Shadow Slave: A collection of One shots

Soulmates

"So we just wait here for Sunny to return with Jet," Cassie asked.

Nephis quietly sat next to Cassie on the ship's deck. For the first time, Nephis felt like she could relax. Like she could allow herself a moment of peace. Since the start of the third nightmare, Nephis had been running and running without stopping. Of course, the time she spent with Sunny on the turtle was a physical break, but mentally, it had been exhausting. Nephis' mind had been constantly attacked with thoughts about Sunny, specifically thoughts about her relationship with him. One question had settled in her brain like a thorn.

'What is he to me?'

Their relationship was an odd one. They both knew that there was a transparent door separating them. Both of them could see each other, hesitating to open that door. The only time they tried to open that transparent door was back during Valor's banquet. That ended miserably. Both of them chose to close that transparent door, although through that transparent door, Nephis had been able to figure something out.

Sunny was her friend, her best friend in two worlds, and a comrade she could rely on. But just calling him her best friend and comrade left a sour taste in her mouth.

Before she could get too lost in thought, Nephis turned to Cassie.

"Yes. That's what he said."

Cassie nodded with a distant look. Eventually, Cassie turned to Nephis.

"You've been lost in thought a lot lately. Especially when you're with Sunny."

Nephis wasn't surprised by Cassie's question; she figured Cassie would know. There wasn't much between them, as far as Nephis knew. That's why Nephis felt comfortable opening up. Who else could she confide in, other than her first friend?

"Lately, I've had an old question that keeps coming to mind," Nephis said.

"Which question?"

"What is he to me?"

There was a silence that followed, and it stretched longer and longer. Nephis wished that Cassie could give her an answer. Nephis wanted that answer more badly now than ever. She couldn't explain why, but the need...no desire to know began consuming her. Nephis stared at her shadow longingly, waiting for Cassie to answer. When she spoke, Nephis snapped her head at Cassie in utter shock.

"Are you stupid?"

Nephis' mouth hung open in shock. Cassie's words were not what she had expected. More so, her direct tone was more surprising. Nephis knew she wasn't stupid; she had been given a high-quality education. Nephis closed and opened her mouth, unsure of what to say. Only the rush of wind made any noise until Cassie took Nephis' silence as an answer.

"I've tried to let you figure it out, but if you still haven't found that answer, I need to try another approach. Let me be straightforward. Neph, that man is your everything. If monsters, gods, and demigods can roam this hellish world we live in, there is such a thing as soulmates. And you two are the closest thing to soulmates I've seen."

Nephis allowed her words to sink in. Soulmates. Those words reminded Nephis of the story of Odysseus. Yes, the story was about Odysseus trying to return home, but on a deeper level, it was about a man trying to return to his wife...his soulmate. Except Nephis wasn't waiting for Sunny to return home. She didn't have a home to be at. She was a dreamspawn. Both worlds rejected her. Always existing in the in-between. A thought occurred, putting things in an odd perspective. While Odysseus tried to return home to his wife, Nephis and Sunny were searching for their home. And unlike Odysseus, Nephis had her soulmate with her. She let out a tired sigh. Nephis leaned her head back and then looked in the direction Sunny had run off.

"What's a soulmate?" Nephis asked.

Cassie smiled.

"I read somewhere that long ago, when the gods began to create humans, they made humans with four legs, arms, and eyes. But the gods grew fearful of humans, splitting them in half. Now we are constantly wandering around in search of our other half. Many of us search all our lives for that, but not you, Nephis. You found ours. Your other half is Sunny. If the stories are true about the gods being fearful of humans when they were whole, then isn't that more why you two are soulmates? Together, both of you can destroy the gods."

Nephis couldn't help but smile at Cassie's last words. Her other half, yes, that sounded right in her head. Nephis' smile only grew as moments with Sunny flashed through her mind. Again, she was reminded of that transparent door between them, but Nephis wasn't afraid this time. She wanted to open that door. She tried to say it all to Sunny. Just as allowing those feelings to settle, she heard a voice.

[Your shadow is dead]

Nephis stood up in a hurry. Whatever traces of a smile were wiped away. Fear crawled at her. Sadness watered her eyes. Refusal weighed her down.

She stared in the direction that Sunny had left, hoping against all else that she had missed her. That the spell had made a mistake. Finally, she worked up the courage and summoned her ruins. Where Sunny's name should be, the light was now dimmed and hollow.

It was then that acceptance crushed her body and fear finally yanked her, and Nephis fell to the ground. She left out a scream filled with agony and pain. She could feel her ears bleeding from her scream. She felt an unmanageable pain worse than the times she had to burn herself. It was pain that only the soul could feel.

Nephis could feel Cassie's arms around her, trying to comfort her. Her friend tried to calm her down, but it was useless. The pain was too much. The pain of losing Sunny was too much for Nephis. Now, she was worse off than Odysseus. She had no home to return to and no soulmate to be with.

For her soulmate had died.