Shadow Slave - One Shots

The Nameless Temple stood at the very heart of Godgrave, its black marble pillars stood high.

The colossal structure was carved from the darkness itself.

Moonlight poured through cracks in the ruined ceiling, illuminating the shattered altar at the center of the grand hall.

Shadows pooled in the corners, shifting unnaturally- like living things waiting for a command.

And at the heart of it all, sitting upon a throne of polished obsidian, was the Lord of Shadows.

A figure clad in black, face obscured by an eerie, smooth mask.

Silent.

.

Watchful.

.

Deadly.

****

Sunny stared at their shadows through his shadow sense.

He hadn't been expecting visitors.

No, that wasn't quite right.

He hadn't been expecting them.

His entire cohort was making their way through his territory, heading straight for his citadel.

Nephis.

Cassie.

Kai.

Effie.

Even the damn Fire Keepers.

'Why are they all coming?'

It didn't make sense.

A part of him clenched at the thought, old instincts screaming that something was wrong.

But there was no army, no hostile forces accompanying them.

Just them.

His friends.

…But what if they weren't coming as friends?

Sunny exhaled sharply and rubbed his temples.

He shouldn't be nervous.

He is the Lord of Shadows, after all.

So why was his chest so damn tight?

'They don't know it's me.'

Right?

Right.

There was no way they would recognize him.

They probably had no reason to suspect that the masked, distant ruler of a forsaken citadel was the same Sunny who ran a cafe all the way in bastion.

He took a deep breath, rolling his shoulders.

Fine. If they were coming, they were coming.

He would meet them as the Lord of Shadows.

They wanted to meet a Saint?

They would get one.

***

The heavy doors of the temple creaked open, revealing a grand hall bathed in silver moonlight.

The air was cokd.

They stepped inside.

The Fire Keepers moved cautiously, hands near their weapons, but Nephis, Cassie, Effie, and Kai strode forward with certainty.

And there, upon the throne at the far end of the hall, he sat.

A figure draped in shadows, motionless.

A demonic mask, covering his face.

The Lord of Shadows.

His presence was immense.

And when he finally spoke, his voice came out cold.

.

"Speak."

.

.

.

Silence.

.

.

.

For a moment, there was nothing.

No one spoke.

No one moved.

Then-

Laughter.

It started as a snicker from Effie.

Then a muffled sound from Kai.

And then the whole cohort burst into laughter.

Effie actually had to lean against Kai, wiping tears from her eyes.

Nephis, usually the most composed of them all, had to turn away to cover the amused curve of her lips.

Even Cassie was shaking.

The Fire Keepers just looked incredibly confused.

Shadow sat completely still.

'…What the spell is happening…?'

He didn't want to waste time and cut to the chase.

A cold, detached voice cut through the laughter like a blade.

"If you wish to waste my time, then leave."

The hall fell into silence.

For a moment, nobody spoke.

Then-

"Oh, no, your great and mighty lordship," Effie gasped, still trying to stifle her laughter.

She dramatically fell to one knee, bowing her head. "Forgive us lowly peasants for offending your divine presence."

Kai sighed, shaking his head solemnly.

"Truly, we are but fools before your greatness. Please, have mercy on our pitiful souls."

The Fire Keepers looked deeply concerned.

Sunny, behind his mask, exhaled slowly.

'…They know.'

He wasn't sure how. He wasn't sure why. But he knew.

They weren't treating him like a distant, terrifying legend.

They weren't awed or wary.

They were messing with him.

Because they knew.

His fingers tightened slightly against the armrest of his throne, but he forced himself to remain still.

He couldn't confirm it yet.

Couldn't ask.

That would just prove it.

So he said nothing, simply tilting his head in what he hoped was an ominous expression.

It mostly worked… except Nephis wasn't paying attention to the commotion anymore.

She was watching him.

Or rather, she was watching the way he was watching her.

"…What are you staring at?"

He stopped.

He had been admiring her.

'Damn you!'

Even through the mask, even through his own stubbornness, he had let his gaze linger.

Nephis had changed in the years since they last saw each other.

Obviously, she was stronger. She has become a saint.

But.. now that she is a saint. She looked.. ethereal. So beautiful. Like an angel.

But the mask thankfully reverted his flaw.

Which meant instead of his honest answer, his voice was cool and indifferent as he lied,

"Nothing."

Nephis narrowed her eyes slightly. "…You were clearly staring at me."

"I was not."

"You were."

"I wasn't."

Nephis stared at him for a long moment.

Then, slowly, her lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile.

"…Right."

Shadow fought the urge to sigh.

He had the worst feeling about this.

The lord of shadows leaned back in his throne, fingers drumming lightly against the armrest as he regarded them through the mask.

*****

"…An alliance."

Nephis nodded. "Yes."

His mind worked quickly, breaking down the words.

The Fire Keepers and the cohort were powerful in their own right.

If they were here, in his Citadel, asking for an alliance, then…

They needed him.

Which meant.

"This place," Nephis continued, gesturing faintly at the vast temple around them, "is one of the unknown Citadels that had been claimed by an unknown saint. Its existence is an anomaly. And you…"

She paused. "You are an anomaly as well."

Shadow didn't respond.

"We need this Citadel," Nephis said plainly.

"We need it for the war."

"…War."

She nodded.

"Vakor and Song will inevitably clash," she said.

"It's only a matter of time. You know this as well as we do. And when that time comes, we need to be prepared."

Shadow's fingers curled against the armrest.

"So," he said, voice even. "You want to bring this Citadel under the banner of House Valor."

Nephis didn't flinch.

"Yes."

Silence stretched between them.

Then, finally, he exhaled through his nose, tilting his head slightly.

"And what makes you think I would agree to that?"

The answer came from Effie, of all people.

She grinned, placing her hands on her hips.

"Because, oh great and mighty lord, we know who you are."

Shadow froze.

Effie leaned forward, eyes gleaming.

"You really thought we wouldn't recognize you, Sunny?"

The name echoed through the temple.

Sunny remained still.

Then Kai chuckled, shaking his head. "You had a good run. But, yeah. We know. We've known since you got your fate back."

Effie smirked. "What, did you really think you could get away with hiding from us? From me?"

Sunny's fingers twitched.

They knew.

They had known this entire time.

And they had played along anyway.

He let out a slow breath.

"…You're all insufferable."

Effie grinned. "Yeah, yeah. So, are you going to help us or what?"

Sunny considered strangling her.

Instead, he muttered, "I should have stayed forgotten."