shadow slave: Avatar of Apocalypse Chapter 69 69: Protective Sunny

Sunny's room was small, but by the standards of the Forgotten Shore, it felt almost absurdly luxurious, to the point that he had half a mind to suspect so hidden catch waiting to spring on him the mont he lowered his guard.

There was an actual bed instead of a pile of cold stone or damp monster hide spread across a floor stained by centuries of neglect, a sturdy wooden chest sat beside one wall with only a few scratches marring its surface, and a small desk occupied the corner of the room beneath a narrow window that had long since been covered by thick dark cloth.

There was even a basin filled with clean water.

Clean water.

The simple sight almost made Sunny emotional.

After months spent wandering through the Labyrinth, crossing the Dark Sea, surviving countless battles, and sleeping in places that could generously be described as death traps, the existence of clean water felt more miraculous than most mories.

Most shocking of all, however, was the polished bronze mirror hanging near the entrance.

Sunny stared at it suspiciously.

Then continued staring.

Then narrowed his eyes.

Then stared so more.

Eventually, curiosity won.

It always did.

Walking forward, he stopped before the mirror and looked into its reflective surface.

For a brief mont, he genuinely failed to recognize the person staring back.

Months in the Labyrinth had changed him far more than he had realized.

His face had beco noticeably thinner, his features had sharpened considerably, and the softness that once remained from his childhood had long since disappeared beneath layers of hardship, exhaustion, and constant vigilance.

His black hair had grown much longer than before, falling ssily around his face and reaching far enough to brush against his neck.

Dark shadows lingered beneath his eyes, remnants of countless sleepless nights spent wondering whether the next creature lurking in the darkness would finally be the one that killed him.

But the biggest change wasn't physical.

It was his gaze.

Sunny froze.

The eyes staring back at him were not the eyes of the boy who had entered the Academy.

They were colder.

Harder.

Sharper.

More calculating.

They were the eyes of soone who had learned that hesitation could kill faster than any monster.

They reminded him of Nephis.

They reminded him of Senrix.

People who had fought impossible battles and sohow survived.

There was actually a term for people like that back in the outskirts.

Murder Math.

People who had beco so accustod to violence that they unconsciously calculated everything around them in terms of survival, threat assessnt, and the quickest way to kill sothing before it killed them.

The difference was that Nephis sohow managed to look like a hero.

Senrix looked like a warrior dragged straight out of an ancient legend.

Sunny...

Sunny looked like the person responsible for making parents warn their children not to walk through dark alleys alone.

"...Damn."

He tilted his head.

The reflection tilted its head.

"This place really did a number on ."

After a few monts, Sunny grinned.

"Still handso, though."

The reflection appeared unconvinced.

Sunny ignored it.

The reflection clearly lacked taste.

Afterward, he sent one of his shadows outside.

Not because he was particularly worried.

Well...

Maybe a little.

Just a tiny amount.

A microscopic amount.

An amount so small that nobody could possibly prove it existed.

The shadow silently slipped beneath Cassie's door and settled there like a silent guardian, stretching itself across the floor while observing the hallway through countless hidden eyes.

Only then did Sunny finally throw himself onto the bed.

The mattress felt so comfortable that he almost cried.

It was soft.

Actually soft.

Not made of stone.

Not covered in monster blood.

Not surrounded by creatures trying to eat him.

Just a bed.

A normal bed.

The realization nearly broke him.

Within minutes, he was asleep.

The next morning, Sunny woke up feeling strangely refreshed.

For the first ti in months, he hadn't spent the night half-awake while listening for claws scraping across stone.

For the first ti in months, he hadn't gone to sleep expecting sothing to attack him before morning.

For the first ti in months, he had actually rested.

The realization felt bizarre.

After washing his face and fixing his hair as best he could, Sunny stepped outside.

A few minutes later, Cassie's door opened.

Sunny blinked.

Then blinked again.

Cassie looked completely different.

Not because she had changed.

Because she finally looked healthy.

Her long blonde hair had been brushed and cleaned until it flowed smoothly down her back like liquid gold.

Her bright blue eyes seed clearer than they had in weeks.

The constant exhaustion lingering on her face had mostly disappeared.

For the first ti since arriving on the Forgotten Shore, she looked less like a survivor desperately clinging to life and more like the kindhearted girl who had once attended the Academy.

Sunny imdiately sighed.

"...This is going to cause problems."

Cassie tilted her head.

"What is?"

"Nothing."

She smiled.

"You sll different."

Sunny froze.

"...What?"

"You sll happier."

"What kind of weird statent is that?"

Cassie laughed softly.

Sunny groaned.

Being around an oracle was exhausting.

A few monts later, another door opened.

Elysia stepped outside while stretching lazily.

Her long pink hair cascaded over her shoulders like a waterfall of rose-colored silk, catching the morning light and making her seem strangely out of place in a world as bleak as the Forgotten Shore.

Unlike Cassie, she imdiately noticed Sunny's expression.

Then she looked at Cassie.

Then she looked back at Sunny.

A mischievous smile slowly appeared.

"Oh."

Sunny imdiately pointed at her.

"No."

"I didn't even say anything."

"You were thinking it."

"I absolutely was."

Cassie looked between them, utterly confused.

Sunny buried his face in his hands.

The day had barely started.

Soon, the three of them followed Harper's directions toward the Keep.

The castle was already bustling with activity.

Sleepers moved through marble corridors carrying weapons, supplies, tools, and pieces of monster carcasses.

So looked hopeful.

Others looked exhausted.

Many simply looked resigned.

Sunny quietly observed all of them.

The more he saw, the more conflicted he beca.

The castle wasn't paradise.

But it wasn't a prison either.

At least not obviously.

People laughed.

People talked.

People worked.

People lived.

It felt disturbingly normal.

Which sohow made it feel even stranger.

As they walked, Elysia occasionally pointed things out.

"Oh, look at that."

"What?"

"That guy is pretending not to stare at us."

Sunny glanced over.

The Sleeper imdiately looked away.

Elysia smiled triumphantly.

"See?"

Sunny sighed.

"Why do you notice these things?"

"I have eyes."

"You use them too much."

Cassie laughed quietly.

The sound eased so of the tension in Sunny's chest.

For a brief mont, things almost felt normal.

Then they entered the dining hall.

And everything imdiately went wrong.

The mont they stepped inside, conversations slowed.

Then stopped.

Heads turned.

Silence spread.

Sunny frowned.

Then imdiately realized nobody was looking at him.

Every single person was staring at Cassie.

And quite a few were staring at Elysia too.

"...Oh no."

Elysia imdiately understood.

"Ah."

Cassie looked confused.

"What?"

Sunny rubbed his forehead.

"Nothing."

Elysia nodded.

"Definitely sothing."

Cassie possessed a gentle beauty that naturally attracted attention.

anwhile, Elysia practically radiated warmth and life.

Standing together, the two girls were impossible to ignore.

Unfortunately, that attention quickly beca a problem.

Two rough-looking n stood from a nearby table.

Sunny imdiately noticed the weapons hanging from their belts, the confidence in their posture, and the arrogance written across their expressions.

Gunlaug's people.

Wonderful.

Absolutely wonderful.

One of the n approached their table.

His gaze lingered on Cassie.

Then shifted toward Elysia.

Sunny's eye twitched.

Disgusting.

He tried.

He genuinely tried to stay calm.

He rembered Harper's warnings.

He rembered Nephis telling him to gather information.

He rembered that starting fights inside the castle was a terrible idea.

Then the words ca out anyway.

"What the fuck are you degenerates staring at?"

Silence.

Complete silence.

The entire hall froze.

Elysia imdiately covered her face.

"Oh no..."

Cassie sighed.

Sunny realized what he had just said.

Then decided he didn't actually regret it.

Instead of apologizing, he simply stared at the two n head-on.

Now everyone was staring at him.

The two n looked furious.

One rested a hand on his sword.

The other sneered.

"Do you know who you're talking to?"

Sunny shrugged.

Honestly, he didn't care.

Their attitudes didn't resemble anything he had heard about Gunlaug.

If these people represented the castle's elite, then the castle had problems.

"Unfortunately, yes."

The atmosphere beca dangerous very quickly.

The n stepped forward.

Midnight Shard instantly appeared in Sunny's hand.

The pitch-black tachi reflected the light of the hall like a fragnt of pure darkness.

Several nearby Sleepers visibly flinched.

The two soldiers hesitated.

But they still didn't back down.

Why would they?

They served Gunlaug.

The strongest Sleeper in the castle.

They believed that even if they died, the black-haired boy standing before them would die shortly afterward.

The hall grew silent.

Then a familiar voice suddenly spoke.

"Leave them alone."

Everyone turned.

A handso young man was walking toward them.

He possessed short brown hair, vivid green eyes, and a face that seed sculpted to perfection.

Broad shoulders.

Athletic build.

Effortless confidence.

Refined grace.

The bearing of a noble-born warrior.

Even in a crowded room, it was impossible to overlook his presence.

Sunny imdiately recognized him.

Elysia did too.

It was Caster.

The most famous Sleeper in the Academy.

The heir of the Han Li Clan.

The golden boy of their generation.

And perhaps the only person who had ever managed to genuinely challenge Nephis during sparring sessions without imdiately being overwheld.