Shadow Slave

Of course, Mordret was perfectly capable of making one of the Lost his vessel in hopes of traveling to the Sanctuary — or a more remote human Citadel, if need be — and stealing another body there. But why would he settle for a vastly inferior option when a perfect candidate was right there, his for the taking?

Maybe that was the reason why he had not tried to seek out Sunny in the previous weeks. Mordret might have wanted to leave him for last.

…Thanks to Cassie, Sunny had a general idea about the Aspects of both Welthe and Pierce. The fearsome Master seemed to possess powers that made him highly resistant, if not outright immune, to various forms of attacks, while his more friendly counterpart specialized in enhancing her combat prowess and debilitating the enemy.

Noting that only Welthe was wearing the strange anvil amulet, he made a guess that she was protected from Mordret\'s Ability by its enchantment, while Pierce was capable of countering the possession simply through the might of his Aspect.

Cassie could not be taken, too, due to her blindness. One had to look at the reflection to be possessed, which she was incapable of.

That left only Sunny…

But more than that, Mordret had secretly watched him for months, and knew perfectly well how powerful Sunny actually was, as well as how he spoke, behaved, and carried himself. Who were his friends and who were his enemies. Mordret knew everything he needed to know to impersonate him perfectly, as well as how much would be gained by stealing his Aspect, Shadows, and Memories.

Truly… Sunny was an ideal vessel.

It was almost as though this role had been predetermined for him from the very start.

\'Damnation…\'

He hesitated for a bit, then glanced at Pierce and Welthe, this time not even having to fake worry.

"So, uh… what is the plan, then?"

The Masters lingered for a bit. Then, Welthe spoke, her voice dark and bitter:

"We won\'t try to venture outside and try to bind that monster again. At this point… at this point, we don\'t have enough numbers to trap him anymore. However, he also has no way of infiltrating the inner sanctum, and the vessel that made time his best ally is destroyed. So, we will just wait. In about a week, maybe even less, Saint Cormac will return. Then, Prince Mordret will have to face a Transcendent\'s wrath."

She clearly was not happy about having to take a passive approach, since, in a sense, this was as good as admitting defeat. But this plan of action did, indeed, seem like the best way to go… at least on the surface.

All they had to do was barricade themselves inside the impregnable inner sanctum and wait for the cavalry to arrive. Surely, this much was within their ability.

Sunny forced out a smile.

"That is… a good plan."

Master Welthe nodded, then turned to Cassie:

"Lady Cassia… if your Aspect brings you a helpful vision, don\'t hesitate to inform me immediately. Now, please go and rest, you two. Eat your fill… we all need to keep up our strength."

Just like that, the conversation was over.

Sunny and Cassie stood up, bowed to the masters, then returned to the main hall. There, they endured the unfriendly gazes of the Lost, filled two bowls with tasty-looking porridge, took a couple of opaque jars of water, and found a pair of empty straw mattresses in a remote corner.

Sitting down, the two concentrated on the food, happy to finally eat something that was not synthpaste. The meat porridge wasn\'t much, but to them, it tasted heavenly.

…After a while, Cassie said quietly while pretending to chew:

"What do you think?"

Sunny swallowed a spoonful of porridge, took a sip of water, and answered as he continued to stare at the floor:

"They are lying, of course. There is no way that Mordret won\'t get into the inner sanctum, somehow. He is too damn devious for that. I know it, and they know it, too."

His shadow, meanwhile, watched the figure of the sentinel who could turn invisible, to make sure that she wasn\'t listening in on their conversation.

He kept a neutral expression as he ate some more, then added without looking at the blind girl:

"What is most likely to happen is that things are going to go south very soon. Welthe and Pierce will wait and observe for a bit, and then probably try to use us as bait to lay a trap for him."

Cassie remained silent for a few moments, then asked:

"How do you know?"

He smiled.

"...Because that\'s what I would have done."

After that, both continued to eat, preoccupied with their own thoughts. A few moments passed before Cassie spoke again, her voice a bit uncertain:

"So then what do we do?"

Sunny enjoyed the taste of the porridge, chewed it slowly, and then answered calmly:

"For now? Nothing. Let\'s wait and observe, too. Rest and eat, just like we were told to. Restore our strength. Then… then, we\'ll see."

They didn\'t speak after that, and, after finishing their food, allowed the exhaustion to overwhelm them. Laying side by side on the thin straw mattresses, Cassie and Sunny fell asleep. Only his watchful shadows remain alert, guarding their master through the night.

…When the two of them woke up, the air smelled of blood.

Only twenty-one of the twenty-three Lost were still alive.

The two sentinels who kept watch outside the hall had been brutally slaughtered, without anyone even noticing how and when. Their bodies were still warm, and their blood painted the floors, the walls, and even the ceiling crimson, turning the somber corridor into a ghastly painting.

In the center of the pool of blood, a single shard of mirror lay, as if mocking the surviving soldiers of the great clan Valor. Welthe growled and destroyed it before anyone could approach.

… It seemed that Mordret chose not to hide the fact that he had entered the inner sanctum.

Instead, he wanted everyone to know.

To see what he had done.

And wait, wondering…

Whom would he take next?