Shadow Slave novel Chapter 645

…There was warmth, sunlight, and the smell of fresh sheets, wood, and green leaves. Sunny slowly opened his eyes and felt the bed beneath him sway gently. No... the world itself had swayed.

It was time to face a new day.

Suddenly overwhelmed by terror, he sat up with a growl, his eyes wildly searching for the signs of danger, disaster, and death. His four hands rose, sharp claws ready to tear flesh apart.

'No, no, no… it was all a dream, I'm in the nightmare again! I never escaped!'

Panic washed over his mind, but the slowly receded.

Sunny remained motionless for a few moments, then lowered his gaze and stared at his four hands. Four… this was the shadow demon's body. He was awake. He was himself… well, the Nightmare version of himself… ah, it was all so convoluted…

He remembered the desolate fortress, the endless torments he had dreamt of, the fearsome battle with the black steed, and his eventual victory. The terrible pain of his last heart giving out.

…Tu-tum-tu-tump. Tu-tum-tu-tump. Tu-tum-tu-tump.

Hearing the strange sound, Sunny looked at his chest.

His three shadows were sprawled on the ground, so the rough skin of the shadow demon had lost its obsidian color and was back to its original complexion, as pale and grey as it had been back when he first entered the Nightmare. There was a thin, barely noticeable scar running vertically from his collarbone to his abdomen.

And beneath it… tu-tum-tu-tump… two mighty hearts were beating steadily, circulating rivers of blood through the gaunt, towering body of the four-armed demon.

He blinked a couple of times.

'I am… alive?'

Not only was he alive, but he also seemed to possess two perfectly healthy hearts.

Remembering something, Sunny shifted his gaze back to his hands and noticed that his two missing fingers were now back, be it of a slightly different color and seemingly carved out of ashen, polished wood. He tentatively made his hands into fists, and saw the wooden fingers bend as if they were no different from the other eighteen.

He could even feel the texture of the skin on his palms pressing against their tips. His two new claws were forged out of lusterless steel.

Finally, Sunny raised his eyes and looked around, trying to understand where he was.

The room he saw was not very spacious, but also not small. Its walls and ceiling were made out of wood, and so was the floor, hidden under an opulent plush rug. The bed he lay upon was sturdy and large, with a mattress so soft that it seemed like a cloud, and pristine white sheets covering it.

There were several pieces of luxurious furniture in the room, a pile of bright sitting pillows on the floor, a tray with succulent fruit on an intricate wooden table, and a large window on one of the walls, opening onto a breathtaking view of the boundless blue sky.

Despite the lavish decor, the room… felt familiar, somehow.

Sunny frowned.

'Wait a minute…'

Wasnt' there a room just like this, but far more dilapidated and empty, on the ancient flying ship the Fire Keepers had repaired?

Suddenly, something clicked in his mind, and his vertical pupils narrowed.

'Noctis! That lying crook!'

Noctis was just as Sunny remembered him — carefree, pleasantly likable, and dressed in extravagantly colorful silk garments. His raven-black hair was immaculate and lustrous, and his beautiful grey eyes sparkled with jovial light. _{freewebnøvel.coɱ}