Shadow Slave : Shadow Clan

The laughter from the dining room felt like a faraway celebration—one they weren't part of. The warm lights of the living room glowed softly, but the air was colder now. Tense. Like something sacred had been disturbed.

Sunny sat in the middle of it all, hands resting awkwardly on his knees, eyes flickering between the two girls beside him.

To his left, Nephis, calm and silent.

To his right, Cassie, bright and smiling.

But there was something wrong in the quiet.

Cassie, trying her best to ease the moment, offered Nephis a gentle smile. "So… you and Sunny go way back?"

Nephis nodded. "Since we were five."

Her voice was steady, but there was a crack underneath. Like glass pretending to be stone.

Cassie kept her voice light. "That's amazing. You two must be really close."

Nephis's eyes moved to Sunny—just for a heartbeat. Then away again.

"Yes," she said softly. "We are."

But it didn't sound like a bond. It sounded like a memory.

Sunny felt the words dig into his ribs. He hadn't meant for this. He didn't think—

Cassie went on, maybe sensing the unease but pushing forward anyway. "He's been really kind to me too. I guess I'm the newest one in his world."

Nephis's lips tightened slightly. "You're lucky."

Cassie blinked. "Lucky?"

Nephis glanced down. "To meet him now. When he's grown. Stronger. More open. I met him when he was… broken. But even then, he smiled."

Sunny felt his chest pull tight.

Cassie's smile faltered. "He still does."

Nephis nodded, and something in her eyes dimmed. Not because she was angry—but because she was hurting and didn't know why.

Why does my chest feel like this? Why does looking at her hurt? Why does it feel like I'm losing something… I never had the right to claim?

She had never known jealousy. Never needed to.

But now, seeing that girl with the golden hair and sky-blue eyes sitting so close to Sunny—smiling at him like it was normal, like it was hers to do—something dark stirred inside her. Quiet. Cold.

Across the room, Jet leaned in close to Sunny. Her voice was low, sharp with sibling instinct.

"What have you done?"

Sunny didn't answer. He couldn't. His thoughts were spinning, his heart a blur.

Rain, perched on the edge of a cushion, holding a juice box like a grenade, stared at all three of them with wide, fascinated eyes.

She muttered to herself, "Big brother's in so much trouble."

Cassie tried again, this time softer. "I've heard a lot about you, Nephis. Sunny's mentioned you so many times… it almost felt like I already knew you."

Nephis looked up at her slowly. "…He talks about me?"

"Always," Cassie said. "Like you're someone he'll never forget."

Nephis's lips parted, but she didn't speak. Her throat was tight. Her heart too full. And empty.

If I'm that important… then why does it feel like I'm being replaced?

Cassie leaned forward slightly. "I hope we can be friends too."

Nephis hesitated. Then nodded slowly.

"I hope so too."

But inside, she didn't feel hopeful.

She felt like she was on a battlefield and didn't know which side she stood on.

Jet leaned back, her arms folded. She was watching like a hawk—watching the tension, watching Nephis's eyes, watching Cassie's posture, watching her little brother scramble inside his own emotions.

And Rain?

Rain whispered again, barely audible, "He's gonna die. This is the end."

—-

The silence in the living room was taut—like a thread stretched too thin. Sunny sat between Nephis and Cassie, their voices quiet now, their glances brief and uncertain. The air buzzed with something invisible but heavy.

And then came a voice—warm, lilting, firm.

"Sunny. Nephis. Cassie. Rain. Jet. Dinner's ready."

Olivia's call echoed gently from the dining hall.

Five hearts twitched.

Sunny blinked as if someone had slapped him awake.

Nephis glanced toward the voice, grateful for the escape. Cassie gave a soft breath through her nose—relieved, but still holding her posture like a dancer at the edge of a fall.

Jet muttered under her breath, "Finally."

Rain had curled into the couch like a kitten caught in a thunderstorm, her wide eyes flicking from one face to another like she was watching a drama unfold in real-time. She whispered to Jet, "This is better than anything on the Dream Network."

Olivia stepped into the doorway, her dress shimmering like night scattered with distant stars. The silver streaks in her dark hair caught the chandelier's light. Her eyes swept over the room once—just once—but that was enough.

She saw it all.

Nephis, too quiet.

Cassie, too polite.

Sunny, too lost.

Jet, too amused.

And Rain, hiding her giggles behind her hands.

A smirk tugged at Olivia's lips, even as she maintained her motherly composure.

Oh, Sunny… you're still such a boy. And already three hearts at war. Maybe it's time we read some romance together. Or at least watch "Petals in Winter." Gods help you.

"Come now," she said, the amusement tucked neatly behind her velvet tone. "Before I decide to feed the soup to the crows."

Jet rose first, stretching like a cat. As she passed Sunny, she bent slightly and whispered in his ear with a teasing smile, "You've made a royal mess. Proud of you."

Sunny gave a defeated groan.

Rain skipped after her, eyes sparkling. "Mom, I think I figured out who likes who! Can I guess out loud at dinner?"

"No, sweetheart," Olivia said, not missing a beat. "We let the grown-ups suffer in silence."

Cassie stood next, smoothing down the crimson hem of her dress. Her eyes met Nephis's for just a second. Not a glare… not yet. But something unreadable passed between them. Like two swords glinting in different shades of moonlight.

Nephis didn't flinch. She followed after—silent, calm, but in her chest was a feeling she couldn't name.

Something hot. Something tight.

Sunny was left behind for a moment, dragging a hand down his face.

What have I done.

He stood slowly, his feet suddenly heavier than they had been an hour ago.

And Olivia? She watched it all with a soft, knowing smile as she turned back toward the dining room.

He's growing up. Poor thing doesn't even know which way his heart is turning.

The dining hall was warm and golden, lit by the soft flicker of floating lanterns and the gentle glow of spirit crystals embedded in the walls. The long table had been lovingly prepared—polished wood gleamed beneath ornate dishes and bowls filled with fragrant food. Roasted vegetables, braised meat, warm bread, and spiced rice perfumed the air with memory and comfort.

Olivia, ever the graceful hostess, moved with effortless precision as she placed the last bowl at the center—steam curling in the light.

"Everyone, take your seats."

The chairs scraped gently against the floor as they obeyed.

Sunny moved toward his usual seat—center-right of the table, where the shadows pooled closest. But today, Nephis silently followed and sat to his right. Her movements were quiet, almost reverent. Her white dress shimmered faintly like falling snow. She didn't speak, but the closeness of her shoulder to his said enough.

Cassie sat at Sunny's left, composed and poised, though her fingers curled around her napkin a little too tightly. Her red dress blazed brighter under the lights, and when she glanced past Sunny to Nephis, her smile was polite—too polite.

Sunny sat between them.

Frozen.

His eyes flicked left, then right.

Two storms.

One silent. One smiling.

Just eat, he thought. Just survive.

Across the table sat Rain, already digging into a piece of buttered bread, her legs swinging happily under her chair. Beside her sat Jet, who held her spoon like a dagger, eyes darting between Sunny, Nephis, and Cassie with the quiet amusement of someone watching a very slow-moving ambush unfold.

Cassie's parents, seated on the other end, were all grace and elegance. Her father, in his royal blue coat, cleared his throat and reached for a glass of water. Her mother, dignified in maroon silk, raised an eyebrow ever so slightly as her gaze passed from Cassie to Nephis to Sunny—then back to her daughter.

She leaned subtly toward her husband.

"Is it just me… or does it feel like we've walked into a drama novel?"

He murmured back without looking, "We have. And we're not the main characters."

Olivia finally took her seat at the head of the table, eyes flicking with gentle mischief between her son and the two girls flanking him.

So it begins, she thought.

Clearing her throat with theatrical grace, she smiled.

"Before we begin—thank you, all of you, for being here. Tonight is not just about food, but about… family."

Her gaze lingered softly on Jet, who gave a small, startled blink.

"And friends," Olivia added, smiling warmly at Cassie, then Nephis. "Old and new."

She raised her glass.

"To bonds—whatever shape they take."

Everyone raised their glasses.

"To bonds," they echoed.

Nephis took a slow sip, her white lashes fluttering shut for a second.

Cassie lowered her glass just a bit too slowly, glancing at Sunny from the corner of her eye.

And Sunny?

He didn't drink right away.

He was looking down at his plate, lips tight, face unreadable.

How did dinner turn into a battlefield?

Just then, Rain whispered (too loudly), "Mama, do you think Sunny will ever choose a girlfriend?"

Sunny choked on his water.

Jet snorted, trying to hide her laughter behind a piece of bread.

Olivia, utterly composed, replied, "Eventually. But let's let him figure out how forks work first."

Everyone chuckled… even Nephis, softly. Even Cassie, behind the rim of her glass.

But the moment after?

Silence again.

A lull. A breath. A glance.

The quiet war beneath the surface resumed.

The dishes passed quietly around the table. Steam rose in lazy curls. Plates clinked gently. Laughter bubbled now and then from Rain, who kept talking between bites, unfazed by the emotional minefield.

Olivia, like a conductor, subtly kept the mood from sinking too deep.

"So, Nephis," she said after a sip of wine, "how's the homeschooling going?"

Nephis lifted her gaze, calm but always watchful. "It's going well. Father's teaching me himself now… He's softer these days."

Olivia nodded with quiet respect. "Broken Sword was always hard, but never heartless. I'm glad he's changed."

"I'm glad too," Nephis said softly. "It feels more… like home."

Sunny looked at her then. Her voice had that faint note of warmth he rarely heard—like a note from a song only he remembered.

Before the silence stretched too long, Cassie chimed in with a small smile.

"Do you like studying with your father? My dad tried to tutor me once." She leaned in conspiratorially. "I fell asleep halfway through a lecture on dimensional laws."

Nephis blinked, startled by the tone… then nodded slowly. "I… understand that feeling. I fell asleep during a history lesson once. Father spent ten minutes lecturing me while I was asleep."

Cassie laughed.

Nephis smiled faintly.

Sunny exhaled—just a bit.

Maybe they wouldn't kill each other after all.

"You both have it easy," Sunny said, spearing a piece of roasted root. "Mom made me practice writing battle arts after I broke a bowl."

Olivia raised an eyebrow from across the table. "You shattered an heirloom that belonged to the Shadow Clan treasury."

"It was a bowl," Sunny muttered.

"It was fift years old."

Nephis tilted her head. "I thought you didn't believe in sentimental items."

"I don't," Olivia replied. "But I believe in consequences."

Jet snickered into her cup. Rain just whispered, "She's scary," to no one in particular.

Cassie leaned slightly toward Sunny, whispering, "You never told me about the bowl thing."

"That's because it's embarrassing."

"So is your handwriting."

"Hey!"

Across the table, Nephis leaned her cheek on her knuckles, quietly watching the back-and-forth. There was something unreadable in her expression.

"So, Cassie," she said suddenly.

Cassie blinked. "Yes?"

"You and Sunny spar together?"

"Sometimes," Cassie said. "He's ridiculously good."

Sunny rubbed the back of his neck, trying to hide the faint smile forming.

Cassie went on, "He doesn't fight like most of the boys. He flows. Like a shadow moving through water."

Nephis tilted her head. "That's how he fought even when we were younger. He always adapted."

There was a pause—almost a shared look—between the two girls.

Mutual recognition.

Sunny cleared his throat. "I mean, you both beat me sometimes."

Cassie raised an eyebrow. "When?"

Nephis smiled faintly. "Name one time."

"Unbelievable," Sunny muttered, face flushed.

Jet leaned sideways to Rain and whispered, "Now this is getting fun."

Rain was grinning with her mouth full.

At the far end, Cassie's parents exchanged another glance. Her father leaned toward Olivia and whispered, "Is it always like this?"

Olivia smiled behind her wine glass. "Only on days that end in 'Y'."

Her eyes flicked between Nephis and Cassie, reading the unsaid things with a mother's intuition.

So this is how it begins, she thought. He doesn't even know who his heart's calling for yet… poor boy.

As the table settled into light chatter again—Nephis and Cassie exchanging more questions, Jet and Rain giggling at some inside joke, Sunny trying to keep the emotional ship from sinking—it almost felt like things might work out.

For a moment.

But Olivia watched her son from the corner of her eye.

Sooner or later, she thought, he'll have to choose whose silence he understands more… and whose smile he can't look away from.

The dinner plates were cleared, replaced now by a delicate spread of desserts—bowls of frosted berries, warm cinnamon pastries, and soft vanilla pudding served with fresh cream. Rain had claimed the largest pastry with an innocent grin while Jet monitored her like a hawk, muttering something about sugar limits.

The rest sat back with cups of tea or juice in hand.

Olivia poured tea with the grace of a queen, her dress shimmering faintly under the chandelier light. Cassie's parents sat beside her, enjoying the quiet atmosphere—but their eyes, like everyone else's, kept flicking to the trio seated on the couch:

Sunny. Nephis. Cassie.

Sunny sat in the middle, a little stiff. His back was straight, shoulders unusually tense—like he was balancing on a line stretched tight between two cliffs.

Cassie sat on his left, animatedly telling a story about a field trip gone wrong. Her blue eyes sparkled, hands moving as she spoke. Sunny smiled, nodded—but it was clear his mind drifted. His laugh was just a little delayed. His gaze sometimes flicked right.

Where Nephis sat.

Quiet. Still.

Observing.

For a long while, she said nothing. She simply listened—watching Sunny's face as Cassie talked, reading the tiny shifts in his expressions, the way his fingers fiddled with the edge of his sleeve.

He was trying.

Trying not to hurt anyone.

Trying to make it work.

But he wasn't comfortable.

Not fully.

Not in this moment.

And Nephis—whose emotions always arrived softly, like snowfall—felt something bloom in her chest.

A strange courage.

She turned to him. And without a word, leaned gently sideways… and rested her head on his shoulder.

Time stopped.

Sunny froze.

His first instinct was panic—eyes wide, breath caught—but then…

Then it changed.

Because in that moment—with Nephis's head against his shoulder, her silver-white hair brushing his neck, her warmth steady and quiet—his heart finally stopped racing.

And started resting.

His body relaxed, slowly, as if exhaling a breath held for far too long.

Everyone noticed.

Cassie, mid-sentence, faltered.

Jet blinked in stunned silence, her cup hovering near her lips.

Rain paused, pastry halfway to her mouth. "Oooh."

Cassie's parents exchanged surprised looks. Olivia… simply smiled into her cup, as if she had seen something inevitable finally arrive.

Cassie's expression twitched—something passed behind her blue eyes—but she didn't speak.

Nephis didn't lift her head.

Sunny didn't move her away.

He just sat there… peaceful for the first time all night.

And slowly—strangely—the tension that had gripped the room began to fade.

The storm had cracked open.

And what poured in wasn't conflict…

…it was quiet understanding.

——

The moonlight filtered down through the open roof of the Shadow Clan's underground training dome. The arena was quiet, but the floor was painted with scuff marks and faint echoes of earlier training.

Sunny stood in the center of the ring, his breath calm, his long hair tied back. Across from him stood Cassie, her rapier glinting like silver thread in her hand, stance elegant and sharp. Beside her was Nephis, calm and composed, her white sword held loosely—but no less deadly.

"I want to spar," Sunny had said after dinner. "With both of you."

Cassie had smirked, ever confident. "You sure you're ready for that?"

Nephis had simply nodded, her eyes steady. No questions. No fear.

And now, they stood before him—his closest friends… and the two who made his heart race in different ways.

The duel began like a whisper.

Cassie moved first, swift and graceful, her strikes like weaving ribbons of pressure and precision. Nephis followed a breath later, her attacks slower but deliberate—designed to trap, to pin, to wear down.

Sunny danced between them—dodging, parrying, countering.

But it wasn't enough.

Two blades. Two styles. One against two.

He was pushed back—sweat dripping, breaths shallower.

Until—

He saw it.

Their shadows.

Cassie's shadow flickered just before every lunge—bending unnaturally, forecasting her thrust.

Nephis's shadow rippled like silk before every slash—its shape foreshadowing her arc.

And suddenly, something clicked.

Sunny moved differently.

No more rigid forms. No predictable patterns.

His body flowed like ink—spinning, ducking, striking in ways that made no logical sense.

Shadow Dance.

It wasn't a form. It wasn't a set of techniques.

It was instinct made art—a dance molded by movement and momentum, shifting after every attack, responding to the rhythm of his opponents like a living shadow.

He dodged Cassie's rapier, twisted around Nephis's guard, and let his blade carve through the space between them like water through cracks in stone.

The match lasted minutes.

It felt like eternity.

And then… it ended.

Sunny's blade hovered near Nephis's neck, while his foot tapped the back of Cassie's calf.

Both girls froze.

Then—Cassie dropped her rapier with a grin. "Okay. That was unfair."

Nephis blinked, lips parting slightly in awe. "You… flowed."

Sunny stepped back, chest rising and falling.

The arena fell silent again—only the soft rustle of fabric and breath remained.

All three of them were covered in sweat—faces flushed, strands of hair sticking to their skin. Sunny looked at them—at the subtle strength in Cassie's posture, at the gentle light in Nephis's gaze.

He saw everything—the power in their stances, the warmth in their eyes, the fire in their spirits.

And for a fleeting moment, his thoughts wandered. Not lust. Not hunger.

But wonder.

They were radiant.

Beautiful in the way only warriors are—alive, bruised, proud.

His heart beat faster.

He didn't know what to say.

So he just smiled—softly, tiredly.

"You both are incredible," he murmured.

Cassie tilted her head, stepping forward. "Says the boy who just invented a new battle art."

Nephis, standing on his other side, said quietly, "It suits you. Shadow Dance. It's… yours."

Sunny nodded, eyes glancing from one girl to the other.

In that moment, standing between them, with the cool night air brushing his skin and the warmth of their presence beside him, he felt something he couldn't quite name.

Not yet.But it felt a lot like home.