The warmth of my new core was obvious—foreign, yet strangely familiar. It reminded me of a Corpus Mutatum, though I'd only ever brushed against one in passing. I wasn't a Chosen One. I didn't overcome the zombie horde—I died to it. Plain and simple.
Still, I was lucky. I got transmigrated.
Bad thoughts—begone.
It had been a few minutes of travel when we arrived at the location marked on the map. This was it—the place where Kai, arguably one of the best Shadow Slave characters, was confined. The ethereal, almost heavenly humming drifting through the air made that clear enough.
"Boss, before you panic and think it's a monster, trust me on this one—that's definitely a human. I can feel it. I think it's 'cause I've drunk both human and Nightmare creature blood. It's like... I can tell now."
Sunny hesitated. He was weighing the risks.
"If you say so, little rock."
Heh. That little lie worked. Unlike Kai, Sunny can only speak the truth—but that doesn't mean he can recognize it.
"Hello? Is anyone down there?"
"Ermm... it's been a while since you guys brought food. I'm starving. Please—don't let me die in here. Please."
"Calm down, man. I'm not with the guys who locked you up. I'm here to help."
"R-really? I'll make it worth your while!"
Even distorted through the sealed well, Kai's voice trembled with desperation.
Sunny summoned Saint and took a step back as she moved with her usual eerie grace. Draping the seal aside, she shifted the massive lid.
I leapt off Sunny and clambered up onto Saint's shoulder. Best to be careful—having both a Dreamer and a Nightmare creature present was already suspicious. Passing me off as a single Echo was plausible. Two Echoes? That'd raise too many questions.
"You want me to grab a rope or somethin'? Hold on—lemme look around—actually, wait, I'll toss you something. Stand clear and catch, alright?"
"No need," Kai replied, voice gaining clarity and brightness as he climbed. "I can get out on my own."
Moments later, he emerged.
Delicate face. But unlike Sunny's softer, almost cute looks, Kai was... masculine. Striking. His soft green eyes framed by luscious, dark auburn hair that looked smoother than any fabric I'd ever seen. His well-fitted armor—burnished brown leather—was paired with deep blue embroidery underneath. Tall. Slender. Elegant. Handsome. His face was small and flawlessly shaped, with high cheekbones and ivory skin that practically glowed.
"Thank you so much for helping me out."
"Yeah, yeah, cool. You said you'd reward me. You rich or something?"
"Well... I suppose you could say that. Heh."
"Is that a well-known fact?"
"Ahem, well... yeah? You want me to buy you something? Like a Memory?"
"No. i don't want you to buy a memory but a lot of em ."
Kai blinked, looking at Sunny like he was stupid. Which, to be fair, he kind of was—but also kind of wasn't. Kai could see Sunny's sharp, calculating nature, but his flaw misled him. Sunny hadn't lied. Not once. Not even a little.
"Well, I don't really know—"
"I can help," I chimed in, my voice not too different from Sunny's. If it hadn't come from an entirely different direction, Kai might've assumed it was Sunny.
Saint didn't move, so I had to scurry over to Kai myself. I approached and started climbing up his side.
"Sorry—I'm just gonna hop on your shoulders if that's cool. Hi! I don't have a name—Boss hasn't given me one yet—but yeah, I'm a Memory-turned-living-being. I'll be helping you out. I can see in the dark, too!" I said in Sunny's cold tone, doing my best to sound as friendly as a rock possibly could.
"Since Boss did just save your life, I think it's only fair you help him out with the whole 'buying stuff' situation, Mr. Good-Looking."
"Oh—yeah. I haven't even introduced myself. I'm Kai. It's a pleasure to meet you two… and I'm really grateful for the help."
"Yeah, yeah. I'm sunny, the talking rock will help you get to my place—gotta grab some stuff first."
"Erm... okay. I guess it's just me and you now? Buddy?" Kai said, glancing at Sunny as he melted into the darkness like a walking shadow. That left me and Kai standing there in awkward silence.
"'Buddy'? Well, sure, why not. I figured you'd be kinda creeped out, you know—with the whole 'actually sentient, living memory' thing?"
"Well, I am, kind of... but you and your boss did save my life. Who knows what would've happened if those guys came back."
"Yeah, yeah. Boss would've wiped the floor with 'em—don't worry, Kai."
"Thanks a lot, Little Rock. But, uh... if I'm honest, calling you 'Little Rock' feels weird. Sorry. Think your boss would mind if I gave you a name?"
"Nah, not really. He's too lazy to do it himself anyway, so... yeah, go for it—"
I didn't even get to finish before Kai suddenly levitated off the ground and took flight.
"Hold on tight," he called. "How does Silex sound? It means 'stone,' I think... in what was it—Latina? Some ancient, ancient language."
"Yeah, yeah. Keep flying forward, Mr. Kai."