Shadow Slave novel Chapter 3156

There was a long bout of silence. Then, Rain exhaled lightly and smiled.

Turning to Sunny, she shrugged.

"Well, it isn't the first time. You left to challenge the Second Nightmare, then to fight the Chain of Nightmares. You always return, though, don't you?"

Rain paused for a moment, and then added sullenly:

“Even if, sometimes, you do stuff like erasing yourself from everyone's memory and getting into my good graces again by pretending to be an eccentric immortal... who just happened to decide to become my teacher because of a fortuitous encounter..."

Her teasing was meant to lighten the mood, but Sunny did not respond.

Instead, he simply looked at her for a few long moments.

"I do tend to return. But, Rain... this time is different."

Her smile faltered.

Sunny looked down, brushing his fingers against the warm cup, then looked at the mighty tree Rain was leaning on. Finally, he spoke:

"I am going to be gone for a long while this time. But that... that is not all of it. The Fifth Nightmare is different from all the rest. Apotheosis is different from all other steps on the Path of Ascension. So, even if I do return... I might not be the same."

He felt something then. The painful sensation in his chest, grasping his heart like a vice — the undeniable reality that no matter what happened in the Nightmare, he was going to lose a part of himself. Perhaps an insignificant one... maybe a precious one, instead.

The person he had been all his life would be gone, replaced by a strange god.

Sunny inhaled deeply and looked at Rain.

‘Time really flies, doesn't it? But it also crawls like a snail.’

She wasn't the sweet toddler who used to follow him around their tiny apartment anymore. She wasn't an awkward teenager, either, or even a young woman tentatively coming to terms with her budding adulthood. Rain was in her mid-twenties now, having already become a Master. The little girl he remembered had blossomed into a real adult...

Somewhere in the middle of the apocalypse, Rain had outgrown his image of her. Having experienced both war and peace, she was now tall and strong — just like the tree behind her.

She was thriving.

Sunny smiled.

Rain didn't need to depend on him anymore. So, even if he was gone... even if he didn't return, or returned so direly changed that they would not recognize each other... she would be alright.

...That was a little painful, too.

He cradled the teacup in his hands.

"But it has to be done. What can I do? Your brother is just too awesome. So, there's no one else who can fill my shoes."

Rain tried to smile, but her eyes betrayed an inner turmoil.

She looked away, remained silent for a short while, and then spoke in a tone tinged with emotion.

“We keep missing each other, don't we?"

She took a deep breath.

"In this life... we were meant to spend it together, but instead, we spent most of it apart. And now, we are parting again. How is this fair?"

Sunny couldn't help but chuckle.

“There's no such thing as fair, so who knows?"

He paused for a moment.

"This world is so vast. It is so harsh, too. So many forces pulled us in different directions, but in the end, we still found each other, didn't we? Over and over again. To me... those times we spent together were more precious than you can ever imagine, Rain. And they always will be."

He took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly.

"So, I want you to know that even if I seem odd after I return... even if I am not who I used to be or treat you differently... I will always look over you. You say that we have spent most of our lives apart, but Awakened have long lives, Rain. There are countless years ahead of us. And yes, I might not be able to spend them all by your side, but I will always be there, somewhere. Thinking of you."

Sunny scratched the back of his head and added awkwardly:

"Well, unless I die, of course. But you know me — your brother is not easily killed. In fact, I pity the fool who tries to kill me."

Rain couldn't help but chuckle.

Afterward, she fell silent again and looked at him with a wry, bitter emotion hidden in her eyes.

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