Shadow Slave - One Shots

i am doing this to the best of my ability from memory, so sorry if its different from the actual novel

and i'd reread it but i'm too lazy soo takethat

The crimson leaves rustled as Sunny climbed higher, his hands grasping the gnarled black branches of the Soul Devouring Tree. The wind howled, but he paid it no mind. His gaze was fixed on the crimson fruits hanging above, glistening like droplets of frozen blood.

The ones closer to the ground had already been plucked clean. Either by himself, or the other 2 residing the tree. But the higher he went, the more untouched the fruits seemed.

If the fruits were connected to the tree's power, then surely the ones at the very top would be the most purest, granting the most amount of shadow fragments? A simple enough logic.

His muscles burned as he pulled himself up, his fingers digging into the rough bark. Every inch he climbed, the air grew thinner, the wind colder. The branches beneath him swayed, but he ignored the distant drop below. His hunger for strength was greater than any fear of falling.

But he still did not find a suitable gift for Cassie.

Then, just as he reached for another fruit, his eyes caught something strange.

Sunny narrowed his eyes. It was an egg. A large, smooth shell with faint golden veins running across its surface. It almost looked like it was made of polished stone, though the eerie, pulsing glow beneath its surface suggested otherwise.

He frowned. What the hell was this doing here?

There layed a giant, elaborate bird nest rested between the scarlet leaves.

The nest was spherical in shape, with a round hole at the center of it. This nest was specifically constructed by the branches of the great tree, each at least a thick as a man's arm. These branches were twisted and interwoven together in a chaotic pattern.

He hesitated for only a moment before making his decision.

'Whatever.'

With a swift motion, he summoned his Midnight Shard, and brung it down on the egg, slicing it clean apart in two. Crack ran through the egg as Sunny's sword plunged into it.

In the ensuring silence, Sunny heard the Spell's bewitching voice:

[You have slain a Great Devil, Vile Thieveing Bird's Spawn.]

[Your shadow grows stronger.]

[You have recieved a Memory...]

Before he finished his thought, the Spell spoke again. Its voice sounded a bit strange. It was almost... excited?

[You have acquired a drop of ichor. Do you wish to consume it?]

Sunny blinked.

Consume... a Memory?

Things were getting weirder and weirder.

He hesitated. What was going to happen if he did consume it? Memories were rewards given by the Spell to the Awakened. As such, they were usually useful, very rarely useless, and never harmful. At least that was the common knowledge. However… this one was out of the ordinary. And it was the Spell he was talking about. The damn thing was nothing if not unpredictable... usually with catastrophic consequences.

The safest approach would be to put the golden liquid back into his Soul Sea and never touch it again.

But it was a Memory received from a Great Devil! Chances were he would never hold another one in his whole life, not even in his dreams.

Here's the continuation of the scene:

Sunny hesitated, his fingers tightening around the drop of ichor. The golden liquid shimmered with an almost hypnotic allure, a substance unlike anything he had ever seen before. It pulsed faintly, as if it were alive, waiting—no, wanting—to be consumed.

His mind raced. The safe thing to do was to store it away and analyze it later. He didn't even know what kind of Memory this was. Could it be a weapon? Armor? A tool of some kind? Or… something entirely new?

And yet…

Sunny licked his lips.

This was not just any Memory. This was something taken from a Great Devil, a being so powerful that even its spawn had been protected by an instinctual mind hex. If he let this chance slip away, would he ever encounter something like this again?

The Spell's question echoed in his mind.

[Do you wish to consume it?]

He took a deep breath.

Why not?

Bringing the golden drop to his lips, he tilted his head back and swallowed it whole.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then, he let out a gnarly shriek at the top of his lungs

A violent heat surged through his veins, spreading outward like molten fire. His muscles clenched, his bones trembled, and his vision darkened at the edges. He collapsed onto a thick branch, his fingers digging into the bark as he gasped for air. His entire being was being rewritten, reshaped.

It was as if something ancient was merging with him, altering him from the inside out.

His heart pounded. His breath came in ragged, desperate gulps.

And then, the change was done.

A strange, foreign sensation settled in his body.

He felt… different. Stronger, in a way he couldn't quite describe. Something had awakened inside him, something new. 

He felt as if his blood was more.. potent, more stronger.

Before he could fully process what had just happened, the Spell spoke again.

[You have evolved an Attribute.]

Sunny's breath hitched. His mind reeled.

What the hell had he just consumed?

so, i'm gonna skip to the part where sunny goes to convince cassie to come on the boat

i really don't know what was with this chapter

like i was writing and deleted it all, wrote another draft and i didn't save it, i wrote like 2 more and they just didn't hit like i used to be able to write so

enough of the yapping i'll just get on to the good bits 

Sunny loomed over the blind girl, his mind racing as he tried to piece together the right words.

The boat was ready, floating on the dark water just beyond them. The path to freedom was right there.

And yet, Cassie remained seated on the ground, her hands lightly curled in her lap. The mind hex still had its hooks in her. Even though she wasn't resisting him outright, he could see the struggle in the tension of her shoulders, in the faint furrow of her brows.

He knew what she was feeling.

The pull of the Soul Devouring Tree was more than just an illusion. It wrapped around them, warping their emotions, making them want to stay. It whispered of peace, of safety, of never having to fight again.

Sunny clenched his jaw.

"Cassie," he said, his voice quieter than usual. Steady. "Please. We need to go."

She didn't move, not at first.

Her eyes were fixated on the ground, not wanting to comply with whatever Sunny was implying. But then.

Then, finally, she looked up.

Even though she couldn't see him, he felt the weight of her gaze.

She didn't speak right away. Instead, she took a slow, deep breath.

"...I don't want to go."

Her voice was quiet, almost resigned, and Sunny felt something twist in his chest.

She wanted to stay. The hex was still inside her, whispering, rooting itself deep into her heart.

Cassie swallowed, her fingers trembling slightly.

"But..." She hesitated. "You're the one saying it."

That was all she needed to convince herself.

With visible effort, she forced her body to move. Her hands pressed into the ground as she tried to stand, but her limbs were weak, heavy.

She swayed, and before she knew it herself, she felt herself falling to the ground.

Before she could hit the ground, he caught her.

She was light in his arms, her body warm and exhausted. For a long moment, she simply stayed there, leaning into him as though she had no strength left to hold herself up.

"...Okay," she murmured, barely above a whisper.

Her breath tickled his collarbone, her voice soft, fragile.

"I'll... trust you, Sunny."

And then she went completely still.

His heart thudded in his chest.

Cassie had passed out.

Sunny didn't know what he was supposed to feel in that moment. Or rather, what he specifically was feeling due to him not figuring it out yet.

What he did know was that Cassie was in his arms, resting ontop of his shoulder.

And he liked it.

He found a slight tinge of happiness in being able to protect the one he-

Sunny shook his head rapidly, not wanting to dulge in his thoughts any longer. It wasn't that he didn't want to think of the obvious, it was more so that he didn't know what the obvious was.

But this trivial matter could be solved for another day.

His grip tightened slightly, securing her in place.

He looked down at the sleeping beauty, admiring the view.

Before he knew it, his hand lifted on instinct, his thumb brushing against the curve of her cheek.

'Soft.'

His fingers paused.

A strange, unfamiliar emotion curled in his stomach.

Then, with a quiet breath, he pulled away.

Adjusting his hold, he lifted her onto his back, shifting her weight so that her arms draped over his shoulders. Her head rested against him, her breathing even and steady.

Sunny exhaled.

"Let's get out of here," he whispered, stepping toward the boat.