Shadow Slave: Gleaming Stars

[Audun's POV]

Clearing her throat, Nephis switched gears.

"Something doesn't make sense."

The rest of us listened carefully.

"Harper said earlier that around five hundred people were living in the castle, and combined with the hundreds of people in the outer settlement, would bring the total population of sleepers to around a thousand. That means that the spell has been sending hundreds of sleepers to the forgotten shore every year, with most of them surviving and arriving at the Dark City..."

Nephis paused and turned to me. 

"Audun, you were from the crop before us, correct?"

I nodded. 

"Have you seen anyone you recognize from your crop?"

I thought for a moment, using the Star of Memory to cross-reference my recent experiences with the ones I had at the Academy, and unfortunately came up with nothing.

Frowning, I summoned the [Thought Quill].

I haven't seen anyone from my crop so far.

Shrugging, I continued. 

But I'd take my words with a grain of salt. I spent most of my time alone in the library and Dojo.

Nephis thought for a moment before nodding.

"I haven't seen anyone from our crop either. As far as I know, Sunny, Cassie, and I are the only ones to come to the Dark City after the last solstice."

Sunny frowned but stayed silent as Nephis continued.

"It's too soon to say anything for certain, but for now, we should focus on gathering information."

The rest of us nodded solemnly.

---------------------

After our discussion, Sunny and I retreated into our rooms to catch some much-needed rest. 

The next morning, I treated myself to a refreshing shower, swapping out the brown silk robes of the [Bones of the Forest] for a comfortable garment memory I had acquired a while ago.

Clad in a loose-fitting white linen shirt and rustic brown briefs, I convened with Nephis, Cassie, and Sunny in the hallway, the four of us all looking more civilized than we had in months. 

"Good morning."

"Morning."

"Good morning!"

Good morning.

Sunny was still wearing the same dark-grey garment and boots, but after washing up, he looked far more refined than he had before.

And it went without saying that Cassie and Nephis looked stunning after a good night's rest.

Making small talk, our group navigated down to the Keep, attracting a few gazes here and there. 

After a lengthy walk, getting lost a few times, we made it to the Main hall of the keep.

Unfortunately for me, the moment we stood before the entrance of the Keep, the hundreds of sleepers sitting along the long wooden tables decorating the hall turned their eyes towards us. 

Instantly, I got hit with a massive helping of emotional turbulence.

My stomach dropped whilst my heart beat against my chest like a war drum. 

If not for Sunny and Nephis standing in front of me, I probably would've passed out, overwhelmed by the unexpected situation. 

Practically cowering behind the others, I let my body run on autopilot while my attributes and mind fended off the effects of my flaw. 

By the time I had managed to gain some semblance of control over my emotions again, Sunny, Nephis, Cassie, and I were already sitting down in an empty spot on the edge of one of the long wooden tables. 

Next to me, Cassie spoke up, clearly confused.

"Why are you guys so quiet?"

Nephis looked up from her steaming bowl of stew with a small frown. 

"They're looking at us."

"Us? They're looking at you three," Sunny said with a grumble.

Staying silent, I absently stared at the bowl of food in front of me, clutching the crude utensils the castle provided in an iron-clad grip.

Eating quietly, I listened as the others made small talk, responding with a simple nod every now and then.

The aching pain in my chest made it hard to focus, and the thumping in my ears made it hard to hear.

"Wha... re... o.... degene... looki.... at.."

'huh?'

Looking up, I saw two sleezy looking guys arguing with my Sunny.

Sporting noticeable frowns, Nephis and Cassie were quickly dragged into the conflict, the argument turning into a full-blown commotion.

I couldn't help but stare at the ugly bastards, eyes darting around silently in search of cameras, hoping that it was some kind of prank.

Finding none, I sat in stunned silence, genuinely baffled by the existence of such stereotypical scum.

Getting up, I looked at the two dickwads in front of me.

As the argument intensified, I got ready to pull out a sword and start swinging, but I was interrupted before I could do anything rash. 

A charming voice echoed out, cooling off the heated confrontation.

"Please leave them alone. They're my friends."

Turning to the source of the voice, I took in the conventionally handsome visage of a man that I'd never met before. 

He had brown hair, humorous green eyes, and a confident demeanor.

More importantly, from his familiar tone, he seemed to be well acquainted with the rest of my group, much to my chagrin. 

---------------

Apparently, the handsome dudes name was Caster, a so-called Scion of the great Han Li clan (According to Sunny).

After scaring off the sleezebags, Caster stuck around and talked to Nephis and Sunny for a bit, filling them in on some details I wasn't able to make out before leaving. 

I could tell from the way that Sunny spoke that he wasn't the biggest fan of Sir Han Li Caster, my shadowy friend practically oozing malice at the mention of his name. 

Honestly, I was also a bit put off by the scion of the Han Li clan.

Something about the way that he addressed and looked at Nephis put me on edge. 

At first, I thought it might've been a small crush, but after closer inspection, it more closely resembled obsession, the dangerous kind. 

I issued a silent warning to Cassie about Caster in the hopes that she'd pass along my message, but she waved it off, and to my surprise, said that Nephis was already aware. 

Though I had my share of questions, I kept them to myself, trusting Nephis to make the right decision. 

After the breakfast fiasco, Cassie and I went back to our quarters, Nephis and Sunny staying out a bit longer to hunt for some more info. 

Around lunchtime, I also left my room, taking a stroll around the castle while scanning the crowds of sleepers populating its halls for anyone I recognized. 

I wandered for a while, only returning to my room in the afternoon after getting bored with the gaudy halls, departing once again after grabbing a handful of soul shards.

There were markets within the castle, and thus, I set out to do some good ol shopping.

Surely the others wouldn't mind.... After all, technically, these soul shards were mine.

I digress

Anyway

Digging through the mental map I had constructed with the aid of the Star of Memory, I walked around, hoping to find something, to find anything worthwhile.

After a while, I had checked every corner and crevice of the halls, even stopping to ask a few people if they knew where to go, but they pointed me in the direction of some shady-looking guys selling half-baked memories.

Eventually, though, I had found something that resembled a market lying in a small hall of the castle. 

It was surprisingly lively, with the sounds of bartering, arguing, yelling, and such blending into the melodic harmony of social interaction.

Dimming my presence a bit, I walked through, appreciating the sounds of life whilst avoiding interaction as much as I could.

Occasionally, I'd stop to check out what someone was selling before quietly slipping back into the crowds.

In a way, it was reminiscent of my climb through the hollow mountains, except this time, instead of horrifying monsters, I was avoiding a simple conversation. 

The market was quite small, seemingly selling miscellaneous items like pelts, meats, or veggies, and unfortunately, there wasn't a memory in sight. 

It wasn't long before I walked out of the small hall, feeling a bit defeated. 

With nothing better to do, I wandered idly with my starlit camouflage, picking up little tidbits of information here and there. 

Continuing to walk through the endless crowds of the bright castle, the visage of a particular person gave me pause.

They were gloriously beautiful.

Luscious dark auburn hair framed a small, perfectly symmetrical face, whilst the gleaming emerald color of his eyes stood out in stark contrast with the pale ivory color of his skin. 

His looks practically parted the crowd, men and women alike unable to take their eyes off his irresistible appearance. 

Despite my general immunity to beautiful people, I also couldn't tear my eyes off of him.

Because-

Well, I recognized him from somewhere. 

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(A/N: this chapter is set to be dual released with another one!

Hope you guys enjoyed and I'll see you again very soon! 

P.S. Don't forget to comment.)