[SHADOW SLAVE] / Clash With Fate

Sunny was eating his food while feeling tense because of the young man in the back, but he didn't let it show on his face. He turned his head toward Nephis, who seemed a little nervous too. She had felt the gaze as well, and perhaps Cassie had, but they all kept doing what they were doing.

Sunny kept eating while Nephis gave him warning looks, but he didn't respond to her and instead watched her through his shadows. Sunny was very confident in his ability to fight and even kill a Master, but he didn't know the abilities of this particular person, and that was something deadly if he risked a fight between them. The results could be unpredictable.

"Sunny, is something wrong?"

"Yes. There's a Master looking at me from behind, and I think he plans to attack us."

Kai choked on his juice, and his face went pale. As for Effie, she kept eating her food until she processed what he'd said.

"You're joking, right?"

"No, I'm not. What, do you want me to go talk to him politely? I can do that."

"Sit down, you idiot!"

Effie screamed at him while Kai held him down to keep him in place. The commotion drew the eyes of the people around them, but when they met Sunny's gaze, they shivered as the shadows deepened and the air grew colder. They quickly turned their heads away to avoid looking at him. Cassie spoke to Sunny.

"You sensed him too, didn't you?"

"Oh yes. He's dangerous. I don't know if he's like me and Neph, but he's dangerous in his way. And he seems confident too… he might even be listening to us right now while we're talking."

"Go to him."

Effie slammed her head against the table, while Kai collapsed into his chair, powerless.

"I always said Dofus was crazy, but it seems the princess is too! Oh dead gods, why do you torture me like this?"

Effie complained while Sunny kept thinking about the situation, and after a bit of consideration, he spoke.

"Uh… after thinking about it, doesn't this Master seem a bit strange? I mean, why give up the element of surprise and show himself in front of us, even announcing his hostility like he doesn't care?" Cassie, who had been silent, spoke.

"I already thought about that. So maybe he wants to talk, or he's so confident he simply doesn't care?"

Nephis spoke after showing a thoughtful expression about what Sunny and Cassie had said.

"Does that mean he won't carry out his attack here?"

"Maybe."

"I think so."

Sunny relaxed a little after analyzing the situation, but he didn't lower his guard. He sent his shadow to keep watch on the mysterious Master. The rest of the evening passed without incident, but Sunny was cursing in his heart that bastard who had stolen his chance to get closer to Nephis.

Sunny pushed Effie, who was drunk. He didn't know why there was someone stupid enough to drink alcohol while they were under threat of assassination.

"And you call me crazy!"

When they reached their vehicle, he put Effie inside, then Cassie got in after her. Effie kept muttering things so embarrassing that Sunny couldn't even say them out loud, but he endured it. Nephis stood behind him, hesitant to get in.

"You're going to him, aren't you?"

"Yes. I can handle him. And I also want to know his intentions."

"Then go. I'll guard Cassie and the others."

Nephis grabbed his shoulder, then pulled him into a long hug. After they separated, he saw her face was very red and she spoke shyly.

"I mean… I knew what you were planning, since Cassie told me about the restaurant, so I figured you deserve at least a reward for trying."

Sunny smiled happily. If he died now, it wouldn't be a problem. He sank into the shadows and expanded his shadow sense to to Dozans of meters until he reached inside the restaurant. He felt the shadow of the mysterious Master and the shadow of the chair opposite him. Then he stepped forward and appeared behind the chair facing the young man with the dark skin.

The mysterious Master lifted his head with a faint smile on his lips and spoke in a soft, husky voice.

" Herald of Death, won't you sit down?"

Sunny relaxed a bit in the presence of this gentle young man. He didn't know why, but the atmosphere around him was very gentle. Sunny pulled out the chair and sat opposite the young man, and when he looked at his table, there was only a medium-sized cup filled with tea and a plate with pieces of bread and biscuits.

"It seems you know me… but who are you?"

"Me? Saad… or Pulse of Absence."

"Pulse of Absence? Do you plan to attack us?"

"Yes… No… maybe. That depends on several things."

Sunny looked at the Master soul, and above his heart burned a single ember shining brightly. But it was strange and extremely large, maybe four times the size of a normal core.

"Do you like my core? It's huge, isn't it? I can contain four times as much soul essence as any normal Master, and that includes soul shards and my physical strength. Pretty great, right?"

"Are you stupid? Why are you telling me this? You're really weird."

Pulse of Absence took a piece of bread, then sipped his tea and answered.

"Stupid? No, I'm not. But honestly… you're tough to chew, as I say. So I won't try to kill you. Your entire existence is strange and contradictory and terrifying. I feel like if I tried to harm you, something bad would happen to me."

Sunny laughed at the absurdity unfolding in front of him. He didn't know if this person was stupid or if his problem was that he was compelled to answer, just like Sunny himself. But he seemed extremely calm around him, and the effect became soothing to Sunny's spirit, and he began to feel kindness radiating from this person.

"So, Saad… why were you weighing me down with your gaze? My friends and I were having a good time, but you ruined it. Honestly, I'd like to kill you right now, but I feel it wouldn't be easy."

Saad's faint smile widened a bit more, then he answered gently.

"I was planning to kill all of you… But I changed my mind. The risk is too great, and the cost is more than I can bear. I might even die in the fight. You and Changing Star… the atmosphere around you both is strange, as if you're neither human nor Nightmare creatures but something in between. And that alone makes me think twice about the mission I was hired for."

Sunny ignored Pulse of Absence's hint at the nature of himself and Nephis and asked.

"So you're hired for a mission? Do you work for the Great Clans?"

"Am I obligated to answer? But I'll answer you, because I kind of like you… of course, that's not the only reason. I have an interest in you beyond the Great Clans."

"Really? And what do I have that the Great Clans don't?"

"When you finish your second Nightmare, which I think you'll do soon… I'll tell you. But for now, let's go back to what I was saying… I'm not a Master under the Great Clans. I'm an independent Master, but I work in the black market. You know, assassinations, theft, and so on. And I was hired by the Great Song Clan to kill you all."

"Oh, so you're hired by Song? Do they want to kill all of us, or just Changing Star alone?"

"They want both you and Changing Star. Honestly, I don't know why they don't just send one of the Saints or a group of Masters to finish you off instead of sending an assassin."

"And how can I believe you? I mean… you're saying a lot of things, but nothing is giving me any guarantee of that."

Pulse of Absence stretched out his hand into the air and, with great force, began to pull something. He pulled a memory out of the void that resembled a laboratory vial. Sunny was stunned by Saad's mysterious and impressive ability and wanted to ask.

"This is a memory that determines truth from lies by distilling blood inside it. You just need to talk about any of the previous topics, and the blood inside will react. If nothing happens, it means I'm truthful. If it evaporates, it means I'm lying."

Sunny examined the memory's weave to check the enchantments. When he looked at the threads of soul essence inside it, they appeared both ethereal and material at the same time, as if they were balanced between reality and illusion. But he managed to identify the memory enhancement through the soul essence's pattern.

"All right, put your blood inside it."

Pulse of Absence bit his thumb until blood flowed, then dropped his blood into the vial. Sunny repeated all the topics they had discussed, then spoke.

"Is he lying?"

The blood inside the vial didn't react, which meant he was truthful.

"You're the weirdest person I've ever met, Pulse of Absence. And when I say that, I mean it… so how will I know what you want from me after my second Nightmare ends?"

"Hmm… I'll find you myself when I hear the news about you."

"So, farewell, Pulse of Absence."

The handsome young man nodded with a gentle smile. Sunny divided into the shadows and began moving toward his home, cursing under his breath.

"Seriously… who is this terrifying man?!"

He'd been smiling at him while saying he was planning to kill him but backed off because of a miscalculation. And when Sunny asked him why, he said that he and Nephis didn't seem like humans or Nightmare creatures, hinting at a part of their true nature.

But the more frightening part was how this young man seemed able to predict future events. Sunny tried to dig through his memories looking for someone like this, but he couldn't find anyone resembling him. Sunny took the final step to his home and appeared in the middle of the guest room.

Effie was lying on the couch, sleeping, while Kai sat exhausted on another. Cassie and Nephis stood talking in low voices and stopped their conversation when they noticed Sunny emerging from the shadows. Nephis immediately asked.

"So?"

"He's a terrifying man. Calm and confident. And worst of all… cold and calculating, hiding behind a mask of gentleness. Or maybe he's genuinely gentle but hides behind a mask of coldness."

"Is he like us—you and me?"

"No, he's not. He's something similar to us… but a lesser version."

Nephis let out a relieved sigh and moved to wake Effie. As for the exhausted Kai, he turned his head and raised his finger at Sunny in approval and winked at him.

"I saw you two… You and her."

"What's wrong with you?! Are you and Effie drunk?"

"I drank a little to hide my nervousness. You know… A Master was throwing me deadly looks now and then."

"Shhh!"

Cassie silenced Kai and Sunny, who were talking, when the drunken Effie woke up. After the room quieted, Nephis spoke.

"As you've all seen, there was a Master who wanted to assassinate us just a while ago, which is something no Awakened would ever imagine or want. And it was because of me—the last heir of the Immortal Flame Clan. I had expected similar things might happen, but not this soon. So, to reduce these attempts and avoid putting you in danger, Sunny and I have decided that we'll enter our second Nightmare in a few months."

The room fell silent, even the drunken Effie sobered up at the mention of the second Nightmare. Kai, meanwhile, seemed deep in thought. Cassie remained expressionless since Sunny had already told her.

"I'm coming, Princess! This is my healing potion—no one dares to touch it!"

"What about you, Kai? Are you coming? We've all decided that we're going to enter the second Nightmare in a few months. You'll have time to prepare and think it through."

"I don't know, Sunny. Bastion is safe and well protected. But seeing you all surpassing me without me trying to keep up makes me feel ashamed… but another part of me says I should stay safe in Bastion. Honestly, I hate weakness and seeing people being mistreated, but I also hate being left behind by my friends. So… I'm with you."

———

Two days later, Sunny returned to the Dream Realm to carry out a mission he'd been looking forward to: retrieving the Bone Weave.