Upon hearing the clang of the braid unlocking, Sunny was stunned, his face frozen in shock, unable to understand what had happened.
Before he could think, his body moved to the right, almost on pure instinct, dodging a blow that came from outside the cage.
The fist was enormous, probably from a powerful physical warrior.
"Hey! What did I say about attacking the prisoners?!" The one Sunny thought was the leader shouted, as he opened the door and the runes deactivated.
The power returned to Sunless's body, and he almost fainted from the sudden relief. His essence had returned.
At the same instant, the man who had freed them grabbed him by the shoulder, pulling him.
"Idiot! Move already, we don't have time!"
The young man pulled him and Cassie outside, guiding them toward the door. Sunny quickly retrieved his chest discreetly.
Without strength, his voice came out of his weak throat.
"Who are you…?"
A group of hooded people waited for them outside. All of them stood still like statues, except for those who had followed the leader inside the prison, including the man who tried to strike Sunless.
The orange-haired young man answered calmly:
"We are the last resistance of the lost, the last ones who managed to survive…" the man spoke with sorrow, cold eyes filled with exhaustion.
"Resistance?" Sunny replied with doubt, struggling to stay awake.
"You don't seem well… I'll be direct. Most of the lost are dead, and the masters are hunting the demon." A sense of faith in his leaders was in the young man's voice as he lifted his head proudly. "Soon Saint Cormac will arrive, and together with the masters, they will kill that vile creature!"
Sunny wanted to laugh at the man's words, whether because of innocence or blind faith, but he found no strength for it.
Noticing that Sunless was close to collapsing, the young man was quicker.
"What you need to know is that you're safe, we have a camp with resources and security." he said without hesitation, puffing out his chest.
"You can be sure this hell will end soon! No demon will remain in it!"
The hooded members nodded, as if confirming his words.
Ignoring that rambling and eating something was what Sunny would do, but was it worth it?
If they followed the group, they could have shelter and food, but mainly safety.
And even if they wanted to do something, they would have already done it. In his precarious state, Sunny doubted he could face the nearly twenty awakened gathered there, not with his essence so low. Even together with Serpent and Saint, he wasn't confident he would win.
There was also Cassie…
But even being frighteningly astute and intelligent, in the end she was not a combatant.
"Alright, we'll go with you…" Sunless murmured with difficulty, his head lowering, until he collapsed.
Fortunately, the young leader caught him and asked his soldiers to carry the body.
The blind girl was strangely tense, as if small threads had been undone…
Or rather, the threads had been rearranged.
"Aren't you going to say anything, little lady? I'd at least like to know the name of the one responsible for our misfortune." the comment came out cold, but sharp as steel.
Cassie remained silent, her expression apprehensive. She was equally worn out.
The young man moved closer to her face, close enough to hear the breaths becoming irregular.
Up close he saw the exuberant beauty, the face finally marked, the completely smooth skin, though a little worn from weeks of hunger.
The blonde hair slid down her back like a golden waterfall, contrasting with the empty eyes beneath the blindfold, which reflected nothing.
"There is nothing to fear…"
The voice vibrated in Cassie's ears, making her tremble unconsciously.
"Lady Song of the Fallen."
Mordret's hand struck her neck, knocking her out instantly.
Mordret held her gently, carrying her in his arms.
Without looking, he ordered the dead:
"Let's go to the camp, walk in silence."
The torches that had been lit simply out of attention to detail were extinguished. The group moved through the corridors until they reached the hall.
Their footsteps made no sound, but were still unsettling for those who heard them.
Once again he was alone.
"What a way to welcome my guests…" Mordret's laments were hidden by the cold darkness that surrounded him.
———
Far from there, a group composed of two masters and a few remaining lost wandered through the temple, searching for the demon.
Normally they should find a pair of awakened there, and then join them.
But the shadow and the oracle were no longer in that place.
Their search was in vain, resulting in them returning to their refuge.
Nothing happened, nothing changed, nothing bad occurred.
And yet, they began to fear this nothing.
For the demon of nothing was not with them.
And that was even more terrifying.
———
The hours passed slowly, Sunless's sleeping body resting on a comfortable bed. Warmth seeped in and dissolved the pain of the ice that had filled the cell.
His body returned to its former strength, including his essence.
But with that, the hunger abnormally increased. Even sleeping, he wanted to eat.
His desire seemed to be answered when a delicious aroma entered his nostrils. His body shivered at the desire the smell brought.
With a few cracks and groans, Sunny opened his eyes and stood up.
'Where…?'
In his vision, he was visibly surprised.
A wooden door was slightly ajar, the smell entering through the open gap. Orange and red light also came through, faintly illuminating the room.
With extreme caution, Sunny stood up and sent his shadows ahead to investigate.
And what he saw left him even more astonished.
A large "banquet" was being prepared, with a huge cauldron boiling over the flames, releasing steam and a good smell.
Almost thirty people were gathered, all eating with enjoyment and calm.
If it weren't for the dried blood dirtying the floor in some places, and all of them being patched together to the point they looked like the undead, Sunny would think he was at a party.
Ordering the shadows to explore further, he saw that Cassie was in another room, also napping.
Sunless let out a sigh of relief, happy that the seer was fine.
'Now, why are they so happy?'
It didn't make sense.
No one should be so calm there.
A literal monster was out there hunting whoever it saw. And it didn't seem like it would stop anytime soon.
Sunny, at least, couldn't imagine it.
But seeing that everyone seemed fine, and with his stomach growling insistently, he went outside.
Some guards were waiting for him outside, something Sunny already knew.
When they noticed he had woken up, they positioned themselves.
Without a word, they pointed in a specific direction.
Sunless didn't understand at first, but after the awakened kept pushing him in that direction, he walked on his own.
Strangely, no one questioned who he was, nor did they even speak among themselves.
Some laughed far too loudly for a place like that. Others ate in silence, with mechanical movements, as if they were only imitating living people.
Without worrying about anything.
Crossing the entire camp, he found a solitary bonfire.
And there was the young man who had rescued them.
He saw him too, waving with a smile.
"Awake, young Sunless?"
Sunny nodded.
"Yes, thank you very much for the help—"
At that instant, his stomach growled loudly, like a thirsty beast.
The two remained silent, before the young man started laughing. The low laugh soon turned into loud laughter.
"Hungry? Well then, I'll have them bring some food!"
After asking the awakened to fetch a bowl full of soup for Sunless, he asked him to sit down.
"So Sunless? What do you think?"
Sunny, who was already going for his third round of soup, looked at him with confusion.
"What do I think about?"
"Never mind… Tell me something else." the young man shook his head, a little disappointed.
Sunny found it strange, but didn't care.
"Tell you what?"
The leader stayed quiet, his smile was friendly… But it didn't reach his eyes.
"What do you think about old stories?"
"I think they're interesting." he replied without thinking much, remembering a certain white-haired young woman.
"Good, I'm glad."
The silver gleam in his pupils seemed to deepen.
"Have you ever heard…"
"of the myth of Narcissus?"