Shadow Slave: Shadow of Blood Chapter 60: Loyal Shadows

Kai stared at the TV boards that showed the Drear Army's rankings at the main hall of the Academy.

His mouth was gaped, eyes widened in disbelief, like most if not all that were present, even so faculty mbers stopped what they were doing and looked at the nas plastered on the screens.

Kai himself had been in the academy for an hour after arriving and taking his evaluation, he expected a spotlight given his newly acquired True Na, and he was right.

-Kai, Nightingale.

However, that wasn't what caught everyone's attention.

Guards, hunters, soldiers, even so handmaidens stared in disbelief at two specific nas.

- Sunless Song, Hollow Death.

- Seishan Song.

'One of my best friends… Is a Song…'

As he absorbed the fact he spent half a year speaking casually with what was basically modern royalty…

Effie sat beside him in her wheelchair, her mouth almost salivating from how much ti it had been gaping.

anwhile Cassie drank coffee like nothing ever happened, not caring for her friend's bewildernt.

Kai could hear the gossip going on all around him coming from the newly Awakened of the Drear Army.

"He's a Song?! Since when did they adopt boys?"

"My Lady was a Song all along? No wonder she was so powerful."

"That guy is from Song? No wonder he is so scary."

"Is that why he is so close to Lady Changing Star?"

"I thought those two were dating. They were just siblings it seems."

"And that True Na… It gives shivers just thinking about it…"

All reactions were completely justified and understandable, they were actually calr than expected…

But Effie just had to ruin the quiet atmosphere.

"DOOFUS IS ROYALTY!!??!?!?!?!??!"

Her scream resounded around the hall.

Everyone started to look at the crazy girl in the wheelchair that was crashing out over the guy she thought was a crazy idiot being the Prince of a Great Clan.

"HOW, IMPOSSIBLE, SUNNY IS AN IDIOT! CRAZY! THE OPPOSITE OF A PRINCE!..."

She continued her drama filled speech of how it is impossible for Sunny to be a Song…

Not noticing the presence that entered the room.

All Awakened looked in awe as the air suddenly beca… Denser, but not in an uncomfortable way. It was as if their minds were filled with information and knowledge.

The man who exuded the aura of information, approached that center table where Effie was currently rambling, and stood right behind the girl. Crossing his arms, waiting for her to finish.

No one dared to say anything, just looking at the scene with incredulous looks.

"I AN, I BET SUNNY DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO…"

Effie finally noticed that people were staring at sothing behind her.

"He's right behind isn't he?"

"No, his teacher is."

Effie trembled, slowly turning to see a tall man with calm, yet severe green eyes stared down at her.

Pernsor Lunae, Hendren, the knowledge incarnate.

One of Song's most trusted confidants was there, and heard all of Effie's rambling about how Sunny, the Saint's student, could never be a Song.

Effie began scrambling to find excuses.

"Ah.. You see, I was just…"

The Saint sighed, and put a hand in a stop motion, making Effie go silent.

"You are lucky Frostblade wasn't the one to hear this…"

Then, another man entered the hall, one that many recognized as the teacher of wilderness survival.

Awakened Julius hurriedly walked over and began to talk to the Saint… Like there was no difference in their ranks.

"Hey brat! What are you doing here?! The dorms are over there. Are you starting to forget things now?"

The crowd of people could barely believe their eyes. An Awakened called a Saint a brat… And the Saint was barely bothered.

"No Julius, I was just making sure soone…"

Lunae stared down Effie, who trembled intensely.

"... Doesn't badmouth my student."

Julius twitched his eyes, sighing dramatically.

"Yes, yes, very bad, c'mon! I want to finish this so I can hear the stories from your brat!"

Lunae turned, showing a dead-pan expression to the Awakened.

But his expression soon softened once he saw who he was looking for.

"No need to go to the dorms."

Julius got confused. Lunae completely ignored him, walking past the senior Awakened.

Two certain girls got surprised as the Saint that trained their leader walked up to where they were sitting.

Lunae stopped and looked directly at one of the girl's light blue eyes, then at the green cat-like eyes of the other, observing their reaction.

Lauma didn't blink, she knew why he was here, and she wouldn't be scared anymore. She had no reason to.

rlin stared back, ready for anything.

Lunae smirked, and turned to walk away from the hall.

"I got what I ca for."

— —

In the personal quarters of a certain, newly Awakened Sleeper.

Divine Strategist, Jin, the war seer, sat on the chair of the room, summoning a simple coffee table mory he got on his Second Nightmare.

In front of him, the owner of the room sat on his bed. His posture was straight, polite, as if he knew how to act in front of a Saint.

The face of the boy was hidden by the shadows of the room, the light invading the room from the window couldn't reach him with the angle the sun was facing.

Divine Strategist pulled a board of chess.

"Sunless said we could trust you… Do you mind testing that?"

The voice of the hidden man resounded.

"Not at all."

Strategist smiled, and set up the board.

He put the white pieces on his side, and the boy had the black ones.

They started playing, the boy didn't seem to question why they were playing chess.

After so moves, Divine Strategist finally started what was, in fact, an interrogation.

"Kira, age 28, no known relatives… No living relatives either…"

Kira stayed quiet, moving his knight forward.

"Managed to survive a decade on the Dream Realm on a Death Zone even though had no formal training before coming to the academy."

A white pawn walked forward.

"And finally, gained the trust of the Prince of Song… Not to ntion gaining a True Na…"

A black bishop took a white knight.

"Well, that's all I know at least. Do you know why your leader wanted us to seek you out so soon? It's because people won't notice if a simple Master cos for new Awakened…

But Saints? And of our prestige? People will notice… The Drear Army will notice, and so will join us."

The white queen took the black bishop.

"Of course, that's not the only reason, my student is smarter than that. He also knew that our presence would warn Valor. Because we are already moving to recruit people…"

The black knight took the white rook.

"And desperation makes people predictable."

The white queen cornered the black king.

"Checkmate."

Kira hesitated, then looked at the man who was talking this entire ti.

"Whats your point? It doesn't matter, even with your presence, most will go with Changing Star, she saved them, the sa way Sunless saved us."

Divine Strategist chuckled.

"True, based on what he told , it won't matter much. But even then, we wanted to et you…"

Suddenly, the Saint's eyes darkened, and he stared at the hidden Awakened.

"And warn you. I spent eight years of my life torturing myself over the fact one of my students was in whatever hellhole you were. So don't think I'll just accept your loyalty like that."

Kira observed the Saint, his voice ca out in a sympathetic tone.

"You had a vision… Didn't you?"

Divine Strategist sighed, chuckling before smiling.

"You are smart."

He regained his posture.

"Yes, I did, I know you are loyal Kira, your True Na also proves that. But I still want to know, why?"

Kira hesitated for a mont, and answered.

"I won't break another promise, he is worthy to follow. He is a true Sovereign."

The Saint paused.

"Who are you Kira?"

"... Soone who made plenty of mistakes…"

— —

In another room, another Saint was confronting another Awakened.

Frostblade, Selena, the sword of the moon.

She observed the purple haired girl that was sitting on her bed, looking down in sha.

Frostblade sighed.

"Never thought I would be seeing you again…"

i hugged herself, mories of the past coming back to haunt her.

Frostblade sat on the bed next to the girl.

"i Raiden… Last daughter of Clan Raiden, once a vassal of Song, now forgotten after their only survivor got lost in the Dream Realm four years ago…"

i could only shrink in discomfort, sha and guilt swallowed her whole body as she rembered her family.

But a comforting cold touch relieved her… Even if very little.

"You don't need to serve him to make up for what you did."

The girl shook her head.

"I need to atone, it was my fault my father died that day… If I had just obeyed him… If serving Song is the way my Clan is rembered, I will see the future he will bring."

The Saint sighed, and looked at the ceiling.

"If that is what you wish… But know that he may bring your death."

i turned, confused at Frostblade, the Saint explained.

"True Nas are not only to show those with extraordinary achievents, but also to show their future, their fate. You must have already seen his True Na…"

Frostblade sighed.

"Hollow Death… I would rather he not reveal his Na, but with his achievents, it would be strange not to have one, we could have lied, but his flaw gave us no choice.

Do you know what this ans i? He may be destined to bring aningless death, empty death. He will be a Hollow Moon that you follow while trying to find peace…"

Frostblade looked i directly in the eyes.

"Even then, do you wish to follow him?"

The girl hesitated, she rembered what happened, what Sunless did in the Forgotten Shore. She started to doubt…

But that doubt was soon cleared after she rembered Sunless' reaction after the Bright Castle.

i turned to Frostblade with determination in her eyes, determination that didn't surface for years…

"Yes… I will."

The Saint looked at those purple eyes… And smiled.

"Very well, co, there's much to do."

— —

Sunny's eyes twitched as Kin and Lan scratched their heads, looking away from their leader.

He had just finished his evaluation along with Seishan, who was in the corner with Nix, laughing quietly together.

He pinched the bridge of his nose.

"So let get this straight. You two are from a middle class family… That didn't want you two to pursue the life of Awakened even before you two got in the Dream Realm…"

His gaze pierced the two.

"Yet you two also promised to follow ?!"

Lan tried to answer…

"Well- not… Really…"

But Kin had to say it.

"Yes, just like that."

Sunless sighed.

"Now you two want to go to your family and convince them?!"

"Well… We didn't–"

"Yes, that's exactly what we want you to do."

Sunny rolled his eyes.

"Fine! Go ho and I'll figure it out!"

Lan nodded intensely while Kin bowed respectfully before leaving triumphfully. Leaving Sunless alone to deal with the teasing of his sister.

"And that's why you talk with your leaders before making any promises."

Sunless had a strange feeling about the way she said that…

"Was that a jab at being enthralled by the Soul-Devouring Tree?"

Seishan shrugged.

"You said it, not ."

A vein popped in his head. And unfortunately for him, Nix heard it.

"Wait, you got enthralled by a tree?"

Sunless glared at a smirking Seishan.

"Don't you dare-!"

"Lord Sunless."

A male voice approached him from behind. Coming from a blond man with amber eyes.

Lycon's smile perated as he bowed to his leader.

Sunless sharpened his eyes, Seishan and Nix stared at the blond man with… Suspicion.

"Lycon, what is it?"

'Out of everyone, I trust him the least, I have no idea why he follows , and I don't know what he wants.'

Lycon straightened and his face darkened.

"I want to make a deal."

A deal? Sunless couldn't deny, he was curious.

"What would that be?"

The smile returned to Lycon's face.

"You help kill my family, and I'll follow you without question."

—

'What-?!'

Sunny had to take a step back, the idea of soone wanting their family dead was… Unbelievable for him.

"You see Lord Sunless, my full na is Lycon Pillaris, from the Pillaris Clan. A vassal of Valor."

Lycon opened his arms.

"But I hate them, they are the incarnation of everything that I despise… So, when the Great Clans go to war, let kill them, and I'll serve you until I die. And of course, I'll reveal all of my family's secrets~"

Sunny sharpened his eyes, thinking about the deal, Lycon just revealed that he is soone whose loyalty must be brought into question.

Normally, Sunny wouldn't accept the deal, Lycon's whole existence was suspicious. But Sunny had a friend that would clear all suspicions.

"I'll think about it, when I decide, I'll co for you."

Lycon smiled, bowed once again, and left without saying anything else…

Seishan sharpened her eyes and warned her brother.

"You shouldn't trust him so easily, Pillaris are very loyal to Valor… And also powerful."

Sunless sighed.

"Exactly, which is why he'll be useful."

His sister smiled, and moved down the hall.

"Co, I have to gather the handmaidens, and you have to talk with so people."

Sunny felt a chill co down his spine.

'Oh, no…'

— —

Luckily for Sunless, he didn't need to deal with Effie's dramatics in the middle of the main hall. Unfortunately for him, he needed to deal with Effie in a room provided by the academy. Together with Kai and Cassie of course.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL DOOFUS?!!?!?!"

Sunny couldn't hear in his left ear.

"Because of what you are doing."

"Agh you drama queen! Because of this I had to deal with your teacher! Who, by the way, is way too scary!!"

"Wait, which teacher was it?"

"WHAT DO YOU AN 'WHICH'?!?!?!?!?!"

"I have four, damnation!"

Kai looked at the chaos with an embarrassed smile.

"Well, can't say I wasn't surprised, one of my best friends is the son of Song! I bet Caster will lose his marbles once his evaluation is done…"

Sunny hesitated, and a sorrowful look invaded him.

"Kai… Caster is dead…"

The archer froze, and a guilty, shocked look consud him.

Effie and Cassie also grew silent, Effie from confusion, Cassie… From guilt.

Kai couldn't understand.

"No… No, the gateway… It was cleared, we only needed to get in, he was strong enough to-"

Sunless interrupted him.

"Harus sneaked into the Army, and waited for the right ti to attack, he wanted to get to …"

"No… It doesn't make any sense! Gunlaug was on our side!"

"But not the Gunlaug he was loyal to, not the Bright Lord. And he blad and Neph for the 'death' of his master. So he killed Caster before killing , so I could suffer what he suffered."

Torturous silence filled the room. The cohort was absorbing the death of one of their closest friends.

Sunny took it the worst out of all of them.

"It was my fault, I should have noticed, I could have noticed… But I was distracted… I failed…"

But before Kai could console him, a girl entered the room.

A girl with silver hair, grey eyes, ivory skin.

A girl that was connected to Sunless.

The last daughter of Immortal Fla.

Nephis entered, to talk to her confidant.