Right now, that obstacle was looking down, avoiding Sunny's gaze. His hand was resting on the sword handle. As always, the young slave had no idea about what was going on inside Hero's perfectly shaped head. The uncertainty was making him nervous. Finally, after some time had passed, the soldier spoke: "I have only one question." Both Sunny and Scholar stared at him while holding their breaths. "Yes?" "You said that one of us must be sacrificed to save the other two. Why him? From what I see, you are far closer to the grave." 'A great question! I was just about to ask it myself. Sunny turned to the older slave, trying very hard to suppress a mocking grin. But to his dismay, Scholar had an answer ready. "Before the first attack, he was already bleeding because of your senior's whip.

During the attack, he was drenched in the blood of a fellow slave. His cloak, too, was soaked in it when the previous owner died. The boy already reeks of blood. Keeping him alive will put us in danger. That's why he is the best choice." The grin died before reaching Sunny's face. 'Curse you and your big brain!' Scholar's reasoning was appallingly solid. Hero listened, his expression growing darker with each word. Finally, he looked at Sunny, a dangerous light shining in his eyes. "That is true." Sunny felt his mouth getting dry. Cold sweat was running down his spine. He tensed, ready to act... But at that moment, Hero smiled. "Your logic is almost unassailable," he said, unsheathing the sword. "However, you failed to account for one thing." Scholar raised an eyebrow, trying to hide his own nervousness.

"What might that be"

  The young soldier turned to face him, the smile disappearing from his face. Now, he was radiating thick, practically palpable killing intent. "It's that I know who you are, Your Grace. I also know what you've done, and how you ended up a slave. Just one of the revolting crimes you have committed would be enough to make me want to kill you. So if there is someone among us who deserves to be sacrificed... it's you." Scholar's eyes widened. "But... but the smell of blood!" "Don't worry about it. I'll make you bleed enough to overpower whatever residual scent the boy carries." It all happened so fast that Sunny barely had time to react. Hero lunged forward with a speed that seemed almost inhuman. A moment later, Scholar was shrieking on the ground, his leg broken with one strike from the flat side of the young soldier's sword. Not giving him an opportunity to recover, Hero stomped on his other leg, and a sickening sound of shattering bones could be clearly heard. The shriek turned into a sobbing howl. Just like that, Scholar was done for. The brutality of Hero's actions was in such stark contrast with his usually graceful demeanor that Sunny felt blood turning to ice in his veins. This was... scary. The soldier gave him a calm look and said in a placid tone: "Wait for me here." Then he grabbed the older slave and dragged him down the path, soon disappearing behind a rock outcropping. After a few minutes, terrible screams could be heard echoing through the wind. Sunny was left alone, trembling. 'Crap! This is... this is too much!' He still couldn't believe how sudden Scholar's demise came to be. And how ruthless it was. Some time later, Hero was back, acting as though nothing had happened. But it was exactly that normalcy that unnerved Sunny the most. After sorting through the contents of Scholar's rucksack and throwing most of the firewood out, the young soldier put it over his shoulder and nonchalantly turned to the young slave: "Let's go. We need to hurry." Not knowing what to say, Sunny gave him a nod and headed forward. Now there were only two of them left. It was sort of stupid, but Sunny suddenly felt lonesome. Walking on the stone path was much easier than scaling the mountain wall. He even had time for unnecessary thoughts. A strange feeling of melancholy descended on Sunny... somehow, he began to feel that the end of this nightmare, whatever it might be, was not far off now. They walked in silence for some time before Hero spoke.

"Don't feel guilty about what happened. It's not your fault. The decision was mine, and mine alone." The young soldier was a few steps ahead, so Sunny couldn't see his face. "Besides, if you knew this man's sins... actually, it's better that you don't. Just trust me when I say that killing him was an act of justice." 'I wonder which one of us feels guilty. These people... always trying to rationalize their actions, always desperate to maintain an illusion of righteousness even while doing most foul things. Sunny hated the hypocrisy. Not getting an answer, Hero chuckled. "You don't like to talk, do you? Well, fair enough. Silence is gold." They didn't speak again after that, each preoccupied with their own thoughts. The sun was setting, painting the world into a million shades of crimson. This high up, the air was clean and crisp, pierced by streams of scarlet light. Below them, a sea of maroon clouds was slowly rolling past the mountain. The stars and the moon had begun to reveal themselves in the vermillion sky. It was quite beautiful. However, Sunny could only think about how cold it was going to be once the sun fully disappears. Before that happened, Hero had found them a shelter. Not far from the path, hidden behind some tall rocks, was a narrow crevice that extended into the slope of the mountain. Happy to be safe from the piercing wind, they explored the crevice and ended up in a small, well-concealed cave. Sunny made a move to unbundle some firewood, but Hero stopped him with a shake of his head. "Today we will camp without making a fire. The beast is too close." Camping without the warm flames to keep them company was not going to be pleasant, but at least they weren't going to freeze to death inside the cave. In any case, the alternative was too frightening.

Sunny sat down, putting his back against the cave's wall. Hero settled opposite of him, looking downcast and thoughtful. He was obviously in a strange mood. If nothing else, it was apparent from the fact that today, for the first time, the young soldier had failed to care for his sword after making camp. Soon, the sun was gone, and their small cave became completely dark. Sunny, of course, could still see perfectly well; Hero, on the other hand, was now completely blind. In the darkness, his handsome face looked noble and, for some reason, sorrowful. Sunny studied it, not willing to fall asleep. After a while, Hero suddenly spoke in a quiet voice: "You know, it's strange. Usually, I can feel someone's presence even in absolute darkness. But with you, there's nothing. It's like you are just one of the shadows." With only silence to answer him, he smiled.

 "Are you asleep?"

The question echoed in the darkness. Sunny, who had never spoken with Hero unless there was an urgent need to, and even then only using a few words at best, felt like there was a strange intimacy between them now. That's why he decided to talk. Maybe the darkness gave him courage. Besides, there was an occasion. "Why? Are you waiting for me to fall asleep before you kill me? Or will you do it in the morning?"

The smile froze on Hero's face. He lowered his head, as though in shame. After a minute or so passed, shrouded in heavy silence, he finally answered. "Yes. I thought that if I do it when you sleep, you won't have to suffer." Unseen to him, a bitter grin appeared on Sunny's face. A long sigh escaped from the young soldier's lips. He rested his back against the cave's wall, still not looking up. "I don't expect you to forgive me. This sin, too, will be mine to bear. But, please, if you can... find it in your heart to understand. If things were different, I would have gladly faced that monster to let you escape. But my life... does not belong to me alone. There is an unencompassable duty I am sworn to fulfill. Until it's done, I cannot allow myself to die."

Sunny laughed.

"You people... Look at you! Planning to kill me and still insisting on having a good excuse. How very convenient! I really hate hypocrites like you the most. Why don't you be honest for once? Don't give me that crap... just say it! I'm going to kill you because it's easy. I'm going to kill you because I want to survive." Hero closed his eyes, his face full of sadness. "I'm sorry. I knew you wouldn't be able to understand." "What's there to understand?" Sunny leaned forward, anger coursing through his veins. "Tell me. Why do I have to die?" The young soldier finally looked up. Even though he couldn't see in the dark, he turned his face in the direction of Sunny's voice. "That man was a villain... but he was also right. The scent of blood is too heavy on you. It will attract the beast." "You can just let me go, you know. We'll part ways. After that whether or not the monster finds me won't be your problem."

Hero shook his head.

"Dying in that creature's maw... is too cruel a fate. It's better if I do it myself. You are my responsibility, after all." "How noble of you." Sunny leaned back, dejected. After a short while, he quietly said: "You know... when I just came here, I was ready to die. After all, in this whole world two worlds, actually - there's not a single soul who cares whether I live or die. When I'm gone, no one will be sad. No one will even remember that I existed." There was a forlorn look on his face. A moment later, however, it was gone, replaced by mirth. "But then I changed my mind. Somewhere along the way, I decided to survive. I must survive, no matter what." Hero gave him a thoughtful look. "To live a life worth remembering?" Sunny grinned. A dark gleam appeared in his eyes.

"No.To spite you all."  The young soldier was silent for a few moments, then nodded, accepting this answer. He rose to his feet. "Don't worry. I'll make it quick." "Aren't you overly confident? What makes you think you'll be able to kill me? Maybe I'll kill you instead." Hero shook his head. "I doubt that." ... But in the next second, he staggered and fell on one knee. The young man's face turned deathly pale, and with a pained groan, he suddenly vomited blood. A satisfied smile appeared on Sunny's face. "Finally." *** "Finally." Hero was standing on his knees, the lower part of his face covered in blood. Astonished, he was staring at his hands, trying to understand what had happened to him.  

"What.... What magic is this?"

With wide eyes and a pale face, he turned to Sunny. "Was... was that thief right? Did you put the curse of the Shadow God on us?" Sunny sighed. "I wish that I had the ability to throw divine curses around, but no. To tell you the truth, I don't have any abilities at all." "Then.. how?" The young slave shrugged. "That's why I poisoned you all." Hero flinched, trying to comprehend his words. "What?" "After the tyrant first attacked, you send me to search for water. While gathering flagons from the dead soldiers, I squeezed Bloodbane juice into each one except my own, of course. Not enough to taste it, but enough to slowly kill anyone who would drink from them." The soldier gritted his teeth, struggling through pain. A sudden realization appeared on his face. "So that's why... the other two were in such bad shape." Sunny nodded. "Shifty drank the most, so his condition worsened the fastest. Scholar was also not long for this world, but you finished him off before the poison could. Yourself, however... it was as though Bloodbane had no effect on you at all. I was really starting to get worried." Hero's face darkened. "I see... I understand." He thought about something, then looked at Sunny with surprise. "But... but back then you didn't know... that we will turn on you." Sunny just laughed. "Oh, please. It was obvious. Shifty was the kind of man who would kill for a pair of boots. Scholar was like a wolf in sheep's clothing. People are selfish and cruel in the best of situations was I supposed to believe that those two weren't going to do something terrible to me when faced with certain death?" Hero spat more blood. "Then... what about me?" "You?" A disdainful expression appeared on Sunny's face. "You are the worst of them." "Why?" Sunny looked at him and leaned forward. "I might have not learned much in my short life, but I do know one thing," he said, all traces of humor gone from his voice. Now there was only cold, callous contempt. Sunny's face hardened as he spat: "There is nothing more pathetic than a slave who begins to trust his slaver." Hearing these words, Hero lowered his head. "I see." Then, suddenly, he laughed.

"You... you are a wicked little shit, aren't you?" Sunny rolled his eyes. "There's no need to be rude." But Hero wasn't listening to him. "Good. This is good. My conscience will be clearer." The young slave sighed in irritation. "What are you mumbling about? Just die already." Hero chuckled and suddenly pierced him with a stare. Somehow, he didn't look so sick anymore. "You see, that plan would have worked if I was a normal human. But, alas, my Soul Core has Awakened long ago. I've slain countless enemies and absorbed their power. Bloodbane poison, unpleasant as it might be, can never kill me." 'Crap!' Sunny turned around and tried to run away, but it was already too late. Something hit him in the back, sending his body crashing into the rock wall. With a scream, he felt a sharp pain piercing his left side. Rolling out of the cave, Sunny clutched his chest, scrambled back onto his feet and ran, trying to escape the narrow crevice. He managed to reach the old path, finally being able to see the stars and the pale moon shining brightly in the night sky. But it was as far as he was able to get. "Stop." As the cold voice sounded behind him, Sunny froze. If Hero really had an Awakened Soul Core, he had no chances of getting away from him. In a fight, he had no chances at all. "Turn around." The young slave obediently turned, holding his hands up. He looked at Hero, who was wiping the blood off his face with a displeased look in his eyes. The two of them stared at each other, shivering in the murderous cold. "Was it worth it? No matter. Despite it all, I will be true to my promise. I'll make it quick."

 The soldier unsheathed his sword. "Do you have any last words?" Sunny did not answer. However, a small silver bell suddenly appeared in his hand. Hero frowned. "Where were you hiding that thing?" Sunny shook the bell. A beautiful, clear ringing sound flowed over the mountain, filling the night with an enchanting melody. "What are you doing?! Stop!" The young slave dutifully stopped. "What was..." Right under Hero's bewildered eyes, the silver bell disappeared into thin air. He looked at Sunny, stumped and suspicious. "Tell me! What did you just do?" But Sunny didn't answer. In fact, he hadn't said a single word ever since escaping the cave. Right now, he wasn't even breathing.

 Hero, on the other hand, continued to speak. "Tell me right now or you will regret it." He scowled. "Why are you not saying anything?" The shivering boy just stared at him, completely silent. No... he was staring into the darkness behind him. Hero's eyes widened. "What..."  

Sunny had no choice but to resort to one last, desperate gamble. He had no chance against the enemy in a direct confrontation, at least not without an advantage. Bloodbane poison was supposed to be his hidden card, but turned out to be nearly useless. Being able to see in the dark did not help that much, too: somehow, Hero was able to perceive their surroundings even without any light. Whether he was using his sense of hearing or some magical ability, Sunny did not know not that it mattered now that they had left the cave and were standing under the moonlit sky. Now he had only one advantage left. The fact that he knew that the tyrant was blind, and Hero did not. Acting on that knowledge, however, was easier said than done. But what else could he do? That's why he tried to stay as quiet as possible and rang the silver bell. If the description did not lie, its ringing could be heard from miles away. Surely, the tyrant was going to hear it, too.

Now Sunny only had to stay silent, stall for time and hope that the monster would come. As he did so, Hero's bewilderment slowly turned into anger. "Tell me right now or you will regret it." His voice was quite threatening, but still, the young slave did not answer. He just shivered in the cold and tried not to groan despite the pulsing pain in his chest. "Why are you not answering?" But Sunny did not dare to answer. He held his breath and watched, horrified, as the familiar colossal figure appeared behind Hero. His lungs were on fire, and his heart was beating like crazy. It was beating so loud that he was even afraid that the blind tyrant would hear it. But, of course, it couldn't be louder than Hero's voice, who was still talking, turning himself into the only source of noise on this mountain. At the last second, a hint of understanding appeared in the young soldier's eyes. He began to turn around, his sword rising with lightening speed.

But it was too late.

A massive hand appeared from the darkness and caught him into an iron grip. The bone claws scraped against the armor, pulling it apart. Mountain King dragged Hero back, paying little attention to the sword biting into its wrist. Viscous saliva was streaming from its opened maw. Petrified by fear, Sunny slowly turned his back to them and took a couple of steps up the old, winding path. Then he darted away, running as fast as he could. Behind him, a desperate scream tore apart the silent night. Then a hungry roar followed. It seemed that Hero wasn't going down without a fight, even though his fate was already sealed. But Sunny didn't care. He was running away, climbing higher and higher. "I'm sorry, Hero," he thought. "I did say that I will watch you die... but, as you know, I am a liar. So go and die on your own..."

****

A lonesome dark mountain stood tall against the raging winds. Jagged and proud, it dwarfed other peaks of the mountain chain, cutting the night sky with its sharp edges. A radiant moon bathed its slopes in the ghostly light. Under that light, a young man with pale skin and black hair reached the peak of the mountain. However, his looks didn't match the magnificence of the scene: wounded and staggering, he looked pathetic and weak. The young man looked like a walking corpse. His coarse tunic and cloak were torn and smeared with blood. His sunken eyes were cloudy and lifeless. His body was bruised, beaten and cut. There were specks of bloody foam on his lips. He was hunched over, cradling the left side of his chest. Each step caused him to moan, ragged breath barely escaping through gritted teeth. Sunny was hurting all over. But most of all, he was cold.

So, so cold.

He just wanted to lie down in the snow and fall asleep. But instead, he continued walking. Because he believed that the Nightmare will be over once he reaches the peak. Step. Step. Another step. Finally, he had made it. At the highest point of the mountain, a vast expanse of flat rock was covered with snow. In the center of it, illuminated by moonlight, stood a magnificent temple. Its colossal columns and walls were cut from black marble, with exquisite reliefs decorating the stygian pediment and broad frieze. Beautiful and awesome, it looked like a palace of a dark god. At least it did once. Now, the temple was in ruins: fractures and cracks marred the black stones, parts of the roof had collapsed, letting in ice and snow. Its tall gates were broken, as if smashed into pieces by a hand of a giant.

Still, sunny was satisfied

"Found you," he said in a hoarse voice. Gathering the last of his strength, the young slave slowly limped in the direction of the ruined temple. His thoughts were muddled and confused. 'See this, Hero?' he thought, forgetting for a second that Hero was already dead. 'I've made it. You were strong and ruthless, and I was weak and timid. Yet now you are a corpse, and I am still alive. Isn't it funny?' He stumbled and groaned, feeling the edges of his broken ribs cutting deeper into his lungs. Blood was dripping from his mouth. Dead or not, Hero had gotten him good with that single strike. 'Actually, it's not. What do any of you even know about being ruthless? Poor fools. In the world where I come from, people had thousands of years to turn cruelty into an art. And as someone on the receiving end of all that cruelty... don't you think I would know more about being vicious than you ever could?' He was getting closer to the temple.  

'Truth be told, you never stood a chance... wait. What was I thinking about?' A moment later, he had already forgotten. There was only pain, the dark temple, and the overpowering desire to sleep. 'Don't fall for it. It's just hypothermia. If you fall asleep, you'll die.' Finally, Sunny reached the steps of the black temple. He started to climb them, not noticing thousands of bones that were scattered around. These bones once belonged to humans and monsters both. All of them were killed by the invisible guardians still lingering around the temple. As Sunny was climbing the steps, one of the shapeless guardians approached him. It was ready to snuff out the spark of life that was burning weakly in the defiler's chest, but then stopped, sensing a faint, strangely familiar scent coming from his soul. The scent of divinity. Sorrowful and lonesome, the guardian moved aside, letting Sunny pass. Oblivious, he entered the temple.

 Sunny found himself in a grandiose hall. Cascades of moonlight were falling through the holes in the partially collapsed roof. Deep shadows were surrounding these circles of silver light, not daring to touch them. The floor was covered in snow and ice. At the far end of the hall, a large altar was cut from a single piece of black marble. It was the only thing inside the temple untouched by snow. Forgetting why he came here, Sunny headed for the altar. He just wanted to sleep. The altar was dry, clean, and as wide as a bed. Sunny climbed on it and lay down. It seemed like he was going to die. He was okay with it. Sunny tried to close his eyes, but was stopped by a sudden noise coming from the direction of the temple's entrance. He turned his head to look, not even a little bit curious. What he saw would have sent chills running down his spine if he wasn't so cold, tired and indifferent.

Mountain King was standing there, looking at him with its five blind eyes. He was still massive, terrifying and revolting. Worm-like shapes were still moving frantically under its skin. It was sniffing the air, salivating. Then it opened its maw and moved forward, slowly approaching the altar. 'What an ugly bastard, Sunny thought and suddenly clutched his chest, convulsing in a fit of torturous coughing. Bloody foam flew from his mouth and fell on the altar. However, the black marble soon absorbed it. A second later, it was as pristine as it was before. The tyrant was just about to reach Sunny. It was already stretching its hands to grab him. 'I guess this is the end, he thought, resigned to his fate. But at the last second, suddenly, the voice of the Spell resounded in the dark temple.

 [You have offered yourself as a sacrifice to the gods.]

 [The gods are dead, and can not hear you.]

 [Your soul bears the mark of divinity.]

 [You are a temple slave.]

 [Shadow God stirs in his eternal slumber.]

 [He sends a blessing from beyond the grave.]

[Child of Shadows, receive your blessing!] Under Sunny's astonished eyes, the shadows crowding the great hall suddenly moved, as though coming alive. Tentacles of darkness surged forward, entangling Mountain King's arms and legs. The mighty tyrant struggled, trying to get free. But how could it resist the power of a god? The shadows dragged Mountain King back, pulling in different directions. The tyrant opened its maw, and a furious howl escaped it. The next second, its body ruptured, torn apart into pieces. Blood, viscera and severed limbs fell on the floor in a crimson torrent. Just like that, the horrible creature was dead. Sunny blinked. Once again, he was alone in the ruined temple. The great hall was dark and silent. And then the Spell whispered: [You have slain an awakened tyrant, Mountain King.]  

[Wake up, Sunless! Your nightmare is over][Prepare for appraisal...]