Happy and Gloomy appeared by the pillars and started to laugh.
Ha: Oh man. That, I don't think that ever happened, did it?
Gl: no. This is the first time I've seen him so… so embarrassed.
S: Yeah, that was super funny.
Sh: Stop making fun of him.
S: Oh? I am not making fun of him, Seishan. I am just enjoying his emotions.
Sh: You can sense them?
S: Why, of course I can, but I won't tell you cause that is his decision, not mine. Well, that's besides the point.
S: I will have to teach you Shadow dance soon, but you need different clothes for that.
Sh: What's wrong with these ones?
S: They are not flexible and are covering most of your legs, which will be very important.
K: Sunny, you should really work on how you phrase things.
S: What did I say wrong now?
K: Well, it wasn't wrong. What I mean to say is that you could probably say something like.
K: You should wear some more appropriate hunting clothes that will not limit your movement.
S: Yes, that's what I said.
Sh: Don't worry about it. I will figure something out.
With that, their training ended and right as Seishan was leaving, she said to Sunny.
Sh: Caster is getting awfully close to Nephis. Calling her lady and all that. Do you want me to get rid of him? With the position I have in the bright castle, it wouldn't be too difficult.
S: No. Like I said, I need him alive. Let him be, I will take care of him when the time comes.
Creepy appeared in front of Sunny, bowing.
Cr: master, can I follow her? I could start teaching her at least the basics.
S: That's fair. Creepy, teach her some basics. Don't disappoint me.
Cr: I wouldn't dare.
With that, he joined Seishan's shadow.
Sh: Alright. Take care, Sunny, Kai.
S: Oh, I almost forgot. Do you want to have dinner with us?
K: Anytime. Should I go catch something?
S: No need.
Sh: I don't think I've ever seen you this excited, Kai. Is his cooking that good?
K: Good? Nonono, that would be an insult. It is amazing.
Sh: I will be the judge of that, but yeah, what are we eating?
Luna walked from behind the shadows, clearly annoyed and dropping an owl in dissatisfaction.
Sh: That's Gunlaugh's guard's echo?
S: Was it? Well, we have this for dinner.
Seishan laughed and asked if she needed to help with something, but Sunny just motioned them to sit down and wait, which they did.
Right as Sunny served them food, they finished it like a pack of wolves.
Sh: Kai, you are right. This was amazing.
K: Not to mention, he said he could make sweets.
Sh: could? Is something limiting him?
K: Resources obviously.
Sh: Do you want me to grab you some once I come back next time?
S: If you want to. Kai will let you know what I need. Bring what you can.
Sh: Sure.
She smiled, and with tha,t she left happily
K: You need him? Caster, I mean.
S: Yeah. It is quite important for me to keep him alive. Alright. We have some more time before the time is set.
K: Already? It was morning just moments ago.
S: I guess your concentration is better than you think. You and Seishan have been collecting essence for almost 13 hours by now.
S: Go rest.
K: Alright.
As Seishan entered her quarters in a bright castle, she was welcomed politely by other handmaidens, and one slipped her a paper while walking past her.
When she entered her room, it read.
Dark City is under surveillance. Be careful. Ganlaug might send Horace if it escalates.
Creepy manifested from her shadows and looked around the room.
Cr: small. Like a prison cell.
Sh: Yeah, well, I can't really do anything about that now, can I?
Cr: I mean, you can just go to Dark City. It would solve the problem
Cr: Also, you do know you don't need to reply, just think of an answer? If you direct your attention to me, I will hear it, and if you think of other shadow clan members, they will hear it?
Sh: What? No way.
Cr: I can't really lie, so you should take my word for it.
Sh: Do you hear me?
Cr: Of course, I hear you. How else did you think I was communicating ever since you entered this castle?
Sh: I didn't think of that, sorry.
Cr: It feels like your thoughts and your actual words you normally speak are slightly different.
Sh: Well, because they are, I can't say what's on my mind every time. It would be embarrassing and creepy….Sorry.
Cr: You are the one licking blood as if it were something tasty, if you were a shadow, you would probably be the Creepy instead of me.
Sh: Really?
Cr: No, I said probably, didn't I? Not that you would.
Sh: You are mean.
Cr: Am I? How so, or you know what I don't care. Or do I?
Cr: I am about to look around this place, you do you.
Before Creepy could leave, she grabbed his forearm and said.
Sh: Oh, so I can touch you, and why do you feel like a human? Your temperature feels like you have blood inside.
Cr: Is that really why you stopped me? Still because of this damn flaw I have to tell you now. It's not blood, it's more of a shadow essence, I guess, and no, you can't taste it. I see that look on your face, don't even think about it. You are far too weak to consume my blood.
Sh: Is it different from Sunny's?
Cr: somewhat. After all, we are different….
Sh: different entities.
Cr: not, unless he replaces me. Which you would spot easily, our tattoo would change, our hairstyle and our aura. You can feel it when we change. You are a special one.
Sh: Thank you. Is Creepy really your name?
Cr: Yes, why?
Sh: Why? Why is that?
Cr: I can't answer that.
Sh: I see. So, where do you plan on going now?
Cr: all around this place, I guess.
Seishan's eyes darkened for a second, but she quickly composed herself.
Cr: Why are you hiding your dark side so much? It looks good on you.
Sh: for you.
Cr: Well, of course, why should I care about others? Still, it seems you don't like someone.
Sh: Can you read?
Cr: no. I can speak, tho.
Sh: It was a message: Dark city is under surveillance, Horace could be called.
Cr: Horace?
Sh: Gunlaug, who is the ruler of this place, has an executioner, whose name is Horace. Really nasty guy, terrible with women, but everyone fears him, so they don't say anything.
Creepy's smile widened a little.
Cr: I guess I will observe that guy for a bit.
Sh: Be careful.
Creepy stared at her as he turned back into shadows and disappeared.
Creepy left her room and glided between the shadows of the bright castle, which wasn't so bright. It was bright only in name. Still, he could navigate it quickly after a couple of hours of snooping here and there. He was looking for important places first, like the kitchen and basement, which were located right under the throne room behind the throne. He wasn't able to get inside since it was blocked by some doors, and he couldn't phase through solid objects just yet, and breaking it down would cause a lot of noise and so he waited.
Cr: master?
S: Yes?
Cr: Do you see this?
S: Yes. Can you get inside, or do you need some help?
Cr: I could, but it would cause a lot of noise, which would not be helpful.
S: true.
Cr: Although I can't see anything on the other side, the scent of blood from behind this wall is incredibly potent. Like I am in a blood bath. It is probably some dungeon or some place for torture?
S: I don't know, but it does sound plausible. Observe it. I have a suspicion there is more than one entrance to that place, tho.
Cr: Yes, across the castle, there are 3 other places with the same hidden doors, but this one has the least security, but has the most dreadful presence to it.
S: What about Seishan?
Cr: Last time I contacted her, she was in some kind of meeting with other lieutenants. Something was wrong with the main guy, tho. His whole body was like a blur of some sort. Maybe a powerful echo?
S: Yes, transcendent one.
Cr: Which one?
S: Oh…the saint.
Cr: Oh, got it. Lucky bastard.
S: Alright, I will leave it to you. This is good information.
Cr: I might have my ticket inside. That blur is coming here.
S: Get away. Horace can blind his opponents. I don't know if it could activate on you.
Cr: no. After all, I am a shadow; unless it is a soul attack, I am not affected at all.
S: Alright.
Horace and Gunlaug headed to the throne room alone, and once they got behind it. Gunlaug tapped the wall as if just looking at something but but in fact it was an entrance code that was in the form of gradients of material inside the brick wall tapped in a certain order.
As the wall opened, Creepy slid inside and remained there right at the entrance, but still behind the wall, not wanting to enter the shadows of those 2 disgusting humans. It felt revolting. So he just stood still by the entrance in the deep shadows of the wall, leading down a deep staircase. After a couple of hours, both Gunlaug and Horace came out, also pushing some combination into the wall from inside.
Sunny from Dark City vanished and appeared as Creepy. As he made one step down, his 3 shadows stepped out from his shadows and walked beside and one behind him.
S: The smell of blood really is incredible here.
As they descended the staircase, they found what could only be described as a torture chamber or a chamber for the worst things you could possibly do. The worst thing is that it was specifically built for humans. Male and Female. There were corpses everywhere in a very bad state of decomposition, some still breathing in a mountain of corpses, of other ruthless cruelty. They were all chained, beaten, violently assaulted disfigured. Sunny's face was getting darker by the second, but since he was in a pitch black place with no light source and only he could see, no one noticed him, or if they did, they pretended they didn't.
Gl: Nephis could heal them, but the mental strain would not be healed. This is way too cruel.
Cr: It is just a waste of time, in my opinion. If I were to need something to torture someone after I am done, I would just get rid of him. I mean, it would be just a waste of time and space.
Ha: What will we do now?
S: I was practising something.
Sunny closed his eyes, and suddenly even the quietest breath disappeared.
None of his shadows reacted. More like they did not want to react. They just stared at their master in surprise.
S: Luna?
Luna got on his shoulder and yawned.
S: Is there someone alive here that I might have missed?
She shook her head, and Sunny sighed in disappointment.
S: So only barely alive?
He walked up to the cell and lit up the torch beside him.
S:….they are hollow? How?
He extinguished the light and walked up to them.
S: human experiments. They were experimenting with them for some reason.
Sunny grabbed one of the victim's hands and looked at the symbol on it. Upside down A with some engraving around it as if encircling it.
S: I have a bad feeling about this.