Shadow Slave | School Days

Sitting within a cold steel plated room was Morgan of Valor, a contemplative expression seated across her face as she remained utterly silent. After all, they were there to discuss what might be the biggest and most dangerous move Valor had ever made since it's founding.

Across from her, was her father. The forty-year-old looked not a single day over thirty yet his body possessed strength that indicated he was still in his prime, Anvil did not meet the eyes of his daughter, yet flickers of warmth passed through his gaze as he studied the woman she had become.

Gilead too was located in the room, standing behind Morgan at her left side. He was Valor's most loyal warrior, having accompanied them since Anvil killed his father, subsuming his business into his own and establishing his reign into the underworld.

A few more figures were present, a blonde-haired woman with slitted eyes and a sword at her right hand. Tyris. She was the same woman who had accompanied Morgan to capture Sunny initially, never making her move nor aiding in his capture. Yet the elusive figure's strength could not be denied even by those who had not seen her fight.

"I suppose we should start off by asking a few questions." Anvil's booming voice rang out throughout the room, all eyes snapping toward him as a hologram of Sunny's form lingered between them. He was holding his two knives in each hand, blood running down his face with an indifferent expression.

Almost immune to pain.

"How strong is Lost from Light? Who does he compare to or even surpass in strength? What feats of strength has he displayed so far?" Anvil's barrage of questions were directly aimed at Morgan, who shifted on her seat and stood up, her back straight and her eyes piercing as she focused on Anvil.

"Lost from Light is the immortal flame's masterpiece, he possesses a perfect body, reaching the pinnacle of what is physically possible in strength and several other abilities. He is a master of all forms of combat, and I am certain he is the strongest man ever to grace this planet."

A slight scowl arrived on Anvil's face, remaining unnoticed by all those present as he remained silent to digest her words. Although he would never show it outwardly, Anvil was quite the prideful man. He prided himself in the strength he had abandoned his own father for, and for his own daughter to so boldly call him weaker than another was quite... hurtful.

Finally, Anvil beckoned for Morgan to continue as she cleared her throat and spoke once more. "He has killed an estimated thirty thousand people alone, defeated Mordret in combat, is responsible for the attack on Valor. However, he has quite a few weaknesses."

Raising an eyebrow, Anvil leaned in, a gesture shared by all those within the room as Morgan's resolve remained undeterred even under the combined gazes of everyone within the room. "He is deathly afraid of most women; he will not let them touch him outside combat and can be sent into panic attacks by it. Additionally, he is almost incapable of disobeying my commands."

A shared gasp escaped the room. Murmurs of shock and surprise escaping unseen lips as they noted Sunny's fear of women. However, only Anvil realised the true implications of what Morgan had said. She was to be the weapon most useful against Lost from Light, the one in the most danger.

"If we are to capture lost from light..." Anvil trailed off "How many casualties are we to suspect occur in the process?" Morgan gulped, her eyes wavering as she prepared to spit out an estimated number that she was sure none of the members of the room were able to handle.

"If our plan occurs, he could kill at least fifty thousand of us before capture. However, his strength alone if subjugated would raise Valor to much higher places in terms of strength compared to the other two great families."

Protests erupted throughout the room, the thought of a single man killing fifty thousand people on his own was preposterous. Morgan took a slight step back, unsure how to deal with so many strong personalities as Gilead stayed by her side to support her.

"Enough."

A single, clear command came from Anvil, a wave of oppressive silence settling itself across the room as all of the lingering voices came to a halt. The pressure he exuded settled upon their shoulders, making the weaker members of the room weak at the knees as he raised himself to his feet.

"We shall proceed with the plan, I shall trust in Morgan."

--

In the weeks that Nephis and the rest had spent training with Samara, Luster and Orion, Nephis was not sure if she had ever experienced pain comparable to that in her entire life. Orion's beatings became more drawn out, mocking their flaws every turn he could and then forcing Samara to spar with each of them immediately after.

Nephis's tolerance to pain had shot up drastically, almost feeling immune to it until Orion decided to up the ante and punish her more for her 'overconfidence'. Despite this, she felt her strength casually dwarf what she previously had more and more with each passing day.

The same could be said for the rest of them, Kai's physical capabilities had shot up immensely, with his marksmanship increasing even further as he gained complete mastery of his pistols. Nephis wasn't quite sure how he would end up using them in a real fight, but the wide smile he wore on his face as he sparred with Samara showed clearly that he was enjoying himself.

Mordret occasionally had dropped in to help 'train' them. However, his methods were far more brutal than what Orion could muster, only showing restraint whenever he engaged with Effie. His barely concealed affection for her was only unveiled further as he gave her a custom-made spear to suit her battle style before disappearing with a face so red you'd think he's been bleeding.

However, compared to the rest of them, Cassie was the one who had made the largest physical improvements. Nephis could confidently say she was faster than Morgan when they last fought, and to make it far worse she fought with a slender rapier that was supreme in sharpness.

Currently, they were all seated in a large half circle as Orion had promised something special to show them to commemorate their growth. "It's going to be a day till Sunny wakes up, he's already stirring sometimes in his sleep." Nephis commented to Effie, with a slight smile on her face as Effie playfully punched her on the shoulder.

"What? Are you intending to make up for lost time in the bedroom with him?" Nephis could only burn bright red in response, her lips moved to speak but before she was able to Orion crash landed in front of the two, landing side by side with a sleeping Luster in tow as he gently placed the younger boy on the floor.

"This is your reward; you get to watch me fight someone stronger than you. Isn't this amazing!" Orion mocked, his look of disdain lingering on Nephis for a moment before he spun on his heel. Despite their relationship somewhat improving slightly, seeing as she had grown stronger, his avid dislike for her never faded.

As he described it, she hadn't 'Grown strong enough to absolve her sins.'

"Luster!" Orion shouted, causing the young boy to shoot up to his feet with wide eyes as his eyes darted around him. Yawning again, he moved to go to sleep before he noticed Orion staring at him with a large frown. "We're going to spar, and you're going to like it."

A complaint died in his throat as he glanced back to view Effie and Nephis, both staring at his back expectantly as a slight scowl arrived on his face. "We're fighting to entertain them?" He asked, only for Orion to nod vigorously.

"It is the duty of the strong to give weaklings what privilege they can, and what greater privilege is there than witnessing the strong display the distinction between the two!?"

Slapping a palm on his face, Luster's eyes drifted to Samara and Kai who were idly chatting away, his grimace only grew yet he remained silent, not wanting to break his sister's romantic moment as his eyes narrowed on Orion.

"Let's dance then I guess."

Luster barely moved, his hands lazily at his sides. Then—Orion struck. The distance between the two evaporated as a straight punch, crisp and direct pierced through the air aimed at Luster's chin. But Luster moved before the blow was throw, tilting enough to the side for the fist to whistle past his air.

His body followed, flowing into a brutal counter-kick aimed at Orion's ribs. Yet Orion remained undeterred, his arm came down at a perfect angle, parrying the kick with enough force to redirect it as his foot came forward to sweep Luster's legs.

Nephis was watching the engagement with wide eyes, although Luster wasn't exactly competing with Orion, there was something more...clear, deep and insidious that she was noticing. Placing a hand to her chin, she became lost in thought as Effie jabbed her thumb into her side.

A small yelp escaped her lips as she stared at Effie with wide eyes. "Why the fuck did you do that!?" Her rare display of vulgarity only made Effie laugh as she stared back at the fight. "You're lost in thought, is there something you're seeing that I'm not?"

Nephis nodded, glancing back at the fight as she cleared her throat. "Luster... he's perfect." Effie's face split open with a wide grin as she moved to make a remark, but Nephis continued speaking. "He isn't totally out of reach like Orion and Sunny are, he's doing exactly what I want to be doing. Every move he's making embody where I aim to be in future..."

"He's a genius."

Luster hopped back effortlessly, pants escaping his lips as he stared down at Orion with a frown. "I could be fucking sleeping, but no! I'm supposed to entertain Mordret's girlfriend and Lost from Light's sex machine!" Orion almost fell over with laughter as Effie and Nephis were stunned into silence, blushes arriving on their faces as they remained stunned.

"Bad language isn't allowed youngster!" Orion chided, closing the gap as his palm lashed out. It wasn't a strike but a feint, forcing his body to react. And react he did. The exact moment Luster's body moved, Orion adjusted, seamlessly shifting into a sharp elbow strike aimed at his jaw.

But that was all within expectation.

His hand caught Orion's wrist, guiding the momentum instead of resisting it as Orion found himself five feet from the floor as he viewed Luster's tired face upside down. Catching Luster's follow up, Orion mimicked his move from before as he spun the younger man, slamming his knee into Luster's guard and sending him flying.

Landing perfectly on the floor, the two stared at each other indifferently before Orion turned around. "Good enough." In the next moment, Luster fell on the floor asleep. Nephis made her way over to the younger man, slapping him gently on the face and receiving no response before turning to Orion.

"Do I just leave him here?" The man nodded indifferently as he shrugged. "Buy him some cake and he'll be at your side in a moment. Lost from Light's sex machine." As he finished his statement with a laugh, he disappeared from the empty colosseum with Cassie in tow, leaving them to continue training without him.

Unbeknownst to them, this marked the beginning of a hunt.