Shadow Slave : Shadow Clan

Night draped itself over NSQC like a velvet curtain, the city glowing beneath stars and distant skyline lights. Inside the mansion of shadows, golden lamps lit the polished corridors, and soft music played from invisible speakers like whispers of some forgotten waltz.

Sunny ascended the stairs from the underground training arena, his steps calm, measured. He was freshly showered, the warmth of exertion now replaced by a cool stillness. His black suit fit him perfectly—tailored sharp around the shoulders, sleek down his lean form. The dark silk blended into the night around him, his eyes just as deep, his expression unreadable yet quietly noble.

He paused at the mirror in his room.

Hair falling in soft, dark strands just past his jaw. Eyes like obsidian glass.

He looked like a porcelain doll carved from starlight and shadow.

Not quite a boy anymore.

Not yet a man.

Just... Sunny.

As he adjusted the cuffs of his jacket, the bell echoed through the house—clear and chime-like.

"Coming," he whispered, grabbing a comb and giving his hair one last sweep before stepping out.

From the main hall came the sound of heels—his mother had returned.

He peeked from the stairway.

Olivia stood near the front, elegantly setting down several paper bags, each filled with carefully chosen clothing. Her long midnight-black gown shimmered faintly with silver sparkles, like the night sky itself had fallen over her shoulders. A thin silver necklace lay gently against her collarbone, and though strands of white streaked through her raven hair, she looked effortlessly radiant.

Beside her stood Jet, wearing a flowing dress of blue-black silk. It hugged her form but allowed movement, flaring slightly at the edges. The contrast between her sharp, guarded presence and the softness of the dress was striking.

Even more striking was Rain, spinning in the emerald-green dress Olivia had picked out. Her joy was impossible to hide—twirling, smiling, her short boots clicking softly on the polished marble floor.

Then—the bell rang again.

The final guests had arrived.

Olivia opened the door.

Cassie and her parents stood framed in the entryway.

Cassie's father was tall, wearing a dark blue coat over a white high-collared shirt. He held a noble air, with hair trimmed and beard clean, the sort of man who moved through rooms like he owned them. Beside him stood Cassie's mother, draped in a fine maroon gown that swayed with regal grace, her blonde hair pinned in an intricate twist.

And between them—Cassie.

Sunny froze as he saw her.

Her dress was red.

A vivid, soft red, flowing down just past her knees. The bodice wrapped gently around her shoulders, with delicate straps crossing at the back. Her golden hair fell in soft curls, and her blue eyes sparkled in the warm foyer light. No sword at her hip—just confidence and grace and... beauty.

She looked like a spark in the dark.

Like something that didn't belong to war or pain or grief.

Just... something beautiful.

"Hi, Sunny," she said, her voice calm, smiling.

Sunny's heart leapt—and for a split second, his mind panicked. But he managed a steady breath and replied—without a single stammer.

"Hi, Cassie."

A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. Relief bloomed in his chest like morning warmth.

Cassie tilted her head playfully, perhaps sensing the flicker of awkwardness behind his eyes, but said nothing about it. She turned instead to Rain.

"You look lovely, Rain!"

Rain twirled proudly. "Thank you! Mama picked it! It has hidden pockets!"

Cassie laughed. "That's the best kind of dress."

Then her gaze shifted to Jet.

"Hi, I'm Cassie," she said warmly, extending her hand.

Jet hesitated only a breath, then took it. Her voice was reserved, but not cold. "Jet. Sunny's sister."

Cassie's brow rose slightly at that, but she smiled and nodded. "Nice to meet you."

Jet gave a faint smile in return—almost unnoticeable, but it was there.

And just like that, the living room felt fuller, warmer.

The air was filled with the clink of glasses, the soft rustle of dresses, and the quiet comfort of something growing between strangers—something like belonging.

Sunny sat with his hands folded neatly, eyes occasionally flicking toward Cassie without meaning to. Each glance brought that strange flutter again. But not the kind that hurt.

The kind that made him wonder.

The chandelier's glow bathed the living room in golden warmth, casting gentle shadows across the black marble floor and rich velvet furniture. The distant sound of laughter and clinking wine glasses echoed faintly from the dining hall, where Olivia and the other adults were deep in conversation—talking in hushed tones about politics, peace, and the ever-present tension between the great clans and the central government.

But in the living room, the world felt smaller. Softer.

Sunny sat on the velvet couch, elbows resting on his knees, still dressed in his perfectly fitted black suit. Jet lounged beside him, more relaxed than usual, her blue-black dress flowing like dark water over the edge of the cushion. Cassie sat across from them, legs folded beneath her, red dress catching the firelight like a blooming ember.

For a long moment, no one spoke.

Until Cassie did—of course she did.

"So... you looked like you wanted to evaporate when I showed up in red."

Sunny blinked, caught off guard. "I did not."

Jet raised an eyebrow. "You kinda did."

"I wasn't expecting..." he hesitated, "...you to wear something like that."

Cassie smirked. "Like what? A dress?"

Jet sipped her drink and leaned back, her arms folded across her chest. "He's just never seen you not ready to stab someone. It's disorienting for him."

Cassie chuckled. "What about you, Jet? Do you approve of your new little brother's mysterious friend?"

Sunny groaned. "Please don't do this."

But Jet tilted her head thoughtfully. "She's sharp. Observant. Walks like a fighter even when she's not holding a blade. Smart enough to tease, but not reckless. You passed my first test."

Cassie blinked, smiling with a slight blush. "I didn't know I was being tested."

"You were," Jet replied bluntly. "Sunny's too quiet to notice what's good for him. So I'll do it."

Sunny sighed. "I don't need a trial by combat for my friends."

Jet leaned toward him slightly, teasing. "You'll thank me later."

Cassie laughed, relaxing against the armrest, letting her fingers toy with a crystal figurine on the side table. "So, Jet... really, what made you want to stay with them?"

Jet's gaze lowered for a moment. Her voice was quieter this time. "Because they made me feel human. Olivia... she didn't see a broken weapon. She saw a girl. And Sunny..." she glanced at him briefly, then looked away. "He reminds me that there's more to life than just surviving."

The warmth of the room suddenly felt heavy.

Cassie didn't respond right away.

Instead, she looked at Sunny—really looked. The softness in his eyes, the way his hand rested on the armrest as though every movement carried meaning.

"You're different from the other boys in class, Sunny," she said quietly. "Like you've seen things. Felt things we can't imagine."

Sunny met her gaze, unflinching. "That's because I have."

Jet added gently, "We all have, in our own ways."

A silence fell between them—not awkward, but full. Full of what wasn't said.

From the dining room, Olivia's voice floated toward them, strong and composed.

"The central government barely holds things together as it is. If the great clans turn on one another, or start pressing too hard on sleeper regulations, there will be riots. We may be the most powerful nation left, but our foundations are not as solid as they seem."

Cassie's father replied, "The Ministry pretends it's all stable, but they're afraid. Every time a new Aspect manifests outside their jurisdiction, it's a threat to their illusion of control."

"Illusion," Olivia repeated. "That's the right word."

Jet glanced toward the hallway, then back at the living room's quiet firelight.

"They talk like gods and kings," she muttered, "but forget the ones who live in the ashes."

Cassie nodded faintly. "The outskirts."

Jet didn't answer. Her silence said enough.

Then—just as the silence settled too deeply into the room—

The bell rang.

The three of them turned at once.

Rain darted into the room with wide eyes. "She's here!"

Sunny's breath caught.

Jet tilted her head. "Is that...?"

Cassie blinked. "Who?"

But Sunny was already on his feet.

The bell echoed through the house like a soft chime of fate.

Sunny's heart skipped a beat.

Without thinking, he rushed to the door, barely registering the soft murmurs of conversation behind him. His hand trembled—just a little—as he gripped the handle and opened it.

And there she stood.

Nephis.

Wearing a flowing white dress threaded with black sparkles, she looked as if she had stepped out of a dream. The delicate shimmer of the fabric caught the moonlight like stars against snow, casting a quiet glow around her. Her long silver-white hair was brushed straight, parted neatly over her shoulders. And her eyes...

Those pale eyes, like frozen glass and hidden fire, met his without flinching.

"Hi, Sunny," she said softly, smiling.

Sunny swallowed, his breath catching in his throat. "H-Hi. You look..."

His words tangled. His brain felt slow, like it couldn't quite keep up with what he was seeing.

"You look... nice."

Nephis's smile curved just a little more, and she gave a small, barely audible laugh—the kind that made Sunny's ears burn.

"Thanks."

He stepped aside quickly, motioning for her to come in. "Come on, the others are in the living room."

Nephis followed him without a word, her steps light, nearly silent. Sunny walked beside her, painfully aware of the way her presence filled the space—quiet and elegant, like the calm before something grand.

When they entered the living room, the conversation dipped for a moment as eyes turned to the newcomer.

Rain lit up instantly. "Nephis!"

She leapt from the couch and wrapped Nephis in a tight hug. "You're here!"

Nephis smiled more brightly now, bending down to return the hug. "You've gotten taller."

"And I'm not little anymore!" Rain declared proudly.

Jet stood as well, her eyes scanning Nephis calmly. "So you're the famous Nephis."

Nephis looked at her with quiet curiosity. "And you must be Jet. Sunny told me about you."

Jet gave a small nod. "Welcome to the family."

Sunny's heart fluttered at those words—the family.

He looked toward the last person in the room, feeling the tension creep in like an invisible thread.

Cassie.

Her golden hair gleamed against the dark velvet couch. Her red dress shimmered slightly as she stood and offered a polite smile.

Nephis's eyes shifted to her.

Sky-blue met moon-white.

Sunny, trying to bridge the moment, cleared his throat. "Nephis, this is Cassie. Cassie, Nephis."

Cassie extended her hand with ease. "Nice to meet you."

Nephis looked at her hand for a beat too long before taking it gently. "You too."

Her smile was still there, but it had dimmed slightly—just the faintest shade less bright. So subtle, it would be invisible to most.

But Sunny noticed.

He didn't know why it felt like the air had shifted.

Or why it suddenly felt hard to breathe.

——-

Nephis sat quietly on the edge of the velvet couch, her hands resting on her lap, fingers entwined just tightly enough that her knuckles had turned pale.

The room was warm—filled with laughter, the soft clink of glasses, the rustle of dresses. Olivia was speaking to Cassie's mother in the corner. Rain sat between Jet and Sunny on the carpet, excitedly showing off a sketch she'd made at school. Sunny smiled and nodded, eyes bright with warmth.

He always smiled like that with me... didn't he?

Her eyes slowly drifted to Cassie again.

That girl.

Golden hair, eyes as blue as the sky. Laughter soft like silk. She sat close to Sunny. Too close. She leaned toward him when she spoke, touched his arm lightly when she laughed at one of his dry jokes.

Nephis had watched it all from the moment she stepped into the room.

At first, she'd simply registered Cassie as another classmate. Another friend.

But something inside her shifted when she saw how easily Cassie fit next to him—how naturally she stood by Sunny's side, like she belonged there.

Nephis's chest tightened.

What is this feeling?

 She had lived years under the cold gaze of her father, bearing silence as a second skin. She had walked alone through grief. She had endured. Survived.

But she had never felt this.

Her stomach was tight. Her throat dry. Her jaw was clenched before she realized it.

She didn't understand why. It made no sense. Sunny was her friend. Her first friend. The one who spoke to her without fear, who invited her to his house, who once gave her half of a candy bar and called it a "hero's share."

She liked being around him.

She liked him.

Didn't she?

But watching him laugh with Cassie... watching him look at her the way he once looked at Nephis...

For the first time in her life, Nephis felt jealous.

She didn't even realize the emotion at first. It was like an itch beneath her ribs. A silent storm building behind her ribs. She tried to bury it—but it kept rising.

Was Cassie just his friend?

Did Sunny look at all his friends like that?

She didn't know. Because she didn't understand these things the way Rain or Jet or even Sunny seemed to.

But she did know this—

She didn't like that another girl sat where she always did.

She didn't like that Cassie made him laugh.

She didn't like how Cassie looked at him.

Nephis blinked. Her eyes dropped to her own lap. Her fingers twisted harder. Her mouth was a thin line.

Sunny was her only friend.

The only person who never treated her like a broken doll.

She didn't know what it meant to love someone. She didn't even know what to call this aching storm in her chest.

But she knew one thing with unsettling certainty:

She didn't want to lose him.

——-

(Sunny's POV)

The living room was glowing with warmth—golden lights above, soft laughter from the adults in the next room, a table of treats nearby—but to Sunny, it all felt distant. Muted. Like sound underwater.

Because something wasn't right.

He could feel it like a pull in the air, like the silence before a storm.

Cassie was sitting to his right, looking stunning in that red dress, her blonde hair shimmering under the chandelier. She had just complimented the embroidery on the wall. Polite. Charming. Effortlessly radiant.

And then there was Nephis. Sitting across from them. Still. Silent. Her white eyes unreadable... but her smile—Sunny knew it too well.

It was fake.

She's upset...

He could feel it like a punch to the gut. It wasn't anger—it was something else. Something raw. And somehow, he had caused it.

He swallowed hard and turned toward her, his voice softer than he meant. "Hey... Neph. How've you been?"

Nephis looked at him slowly, like she had to drag herself back into the room.

"I'm fine," she replied, evenly. Too evenly. "Homeschool's going well. My father's... kinder now."

Sunny's lips tugged into a small, genuine smile. "I'm glad. You deserve that."

She didn't reply, but her gaze lingered on him, and for a moment, just a flicker, her expression softened.

Cassie chimed in beside him. "Your dad's Broken Sword, right? One of the transcendent champions of humanity , so how is he in person ."

Nephis nodded slowly. "He's different now. Quieter. Not as loud as people make him seem."

Her tone was calm, but something underneath it vibrated—tension. Restraint.

Sunny cleared his throat. "I've been working on my battle art again. Shadow Dance. Mom says it's starting to look like an actual form now."

Nephis's eyes moved to him fully. "Shadow Dance?"

He nodded. "Yeah. It's not about brute force. It's motion. Flow. Like water through a crack in stone."

A breath passed. She smiled softly. "That suits you."

Sunny's heart jumped at the way she said it—gentle, knowing. But before he could respond, Cassie leaned forward, laughing lightly. "It does suit you. You're like... impossible to hit in sparring. Even I can't keep up with your footwork."

Her praise made him shift uncomfortably. Not because it wasn't true—but because something in Nephis's expression dimmed again.

The room felt heavy. Too many thoughts. Too many feelings he hadn't prepared for.

He never wanted this. He never wanted to hurt anyone. Especially not her.

Across the room, Jet sat with Rain, her dark eyes narrowed in observation as she sipped her drink.

"Something's off," Rain whispered, eyes flicking between Sunny and the two girls.

Jet didn't answer right away.

Then, softly, like she was tired of seeing history repeat, she muttered, "He's stuck between two stars and doesn't even realize he's burning."

Rain blinked. "Huh?"

Jet gave her a dry smile. "He's got two girls who care about him. One's looking at him like he's her whole world. The other's looking like the world just ended."

Rain glanced nervously at Nephis and whispered, "You think they'll fight?"

Jet gave a tired chuckle. "Not with fists. But feelings? Oh yeah. That's already a battlefield."

Rain nodded solemnly. "We should help."

Jet leaned back, her eyes still locked on her little brother.

"I am helping," she whispered. "Watching. Waiting. And when he's finally heartbroken and confused, I'll be there to knock sense into that stubborn head of his."

Back on the couch, Sunny was scrambling for balance.

He laughed weakly at something Cassie said, but his gaze kept drifting—back to Nephis, who was sitting just a little too still, her hands folded too neatly in her lap.

He wanted to say something. He needed to.

But the weight in his chest... it wouldn't move.

You're so stupid, he told himself. You should've known this would happen.

He was caught in a storm he didn't know how to calm. And worse—

He didn't know who he was hurting more.