinary restraints; they were a special set he had acquired from the black market, likely forged by one of Valor's master craftsmen. The shackles had the ability to lock the essence of any Awakened or even a Master. Made of rough, unyielding metal, they were impossible to break without the use of essence. Additionally, they prevented Masters from escaping to the Dream Realm—exactly what Sunny needed.

He knelt beside Cassie's unconscious form and began securing the shackles around her wrists and ankles. Once she was bound, he lifted her and carried her to the basement of her house, a place he had discovered during his surveillance. The basement was deep underground, originally intended for Awakened Cassie, but after she became a Master, it had been forgotten and left unused.

After setting up two chairs and locking Cassie's shackles to one of them, Sunny summoned another memory he had purchased—a sound barrier that would prevent any noise from escaping the room.

Then, Sunny simply sat in the chair opposite Cassie and waited for her to wake up. For a Master, it wouldn't take long.

.....

After a few minutes, Cassie stirred and slowly opened her eyes. Her expression quickly turned to one of horror as she realized she was cut off from her soul essence and bound in shackles.

"It's been quite a while, Cassie," a familiar voice said.

Her eyes widened as she turned toward the sound, her voice trembling as she muttered, "Su...Sunny?"

A cold smile spread across his face as he replied, "Indeed, it's me. I've been wanting to see you for quite some time now, Cassie."

Cassie stared at him with caution, her mind racing. "Su-Sunny... mind explaining why I'm shackled like this?"

Sunny chuckled darkly, leaning back in his chair. "Well, I just wanted to have a little chat with you, Cassie." His tone was friendly, but there was an underlying coldness that sent a chill down her spine.

"I don't think people usually have chats like this, Sunny," Cassie said, forcing a shaky smirk.

"Oh, well... don't mind me. I've been in the Dream Realm for two years and haven't had much time to brush up on my manners," Sunny replied with a smirk of his own.

Cassie remained silent, her eyes locked on him, though she couldn't see him. Her expression was a mix of fear and curiosity.

"No need to look at me like that," Sunny continued, his voice calm but laced with menace. "I just have a few questions for you."

He leaned forward, his gaze piercing even though she couldn't see it. "You see, Cassie, for the past two years—ever since you and Nephis betrayed me—I've been replaying every memory in my head, trying to figure out how you knew my true name. I still don't have the answer, but one thing is certain..." He paused, his voice dropping to a whisper. "You chose Nephis and betrayed me long before we even reached the Dark City. But I don't blame you. If I were in Nephis' place when the winter solstice happened, I would've left a blind girl like you die. Still, I can't help but wonder... how did you find out?"

Cassie hesitated, feeling the weight of Sunny's cold gaze pressing down on her. Finally, she spoke in an even tone, "I saw it in a vision. When Harbor asked you for your true name."

Sunny's eyes widened in shock. Harbor—that lowly, useless Sleeper—was the reason for all of this. Even after Sunny had killed him, Harbor had found a way to exact his revenge.

'Even in death, you managed to screw me over,' Sunny thought bitterly. All of this—the betrayal, the suffering—had stemmed from a single, careless mistake. All because he had chosen to drink that night.

Sunny clenched his fists, his body trembling with barely contained rage. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to remain calm, and turned his cold gaze back to Cassie.

He didn't bother asking her why she had chosen Nephis or why she hadn't tried to intervene. He didn't care. Whatever excuses she might have had were irrelevant to him. Absentmindedly, he began to speak again.

"I don't know if you're aware of this, but you probably saw every damn conversation in your visions. You see, I had a younger sister. She was the reason I fought through the horrors of the Dream Realm alone, the reason I kept going... the reason I wanted to come back." Sunny exhaled slowly, his voice heavy with emotion. Cassie listened intently, her expression a mix of caution and curiosity.

She did know about his sister—from a vision she had seen. It was a conversation between Sunny and Nephis, where he mentioned having a little sister who had been adopted. But that was all she knew.

Sunny continued, his voice growing darker. "After finally returning, I went to check on her. But guess what? She was dead."

Cassie's eyes widened in shock. "I... I'm sorry to hear that, Sunny," she said softly, her voice tinged with genuine concern.

But her sympathy only fueled Sunny's anger. He gritted his teeth, his voice trembling with rage as he continued, "Do you know how she died? A gateway broke near her school. Monsters poured through and slaughtered everyone—including her."

Cassie's face paled as the realization hit her. She remembered that tragedy—a gateway had opened near a school, and countless civilians, including students, had been killed. It had happened just a few months after their return from the Forgotten Shore.

Suddenly, Sunny lunged forward, grabbing Cassie by the neck and lifting her off the ground. His grip was tight, choking her as he snarled, "You useless, wretched, ungrateful blind bitch! Not only did you take my freedom, but you also took my sister! If I had been here, I could've saved her! But no—I was trapped in the Forgotten Shore because of YOU!"

Cassie gasped for air, her hands clawing at Sunny's grip. "Su...nny... please... stop..." she managed to choke out.

But before Sunny could respond, his shadows alerted him to a new presence. At the main entrance of the house, a woman who looked like an older version of Cassie had just entered.

A wicked smile spread across Sunny's face as he released Cassie, letting her collapse back into the chair. He leaned in close, his voice dripping with malice as he whispered, "You know... I noticed you have quite the loving parents. Do you?"

The room grew colder as Sunny's shadows began to swirl around him, his intentions clear. Cassie's heart raced as she realized the depth of his rage—and the danger she was in.

-------

[Author's note]

Well....thankfully I was able to keep my promise and post a chapter. Hope y'all enjoyed the chapter.

WARNING!!!

from the next chapter, things will get so dark and bloody to say the least. So, if you don't like that theme, I don't recommend you continue cause I won't hold back with....torturing....

*sigh*

Can't believe I'm doing this to Cassie.....