Shadow Slave | School Days

A light knock came across the room Sunny and Nephis were currently boarding, usually, Sunny would have been the first one to respond, always being a light sleeper from years of never being allowed to be comfortable. Yet, as usual, in the presence of Nephis he found himself oddly at peace, allowing his mind to wander to distant lands as he merely rolled over in bed in response.

Nephis however, was having more trouble sleeping, the words that Seishan had said to her the day prior stuck with her and merely looking at Sunny wracked her with such immense guilt she felt like throwing up. And yet, she had to look at him, ignoring him would be it's own form of torment toward him and she knew it better than anyone.

Sunny needed her.

To say she completed him was an understatement, the sense of safety she brought him merely by being in his presence was unmatched, far surpassing anyone, even Revel. Seeing as she was already awake, Nephis turned to the side to glance at Sunny's form, a small smile gracing her features as she watched him reach out instinctively for her warmth.

Despite her urge to meet him in his embrace, Nephis silently slipped out of the bed as she made her way to the door, her steps steady yet filled with the fatigue of guilt as she slid open the mahogany door.

Eubin's brunette hair flowed through the gap as her smile quickly turned into one of confusion upon seeing Nephis at the door instead of Sunny. Cocking her head to the side, Eubin raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Sunny isn't awake? Usually, any noise people make puts him on edge. Don't tell me, did you drug him!"

Her teasing fell on deaf ears as Nephis folded her arms on her chest, smiling ominously at Eubin before she uttered her reply. "Perhaps that's how he reacts when he meets someone not only using him for his body." She commented slyly, Eubin merely shrugged in reply, not willing to engage in a back and forth as she shifted the door open slightly, allowing herself to see Sunny in full form.

Currently, his dark black hair rested over his face loosely, almost reaching his nose as his gentle breathes shifted them slightly. As per usual, he slept shirtless, his hand hanging off the edge of the bed highlighting his tattoo in all it's glory as Sunny wore a slight smile on his face.

"So that's how he looks when he isn't thinking of murder. I'll be back soon, if he wakes up tell him breakfast is going to be ready soon." Spinning on her heel, Eubin moved to exit the door before Sunny's voice rang out through the room. Despite having his eyes firmly shut, his voice and body moved in such a fashion one would think he was awake.

"White... hair. Test subject... Morgan!" Sunny's body flinched upon mumbling the name, Eubin looked on with an unreadable expression, shifting between horror, sadness, and curiosity as she moved to leave. Nephis on the other hand, was at Sunny's side, gripping his shoulder tightly hoping to rip him from his nightmare.

"A nightmare right now?" Nephis hissed to herself, she knew exactly what he was referencing, and it terrified her. A gigantic pit of fear welled up in her stomach as Nephis lips curled into a horrid grimace, before either woman knew what had happened, a fist lashed out towards Nephis face.

Only instincts honed from months of training allowed Nephis to lean out of the way slightly as Sunny's fist slammed into a wall, shaking the room as his eyes shot open. Sitting up with a jolt, Sunny's eyes scanned the room only to see Eubin and Nephis staring at him with shocked expressions riddled across their faces.

Nephis was letting out heavy pants of effort as she had been forced to dodge a blow at that speed without any form of preparation, sweat fell from her forehead as Sunny's hands began to tremble. "Did I hurt you two? I did, right?"

Shaking her head, Eubin let out an awkward laugh, clearly attempting to hide her nervousness at Sunny's outburst as she pointed at him mockingly. "Saying you could hurt me in your sleep? I'm offended." Turning his head to Nephis, Sunny noticed her dishevelled expression before a look of panic arrived on his face.

Pulling her toward him, Sunny met her eyes as she forced out a smile in response. No words came out from his mouth, a look of horror piercing through his gaze. And so, Nephis found herself speaking. "You didn't hurt me, you had a nightmare and put a hole in the wall. I was just shocked about your nightmare."

Another lie.

She wasn't shocked because of that, Sunny's nightmares had been frequent, only reducing as his mental state slowly repaired itself. In fact, she was no stranger to violent outbursts from him either, what truly worried her was his memories of her parents returning to him. But she'd die before he knew that.

It took two hours for Sunny to calm himself down, eventually slipping on a pitch-black shirt and making his way downstairs. The sight was a peculiar one to say the least, Eubin and Nephis sat at the table with a steaming piece of steak in front of them, cutlery being artfully arranged at the sides of their plates.

Oddly enough, Eubin's cutlery seemed much different compared to what he was used to, Nephis seemed to be having an easy enough time getting used to the curved edges of the fork and knife handles, however Sunny could already tell instinctively it would be a hassle.

His silent steps slowly closed in on the two as Sunny cleared his throat awkwardly to let his presence be known. Sitting at a small dinner table which seemed almost ideal for the three of them to eat made him feel things in his heart that he didn't understand.

As Sunny clumsily grabbed the knife, Nephis stared at his motions attentively, preparing to correct his movements at a moments notice if needed. However, Eubin's stern voice stopped Sunny from slicing into his meal as she stared at him scoldingly.

"Don't you know it's only right to pray before you eat?" Her statement caused Sunny to cock his head to the side with a confused expression, the concept of religion had not been one he had been taught throughout the years, and so the idea of prayer caught him off guard.

Meanwhile, Nephis was even more dumbfounded that a killer like Eubin could be one who endorses in prayer. Unable to restrain her curiosity, she spoke with an impassive tone, careful to hide her disbelief. "You're religious? I didn't strike you as the type."

Shrugging slightly, Eubin offered a slight smile as she stared directly into Sunny's eyes, capturing his gaze as the two engaged in a staring contest which Sunny didn't quite know how he got into. "For people like me in the underworld, the possibility of escape is a pipe dream. I have too many people who rely on me, too much to lose of I leave. After all, I run this city. So, like everyone, I need an outlet that allows me to hope. Religion does it for me. The idea that everything I've done has a grander purpose offered by God is comforting."

Nephis moved to begin questioning her about her precise religion, however Sunny beat her to it as he spoke in a tone relaying his confusion. "God? Who's that? Surely I'd have heard of someone like that in the underworld." Nephis sighed preparing to give an explanation before Eubin beat her to it once more. Getting cut off before she had the opportunity to speak was slowly irritating Nephis, yet she remained silent.

"God means different things to different people. I believe in an all powerful, all knowing and all loving God who's planned everything out for my life so it can reach a peaceful and happy conclusion. I may not be the most morally 'ok' person. But I'm sure my actions have done more good than evil, and the idea of being rewarded for such a thing greatly excites me."

Finding her explanation adequate temporarily, Nephis refrained from speaking as a small frown arrived on Sunny's face. "Where was this...God when I got gutted at fourteen? Where was he when I was getting tortured? This God doesn't seem very loving to me." Eubin shook her head, pressing her hand against her forehead before releasing a sigh with a knowing smile.

"Do you know how improbable it is for you to meet this girl over here?" Gesturing to Nephis, who frowned slightly at not having her name used, Eubin ignored her plight and continued. "Let alone beginning to date her or being able to escape from here in the first place. Your life has been a series of improbabilities fuelled not only by your strength but clearly something greater, surely, you'd like the idea of your suffering being for a reason?"

Her rationale struck something true within Sunny as he nodded without saying a word, another question lingered within his mind however this time Nephis was quick to answer. "And since this... thing refused to tell you Sunny. Prayers are just methods of communicating with God, typically people hold hands and do it in situations like these, or they just close their eyes."

Taking Sunny's hand in her own as demonstration, Sunny smiled slightly at the warmth before Eubin took Nephis other hand in her own. Extending her arm out to Sunny expectantly, Nephis glared at her before intervening. "Sunny isn't really comfortable with touching most women. So, we'll be a half circle for now."

Not willing to give up the chance so easily, Eubin stared at Sunny expectantly as he turned to Nephis. She could see his leg was slightly trembling under the table at the idea, meaning he was forcing himself to do whatever came next as he forced out a comment. "I'll need to get over it eventually."

Tentatively, Sunny took Eubin's hand in his own, his entire body tensing as he bit the inside of his lip. Eubin seemed to notice his reaction, strengthening her grip on his hand slightly so he wouldn't fall backwards in his chair as she offered him a smile. "You're improving, good job Sunny." Her praise caused him to relax slightly as he closed his eyes, indicating it was time for prayer.

The two followed suit, muttering silent prayers to themselves. Sunny found himself so immersed in his prayers that he unconsciously said them out loud. "I wish moments like these last forever." Unbeknownst to him, a lone tear fell from Eubin's eye as she smiled at his comment, raising a tissue using her supreme mastery of strings to wipe her face before anyone noticed.

Finally, almost instinctively they knew when to stop. Separating from each other, Sunny looked at his palm where he touched Eubin as he saw it shivering slightly. 'I don't feel like throwing up, I don't feel like hitting anything. Morgan's influence on me won't last forever, maybe if it's with them, I can be free.'

Diving into their meals, Nephis helped Sunny with his usage of cutlery as Sunny smiled once more upon taking a bite. It was a true, genuine smile that made him forget his past with Eubin and Seishan. All his worries poured away as his small smile radiated through the room, causing Eubin to hold her heart as though a cupid had shot an arrow through it, and Nephis to blush slightly.

Eventually, after the three made small talk slowly devouring their food before asking for seconds, then thirds. Eventually, the three lost count of how much they ate as Sunny let out a sigh of satisfaction. Turning her attention to him, Eubin asked the question that had lingered in her mind the entire day.

"How are we going to capture Morgan?" Sighing, with a look of indifference on his face, Sunny released a slight burp before covering his mouth, a grin arriving on his face as he imagined the prospect.

"Just get me a rocket launcher."