Shadow Slave novel Chapter 1977

Chapter 1977: Their Legacy

Rain lingered for a moment, then said in a neutral tone:

"That’s... a bit ominous."

Sunny chuckled and looked at the tree with a distant expression. Eventually, he glanced at her with a faint smile.

"I wanted you to see this tree, actually."

He paused for a heartbeat or two, then looked away.

"People in the outskirts rarely get to have graves. The place is terribly overcrowded — well, at least it used to be before the Dream Gates — and the mortality rate is extremely high. Bodies get disposed of in a very utilitarian way, so there’s nothing left behind."

Sunny sighed.

"Very few people from the outskirts survive the First Nightmare, as well. So, I was quite convinced that I would die when the Spell chose me. I didn’t mind that much, really, but it was a bit sad to think that there would be no trace of me left in the world..."

He paused for a moment and smiled wryly, realizing how ironic it was. After all, that was exactly what had happened to him, in the end — every trace of his life had been erased from existence, leaving nothing behind. He had assured this obliteration willingly, earnestly, and with his own hands.

Oblivious to his thoughts, Rain listened to him intently.

Sunny looked at her, then pointed to the lonely tree.

"That was why I carved a line into this tree before entering the Nightmare. You know... to leave my mark on the world."

She traced his finger and studied the dark bark, then frowned slightly.

"But there are three lines."

Sunny nodded.

"Yes. That is because I had carved two lines into the tree before that."

He paused for a few moments.

"For our parents."

Rain grew quiet, looking at the three lines with a guarded expression.

Sunny smiled wistfully.

What could he say?

After a while, he finally spoke:

"They were good people, the two of them. Actually, they were very mundane people, but that is already an accomplishment in the outskirts. Our father... I don’t really remember him that well. In my memory, he is more of a feeling than a person — something big, quiet, strong, and caring. Mom used to say that he had a mischievous side and quite a hot temper hiding behind the calm facade, but I don’t know. He worked on one of the city barrier maintenance crews, and died in an accident not long after you were born. Stuff like that happens all the time to maintenance workers."

Sunny did not know a lot about his father, but he did know some things. The mere fact that his dad had been a maintenance worker instead of ending up in one of the local gangs spoke a lot about his character. The way he had cared about his family was quite telling, too.

He had been a good person, and both Sunny and Rain inherited some of that goodness... it seemed.

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