Shadow Slave

Chapter 3155 Time to Say Goodbye

Saint and her legion had settled in the area of the Dark City where the solemn square and the Dark Cathedral were located.

Vile made a home... a nest?... in the hidden chamber of the cathedral where Sunny had once lived for a few months.

Fiend was sent to Ravenheart, where he had built a lair in the furnace-like depths of the great volcano.

Nightmare had gone to Bastion to haunt its dreams.

Finally, Serpent coiled around the hill where the Bright Castle had once stood, its scales like a wall of black onyx. The Bright Castle was long gone, of course, and the Marvelous Mimic towered above the Dark City instead. On the vast platform in front of it, the Nameless Temple rested in the darkness. Its tall pillars and magnificent edifice were as black as the starless sky of the Forgotten Shore, and silence shrouded its spacious halls.

Things were a little different in the inner sanctum, though.

There, the sound of butter sizzling on a hot pan crackled loudly, and a dancing fire of a stove threw warm shadows on the stone walls. Someone was humming a lively melody.

Sunny was cooking.

His kitchen was quite a marvel of magical engineering by now, created with the help of three different kinds of sorcery. It had everything a person would need on the road to culinary perfection — which, as those enlightened knew, was no less perilous and insurmountable than the Path of Ascension itself.

Some of the items in the kitchen of the Nameless Temple had been forged by the King of Swords — his shadow, at least — enchanted by the Sovereign of Death, and burned with the radiant flames donated by the Star of Ruin.

Needless to say, there had only ever been a handful of mortals fortunate enough to taste the sublime food prepared by the owner of the Nameless Temple, the Lord of Shadows, Lost From Light. Rumors were that it was the most delicious thing one could taste in their lifetime... and after their death, as well.

Of course, the Lord of Shadows had spread that rumor himself.

Sadly, there were few people in the world who knew of his existence, so the rumor did not spread far.

"You know... I spent countless years searching for the ultimate truth. Pancakes or waffles? The question had haunted my dreams since before you Awakened."

Rain, who was sprawled comfortably on the cushions, gave him a lazy look.

"Oh, really?"

Sunny nodded.

"Indeed. But at the end of this calamitous search, having reached the very limits of comprehension, I finally attained enlightenment and understood that my question had been erroneous all along."

Flipping a piece of bread sizzling in the pan, Sunny smiled with the content tranquility of a living sage.

“French toast! French toast is the best. It is the undisputed king of breakfast foods. So, the competition between waffles and pancakes is entirely moot, to begin with."

He glanced at Rain and asked in a pleased tone:

“And do you know what the secret of a flawless French toast is? Be wary — the answer might shake the very foundation of what you know about the world."

Looking back at the pan, Sunny sighed.

"Stale bread. The bread has to be a little stale... that's the ultimate truth."

Rain, observing him from behind, said languidly:

"I sort of miss your pancakes, though."

Sunny froze.

His hand trembled, and his sagely smile cracked a little.

He remained silent for a few moments, and then asked in a forced tone:

"Well, why didn't you say so right away? No, no! It's fine... it's absolutely fine. I can make pancakes, as well!"

Soon, the two of them ascended to the ground floor of the Nameless Temple and entered its courtyard. There, beneath the branches of a towering tree, Sunny laid out an improvised picnic and set up a lantern.

A feast of a breakfast lay in front of Rain, with pancakes and French toast serving as the centerpiece. The delicious aroma permeated the air, and steam rose from a cup of fragrant tea, adding a refreshing note to it. She couldn't help but drool a little and wasted no time assaulting the generous spread with the ferocity of a starving abomination.

She had not forgotten her manners, of course.

“Thank you for the food!"

Sunny sat down on a cushion and watched her eat with a smile. This one wasn't sagely, but it was sincere.

When Rain was about done, he asked:

"How are Tamar and your friends doing?"

Rain leaned back in satisfaction, throwing a regretful look at the empty plates in front of her.

Her face was a little rosy.

"Shouldn't you know? Same as ever, I guess, only more so. Now that some time has passed since we all became Masters, the initial euphoria of having gained great power is mostly gone. The world is ending, though, and a Master is never idle. The work we do for the Shadow Clan keeps us busy."

Sunny was aware, since he had paid attention to all his mortal agents. Tamar and her cohort were not the only Masters in the Shadow Clan — there were quite a few now, actually — but they were his most elite team. So, the missions they received were all especially colorful.

Each one was worthy of being turned into a movie... a horror movie, possibly... but sadly, they were meant to remain unknown and hidden, so the public would never hear of their deeds.

Rain took a sip of tea and leaned on the trunk of the tree, looking up at its branches.

“Ah... that was nice. But you haven't cooked for me in a while. Is something the matter?"

Sunny remained silent, choosing his words. But before he could answer, she gave him a long look and sighed.

Looking away, Rain asked in a distant tone:

"You are leaving again, aren't you?"

Sunny hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"Yes."

It was time to say goodbye.