Shadow Slave novel Chapter 88

Chapter 88 Boat Builders

Trying to gather his courage, Sunny looked into the distance and said in a raspy voice:

"You've seen the creatures that dwell under these waves. Do you really want to swim across them?"

Changing Star was silent for a few seconds, then sighed.

"We are damned either way, Sunny. What do we have to lose?"

She fell silent for a moment and grimaced, pale flames dancing in her eyes. Then, in a quiet voice, she added:

"We will not light any fires, relying on your eyes to guide us west. We will hope that Cassie's armor will protect us. Maybe it will be enough."

Sunny glanced at Neph and asked:

"What's so special about Cassie's armor?"

She hesitated for a moment, then answered without looking at him:

"It's a tier six awakened Memory. One of its traits is to make the wearer less likely to draw the enemy's attention."

While Sunny was digesting this information, Nephis suddenly trembled. Closing her eyes, she said through gritted teeth:

"I am at my limit. My mind is… fading. If you have any questions left… better… ask them fast."

He blinked, startled. Then, knowing that there was not much time left, Sunny asked the first thing that came to his mind:

"Do you even know how to build a boat?"

Changing Star simply nodded, letting him know that she did. Her expression was slowly turning lost and dull again.

Racing against time, Sunny frantically thought of another question.

"How do I convince you to leave the island once your memory is gone?"

Nephis looked at him, struggling to hold onto the last shreds of lucidity. For a moment, her eyes became clear again. White flames ignited in their depths, illuminating her pale, beautiful face.

"Aster... Song... Vale. Say those words to me, and I will listen."

Starting to lose the grip on her thoughts, she turned away and added after a short pause, her voice steady and even:

"If anything happens, take Cassie and flee. Don't… don't…"

Then, the light in her eyes slowly dimmed, and soon, Changing Star was staring west once again, all memory of their conversation gone from her mind.

Sunny sat by her side for some time, waiting. After a while, he shifted a little and said:

"Hey, Neph."

She turned to him, her face bleak and full of confusion.

"Sunny? Oh… when did you get here?"

"A while ago."

Then, he smiled and said in a carefree tone:

"Hey, can I ask you something? Do you know how to build a boat?"

***

Nephis was very surprised by his question, but eventually agreed to help him. Sunny didn't tell her why exactly he wanted to build a boat, dodging the questions with practiced finesse. His Flaw was not making things easy, but with the state Neph was in, persuading her was not very hard.