Shadow Slave | School Days

Blood dripped from Sunny's forehead, stinging his eyes as he continued his brutal, aimless march forward. He had no real goal in mind anymore. Noctis had talked him out of his suicidal tendencies, leaving him without a purpose—a lonely shadow who couldn't even die.

Lactic acid had filled Sunny's legs long ago, screaming for him to stop and rest. Yet, his mind had banished the very concept of rest, crushing every ember of tiredness as he trudged forward with visible effort. Poison still circulated in his body, slower than before but potent enough to hinder his movements, leaving him with a pronounced limp.

Two figures approached him in the distance, their forms growing clearer as they moved with brisk determination. Sunny's vision swam, but he gritted his teeth and forced himself to stay upright. If they were enemies, they would die. If they were strangers, he would walk past them as if they didn't exist.

The possibility of encountering Nephis again had never crossed Sunny's mind. He had resolved to move on, to never see her again, yet her image lingered stubbornly in the back of his thoughts. 'Nephis… I hate you. I miss you. I loathe you. I love you.' Conflicting emotions cycled through his mind as the figures drew closer.

"Sunny?" A feminine voice called out, vaguely familiar. Sunny's ears twitched slightly in response. His eyes focused intently on the figure, her pale white hair coming into view. Yet, his mind refused to associate her with a name, leaving him staring at her with no sense of recognition. "Who… are you?" he groaned, his vocal cords sore from disuse.

"It's Nephis. I have someone who wants to meet you," the figure said. Sunny's eyes narrowed with rage at the name. His muscles tensed with suspicion as he prepared for combat. "You're not Nephis. She hates me. And I hate her! She thinks I'm a killer, so she'd never see me again! Don't fucking lie to me!" His groaning voice rose to a guttural roar as he prepared to charge at the impostor.

Nephis, whom Sunny did not recognize, turned to Rain with a calm gaze. "Take a few steps back. Sunny and I are just going to do a little… sparring. It's only for fun," she lied, a small smile playing on her lips as Rain obeyed without question. Turning back to Sunny, who remained tense with restrained fury, Nephis's gaze softened slightly. "Sunny, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything. I can't believe I did that to you. I can't believe I said those things. I told you I'd never leave you, but I lied. I'm a liar—a pathetic, insidious liar. But you won't listen to me anyway, so I guess we'll talk after we're done."

Nephis moved first, her footwork impeccable as she blurred toward Sunny, aiming a roundhouse kick at his injured ribs. Sunny twisted his body with characteristic grace, narrowly avoiding the blow but hissing in pain from the strain on his wounds. *'He's slower, far slower than usual, yet still blindingly fast!'* Nephis thought as a lightning-fast jab shot toward her forehead.

She ducked under it, her arms shooting upward to grab his arm, but Sunny had anticipated the move. His body twisted into a counter, using her momentum against her. Grabbing her shoulder, he slammed her into the marble tiles of the hallway. The throw was as powerful as Morgan's, yet Nephis managed to plant her feet and shove upward, breaking free from his grip.

She jumped back, then immediately blitzed forward with a flurry of punches and kicks, each one aimed precisely at Sunny's open wounds. Yet, his defenses remained impervious, deflecting every strike with cool precision. Feinting a low kick, Nephis lunged forward, attempting to catch him in a clinch. Her grappling was superb, honed through years of training and experience, but it wasn't enough. As her palms landed on him, Sunny shifted his weight, breaking her grip and slamming an elbow strike into her ribs. Nephis staggered back, her breath uneven as Sunny continued to stalk toward her.

The fight grew in intensity, each combatant pushing their limits. Nephis's strikes were relentless, her movements calculated and precise. Sunny, despite his injuries, moved like a phantom, seamlessly blending countless martial arts into a deadly dance. He transitioned from one style to another with fluid ease, his mastery evident in every motion.

Finally, Nephis landed a knee strike directly on Sunny's injured midsection. He staggered back, clutching his side as blood escaped his lips. An ugly grimace twisted her face as she realized the extent of his condition. 'I didn't hit him hard enough for that to happen. He's hurt—no, worse. Poisoned!' she thought, her attempts to restrain him intensifying.

Yet, whenever Sunny committed to offense, Nephis found herself battered by an onslaught of blows. A spinning back fist collided with her jaw, sending her reeling. Sunny leapt through the air, preparing another salvo of strikes. As the fight wore on, his stamina waned, but he didn't stop. Not even for a second.

Each strike came faster than the last, raining down on her guard with unparalleled force. Nephis grabbed his ankle, pulling him off balance and falling atop him. Sunny rolled to escape, ending up directly above her, his fist cocked back, ready to strike. Nephis closed her eyes, bracing for the impact, but the blow never came.

"Nephis?" Sunny whispered, blood dripping from his head onto hers. His face contorted with sorrow as tears streamed down his cheeks. "It's you! Why are you here!? Aren't I just a killer to you? A pathetic, odious murderer who only knows how to kill!? That's what you called me! You said I wasn't a killer, but you lied! You're a fucking liar!"

His hoarse voice broke as he shifted away from her, keeling over and vomiting another wave of blood. Nephis reached out, grabbing his shoulder, but he flinched and trembled under her touch. "Don't touch me! It's your fault! It's all your fault! They made me to be your slave, to help your life, but what about me? What about my life, my dreams, my hopes!"

Nephis's lips trembled, unsure how to respond. Instead, she pulled him into a hug, which he weakly resisted. "You said you loved me… you lied to me. You're a liar," Sunny mumbled, his words catching in his throat as tears streamed down his face.

"I do love you, Sunny. I know I said cruel, vile things to you, but I'm sorry. I wanted to kill them to atone for what I inadvertently caused you. It was the only way I could justify my existence not being a tumor in the world."

Sunny offered no reply, his muscles slackening as he passed out in her arms. Nephis stared at his injured form for a moment before lifting him up, her own body bruised from the fight. She hobbled over to Rain, who stood beside Noctis. The man was making faces at Rain, eliciting laughter from the young girl. He turned to Nephis with a smirk.

"Well, I wouldn't call that defeating Sunny, but surviving that long against him, even in that state, is commendable. You did well, Immortal Flame's daughter."

Nephis's eyes narrowed with suspicion. "What is your relationship with Sunny? How did you meet him?" Noctis merely laughed, waving a hand dismissively. "People weaker than Morgan can't ask questions," he said before disappearing in the blink of an eye.

It took Nephis a while to reach the trading hub. Though only Revel dared to speak to her, a collective sigh of relief escaped the onlookers as they saw Sunny return, cradled gently in Nephis's arms. She carried him into Revel's tent and laid him on their shared bed, studying his form for a moment before sighing.

Revel's initial look of contempt melted into a bright smile upon seeing Sunny. And, to be frank, Nephis felt as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders as Sunny's condition began to improve with rest. Sitting beside his bed, she allowed a small smile to settle on her face as she watched Rain stare at Sunny nervously.

At least to her, it felt like a nightmare was over.

It had been half a week before Sunny began to stir, groggily opening his eyes as he sat up. The poison which once wracked his body with pain drained and flushed out of his system, something he accredited to his immunity to most poisons as he got up with a grunt.

Warm hands settled on his shoulder as Sunny turned his head and too in Nephis form. A conflicted frown arrived on his face as he shifted her hand from his body before taking a step away from her. "I… am sorry for killing your parents. I can't even remember what they look like." Nephis merely offered him a slight smile as she paced toward him once more.

"It's fine. They deserved it, I… am still unsure how I feel knowing I'm now an orphan but I still regret speaking to you that way. I'm sorry for speaking to you the way I did, you're not just a killer. You're so much more."

Before Sunny could reply, Nephis captured his lips with a kiss as she pressed his body against a wall. Sunny responded to the gesture with flickering conviction as she separated from him once more, pressing her head against his own as she smiled at him.

"I don't expect you to forgive me immediately, but please… let's work through this together." All Sunny could manage was a nod as Nephis took his arm in her own as she gently guided him outside of their room. Sunny's indifferent expression quickly turned into one of supreme terror as his eyes shot open.

His sister, Rain was stood in front of him.

**End of Volume 2**